At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

Ling Xiu set himself a firm goal: to thoroughly master the "True Scripture of Ten Thousand Medicines" within six months.

He must not be sent back to the Waste Pill Pavilion again and repeat the same predicament as before.

From that moment on, his life was completely transformed.

Every day, he only travels between the Taiqing Danfang and the secluded courtyard, a routine between two points, with no free time at all.

Seventh Night was eccentric and reclusive, and her demands on Ling Xiu were extremely strict.

In addition to assigning him to handle complicated and rare spiritual herbs every day, he was also required to collect various basic alchemical texts and bring them back to the courtyard to study.

All the pharmacology and medicinal herb properties in the book must be memorized thoroughly. Even the slightest memory lapse will result in disqualification.

On the seventh night, he would reprimand him sternly without any mercy, never caring that he was over a hundred years old.

"Ling Xiu, are you really getting senile! The Purple Dragon Emperor Ginseng and the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Herb are both top-grade spiritual herbs, and their medicinal properties complement and counteract each other."

You've completely reversed the order, causing the two medicines to directly clash and become ineffective. It's clearly written in black and white in the scriptures, how could you possibly misremember?

"You must remember that the order in which each herb is added to the furnace must not be disordered."

If the order is wrong, the entire batch of elixirs will be ruined, with no chance of recovery.

Furthermore, the control of the fire in the alchemy furnace is currently rudimentary. Your loose control over the fire will cause most of the essence within the spiritual herbs to dissipate and be lost.

"The auxiliary medicines required for each of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, Meridian Protection Pill, Ice Heart Pill, and Bone Regeneration Pill, the best time to pick the spiritual herbs, the pre-processing methods, and the order in which they are put into the furnace must be engraved in one's soul, and not a single detail can be confused."

"Especially the Marrow Cleansing Pill, it can only be slowly refined over a gentle fire for six hours. If it is even a moment longer, the medicinal power will become too strong and the original medicinal effect will be lost."

"If one is even a moment too late, the impurities in the spiritual herbs cannot be removed, and the elixir will not only fail to cleanse the marrow, but will also cause stagnation in the meridians."

The art of alchemy is complex and multifaceted, but ultimately, its core lies in the dual control of divine sense and the timing of the fire.

In the days that followed, Seventh Night would severely reprimand Ling Xiu every day, his words sharp and merciless.

But after scolding them, they would always patiently break down the pharmacology, demonstrate the details of fire control, and impart their practical experience without reservation.

Ling Xiu remained calm throughout, accepting all the criticism without a trace of resentment.

He knew that Seventh Night was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and all his strictness was to hone his foundation in alchemy.

He fully unleashed his extraordinary divine sense, reading ten lines at a glance and remembering everything he read. Combined with his top-notch comprehension, he could often grasp the obscure and difficult theories of alchemy in a short time.

Having observed privately for a long time on the seventh night, he was already deeply shocked.

"This old guy's memory and comprehension are even more terrifying than mine were when I was young."

Even the most obscure and obscure pharmacology becomes crystal clear with just a little guidance; one can even apply it to other cases, supplementing the pharmacological exceptions I had never noticed… Clearly, this is a once-in-a-millennium alchemical genius!

While I was amazed, a sense of regret also welled up in my heart.

Ling Xiu's qualifications are all top-notch.

He possesses keen senses, a calm and composed temperament, meticulous thinking, and extraordinary comprehension. His only shortcomings are his approaching old age, low cultivation level, weak spiritual power, and stiff and clumsy movements when controlling the open flame of the alchemy furnace, which greatly limits his practical alchemy skills.

On the seventh night, he shook his head and sighed inwardly.

"His comprehension, spiritual awareness, and temperament are all top-notch, but he is too old and his foundation was severely damaged in his early years. His ordinary spiritual energy circulation is sluggish, and he cannot freely ignite the alchemical fire."

If he had embarked on the path of alchemy in his youth, his current attainments would be far beyond what I can match.

"Fine, since I've already taken him in, I'll expend more of my own spiritual energy to secretly help him make up for his lack of spiritual power."

Ling Xiu's diligence far exceeded Seventh Night's expectations.

He memorized and thoroughly understood all the classic texts on alchemy, and in his spare time every day, he would simulate the complete alchemy process tens of thousands of times in his mind. During the day, he practiced sorting spiritual herbs, and at night he would go into seclusion to deduce the pharmacology. He never relaxed day or night.

Every night, he would set up a simple soundproofing and tracking barrier in the courtyard to prevent outsiders from probing him. He would then deduce the Dao of Alchemy and practice the "Xu Yuan Chang Sheng Jue" in arduous cultivation.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

On the seventh night, she gradually lowered her guard and allowed Ling Xiu to get close and assist her during the alchemy process, observing the entire process.

Ling Xiu was deeply grateful and seized every learning opportunity.

The experience of a hundred years of cultivation endowed him with a resilience and composure far surpassing that of the young apprentices in the sect. Once, he stayed by the alchemy furnace for seven consecutive days without sleep or rest, keeping a close eye on the changes in the fire, without ever stepping out of the alchemy room.

The path to immortality is arduous, and the way of alchemy is bitter and cold, but he never once had the slightest thought of giving up.

Normally, the failed pills from the seventh night of alchemy are mostly discarded and handed over to Ling Xiu for unified disposal.

What others considered worthless was Ling Xiu's greatest opportunity.

He would quietly collect the discarded pills and put them into the Qiankun Xuan Gourd when no one was watching.

In just one night, the discarded pills, whose medicinal properties have deteriorated and are full of impurities, can be rebuilt within the Xuan Gourd, transforming them into top-grade elixirs with clear patterns and a rich medicinal aroma.

The Taiqing Pill Room produces countless waste pills every day, providing Ling Xiu with a continuous supply of cultivation resources, so that he doesn't have to worry about the supply of pills.

At the same time, the longevity power cultivated through the "Xu Yuan Longevity Technique" is also steadily growing stronger.

The source of the Longevity Mantra is profound and flows smoothly, making it far more suitable for controlling the alchemical fire than the conventional spiritual power of cultivators.

However, Ling Xiu had always deliberately suppressed his cultivation, keeping his realm locked at the sixth level of Qi Refining for many years, and pretending to be an ordinary errand boy with slow progress to deceive others.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Ling Xiu, who had been lying low for a long time, finally broke through the shackles and his cultivation reached the tenth level of Qi Refining Perfection. His foundation was solid and stable, and he was only one step away from opening the door to the True Condensation Realm.

That day, Ling Xiu was arranging the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds and Fire Heart Seven-Leaf Flowers in the alchemy room.

The details are clearly marked, including the year of growth of each ingredient, their complementary medicinal properties, the timing of their combination, and the temperature difference during purification. The information is organized and clear.

On the seventh night, he stood in the shadows, observing coldly, seemingly indifferent, but his eyes frequently revealed approval.

Ling Xiu's current alchemy skills and practical temperament have far surpassed the level of an apprentice who has been practicing alchemy for four months. His composure and experience are comparable to those of an inner disciple who has been practicing alchemy for more than ten years.

Just as Ling Xiu was concentrating on checking the medicinal properties and proportions, the vast longevity magic power within his body suddenly went out of control. A wisp of energy far exceeding the sixth level of Qi Refining leaked out uncontrollably and vanished in an instant.

However, this brief fluctuation of energy was still accurately captured by Seventh Night's powerful divine sense.

"Um?"

Seventh Night's body stiffened slightly, and his eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently at Ling Xiu, his tone filled with doubt and surprise.

"Ling Xiu, you've broken through in cultivation? The spiritual energy fluctuations just now were definitely not something a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator could possess!"

Ling Xiu's heart tightened suddenly, and he secretly realized he had been careless.

Just now, I was so focused that I failed to maintain the seal on my cultivation level and almost exposed my true cultivation realm.

He quickly withdrew his magical power, his expression returned to calm, he turned his head and bowed, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes at just the right moment.

"Master, I touched the barrier of my cultivation realm two days ago. My mind was in turmoil, and I managed to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining."

After much deliberation, he decided to go public with his cultivation, suppressing it to the seventh level of Qi Refining. This progress, combined with his Supreme Spiritual Root, was barely reasonable and wouldn't attract much scrutiny.

On the seventh night, his brows furrowed, his face filled with disbelief.

At the age of one hundred, he broke through two realms in just four months, a speed that crushed the sect's top young prodigies.

Even knowing that he possessed a supreme spiritual root, such a breakthrough speed still defied common sense.

"This old fellow is shrouded in mystery. Even with my perfected Qi Refining Divine Sense, I still can't see through his true foundation."

If he hadn't been careless just now, he would never have revealed even the slightest hint of his presence... Just how many secrets is he hiding?

Doubts lingered in his mind, but Seventh Night, well-versed in the survival rules of the sect, did not delve into the matter, and his expression returned to its usual cold indifference.

"To be able to steadily break through realms even at the age of one hundred is a testament to the value of my teachings over this period."

"With the seventh level of Qi Refining, your spiritual power will be much more abundant, making it several times easier for you to control the alchemical fire in the future."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. Without your instruction, I would not have achieved this breakthrough today."

Ling Xiu answered respectfully, feeling completely relieved.

His current visible cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining is just enough to explain the reason for his subsequent improvement in fire control, and will not arouse unnecessary suspicion.

From then on, Seventh Night officially taught Ling Xiu his unique fire control technique.

Ling Xiu secretly channeled his longevity magic into the pill fire, perfectly compensating for the shortcomings of controlling conventional spiritual power.

The ability to control the fire—gathering, heating, cooling, and dispersing—is entirely within a single thought, leading to a rapid advancement in fire control skills.