23: Chapter 23 Advancement to First-Tier Mid-Grade Alchemist

Besides the portraits of the women, the documents also contained their birth dates, Family information, Spiritual Root Aptitude, hobbies, and personalities.

After Chen Fan examined them one by one, he found that those introduced by the Grand Elder this time were much better than before; these female Cultivators came from better backgrounds, and all had Cultivators at Qi Refining Level 8 or 9 in their families.

He slowly selected two young women from the list, but just as he was about to choose a third, he noticed the Grand Elder's unpleasant expression and had to stop.

Seeing that he was quite sensible, Great Elder Qin Yuanshan nodded slightly.

"Right now you are only at Qi Refining Level 5, and you need to improve your strength as quickly as possible. When you become stronger in the future, there will naturally be many beautiful female Cultivators; you must not be too hasty. However, I can promise you that each time you advance a Realm, I will give you the opportunity to choose another wife."

"Furthermore, the world of Cultivation is not peaceful. Right now, we and the Su Family are at daggers drawn, and a great battle will soon be upon us."

Having said this, Great Elder Qin Yuanshan sighed slightly.

"This Junior understands."

In fact, while Chen Fan was choosing the female Cultivators, the Fourth Elder was busy persuading his angry daughter.

"Although that Chen Fan can refine Medicinal Pills, his Spiritual Root Aptitude is too poor. Even with diligent Acquired cultivation, it is estimated that he will never be able to reach Foundation Establishment. You are different; your Aptitude is outstanding, and you have already reached Qi Refining Level 6. Your path in the Dao is promising, so you must not delay your cultivation because of romantic feelings."

"But even the Grand Elder praised Chen Fan as being extraordinary."

"Foolish girl, there are many talented Cultivators; that was just polite talk."

Three days later, the two beautiful female Cultivators were sent over.

The Family did not hold a wedding ceremony; everything was kept simple.

Just as depicted in the album, they were both tall, had delicate skin, and were sensible and well-mannered.

One was named Qin Yurou, and the other was named Qin Han. Both had four-attribute Spiritual Roots and were at Qi Refining Level 2.

"Greetings, Husband." The two women curtsied slightly, their faces showing shyness.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, feeling very satisfied. It didn't matter if their Realms were low; as long as they could bear children, that was enough.

After the evening banquet, he very diligently began to fulfill his duties as a Matrilocal son-in-law.

Just like that, time passed day by day, and not long after, both women were pregnant.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan's Alchemy skills were also improving rapidly, and he was soon able to refine five-mark Medicinal Pills.

"Not bad, not bad. At this point, the Front Courtyard can no longer teach you much." Deacon Wu Shouzhuo felt a wave of emotion; as a Matrilocal son-in-law, it was already quite difficult to reach this stage.

The Qin Family had always been strict regarding Alchemy; to become a Medium Grade Alchemist, one had to pass a rigorous assessment.

"Follow me. I will take you to the Middle Courtyard. Whether or not you pass in the end depends on you."

After saying this, Wu Shouzhuo took him there without further ado.

Qin Daoyuan stroked his beard and looked at the five-mark Medicinal Pill in his hand, feeling quite skeptical. However, out of respect for Wu Shouzhuo, he still nodded slightly.

"Very good. I thought you would go directly to the Back Courtyard; it seems you still understand the rules. Entering the Middle Courtyard is very simple: you must successfully refine these three different types of Medicinal Pills with all your might."

Having said that, he wrote down the names of the Medicinal Pills to be refined and the requirements for refining them.

Although he looked down upon Matrilocal son-in-laws, he did not reject talented Cultivators.

Seeing this, Wu Shouzhuo's expression became somewhat strange. One had to know that according to custom, one only needed to refine two batches; the other party was clearly increasing the difficulty.

After Chen Fan looked at them carefully, he pondered for a moment. To him, refining these types of Medicinal Pills was not difficult.

These three types of Medicinal Pills were the recovery pill for healing, the Ice-Clear Pill for detoxification, and the spirit gathering pill for daily cultivation.

The requirement was to successfully refine all of them, with at least one pill having five marks.

Currently, the competition between the Qin Family and the Su Family regarding Medicinal Pills was becoming increasingly intense. The number of low-grade Medicinal Pills refined in the Front Courtyard every day was too high, which was a great waste of time and energy.

If he could enter the Middle Courtyard, he would not only be able to obtain the Alchemy Materials he needed, but also have more time to Cultivate.

After some thought, he began to light the fire, warm the Pill Furnace, toss in the Materials, cast spells to control the process, use Spiritual Sense for perception, and perform the Fusion.

Not long after, the fragrance of the medicine soon wafted out.

Qin Daoyuan watched the entire process of refining the Medicinal Pills, feeling slightly surprised. He discovered that the other party's refining techniques were extremely skillful, without any awkwardness.

"The opening of the furnace is the key. I wonder what quality of Medicinal Pill will be refined in the end."

"Indeed. The more experienced one is, the more important the final technique becomes. Whether or not success is achieved depends on this moment." Wu Shouzhuo nodded in agreement.

Just as the two were talking, Chen Fan calmly cast a stream of magical power.

A burst of white mist dissipated, and the Medicinal Pills appeared before them.

"A five-mark recovery pill?" After Qin Daoyuan saw it clearly, he nodded repeatedly. "Not bad. For the remaining two batches, you only need to refine four-mark ones."

Chen Fan did not rest. After cleaning the Pill Furnace, he quickly began to refine the second batch.

The technique used for this refining was relatively special, incorporating some of the ancient Dao.

The reason for controlling it this way was nothing more than wanting to reduce the Impurities in the Medicinal Pills.

Qin Daoyuan raised his eyebrows slightly; he could naturally see the mystery within it. He smiled faintly at Wu Shouzhuo: "It seems this technique has quite a bit of Brother Shouzhuo's flair."

Wu Shouzhuo just smiled continuously, though he was quite shocked inside. He had only demonstrated this refining technique in public once.

Time flew by, and the second batch of Medicinal Pills was soon completed; they were five-mark spirit gathering pills.

After Qin Daoyuan examined them carefully, he discovered that compared to other Medicinal Pills, the Impurities were indeed much less. He was immediately unsettled and couldn't help but look at this Matrilocal son-in-law with new respect.

Chen Fan continued to refine the Medicinal Pills and did not stop to rest.

He discovered that since his promotion, his magical power and Spiritual Sense were far stronger than other Cultivators of the same Realm. After continuous refining, his Spiritual Qi was still abundant, his energy was full, and he felt no fatigue at all.

As a wisp of Medicinal Pill fragrance slowly wafted out, the third batch successfully refined five-mark Ice-Clear Pills.

Qin Daoyuan stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, saying with a look of joy: "You have successfully passed the Alchemy test. From now on, you are a Medium Grade Alchemist of the Family. Come directly to the Middle Courtyard in five days."

"Many thanks, Deacon Qin."

Chen Fan performed a salute with both hands, his face full of respect, while feeling quite excited inside. He knew that his treatment in all aspects would improve, such as his accommodation.

The news of his promotion to a Medium Grade Alchemist quickly spread among the Matrilocal son-in-laws, and everyone was extremely envious.

This meant that Chen Fan would no longer need to live in the Son-in-laws Courtyard, but could move to the Zilin Bamboo Lodge, where the Spiritual Qi was more concentrated.

There, the environment was more beautiful and the residence was larger.

In fact, even happier than Chen Fan were his wives; previously, they were always looked down upon, but now they could finally hold their heads high.

Qin Shuangshuang, who was in another residence, felt somewhat dejected upon hearing this news; it meant that it would not be as easy to see him in the future.

"Hmph, it's just Medium Grade; what is there to be proud of?" Sun Xuan looked at the invitation, feeling a wave of anger.

They had entered the Qin Family together, but years had passed, and the situation of each Matrilocal son-in-law was different.

He, who was once valued by the Qin Family, had long since become indistinguishable from the crowd.

Although he had fathered offspring, the number could not compare with Chen Fan's. More importantly, regarding his Realm, he discovered that the other party was already at Qi Refining Level 5, not much different from him.

Qin Shuangshuang looked at Sun Xuan's angry face, just shook her head faintly, and felt somewhat disdainful.

With the help of the other Matrilocal son-in-laws, Chen Fan soon moved to the Zilin Bamboo Lodge.

The surroundings were full of emerald green bamboo forests, giving people a feeling of serenity and elegance. More importantly, the residence was very large, so he didn't have to worry about not having rooms for his wives.

After getting settled, he headed towards the Alchemy Hall.