249: Talismans are my weakest skill.

Through steady accumulation, deep preparation, and things falling into place, a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind. The Innate Qi within Lin Xue'er suddenly developed a trace of spirituality and began to transform into spiritual power.

Late Qi Refining Stage, success!

In Lin Xue'er's vision, the entire world changed. It was no longer just simple colors, but filled with a hazy white Spiritual Qi. She could now perceive the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth!

"Xue'er, focus on feeling it. Remember the circulation path of the Cultivation Technique I taught you!"

Under Liu Xuan's guidance, the spiritual power within her body circulated according to the Green Wood Body Sculpting Art, beginning to nourish her Physical Body and Divine Soul.

About an hour later.

Lin Xue'er's cultivation base stabilized. The aura of the seventh level of Qi Refining was unmistakably revealed. After being nourished by spiritual power, she looked much more supple.

She naturally had a youthful appearance, and now that her Physical Body had been cleansed by spiritual power, her fair, tender face seemed to have a filter applied to it. It was as soft as a baby's skin, so tender it seemed to drip water, making one want to take a bite just by looking at it.

"I broke through!"

"I really broke through!"

"It was actually this easy!!"

Without a Spiritual Root, she had used martial arts to reverse her Foundation, break through to the Great Perfection of Xiantian, and advance to a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

In Lin Xue'er's past thoughts, this was almost impossible, as difficult as ascending to heaven!

It was so difficult that she had basically given up on this path and pinned her hopes on her descendants instead.

When Liu Xuan told her previously that he could help her break through, she always felt he was just comforting her. She hadn't expected it to be true!

She Xiaorong's Breakthrough could be attributed to her talent and good luck, but after experiencing it firsthand, she realized that all of this was because of Liu Xuan.

"Xue'er, now that you have become a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, you are the Matriarch of my Liu Family. Don't be so timid in your actions anymore."

"Also, in the future, when you see Zi Lan, Zi Ling, or Xiao Ran, don't bow at every turn. You are not beneath them!"

Liu Xuan had told her this many times, and had even instructed the women in person.

Yet, Lin Xue'er felt her status was low and her cultivation base was weak, so she still maintained a humble attitude whenever she saw them.

"They are Foundation Establishment Ancestors after all. Even if you favor me, the proper respect must still be shown."

The higher the cultivation base, the more honorable! This was carved into Lin Xue'er's bones and could not be changed by a few words from Liu Xuan.

"It seems I need to change my approach. Next time, I will have you interact with them more. Once you are close, you naturally won't be so distant!"

"Is Husband thinking of..."

Lin Xue'er's pretty face flushed slightly.

"Don't overthink it!"

Liu Xuan took out a token and handed it to her. "This is the token to enter and leave the Star Space. Stay here and stabilize your cultivation base first, and only go out when you feel ready."

After leaving the Star Space, Liu Xuan had many things to attend to. If the news of the Beast Taming Sect starting a war was true, every hall in the Sect needed to reform rapidly.

The Artifact Refining Hall needed to build a large-scale Artifact Refining Workshop; the Pill Refining Hall needed high-level Alchemy rooms and a Pill Furnace; the Talisman Hall needed to increase the production of offensive Talismans; and the Dual Cultivation Hall needed to acquire various strategic supplies...

In fact, regardless of whether the war news was true or false, these reforms had to be carried out; the potential war only accelerated the pace.

The orders were passed to each hall, immediately causing a huge uproar. A large-scale Artifact Refining Workshop? A high-level Pill Furnace? The Sect didn't even have a single Second-Rank Artifact Refiner or Alchemist, so what was the point of doing all this?

Wasn't this just a pure waste of Spirit Stones?!

With so many orders, any one of them would require a vast amount of manpower and resources. If there was no output, where would these Spirit Stones be recovered from?

Voices of opposition continued one after another. Even Xiao Ran and Su Wan advised Liu Xuan to take it slow; otherwise, if he couldn't pay the tribute taxes next year, even True Person Xiao wouldn't be able to help him.

The opposition was ineffective! Xiao Changfeng took action personally. Once the Golden Core True Person's decree was issued, opponents were dismissed from their posts, and in serious cases, expelled from the Sect. Everyone had no choice but to comply obediently.

If it were in the local counties, everyone could still muddle through, perfunctorily, acting one way to his face and another behind his back.

But within the Sect, the Immortal Master's decree was an iron law. No matter how many people opposed it, it was useless, unless they didn't want to stay in the Sect anymore.

The Red Pine Sect had over six hundred Inner Sect Disciples, over thirty thousand Outer Sect Disciples, and countless handymen, with a total population of nearly one hundred thousand.

Liu Xuan's series of orders didn't have any immediate benefits for the upper echelons of the Sect, but for the bottom-tier Outer Sect Disciples, it was a great thing!

Various halls were being expanded, immediately increasing countless positions, which was equivalent to having many more tasks to earn money.

Bottom-tier Disciples were not afraid of being exploited; what they feared most was not having even a shred of opportunity!

...

West Courtyard.

Liu Xuan embraced his Senior Sister Xiao Ran to smooth over their relationship while exchanging Alchemy experience.

"Ran'er, after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, you have the assistance of Divine Sense. Have you not yet promoted to a Second-Rank Alchemist?"

Liu Xuan remembered that Xiao Ran had quite a talent for Alchemy; before breaking through to Foundation Establishment, she was already a top-tier First-Rank Alchemist.

After Foundation Establishment, having the assistance of Divine Sense was a huge boost to Alchemy, and some people could directly raise their immortal cultivation skills by a level.

Xiao Ran gave Liu Xuan a coquettish glare. "How could it be that simple? The Sect has no Second-Rank Alchemist, so I have to figure it all out by myself."

"I have already gotten some clues about the Second-Rank true essence pill, and I am confident that I can successfully refine it within three years."

A trace of pride appeared on Xiao Ran's face. "As long as I raise the pill success rate to sixty percent, I can become a Second-Rank Alchemist in ten years at most!"

"Ten years!"

"Too slow!"

Liu Xuan shook his head. "How about this, I will accompany you to the Pill Refining Hall and give you some pointers."

"Okay!" Xiao Ran immediately became interested. "I've long heard that Husband also knows Alchemy. I'd like to see exactly what level you are at!"

Back at White Crane Lake, Liu Xuan would refine pills from time to time, but he was not short of Spirit Stones, so the pills he refined were basically for his own consumption, and he rarely took them out to sell.

Some rumored that his Alchemy level was extremely high, while others said he was just a dabbler; not many people knew the truth.

"You'll know in a while!"

"Everyone says I am a Talisman Genius, but among the four arts of immortal cultivation—Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talismans, and Formations—the one I am worst at is Talismans!"

"Braggart!"

Xiao Ran blurted out.

"You don't believe me, right? I'll make you convinced in a while!"

As the two were just preparing to head to the Pill Refining Hall, Zi Ling walked in furiously. "Liu Xuan! What is the meaning of this? I haven't seen you in days."

Zi Ling was very angry!

Ever since Liu Xuan favored her on their wedding day, he hadn't sought her out a single time afterward, as if he had forgotten her.

At first, she thought Liu Xuan was playing hard to get, but gradually she realized that Liu Xuan had many women, and she might have truly been forgotten...

How could this be allowed? She was the dignified daughter of a Golden Core True Person, the Three Poisons Ancestor.

Most importantly, her cultivation base was about to reach the Bottleneck of the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, just one step away, and she urgently needed Liu Xuan to help her Cultivate.

"Ling'er, you've come at just the right time. You possess the purple poison cauldron; do you know the way of Alchemy?" Liu Xuan asked.

"Alchemy?"

Zi Ling was stunned for a moment. "I only know how to refine poison pills; I don't know any other Medicinal Pills at all!"

"What grade of poison pills?" Liu Xuan pressed.

"Second-Rank Low Grade!"

"However, the success rate is very low, and it is mainly due to the purple poison cauldron."

"Very good!"

"Come with us, and I'll give you some pointers along the way!"