Raise a sword!

As the first rays of the morning sun rose, Jiang Peng and Qin Yuan ascended to the main peak of Cangshan Mountain.

After being informed by the disciples outside the sect's main hall, they soon met the sect leader, Chu Chun'an.

After hearing the two men explain their purpose, Chu Chun'an remained silent for a long time, then straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Qin Yuan.

"I still remember how spirited you were when you first joined the sect. Nearly a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. You have devoted yourself to the sect. On behalf of the entire Cangshan Sect, I am deeply grateful."

"The sect treated me with courtesy, and I will repay them with sincerity." Qin Yuan also bowed. "Senior Brother Chu, take care."

"Take care, junior brother."

Chu Chun'an asked Jiang Peng and Qin Yuan to wait a moment, while he went to the back hall.

A moment later, he returned to the front hall with Qin Yuan's soul lamp, extinguished it in front of the two of them, and handed the soul lamp and a token to Qin Yuan.

"I remember that my junior brother's family was quite prosperous in the Cang Kingdom, but few of his descendants possessed spiritual roots, so they didn't have much connection with the sect."

"After you return to your homeland, if any of your blood relatives or descendants are willing to come to the sect to cultivate, they can join with this token..."

Chu Chun'an looked at Jiang Peng beside him.

Before Jiang Peng could respond, Qin Yuan laughed and said, "I've already discussed this matter with this kid... Even if a descendant of the Qin family were to join the Cangshan Sect in the future, there's no need to trouble him if he doesn't have exceptional talent in alchemy."

Qin Yuan accepted the token.

"With such a vast sect as Cangshan, and over twenty Foundation Establishment elders each possessing their own lineage, how could we possibly lack a suitable master? Future generations will have their own blessings; I humbly accept your kind offer, senior brother."

Chu Chun'an personally escorted Qin Yuan to the foot of the main peak.

Then Jiang Peng took Qin Yuan to Cangshan Market.

Jiang Peng wanted to escort him further, but Qin Yuan stubbornly refused. After some arguing, Jiang Peng had no choice but to give up and watch her master's figure disappear into the vast distance.

At this moment, the concept of time, which had been somewhat blurred in Jiang Peng's mind, became clearer than ever before.

"So this is what it means to have no time in cultivation, and for all cultivators to live forever. Anyone who absorbs Qi into their body, regardless of their cultivation level, can live for at least two Jiazi (60 years)... What is a hundred years or so?"

"I have known my master for just over ten years... More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and my true guide in this world is about to leave me."

"I may have to experience many more partings like this."

Jiang Peng's smile carried a hint of bitterness.

"The downsides of living a long life are probably like this... No wonder cultivators need to have a firm Dao heart. Without a heart as solid as a rock, how can one withstand separation time and time again?"

...

Spring goes and autumn comes, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Yuan's departure did not cause any ripples within the Cangshan Sect.

As the war between the sect and the Chen Kingdom intensifies, Jiang Peng, who was previously uninvolved, has had to devote more attention to the affairs of the Dan Hall.

He was much like Qin Yuan back then, rarely returning to his own Azure Mist Peak and spending most of his time on Pillfire Peak.

On Danhuo Peak.

Jiang Peng walked through a spacious alchemy room.

At this moment, more than ten disciples of Danhuo Peak were refining first-grade pills. Jiang Peng walked around, stopping occasionally to offer guidance.

Meanwhile, Zhao Shan'ao, the instructor who should have been in charge of this matter, was standing at the door of the alchemy room, waiting silently.

After instructing many disciples, Jiang Peng walked out of the alchemy room and looked at Zhao Shan'ao.

"How is it?" Jiang Peng asked.

Zhao Shan'ao took out a porcelain bottle containing the pills he had just refined.

Second-tier healing pill, Jade Dew Pill.

Regardless of his past, Zhao Shan'ao's talent for alchemy is undeniable.

Although he is still only at the peak of Qi Refining, he, like Jiang Peng, has successfully crossed a major realm and become a second-tier alchemist ahead of schedule.

However, Zhao Shan'ao's second-tier alchemy skills were still somewhat immature. He could only refine a few of the simplest second-tier pills, and the success rate was not high.

Without a mentor, the task of guiding him to further his studies fell to Jiang Peng.

Jiang Peng's gaze swept over the pills Zhao Shan'ao was refining, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"The pill has been formed, but the quality is far too poor... Is it because I lacked the strength to condense it?"

"This disciple's cultivation is clumsy; I apologize for making you laugh, Elder." Zhao Shan'ao bowed slightly.

Jiang Peng was not fooled by these words.

"I also went through the same stage as Instructor Zhao. At that time, I used the array in the alchemy room to assist in the alchemy process. Apart from some initial difficulties..." After that, it became second nature to me.

"But this isn't the first time you've refined second-tier pills, and you've even used the largest alchemy room... This shouldn't have happened."

Jiang Peng picked up the pill and examined it closely. After a moment, he raised an eyebrow.

"You changed the prescription?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Shan'ao's eyes; he hadn't expected that such a subtle change could be noticed.

"Yes... In the notes left by my master, he mentioned the proportion of Morning Dew in the Jade Dew Pill. This time, I did not follow the pill formula, but instead drew on my master's experience from back then."

"You're too eager for quick results," Jiang Peng pointed out. "Elder Liu Zhi is very skilled at refining this pill. His notes only mention the proportions; did he mention any details about controlling the fire?"

"You're too eager for quick results," Jiang Peng pointed out. "Elder Liu Zhi is very skilled at refining this pill. His notes only mention the proportions; did he mention any details about controlling the fire?"

Zhao Shan'ao was taken aback.

Jiang Peng shook his head and said, "This is the crux of the problem. Second-tier pills pursue spiritual essence, and it is common to increase or decrease spiritual materials during the refining process. However, a change in one part affects the whole. Someone like Elder Liu Zhi can naturally adjust the heat accordingly, but you cannot."

"This is common knowledge for second-tier alchemy practitioners, which is probably why Elder Liu Zhi did not record it in detail... Without the Foundation Establishment cultivation level, one's divine sense is ultimately unable to perceive the subtle changes of spiritual materials in the alchemical fire, relying entirely on experience."

"Before you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, it's best to follow the alchemy formulas step by step and not be overly ambitious."

Zhao Shan'ao suddenly realized what was going on, bowed and thanked them before taking his leave.

As Jiang Peng watched his departing figure, her calm expression gradually changed slightly.

That was a look of joy.

"Hmm? I've exhausted all methods for improving the Purple Cloud Pill in terms of spiritual materials, but there's been little progress over the past year... Could the problem also lie in controlling the fire?"

"In the images in my mind, the faceless man demonstrated many exquisite fire control techniques. I initially thought they were all the same and didn't pay much attention. Now I wonder, could there be some profound mystery in those fire control methods that I can't fathom?"

An idea struck her, and Jiang Peng couldn't wait a moment longer.

After briefly arranging the affairs of the Pill Hall, he quickly returned to Azure Mist Peak and plunged into his alchemy room.

This seclusion lasted for a full three months.

The dignified elder of the Pill Hall had not shown his face for three months, to the point that the sect leader had taken notice of the Pill Hall's affairs for the first time in a long time.

Finally, one morning...

As the morning glow spread through the clouds and mist, Jiang Peng finally emerged from the alchemy room.

He was disheveled at the time.

As soon as he appeared, with a look of joy on his face, disciples from the Pill Hall immediately came to greet him.

"Elder Jiang, the sect leader requests that you come to the sect's main hall to see him after you emerge from seclusion."