After acquiring the alchemy book, Elian couldn't wait to improve his alchemy skills. Unwilling to stay longer in Yuyang Market, he left early the next morning.
Upon returning to Linghu Isle, he spent two months carefully studying the alchemy book several times before beginning his attempts at refining pills.
With his exceptional talent and a solid foundation in refining Qi Restoration Pills, the insights from the alchemy book gave him even greater confidence.
This time, the process of refining Qi Restoration Pills took three days. For the first two days, he successfully extracted six portions of medicinal liquid by simmering the ingredients over a steady flame.
By the third day, as he sat in front of the alchemy furnace, his expression grew serious. The essence of the liquid had been extracted, and the process had reached the critical stage of condensing the liquid into pills.
"Success or failure hinges on this moment," Elian muttered as he activated his alchemy techniques to condense the pills. As the furnace trembled, three of the six portions of liquid turned into smoke.
He set aside his regret and focused entirely on condensing the remaining liquid into pills. In the end, three pills successfully formed.
Quickly channeling his spiritual energy, Elian removed the furnace lid and saw three crystalline, flawless pills fly out.
"Success!"
Grasping the three pills, his face lit up with joy.
It was his first time refining a first-tier high-grade pill, and he had successfully created three pills—far beyond his expectations. Most beginners attempting to refine first-tier high-grade pills would only achieve a success rate of 10–20%. Elian had anticipated being lucky to refine two pills, but he managed to refine three in one batch.
"Three pills in a single batch—while luck played a role, it also proves my foundation is strong."
"With my current skills, refining a few more batches of high-grade pills should put me well ahead of Uncle Qingmeng."
Elian spoke softly to himself. Having studied Uncle Qingmeng's notes, he had a clear understanding of his level, which was now comparable to his late uncle's.
After refining the Qi Restoration Pills, Elian's life returned to a peaceful routine.
In the days that followed, he spent his mornings practicing his spiritual technique to draw in Primordial Purple Qi, using it to temper his meridians.
In his spare time, he improved his alchemy skills, played the occasional melody, tended to his spirit fish and purple geese, and cultivated spirit flowers and herbs. His days were tranquil and serene.
Two months later, as Elian was feeding the second brood of newly hatched purple geese, he saw a black hawk approaching from the sky.
"A messenger hawk."
As the hawk landed before him, Elian removed the letter tied to its claw. After reading its contents, his expression grew solemn, and he carefully stowed the letter away.
"Is there trouble at Qingyuan Mountain?"
Chen Changyan, who was nearby, grabbed a handful of spirit grain to feed the hawk. Noticing Elian's unusual expression, he couldn't help but ask.
Elian nodded, briefly playing with the young purple geese before replying.
"News from Qingyang Sect from Qingyuan." (Qingyuan is the elder at the Qingyang Sect)
"Uncle Qingyuan has sent a letter saying the family wants me to return to discuss something important."
"Qingyuan…" Chen Changyan's expression shifted, a hint of joy appearing on his face.
"Could it be that he's obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"The letter didn't specify. I'll need to return to Qingyuan Mountain to find out."
Elian patted his hands clean, suspecting the matter wasn't that straightforward. If it were just about obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill, the Third Elder wouldn't have called for a family discussion.
"It seems I must return to Qingyuan Mountain. I'll have to trouble you to watch over Linghu Isle while I'm away."
The old man nodded. "With me here, you can rest easy."
When Elian arrived at Qingyuan Mountain, he found that, apart from the Great Elder stationed at Pingyang City, all the family's high-ranking members were present.
In the family's main hall, the Second Elder Chen Qinghe, the Third Elder Chen Qinghao, the Fourth Elder Chen Qing Yuan, and the Fifth Elder Chen Qingwan—all elders—were gathered, along with Elian himself.
The Third Elder smiled and nodded at Elian before addressing the group.
"Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."
"Not long ago, Qingyuan sent a message from Qingyang Sect, saying that the sect recently refined three batches of Foundation Establishment Pills."
Everyone present showed expressions of delight upon hearing this.
The Qingyang Sect refines a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills every ten years, typically producing three to five furnaces' worth each time. For the sect's Qi Refining disciples, this was their greatest opportunity.
The Second Elder Chen Qinghe stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "Among the Qing generation, Qingyuan truly has the greatest fortune."
Elian listened quietly, fully understanding the cause of the group's excitement.
This was because the powerful Qingyang Sect owed the Chen family a Foundation Establishment Pill.
The story dated back sixty years when a major demon beast invasion ravaged the land. The Qingyang Sect, a dominant force in Chu Kingdom, summoned cultivators from three provinces to fight the beast tide.
To unite the human cultivators against the beasts, the sect, along with various immortal families and wandering cultivators, drafted a treaty at Qingyang Mountain.
According to the treaty, all spoils of war, including beast materials and cores, would be collected and distributed by the Qingyang Sect based on merit.
To ensure the battle's losses were accounted for fairly, the sect also promised that any Foundation Establishment cultivator killed in battle would have their family compensated with a Foundation Establishment Pill.
This provision, known as the Qingyang Pact, aimed to prevent Foundation Establishment cultivators from holding back out of fear for their lives.
While the intent of the pact was sound, greed often complicated matters.
In that battle, the Chen family lost almost all its elite forces in a single night. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators perished, and the prized Ziyang Jade disappeared without a trace.
The loss was devastating, but Qingyang Sect refused to acknowledge the deaths as battle-related, claiming no witnesses saw the cultivators killed by beast attacks. Using this loophole, the sect denied the Chen family's compensation.
At the time, the incident affected seven or eight other families, many of which never recovered.
The controversy escalated, and the uproar prompted intervention from Daoist Jiang of Tianxu Mountain. Under her mediation, Qingyang Sect agreed to partial compensation.
From that time onward, Daoist Jiang reputation soared, and many regarded her more highly than Qingyang Sect.
Returning to the present, the sect had promised the Chen family a Foundation Establishment Pill under the condition that the recipient must have been raised within the sect.
To meet this requirement, the family reluctantly sent their most talented Qing-generation member, Chen Qingyuan, to join Qingyang Sect as a child.
Chen Qingyuan, with his complementary fire and earth spiritual roots, had exceptional cultivation potential, surpassed only by Heavenly Spiritual Roots and rare variants. By the age of 29, he had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.
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