24: Chapter 24 Elder Zhou's Broad Mind

[Holding the cyan jade token, Chu Sheng left Qingshi Town.]

[A few days later, a mountain range came into view.]

[The guarding disciple inspected the token, and upon seeing that Chu Sheng was only at Qi Induction First Grade, his eyes filled with contempt.]

[After a simple registration, he was led to the outer sect's servant area and assigned a dilapidated shack.]

["Go to the Servant Division tomorrow to await orders."]

Chu Sheng looked at the drafty shack and couldn't help but curl his lip.

"From the Lin family's woodshed to the sect's woodshed, am I just destined to be stuck with woodsheds?"

[Chu Sheng was in no rush to report to the Servant Division. He]

[spent two days familiarizing himself with the environment, mapping out the general layout of the outer sect—the Scripture Hall, Danxia Peak, Artifact Refining Valley, Spirit Beast Garden...]

[The outer sect of the Qinglan Sect had thousands of disciples, and the competition was fierce.]

[It was mainly divided into several major factions: the Main Peak Faction of the Sect Masters Lineage, which was the strongest; Danxia Peak, which specialized in alchemy and remained aloof; the Hundred Arts Hall, responsible for artifact refining and formations; and the Affiliate Faction, which relied on inner sect disciples.]

[Chu Sheng was currently registered at the Servant Division, placing him at the very bottom; theoretically, any department could summon him.]

[On the third day, he headed directly to the outer mountain of Danxia Peak.]

[He was received by a middle-aged deacon.]

["Newcomer? From the Servant Division? Do you know alchemy?" The deacon didn't even lift his eyelids.]

["First, go to the Herb Identification Hall for three months to familiarize yourself with the properties of the three thousand common basic medicinal herbs of the sect. If you pass the assessment, we will see if you are qualified to enter the Alchemy Room as a fire-tending boy."]

Chu Sheng did a quick calculation.

"Three thousand herbs in three months, that's an average of thirty-three a day... Are they trying to use people as human scanners?"

[Chu Sheng cupped his hands and took a jade bottle from his bosom, containing the few excellent-quality Qi Gathering Pills he had refined in advance.]

["Deacon, this disciple is Chu Sheng, from the Lin family in Qingshi Town, and I am slightly versed in the Pill Dao. These were made by this disciple during practice, please take a look."]

[He picked one up to examine it carefully and injected a trace of spiritual energy: "Qi Gathering Pill? This quality... did you really refine this?"]

["This disciple was just lucky." Chu Sheng gave a shy smile.]

[The deacon's attitude softened significantly: "Since you have such ability, there is no need to stick rigidly to the rules. Here, I will give you the materials for a Clear Heart Powder. Refine it on the spot. If you succeed, I will make an exception and recommend you to meet Elder Zhou."]

[Elder Zhou! The one Lin Bufan mentioned!]

[Chu Sheng felt a jolt in his heart.]

[In a simple Alchemy Room next to the administrative office, Chu Sheng started the furnace to refine pills right in front of the deacon.]

[Clear Heart Powder was no difficulty for him. Under his deliberate control, he successfully produced three pills: two were qualified, and one was excellent.]

["Chu Sheng, you truly have talent! I will take you to see Elder Zhou right now!"]

[A quiet and elegant courtyard on Danxia Peak.]

[Chu Sheng followed the deacon into the courtyard, and his footsteps suddenly faltered.]

[A beautiful woman dressed in a pale purple long dress, with a graceful yet somewhat cold temperament, was leaning on a bamboo couch under the corridor.]

[She looked to be only about thirty years old, yet she was in the True Condensation Realm.]

Chu Sheng gasped.

"This is Elder Zhou? Lin Bufan, you didn't say this Elder looked like this! I thought she would be a white-haired old man, but it turns out she's a beautiful woman in the True Condensation Realm?"

["This disciple pays respects to Elder Zhou! This is the newly entered servant disciple Chu Sheng; he has quite a talent for the Pill Dao, so this disciple specifically brought him to pay his respects."]

[Elder Zhou slowly put down the book in her hand and lifted her eyes.]

["Oh?" Her voice was clear and pleasant.]

["Are you that little fellow from Qingshi Town who refined a second-grade remnant pill for the Lin family?"]

[Chu Sheng quickly bowed: "This disciple, Chu Sheng, pays respects to Elder Zhou. It was just a minor skill; I dare not accept such praise from Elder."]

["Qi Induction First Grade, spiritual energy is floating, foundation is unstable, but..."]

[She changed the subject, "Your soul power is much more solid than others at the same level, and your natural perception of heat and medicinal properties... interesting. Refine a Condensing Jade Pill for me to see."]

[Condensing Jade Pill, first-grade high-quality.]

[Chu Sheng took a deep breath, knowing this was the crucial test. "This disciple obeys."]

[There was a ready-made pill furnace in the courtyard. Elder Zhou personally designated the medicinal materials, and Chu Sheng held his breath and focused.]

[The process was thrilling but safe.]

[Finally, the pills were formed: two were barely qualified, and one carried a trace of the mild, moist aura of a Condensing Jade Pill.]

[Elder Zhou personally inspected the pills, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance.]

["Given your cultivation foundation, being able to refine a qualified Condensing Jade Pill is already rare, yet this pill actually has the intent of strengthening the foundation and nourishing the origin... Did you improve the pill formula?"]

["This disciple dares not; it was just that I had an inspiration during refining and added a trace of medicinal aura from a pill used by an elder in my hometown for healing, and luckily succeeded." Chu Sheng answered half-truthfully.]

["Inspiration? Luck?"]

[Elder Zhou's red lips curled slightly, "You have a bit too much of this 'luck'. However, on the path of the Pill Dao, talent and Strong Luck are inherently important."]

[She paused.]

["Are you willing to join my Danxia Peak as my disciple, specializing in assisting and studying in the Alchemy Room?"]

Disciple of an Elder?

This was even more desirable than being an ordinary inner sect disciple.

It was far higher than a servant or an alchemy apprentice!

Directly apprenticing under an Elder in the True Condensation Realm!

Chu Sheng's eyes went wide.

"It's done? I just became a registered disciple of a beautiful Elder in the True Condensation Realm? With this plot development, did I get the wrong script?"

However, with Strong Luck in hand, this situation was not impossible.

["This disciple is willing! Thank you for your favor, Elder!"]

["Get up." Elder Zhou gently supported him with her jade hand, but a flash of cold light flickered in her eyes.]

["Since you have entered under my tutelage, you must follow my rules. Danxia Peak is not like other places; participate less in external disputes, focus on the Pill Dao, and the first floor of the Scripture Library will be open to you."]

[She gave Chu Sheng a meaningful look, "As for your attachments in your hometown, since you have entered the sect, you should prioritize cultivation. Do not let affairs of the heart hinder your path."]

[Chu Sheng felt a jolt in his heart and quickly agreed.]

...

[After a period of time, Chu Sheng settled down on Danxia Peak.]

[Relying on his status as a registered disciple, he escaped the trivialities of servant work, and the insight of his Pill Dao Physique allowed him to make rapid progress.]

[With the support of sufficient pills, his cultivation finally broke through to Qi Induction Second Grade, and his foundation also stabilized significantly.]

[But Elder Zhou seemed to pay more attention to this disciple than to the others.]

[When guiding him in alchemy, the distance would inadvertently become closer; occasionally, when she was in a good mood, she would even chat with him about scenery outside the sect.]

"What is this for?"

Chu Sheng looked at Elder Zhou's smiling phoenix eyes in the simulation, feeling a bit uneasy.

"This level of attention... is it a bit too high? I'm just a small, newly entered disciple; what right do I have to be so valued by an Elder in the True Condensation Realm?"

[On this day, Elder Zhou suddenly summoned him.]

[Chu Sheng arrived at her private residence, the "Purple Cloud Cottage".]

[Elder Zhou was wearing only a simple moon-white ru skirt today, her dark hair like a waterfall. She lacked her usual cold majesty and had a bit more of the softness of a mortal woman.]

[Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat.]

["Chu Sheng, you have been in the sect for some time now."]

[Elder Zhou stood with her back to him, "Your alchemy progress is acceptable, and your cultivation is diligent. I have a matter that requires your assistance."]

["Please instruct me, Elder, this disciple will surely do my best." Chu Sheng said respectfully.]

[Elder Zhou turned around, her phoenix eyes gazing at him.]

["I recently obtained an ancient formula called the Nourishing Essence Pill, which is a second-grade middle-quality pill and has wonderful effects for stabilizing one's appearance."]

["However, the processing of several main ingredients requires a gentle wood-attributed spiritual energy to assist in the fusion."]

[She walked a few steps closer, a faint fragrance wafting towards him.]

["I observe that although your spiritual energy is weak, due to long-term contact with herbs and pills, you have acquired a trace of gentle vitality. The refining of this pill requires you to be in my Alchemy Room."]

["During this time... our minds must be connected, and our spiritual energies must fuse; there cannot be the slightest mistake."]

[She paused.]

["Are you willing?"]

Chu Sheng's mind went "buzz".

"Minds connected? Spiritual energies fused? In the Elder's private Alchemy Room? Refining a second-grade middle-quality pill—a pill far beyond my current capabilities?"

His heart rate accelerated.

"This request... is too intimate and too dangerous! But this is also a tremendous opportunity! Observing high-level alchemy up close, and fusing spiritual energy with a beautiful Elder in the True Condensation Realm..."

A bold conjecture emerged: Could it be related to some need of Elder Zhou?

And himself, just because of some trait.

The affinity of the Pill Dao Physique for herbal vitality?

Strong Luck?

Or even some kind of implicit attraction brought about by "Many Children, Many Blessings"?

Had he become the suitable candidate?

[Critical Decision Point!]

[Facing Elder Zhou's ambiguous and dangerous alchemy invitation, how should Chu Sheng respond?]

[Please make a choice for Chu Sheng in the simulation:]

[1. Cautiously refuse, politely declining on the grounds of low cultivation and fear of being unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.]

[2. Agree, but propose needing time to prepare, and tactfully ask for specific details to ensure full preparation.]

[3. Agree directly, showing extreme enthusiasm for the Pill Dao and absolute trust in the Elder, taking the opportunity to close the distance.]

[4. Temporarily delay by using the excuse of needing to report to the Lin family or being worried about his pregnant wife.]

Chu Sheng stared at these four options, his mind spinning rapidly.

Agree? Too dangerous.

Refuse? Too regretful.

Delay? The pregnant wife excuse is legitimate...

He looked at the pair of smiling phoenix eyes in the screen, took a deep breath.

"This question..."