Cultivation: From Servant to Immortal Venerable

"Alright, you study hard!" With that, Warden Lin left with a pleased expression, hands clasped behind his back.

"Warden Lin is truly a good person!" Wang Erniu exclaimed.

"Yes, he's a good person!" Zhou Xun nodded, a strange glint in his eyes.

It wasn't until evening that Zhou Xun left the Danbao Pavilion and returned home.

The Danbao Pavilion didn't have living quarters for aspiring alchemist apprentices like them; the alchemy rooms were merely for their study of alchemy.

The next day, Zhou Xun arrived at the Danbao Pavilion early.

Today, he was to learn his first lesson: an introduction to alchemy.

The class was to be held in a large hall.

The hall spanned dozens of zhang, with a raised platform in the center.

Thirty prayer mats were neatly arranged around it, meant for their use.

By the time of the third quarter of the Chen hour, everyone had arrived.

Zhou Xun, having arrived early, chose a spot close to the raised platform.

Having attended school in his previous life, he knew that good students always sat near the podium.

As the Si hour struck.

A graceful figure walked into the hall from outside.

Everyone turned to look.

It was a maiden as gentle as jade, with eyebrows like distant mountains and a face like a blooming lotus.

Her long skirt reached her shoes, her eyes like stars, her teeth like pearls, exuding an elegant and refined aura.

Everyone was stunned; they had never seen a woman of such beauty and exceptional temperament.

Wang Erniu's face turned bright red; he didn't even dare to look at her.

Zhou Xun also felt a sense of breathtaking beauty.

Even though he had seen many beautiful women in his previous life, he had to praise this woman as truly pure and refined.

The woman walked straight past everyone and gracefully ascended the raised platform.

She took out a prayer mat from her storage bag and then sat down cross-legged.

"Miss Lin, it's her!"

Someone seemed to have recognized the woman's identity.

Miss Lin, Zhou Xun understood instantly.

Miss Lin was a renowned figure in Red Leaf Square.

She was the only daughter of the Lin family's current patriarch, Lin Anshuo.

However, what made her famous was not her status, but her Superior Spiritual Root aptitude and her talent in alchemy.

Now only sixteen years old, she was already a master at the fourth level of Qi Condensation.

Simultaneously, she was a Grade 1 Mid-tier Alchemist, truly a figure of heavenly talent.

"Quiet!" a voice like a mynah bird's rang out, like the sound of a clear spring bubbling over rocks.

"Today's first lesson is an alchemy demonstration, to give you all a preliminary impression of the art of alchemy!"

The maiden's expression was serene. After a simple statement, she took out an alchemy furnace, Silver Spirit Charcoal, and a variety of alchemical ingredients from her storage bag.

Silver Spirit Charcoal was refined from Grade 1 Low-tier Silver Spirit Wood.

The spiritual fire ignited by this item, compared to earth fire, was gentler and easier to control, making it the best source of fire for alchemists refining pills.

"Today, we will be refining the Qi Induction Pill, a common medicinal pill for the Qi Condensation stage!"

Saying this, she placed the Silver Spirit Charcoal beneath the alchemy furnace.

A spell was cast upon the furnace, and instantly a crimson flame shot up.

"When refining pills, one must use spiritual fire to warm the alchemy furnace!" the maiden explained as she operated.

A moment later, the alchemy furnace was sufficiently heated.

With a slight wave of her fair, slender fingers, a blue-green spirit herb flew into the alchemy furnace.

"This step is called condensing the medicinal liquid. There are various methods for condensing herbs; different spirit herbs require different techniques for condensation."

Just like that, an hour passed.

Suddenly, a medicinal fragrance rose from the alchemy furnace, permeating the entire hall and invigorating the spirit.

The maiden's expression shifted, and she cast another spell. The lid of the alchemy furnace automatically opened, and twelve round, milky-white pills flew out.

Eleven of them were a bright milky white, with only one having a duller color.

The maiden's brow furrowed slightly, as if she had made a mistake.

"Twelve pills were successfully formed, eleven of them are standard grade, and one is inferior!"

"The profit is over four spirit stones, while the cost won't exceed two!" Zhou Xun thought to himself.

With more than double the profit, it was no wonder alchemists were said to be the wealthiest group among cultivators.

The crowd below showed envious expressions.

This was precisely the effect the first lesson aimed to achieve.

"Today, I will demonstrate the art of alchemy. I hope you all will practice diligently in the future and become true alchemists soon!"

With a wave of his hand, he put away the alchemy materials and floated away.

The next day, in the same great hall, an elder replaced the previous instructor to explain the medicinal properties of spiritual herbs.

He was a veteran alchemist of Danbao Pavilion, though only a mid-tier first-rank alchemist.

However, his understanding of medicinal properties was highly praised by Grandmaster Yun Ku, and Lin Zhishan even admitted he was inferior.

After learning medicinal properties, they also had to learn spiritual herb processing techniques and the art of pill condensation.

Zhou Xun also grew accustomed to his daily alchemy study routine.

Every day was a simple two-point commute, from his home in Green Willow Alley to Danbao Pavilion.

Just like that, a peaceful month passed.

One day, Wang Erniu suddenly found Zhou Xun, his excitement clearly visible on his face.

"Brother, I'm getting married!"

Hearing this news, Zhou Xun was not surprised at all.

Wang Erniu possessed a Superior Spiritual Root, and the four great families would absolutely not let him go.

Besides joining one of the four great families, he had no other choice.

The woman Wang Erniu was marrying was named Lin Xue'e.

She was the direct niece of the Lin Family head and the younger cousin of the Lin Family's eldest daughter, a true direct descendant of the Lin Family.

However, this second daughter of the Lin Family had poor natural talent, possessing a low-grade water spiritual root.

High status but poor aptitude, she was a perfect match for Wang Erniu.

For Wang Erniu, joining the Lin Family and gaining their support, with his Superior Spiritual Root aptitude, his future advancement to the Foundation Establishment Stage was highly probable.

Even reaching the True Core stage was not impossible.

The Lin Family's recruitment of a son-in-law was known throughout Red Leaf Square.

The two direct daughters of the Lin Family had many admirers in Red Leaf Square.

The eldest daughter of the Lin Family was a prodigy, and the young masters of Red Leaf Square dared not even dream of her.

The second daughter of the Lin Family, however, was also exceptionally beautiful, but her talent was merely average, making her an excellent candidate for the main wife of a family.

Unexpectedly, this second daughter of the Lin Family did not marry a young master from a noble family but instead took a farmer's son as her husband.

"Er Niu, congratulations!" Zhou Xun congratulated him sincerely.

Seven days later, Wang Erniu's wedding took place.

On the wedding day, gongs and drums sounded, making it a lively affair.

All the shops of the Lin Family offered a 10% discount that day to celebrate.

At the wedding banquet, hundreds of people from the Lin Family attended.

On Wang Erniu's side, apart from his master, there were only the prospective apprentices from Danbao Pavilion.

Because Wang Erniu had claimed Zhou Xun as his brother, Zhou Xun, along with Wang Erniu's master, was arranged at the main table, sitting with the high-ranking members of the Lin Family.

During the banquet, Zhou Xun carried himself with elegant demeanor and spoke with refined taste, neither humble nor arrogant.

He greatly impressed the Lin Family's higher-ups, who inquired about his background.