Complete one practice method every day

Time flies, and two more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, Chen Yue left his small courtyard and went to the residence that Lin Quan had been assigned in the Chen family mansion, and gently knocked on the gate.

"Come in, the door isn't latched," Lin Quan's strong voice came from inside the courtyard.

Chen Yue pushed open the door and entered, only to see Lin Quan sitting on a stone bench under an old locust tree in the courtyard, slowly sorting through several medicinal herbs by the daylight. A medicine pot was simmering on a small clay stove next to him, and a faint medicinal fragrance filled the air.

"You have to refine so many Blood-Activating Pills every day, yet you still have time to visit this old man?" Lin Quan looked up and saw Chen Yue, a smile appearing on his face. He put down the medicinal herbs in his hand and gestured for Chen Yue to sit down.

Chen Yue walked closer, shook his head with a wry smile, and cupped his hands, saying, "Master Lin, to be honest, I came here today because I'm finding it hard to keep up with refining this Blood Activating Pill every day, so I came to ask you for advice."

"Can't hold on any longer?" Lin Quan's smile faded slightly upon hearing this.

He looked Chen Yue up and down and saw that his breathing was steady, not like he was physically exhausted.

"Since you agreed to twenty-five pills a day, you should have expected this day to come. If you had insisted on twenty pills back then, there might have been some room for negotiation. Now that you've agreed to the manager's terms, it's probably difficult to go back on your word."

Chen Yue's wry smile deepened. He sat down on the stone bench opposite Lin Quan and pondered for a moment: "Master Lin, for the Chen family, the value of the Qi-Strengthening Pill should be far greater than that of the Blood-Activating Pill, right?"

Lin Quan nodded and said without hesitation, "Of course. Although the Blood Activating Pill is essential for martial artists, it is ultimately a basic pill with a relatively low threshold for refining and is mostly used for daily cultivation, so its value is limited."

The Qi-Nourishing Pill is an excellent remedy for martial artists in the Body Refining Realm to nourish their vital energy. Its refining difficulty is greatly increased, and the required medicinal materials are even more precious. More importantly, the Qi-Nourishing Pill signifies that a pill refiner has truly entered the inner sanctum. Why are you asking this…”

Lin Quan stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something. He abruptly raised his head, staring intently at Chen Yue, his eyes filled with astonishment and uncertainty: "You...you can refine the Qi-Strengthening Pill?"

Faced with Lin Quan's shocked gaze, Chen Yue did not admit it directly, but just smiled and said, "I'm not very confident yet, but I do have some experience. I've tried refining it a few times and managed to produce a few batches by luck. However, the success rate and quality of the pills are still unstable."

Upon hearing this, Lin Quan's gaze towards Chen Yue changed somewhat.

He stood up and paced around the small courtyard for a while before stopping and turning to look at Chen Yue.

"The value of the Qi-Strengthening Pill far surpasses that of the Blood-Activating Pill. More importantly, if you can truly succeed in refining the Qi-Strengthening Pill in such a short time, even if you only master it to a basic level, your value in the eyes of the Chen family will become completely different!"

Chen Yue's brow twitched slightly, understanding Lin Quan's unspoken meaning: "Master Lin, do you mean... that I was of very low value in the Chen family's eyes before?"

"Not low, but certainly not high either."

Lin Quan sat back down on the stone bench, sighed, and said, "Although refining the Blood Activating Pill also requires talent, it is ultimately a basic skill. In recent years, some young alchemists have occasionally emerged in Youlin County who can quickly master the refining of the Blood Activating Pill."

However, the vast majority of them then get stuck at the threshold of the Qi-stabilizing pill, unable to make any progress for years or even decades. Therefore, while the talent you displayed earlier was certainly impressive, how much more talent you have in the future is unknown.

Lin Quan paused, looking at Chen Yue's enlightened expression, and continued, "But we've encountered such turbulent times, and with no other choice, we naturally have to make full use of your ability to refine Blood-Activating Pills. That's why Yu Qing's attitude towards you is somewhat subtle."

A look of understanding appeared in Chen Yue's eyes. No wonder Chen Yuqing sometimes spoke to him with words of admonition, and sometimes exchanged benefits with him, his attitude was complicated.

Chen Yue nodded and continued, "Master Lin, if I truly inform the Chen family that I can now refine the Qi-Strengthening Pill, will the daily quota of twenty-five Blood-Activating Pills be cancelled?"

Chen Yue has too many cultivation techniques to practice and too many pill formulas to study lately, so spending time refining Blood Activating Pills every day seems a bit wasteful.

Lin Quan shook his head, then nodded: "In peaceful times, given your age and the potential you've shown, the Chen family, in order to win you over, would definitely exempt you from the Blood Activating Pill task."

However, it's true that Huichuntang is currently facing a shortage of pills; they may need to refine three to five pills daily. The Chen family will likely encourage you to focus on improving the success rate of Guyuan Pills and to explore other, more advanced pill formulas in the remaining time.

Chen Yue's gaze flickered after hearing this.

Revealing one's ability to refine Qi-stabilizing pills to the Chen family has both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside is that it will inevitably attract more attention, and some uncertainties will also increase.

The benefits are even more significant: one's own time will increase dramatically, and there is also the possibility of accessing the special pill formulas collected by the Chen family through one's talent for alchemy.

Chen Yue's gaze involuntarily fell on the control panel.

It will take at most twenty days to break through to the Bone Forging Realm and expose the potential risks brought by the Qi Consolidation Pill. With the steady improvement of his own strength, it is already within a controllable range.

In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the dense foliage of the Chen residence, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone path.

Chen Yue passed through several moon gates and arrived at a quiet and elegant courtyard in the inner part of the Chen family mansion. This was Chen Yuqing's residence in the mansion.

Chen Yue raised his hand and gently knocked on the half-closed courtyard gate.

"Who is it?" came Xiao Cui's voice from inside the door.

The wooden door was pulled open a crack, revealing Xiao Cui's surprised face, seemingly completely unprepared for Chen Yue to come looking for her. She pursed her lips, her tone indifferent: "Oh, it's you. Wait here, I'll go inform Miss."

As she spoke, she turned and walked back quickly, raising her voice slightly: "Miss, it's Alchemist Chen Yue."

A moment later, Chen Yue stepped into the courtyard.

This courtyard was much more spacious and exquisite than his, and it was currently in full bloom, with vibrant colors and a subtle fragrance wafting through the air.

Chen Yuqing was facing away from the courtyard gate, intently arranging a few magnolia buds and a few emerald green asparagus ferns.

Today, she wasn't wearing her usual moon-white dress, but rather a pale yellow casual dress. Her black hair was loosely tied up, adorned only with a jade hairpin. She looked less aloof and more like a quiet young girl.

Chen Yuqing didn't stop what she was doing, but turned her head slightly and glanced at Chen Yue out of the corner of her eye: "Master Chen, you've arrived? Are you finding it difficult to adjust to staying at the manor?"

Chen Yue stepped forward and stopped a few paces away from the stone table, cupping his hands in greeting, "Reporting to the steward, the arrangements in the manor are very thoughtful, and I am not unaccustomed to them. I have come today to report something."

"Oh? What is it?" Chen Yuqing picked up a magnolia branch with her slender fingers and compared it with the flower branches already in the vase.

"In the meantime, while refining the Blood Activating Pill, I have had some insights into the formula for the Qi Strengthening Pill. Today, I had a sudden inspiration and decided to try refining a batch."

"Snap!"

Chen Yuqing unconsciously broke off a small section of the magnolia branch in her hand.

After a moment of silence, she slowly turned around. Her phoenix eyes clearly reflected Chen Yue's figure, and deep within them surged surprise and doubt.

"What was the result?" Chen Yuqing asked, her voice slightly faster than before.

Chen Yue smiled slightly: "I managed to make the pill by luck. However, its quality is quite mixed, and its medicinal power is probably only 60% or 70% of that of a normal Qi-stabilizing pill. It's really not presentable."

"By sheer luck, the elixir was formed..."

Chen Yuqing slowly repeated those four words, leaning forward slightly, her gaze fixed on Chen Yue's face. "Chen Yue, are you serious?"

Chen Yue met her gaze with a calm expression: "How dare I bother the manager with this matter and only make myself a laughing stock? Although the pill is of inferior quality, it is undoubtedly a Qi-strengthening Pill."

Their eyes met, and the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Cui stood behind Chen Yuqing, looking at her young mistress and then at Chen Yue, her face full of confusion, feeling that the atmosphere had suddenly become somewhat heavy.

After a long while, Chen Yuqing slowly straightened up. The leisurely and lazy feeling brought about by flower arranging had disappeared from her face, and she returned to her usual coldness.

"Alright. Then I'll have my servants deliver a batch of ingredients for refining the Qi-Strengthening Pill to your alchemy room immediately. At the same time, I'll invite an elder from the clan to come and witness Master Lin refining a batch of Qi-Strengthening Pills. How does that sound?"

Chen Yue nodded: "That's how it should be."

"it is good."

Chen Yuqing said no more, then turned to Xiao Cui and instructed, "Xiao Cui, go to the storeroom immediately and take a portion of the ingredients for the Gu Yuan Dan according to the specifications, and deliver it to Alchemist Chen's alchemy room. Then go to the East Courtyard and invite Elder Ding Xian, saying that you have important matters to discuss and asking him to come to Chen Yue's alchemy room."

"Yes, Miss!" Seeing her mistress's solemn expression, Xiao Cui dared not delay and quickly ran out of the courtyard.

Chen Yuqing glanced at Chen Yue again, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Master Chen, please return to your alchemy room to prepare. We will be there shortly."