97: Chapter 97 Protecting Elder Qian

Xia Shaoxin opened the door to the Alchemy Room and saw Liu Tingting at first glance.

They had spent more than half a day refining pills, and Liu Tingting had been squatting by the door the entire time.

“Master, is the Medicinal Pill ready?” Liu Tingting's eyes sparkled with excitement.

“It is done,” Elder Qian Yunchang said heartily.

“Can you let me take a look?”

Elder Qian Yunchang hesitated for a moment, took out a box, and gently opened it.

A beam of green light shot out, dazzlingly bright.

Deacon Qin Wen and Liu Tingting cried out in unison, “Wow, so beautiful!”

With just a single glance, Elder Qian Yunchang quickly put it away, tidied his clothes, and walked quickly to the courtyard gate.

Liu Tingting opened the Formation, and the Disciples quickly gathered around.

“Elder, we just heard musical sounds coming from your courtyard. With such an anomaly, could it be...” Wang Xinhao asked, squeezing his way to the front.

“Hehe, after going through countless hardships, this old man has obtained a Taisui Pill!” Elder Qian Yunchang happily announced to the Disciples.

Immediately, a mountain-shaking cheer erupted from the crowd.

As Xia Shaoxin walked out of the Alchemy Room, Liu Tingting bowed to him with a beaming smile.

“What's the meaning of this?” Xia Shaoxin was bewildered.

“Master successfully refined the pills, and you contributed the most. I want to thank you.”

Xia Shaoxin said in a low voice, “We are all fellow Disciples. The Elder isn't your Elder alone. There's no need for you to thank me separately.”

Liu Tingting said solemnly, “You all are just Disciples of Xueyan Cliff, but I am Elder Qian's Personal Disciple. It's different!”

Hearing Liu Tingting's words from outside the courtyard, Elder Qian Yunchang laughed heartily and said, “From this day forth, Xia Shaoxin is also my Personal Disciple.”

Senior Brother Shao Junwei and Senior Brother Liang Ruoran exchanged a glance. Holy crap, this kid's cultivation might not be rising fast, but his status sure is.

Everyone cast envious looks at Xia Shaoxin, though none of them were resentful.

Back in the Zhuyun Courtyard's Forbidden Ground, his performance had already won everyone over, and now he had assisted the Elder in Alchemy. His contribution was indeed the greatest.

Xia Shaoxin said to Liu Tingting, “Little Senior Sister, I am also a Personal Disciple now. I hope to consult you more on matters of cultivation in the future.”

Liu Tingting furrowed her delicate brows and said, as if jealous, “Humph, you just got lucky.”

Xia Shaoxin puffed out his chest and suddenly realized that he was actually much taller than Liu Tingting.

In the past, he always felt that the Elder's Personal Disciples were high and mighty, receiving two extra Spirit Stones every month. They were the favored darlings of heaven within the Sect, and everyone had to be polite upon seeing them.

From now on, he would be just like a Personal Disciple.

“Everyone, the Medicinal Pill has been successfully refined, but I have also consumed a great deal of energy. I need to rest well for a day or two to let my body fully recover before I can consume this pill to break through to Foundation Establishment.”

Looking closely, everyone realized that a trace of dark Qi hovered between Elder Qian's brows—a sign of extreme exhaustion.

Xia Shaoxin followed everyone's gaze and only then noticed this, which shocked him greatly.

During the Alchemy process inside, he had basically done most of the work on behalf of Elder Qian Yunchang, whose only task was to infuse True Qi into the cauldron.

He hadn't expected that this single step would be the most exhausting.

What he did was merely physical labor, but what Elder Qian Yunchang did was risk his very life.

Liu Tingting grabbed Xia Shaoxin's hand. “Weren't you inside helping? Why is Master's Divine Soul utterly exhausted, while you can still stand there so carefree and relaxed!”

Just a moment ago, she was happily thanking him, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into an interrogation.

“I've been busy the whole time, doing all the heavy lifting...” Xia Shaoxin quickly explained.

Elder Qian Yunchang waved his hand and said calmly, “It has nothing to do with him. Speaking of which, the taisui evil pill is of a high Rank. It is not a Medicinal Pill that a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator should refine in the first place. It should be refined by a Cultivator of Foundation Establishment or above, and then consumed by someone in the Qi Refining Realm.”

He stretched out his hand; his once smooth, moist, and lustrous palm was now covered in wrinkles and completely lackluster.

“Forcing myself to refine the taisui evil pill with a Qi Refining body is already an act of defying heaven.”

Everyone was deeply shocked.

Only someone with Elder Qian Yunchang's strong will could do it; any other Alchemist might not be willing to endure such suffering.

“I need to recuperate in the Spirit Cave for a few days. During this time, just in case, you must guard Jingsi Courtyard and act as my Protectors. Everyone, can you do this?”

Liu Tingting was the first to shout, “We will go through fire and water for Master, and would not hesitate even at the cost of ten thousand deaths!”

The others immediately followed suit.

Xia Shaoxin was a bit slow to react and mumbled incoherently, “Through... water... death... hesitate...”

In his heart, however, he shook his head secretly. As expected, one should only refine pills that match their Rank.

One should not force themselves to do things beyond their capabilities.

Elder Qian Yunchang cupped his hands to the Disciples, his voice choking up: “Thank you.”

He lowered his posture significantly. The Disciples had never seen Elder Qian adopt such an attitude, and they couldn't help but be deeply moved.

Elder Qian Yunchang set off, leading all the Inner Sect Disciples to Xueyan Cliff's Spirit Cave, Jingsi Courtyard.

The Elder personally arranged the guards and took out several Magical Artifacts to hand to Liu Tingting, ordering her to place them around to set up a tight defensive Formation.

With the Magical Artifacts serving as the Formation cores, several people were assigned to guard each core.

Xia Shaoxin did not know much about Formations, so he was deeply amazed.

He was assigned to the same area as Senior Brother Shao Junwei, Senior Brother Liang Ruoran, and another Senior Sister.

The Senior Sister did not quite understand and whispered to Senior Brother Shao Junwei, “Even within the Sect, we have to make such a big fuss. Who are we guarding against?”

Senior Brother Shao Junwei frowned deeply, looked into the distance, and replied in a low voice, “Junior Sister, you are young and inexperienced. You do not know how sinister human hearts can be.”

Once everyone was properly positioned, Elder Qian Yunchang entered the Spirit Cave.

Of the five Spirit Caves, four were empty, but they were not allowed to be used.

Xia Shaoxin felt it was a pity, but Liu Tingting, being a cultivation fanatic, did not care.

Everyone sat by the Formation cores with nothing to do, waiting quietly.

Senior Brother Shao Junwei said softly, “I didn't expect you to have such a great Opportunity. Just two years ago, you were still a Bug Catcher unfit for cultivation, but now you have become the Elder's Personal Disciple.”

Xia Shaoxin said seriously, “This won't change our relationship, will it?”

“Of course not,” Senior Brother Shao Junwei lowered his voice to a whisper. “Actually, being the Elder's Personal Disciple only brings you two extra Spirit Stones a month, but it will bring you a lot more trouble.”

Xia Shaoxin instinctively glanced at Liu Tingting, feeling that there was truth to those words.

Senior Brother Liang Ruoran leaned in close, his lips almost touching Xia Shaoxin's ear. “Whenever Elder Qian needs help processing medicinal herbs, you are always the one he thinks of, not me.”

Xia Shaoxin quickly asked, “Why?”

“Hehe, within the Sect, I'm just a salted fish, completely useless.” Senior Brother Liang Ruoran blinked slyly, showing no jealousy at all.

Senior Brother Shao Junwei said cryptically, “The usefulness of uselessness is the greatest usefulness.”

The two of them spoke in riddles, leaving Xia Shaoxin completely bewildered.

“Senior Brothers, do you have something to say?”

The two of them frowned but suddenly fell silent.

They indeed had things on their minds, but they couldn't say them out loud.

Why did Elder Qian Yunchang want to take Xia Shaoxin as his Personal Disciple?

As long as one wasn't blind, they could see Xia Shaoxin's value in the Forbidden Ground.

A Bug Catcher originally couldn't Cultivate, but once they could, they were like a fish in water inside the Forbidden Ground.

The other Elders at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining would definitely be watching like hawks.

Once Elder Qian Yunchang successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, regardless of whether he could become the Sect Head, as long as he kept Xia Shaoxin in his grasp, the others would have no choice but to be completely submissive.

Elder Qian Yunchang was meticulous and forward-thinking, always planning ten steps ahead for every step he took.

The two Senior Brothers could only drop subtle hints here, but unfortunately, Xia Shaoxin couldn't see through so many twists and turns.