Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

"Chen Qing (Xuan Du) greets Master!" The two bowed in unison.

Looking at the two respectful disciples below, even with Taiqing Laozi's current state of mind, he couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, get up."

"Master, are you going to refine pills?" Chen Qing asked curiously.

Laozi nodded and laughed, "That's right. Your weapon-refining skills are too amazing. Innate spiritual treasures that are rarely seen by ordinary people are given away in large quantities by you."

We masters and senior disciples are under a lot of pressure too. If we don't take on some side jobs, we old guys might not have anything good to give away when we take on new disciples.

Chen Qing was taken aback upon hearing this—his master was always indifferent and unassuming, so why was he joking today? Could it be an imposter?

Just kidding, of course that's impossible. Who would dare impersonate a saint? Unless they're tired of living.

It seems Master has been in a good mood lately. Thinking this, Chen Qing humbly replied, "This disciple only knows a little bit, nothing to boast about."

Lao Tzu nodded, "Knowing how to be humble is good." He continued, "I'm preparing to refine the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. Since you're here, you can learn from me and refine it yourself someday."

Lao Tzu waved his hand, and a scorching flame immediately ignited beneath the Tai Chi Yin Yang Bagua Furnace.

"The Six Ding Divine Fire?" Chen Qing asked in surprise.

"Indeed. This fire is said to be able to burn anything and is unpredictable, making it perfect for refining elixirs." Laozi nodded, then reached out and grabbed the ginseng fruits in Xuandu's hand, sending them flying into the furnace. He did not inquire about the origin of the ginseng fruits, as if everything was understood without words.

Laozi took out a palm-leaf fan and slowly fanned himself. The Six Ding Divine Fire rose up and licked the bottom of the alchemy furnace.

Every so often, he would pick up a medicinal herb from the pile of herbs beside him and put it into the furnace.

He would occasionally explain the medicinal properties of these spiritual herbs to Chen Qing and Xuan Du, as well as the various secrets of alchemy.

Time slipped away quietly as the two focused on their studies.

Eighty-one days later, the alchemy furnace suddenly emitted a soft chime. Immediately afterwards, a rich and exotic fragrance spread out, filling the entire hall.

Chen Qing felt comfortable all over after smelling the fragrance, and secretly praised: It is indeed worthy of being called the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

Just then, a powerful aura suddenly rose up beside him.

Chen Qing's eyelids twitched, and he turned his head to look. He was immediately stunned—Xuan Du was standing with his eyes closed, his aura surging, and he had already broken through to the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal!

Good heavens, he broke through after just one breath of fragrance? Chen Qing wondered to himself, could this guy have some kind of "Salted Fish System" that makes him stronger just by walking and breathing?

Of course, he knew this was impossible. If it were true, Xuandu wouldn't only be at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level now.

Seeing his master looking over, Chen Qing quickly said, "The pill that Master refined is truly amazing. The fragrance alone was enough to help Xuan Du break through."

Laozi shook his head slightly: "Although the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir has extraordinary effects, it cannot help people break through simply by smelling its fragrance."

Xuan Du has been a late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal for quite some time now. Today, he merely gained some insight through the incense of the elixir and took the opportunity to break through that bottleneck.

Chen Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a system-based story, otherwise his identity as a transmigrator would have been exposed.

The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was completely refined. The lid of the Tai Chi Yin Yang Bagua Furnace flew off, and nine golden elixirs floated out of the furnace, which Laozi casually put into the Purple Gold Gourd. That gourd was the very same Purple Gold Gourd that he had picked from the gourd vine years ago.

"Did you see the process of refining the elixir just now?" Lao Tzu suddenly asked.

Chen Qing was taken aback, and quickly said, "This disciple is dull-witted and has only grasped about 70% or 80% of it."

Laozi nodded, quite pleased: "To be able to comprehend seventy or eighty percent of it after just one observation is already remarkable. Xuandu has followed me to watch alchemy countless times, yet he can only barely refine some low-grade pills."

Xuan Du, who had just recovered from the joy of his breakthrough in cultivation, looked utterly dejected upon hearing this. He couldn't refute it; he had indeed watched his master refine pills countless times, yet he could never quite grasp the essentials.

Seeing this, Chen Qing stepped in to smooth things over: "Junior Brother Xuandu's cultivation is still shallow now. He will naturally understand when his realm is higher in the future. As the saying goes, once you understand one method, you will understand all methods. I'm just taking advantage of my slightly higher cultivation."

Xuan Du possesses considerable talent, but his cultivation period is still relatively short. How could someone who becomes a disciple of a sage be an ordinary person?

Upon hearing this, Lao Tzu's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Your understanding is quite good. As the saying goes, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things."

Chen Qing's eyes flashed with a thoughtful light.

Xuan Du, standing to the side, was completely bewildered. He had not yet reached this level, so he naturally only vaguely understood.

Laozi raised his hand, and a beam of mysterious light flew out, turning into two points of light that entered between Chen Qing and Xuandu's eyebrows.

Chen Qing was taken aback, then closed his eyes to comprehend. In an instant, countless pieces of information about spiritual herbs and rare treasures flooded his mind, including the medicinal properties, compatibility taboos, and more, gradually becoming integrated into his understanding.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes, looked at his smiling father, and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Master, for bestowing upon me the Dharma!"

Lao Tzu nodded: "This is the alchemy inheritance I received. Now that you have awakened, are you capable of alchemy?"

Feeling the vast amount of information in his mind, Chen Qing confidently uttered two words: "Can be refined."

"Very good. Go and fetch some spiritual herbs, start the furnace and refine a batch. I'll see how much you've grasped," Laozi nodded.

Chen Qing agreed. After absorbing the inheritance in his mind, he also wanted to try it out himself. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Laozi's voice came from behind him: "Take the spiritual herbs as you like, but don't waste them."

Since this is my first time refining pills, it's best not to waste anything.

"Yes, Master!" Chen Qing bowed and strode out.

Xuan Du is still processing the information in his mind and has not yet woken up.

Chen Qing knew about the medicinal herb garden on Shouyang Mountain. But standing in front of the garden, gazing at the abundance of spiritual herbs, he was momentarily troubled—what kind of pill should he refine?

He had many pill formulas in his mind, but he looked down on the low-level ones, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the high-level ones on his first try.

After much deliberation, Chen Qing finally made up his mind—he would refine the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir! He would refine it to the best of his ability; even if he failed, he would only lose some spiritual herbs. He could accept that.

Anyway, his master had just refined it once, and he remembered most of the steps and tricks. As for the spiritual herbs not being old enough? No problem, with the Qiankun Cauldron in hand, he could restore them to their original state, and make up for the lack of age with quantity. If the quality was lacking, he would win with quantity.

So Chen Qing stepped into the herb garden, uprooting any medicinal herbs that matched the pill's properties, completely disregarding their age or usability. In his view, as long as the type was right, the rest could be left to the Qiankun Cauldron.

When Chen Qing stepped into the main hall again, Xuan Du had already woken up. He glanced at the large handful of spiritual herbs in his senior brother's hands and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh... Senior Brother, are you trying to refine a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir?" Xuan Du's voice trembled slightly. "But these medicinal herbs aren't old enough, and why did you take so many?"

In his opinion, even though his senior brother had extraordinary abilities, it was his first time learning alchemy, so he should start from scratch and proceed step by step.

He has been by his master's side for many years, and besides cultivation, he has been learning alchemy. To this day, he can only refine some simple pills.

He had a deep understanding of the difficulty of alchemy—the control of heat, the timing of adding ingredients, the combination of medicinal properties... there were too many things to master.

Now that his senior brother had gone straight for the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, he was unsettled. These spiritual herbs were extremely precious; some were almost extinct in the primordial world, with only a few remaining in his master's herb garden. Most importantly, these herbs hadn't fully matured yet; what a waste if they were ruined during the refining process!

"Hmm, let's give it a try first," Chen Qing replied casually, completely unaware of the complex thoughts swirling in Xuan Du's mind. He looked at Laozi, who sat to the head of the table.

Laozi frowned, his gaze sweeping over the medicinal herbs in Chen Qing's hand. He knew Chen Qing possessed the Qiankun Cauldron, and that he was probably using so many to restore the original essence, using quantity to compensate for quality. In the end, he didn't say anything, only nodding slightly—if it succeeded, it meant his disciple was capable; if it failed, it would simply be a waste of some spiritual herbs. He could take this opportunity to give him some proper guidance, fulfilling his responsibilities as a teacher.

With his master's approval, Chen Qing sat cross-legged in the main hall and took out the Qiankun Cauldron, placing it in front of him. This cauldron could refine weapons, so naturally it could also refine pills. Although the Taiji Yin Yang Bagua Furnace was good, it still couldn't compare to the Qiankun Cauldron, and it was also more convenient to use.

As the flames ignited, a scorching heat spread out. Once the furnace reached a suitable temperature, Chen Qing unhesitatingly threw the spiritual herbs one by one into the cauldron.

Xuan Du watched as his senior brother had already begun, and a twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth—it was too late to say anything now. He could only hope that his senior brother was truly that monstrous, able to refine a Nine-Turn Golden Pill on his very first attempt.

But he didn't hold out much hope. The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was the highest-grade pill his master could currently refine; it wasn't something that could be made casually.

Time passed slowly, and Chen Qing methodically administered the medicine and controlled the fire. His movements were fluid and seamless, as if he had repeated this countless times, making it a delight to watch.

Xuan Du, who had been expecting Chen Qing to fail, gaped in astonishment. Only three words remained in his mind: Impossible!

He felt as if he were seeing not his senior brother refining pills, but his master himself. The aura, the expression, the relaxed and natural posture were exactly the same.

Laozi, who had been watching Chen Qing's alchemy process closely, was slightly taken aback when he saw this, and then revealed a wry smile.

It seems I'm about to be surpassed by my apprentice. Sometimes, having an apprentice who's too prodigious isn't a good thing—it gives the master no sense of accomplishment.

Days passed. Finally, a rich fragrance of elixirs filled the main hall, even more so than when Laozi had refined elixirs before.

Xuan Du and Lao Tzu's eyes lit up at the same time—the elixir was complete!

Chen Qing made a hand seal, and the Qiankun Cauldron trembled slightly. Eight golden pills flew out of the cauldron, spinning in the air, shining with golden light and revealing faint pill patterns.

Chen Qing flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle. He grabbed the eight golden pills flying in the air and put them into the bottle.

Comparing it to the Nine-Turn Golden Pill refined by his master, there wasn't much difference, except that there was one less pill—when controlling the pill's essence to generate Dao patterns at the end, he was a little slow in adjusting the heat, and one pill was ruined. But it's alright, he can just be more careful next time.

"Wow! Senior brother, you're amazing! You refined a Nine-Turn Golden Pill on your first try! Did you know how to refine pills before?" As soon as Chen Qing put away the Qiankun Cauldron, Xuan Du eagerly came over, his eyes full of admiration.

Chen Qing smiled, with a hint of regret, and said, "I only knew how to refine weapons before, and I've never tried alchemy before. However, weapon refining and alchemy have many similarities, so it's not too difficult to get started. Unfortunately, I didn't control the heat well at the end, and one pill was ruined, so I only got eight."

"Uh..." Xuan Du was completely speechless. He felt that he and his senior brother were not on the same level at all.

Chen Qing looked down at the jade bottle in his hand, his eyes flickering. After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he poured out two golden pills from the bottle. The pills hung in his palm, enveloped in golden light, and their fragrance filled the air.

He glanced at Xuan Du, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

Xuandu suddenly had a bad feeling and stared at his senior brother warily, wondering what he was planning to do.