The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Shen Yifei continued walking down, encountering several more groups of disciples along the way.

The news spread faster than he expected. Wherever he went, people greeted him. Some called him "Senior Brother Shen," some called him "Junior Brother Shen," and a few even called him "Master Alchemist."

"Little guy, your fame came too quickly," Liu Mengli said quietly inside the cauldron.

"Alchemists are highly sought after in any sect. Although the Qingyun Sect is large, it doesn't have many alchemists, and even fewer who can refine top-grade pills. My arrival is just what fills that gap."

"Aren't you afraid of attracting too much attention?"

"What's there to be afraid of? The more conspicuous I am, the less Xie Chen will dare to touch me. I am now the precious darling of the Qingyun Sect. Anyone who touches me is going against the entire sect."

Liu Mengli snorted: "You certainly know how to scheme."

Shen Yifei smiled but didn't reply. He walked halfway up the mountain, sat down in a pavilion, and stared blankly at the distant peaks.

The Qingyun Sect was larger and richer than he had imagined. The plaza in front of the mountain gate alone could fit half of the Hehuan Sect, not to mention the palaces and pavilions built against the mountain.

"If I could empty the Qingyun Sect's medicinal herb warehouse, I'd be set for life," he muttered.

"You're dreaming," Liu Mengli scoffed. "Xie Chen isn't stupid; do you think he'd let you move things around like that?"

"So we have to take it slow." Shen Yifei stood up, patted his robe, and said, "First, I'll help them refine pills, earn some spirit stones, gather some medicinal herbs, and then improve my cultivation. Six months later, even if I return to Huan Sect, I won't be the same person I am now."

He stood in the pavilion for a while, and just as he was about to go back, he suddenly saw a person walking towards him in the distance.

She was a female cultivator, in her early twenties, wearing a white long dress with a light blue ribbon tied around her waist. She walked with moderate strides, her waist neither swaying nor twisting, yet she was undeniably beautiful.

Shen Yifei squinted at her for a moment, mentally giving her an eight out of ten. Her face couldn't match Liu Mengli's alluring charm, but she possessed a dignified grace, like a lady in a painting. Her breasts weren't large, but her waist was slender.

The female cultivator walked up to the pavilion, stopped, and glanced at him.

"You're Shen Yifei?"

"It's me. Is my senior sister looking for me?"

"My name is Zhou Ruotong, and I'm at the early stage of the Golden Core realm." The female cultivator introduced herself in a neutral tone. "I've heard you can refine pills, and I'd like to ask you to refine a batch for me."

Shen Yifei thought to himself that business had come knocking, so he stepped out of the pavilion and looked her up and down.

"What kind of pills are you refining?"

"Foundation Pill."

Shen Yifei was taken aback. Foundation Establishment Pills are grade three pills, one grade higher than Qi Gathering Pills, and the medicinal materials are much more expensive. The medicinal materials for one Foundation Establishment Pill would cost at least 1,500 spirit stones.

"Senior Sister Zhou, the ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills aren't cheap. Will you pay for them yourself?"

"Of course." Zhou Ruotong took out two jade boxes from her storage bag, opened them to show him, and said, "Two sets, is that enough?"

Shen Yifei glanced at it and found that all the main ingredients were present and of good quality.

"That's enough. I'll take 20% of every batch you refine; that's the rule."

"I understand." Zhou Ruotong put the jade box away. "When can I pick it up?"

"Come find me in three days."

Zhou Ruotong nodded, turned and walked away. After a few steps, she turned back to look at him again, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before she left.

Shen Yifei stood in the pavilion, watching her figure disappear into the bamboo forest, and began to ponder.

A female cultivator at the early stage of the Golden Core realm should be considered a core member of the Qingyun Sect. For someone like this to come knocking on their door indicates that their reputation has already reached the Golden Core stage.

This is a good thing!

The next morning, Shen Yifei took the pills and went to find Zhao Qingshan.

Zhao Qingshan was talking to several disciples outside Qingyun Hall. When he saw him coming, he quickly came up to greet him with a smile as sweet as honey.

"Junior Brother Shen, is the pill finished?"

"It's ready." Shen Yifei took out three jade bottles from his pocket and handed them over. "Five portions of medicinal herbs yielded forty-eight Qi Gathering Pills. According to the rules, I'll take twenty percent, nine pills. Here are thirty-nine pills; please count them."

Zhao Qingshan took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and his eyes lit up. This pill was of better quality than any he had ever seen; it was golden and had a rich fragrance that was invigorating just to smell.

"Junior Brother Shen, your alchemy skills are truly amazing." Zhao Qingshan carefully put away the pills, took out a small cloth bag from his storage bag and handed it over. "This is your share, converted into spirit stones according to the market price. Check if it's correct."

Shen Yifei took the cloth bag, opened it, and saw that it contained about two hundred spirit stones neatly stacked inside. He didn't count them and put them directly into his ring.

"Senior Brother Zhao, if there's any work to be done in the sect in the future, just come to me. As long as there's enough medicinal herbs and pills."

Zhao Qingshan nodded repeatedly and personally saw him off from Qingyun Palace.

As soon as Shen Yifei returned to the courtyard, he saw two people standing at the gate. They were the two female cultivators from yesterday, one with a round face and the other with an oval face. Both of them were carrying storage bags, and their eyes lit up when they saw him return.

"Senior Brother Shen!" The round-faced female cultivator ran over. "We've gathered all the medicinal herbs. Could you help us refine a batch of Qi Gathering Pills?"

Shen Yifei took the storage bag and looked at it. There were two portions of medicinal herbs. They were of average quality, but they were usable.

"Alright, come back in three days to pick it up. I'll take 20% of every batch you refine, understand the rules?"

"Understood, understood." The two female cultivators nodded repeatedly and left happily.

Shen Yifei closed the door, poured out the medicinal herbs, took out the Myriad Things Cauldron, and quickly refined two batches. Each batch of the Myriad Things Cauldron produced twelve top-grade herbs. He kept four for himself, and mixed some ordinary herbs into the remaining twenty, intending to give them to them later.

In the following days, more and more people came to him seeking alchemy services.

There were Qi Refining stage cultivators, Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and even a few Golden Core stage cultivators. The pills they refined were also incredibly diverse: Qi Gathering Pills, Foundation Establishment Pills, Yuan Nourishing Pills, Soul Nourishing Pills—they had everything.

Shen Yifei accepted all comers. To him, as long as the other party provided the medicinal herbs, it was a risk-free business. He simply tossed aside the Myriad Things Cauldron, channeled spiritual energy, and the pills were produced. It was simpler than growing crops.

Over the course of a few days, the spirit stones in his ring had piled up into a small mountain. He had also accumulated a huge amount of top-grade pills, including more than a dozen top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and hundreds of top-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

"Little guy, aren't you afraid of ruining the Qingyun Sect's pill market by doing this?" Liu Mengli asked with some concern.

"So what if they collapse? What's it to me?" Shen Yifei sat down across the stone table. "I'm leaving in six months. What does their collapse have to do with me?"

Liu Mengli took a bite of the spiritual fruit, her green eyes fixed on him: "Didn't you ever think about staying?"

"What are you going to do staying here? Be someone's slave?"

"Aren't you working like a slave for someone else now?"

"It's different. Now they're begging me, not the other way around. If I return to Huan Sect in six months, I'll still be an honored guest. If I stay in Qingyun Sect, I'll be an outsider. If Xie Chen gets upset one day and kicks me aside, I won't even have a place to cry."

Liu Mengli thought so too. After making a fortune in the Qingyun Sect over half a year, she could just leave.

However, things were not as simple as the two of them thought.

That evening, Shen Yifei's door was knocked on again.