"Huh?"

"He's about to die of illness?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yun's words, Su Xuan's eyes widened, and he immediately barged into the Third Elder's room. He simply didn't believe that the Third Elder was suddenly on the verge of death, especially right after hearing that the search for the Blood Immortal Vine had not gone smoothly.

There had to be something fishy going on.

"Master Su, please wait!" The pill apprentice, Xiao Yun, immediately grabbed Su Xuan's arm. "Why don't you go find Senior Sister Ning Wan first? She asked me to give you a message. She said you must go see her when you return, as she has something urgent to discuss with you!"

"Let her wait."

Su Xuan was hardly going to be held back by a young girl, so he strode right through the Third Elder's doorway. Xiao Yun, still clinging to his arm, was dragged into the room like a pendant.

"Cough, cough!"

The Third Elder was lying on the bed, sneaking peeks at Su Xuan.

Su Xuan was amused by the sight. He sat on the edge of the Third Elder's bed and said with mock seriousness, "Third Elder, it's only been a few days. How did you become so critically ill? I was still counting on you to refine pills for me!"

"Alas, what a pity, such a pity!" The Third Elder sighed repeatedly. "I can't believe that a pill even my Immortal Master couldn't refine is one I'm also fated never to create in this lifetime. And you made a wasted trip to the Yu Xian Sect for the Blood Immortal Vine…"

"It wasn't a wasted trip," Su Xuan said with a radiant smile.

Under the gaze of his mutated eyes, he could see the Third Elder was far from death's door. His body was brimming with vital energy; he was in excellent health.

Su Xuan had no time to play along with the Third Elder. He became serious and asked, "Third Elder, do you and Su Pei not get along? Did you guess it would be difficult for me to obtain the Blood Immortal Vine, so you feigned illness to avoid me?"

"Uh…"

The corner of the Third Elder's mouth twitched. Su Xuan had guessed part of the reason. That was why he and Xiao Yun had started their act the moment he'd heard Su Xuan say things hadn't gone smoothly.

"Or perhaps you're simply incapable of refining that kind of pill?" Su Xuan pressed.

"How could I be incapable!" At this, the Third Elder's expression changed. "I am my Immortal Master's most treasured disciple! In the mountain realm, my skill in the Dan Art is renowned. There is no pill I cannot concoct!"

"That's good to hear!"

Su Xuan smiled faintly, stood up, and waved his hand. Accompanied by a flurry of falling petals, a pile of Blood Immortal Vines suddenly materialized before the Third Elder's bed. It was a small mountain of them, no fewer than a hundred stalks!

HISS!

The Third Elder's eyes went wide as he gasped. How could he have possibly guessed that Su Xuan had not only obtained the Blood Immortal Vine but had brought back so many? Had he plundered the Yu Xian Sect's entire supply?

Master Su is truly no ordinary person; the things he does are just as extraordinary! Xiao Yun couldn't help but think.

A moment later, the Third Elder dropped the act, sliding nimbly off the bed. He grabbed a Blood Immortal Vine to examine it, clicking his tongue in admiration. "The quality of this Blood Immortal Vine you've brought back is incredibly rare! The blood energy contained within is unbelievably rich—truly the best of the best!"

Su Xuan shrugged nonchalantly. These were the very vines scavenged from the bottom of the great pit. Each one was plump and robust, used by General Shi Jia to mislead the trialists, so their quality was bound to be extraordinary.

"Wait for me outside!" The Third Elder scooped up five or six stalks of Blood Immortal Vine and passed through the screen in the guest hall, heading for the alchemy room. "I'm going to refine the pills right now!"

"Master Su, please make yourself at home. I have to go assist the Third Elder," the pill apprentice Xiao Yun said before hurrying after him into the alchemy room.

CREAK!

The door to the alchemy room swung shut.

Make myself at home…

Seeing the two of them leave him alone, Su Xuan scratched his head and sat down at the tea table to wait. He certainly wasn't going to leave; this was his only task in the mountain realm, and once it was complete, he could finally go home.

But after three pots of tea, the Third Elder still hadn't emerged from the alchemy room. Only the faint scent of spirit grass wafted through the air.

Bored with waiting, Su Xuan stood up and walked over to a bookshelf. He picked up a book titled *Record of a Hundred Herbs* on its cover and began browsing through it. The book cataloged over a hundred common spirit grasses and their uses. It wasn't very thick, and Su Xuan put it back after he finished reading.

At the same time, a sound echoed in his mind.

DING!

Su Xuan picked up another book, the *Golden Pill Manuscript*, which detailed beginner-level alchemy techniques. After he finished flipping through it, another sound rang in his head.

DING!

He picked up another book.

DING! DING! DING!

As time passed, the sounds in his mind continued unabated. This, of course, was the miraculous ability granted to him by his system: any skill he learned would instantly be maxed out.

If an alchemy expert had been nearby, they would have recognized the special aura emanating from Su Xuan as that of a Pill Master. According to the grading standard of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, his aura would be that of a Yellow Grade Alchemist! In other words, Su Xuan now knew how to refine pills, and he was already a Yellow Grade Alchemist.

Su Xuan wasn't just trying to kill time; he felt a genuine need to learn alchemy. The Third Elder's earlier behavior had left him feeling uneasy, and mastering alchemy himself would provide a safety net. What was even more delightful was that the Third Elder's residence was a paradise for learning alchemy, with excellent resources unavailable anywhere else. The bookshelves were overflowing with alchemy books, many of them rare editions!

The sun slowly moved across the sky outside, and it was nearly noon, but the Third Elder still hadn't come out of the alchemy room.

Su Xuan's brow furrowed. He had nearly finished all the alchemy books on one of the bookshelves. By now, the aura he emitted was that of a Profound Grade Alchemist.

As he placed a book back on the shelf and stretched, ready to take a break, his gaze suddenly locked onto the bookshelf. The sound the book had made when he placed it was odd, as if the space behind it was hollow.

Is the Third Elder hiding some treasure here?

He glanced toward the alchemy room, then reached into the bookshelf and knocked with his knuckles. The sound was hollow. With a push, a wooden panel slid open to reveal a hidden compartment containing an iron box.

He quietly took out the box and opened it. Inside lay an ancient book, its pages so old they were nearly crumbling. The cover bore the title: *The Untamed Way of Alchemy*.

Su Xuan opened the first page, which contained a handwritten note: "I, your teacher, was fortunate enough to acquire this book, yet I failed to comprehend even a fraction of it. You may study it as you wish, but do not be disheartened if you gain nothing. Its contents are beyond our comprehension…"

Su Xuan deduced the note must have been left by the Third Elder's master. The words captivated him, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

They might not be able to comprehend it, but I can! With the system's help, as long as he read and studied something, he could master it to its highest level.

Taking a deep breath, Su Xuan began to flip carefully through the ancient pages. After a while, a system notification sounded in his mind.

He had completely and perfectly mastered *The Untamed Way of Alchemy*!

"Master, please don't scold me! I didn't do anything wrong."

Just then, Xiao Yun, the pill apprentice, helped the Third Elder out of the alchemy room. The Third Elder was muttering and cursing nonstop.

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