A hundred-year-old spirit herb could be used to refine a first-grade pill. A five-hundred-year-old spirit herb could refine a second-grade pill. A thousand-year-old spirit herb was the material for a third-grade pill.

Li Meng had originally intended to refine a second-grade Spirit Tempering Pill. Unfortunately, the Spirit Herb Garden did not contain any herbs over two hundred years old.

One hour later.

“Open the furnace!”

Li Meng formed hand seals with both hands. The spiritual light radiating from his body suddenly dissipated.

Eleven snow-white pills flew out of the alchemy furnace. Li Meng held a jade bottle in his hand, and the Flawless Spirit Tempering Pills flew into it.

An extraordinary, rich medicinal fragrance assailed his senses. An intense aroma of pills drifted across the entire Little Bamboo Peak. Fortunately, Little Bamboo Peak was located in a remote area; otherwise, who knew what kind of commotion it would have caused.

One must understand that Flawless pills were the kings among pills. Even a first-grade Flawless pill was a priceless treasure, impossible to find on the market. Not only was their medicinal potency several times greater than that of Superior-grade pills, but they also left behind no residual Pill Poison whatsoever.

In the adjacent bedroom, a graceful figure sat cross-legged on the bed. Qu Rou had arrived long ago.

Seeing that the Outer Disciple was refining pills, she had not disturbed him. The rich medicinal fragrance that wafted over caused Qu Rou to open her eyes. They shimmered with astonishment.

Flawless pills?

“I never imagined Disciple-Nephew Li truly had some skill. What a pity…”

Even a ninth-grade Alchemist would find it extremely difficult to refine a first-grade Flawless pill because flawlessness inherently did not exist in this world. Achieving flawlessness had nothing to do with one’s level of cultivation; it was an indescribable state of mind, a profound alignment with the Heavens and Earth. Only when an Alchemist entered that mysterious state of perfect harmony with the world was it possible to refine a Flawless pill.

Yet Disciple-Nephew Li refined Flawless pills as easily as drinking water. If this news reached the Alchemy Hall, even that Supreme Elder from Danwang Peak would likely be shocked out of his wits.

Alas, Disciple-Nephew Li’s aptitude was truly too poor. He actually possessed Waste Spirit Roots—the Five Spirit Roots variety. For someone with such aptitude to have cultivated to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation could already be considered exceptionally talented. But that was the end of the road; he could advance no further.

With his Lifespan Limit approaching, Sitting Death was Disciple-Nephew Li’s only inevitable outcome.

Qu Rou did not plan to do anything unnecessary. No matter how strong Disciple-Nephew Li’s alchemical talent was, the sect’s Supreme Elders would never use a precious Longevity Fruit to extend his life. Even if he lived another hundred years, Disciple-Nephew Li would find it nearly impossible to reach Foundation Establishment.

“Cheater!”

Creak!

The door was pushed open by Li Meng. Muttering under his breath, he walked in.

It was already quite late, yet Senior Qu still hadn’t arrived. This gave Li Meng a feeling of having been deceived.

“Who are you calling a cheater?”

A cool, clear voice sounded from within the room.

Li Meng, who had just entered, froze in surprise. Only then did he notice the graceful figure sitting on the bed. Bathed in moonlight, Senior Qu was breathtakingly beautiful.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Li Meng’s face. He hurriedly turned and closed the door behind him. Moving briskly, he walked toward the bed.

“Senior Qu, you’re here!”

Li Meng sat down beside Senior Qu, smiling as he gazed at the stunning beauty before him.

Qu Rou’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “Hmm? You’ve broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation?”

Only now did Qu Rou notice that the aura emanating from Disciple-Nephew Li beside her had grown stronger. His cultivation had advanced from the previous sixth layer to the seventh.

Li Meng chuckled lightly. “I’ve been stuck at the sixth layer for nearly fifteen years. I suppose accumulated effort finally bore fruit.”

Qu Rou’s expression showed understanding. That explanation made sense.

Li Meng reached out and wrapped his arm around Senior Qu’s slender waist.

Qu Rou shot Li Meng a cold glare.

…

Half an hour later.

…

“The fire poison will still take a few days to be completely purged. Lend me the Ice Serpent’s Inner Core for a few more days. I’ll return it then!”

Having reached the door, Qu Rou turned her head to look at Disciple-Nephew Li on the bed.

Using his last bit of strength, Li Meng sat up and assumed a cross-legged position. He offered Senior Qu a weak smile.

“Senior Qu, if I give you something, just keep it. Your Disciple-Nephew is someone about to face Sitting Death. Having it is useless to me anyway.”

A bottle of pills suddenly flew out from the storage pouch at the head of the bed. With a wave of his hand, Li Meng sent the jade bottle flying toward Qu Rou.

Qu Rou caught it.

“There are eleven Flawless Spirit Tempering Pills inside. Don’t use them hastily. Wait until after the fire poison is completely cleared before taking one. Just one is enough. Save the rest for when Senior Qu enters Death Seclusion to attempt Core Formation.”

Qu Rou lowered her head and looked at the jade bottle in her hand. A complex expression flickered across her beautiful face. She stored away the bottle, opened the door, and walked out.

“I’ll come again tomorrow night!”

In that instant as she stepped out of the room, Qu Rou’s gentle yet cool voice sounded once more.

[+15 Affection] [+75 Sub-profession XP]

Affection had increased again. Li Meng lay flat on his back on the bed.

So tired…

He truly wished he could fall asleep and never wake up again.

Outside, having closed the door, a slight curve touched Qu Rou’s lips.

“Hmph! Serves you right!”

Qu Rou turned and swayed her graceful waist as she departed.

Only a soft click was heard as the main door of the house opened from within. Qu Rou stepped out with an expressionless face, her lovely figure bathed in moonlight once more. She glanced back at the bedroom window, a trace of helpless melancholy flashing in her eyes.

She truly didn’t understand what meaning Disciple-Nephew Li found in ruining his health like this.

Disciples of the Joyous Union Sect cultivated the Path of Passion Without Heart—seemingly emotional yet fundamentally heartless. Whether male or female disciples, none would sink into genuine desire or affection. Yet Disciple-Nephew Li seemed to revel in it wholeheartedly. This was something Qu Rou found difficult to comprehend. Did he simply wish to indulge wantonly before his Sitting Death? What was the point?

Qu Rou turned and rose on an air current, riding her sword into the distance.

Time flowed on bit by bit as night deepened further.

The next day, in the study.

Li Meng sat upright at his desk, holding a talisman brush in hand. After a moment’s hesitation, he began writing as if guided by divine inspiration. He clearly had never studied talisman crafting and knew nothing about it. Yet some force granted him sudden enlightenment. A Godspeed Talisman flowed effortlessly from his brush onto the paper without pause or error.

Picking up the Godspeed Talisman for closer inspection, Li Meng examined it carefully. “Did I really write this?”

The talisman characters inscribed upon it were astonishingly perfect—enough to move Heaven and Earth and make ghosts and gods weep. He certainly didn’t possess such superb brushwork normally!

Li Meng channeled Spiritual Power into the Godspeed Talisman. The characters on the paper gradually turned golden. After about ten breaths, spiritual light emanated from the talisman itself—indicating it had reached its limit for containing Spiritual Power.

“Not bad! It’s actually a Superior first-grade talisman!”

A satisfied nod came from Li Meng. He was pleased with the results achieved thus far; today had already exceeded expectations. His first attempt yielded a Superior-grade product indeed—a cause for celebration.

Why not a Divine Firmament Talisman instead? Probably because the quality of the paper used during the creation process limited the potential maximum output. A Divine Firmament Talisman would likely require materials far more robust than what Li Meng currently possessed.

Still, a Superior first-grade talisman was nothing to scoff at. It meant his new sub-profession was just as potent as his alchemy. With this, his path to acquiring resources—and survival—had just become significantly wider.