Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 120 On the Eve of the Return
Imperial City.

Lei Family Mansion.

This is where the main branch of the Lei family resides.

As for some of the collateral branches, if they are favored by the main lineage, they also reside in the imperial city, but not here. Instead, they are squeezed into the western region with other Qi-cultivating families.

Those who were not valued were distributed throughout the county seat.

In the eastern district of the imperial city, the residents are either families that have established their foundation or independent cultivators who have established their foundation.

The Cao family, the imperial family, also occupies this place, which is the most spiritually rich.

The southern region is home to many trading markets, as well as Qi cultivation sects and independent cultivators, the most renowned of which is the Pill Hall.

The nearby Danfang is also the most bustling and prosperous market town in the southern district.

The west side is inhabited by families specializing in Qi cultivation, while the north side is inhabited by families specializing in martial arts. Most of the Qi cultivation families who do not have the aptitude for immortality also reside here.

Lei Mansion Hall.

Xu Chuan sat and waited for a while, and then a dignified middle-aged man walked in from outside and sat down directly in the main seat.

"Master, Chief Master Yun Zhongzi is not here, so I have invited the second-ranked alchemist of the Pill Hall, the Third Elder," Lei Feng said, bowing and clasping his hands in greeting to the head of the family.

"The Pill Hall's Third Elder, who refined the superior-grade Divine Sense Pill?"

"It is truly an honor that Patriarch Lei has heard of my name," Xu Chuan said, still standing.

Although Xu Chuan did not investigate, he figured that anyone who could become the head of the Lei family must be at the Foundation Establishment stage, so he dared not use his divine sense to investigate casually.

"Master Sanshu, you're too kind. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Patriarch Lei." After sitting down, Xu Chuan asked, "May I ask what kind of elixir Patriarch Lei has summoned me to inquire about?"

"Master Sanshu, take a look at this pill formula, is it feasible to refine?"

With a flick of his sleeve, the head of the Lei family sent a pill formula flying out of his storage bag, which landed precisely in Xu Chuan's hand.

This prescription has been deliberately omitted in terms of its name and efficacy, leaving only the ingredients.

Xu Chuan examined it closely and confirmed that the prescription was complete. Based on the medicinal herbs listed, he could also deduce that it was a longevity-enhancing elixir.

Is someone in the Lei family nearing the end of their lifespan?

Is it the Lei family patriarch?

Seeing Xu Chuan's brows furrow slightly, the Lei family patriarch said calmly, "How does this pill compare to the Divine Sense Pill you refined?"

"Several times more complex, this is the first time I have ever seen a pill formula that requires so many materials."

The head of the Lei family waved his hand, and Lei Feng immediately left the place.

A moment later, he made a simple hand seal, and a faint light curtain immediately enveloped the entire hall.

"Since Master San Shu's alchemy skills rank second in the Alchemy Hall, you must be able to deduce what kind of alchemy formula it is from the ingredients, right?"

"Life-extending products".

The head of the Lei family smiled faintly, "Indeed, Master, aren't you curious which member of my Lei family needs it?"

"I know that too much of a good thing can be bad. I will do whatever Patriarch Lei asks me to do," Xu Chuan said respectfully.

"Master Sanshu is very generous," said the head of the Lei family. "The pill formula and materials are ready, and my Lei family has also prepared a pill-refining room for you to use. As long as Master Sanshu can refine this pill, you will be an honored guest of my Lei family from now on. If you encounter any difficulties, you may ask my Lei family for help."

If they succeed in refining it, they will be honored guests; if they fail, the best outcome is that an experimental restriction is established, prohibiting anyone from spreading what they have seen and said about the Lei family. The worst outcome is that they will be killed to silence them.

Although this possibility is not high, after all, Xu Chuan is a worshipper of the Pill Hall and someone that Yun Zhongzi values.

Behind the Dan Hall lies the royal family.

It can be said that the main purpose of the Pill Hall was to refine pills for the royal family.

Killing even a promising elder of the Pill Hall at will would cause the Lei family to question the royal family, and could even lead to conflict.

"May I ask how many ingredients are needed? This pill requires so many ingredients and is so difficult to refine. This is also my first time refining this kind of pill, so I really cannot guarantee the success rate."

"Ten portions." The Lei family patriarch said calmly, "Even with the combined strength of the entire Lei family, we have only managed to collect ten portions so far."

“Master Sanshu, you only need to refine one, and that will be enough.”

Xu Chuan thought to himself, "The longevity pill is a heaven-defying pill, and there is no distinction between superior, middle and inferior. It is impossible to refine a large quantity from a single batch."

Even the most skilled alchemists can only produce two or three pills in one batch, which is considered a result of the divine intervention of the founder of alchemy.

"Ten portions, this is forcing me to give it my all."

After pondering for a moment, Xu Chuan cupped his hands and said, "I will do my best."

"Good work."

After saying this, the Lei family patriarch removed the restrictions on the hall and had someone take Xu Chuan to the alchemy room.

"A longevity-enhancing elixir. I wonder how much life it will extend after it is refined? It shouldn't be as simple as three to five years."

Xu Chuan let out a long breath and activated the restrictions on the alchemy room to prevent others from disturbing him.

With a pat of the storage bag, the Phoenix Furnace flew out and was placed above the entrance to the Earth Fire Channel.

"Fortunately, I have been using the Phoenix Furnace to refine pills recently, so I am already familiar with the furnace. In addition, my divine sense has also undergone a transformation, and my Nine Flames Technique has broken through to the fifth flame level. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be very confident."

Xu Chuan dared not refine the medicine lightly. He still tasted hundreds of herbs first to identify their medicinal properties and determine their conflicts, so that he would not mix the medicinal liquids carelessly when refining the pills.

Many elixir recipes fail to produce results or reduce the quality of the elixir if the order in which the medicinal liquids are mixed is incorrect.

This prescription contains thirty-six ingredients.

It took Xu Chuan four or five days just to confirm the changes in the medicinal properties.

Fortunately, Xu Chuan's alchemy skills have improved considerably, and he is also able to use his [Shennong Hundred Herbs] talent to grasp the changes and conflicts in the medicinal properties of herbs in advance.

After only three furnace cycles, a pill was successfully refined, but unfortunately it was a waste pill.

Two more batches of pills were wasted.

On the sixth batch, Xu Chuan successfully refined a longevity-enhancing pill.

The seventh furnace attempt failed.

One was produced in the eighth batch.

One in the ninth batch.

Two more were unexpectedly produced in the tenth batch.

Looking at the five pills, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and finally put away four of them, giving only one to the head of the Lei family.

"Excellent, excellent, it really is the Qinghua Pill!"

Looking at the bluish-white pill in his hand, with its bluish-white patterns shining like rosy clouds, the head of the Lei family knew that Xu Chuan had indeed successfully refined it and was not just going through the motions.

This is also why he deliberately concealed the name and description of the elixir.

"So this pill is called the Azure Flower Pill," Xu Chuan murmured.

"That's right. The Qinghua Pill can increase the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator by thirty years and the lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator by sixty years. It is considered a top-grade longevity pill. However, it is almost ineffective for Golden Core cultivators."

"Would that be useful for mortals?"

"Mortals? Of course, they can also extend their lifespan by sixty years, but they need to be refined by a cultivator. Otherwise, a mortal body cannot withstand such an elixir." The Lei family patriarch was stunned for a moment, but still spoke frankly to Xu Chuan.

"Master San Shu truly lives up to his reputation as a master of alchemy. Your skill level is no less than that of Yun Zhongzi."

"I dare not compare myself to the chief," Xu Chuan said modestly.

The head of the Lei family smiled faintly and then tossed Xu Chuan a Lei family token.

"This is the token of my Lei family. All the great families of the Great Wei will give it some face. Unless they are mortal enemies, they will definitely not attack the master, otherwise it would be a provocation against my Lei family."

Xu Chuan did not refuse and immediately put it into his storage bag.

“Master San Shu has done my Lei family a great favor. Is there anything else you need? My Lei family will definitely find it for you.”

"No need." Xu Chuan waved his hand and laughed, "With this token, it is enough to overcome everything." "Haha, Master San Shu is indeed a master of alchemy. I admire him. If you need anything in the future, just come to the Lei family and show your token. No one in the Lei family will dare to stop you, and we will treat you with great courtesy."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, I would like to ask Master Sanshu to swear an oath to Heaven that this matter will never be revealed to anyone."

Xu Chuan immediately complied, vowing never to leak the information.

The head of the Lei family breathed a sigh of relief, beaming with smiles, and even personally saw him off at the gate of the mansion.

"The four Qinghua Pills are of immeasurable value, and the Lei family token can also serve as a shield for my Xu family in the future. It is truly a case of doing good deeds anonymously."

With a slight smile on his lips, Xu Chuan immediately returned to the Pill Hall.

When Deacon Chen saw him return, he went up to ask him what was wrong.

"It's nothing. The Lei family invited me over to discuss matters of alchemy, and that has already concluded."

"That's good." Deacon Chen said, "The royal family is urging us. We hope that Master Sanshu can refine twelve high-grade Divine Sense Pills as soon as possible."

Even members of the royal family would be given spirit stones as a symbolic gift when they commissioned the Pill Refining Hall to refine pills.

Otherwise, how would such a large alchemy hall be supported? Whether it's offering monthly stipends, task rewards, or purchasing spirit herbs, all require the circulation of spirit stones.

Most of the pills refined in the Pill Hall were supplied to the royal family.

The rest were sold in the market or traded with various noble families.

"I understand."

Xu Chuan nodded slightly and headed towards the alchemy chamber on the second floor of the Pill Hall.

"No, we still need to get Master Yunding and the others to refine the high-grade Divine Sense Pill as soon as possible. Although there is some profit to be made, it is not a good thing."

After all, it wouldn't be long before Xu Mingxian perfected the Four Symbols Heavenly Gang Formation, and he planned to use travel as an excuse to return to Qingjiang.

So many pills in the storage bag should be used by the clansmen to avoid waste.

As for himself, he could never use it all up.

Once he reaches the ninth level of Qi Refining, Qi Gathering Pills and the like will have no effect on him at all.

Xu Chuan went back to the courtyard.

As expected, Xu Mingxian made great progress and said that she would definitely succeed in another half month.

The second-tier superior-grade array, combining offense and defense, filled Xu Chuan with excitement.

The only concern is that the spiritual energy in the cave is too thin to be fully set up, or to unleash the full power of a second-tier high-grade array.

We can only take it one step at a time.

The following day, after refining two batches of Divine Mind Pills, Xu Chuan went to find True Person Yunding.

"Hey, how come you, such a busy person, have time to come see me? Don't you need to refine the Divine Sense Pill anymore?" Master Yunding teased.

"See if there's anything I can help you with. I'm really overwhelmed with all the top-grade Divine Sense Pills," Xu Chuan said.

"There are times when you, a pill fanatic, feel tired?" Master Yunding chuckled, then added, "You wouldn't be trying to instruct me so I can help you, would you?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Xu Chuan smiled faintly.

"Hello, I do have some questions I'd like to ask about the Divine Sense Pill."

Xu Chuan said, "Seeing is believing. Why don't you, Fellow Daoist Yunding, refine a batch for me to see? Perhaps that will help me discover your problem."

After all, with your alchemy skills, even though the Divine Sense Pill is difficult to refine, you should be able to produce a high-grade pill after all this time."

Master Yunding pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Sanshu, since you have already said so much, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse again."

Afterwards, Xu Chuan observed Master Yunding refining elixirs.

"Let's refine another batch and see."

The real person from Yunding did as instructed.

"Sure enough."

Xu Chuanzhen noticed some problems with Yunding Zhenren. "Fellow Daoist Yunding, the order in which you fused the medicinal liquid was incorrect, and the timing of these steps was also somewhat subtle."

Master Yunding listened attentively to Xu Chuan's advice and asked several more questions, which Xu Chuan answered one by one.

Having learned his lesson, Master Yunding began refining elixirs once more.

However, this cannot be corrected immediately. The refining of elixirs is complex, and the changes and conflicts of medicinal properties are ever-changing. If the heat is not right at different times, it will also reduce the quality of the elixirs.

After refining the Divine Mind Pill for four or five consecutive days, Xu Chuan would go to help True Person Yunding.

Then, Master Yunding finally refined the first superior-grade Divine Mind Pill.

The Divine Mind Pill is a second-tier pill, and its refining is difficult, no easier than the True Essence Pill.

"Fellow Daoist San Shu, thank you for your help these past few days. Without you, if I had relied solely on my own haphazard refining, it would have taken me several months, or even half a year, to refine a high-grade Divine Sense Pill."

Your teachings have benefited me greatly.

After pondering for a moment, Master Yunding said, "I always feel that your attainments in alchemy are no weaker than Chief Master Yunzhongzi's. When you give me guidance, you give me the feeling that the chief master is giving me guidance."

"It must be an illusion, Fellow Daoist Yunding, don't talk nonsense." Xu Chuan waved his hand and said, "The chief is a Foundation Establishment senior who has been studying alchemy for over a hundred years. How could I compare to him?"

“That makes sense. Foundation Establishment cultivators possess divine sense, making the refining process easier for them than for us Qi Refining cultivators.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

is the day.

The entire Pill Hall then learned that, in addition to Xu Chuan, True Person Yunding had also refined a high-grade Divine Sense Pill.

"Cloud Peak has also refined high-grade pills?! How is that possible?!"

Xu Zhen looked incredulous. "This Divine Sense Pill is even more difficult to refine than the True Essence Pill. He has never been able to refine a high-grade True Essence Pill even once. How could he have succeeded in refining the Divine Sense Pill so quickly?!"

"Was it the chief's return that guided him?"

"No, with the Chief's return, I'll surely know that it could be that scoundrel San Shu?"

"Damn it! I, Xu Zhen, was first overtaken by the Three Vertical Daoists who inexplicably joined, and now I'm being ridden on top of by Yun Ding!"

Xu Zhen was furious and it took him a long time to calm down before he threw himself back into refining the Divine Sense Pill.

He also planned to refine a high-grade Divine Mind Pill in order to establish connections with second-grade families, and even first-grade families.

With Master Yunding's help in refining the superior-grade Divine Mind Pill, Xu Chuan's life became much easier. He even asked for a batch of materials for ordinary first-tier and second-tier pills under the pretext of honing his pill-making skills.

Before leaving, they planned to refine another batch of pills as a reserve for the Xu family.

Of course, given Xu Chuan's current status in the Pill Hall, as long as the quantity is not too large, it is all within the bounds of what is permissible.

After all, the higher his alchemy skills, the higher his success rate and the higher the quality of his pills, which would be more beneficial to the Pill Hall. In the face of this, a mere dozen or so materials were nothing.

Seven or eight days later.

Upon hearing that Xu Chuan was going on a journey, Deacon Chen felt as if the sky were falling.

“Master Sanshu, now is the busiest time in the Dan Hall. Why rush? It’s not too late to travel after a few months or half a year.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. "My mind is made up. Now, Fellow Daoist Yunding's success rate with the superior-grade Divine Thought Pill is also stabilizing and is no less than mine before. It is enough to replace me."

Furthermore, I've heard that Fellow Daoist Xu Zhen is also about to refine a superior-grade Divine Sense Pill.

After a pause, Xu Chuan looked directly at Deacon Chen and continued, "If only I am able to refine a high-grade Divine Sense Pill in the Pill Hall, and the Chief is not here, I will have no choice but to do so, otherwise I would be failing the Chief's cultivation and kindness."

"But now, whether I'm here or not, it doesn't matter."

Deacon Chen couldn't argue with Xu Chuan, and since Xu Chuan wasn't completely bound to the Pill Hall and could leave or stay as he pleased, Deacon Chen couldn't stop him any longer.

"When will those three eunuchs return to worship you?"

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, his eyes filled with a hint of longing, and looked at the clear blue sky outside the Dan Palace gate before smiling faintly.

"The return date is uncertain."

(End of this chapter)