She finally proved herself!

The Alchemy Pavilion.

The moment Yun Xi arrived, she was surrounded.

There was no helping it. Everyone was simply too curious. This was someone who had a chance of becoming a ninth-level alchemist!

Of course they had to come take a good look and rub off a little of her good fortune while they were at it. Who could say how luck really worked?

Which of these alchemists didn't want to rise to a higher level?

Besides, the best alchemist in the entire Southern Region was currently only at the sixth level, still a long way from the ninth.

Supposedly, ninth-level alchemists had existed back when the Four Regions were still connected, but that had been a very long time ago. Ten thousand years had passed. Who could still remember those dazzling geniuses from ten thousand years before?

Even the Alchemy Pavilion's elders kept glancing over, unable to contain their excitement.

They had been right to come to blows with the Spirit Artifact Hall over Yun Xi a few days ago! Look, hadn't she come to them now?

"Elder Fang..." With all those burning gazes fixed on her, Yun Xi felt a little embarrassed.

"Shoo, shoo! Go do whatever you're supposed to be doing! Why are you all crowding around here? Will one extra look at her let you ascend on the spot?" Fang Ding was terrified that Yun Xi might get annoyed and run straight over to the Spirit Artifact Hall opposite them. Their Alchemy Pavilion would cry itself to death!

"Yun Xi, you were already very interested in alchemy before, and you even asked the Sect Master about it. Let me put it this way: as long as you choose alchemy, you'll never regret it! This is the best choice you could possibly make!" Fang Ding's face lit up.

"Just look at cultivators. Which of them doesn't bring pills when they go out to train? Pills are the best things for keeping you alive! Some can even improve your aptitude and increase your cultivation speed..."

Fang Ding led her farther inside. The people they passed were also very curious, but fortunately, none gathered around them.

Of course, that also had something to do with Fang Ding's ferocious glare. Nobody wanted to anger the elder in charge of the Alchemy Pavilion. Wouldn't that be foolish?

"Moreover, alchemists enjoy very high standing throughout the Four Regions. If others learn that you're an alchemist, especially a high-level one, countless lineages will certainly try to win you over."

"But don't pay any attention to those lineages. You have the Sect Master's protection, and our entire Southern Spirit Sect stands behind you." A smile filled Fang Ding's thick, dark brows and eyes.

Now he suddenly felt that Yun Xi being the Sect Master's biological daughter couldn't be better! That way, nobody had any grounds to steal her away!

Lan Yue really deserved a little credit!

Ah, no!

Fang Ding suddenly remembered that Yun Xi's other father seemed to be the Holy Son of the North Ridge Sacred Ground!!!!

At that moment, Fang Ding was utterly horrified.

If the North Ridge Sacred Ground learned of Yun Xi's talent and her potential to become a Ninth-Level Alchemist, they would definitely come to snatch her away!

Both sides were her biological fathers. In fact, the North Ridge Sacred Son had personally nurtured Yun Xi, only for something to go wrong at the crucial moment and someone to steal the embryo.

If that hot-tempered fellow discovered that his biological daughter was here, would the mountains around their Southern Spirit Sect survive?

He remembered the last time, a hundred years ago, when an elder of their Southern Spirit Sect had provoked the man. The man had hacked an entire mountaintop clean off. Apparently, that elder had nearly been scared witless and fled straight into seclusion, where he remained to this day.

At that thought, Elder Fang was beside himself with worry. Aside from their Sect Master and Grand Elder, who could stop that god of slaughter?

And the Sect Master had gone out on business, while the Grand Elder was currently in some ruins, supposedly dealing with something extremely important.

If that god of slaughter learned the truth and came charging over, everything would be finished!

Meanwhile, Yun Xi was enthusiastically learning to identify spirit herbs in the alchemy classroom. She memorized them incredibly quickly and had her own insights into the basic pill formulas. Sometimes, she could even infer three things from a single example, delighting the elder teaching at the front.

The other alchemists around her pricked up their ears and listened intently to the discussion, their hands scribbling notes.

Seeing this only piled more worry onto Elder Fang's worries.

"Elder Fang, why do you look so troubled?" An Elder Bai walked up to the doorway with a cup of spirit tea and asked curiously.

Fang Ding briefly explained his concerns through voice transmission.

Yet after hearing him out, the other elder burst out laughing, making the students inside the classroom look over curiously.

"You two, move farther away!" The elder inside was furious.

Elder Fang led Elder Bai away with his tail between his legs.

"I'm worrying about our Alchemy Pavilion. How can you still laugh?" Fang Ding was furious.

"Brother Fang, you seem to have forgotten that the Immortal Artifact actually has restrictions." Elder Bai deliberately lowered his voice even while using voice transmission.

"Look, from the moment we learned that Yun Xi was the Sect Master's daughter until now, has any news leaked out? Only the people in our sect know."

At those words, Fang Ding suddenly understood.

Indeed, nobody outside knew that the Sect Master had welcomed her biological daughter back.

Even the sect disciples who already knew the situation had been ordered to keep it secret.

"So?" A sudden flash of inspiration struck Fang Ding.

"We need to keep a close eye on Lan Yue and make sure she doesn't run off to the North Ridge Sacred Ground so soon." Elder Bai looked perfectly solemn.

Both nodded together, their expressions grave, as though conducting an extremely important meeting.

While the two conversed through voice transmission, Yun Xi had already begun her first attempt at refining pills. Her talent was simply too good. Delighted to discover such a gifted student, the elder insisted on letting her try.

"It's fine. Just give it a try. It doesn't matter how many times you blow up the furnace. All these spirit materials belong to the Alchemy Pavilion!" The elder swept a hand grandly.

Yun Xi nodded and carefully began extracting the spirit materials' essences in the order the elder had demonstrated.

A male disciple beside her helped out, busily running back and forth.

"Junior Sister Yun, this is a spirit material you brought with you. See if you want to put it in." The disciple handed over a black lump.

Yun Xi was about to take it and examine it when the warmth against her hand startled her.

There was actually a spirit herb with body heat!

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the male lead Junior Sister Lan Yue had mentioned.

Looking at the little black lump, still unconscious, Yun Xi's mouth twitched, and she hung him back at her waist.

"This isn't a spirit material. It's something I'm raising..."

"A spirit pet. Yes, a spirit pet!"

"As expected of Junior Sister Yun. Even your spirit pet is so distinctive!" Having mistaken it for an ingredient, the senior brother was already deeply embarrassed.

He had wanted to give his junior sister's spirit pet a proper compliment, but however he looked, he couldn't find a single merit. All he could squeeze out was "distinctive."

"He's quite black. A very distinctive black. Look closely, and he even has yellow fur!" He scratched his head as he offered his praise.

Yun Xi: "..."

You really don't have to compliment him. There's no need to put yourself through this. Really!

Neither of them noticed the black lump below move his paws during their conversation, though he soon went still again.

Yun Xi continued refining pills, taking great care with every step.

In the Formation Pavilion next door, Lan Yue walked out of the classroom, holding Little Fruit with great satisfaction.

This time, she had finally proved herself. Channeling the same dedication she had brought to her university graduation project, she had drawn a flawless diagram, without the slightest deviation!

This was the spirit of a science and engineering student!

"Elder Duanmu, it really wasn't that I didn't want to draw earlier. Those were just too simple." Lan Yue wore a proud expression.

As a gossip-loving girl, her dream was indeed to lie back and enjoy the drama, but nobody was allowed to question her professional skills!

Although she had ultimately strayed rather far from her field-she had studied design, only to end up becoming a gaming commentator.

Sigh, better leave that whole process unmentioned!

"Chirp!" The rootless fruit seedling called out to her, its little eyes brimming with admiration.

"Don't envy me. I'm only a legend." Lan Yue chuckled.

"Since you have some talent in this area, come at the hour of the hare tomorrow. Remember to bring it along." Elder Duanmu nodded slightly.

"The hour of the hare? That early?" Lan Yue felt as though lightning had struck her. Was she going to lose her chance to sleep properly again?

She had been kept in the Morning Cultivation Hall before. Now that it was gone, was she going to be kept in the Formation Pavilion instead?

"You call the hour of the hare early?" Elder Duanmu's brows drew tightly together.

"No, no, no, it isn't early!" Lan Yue answered reflexively.

Boohoo, it really wasn't that she was a coward. Elder Duanmu just looked far too much like her high school homeroom teacher! Especially that stern face and that gaze. They were identical!

Even after all these years, the might of her homeroom teacher still left her trembling.

[Lan Yue: Sigh, during the first talent test, I broke their spirit artifact. Apparently, they still haven't fixed it. Not long ago, I was kept in the Morning Cultivation Hall for three months, and then it collapsed. Now I've been moved to the Formation Pavilion. Who knows how long this place will last?]

Lan Yue sighed and sighed.

Across from her, Elder Duanmu's steps faltered.