Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

"Xu Kuzhou is my good friend. He has been a disciple of Ziyan Peak since childhood. He is a true alchemy genius. This will also show you the difference between you and a true genius."

Chu Liu spoke eloquently and with an air of maturity, "I spoke to him a few days ago and offered to send you there for a few months. He will give you some pointers, but in return, you will have to work as his assistant. You should be prepared for that."

Lu Qian bowed gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Senior Brother!"

The only price to pay for refining pills alongside a true direct descendant of the Pill Pavilion is to be an assistant. It is estimated that many inner disciples would fight tooth and nail for this opportunity!

"No need to thank me! We can treat each other as equals, there's no need to be so formal."

Chu Liu smiled broadly, his attitude suddenly becoming very friendly. "How are you progressing with your studies of the Zhou Tian Star Aperture and the Twelve Yuan Chen Sword Formation? Any progress?"

"I dare not lie to Brother Chu, I have not yet had time to learn the Twelve Yuan Chen Sword Formation."

Lu Qian originally wanted to conceal his progress, but since Chu Liu had helped so much, he felt he should treat people with sincerity. "As for the Zhou Tian Star Aperture, it has reached the point where we need to find a suitable place to open it. Shi Zhong is also practicing his strokes diligently. It may take another month or two for him to make real progress."

"No progress doesn't mean... What? You're already looking for the location to open the star aperture?"

Chu Liu's smiling face suddenly twisted into a grimace, then he forced a smile back. "And you said there would be progress in a month or two, you're not joking, are you?"

Lu Qian thought for a moment, deciding it was best to be modest. "It might take three months, or it could take longer. I can't guarantee it!"

Chu Liu lowered his head, his smile gone. When he raised his head again, it was a forced smile. "I remember the first step, drawing the power of the stars into your body, was a difficult hurdle. How did you manage to do it? Of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He had considered cultivating the Zhou Tian Xing Qiao technique, but he failed at the first hurdle. He tried for several years without making any progress and couldn't come up with any solution.

When Chu Liu asked Chu Qinggang, he was told that as long as one has enough comprehension and thoroughly understands the technique, even without a physique that is compatible with the power of stars, one can easily draw upon the power of stars.

When Lu Qian arrived, Chu Qing had already examined him and found no special physique. Could it be that his comprehension was truly almost monstrous?

Lu Qian naturally couldn't reveal the existence of his inner world. When Chu Liu asked, he could only reply calmly, "Guiding the power of the stars is indeed a bit difficult, but after a few tries, I learned it."

"Was it just a matter of trying a few more times?"

Chu Liu pressed on, somewhat unwilling to give up, but quickly realized his mistake, took a sip of tea, and said, "I was being presumptuous. Please forgive me, Brother Lu!"

Lu Qian smiled and shook his head, "Not at all, Brother Chu has already helped me a lot. It's just a small matter, no need to worry about it."

"However, my mind is preoccupied with alchemy, so I'll take my leave now!"

Only after Lu Qian left did Chu Liu turn to the side and ask, "Master, is what he said true?"

Suddenly, another person appeared—Chu Qinggang. After hearing Chu Liu's words, he replied, "There is no trace of star power on him."

Chu Liu was immediately overjoyed. "Could he be lying?"

Chu Qinggang shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it."

"So what exactly happened?"

Chu Liu was a little confused. Lu Qian clearly said that he had successfully drawn upon the power of the stars, but Chu Qing just said that there was no trace of the power of the stars and that Lu Qian did not seem to be lying. What was the truth?

"You're being too attached to appearances. Whether he can access the power of the stars, or whether he's lying, what does it have to do with you?"

Chu Qing sighed, "You grew up on Wanfa Peak, but you still lack experience and your temperament is too poor."

"Master, I'm just a little curious."

Seeing that Chu Qinggang looked unwell, Chu Liu immediately said, "Never mind, I'm not curious anymore. Master, you don't need to tell me what happened."

Chu Qinggang finally gave his answer: "Even if the power of the stars is controlled perfectly, it is impossible to successfully disperse it without leaving a trace."

Just as Chu Qing left, Chu Liu clutched his head and wailed, "It's only been a few days? Could he really be a monster?"

Even after hearing what Chu Qinggang said, Chu Liu still found it hard to believe. It wasn't that he thought Lu Qian wasn't a genius, but rather that he felt the gap between himself and Lu Qian shouldn't be so large.

Purple Smoke Peak is where the Pill Pavilion is located. Lu Qian came here once when he was exchanging Yellow Sprout Pills, but most of the time he exchanged pills from the outer sect stewards or from the branches of the Pill Pavilion.

In general, he wasn't very familiar with this place, but he wasn't completely clueless either. When he was trying to find out how to enter the Pill Pavilion, he wandered around outside a few times, but ultimately he couldn't find a way to get in.

Even this time, Lu Qian did not go to the Pill Pavilion. After speaking with the gatekeepers on the outer perimeter, someone led him to the mountainside behind the mountain. The gatekeepers then sent a flying talisman, and soon a young man with disheveled hair and an indifferent expression walked over.

"You're Lu Qian? Come with me!"

He had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with Lu Qian and turned to leave. Lu Qian roughly understood that this was Chu Liu's friend, Xu Kuzhou, who didn't seem easy to deal with.

Soon the two arrived at a courtyard, which was quite spacious and deserted. There was no one living within several hundred meters, only this cave dwelling. It seemed that Xu Kuzhou's status on Ziyan Peak was not ordinary, at least not that of an unknown person.

Upon entering the courtyard, Xu Kuzhou casually pointed around, "There are four rooms in total. One is where I usually refine pills, and it's connected to the earth fire. Another is a secret chamber where I cultivate in seclusion. You can choose one of the remaining two rooms, which contains a first-grade high-level spiritual vein."

"If you want to use the ground fire, you can let me know in advance, but since you're a beginner, you probably won't need it, right?"

Lu Qian was startled. He hadn't expected that coming to learn alchemy would allow him to access a first-grade high-quality spiritual vein. It seemed that his breakthrough to the third level of Qi Refining would be greatly accelerated.

Moreover, first-grade high-quality spiritual veins are not so common. For example, the cave where Zhao Qi is located, although he has not introduced it, the spiritual vein inside should not be first-grade high-quality. This kind of treatment is generally only enjoyed by disciples of the Dao lineage, and not everyone can have it.

"And... give me your waist tag."

After Lu Qian obediently handed it over, a bright light flashed in Xu Kuzhou's hand, and the waist token also lit up. Then he handed the waist token to Lu Qian, saying, "I have recorded the aura of your waist token. The nearby formations should not regard you as an enemy. You can enter and leave Ziyan Peak recently, but it is best not to wander around. If something happens, I will not be able to rescue you."

Lu Qian quickly replied, "Then thank you very much, Senior Brother! I've been self-studying alchemy for a while, and now I only know how to refine Qi and Blood Pills."

"Qi and Blood Pill? For the average person, it's not bad."

Xu Kuzhou wasn't as arrogant as Lu Qian had imagined. He just seemed a bit aloof, but he was actually quite peaceful. He said, "Since you can refine Qi and Blood Pills, then refine one and show me!"