Immortality and cultivation begin with alchemy and accounting.

……

Outside Baiqingbai Cave.

Upon arriving at the platform outside the cave, Bai Xuanjing noticed that Bai Qingbai was already sitting in the bamboo pavilion.

A tea set was placed in front of him.

On the left side of the tea set was a perfectly round, dark bead, from which a faint, burning heat emanated.

The shape and aura of this dark bead are similar to the treasure that Bai Qingbai used to bind the fire within the Huaiyin wood.

However, his breathing was much weaker.

Looking at the bead, Bai Xuanjing had a thoughtful expression on his face.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Grandpa Qingbai, you were looking for me?"

"Xuanjing is here. Please sit down and have some tea!"

Bai Qingbai's expression was not good at first.

However, upon seeing Bai Xuanjing, he smiled and extended an invitation.

Bai Xuanjing nodded and bowed, then sat down and took a sip of tea.

It was still the same misty flower tea. As soon as the tea entered her mouth, Bai Xuanjing felt her mind clear and couldn't help but recall the various times she had refined pills in the past.

However, the effect is much worse than the first time you drink it.

Even so, Bai Xuanjing knew that long-term consumption of this spiritual tea would be of great benefit to his alchemy practice.

However, judging from how much Bai Qingbai cherishes Qinwu Flower Tea, this spiritual tea was not easy to obtain.

As a low-level alchemist, he obviously didn't have the opportunity to drink this tea for an extended period of time.

However, with the alchemy settlement in hand, Bai Xuanjing's alchemy skills improved at a fairly fast pace, and she didn't rely too much on this Qinwu Flower Tea.

Savoring the sweet aftertaste of the tea in her mouth, Bai Xuanjing carefully observed Bai Qingbai.

He already had a guess in his mind that Bai Qingbai had come to find him today probably because of the No. 8 Fire Vein.

but……

Although Bai Qingbai appeared to be all smiles, Bai Xuanjing could sense that he wasn't in a good mood.

This made Bai Xuanjing mutter to himself.

Fortunately, Bai Qingbai wasn't one to keep people in suspense, and he quickly spoke up: "Some time ago, I said I'd help you get the right to transfer the C8 Fire Vein to another location..."

"Things have changed somewhat... I'm afraid your release of the No. 8 Fire Vein will have to be delayed a bit."

After saying that, a fleeting look of shame crossed Bai Qingbai's face.

He didn't elaborate on the specifics, so as not to make Bai Xuanjing overthink things.

Bai Xuanjing was taken aback.

Releasing a mid-grade first-tier fire vein externally offers more than just a salary increase.

It also means that his alchemy task will be upgraded from a low-grade first rank to a mid-grade first rank.

The family did not have high skill requirements for newly promoted alchemists.

In this way, he would have ample resources in the No. 8 Fire Vein to improve his alchemy skills.

Even the other alchemists in the Bai family would see their alchemy skills greatly improve after a year, given the large-scale production of pills.

Not to mention that Bai Xuanjing also has the benefit of alchemy settlement, so her improvement speed will only be faster!

"May I ask, Grandpa Qingbai, what is the reason?"

After a moment's hesitation, Bai Xuanjing finally voiced the question that had been lingering in her mind.

Even if Bai Xuanjing had doubts about other people, he might not have asked.

However, after spending time together, Bai Xuanjing felt that Bai Qingbai was wholeheartedly devoted to his family and did things without being rigid.

Even if asked, Bai Qingbai is unwilling to answer, and you will not be blamed by Bai Qingbai for it.

Upon hearing Bai Xuanjing's inquiry, Bai Qingbai sighed and said, "It's related to the family's war arrangements. You don't need to worry about the specific details."

In my opinion, no matter what, once Bai Jingmu steps down, this No. 8 Fire Vein will eventually fall into your hands. And Bai Jingmu's stepping down will probably be after the family war ends.

Since things had come to this point, Bai Xuanjing didn't press further.

Immediately afterwards, Bai Qingbai raised his hand and picked up the dark beads on the table.

"You have now entered the ranks of mid-grade first-level alchemists. Although you cannot directly take up a post at the No. 8 Fire Vein, your alchemy training should not be neglected."

"Now that you are a mid-grade first-level alchemist, you have quite a few alchemy materials besides those distributed by the family. If you can't go to the No. 8 Fire Vein, what you're actually lacking is just one mid-grade first-level earth fire."

"This bead is a Locust Wood Spirit Bead, which is also a magic artifact. It can withstand the power of a mid-grade first-level Locust Wood Fire and seal the Locust Wood Fire within it."

As they spoke, Bai Qingbai handed the Locust Tree Spirit Pearl to Bai Xuanjing.

In his opinion, Bai Xuanjing has now broken through to the first-tier mid-grade alchemist level, and should seize the opportunity to transfer to the first-tier mid-grade fire vein if conditions permit.

Then the family issued a first-grade mid-level pill-making task, providing Bai Xuanjing with medicinal materials for practice.

A hundred or so pill ingredients a year doesn't sound like much.

However, for cultivators with exceptional alchemy talent, the success rate can be increased by as much as 10% if they incorporate meditation and practice during the alchemy process!

Delaying the trip to the No. 8 Fire Vein by a year would essentially mean an extra year of downtime.

In Bai Qingbai's view, this was undoubtedly a waste of talent, which made him heartbroken.

Therefore, after being humiliated by Bai Jinghe, Bai Qingbai immediately sought out his old friends from the weapon-refining lineage upon his return.

They entrusted the other party to create this spirit pearl, which could withstand a first-tier mid-grade Sophora japonica wood fire cluster, in just a few days.

Bai Xuanjing took the Huaiyin Wood Spirit Pearl and examined it.

The fire refined from the locust wood by Bai Qingbai is a second-tier spiritual fire, which, after differentiation, can bring the fire cluster to the level of a mid-grade first tier.

Bai Xuanjing had witnessed this during his special training at Bishui Dan.

Therefore, he wasn't too surprised.

However, according to Bai Qingbai's previous statements, the fire clusters that differentiate from the fire in the locust tree cannot last long. Generally speaking, they will dissipate after a few hours.

He asked, "I remember Grandpa Qingbai saying that the reason why the fire in the locust wood you refined has not gone out for so long is because it contains a source of fire."

"The fire clusters that split from the fire source not only possess less power than the fire source itself, but they also dissipate quickly... I wonder how long this Locust Tree Spirit Orb will last?"

Bai Qingbai stroked his beard and said, "The fire clusters that were differentiated from the spiritual fire of heaven and earth were of a lower grade. Since the fire clusters have no source, they cannot last long..."

However, the length of time the fire cluster can exist independently will be affected by using different differentiation methods and the spiritual objects that carry it.

"When I taught you the Azure Water Elixir, I used ordinary methods to differentiate the fire clusters, and I made them attach to young locust trees."

Therefore, a fire cannot last long.

"But this Locust Tree Spirit Pearl is different. This spirit pearl is refined using a special method, which can nurture the fire cluster to the greatest extent."

Moreover, the technique I used to differentiate the fire clusters was of a higher grade, which imbued the fire clusters with a trace of spiritual fire essence, thus allowing them to exist for a longer period of time.

"However, this method of differentiation causes damage to the spirit fire itself; after differentiation..."

I need to spend some spiritual resources and time to nurture it again. It's a fire element within the wood of the locust tree, so it can't be used frequently.

"Based on my experience, this Locust Tree Spirit Pearl should last you about a year."

"A year from now, the family war will probably be over, and you'll be able to take up a position at Fire Vein No. 8, then you won't need this spirit pearl anymore!"