I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Xu Zhou ultimately accepted the Hu family's order.

Although he had some grudges with the Hu family, they were all kept secret, and no one wanted to bring them up in public.

He naturally had to refine the pills as well, since the other party was genuinely giving him spirit stones, and he couldn't be careless.

He even secretly hoped that the Hu family could defeat their powerful enemy as soon as possible and drive the Fang family back to the Yan Kingdom.

Although Deacon Zhang didn't say it explicitly, he was aware of the trickery involved.

On the surface, it was a private family feud, but in reality, it was also a test between the two sects.

Although Xu Zhou didn't particularly like the Golden Flame Sect, he also disliked the sects in the Yan Kingdom.

If the Hu family is defeated, it will be a sign of weakness for the Golden Flame Sect, and the consequences of this defeat will inevitably spread throughout the sect, affecting every disciple.

As a disciple of the Golden Flame Sect, he did not want to be implicated.

In comparison, the personal feud with the Hu family should be put aside for now.

"In short, this won't do me any harm."

"Not only will you have the opportunity to hone your alchemy skills, but you can also earn some spirit stones on the side."

Having figured this out, Xu Zhou immediately felt relieved and instructed his apprentices to prepare for the upcoming alchemy process.

...

The Hu family's order covered most of the top-grade healing pills, including the Detoxifying Heart-Clearing Pill, the Hemostatic Jade Rejuvenating Pill, and the Calming Qi Pill.

Each type requires more than a dozen pieces, which adds up to quite a lot of work.

Fortunately, these pills are not difficult to make.

With the medicinal materials provided by Baicaotang, Xu Zhou only failed a dozen or so times before he successfully mastered the refining technique and was able to consistently produce pills.

For the next two months, he focused on refining pills and finally completed the order within the time limit.

Two months have passed, and the struggle between the Hu and Fang families remains at a stalemate.

In order to resist the Fang family, the Hu family issued corresponding support missions within the sect. Qi Refining cultivators who believed themselves to be strong enough could go and earn resources, which has already attracted many people.

Li Zelei naturally wouldn't go, but there were still quite a few people in the sect who had no connection with the Hu family, and many of them planned to set off.

When these cultivators set off, they would come to Baicaotang to purchase some healing pills in case of emergency.

Xu Zhou had only been idle for a few days when he started working again.

He had only just begun to master the techniques for refining several types of pills and was in dire need of practice. The fact that these disciples wanted to buy the pills was a great help to him.

He wasn't worried about not having enough time, since no matter how many pills he refined, it would always be difficult to use them all.

Once we've dealt with this wave, it won't be easy to find similar opportunities in the future.

Other top-tier alchemists had already accumulated their wealth and didn't care about these rewards, so they all benefited him.

Unbeknownst to him, his storage bag containing spirit stones gradually bulged.

this day.

An unusual guest arrived at Xu Zhou's residence.

Although the visitor was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and had not prepared any gifts, Li Pochen did not dare to stop him and respectfully led him into the cave.

This is because the person's surname is Zheng, and he comes from the Zheng family of Yuzhen Hall.

The Zheng family is small in number, considered one of the few families in the sect. But precisely because of their small size, the Zheng family cares deeply about each member, and other disciples always give them face.

Xu Zhou knew the identity of the guest and prepared tea for him, treating him with courtesy.

This cultivator from the Zheng family, named Zheng Fangyuan, was not a spoiled brat relying on his family's wealth. Seeing Xu Zhou take the initiative to greet him, he immediately cupped his hands in greeting, performing all the proper courtesies.

After the two sat down, Zheng Fangyuan sighed and said, "I should have brought a generous gift for visiting Master Xu. However, I came at the request of my elders, who asked me not to bring any gifts. I hope Master Xu will not take offense."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou's mind stirred.

He smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, "Junior Brother Zheng, there's no need to worry. Speaking of which, I once met Uncle-Master Zheng Feng. I wonder how he's been lately?"

Zheng Feng had successfully established his foundation many years ago, and according to the conventions of the cultivation world, Xu Zhou should address him as his senior uncle.

Zheng Fangyuan's eyes lit up: "So you know Uncle Feng. No wonder your family gave you such instructions."

With Zheng Feng's connection, the conversation between the two sides became much more amicable.

After chatting for a while, Zheng Fangyuan's expression turned serious, and he said, "I have come to visit Master Xu today because I have a request."

"Please feel free to speak," Xu Zhou nodded.

"Here's the thing," Zheng Fangyuan said, carefully choosing his words, "Recently, a conflict broke out on the border between the Mu Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom. My family plans to send me to provide support, and I'd like to buy a batch of pills from you to go with them."

The demand for elixirs is not high.

Xu Zhou's expression faltered slightly.

He didn't answer immediately, but after a moment's thought, he said, "I remember there seems to be some distance between the Zheng family and the Hu family of Thousand Swords Peak. Will this affect your trip, Junior Brother Zheng?"

"No, not at all."

Zheng Fangyuan smiled confidently and said, "The rift between the Hu family and my family lies in the fact that they had a few unworthy descendants, who were already killed by my ancestor. This matter has been considered closed, and even if the Hu family had a few more guts, they wouldn't dare to provoke trouble again."

As for my family, we originally looked down on the Hu family, but things have changed a bit recently.

Xu Zhou looked curious.

Zheng Fangyuan didn't beat around the bush and simply said, "Master Xu has been in seclusion refining pills for many years, so you probably haven't heard of him."

Just a few days ago, news came back that the Fang family of Yan Kingdom organized a surprise attack, bypassing the main battlefield and sending three Foundation Establishment cultivators to ambush the core of the Hu family.

The Hu family patriarch was tied up outside at the time, leaving only one Foundation Establishment cultivator and a few late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the family. If they had successfully launched a sneak attack, the Hu family would likely have suffered heavy losses.

Xu Zhou couldn't help but ask, "So how was this matter dealt with?"

When Zheng Fangyuan spoke of this matter, a hint of excitement appeared on his face: "It's all because the Hu family has produced a genius in the art of array formations!"

Before the Hu family patriarch could rush back, one of his disciples, who was skilled in array formations, stepped in and, with the help of the clan's great array, managed to hold off the three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As a result, by the time the Hu family patriarch returned, the three were still trapped. Besieged on all sides, two of them were seriously injured!

Zheng Fangyuan sighed repeatedly, "If the Hu family hadn't been unwilling to engage in a decisive battle immediately, we might have truly been able to kill them. That would have been a remarkable feat of slaughtering Foundation Establishment cultivators with Qi Refining cultivation."

Xu Zhou's heart sank slightly.

He calmly asked, "Who is this genius in array formations?"

"I heard his name is Juanming."

When Zheng Fangyuan mentioned this person, his expression turned serious: "According to the information my family has obtained, this Senior Brother Hu must have borrowed the Heavenly Light Array from the family territory that day. The array was like a millstone, consuming those Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

"A millstone?"

Xu Zhou couldn't help but interrupt him and ask, "I've heard that family formations are usually second-tier formations. Is he already able to control such a formation?"

Zheng Fangyuan was slightly taken aback, then hesitated and said, "I heard that the transformation was accomplished by having the elderly, weak, women and children of the Hu family hold the battle flags and directing them."

Xu Zhou nodded to himself.

Although they relied on someone else's influence, the fact that they could change a second-order formation with only a first-order formation level shows that the other party is indeed remarkable.

Can Qi Refining Array Cultivation really threaten Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Xu Zhou himself had also studied the art of array formations, and he also longed for the scene of using array formations to defend against enemies.

But let alone controlling the formation to face Foundation Establishment cultivators, he wouldn't have absolute confidence even against late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

No wonder the Zheng family wanted to support the Hu family and re-establish friendly relations with them.

It's likely that they were drawn to Juanming's talent in array formations.

The Way of Formations differs from the Way of Alchemy; this Way emphasizes the variation of thought. Discussing it with others can greatly benefit both parties.

And this Juanming is most likely the author of the Xuanwu Sword Formation diagram in my possession. Even from this glimpse, his mastery of formations is truly terrifying.

If the Zheng family members could sit down and discuss philosophy with Juan, it would greatly benefit their own skill development.

Having figured all this out, Xu Zhou understood why the Zheng family had sent Zheng Fangyuan to their door.

The request to purchase the elixir was merely a pretext; in reality, the Zheng family was kindly reminding him to ensure he was aware of the matter.

Xu Zhou maintained his smile and agreed to Zheng Fangyuan's request.

The other party did not stay long; after exchanging a few pleasantries, they got up to take their leave.

After seeing the guests off, Xu Zhou sat back in the hall and fell into silence.

He had a past grudge against the Hu family, but since both sides were under the jurisdiction of their respective sects, the Hu family couldn't specifically target him, a high-grade alchemist, and he couldn't deal with the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Hu family, so they remained at peace.

Now that Juan has been added to the list, there will likely be further turmoil.

Ultimately, his grudges with the Hu family weren't that deep. After all, the people who attacked Li Zelei back then were all investigated and confirmed to have only plotted in private, and had nothing to do with the family. They have all been executed.

It's just that they say the matter is over, but in reality, that's another story.

After a while, he put the matter aside for the time being.

"Regardless, this is still within the sect's territory."

"No matter how highly regarded the Hu family's genius in formation techniques is, they can't possibly target me right under the sect's nose."

...

Two months passed after Xu Zhou finished refining the pills Zheng Fangyuan needed.

During this time, he was constantly distracted by gathering intelligence on the Hu family, learning every detail of the battle between the two families on the border.

Since Juanming made his move, his reputation has spread. Everyone who mentions him thinks of his use of formations to almost achieve the feat of severing a Foundation Establishment cultivator with Qi Refining.

Although it was achieved with the help of the clan members and the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was still extremely impressive.

After all, with his Qi Refining cultivation level, the fact that he could get involved in the battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators, even with many advantages, was enough to make people take notice.

However, Juan's name did not fall silent after that.

He reappeared on the front lines of the battle between the two sides and began to personally direct the cultivators to cast formations.

Taking advantage of the formation, the Hu family cultivators forced the Fang family into a series of defeats.

Some well-meaning individuals compiled the array formations he used, along with the key details of his victories, into a book and spread it far and wide. Every cultivator with some standing in the sect received a copy.

While onlookers merely enjoyed the spectacle, all the array masters gleaned profound insights into the principles of array formations from it.

Xu Zhou also obtained a copy and repeatedly read it in his residence.

After a long while, he finally sighed softly.

"This person's mastery of formations truly exudes the aura of a grandmaster."

Several months later, the war that involved the two families gradually subsided.

But the aftershocks have not yet subsided.

Soon after, news spread from the sect.

Juanming is about to join the clan.