This made the female cultivators even more eager. Most were spell cultivators, specializing in talismans, formations, alchemy, and the like. None of them were short of money, and they showed no restraint when bidding.
In an alchemy chamber, four graying male cultivators sat together, staring intently at the little jade bottle between them. Inside was the top-grade Youth-Preserving Pill their Medicine Sect had acquired at auction at enormous expense.
“The pill’s fragrance is contained within it, preserving its medicinal properties very well. Our sect can achieve that too.”
“What’s truly incredible is that it contains no pill toxins.” One of the older cultivators scraped a thin layer from the pill’s surface with a fingernail and tasted a little.
“What kind of ridiculous luck did the Sword Sect stumble into, recruiting an alchemy master like this? Someone so talented ought to come to our Medicine Sect. Everyone knows our sect represents the pinnacle of alchemy.”
“Sect Leader, why don’t we go to the Sword Sect and recruit that alchemy master?” Someone cautiously offered this suggestion, immediately drawing nods from the other two.
The oldest male cultivator considered it, then shook his head. “That won’t do. The sword cultivators must value this alchemist enormously right now. If we go and try to recruit them, it will put both sects in an awkward position.”
“In my opinion, this alchemist probably obtained some school’s inheritance. Perhaps they merely acquired a Youth-Preserving Pill recipe and caused all this commotion with it.”
“No sect under heaven has a more comprehensive collection of pill recipes than ours. Anyone who studies alchemy will eventually realize that the Medicine Sect is the best place for them. Don’t worry. This person will come to us.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Hearing the elder say this, the others accepted his reasoning and set aside the matter of Jiang Chan of the Sword Sect for now. Would Jiang Chan join the Medicine Sect as they wished? Of course not!
She had not forgotten her main occupation. Her primary task was cultivation. Alchemy was merely a secondary pursuit to pass the time. Besides, Jiang Chan possessed her own alchemical inheritance. There was really no need to covet the Medicine Sect’s.
As for that inheritance, Jiang Chan had obtained it by taking an opportunity that should have belonged to Gu Miao’er. In her previous life, Gu Miao’er had studied alchemy as a secondary pursuit too. The female lead’s halo really was powerful. All she had to do was explore a secret realm to obtain an alchemy master’s inheritance.
When Jiang Chan went there, if she had not had Mo Yu to do the fighting and her own ability to see through every formation, she probably would not have come anywhere near that inheritance.
Jiang Chan felt entirely justified in taking this opportunity that had originally belonged to Gu Miao’er. It was Gu Miao’er’s own fault for failing to improve her cultivation.
The alchemical inheritance was exceptionally complete. In her previous life, Gu Miao’er had relied on these alchemical skills to win favor with many cultivators. Now that it was in Jiang Chan’s hands, how could she let Gu Miao’er benefit from it again?
After studying alchemy for three years, Jiang Chan had finally grasped a little of the basics. Of course, in other people’s eyes, her alchemy was already extraordinarily accomplished.
She had begun with Bigu Pills1, Yellow Dragon Pills, and Qi-Harmonizing Pills for Qi Refining cultivators, then moved on to Foundation Establishment Pills, True Essence Pills, and Spirit-Gathering Pills for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now she could refine Spirit-Stabilizing Pills, Essence-Increasing Pills, Essence-Dividing Pills, and others suitable for Golden Core cultivators.
For instance, the top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills Jiang Chan now refined could be used by cultivators of any level, including those at Nascent Soul and above. She was the Sword Sect’s most cherished treasure, and everyone in the sect kept their lips tightly sealed about her.
After all, they had finally achieved a comfortable standard of living. If someone lured Jiang Chan away, wouldn’t they be back to square one overnight?
As the grade of the pills Jiang Chan produced rose, the Sword Sect elders and disciples protected her ever more carefully. Jiang Chan now had close ties with the sect. Seeing how accomplished her alchemy had become, they expected the Sword Sect might gain an alchemical inheritance of its own in the future.
Jiang Chan was not someone who jealously guarded her knowledge. If Sword Sect disciples came to ask for guidance, she held nothing back. Having come from an age of abundant information, she knew that hoarding knowledge was not a good thing.
In fact, exchanging ideas and studying together were essential to improving one’s alchemy. There were now more than a dozen young alchemy attendants on Jiang Chan’s Alchemy Peak alone. Some tended the medicinal fields, while others watched the pill furnaces. Each had their own duties.
The Sword Sect elders had gathered these disciples for her. Not everyone in the world was interested in sword cultivation. The Sword Sect was relatively open-minded and welcomed a variety of pursuits.
Time flew by. Another ten years passed, and Feng Qiwu successfully formed her core. She had only just turned thirty-two. She broke the record for the youngest cultivator to reach Golden Core. Her senior brother, Senior Brother Ming, had formed his core at thirty-five.
Feng Qiwu had done it a full three years earlier. There might be someone who surpassed her in the future, but no one had done so before.
Feng Qiwu’s Golden Core ceremony was magnificent. The Sword Sect elders could hardly stop grinning. This was their sect’s exceptional young prodigy. Her achievement deserved to be proclaimed far and wide.
Of course, the elders had their own petty motives too. Hadn’t the Yunshui Sect claimed to have a talented young woman whose reputation rivaled Feng Qiwu’s? Now their Feng Qiwu had reached Golden Core. What about that girl with the pure water spiritual root?
No one was happier than Jiang Chan to see Feng Qiwu form her core. The stronger Feng Qiwu became, the better she could protect herself, and the more smoothly Jiang Chan’s mission would proceed.
Feng Qiwu’s cultivation was exceptionally solid. Jiang Chan supplied her freely with pills, yet Feng Qiwu restrained herself, advancing steadily, one step at a time.
Jiang Chan admired that too: the ability to resist shortcuts and choose diligent, arduous cultivation instead. Not everyone had the courage to forgo an easy route and choose a path full of thorns.
Although Feng Qiwu had only just entered the Golden Core stage, she could already exchange many moves with Mo Yu. More than once, Mo Yu had remarked to Jiang Chan that it was no wonder sword cultivators were considered the strongest among cultivators of the same level.
She had only just reached Golden Core, yet she could already last so long against Mo Yu. Once Feng Qiwu reached Nascent Soul, wouldn’t she beat Mo Yu effortlessly?
Mo Yu shuddered. She had decided that the moment Feng Qiwu’s Golden Core ceremony ended, she would enter seclusion. She would not come out until she reached Soul Formation!
Feng Qiwu’s Golden Core ceremony was a grand occasion, attended by outstanding disciples from practically every sect. Seeing Feng Qiwu, now a Golden Core master, the Yunshui Sect elders’ eyes reddened with envy.
Then, looking at Tang Yubai standing below and Gu Miao’er timidly clutching his sleeve, the Yunshui Sect elder let out a long sigh.
- Bigu Pill (辟谷丹): A cultivation pill that allows its user to go without ordinary food. ↩︎
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