The messenger hawk was a first-rank spirit bird purchased from the Beast-Taming Pavilion of the Ling Kingdom.Intelligent and swift, it could travel three thousand li a day, and was the Chen Clan's lifeline of communication between Qingyuan Mountain and its distant holdings.
Its arrival on Linghu Isle could only mean one thing—The family had news for him.
Chen Nianzhi scattered a handful of Spirit Rice to feed the bird, then carefully untied the small scroll bound to its leg.
As he read the message, his brows rose slightly, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Looks like I'll need to return to Qingyuan Mountain."
The Summons
At dawn the next day, he tidied up the island, set the protective array to operate automatically, and took flight.
Five days later, he arrived at Qingyuan Mountain.
The Third Elder, Chen Qinghao, greeted him the moment he stepped onto the courtyard terrace.The old man's face broke into a broad grin, his eyes full of delight.
"Good! Very good! Excellent!"He grasped Chen Nianzhi's hand tightly. "Your progress is even faster than Qingyuan's!"
"You overpraise me, Thirteenth Uncle," Chen Nianzhi replied modestly.(Qinghao ranked thirteenth among the "Qing" generation, and though technically an elder, the family's close ties meant titles were used with affection.)"I'm still far behind Uncle Qingyuan."
Indeed, Seventh Elder Chen Qingyuan had joined Qingyang Sect years ago. Now, at thirty-four, he was said to have reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment.
Within Qingyang Sect, disciples could exchange contribution points for Foundation Pills—10,000 points, equivalent to 10,000 spirit stones—far cheaper and safer than trying to purchase one on the open market for several tens of thousands.
Given the sect's legacy and Qingyuan's inherited fortune from the war sixty years ago, his odds of breaking through were far higher than those of the clan's own cultivators.
Chen Qinghao waved away the humility with a sigh.
"There's no need to be modest. Your talent truly surpasses his.It's just a pity… our family can't afford a Foundation Pill right now."
Then his expression softened into seriousness.
"The reason we called you back this time is because of the Qi-Gathering Pill refinement."
The Pill Refinery
As he explained, Chen Nianzhi nodded in understanding.
Among the clan's seventeen acres of spirit fields, five acres were devoted to growing Qi-Nurturing Grass—a mid-grade first-rank herb and the main ingredient in refining Qi-Gathering Pills.
The Qi-Gathering Pill (Na Qi Dan) was one of the most widely used elixirs for Qi Refinement cultivators, aiding breakthroughs and stabilizing spiritual circulation.Its demand in Yu Prefecture was immense, making it a steady and vital source of income for the Chen Clan.
Every five years, when the herbs matured, they yielded enough for fifty furnaces of Qi-Gathering Pills.The work had always fallen to Sixth Elder Chen Qingmeng, the clan's resident high-grade first-rank alchemist.
His success rate exceeded sixty percent, and each cycle brought in hundreds of spirit stones in profit.
But after his failed Foundation attempt, Qingmeng's spirit had dimmed, and the clan knew his remaining years were limited.So, they had decided to train a successor—and Chen Nianzhi was the chosen one.
"This time, you'll assist Sixth Elder," Qinghao said, patting his shoulder."Observe carefully. You may well become the clan's next alchemist."
With that, he led Chen Nianzhi to the Alchemy Pavilion.
Lessons by the Furnace
Inside, the air shimmered with residual heat and faint traces of medicinal fragrance.
Chen Nianzhi bowed respectfully to the elder waiting by the pill furnace.
Two years had passed since they'd last met, and Chen Qingmeng looked far older—his hair gray, his shoulders slightly stooped. The failure to build his foundation had clearly taken its toll.
He owed the family thirty thousand spirit stones from that ill-fated attempt—a debt no ordinary cultivator could repay in several lifetimes.
Seeing Chen Nianzhi, he gave a faint, weary smile.
"Come in. I've been expecting you."
Without further preamble, he turned and began preparing the cauldron.Since they needed to refine fifty batches, the workload would be immense.
Chen Nianzhi took his place beside him, sorting ingredients and pre-treating the herbs.As a high-grade Spirit Herb Cultivator, he was deeply familiar with medicinal properties, working faster and more precisely than most apprentice alchemists.
Chen Qingmeng, watching him, slowed his own pace and began explaining each motion and decision in detail.
At first, Chen Nianzhi could only listen in confusion.But as the days passed, his responses grew sharper, his insights more confident.
The elder nodded approvingly.
"Hmm… you have talent in alchemy as well."
Coming from him, that was no small praise.Qingmeng had reached high-grade first-rank at forty, already a recognized genius among pill refiners.
Part of Nianzhi's advantage lay in his foundation—his grasp of herbal resonance gave him an intuitive understanding of how energies fused within the furnace.
Soon, the first batch was ready.
When the lid lifted, five round, jade-like pills rolled into the porcelain dish.
"Not bad," Qingmeng said, satisfaction softening his face.
The first furnace was always a calibration batch; five pills meant a fifty percent yield, which was respectable.
As the refinement continued, the results improved—The second furnace produced six pills, the third seven.
A Week of Fire and Patience
For six full days and nights, master and apprentice worked in harmony—measuring, grinding, infusing, refining—until the final wisp of medicinal steam dispersed into the air.
When the last furnace cooled, they counted the fruits of their labor:
Fifty furnaces, yielding three hundred and thirty-six Qi-Gathering Pills.
"Finally done," Qingmeng exhaled, exhaustion and pride mingling in his voice.
Chen Nianzhi smiled.
"A seventy percent success rate… Twenty-Sixth Uncle, you might soon qualify to attempt the second rank of alchemy."
Qingmeng laughed quietly, shaking his head.
"It's not that simple. I've just refined too many Qi-Gathering Pills over the years. Familiarity, that's all."But even so, joy glimmered in his eyes."Three hundred and thirty-six pills—thirty more than last time. That's the best yield our clan's had in sixty years."
He patted the pill bottle, a touch of renewed pride returning to his tired expression.
"Even if I failed Foundation Establishment, reaching the tenth layer of Qi Refinement has its uses after all."
Profits and Prospects
When the Third Elder came to collect the pills, he personally counted each bottle.
The Qi-Gathering Pill was always in high demand, increasing a cultivator's odds of breaking through small bottlenecks.Each sold for five spirit stones or more.
Three hundred and thirty-six pills meant over 1,600 spirit stones in return—enough to replenish much of the family's depleted treasury.
The Third Elder's smile was radiant.
"Excellent work. This year's batch is the best we've had in decades.""And with Nianzhi's return in time for the year's end… it's fitting we hold a clan gathering."
He looked from Qingmeng to Nianzhi, his tone both proud and affectionate.
"Let's celebrate. Our Chen Clan still has hope yet."