Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Under the cover of night, the alchemy pavilion on the main peak was completely silent. At a time when no one should be around, a flickering firelight shone through the window of a pill-refining room on the ground floor.

A streak of azure light pierced through the air and landed in front of the seemingly ordinary alchemy room, revealing Elder Feng and his disciple Lin Jingchu.

Elder Feng stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door with his finger.

"Come in." An old but unusually kind voice came from inside the room.

The door opened in response.

Lin Jingchu followed Elder Feng inside. Instantly, a light yet refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted to his nose.

The layout of the alchemy room was no different from other places. The only difference was that in the center where the giant alchemy furnace should have been placed, there was now only a palm-sized object that looked like an earthenware pot.

The charcoal beneath the jar was burning faintly, making it look like a pot of delicious soup was being simmered.

Meanwhile, Cheng Tiankun, the Supreme Elder of the Luoyun Sect who had once met Cangkun Shangren at his cave dwelling, was sitting in a rattan chair next to the soup pot, holding a palm-leaf fan and leisurely fanning the small fire under the pot.

This elderly man with silver hair and beard did not exude any powerful spiritual pressure, but his calm and deep-pool-like demeanor inspired awe in all who beheld him.

Upon entering the room, Elder Feng respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Uncle-Master Cheng. My nephew has brought Lin Jingchu with him."

Lin Jingchu stepped forward: "Disciple Lin Jingchu of Tianquan Peak greets the Supreme Elder."

Cheng Tiankun gently fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, and two wooden chairs slid silently to his side. "No need for formalities, please sit down."

After Lin Jingchu and the other man were seated, Cheng Tiankun slowly said, "Give me the Spirit-Stabilizing Pill you won as the first-place winner of the Sword Trial Tournament. You don't need this pill now; keeping it will only cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingchu immediately took out a jade box from his storage bag and handed it over.

To be honest, he'd wanted to complain about this for a long time—

A group of junior cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage fought tooth and nail for the prize, but the winner's reward turned out to be a "Spirit Stabilizing Pill" that could help them form their Nascent Soul, which they had to hand over to their sect.

This arrangement is utterly pointless and unnecessary.

Cheng Tiankun gazed at the pills shimmering with spiritual light in the box and couldn't help but remark with emotion, "This is the first time I've successfully refined and sent out a 'Spirit-Stabilizing Pill,' and it actually came back into my hands."

After expressing his feelings, he put away the pills and turned his gaze to Lin Jingchu.

"You've won first place for your sect, so the reward is naturally substantial. When you're ready to break through to the Core Formation stage, I can refine five 'Profound Origin Pills' for you. These pills can increase your chances of forming your Core by about 30%. However... even with five times of assistance, it still doesn't compare to the value of a 'Spirit-Stabilizing Pill.' Can you tell me what kind of magical artifact, cultivation technique, or secret art you'd like as compensation?"

Lin Jingchu quickly considered his options: Magic artifacts? He already had several top-tier ones, more than he could use. He planned to sell the "Burning Heaven Flag," the reward for the top ten in this tournament, later.

The "Burning Sky Banner" is a top-tier magical artifact, capable of summoning five fire dragons to attack enemies when swung, possessing considerable power. However, it is incompatible with his attributes, making it extremely energy-intensive to use. In contrast, the more versatile "Frosty Moon Wheel" summons a flock of ice birds that is not much less powerful, and its area of ​​effect is even wider.

Cultivation techniques and secret arts? He was quite envious of the escape techniques in Elder Lu Luo's "Thousand Waves Technique," but he already had the Azure Wing Boat for transportation, so he didn't urgently need them during his Foundation Establishment stage.

Lin Jingchu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said respectfully, "Thank you for your kindness, Supreme Elder. I humbly request a sophisticated secret technique that can conceal one's form and aura. Ideally, it should be difficult for even high-level cultivators to detect, and it should consume little magical power and be able to be maintained for a relatively long time."

Cheng Tiankun was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "You've got quite a few demands, haven't you?"

Lin Jingchu said sincerely, "It is precisely because the Supreme Elder treats juniors with the same kindness and warmth as elders in a family that I dare to be so bold as to ask for your help."

"Slippery!" Cheng Tiankun laughed loudly, shook his head, but there was no displeasure in his eyes.

After a moment's thought, he reached for his storage pouch at his waist, took out a blank jade slip, and placed it on his forehead. A moment later, he sent the jade slip, already inscribed with his contents, to Lin Jingchu in mid-air.

"The 'Hidden Concealment Technique' makes one invisible to the eye and imperceptible to the eye. Under normal circumstances, unless one's spiritual sense is far superior to yours, it is difficult to detect. Its weakness is that if the caster moves, the concealment effect is easily exposed. However, if one is in a watery area, this weakness is extremely difficult to detect, making it almost perfect."

Lin Jingchu happily put away the jade slip and respectfully thanked him.

The master and apprentice chatted with Cheng Tiankun for a while longer before bowing and taking their leave of the alchemy room.

The azure light landed at the foot of Tianquan Peak. Elder Feng turned around and looked at the disciple beside him.

"Jingchu, I've discovered that your greatest talent isn't in array formation or weapon crafting, but rather in your courage." He changed the subject, speaking earnestly, "However, you can't be so reckless when facing other Nascent Soul seniors in the future. Only Senior Uncle Cheng and Senior Fire Dragon are broad-minded and won't hold it against you."

Lin Jingchu respectfully replied, "This disciple will remember Master's teachings."

He knew in his heart that it was precisely because he knew Cheng Tiankun was a well-known good person in the original work and that the Fire Dragon Boy was sincere that he dared to do this.

If I were to encounter the three instructors from the Void Heaven Palace advanced training program, I would definitely act like a coward if I could.

After giving his instructions, Elder Feng moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing.

Lin Jingchu then summoned the Azure Winged Boat and returned to his cave at full speed. He still had a "reward" to claim.

The Azure Winged Boat pierced through the clouds and mist, landing in front of the cave dwelling in the Green Bamboo Valley. He stowed the boat, activated the protective barrier, and strode into the dwelling.

[Mission: Bring glory to the sect (Completed)]

[Final Ranking: Champion]

[Quest Reward: Azure Bottle Talisman x1]

[Treasure Talisman - Azure Silk Bottle: A special talisman drawn from a portion of the power of the Core Formation stage magic treasure "Heavenly Silk Azure Silk Bottle". Its power remains from seven uses. When activated, it manifests a phantom of a jade bottle, from which a vast amount of fine, hair-like azure wood spirit threads pour forth. These threads can transform into a sky-covering net, binding all things; they can also pierce and tear apart powerful enemies.]

A pale blue talisman, radiating spiritual energy, appeared between Lin Jingchu's fingers. In the center of the talisman was a lifelike depiction of a jade vase with a slender neck and a large belly.

"Perfect timing. The Blazing Sun Banner Talisman only has one more power left, this is truly a godsend."

Lin Jingchu examined the newly acquired talisman for a moment before putting it into his storage bag.

Then, he focused his mind on his dantian. Previously, in the Sacred Tree Secret Realm, he had sealed the azure light thread formed by the "Mingqing Spiritual Water" here, but he hadn't had time to study it carefully.

The wisp of blue silk remained suspended silently in the liquid true essence for two days without showing any signs of dissipating. However, keeping it in the dantian indefinitely was not a long-term solution.

We need to find a "vessel" for it, so that when the time is right, we can hand it over to Song Yu to use for completing tasks.

Lin Jingchu arrived at the natural crevice in the dome, looked up, and saw the clear night sky with moonlight pouring down like mercury.

Since the spiritual power of moonlight has the miraculous effect of locking in the medicinal properties of "Mingqing Spiritual Liquid", then incorporating moonlight into the refining of certain elixirs might preserve this effect after the elixir is completed.

Coincidentally, when I was learning about Song Yu's alchemy skills, I learned about a kind of yin-cold elixir that is suitable for incorporating moonlight. Perhaps I can give it a try.

Lin Jingchu flipped his hand and took out a crimson top-grade alchemy furnace artifact, placing it in front of him. He had purchased this furnace from Linglong Pavilion after he had completely mastered alchemy.