Pill Furnace Peak.

Within the main hall of the Pill Hall, spiritual energy was swirling.

Chen Sheng sat calmly on the Profound Jade Main Seat, playing with a small golden seal with a serene gaze.

Outside the hall.

Elder Wei Ming, dressed in the main peak's formal robes, bowed respectfully, holding another glowing jade scroll in his hands with an attitude nearly humble:

"Hall Master Chen, this is the list of spiritual objects allocated to the Pill Hall for the refining of Foundation Establishment Pills, including 300 pieces of 'White Jade Fruit' and 5,000 jin of 'Qi Condensing Grass'..."

"Additionally, 200 newly harvested 'Profound Ginseng' from the Secret Realm have been stored, and I am here to request your review."

Chen Sheng raised his hand to retrieve the jade scroll, scanning it with his divine sense, clearly imprinting the quantity and grade of the spiritual objects in his mind.

He nodded lightly, his tone calm:

"The list is correct. Arrange for the spiritual objects to be transported in batches to the west warehouse of the Pill Hall. I will have someone meet for handover."

Wei Ming promptly responded:

"Yes!"

He further added:

"The cultivation time for this batch of spiritual objects is slightly longer, enhancing the medicinal properties by ten percent compared to previous years. Especially the 'Profound Ginseng,' all are over 500 years, which can enhance the pill success rate by another half percent when refining Foundation Establishment Pills."

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, speaking no more, his authority unspoken.

Wei Ming, understanding, bowed and retreated.

Once Wei Ming left, Chen Sheng placed the jade scroll on the table, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

He was well aware that the main peak of the sect housed a large Secret Realm, personally guarded by the Master Sect Leader, structured with a Tier Three Treasure Array, providing the ideal environment for cultivating spiritual medicine.

This was also the core source of the sect's Foundation Establishment Pills.

Thanks to this Secret Realm, the Qinghua Sect's supply of Foundation Establishment Pills remained abundant all year round, ensuring there was never a shortage in the treasury even with dozens of disciples exchanging them annually.

They could even release them in batches to the outside market, gathering spirit stones.

As the overseer of the Pill Hall, Chen Sheng was privy to more extensive information:

"Not only Qinghua, the other two sects also have their own Secret Realms, which are dedicated places for cultivating Foundation Establishment's spiritual medicine."

"For the sect, Foundation Establishment Pills are fundamental — only by continuously nurturing Foundation Establishment cultivators can the inheritance persist."

"If we have to rely on outside sources for Foundation Establishment Pills, we will eventually be swallowed by other sects."

He stood and walked to the map within the hall, which marked the locations of various alchemy rooms and storerooms in the Pill Hall.

The tasks for refining Foundation Establishment Pills had increased by thirty percent over past years.

This was the aftermath of the Western Border's reclamation, with a large number of disciples returning from reclamation, those who had achieved Qi Cultivation Perfection, waiting to break through.

The Pill Hall needed to refine 200 Foundation Establishment Pills within half a year to meet the demand.

Not long after, Chen Sheng summoned four elders clad in the brocade robes of the Pill Hall. These four were all elder alchemists of the Pill Hall, the youngest being over 170 years old.

All were Tier Two Top Level Alchemists, with skills in refining Foundation Establishment Pills finely honed, their students widely distributed throughout the Pill Hall, forming the "power faction" of the Pill Hall.

When Dragon Void Daoist was present, he could naturally easily suppress them.

After Li Yuan succeeded, although a Master Fake Pill, his alchemy skills were only Tier Two High Grade, leading him to often compromise with the four, resulting in frequent disputes over the distribution of spiritual objects and the contention of alchemy rooms.

Chen Sheng handed over four lists of spiritual object allocations, his tone steady:

"This task of refining Foundation Establishment Pills will be divided among you four, each responsible for fifty pills."

"The spiritual objects are allocated according to the list. The West Warehouse elders will assist with the handover. Should there be any shortages, contact me directly."

Elder Wang took the list, glanced at it, and subtly furrowed his brows.

In previous years, he could always receive an extra ten percent of spiritual objects to cultivate disciples, but this year's list was perfectly precise, with no leeway.

He was about to speak up but, upon meeting Chen Sheng's gaze, swallowed his words.

Elder Li also noted the "stringency" of the list but dared not object.

He understood that Chen Sheng was different from Li Yuan.

Chen Sheng was a Quasi-Third-rank Alchemy Master!

If they didn't conform, Chen Sheng could personally refine the Foundation Establishment Pills, potentially raising the success rate to over ninety percent, rendering them unnecessary.

"We will follow the Hall Master's instructions."

All four responded in unison, their tone not exactly enthusiastic, but full of compliance.

Chen Sheng observed their reactions, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He had long grasped these elder alchemists' mindset, advanced in years with no hope of progressing to the Upper Realm, their only obsession being family legacy.

Chen Sheng had already released news of a plan to delve deeper into the market, cultivating more reserve talents for the sect.

The families of these four elder alchemists were also Foundation Establishment Deserving Clans; to participate, they needed to cooperate with Chen Sheng.

As a final gesture, Chen Sheng did not forget to offer a sweet reward:

"Once this matter concludes, I will list bloodline inheritance in the Pill Hall's exchange catalog, though the contribution points required will be substantial, so consider it carefully."

At these words, the eyes of the four elder alchemists lit up immediately. With Chen Sheng gradually producing offspring with Earth Grade Spiritual Roots, his reputation was impeccable.

Their greatest concern was the future development of their family members, and now that Chen Sheng had offered an opportunity, they naturally would not miss it.

Elder Wang quickly bowed, "Thank you, Hall Master, for your guidance. We will certainly live up to the Hall Master's expectations."

Chen Sheng nodded:

"Good."

"You may begin your preparations. In three months, I expect to see the first batch of Foundation Establishment Pills completed."

The four elders bowed and retreated. By the time they exited the main hall, the heaviness on their faces had been replaced by joy.

...

At the same time.

Inside the Heart Inquiry Hall of the Alchemy Alliance in Fenghua Immortal City, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.

Wu Lingshuang sat upright on a redwood chair, her face stern as she looked at the young boy in front of her.

The boy was clad in a white training robe, his skin fair, features delicate, and his stature nearly reaching that of an adult cultivator. This was Chen Yuquan, at the age of nine.

He stood straight, his face filled with seriousness.

Wu Lingshuang's voice carried a hint of severity:

"You say you want to learn artifact refining?"

She had always hoped Chen Yuquan would inherit Chen Sheng's alchemical career. After all, Chen Sheng was a quasi-Tier Three Alchemist, capable of providing the best resources and inheritance for Chen Yuquan.

Chen Yuquan nodded, his tone firm and coherent:

"Mother, father has long said that I lack talent in elixir pill proportioning and spirit grass identification. Even with hard work, I could at most become a Tier Two Alchemist."

"But my talent in fire techniques and body refining is good, very suited for cultivating the path of artifact refining."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and conjured a wisp of faint red spiritual fire. The spiritual fire danced on his fingertips, sometimes forming a needle, other times spreading out like a fan, manipulated with extreme precision.

This was the "Fire Pointing Technique" specifically crafted by Chen Sheng for him, designed to hone his fire control ability. Chen Yuquan achieved perfection in this technique within just six months.

Watching the spiritual fire on his fingertips, the severity in Wu Lingshuang's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a bit of helplessness. She sighed:

"I'll send a message to your father and hear his thoughts."

Wu Lingshuang quickly took out a Communication Golden Order, spiritual light flickering at her fingertips as she conveyed Chen Yuquan's thoughts to Chen Sheng.

Chen Yuquan stood by, his eyes full of anticipation.

Soon enough, within the Pill Hall at the Pill Furnace Peak, the Communication Golden Order at Chen Sheng's waist suddenly lit up. Scanning it with his divine sense, Wu Lingshuang's message clearly imprinted in his mind.

He put down the jade scroll in his hand, understanding in his heart.

He had always been satisfied with Chen Yuquan.

Diligence and eagerness to learn!

He began cultivating at six, and with the resources Chen Sheng provided, he continuously consumed quasi-Tier Three elixirs like "Profound Yang Strengthening Essence Pill" and "Nine-Cleansing Marrow Pill," his cultivation speed rivaling that of Earth Grade Spiritual Roots.

At just nine, he reached the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation, and his body refining steadily reached the first layer of body refining.

The most commendable was his strong talent in fire techniques.

Upon discovering this, Chen Sheng initially thought this son could inherit his alchemical career.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yuquan lacked insight in elixir proportioning, direction deduction, pill condensing, spirit locking, and other techniques…

Even if he focused on this path, his future would likely be similar to that of second and third senior brothers, with a very limited ceiling.

Chen Sheng nodded lightly:

"Artifact refining might be worth a try."

He immediately sent a message back, his tone carrying encouragement:

"You can try it. Let Yuquan go to the Artifact Alliance to learn. If it truly isn't suitable, then follow me in alchemy."

"Though Tier Three Alchemy is challenging, with his talent in fire techniques, becoming a Tier Two High Grade Alchemist won't be a problem."

In the Heart Inquiry Hall of Fenghua Immortal City, Wu Lingshuang received the message, nodded gently, reassured now that her husband supported it.

She looked up at Chen Yuquan, a smile appearing in her eyes:

"Your father agreed. In a few days, I'll send you to the Artifact Alliance to learn. Remember, once you choose the path of artifact refining, you must fully commit and cannot give up halfway."

Upon hearing this, a bright smile instantly blossomed on Chen Yuquan's face, and he nodded vigorously:

"I understand! I will study hard and one day craft the most powerful spiritual artifacts to bring glory to father and mother!"

Wu Lingshuang patted his head, her eyes full of affection:

"Good."

After Chen Yuquan left, Wu Lingshuang immediately took out another Communication Golden Order to contact Wu Qingshan, the Grand Elder of the Wu clan.

The Wu clan is a noble family of artifact refiners. In the clan, there are multiple Tier Two Artifact Refiners, and the clan leader is the Vice Alliance Leader of the Artifact Alliance. His mastery of the "Hundred Refining Technique" is well-known in the cultivation realm, and he has extensive connections.

Wu Lingshuang's voice was polite:

"Uncle Qingshan, this is Lingshuang."

"Yuquan wants to learn artifact refining. I wonder if there's a suitable master in the clan?"

Wu Qingshan's voice came quickly, carrying a hint of delight:

"Yuquan wants to learn crafting? That's great! The Wu clan's heritage in artifact refining needs talented juniors like him."

"No need to look for others, I will personally teach him! Basics like iron forging, fire control, rune engraving... I will impart all my knowledge, ensuring Yuquan builds the most solid foundation!"

Wu Qingshan had long heard of Chen Yuquan, this special offspring—the only one accompanying Chen Sheng.

Now having the chance to personally guide him, not only to strengthen ties with Chen Sheng but also to nurture a promising junior firsthand, he certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Wu Lingshuang nodded lightly.

She also had Wu Qingshan in mind, though only a Tier Two Middle Grade Refiner, he was gentle and earnest, an excellent mentor:

"Thank you, Uncle Qingshan. On behalf of Yuquan, thank you."

Wu Qingshan replied with a smile:

"No need for courtesy, we are family."

"Have Yuquan prepare. I will send someone to fetch him in three days to first familiarize himself with the artifact refining yard at the Artifact Alliance. We'll proceed gradually."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.