Evening, at the Alchemy Hall of Pill Cauldron Peak.

The vast Alchemy Hall was as noisy as a vegetable market, with several cultivators gathered around each alchemy furnace.

“Those bastards from the Lingxu Sect! They actually refined an Earth-grade pill!”

“They must have gotten incredibly lucky!”

“I refuse to accept this! Our Pill Cauldron Peak is the true orthodox school of alchemy in the Southern Region!”

On the other side, several cultivators with faces blackened by soot were still arguing.

“Junior Brother, I think this furnace needs my innate pill fire to finish with a strong flame; then this pill can be completed.”

“No, no, it should be simmered slowly for another ten days.”

When those disciples saw Zhang Xian and his companion, they acted as if they didn’t see them, still busy with their own affairs.

On a raised platform sat an old man with red hair and beard, reclining on a rocking chair. A small furnace stood beside him, crackling as it burned. He had his eyes closed, humming a little tune, looking exactly like a farmer warming himself by a charcoal fire.

Zhenhai led Zhang Xian forward and cupped his hands in salute. “Disciple Zhenhai, along with Junior Brother Zhang Xian, pays respects to the Head Teacher.”

Zhang Xian imitated him. “Pays respects to the Head Teacher.”

The old man glanced at Zhang Xian. “A Wood Spirit Root learning alchemy? That’s not your field. Don’t waste your time.”

Zhang Xian smiled and took out a set of high-quality alchemy equipment. “This disciple has long yearned to learn the art of alchemy.”

For a cultivator like him without a Fire Spirit Root, wanting to refine pills meant relying on the furnace fire of alchemical equipment. For this reason, Zhang Xian had specially purchased a set of top-grade alchemy tools.

To do good work, one must first sharpen one’s tools.

“A waste.” The old man clicked his tongue disapprovingly and waved his long sleeve. A book titled True Explanations of the Alchemical Path landed in front of Zhang Xian. “Follow this and refine on your own. Go get a few portions of materials for Fasting Pills from that shelf over there. Come find me again after you’ve successfully refined some Fasting Pills.”

“Understood, Teacher.”

Zhang Xian walked confidently toward the medicinal herb shelf. But after just one look, he was dumbfounded.

The shelf was densely packed with hundreds of medicinal herbs; he didn’t recognize over half of them!

He had heard names like Purple Spirit Grass, Green Root Fruit, and Cold Mist Grass before, but he simply couldn’t identify them.

Seeing Zhang Xian frozen in place, Zhenhai couldn’t help but walk over. “Junior Brother, what’s wrong?”

Zhang Xian gave an awkward laugh. “Well… Senior Brother, do you recognize which herbs are for the Fasting Pill?”

Zhenhai: “?”

You don’t even know the materials for a Fasting Pill?

And you have the nerve to say you want to learn alchemy?

“Haven’t you been at Green Wood Peak for quite a while?” Zhenhai said with an incredulous look. “Did Supervisor Liu not teach you to recognize spiritual plants?”

Zhang Xian said righteously, “I learned how to grow spiritual plants, not how to identify medicinal herbs!”

Zhenhai let out a light sigh. “Alright then, I shouldn’t have asked you. What you went to Green Wood Peak for is an open secret.”

“Do not slander my good name without cause!”

In the end, Zhenhai still helped him gather all the materials and gave a simple explanation of the refining steps.

“Remember, keep the heat steady and your spiritual power even; everyone learned this in the Outer Sect. Oh right, you never spent time in the Outer Sect.”

Zhang Xian nodded. “Don’t worry, I understand now!”

Zhang Xian confidently started the furnace. Following Zhenhai’s guidance, he first used spiritual power to ignite the fire, then added the materials one by one.

Then, he used too much force, causing the flames to surge instantly.

Boom!

After a puff of black smoke, the materials inside the furnace turned directly into charred powder.

The commotion startled several disciples arguing at the next table. They turned to look and were immediately speechless.

“He can blow up a furnace just refining a Fasting Pill? What a weirdo. Whose subordinate is this?”

“Shh… It’s that immortal second-generation from Spirit Sword Peak—the one who drowned in a manure pit in that novel.”

“Oh? Instead of having fun at Spirit Sword Peak or Green Wood Peak, what’s he doing here? We don’t have any girls here.”

“Stop talking nonsense! Once you refine an Earth-grade pill, won’t you have girls and spirit stones aplenty!”

Zhang Xian was unwilling to give up. “It must be a problem with the heat control! Again!”

Zhenhai had an ominous premonition and silently took a few steps back.

This time, Zhang Xian learned his lesson and carefully controlled the heat. Seeing the temperature inside the furnace stabilize, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Next step: infuse spiritual power to harmonize the medicinal properties.”

Then, Zhang Xian directly poured in a huge surge of Wood Spirit energy!

Azure Emperor’s Rejuvenation Art—activate!

Wood generates Fire!

The previously stable furnace fire instantly went berserk; the alchemy furnace trembled violently!

“Holy shit!” Zhenhai, who had been watching closely, paled and quickly raised a protective barrier.

BOOM——!!!

With a tremendous blast, the alchemy furnace shattered into pieces; violent waves of fire poured out.

The Head Teacher instantly flashed into existence and pressed down with his palm. The erupting flames rapidly contracted until they condensed into a tiny spark and vanished.

The old man looked at Zhang Xian with a dark expression.

Zhang Xian gave an embarrassed smile. “Head Teacher… I can pay compensation.”

The old man slowly turned his head. His gaze swept over the terrified disciples around them, then over the large hole in the wall and the scattered medicine shelves.

Real Man Chiyan took a deep breath and raised his hand in a sweeping motion.

“GET OUT!!!”

A wave of energy blasted both Zhang Xian and Zhenhai straight out of Pill Cauldron Peak.

【Shocking! Apprentice at Pill Cauldron Peak detonates top-grade alchemy furnace on-site; attempts to take entire peak down with him!】

【Grievous! Apprentice fined 10,000 sect contribution points for furnace explosion; bankrupted overnight!】

Several pieces of news spread throughout the Yunmiao Sect; countless cultivators were overjoyed and celebrated.

The next day.

Zhenhai took Zhang Xian to Divine Mist Peak to learn talisman-making.

The Supervisor of Divine Mist Peak was an elegant middle-aged man who was quite polite when he saw Zhenhai and even exchanged pleasantries.

“Drawing talismans requires a calm heart, settled qi, and steady brushwork.” The Supervisor demonstrated by drawing a Breeze Talisman; the talisman paper moved without wind as spiritual energy flowed smoothly like drifting clouds and flowing water.

Zhang Xian tried to imitate him. Result: Poof! The talisman paper spontaneously combusted and charred.

He calmed himself down and tried again—still charred.

Zhang Xian couldn’t even master the most basic talisman after studying all night; both Zhenhai and the Supervisor fell silent.

“Drawing talismans isn’t just writing characters; each stroke must be infused with spiritual power; neither brushstroke nor stroke order can be wrong,” sighed the Supervisor. If Zhang Xian hadn’t paid such high tuition fees, he would have wanted to kick him out already.

Suddenly Zhang Xian understood: Isn’t this just charging up talismans?!

The talismans produced by his system were fully charged versions! Drawing his own meant charging them stroke by stroke with spiritual power—utterly exhausting!

“I bid you farewell!” Zhang Xian decisively gave up.

Day three.

“Junior Brother… maybe we should just go watch dancing at Graceful Swan Peak instead,” Zhenhai kindly suggested.

“Believe me, Senior Brother! I have great talent for formation arrays! I can casually set up spirit-gathering formations! And my mathematical abilities are extremely high within my small world! I’m sure I can learn formation arrays well!”

A somewhat apprehensive Zhenhai brought Zhang Xian to Star Dipper Peak.

A young-looking Head Teacher was explaining Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Deduction Technique. The disciples below all looked dazed and unfocused.

Zhang Xian and Zhenhai casually found seats and sat down.

“‘Li’ is hollow in its center; ‘Kan’ is full within; ‘Dui’ is broken above; ‘Sun’ is severed below…” The Supreme Head Teacher explained patiently…

Zhang Xian persisted for two days but felt like his head was full of multivariate equations and calculus; it throbbed painfully until he felt he couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Huu…” Beside him, Zhenhai had already fallen asleep…

The next second—Thwack!—Zhenhai was swatted outside by the Head Teacher!

“Go sleep outside if you want to sleep!”

Zhang Xian quickly helped Zhenhai up and took their leave.