Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

"Very well, I appreciate the Han family's sincerity."

Without further hesitation, Wang Xuan slowly nodded.

He left his spiritual and magical imprint on the contract, and as a crescent moon's shadow was imprinted on the contract, he politely cupped his hands in greeting.

"Um."

He nodded slightly, neither expressing satisfaction nor dissatisfaction.

Han Changde clapped his hands, signaling the two men and one woman behind him to stand in front of him.

"Han Li, Han Dao, Han Bo."

"As you can see, they are the apprentices of my Han family who have the talent for alchemy in this generation."

"Although they have been studying alchemy for several years, they still cannot refine genuine pills, but their talent is actually no less than that of sect apprentices..."

"It's just that the environment in the sect is too good; we small sects can't compare."

"Come, greet Fellow Daoist Wang."

"The royal army—"

They bowed in unison, each of the three boys and girls displaying a different expression.

Judging from their appearance, the three men were not much younger than Wang Xuan.

Han Dao and Han Bo appear to be brothers, their expressions revealing an undisguised pride.

He was clearly admired by his peers and was seen as a little genius by his elders.

The girl named Han Li appeared much quieter, with a delicate and frail appearance.

The ceremony was performed with meticulous care and precision, without any perfunctory gestures.

"Senior Han is too modest. I am a junior with limited knowledge and skills, how dare I call myself 'teacher'?"

"My name is Wang Xuan, and I am not qualified to be your instructor."

"The Dao of alchemy is profound; let us all strive together."

He made a casual, polite remark, his gaze sweeping over the three young men and women.

Now that an agreement has been reached, Wang Xuan will not concern himself with anything else.

He didn't consider himself a truly intelligent person, neither in terms of aptitude nor wisdom.

Therefore, Wang Xuan is very clear about his own position.

Staying at the Han family's residence provides a stable environment for cultivation.

Without spending spirit stones, he could enjoy the near-second-tier spiritual energy and underground fire of the Pill Pavilion, and had ample time to cultivate, without any fancy things to disturb him.

As long as these conditions are not affected, he can continue to cultivate diligently until he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage.

"In that case, I will leave the matters of the Pill Pavilion to Fellow Daoist Wang from now on."

"However, as someone who's been there, I still want to give you a word of advice."

Nodding in agreement, Han Changde stroked his short beard.

"Even with the aid of Foundation Establishment Pills, most people with mid-grade spiritual roots only have a 10% to 20% chance of success in establishing their foundation."

"If you don't have it, then you're gambling with your life. You'd better think it through."

"Life is short and should not be wasted."

"I understand."

Wang Xuan gave a slight bow, but his expression remained unmoved.

"Well, you can decide for yourself."

After being instructed by the clan leader, Han Changde did not react further.

For the sake of a vague hope, they gave up joining a faction when they were at their most valuable.

Decades later, this younger generation will have their day of regret.

……

With the contract with the Han family finalized, Wang Xuan's cultivation could be considered to have returned to normal.

As the only guest alchemist of the Han family, he has a separate residence in the alchemy pavilion, which covers several acres.

In addition, one of the three pre-built fire chambers became his personal alchemy room and classroom.

Wang Xuan was fairly satisfied with this, except that the amount of medicinal herbs Han provided for his "teaching" was much less than he had imagined.

"The herbs for five batches of low-grade first-tier pills per month, and only a few types of pills commonly found on the market are supplied?"

"Is this the usual pace for refining pills?"

Several days later, in the alchemy room.

Looking at the spiritual herbs being sent into the Earth Fire Chamber, Wang Xuan, who was preparing to begin his first lesson, looked somewhat taken aback.

He had asked Han Changde this question when the contract was signed.

However, the other party replied to him, "Compared to the average level of the Chen Guozhu family."

Although he had some expectation that the average level of these small and medium-sized families would not be much better, he never expected it to be this low.

Five furnaces a month—what kind of monstrous genius could achieve first-grade high-quality alchemy, or even second-grade alchemy, under such circumstances?

No wonder the Chen Kingdom is vast and has countless cultivators, yet apart from the Core Formation forces, there aren't even two hands' worth of alchemists capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

"So that the royal army may know that this is the average treatment given to the people of Chen."

The bow was casual, and the attitude didn't show much respect.

Han Dao placed the storage bag containing the elixir aside and twitched the corner of his mouth.

"We direct descendants of the family receive an extra subsidy, but it's only about six or seven batches a month. In the future, when we advance to the middle grade, we might only have three or four batches... But this is already extra support from the family."

"Of course, if elders are willing to contribute money, they can also subsidize it privately, which is not prohibited."

"But overall, it can't compare to the grandeur of a sect."

"However, since the sect is currently in trouble and you are here to teach, the medicinal herbs provided by the family will naturally be provided according to our schedule."

"Please bear with it, Master Wang, after all..."

After all, it's the same whether you endure it or not.

The last sentence was left unsaid. Although Han Dao was somewhat impetuous due to his youth, he still held a certain degree of awe for formal alchemists.

In particular, his elders had told him that this Master Wang also possessed a lineage that had flowed out from a sect.

"..."

Inside the Fire Chamber, Wang Xuan remained silent for a moment.

Indeed, after spending so much time in the sect's lower courtyard, he had grown somewhat accustomed to the extravagant lifestyle of producing a dozen or twenty batches of pills a month.

So much so that he almost forgot that this included not only the sect's benefits, but also the subsidies for those in the lower academy.

It should be noted that the demon beast essence blood he exchanged for with pills over the years was essentially a form of support distributed by the sect.

Once they officially enter the sect's gates, even if the sect is still willing to invest resources, they will no longer be allowed to practice with spiritual herbs while reselling the refined pills...

Wang Xuan shook his head slightly and said nothing, but simply took out his mid-grade pill cauldron.

As for the high-grade pill cauldron that was lent out last, he doesn't plan to take it out anytime soon.

"Put your things down. As for today's lesson... I should have seen your alchemy skills, but before that, I'll give you a demonstration first."

"I just happened to bring some spiritual herbs from the sect, so I'll refine a batch of mid-grade first-level Yellow Sprout Pills first."

With a soft voice, Wang Xuan ignited the earth fire.

The first-grade mid-level Yellow Sprout Pill was a pill he had taken when he was in the sect. It was a very popular spiritual pill used to aid cultivation.

Its main ingredient, Polygonatum sibiricum, is very common, giving it an advantage in raw material supply compared to other similar elixirs.

As for why he wanted to start this batch first, the reason is quite simple.

Showcasing genuine skill levels can reduce unnecessary trouble such as doubts.

To avoid being forced to retaliate, showing off and getting humiliated, and making a mess of things.

After all, acting prudently is never simply about pretending to be a fool; that would only attract unwanted attention from others.

So, several hours later, just as he had expected.

Looking at the four substandard pills that had been collected by the Pill Collection Technique, the three apprentices became more serious.

Although this level of skill is not yet recognized by major powers, it already qualifies one as a mid-grade first-tier alchemist in the eyes of independent cultivators.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, for a considerable period of time afterward, even if these apprentices harbor any ulterior motives, they will not reveal them too obviously.