58: Open the mountain gates and welcome disciples!

[Ding! The Host gives Disciple Gongsun Yan a bundle of 'Blood-Stopping Grass'...]

[Triggering 100,000x Critical Return!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Heaven Rank Spirit Medicine 'Dragon Blood Saint Heart Grass' * 1!]

[Ding! The Host gives Disciple Gongsun Yan a set of 'Former Dynasty Medical Books'...]

[Triggering 1,000,000x Critical Return!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Ancient Alchemy Dao Legacy Jade Slip, "Qingnang Alchemy Scripture" * 1!]

[Ding! The Host gives Disciple Gongsun Yan a 'Broken Pill Furnace'...]

[Triggering 10,000x Critical Return!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Earth Rank High Grade Pill Furnace 'Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron' * 1!]

...A series of System notification sounds rang out in Chu Xuanjin's mind.

He looked at the few extra treasures in his myriad dao ring, his expression unchanged.

Although these items were High Grade, they were only Earth Rank or Heaven Rank.

For his current Realm, they were of little use, but they were perfect for stocking the Sect's treasury.

"A Sect can't rely solely on the few Disciples I've taken to maintain appearances."

Chu Xuanjin poured himself another cup of tea, his thoughts turning over in his mind.

"The Qingyun and Tianlang Branches together have tens of thousands of Disciples."

"Among them, there are bound to be one or two pieces of unpolished jade."

"It's time to consider opening the Sect gate and widely recruiting new Disciples."

As soon as this thought arose, he felt a headache coming on.

Recruiting Disciples relies on predestined affinity and the Heavenly Dao Dharma Eye.

But when recruiting thousands of Disciples, he couldn't possibly check them one by one.

That would be exhausting.

"Troublesome."

He shook his head and temporarily suppressed the idea.

It was much more relaxing to remain a hands-off boss, like he was now.

Another seven or eight days passed.

Chu Xuanjin was lying on a rocking chair, dozing, when a slight fluctuation came from the token at his waist.

It was a voice transmission from Elder Shen Qingyan of the Alchemy Hall.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, Junior Nephew Gongsun Yan successfully refined her first batch of bigu pills today."

Chu Xuanjin slowly opened his eyes.

That fast?

He knew that Shen Qingyan definitely deserved credit for this.

That Pill Hall Elder seemed gentle, but she was actually quite protective of her own.

She couldn't stand seeing her little Junior Nephew tormented by a Broken Pill Furnace for too long.

"Never mind."

With a thought, he sent an instruction via the token to Gongsun Yan, who was far away on Myriad Dao Divine Mountain.

"Come find me in Qinghe City."

...Half an hour later, in the small courtyard on South Street.

Gongsun Yan's figure appeared before the stone table.

Her little face was slightly blackened, as if smoked, but her eyes were astonishingly bright, full of excitement and joy.

"Disciple greets Revered Master!"

Carefully, she took a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and presented it like a treasure.

"Revered Master, look! These are the bigu pills the Disciple refined!"

Chu Xuanjin took the porcelain bottle and poured one out.

The Medicinal Pill was grayish-brown, pitted on the surface, and carried a faint burnt smell.

Its appearance was truly dreadful.

"Not bad."

Chu Xuanjin nodded, throwing the Failed Pill directly into his mouth.

Gongsun Yan's face instantly turned red.

"Revered Master! This... this can't be eaten!"

"Why can't I eat it?"

Chu Xuanjin chewed twice. The Medicinal Pill dissolved instantly in his mouth, and a burst of mixed Spiritual Qi spread across his tongue.

Gongsun Yan lowered her head even further.

"Sit."

Chu Xuanjin pointed to the stone stool across from him.

"Tell me how you refined it."

Gongsun Yan obediently sat down and began recounting her experiences over the past few days, detailing everything.

From identifying herbs to controlling the heat, and finally to Condensing the Pill.

She spoke in great detail, recounting every difficulty she had encountered.

Chu Xuanjin listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

Only after she finished did Chu Xuanjin speak.

"Your talent is excellent."

"It's just that you haven't grasped the method."

He reached out his hand.

A few weeds in the courtyard moved without wind and flew into his palm.

A ball of golden flame ignited in his palm. Its temperature was extremely high, yet it didn't harm him in the slightest.

The weeds quickly melted and purified in the flame, turning into drops of emerald green Medicinal Liquid.

Under his control, the Medicinal Liquid spun rapidly and underwent Fusion. Finally, it condensed into a pill that was entirely emerald green and emitted a refreshing fragrance.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, taking only an instant.

Gongsun Yan watched dumbfounded, her mouth agape in an "O" shape.

"This..."

"Alchemy does not refine medicine; it refines the Dao."

Chu Xuanjin flicked the Medicinal Pill toward Gongsun Yan.

"It is the Dao of formulation based on Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, and Guide; it is the Dao of mutual generation and restraint of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements; and fundamentally, it is the Dao of controlling all things in their Origin."

Gongsun Yan looked at the Medicinal Pill suspended before her eyes, feeling the vigorous vitality contained within it, her mind completely blank.

She had always thought that Alchemy was just throwing ingredients into a furnace and burning them.

But Revered Master had opened a door to a whole new world for her.

"What my Myriad Dao Divine Sect imparts are the Three Thousand Great Daos, and the Dao of Alchemy is merely one of them."

Chu Xuanjin's voice drifted over gently.

"If this Revered Master is to teach you, I must naturally first become the Grandmaster of this Dao of Alchemy."

He smiled as he looked at Gongsun Yan's eyes, which were full of curiosity.

"Today, this Revered Master will impart to you another branch under the Dao of Alchemy."

"The Medical Dao."

He began explaining pharmacology to Gongsun Yan, detailing the human Meridians, and explaining the Origins of diseases and methods for resolving them.

He didn't speak quickly, but every word was a pearl, pointing directly to the Origin of the Great Dao.

Gongsun Yan listened raptly. She felt countless doubts in her heart suddenly become clear... While instructing Gongsun Yan, Chu Xuanjin also used the disciple token to inform the other four of the new Disciple's existence.

Su Linger, far away in the Zhao Kingdom, merely replied with the word "Understood."

Zhao Wuyou, currently hunting Lie Shan, had no reaction.

Ye Chenfeng, who was performing acts of chivalry in the Eastern Barrens, replied with "Good."

Only Wang Duojin had the biggest reaction.

"Another Junior Sister? Revered Master, can she handle accounts? Our Chamber of Commerce urgently needs a Financial Manager!"

Chu Xuanjin immediately blocked his voice transmission.

The days passed just like this.

Chu Xuanjin felt that since the Sect was on the right track, it was time to put the idea he had suppressed for a long time back on the agenda.

Using the myriad dao token, he summoned Law Enforcement Elder Feng Qingyang, who was secretly protecting Su Linger; Pill Hall Elder Shen Qingyan, who had returned from the Tianlang Branch; as well as Transmission Elder Shi Potian and artifact hall elder Tie Kuang, who were guarding the Divine Mountain, all to the Myriad Dao Divine Hall.

At the same time, he also summoned the two Branch Masters, Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai.

This was the Myriad Dao Divine Sect's first truly high-level meeting.

There was only one topic on the agenda.

Opening the Sect gate and widely recruiting Disciples.

"Sect Master, this matter must absolutely not be rushed!"

Transmission Elder Shi Potian was the first to step forward.

His face was rigid, and his expression was serious.

"My Myriad Dao Divine Sect prefers quality over quantity. The Heart-Nature of a Disciple is more important than talent."

"If we widely open the Sect gate, the good and bad will mingle, and it's inevitable that people with ill intentions will slip in. One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel!"

"Elder Shi's words are very true."

artifact hall elder Tie Kuang agreed in a booming voice.

"Back then, my Heavenly Craft Gate declined because we were not strict enough in recruiting Disciples, allowing a traitor to steal the blueprints for our Sect's Protective Treasure!"

Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai exchanged glances and also stepped forward.

"Sect Master, the concerns of the two Elders are not unfounded," Lin Canghai bowed and said.

"Sects in the Eastern Barrens have always been extremely rigorous when recruiting Disciples. They might set up a Heaven-Ascending Ladder to test perseverance, or deploy a Heart-Questioning Array to test Heart-Nature. Alternatively, Elders might descend the mountain to search for several years just to find one or two talented individuals."

"If we recruit on a large scale, the difficulty of screening is simply too great."

Law Enforcement Elder Feng Qingyang took a swig from his Wine Gourd and wiped his mouth.

"Heart-Nature is hard to gauge, but talent is visible."

He spoke indifferently.

"Why not just look at Root Bone and talent? As for Heart-Nature... if anyone dares to break the law or commit evil, the swords of my Law Enforcement Hall are not just for show."

Pill Hall Elder Shen Qingyan, however, shook her head.

"Elder Feng, that statement is flawed. Alchemy and Artifact Refining prioritize Heart-Nature above all else. If the heart is not calm, the fire will not be pure; the pill will fail, and the artifact will be crude. Recruiting a batch of overly ambitious individuals will only waste the Sect's resources."

Inside the great hall, the high-level Sect members argued relentlessly, each holding fast to their own view.

Some advocated for an elite path, while others favored accepting all comers.

Some valued Heart-Nature, while others valued talent.

Chu Xuanjin sat quietly on the throne, listening.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.

He realized he seemed to have created a massive problem for himself.

Taking in a few Disciples relied on affinity and the convenience of the System.

But establishing an effective recruitment System that could continuously supply fresh blood to the Sect...

This was far more complicated than he had imagined.