Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

"Could it be a demonic cultivator?"

Lu Qian's cultivation level is currently too low, and he can't get much information. He can only guess based on his own assumptions, "Or perhaps it's a sea monster?"

"Sea monsters are quite common, and they occasionally come ashore. As for demonic cultivators..."

Zhao Qi's gaze was deep and unfathomable. "There aren't that many demonic cultivators in the world. Take you and me, for example. If we find an opportunity to go out and plunder, would you call us demonic cultivators or righteous cultivators?"

Lu Qian nodded knowingly. "I see."

Lu Qian then took the opportunity to bring up the matter of joining the Pill Pavilion, but Zhao Qi frowned and said, "You want to join the Pill Pavilion, it's a bit difficult, but not impossible. However, it won't be so easy to survive in the Pill Pavilion."

Lu Qian was only thinking about going to the Pill Pavilion to learn alchemy; he hadn't considered what to do once he was inside—such a distant question. At this moment, he simply said, "I'd like to hear more details!"

Zhao Qi slowly said, "You need to understand that any power is divided into direct and collateral branches, and organizations like the Pill Pavilion and the Talisman Pavilion especially value this aspect. Do you know why?"

Lu Qian had heard about these things before, so he answered without hesitation: "Because refining weapons requires hard work, array formation requires talent, but the resource requirements are not that high. Alchemy and talisman making are different. Not only do you need talent, but you also need someone to guide you and a lot of resources to practice."

To put it simply, alchemy and talismanic arts rely heavily on resources and training, so they easily form close relationships, passed down from father to son, and from son to grandson, resulting in inbreeding, making it difficult for outsiders to interfere.

For example, in weapon forging, no matter who comes, they have to forge iron first. The hardship alone is enough to deter many people. So as long as you are willing to learn, no one will be shy about it.

The Way of Arrays requires a great deal of comprehension. Without sufficient comprehension, you won't be able to learn it even if you're asked to. This is not something that can be taught. Every sect needs geniuses in the Way of Arrays, so as long as you demonstrate talent in the Way of Arrays, it's not difficult to enter the Array Pavilion.

The Dao of Alchemy and the Dao of Talismans are different. To verify whether you have talent in this area, you need to invest a considerable amount of spirit stones. And having talent alone is not enough; you also need a lot of resources to practice.

Therefore, unless one's talent is exceptionally high, it requires expending sufficient resources. Others will inevitably cultivate those close to them; this is human nature and difficult to avoid.

The way of talismans is a bit better. You just need to buy a few talisman papers and some talisman ink, waste a few materials, and then you'll know your talent.

The threshold for alchemy is quite high. Many people simply don't have the ability to verify whether they have the talent for alchemy. To see if they have the talent for alchemy, they need to buy an alchemy furnace, prepare a few alchemy formulas, buy a few sets of spiritual herbs, and study for several years. Both the time cost and the cost of spirit stones are too high for disciples without a background to bear.

Therefore, almost all those who have studied alchemy are not from humble backgrounds; they all have a certain background.

Even in a highly competitive place like the Canghai Sect, many alchemists still pass their skills down from father to son, and it's hard to change that.

"It's good that you understand; it seems I don't need to say anything more."

Zhao Qi's expression was somewhat grave. "I also considered going to the Pill Pavilion at first, but after figuring out the situation, I decided against it. Once you go to the Pill Pavilion, the first thing you need to do is learn how to process spiritual herbs. That's just the first step. Many people process spiritual herbs for seven or eight years without ever having the opportunity to refine pills."

"If you want to refine pills yourself, you will not be able to make ends meet. Similarly, the chores assigned to you by the Pill Pavilion will take up a lot of your time. In the end, you will just waste your time and achieve nothing. So the Pill Pavilion sounds glamorous, but it is actually a place that wastes your time."

Lu Qian asked, "If the Pill Pavilion is such a rip-off, why are so many people still desperate to get in?"

"Some people, like you, think they'll quickly rise to prominence and make a name for themselves through alchemy. But the chances are slim, because you haven't even had the opportunity to practice alchemy. How can you possibly improve your skills if you haven't even gotten started?"

Zhao Qi let out a long breath, seemingly recalling something unpleasant, before continuing, "The other type is the 'connected' type. They don't have to do any chores; they only need to think about how to refine pills. These are the direct descendants of the Pill Pavilion, the future alchemists. So, the difference between ordinary people and those with connections begins from the very beginning."

Lu Qian had always considered Zhao Qi a relative, but now even Zhao Qi was complaining about being a relative. It seemed that the connections within the Pill Pavilion were even stronger than his own. "So, according to you, it means that grassroots disciples like us have no chance of making a name for ourselves in the Pill Pavilion?"

"Of course there are. After all, the Canghai Sect is still a sect that relies on master-disciple inheritance. Some masters treat their personal disciples better than their own sons."

Zhao Qi smiled and glanced at Lu Qian. "So, as long as you gain the favor of an elder in the Pill Pavilion, you will become a direct descendant of the Pill Pavilion. Ordinary people with connections will have to be subservient to you."

"There are so many geniuses in the Pill Pavilion, I don't have the confidence to gain the appreciation of the Pill Pavilion elders."

Even if Lu Qian could use the Heart World to try and fail endlessly, he would not be able to compare with those alchemy geniuses who had been cultivated since childhood in a short period of time, and it would probably be difficult for him to stand out among all the geniuses.

Zhao Qi suddenly changed the subject and said, "Actually, it's not that there's absolutely no way. The Pill Pavilion occasionally holds assessments to select talent. As long as you can get a good ranking in the assessment, you can still receive training."

"However, this assessment requires certain basic abilities and a recommendation. When you are confident, I can help you find a recommender, but passing the assessment is not so easy."

Lu Qian smiled slightly, "Then I thank you in advance, Senior Brother!"

"No matter how difficult the assessment is, it's still more reliable than having you join the Pill Pavilion to handle spiritual herbs as a whole."

Zhao Qi sighed, "Of course I wanted to enter the Pill Pavilion this way, but after struggling for several years, I finally realized that I'm not cut out for it."

Lu Qian then realized that he had underestimated the difficulty of entering the Pill Pavilion. He thought that once inside, he could learn alchemy step by step, but things were clearly not that easy.

That's true. The Pill Pavilion holds a strategic position within the sect. If it were easy to enter, even ten Pill Pavilions couldn't accommodate so many people.

He then thought of something else, "Senior brother, I'm thinking of changing my assignments recently; I don't want to chop wood anymore. Do you have any recommendations?"

Zhao Qi, having walked this path himself, quickly offered his advice: "If you're focused on alchemy, why not take a stroll around Greenwood Peak? Even if you don't gain anything, you can at least buy some spiritual herbs at low prices, which should be fine for practice."

Lu Qian knew that Qingmu Peak was one of the sect's lineages, specializing in the research of spiritual plants. Spiritual plant masters were often jokingly referred to as "old farmers" among cultivators, which led to Qingmu Peak not having a high status despite being one of the nine upper peaks. After all, cultivators still relied on their strength, and most spiritual plant masters were only so-so, making it difficult for them to earn the respect of others.

Alchemists are highly respected because everyone needs elixirs, whether they are geniuses or mediocre.

However, it's different for spirit plant masters. Many cultivators have never had much contact with spirit plant masters in their entire lives, so they naturally don't care much about them. Moreover, many spiritual herbs are naturally grown, which is difficult for spirit plant masters to cultivate, so their importance has undoubtedly decreased.

However, Lu Qian knew that many things were not so simple. If the spirit plant masters were truly insignificant, Qingmu Peak would not be one of the Dao lineages. It should be noted that the power of the Dao lineage leader is extremely great. It can be said that the sect's Dao lineage is the true Canghai Sect, while others are merely vassal forces.

If the spirit plant masters are really that incompetent, how could other lineages tolerate Qingmu Peak being on equal footing with them?

If a sect doesn't have enough reserves of medicinal herbs, how can it supply so many outer disciples with basic pills like the Yellow Sprout Pill?

As a result, those who obtained the pills only remembered the alchemist, but few people realized that the raw materials were grown by the sect's spiritual plant masters.