Mortal: Starting by joining the Falling Cloud Sect

The questioning was completed in less than fifteen minutes.

Cheng Tiankun's expression changed slightly, and he secretly praised Zhou Qing's excellent comprehension of alchemy.

"Good, very good. Hehe, you have a high aptitude for alchemy. As long as your cultivation keeps up in the future, you might go even further than me on the path of alchemy." Cheng Tiankun said with a smile.

"This disciple is humbled!" Zhou Qing believed he did have some talent in alchemy, but it was better to be humble in the face of praise from a Nascent Soul senior, especially an old man like Cheng Tiankun.

"Oh, no need to be modest." Cheng Tiankun's smile widened. "Since you started your apprenticeship, have you refined any pills?"

Zhou Qing replied truthfully, "After I entered the sect, I did try to refine Qi Condensation Pills."

"How's the pill production going?" Cheng Tiankun continued to ask.

"I can produce five to eight pills per batch," Zhou Qing replied.

"That's right. If that's the case, then your current level of Qi Condensation Pill refining is already among the top of ordinary alchemists." Cheng Tiankun nodded slightly, then stroked his beard, making a decision in his heart.

With a flick of his right hand, two jade slips flashed out and flew toward Zhou Qing.

"You found two ancient treasures in the Cloud Dream Secret Realm and handed them over to the sect, making a great contribution to the sect. However, I haven't decided what to reward you with. If I only give you Foundation Establishment Pills, it would make our Falling Cloud Sect seem unfair in its rewards and punishments, and stingy with money. If I give you a few excellent magic weapons and talismans, I don't think you would be interested. After thinking it over, given your conditions, this item is more suitable."

Zhou Qing caught the jade slip, somewhat surprised. Before he could speak, Cheng Tiankun continued, "These two jade slips contain several pill formulas suitable for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, as well as some of my insights into refining these pills."

Pill recipes! The alchemy insights of a Nascent Soul cultivator!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing could hardly believe his ears.

It should be known that the formulas for high-level pills are rare in the entire cultivation world. Even in the Luoyun Sect, where the Dao of Pills is prevalent, they only offer some low-level pill formulas suitable for Qi Refining stage cultivators to their lower-level disciples for a fee.

The better pill formulas are all in the hands of Core Formation stage cultivators. Even if Foundation Establishment stage disciples have one or two formulas, they can only refine those insignificant pills.

Moreover, if the pill formula was just a pleasant surprise for Zhou Qing, then Cheng Tiankun's insights into alchemy were like a priceless treasure to Zhou Qing!

Who is Cheng Tiankun?

The Nascent Soul cultivators and Supreme Elders of the Luoyun Sect are renowned throughout Tiannan for their mastery of alchemy!

The alchemy insights of such a master alchemist are priceless treasures, something Zhou Qing could never even dream of obtaining.

But now, he had obtained it unexpectedly, how could Zhou Qing not be overjoyed?

He bowed respectfully, his tone utterly sincere: "Thank you, Ancestor! This junior will certainly study diligently and improve my alchemy skills to live up to your kindness."

"Well, your aptitude is decent. Studying alchemy is fine, but you mustn't put the cart before the horse and neglect your cultivation. Finally, I have a word for you, which you must remember. The great path is simple; alchemy is essentially using heaven and earth as a furnace, controlling the six qi, and balancing the five elements. There's no room for carelessness!"

"This disciple will certainly keep it in mind!" Zhou Qing bowed again.

"Very well, take the jade slip and go back!" Cheng Tiankun smiled, nodded, and dismissed Zhou Qing.

After Zhou Qing left, another person appeared in the alchemy room. He had a sallow complexion and looked like a middle-aged man.

"Senior brother, you've really gone all out this time, even giving away your alchemy insights." Zhou Qingruo was still there, and upon hearing this, she immediately realized that this person was Lu Luo, another Supreme Elder of the Luoyun Sect.

"We have no choice but to give him a gift. This young Zhou Qing has earned two ancient treasures for our Luoyun Sect, which is a great achievement and deserves a reward. Moreover, judging from his conversation, his talent in alchemy is no less than mine. With proper training, it is not impossible for our Luoyun Sect to produce another alchemy master in the future."

Lu Luo also heard Zhou Qing and Cheng Tiankun's conversation and was equally shocked by Zhou Qing's talent in alchemy. However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt a little regretful.

"That's true. It's just a pity that this person only has the dual spiritual roots of fire and wood, and his aptitude is average. If he had the aptitude of a different spiritual root and a heavenly spiritual root, perhaps in a hundred years he would be able to shoulder the burden on our shoulders along with Song Yu and the others."

"Yes, it is precisely because of his aptitude that I have not made the decision to accept him as a disciple. Currently, most of the resources of Luoyun Sect are being allocated to that girl Song Yu and Junior Nephew Wei. As for whether Zhou Qing can achieve the Nascent Soul stage in the future, it depends on his own opportunities and fortune." The more Cheng Tiankun spoke, the lower his voice became, and his words were full of worry about the future of Luoyun Sect.

Upon hearing this, Lü Luo felt a deep sense of empathy. Although his senior brother usually preferred to hide in the alchemy room to refine pills and cultivate in seclusion, seemingly indifferent to the affairs of the sect, he knew best and was the one most worried about the future of Luoyun Sect.

"Senior brother, there's no need to worry too much. At least the two of us can hold out for the Falling Cloud Sect for another one or two hundred years. It's possible that another Nascent Soul cultivator will emerge in the sect during this time." Lu Luo comforted him with a few words, but even he himself didn't know how likely it was to come true.

Nascent Soul Formation!

How difficult it is! Not to mention the numerous obstacles one must overcome when forming the Nascent Soul, even reaching the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage, which allows one to attempt forming the Nascent Soul, is extremely difficult.

However, the Luoyun Sect currently lacks even a single promising young talent at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage, making its future prospects extremely bleak.

Cheng Tiankun sighed, "As people get older, they become more sentimental. I hope that in my remaining years, I can still see another Nascent Soul cultivator emerge from my Luoyun Sect."

"Oh, senior brother, let's get back to business. Being with you always makes me feel melancholic," Lu Luo joked, subtly steer the conversation back to the main topic.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Tiankun's expression turned serious: "Didn't you go to the Heavenly Dao Alliance headquarters recently? What happened?"

"The Heavenly Alliance has recently gathered some intelligence from various parts of Tiannan, which mentions that the righteous and demonic paths seem to have planted many spies among our Yunmeng Three Sects, and it is said that they have a great plan this time!" Lu Luo said with great seriousness.

"Spies!" Cheng Tiankun frowned slightly, then said, "External threats are easy to guard against, but internal strife is difficult to quell. This matter must be taken seriously. Junior brother, you'll have to work a little harder. I'll trouble you to gather some of your trusted disciples and root out all these spies who have infiltrated our Luoyun Sect!"

Lu Luo shook his head, saying helplessly, "Sigh, I knew you'd push everything onto me and hide away. Having a senior brother like you is the worst luck I've ever had. Fine, don't worry, I'll handle this personally. I'll start making arrangements immediately and make sure to wipe out all the spies hiding within the sect!"

Cheng Tiankun lightly fanned himself with a palm leaf fan and replied with a hearty laugh, "Hehe, junior brother, you're still young, it's only right that you take care of your old senior brother. Thank you for your trouble."

The two discussed some other important matters and determined the specific scope of the investigation into spies within the gate.

After everything was settled, Lü Luo bid farewell to Cheng Tiankun and returned to his cave.