Mortal: Joining the Star Palace at the Start

"My name is Ling Yuling, nice to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Ji Qing quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand:

"My name is Ji Qing, and from now on..."

Ling Yuling pressed Ji Qing's hand down, tilted her head, and said with a smile:

"There's no need for so much formality between us. From now on, let's consider ourselves brother and sister. I'm a year younger than you, so I'll call you 'brother' from now on. It'll sound more intimate that way. What do you think?"

"Huh? Brother? How can this be?"

"Your status is so noble, you must never associate with me..."

Ji Qing was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt helpless.

Seeing the resentment on Ling Yuling's face, he hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement, changing his words:

"Alright, since you're willing to be my sister, then I promise you. From now on, no matter what, I'll stand up for you and never let you get into danger."

"Haha, that's more like it."

After speaking, Ling Yuling took out the "Pharmacology Classics" and discussed it with Ji Qing, which brought the two of them much closer in an instant.

Seeing this scene between the two from behind the door, Elder An immediately smiled and nodded.

It has to be said that Ling Yuling's move was indeed brilliant; she managed to drag Ji Qing to her side under the guise of being siblings.

If Ji Qing successfully forms his Nascent Soul in the future, Ling Yuling will have a powerful helper.

Elder An waited behind the door for a while, and when he saw that the two had finished their conversation, he stepped out at just the right moment and said in a gentle tone:

"Boy, this is the 'Crimson Fire Burning the Sky Technique' that I found for you. Take it."

"Oh? The Crimson Fire Burning the Sky Technique? Isn't that your signature technique?"

Ok?

Is this Senior An's signature technique?

Ji Qing was surprised for a moment. He never expected that Elder An would actually pass on his famous martial arts technique to him.

It is important to know that cultivation techniques hold a very important position for cultivators, and under normal circumstances, these techniques would not be passed on.

"S-senpai..."

"Alright, kid, there's no need for you to be so polite with me. Since you've come to me for alchemy, I'll definitely take responsibility for you."

Elder An glanced down at Ji Qing, secretly quite pleased:

"With your Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude, if you were to cultivate other fire-attribute techniques, their grade would be far too low. So, after some thought, I've decided it would be better to teach you this one."

After Elder An finished speaking, he didn't stand on ceremony with Ji Qing and directly stuffed the cultivation manual into Ji Qing's arms.

"Young man, there's no need for such polite words. I can't stand them. Once you have this cultivation technique, start practicing. If you have any questions, just ask me, and I'll answer them for you."

Ji Qing nodded silently, and the cultivation technique in his hand suddenly became heavy.

"Alright, in that case, thank you very much, senior."

After speaking, Ji Qing sat down cross-legged. Once he had grasped all the essentials of the technique, he began to cultivate.

At first, Elder An thought that after Ji Qing obtained the cultivation method and began to cultivate, with his Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude, it would take him at least half a day to successfully enter the basics and then master a secret technique like the Crimson Flame Fire.

But reality really shocked him. After Ji Qing started cultivating, he successfully entered the first stage of cultivation after only two hours!

How is that possible?

Having made a name for himself using this method, he knew all too well how difficult it was to master.

"This kid's aptitude for cultivation is indeed exceptional. He managed to master the basics in such a short time. His talent is truly astonishing."

Elder An quickly recovered and stopped thinking about it.

Now that Ji Qing has successfully mastered the Crimson Flame, he can try refining pills.

"Alright, kid, now that you've successfully mastered fire, I'll teach you alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Elder An flicked his finger, and a flame suddenly shot towards the alchemy furnace. Then, with a "boom," the entire alchemy furnace began to burn.

Elder An sat cross-legged in front of the alchemy furnace and took out many spiritual herbs from his storage bag.

"You two kids, watch out! The most important thing in alchemy is to stay focused. If you're not careful during the process, it's common for the furnace to explode and the pills to be destroyed."

"You're just starting out in alchemy, so you might not understand everything yet, but that's not a problem. You'll naturally understand once you begin practicing."

Seeing that the alchemy furnace was sufficiently heated, Elder An immediately threw a spiritual herb into it and explained:

"Before refining pills, the pill furnace needs to be heated. Once the furnace is heated enough, you can start refining pills."

There are two methods in the process of alchemy.

The first method is the decoction method.

The so-called liquid-boiling method involves gathering all the spiritual herbs together and boiling them in one place. Once these spiritual liquids are concentrated into one, they can be rolled into pills.

However, the success rate of this first method is extremely low, and it relies heavily on luck.

Moreover, if the flames are not controlled properly, all the medicinal herbs will be ruined, making the refining process very costly.

The second type, which is the one I use, is called the Fire Control Method.

As long as you control the flames well, you can put the medicinal herbs in and refine them into liquid. By repeating this process and fusing them according to pharmacology, the success rate is very high.

If you fail to refine the spirit liquid, discard the waste spirit medicine and then use substitute spirit medicine to refine it. Once you succeed, you can proceed to the next step.

Overall, this fire control technique is a bit difficult, but once you master it, it won't be a problem anymore. So you two watch carefully as I refine it. If you have any questions, just ask, and I'll answer them for you.

As Elder An spoke, he seemed to recall something.

"Oh, by the way, when I'm refining pills, I'll explain the pharmacology to you, so you'd better listen carefully and don't get distracted."

Elder An raised his hand, and a dark blue vine immediately flew into his hand:

"This is purple wood vine. Its roots and stems are tough and the most difficult to refine. At first, it needs to be nourished with a gentle fire. Once the purple wood vine has gradually melted, it can be forged with a strong fire."

If we successfully refine the purple wood vine, then…”

Elder An explained in detail, teaching the two alchemy techniques in the simplest way. Upon hearing this, Ji Qing's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but admire Elder An's alchemy skills.

.........

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was evening. Ji Qing had already parted ways with Ling Yuling and was now following Jin Kui back to Xingyue Pavilion.

The Star Moon Pavilion is where Jin Kui preaches, and they usually listen to Jin Kui preach here.

When Ji Qing returned, he stayed with Jin Kui for more than an hour, asking many questions about cultivation.

After Jin Kui finished answering all the questions, Ji Qing bowed to his master and bid farewell before returning to his cave.

It must be said that Ji Qing had a very fulfilling two days and gained a lot.

Not only did he make Ling Yuling his sister, he also obtained Elder An's famous martial arts technique.