Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

Wu Fan methodically used his spiritual power to control the medicinal herbs, slowly sending them into the alchemy furnace, and then injected more spiritual power to gradually increase the furnace's temperature.

The temperature of the furnace fire was now perfectly controlled, neither too high nor too low, just enough to extract the essence of the medicinal herbs without damaging their medicinal properties.

While controlling the furnace fire, he focused intently on sensing the changes in the medicinal liquid extracted from the herbs that had just been placed in the furnace. He performed every movement with extreme care, and every activation of spiritual power was precise and meticulous.

"He was much calmer this time than last time; it seems he really listened to what Uncle Chen said."

The female disciple whispered, her tone carrying a hint of approval.

Upon hearing this, the male disciple also nodded slightly, somewhat stunned.

"With such a calm mindset, coupled with his skillful technique and control of spiritual energy, this batch will most likely be successful, and he might even be able to refine a high-quality Qingling Pill."

Uncle Chen stood aside, watching Wu Fan's series of actions, his surprise growing stronger.

He could clearly sense that Wu Fan's mentality had changed drastically, from the impatience of the first batch to the composure of the second batch, as if he had become a different person. Such a rapid change in temperament was something that even some disciples who had been refining pills for many years might not be able to do so quickly.

Moreover, Wu Fan's control over the furnace temperature and the timing of the fusion of medicinal gases were extremely precise.

Time slowly passed as the medicinal liquid in the alchemy furnace changed. The aroma of the medicine in the furnace once again filled the air. This time, the aroma was even more mellow than the previous one, and it began to linger in the pavilion, making people feel refreshed.

Wu Fan could clearly sense that the medicinal liquid in the furnace had begun to condense and take shape. The pill was lustrous and had a rich medicinal aroma, reaching the level of a fine pill, even better than he had expected.

"It's done!"

The female disciple couldn't help but gasp softly, a hint of wild joy flashing in her eyes. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, afraid of disturbing Wu Fan or being scolded by Uncle Chen.

The other three disciples also showed expressions of surprise and delight, their eyes fixed on the alchemy furnace.

A hint of approval flashed in Uncle Chen's eyes. His lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the changes in the pills in the furnace.

Wu Fan took a deep breath, slowly raised his hand, and gently activated his spiritual power, finally allowing the pill to fully solidify.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the lid of the alchemy furnace slowly rose.

In an instant, a rich medicinal fragrance gushed out, filling the entire pavilion, and several clear-colored Qingling Pills appeared at the bottom of the furnace.

The pill has clear patterns on it, making it obvious that it is a high-quality pill.

Wu Fan raised his hand and waved, and several Qingling Pills slowly flew out and landed in the jade bottle he had prepared beforehand.

He capped the bottle, stood up, bowed respectfully to his Uncle Chen, and spoke in a deferential tone:

"This disciple has successfully completed the task and refined a high-quality Qingling Pill. Please examine it, Uncle-Master Chen."

Uncle Chen slowly stepped forward, took the jade bottle from Wu Fan's hand, and opened the stopper. A rich medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out.

He poured out a Qingling Pill, held it in his hand and examined it closely. The Qingling Pill was as smooth as jade, with regular patterns and abundant spiritual energy. It was indeed of excellent quality, even better than he had expected.

"Not bad, not bad."

It was rare for Uncle Chen to speak with praise, and his tone had softened considerably. The coldness in his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a hint of appreciation. "His technique is skillful, his control of spiritual power is precise, and his temperament is also acceptable. It seems that Nephew Wang has recommended a promising talent this time."

Wu Fan quickly bowed again, his posture humble and his tone sincere, and said:

"This disciple dares not accept the title of 'promising talent.' It was only thanks to the guidance and instruction from my master that I was able to successfully refine the elixir. Without your guidance, I might not have been able to succeed."

Seeing Wu Fan's humility, Uncle Chen admired him even more.

Talented yet humble, with a calm and composed nature—this is exactly the kind of disciple he wanted.

He put away the jade bottle, handed it to Wu Fan, and said:

"Wu Fan, from this day forward, you will officially join the External Alchemy Department and become one of our alchemists. You will be a formal alchemist in the External Alchemy Department. I observe that your talent for alchemy is quite good, and from now on you will be responsible for refining mid-to-high-grade first-tier pills. You must not slack off."

Wu Fan was overjoyed and quickly bowed in greeting:

"This disciple thanks Uncle Chen greatly. I will certainly live up to your expectations and refine the elixir diligently!"

Uncle Chen nodded slightly, his expression still somewhat indifferent:

"I hope you will be as dedicated to your work as you were during today's assessment. This is a restricted identity token for my outer alchemy room. Keep it safe; it grants you free access to all parts of the alchemy hall. Do not lose it."

After saying that, he raised his hand and took out a dark gold token from his pocket. The front of the token was engraved with a powerful "Dan" character, and the back was engraved with the "Wai" character. He casually tossed the token, and it flew steadily toward Wu Fan.

Wu Fan quickly reached out and took the token, then bowed again in thanks:

"This disciple will heed my master's instructions and will safeguard the token carefully. I will also work diligently and strive to improve my alchemy skills!"

"Um."

Uncle Chen said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a mixture of kindness and severity.

"My three external alchemy workshops have always maintained strict quality requirements for pill refining, but you will certainly not be treated unfairly. The spirit stones earned from refining mid-to-high-grade first-tier pills, as well as your monthly allowance for cultivation, will all be paid on time. But you must remember, if your pill refining skills are decent, but you are perfunctory, lazy, and inattentive in your work, no matter how talented you are, you will still be expelled from the external alchemy workshops. Do you understand?"

Wu Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly nodded in response:

"Disciple understands! Martial Uncle, rest assured, disciple will definitely concentrate on alchemy from now on, never be perfunctory, and will not hold back the external alchemy room."

Far from feeling resentful of his uncle Chen's strictness, he actually developed a greater liking for this seemingly cold but actually warm-hearted uncle.

This straightforward and clear-cut nature, which makes people feel at ease, is actually quite reassuring.

As long as you do your job well, focus on alchemy and cultivation, you will not have any unnecessary troubles and can live a peaceful life in the future.

Seeing this, Uncle Chen said no more, turned to look at the four disciples in front of the four black alchemy furnaces not far away, and his tone instantly turned stern, carrying a hint of reprimand:

"During the assessment just now, you were all distracted and your eyes were unfocused. You couldn't even maintain a basic level of spiritual energy stability. If you continue to be so negligent, you won't need to come here to refine pills anymore."

The four disciples were so frightened that they immediately bowed their heads and replied in unison:

"This disciple knows his mistake and will definitely concentrate on alchemy from now on, and will not dare to be distracted again."

After reprimanding the group, Uncle Chen turned to Wu Fan and said:

"These four are all senior students from the Outer Alchemy Department. From now on, you will be fellow disciples. Get to know each other so you can look out for one another."

Wu Fan quickly stepped forward and bowed to the four people.

"Fellow senior brothers and sisters, my name is Wu Fan. I just joined the External Alchemy Room today. I hope you will all give me your guidance in the future."

One of the disciples, slightly overweight and with a kind face, stepped forward first, smiling and returning the greeting with a cupped hand:

"Junior brother, there's no need for such formalities. My name is Cao Ge, and I'm the third in my family. If you ever have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me."

A slender disciple with sharp eyes spoke up calmly:

"Li Qing".

Although the tone was indifferent, there was no malice in it.

Another tall, outgoing disciple patted his chest and shouted:

"Wang Hu! I'm the second brother, junior brother. Don't worry, from now on, in the outer alchemy room, if anyone dares to bully you, just say my name, Wang Hu."

The last female disciple, dressed in a pale yellow dress and with a pretty face, gave Wu Fan a curtsy with her eyes crinkling, her tone tinged with joy:

"Wen Qiyue, I used to be the last one to join the outer alchemy room, but now I finally have a junior brother! From now on, your senior sister will protect you."

Wu Fan quickly returned the greetings one by one, feeling a warmth gradually growing in his heart.

It seems that the fellow disciples in the outer alchemy room are all quite easy to get along with.

After the group had finished getting acquainted, Uncle Chen instructed Cao Ge:

"Cao Ge, take Wu Fan to his residence and settle him in. Also, explain the rules of the outer alchemy room to him so that he doesn't make a fool of himself on his first visit."

"Yes, Uncle-Master!"

Cao Ge quickly agreed, then turned to Wu Fan with a smile and said, "Junior brother, come with me, I'll take you to your cave."

Wu Fan bowed to his Uncle-Master Chen, said "This disciple takes his leave," and then followed Cao Ge out of the alchemy room.

The two had just turned around when they heard Uncle Chen's angry shout at Wen Qiyue from behind:

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and refine the pills! Now that Cao Ge is gone, you're in charge of his alchemy furnace."

"Ah! Uncle Chen~~~"

Wen Qiyue's voice was full of reluctance, and also carried a hint of aggrieved surprise.

Upon hearing this, Cao Ge, who was walking beside Wu Fan, quickened his pace and revealed a gloating expression on his face.