56: A prodigy in alchemy is taking on another disciple!

Having stayed in Qinghe City for a long time, Chu Xuanjin felt a bit bored.

The tea in the courtyard had been changed seven or eight times, and the stories on the street had mostly been heard.

So he strolled out of the city and headed east to the neighboring Linan County.

Linan County lacked the grandeur of Tianjing City and the tranquility of Qinghe City.

It was more like a bustling market, where merchants from north and south, and Loose Cultivators in strange attire, all gathered.

Chu Xuanjin walked on the bluestone slab road, watching the vendors haggling over a tael of silver, and listening to the dice-rolling sounds from the taverns, feeling that this Mortal World had a unique flavor.

At a street corner, a crowd had gathered.

A woman's gasp and a child's cries came from within the crowd.

Chu Xuanjin's steps did not falter; he paid it no mind.

In this Mortal World, countless joys and sorrows unfolded daily; he was not a Bodhisattva saving the world and could not manage everything.

Just a few steps away, a faint scent of herbs, mixed with the smell of blood, wafted into his nostrils.

He paused, turning to look back.

The crowd parted slightly, revealing the scene within.

A Little Beggar, about five or six years old, had fallen to the ground, his forehead cut open and bleeding profusely.

Beside him, a young girl in a goose-yellow dress was squatting, carefully pressing a clean handkerchief to his wound.

"Don't be afraid, it doesn't hurt."

The girl's voice was gentle, like a spring breeze.

Beside her, a little maidservant in a servant's uniform was stomping her feet in a hurry.

"Young Miss! Please get up! He's so dirty!"

"Chun'er, don't talk nonsense."

The girl didn't turn her head. From a small purse at her waist, she took out a delicate porcelain bottle, poured out some green Medicinal Powder, and gently sprinkled it on the Little Beggar's wound.

The Medicinal Powder carried a refreshing coolness, and the Little Beggar's cries gradually stopped.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze fell upon the girl.

Golden light flashed in his eyes.

[Name: Gongsun Yan]

[Root Bone: Mortal Grade High Grade]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer]

[Luck: White (A smooth life, with occasional ripples)]

[Hidden Talent: Alchemy Prodigy (Unawakened)]

[Evaluation: An unpolished jade, whose Heart-Nature is more precious than any talent.]

Chu Xuanjin's eyebrows twitched.

Alchemy Prodigy.

This was indeed a rare seedling.

His several Disciples were all battle maniacs capable of fighting and killing.

The Sect truly lacked a proper logistics person.

After the girl finished treating the wound, she took out a few pieces of broken silver from her purse and put them into the Little Beggar's hand.

"Take this, buy some food, and find a doctor to look at it."

She stood up and patted the non-existent dust from her skirt.

The little maidservant quickly stepped forward, complaining, "Young Miss, you are too kind! If Revered Master finds out, he'll scold you again!"

"I just did what I should do."

Gongsun Yan said softly, then turned to leave.

"Young Lady, please stay."

A calm voice sounded from behind her.

Gongsun Yan and the maidservant both turned around to see a young man in a green robe with an ethereal demeanor standing behind them.

"Young Master, what can I do for you?" Gongsun Yan asked curiously.

Chu Xuanjin looked at her and went straight to the point.

"Your talent lies not in cultivation, but in Alchemy."

Gongsun Yan was stunned, her delicate face filled with surprise.

"Alchemy? But... I even have difficulty drawing in Qi. Everyone in my Family says I have no talent for cultivation."

"They are short-sighted."

Chu Xuanjin's tone was utterly calm.

"They only see a rough stone, but not the supreme beautiful jade hidden within."

He looked at the girl's clear eyes.

"I can see that your future lies not in swords, but in the Pill Furnace. The Medicinal Pills you refine can bring the dead back to life, regrow flesh on white bones, and save countless people from suffering."

"Are you willing to learn?"

Gongsun Yan's mind went blank.

She had never heard anyone say such words to her.

Since childhood, all she had heard was, "Yan'er's talent is not good, no need to force cultivation," and "Yan'er is kind-hearted; it will be a blessing to find a good Family to marry into later."

But this stranger in front of her said that she could save countless people.

"I... I..." For a moment, she didn't know how to answer.

Chu Xuanjin smiled.

"There's no rush for this. You haven't reached your coming-of-age ceremony yet, and taking a Disciple is a big matter; you should inform your parents."

"Lead the way; I will personally visit your residence."

...The Gongsun Residence was located in the East City of Linan County.

The mansion was not large, but it was spotlessly clean, with two osmanthus trees in front of the gate, currently in bloom, exuding a pleasant fragrance.

When Gongsun Yan led a strange young man home, her father, Gongsun Zheng, the Clan Chief of the Gongsun Family, immediately came out to greet them.

The moment he saw Chu Xuanjin, his heart tightened.

This person was unfathomable.

He himself was at the Golden Core Middle Stage cultivation level, considered a notable figure in Linan County.

But this young man standing there was like a bottomless abyss, making him unable to even entertain the thought of probing.

"Who is this?" Gongsun Zheng politely cupped his hands towards Chu Xuanjin.

"Father, this Young Master said... he wants to take me as his Disciple," Gongsun Yan whispered.

Gongsun Zheng was startled, then an apologetic smile appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist, you jest."

"My little girl Yan'er is dull-witted and has achieved nothing in the Dao of cultivation. My Gongsun Family appreciates Fellow Daoist's kindness, but we fear delaying Fellow Daoist's precious time."

His words were tactful, but his meaning was clear.

Don't make fun of my daughter.

Chu Xuanjin looked at him, without the slightest displeasure.

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect, Chu Xuanjin."

He simply stated his name calmly.

The smile on Gongsun Zheng's face instantly froze.

His pupils suddenly constricted, and his body stiffened uncontrollably.

Myriad... Myriad Dao Divine Sect?

Chu Xuanjin?

The legendary figure whose Disciple defeated a Prodigy with a single sword strike, and even emperors sought him as a Revered Master?

He felt his mind buzz, almost exploding.

How could such a god-like figure... appear in his small Linan County?

And even say... he wanted to take his daughter, whom everyone considered "dull-witted," as his Disciple?

"Thud!"

Gongsun Zheng could no longer support his body, his knees gave way, and he actually knelt directly before Chu Xuanjin!

His voice trembled violently from extreme shock and fear.

"This... this lowly one, Gongsun Zheng, failed to recognize a great man! I have offended Sect Master Chu! I beg Sect Master for forgiveness!"

Behind him, the Gongsun Family Elders who had rushed over upon hearing the news were all scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and they all knelt down in unison.

The entire front of the Gongsun Residence was silent.

Only the fragrance of osmanthus quietly permeated the air.

Gongsun Yan stared blankly at her trembling father kneeling on the ground, then looked at the calm and composed young man in the green robe, her mind a blank.

She didn't know what "Myriad Dao Divine Sect" represented.

She only knew that this name made her father, the man who was as towering as a mountain in her heart, kneel... Gongsun Residence, main hall.

Chu Xuanjin sat in the main seat, leisurely savoring the Gongsun Family's treasured pre-rain Dragon Well tea.

Below, Gongsun Zheng, leading a group of Family Elders, stood, not daring to even breathe heavily.

"Your beloved daughter's talent is a rare Alchemy Prodigy, one in ten thousand."

Chu Xuanjin put down his teacup, his voice calm.

"It's just a pearl covered in dust, unrecognized by others."

"This Seat has come to take this dusty pearl back to the Sect and polish it well."

"May I ask, Clan Chief Gongsun, what do you think?"

Clan Chief Gongsun Zheng, how could he dare to utter half a "no".

He trembled with excitement, tears streaming down his face.

"Willing! This lowly one is willing! This is Yan'er's good fortune, a tremendous immortal edge that caused our Gongsun Family's ancestral grave to emit green smoke!"

He turned and sternly shouted at his daughter, who was still in a daze.

"Yan'er! What are you still dazed for! Quick! Quickly pay respects to Revered Master!"

Gongsun Yan awoke as if from a dream.

She looked at the man on the throne who would decide her life's fate, and then at her father's face, filled with wild joy.

She slowly walked forward, and bowed gracefully to Chu Xuanjin.

Her movement carried the awkwardness of youth, and a hint of bewilderment and anticipation for the future.

"Disciple Gongsun Yan, greets... Revered Master."

[Ding! Congratulations to Host for successfully accepting the fifth Personal Disciple!]

[Performing Disciple potential evaluation... Evaluation complete!]

[Disciple: Gongsun Yan]

[Potential: Earth Rank High Grade!]

[Evaluation Analysis: Possesses the body of an Alchemy Prodigy, pure Heart-Nature, and natural affinity with the Spiritual Qi of plants. A born Alchemy Grandmaster.]

[Congratulations to Host for obtaining Earth Rank Reward: Cultivation Empowerment (Body Integration Middle Stage)!]

[Congratulations to Host for obtaining Earth Rank Reward: Earth Rank High Grade Pill Furnace - Purple Gold Eight Trigrams Furnace *1!]

[Congratulations to Host for obtaining Earth Rank Reward: Heaven Rank Alchemy Grand Compendium "Shennong Hundred Herbs Classic"!]

A pure energy once again surged into Chu Xuanjin's body.

His cultivation, from Body Integration Early Stage, steadily advanced to Body Integration Middle Stage.

Chu Xuanjin looked at the timid girl below, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Very good."

He stood up.

"You shall stay at home for another month to handle your mundane affairs."

"After a month, this Seat will send someone to pick you up and bring you to the Sect."

Having said that, he no longer lingered. His figure flickered, and he vanished from within the main hall.

Leaving behind the entire Gongsun Family, still in immense shock and wild joy.

---

PS: Strange, why is the data for this book even lower than the previous flop? [scratching head] Is it really because I'm too bad and not cut out for writing novels? (⋟﹏⋞)