Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 Two Months of Hard Cultivation

Ye Qingchen understood. At least for now, while I might not be plagued by a Heart Demon, Alchemy can still enhance my temperament and Vitality Force, so why wouldn’t I embrace it? Besides, I’ve obtained the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and the Fen Tian Elder’s inheritance, and I’ve even merged with the Fen Tian Earth Fire. If I don’t make a name for myself in Alchemy, wouldn’t I be wasting these heaven-sent opportunities?

Pavilion Master Zhang, seeing the expectant look on Ye Qingchen’s face, nodded in satisfaction. ”I heard from Deputy Pavilion Master Liu that you passed the twelfth floor of the Heart Demon Tower, which proves your mind is steadfast,” he said. ”The fact that you advanced from an apprentice to a Second-Grade Alchemist in such a short time also proves you have an extraordinary talent for Alchemy. For these next two months, focus on honing your skills in the Pill Refining Room. I expect you to make substantial progress!”

Ye Qingchen nodded firmly and left with Deputy Pavilion Master Liu.

”Qingchen, I see Pavilion Master Zhang holds you in high regard,” Deputy Pavilion Master Liu said, his tone tinged with a sour note that was part jealousy, part admiration. ”He has always been a man of few words, but he said so much to you today. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him so talkative.”

Ye Qingchen smiled. He could sense the boundless expectation in Pavilion Master Zhang’s attitude. He replied, ”Don’t worry, Deputy Pavilion Master Liu. I definitely won’t let down the expectations you and Pavilion Master Zhang have for me.”

Deputy Pavilion Master Liu patted Ye Qingchen’s shoulder and said earnestly, ”Qingchen, since Pavilion Master Zhang expects you to make considerable progress, I will personally guide your Alchemy for these next two months!”

Ye Qingchen was taken aback. Although Deputy Pavilion Master Liu was second-in-command, he managed nearly all the detailed affairs of the Alchemy Pavilion. One could say he was the busiest person there. For him to be willing to sacrifice two months just to guide his Alchemy was astounding, and Ye Qingchen felt incredibly flattered.

Although Ye Qingchen had the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and the inheritance from the Fen Tian Elder and could progress rapidly on his own, a saying goes that knowledge from books is ultimately superficial. Having an Alchemy Master personally guiding him would likely increase his rate of progress several times over.

I wonder how much progress I can really make in these two months! Ye Qingchen’s heart filled with eager anticipation.

Afterward, Deputy Pavilion Master Liu led Ye Qingchen into a Pill Refining Room, personally selected a pill recipe for him, and began his instruction. Under his guidance, Ye Qingchen quickly discovered many of his own shortcomings.

Take his choice of pill recipes, for example. In the past, Ye Qingchen would always start by challenging the simplest Spirit Pill of a certain grade. After gaining some experience, he would switch to the most difficult Spirit Pill of that same grade and attempt it over and over. Although this method improved his skills rapidly, it left his Alchemy foundation unstable.

This was why he had managed to advance from an apprentice to a Second-Grade Alchemist within a week, yet had been unable to touch the threshold of a Third-Grade Alchemist for so long. Pills of the same grade often had slightly different refining methods and requirements. For instance, some pills required extremely precise Refinement of Medicinal Herbs. Others focused on heat control during the Solidifying Pill stage. Still others depended on mastering specific techniques during the process.

With an Alchemy Master like Deputy Pavilion Master Liu guiding him, Ye Qingchen always received targeted advice to shore up his weak points. This, while not allowing him to quickly reach the rank of a Third-Grade Alchemist, made his foundation in Alchemy exceptionally solid.

Sometimes Pavilion Master Zhang would also come in person to observe. After watching Ye Qingchen refine a pill, he would leave behind a sentence or two before drifting away. But often, those one or two sentences alone were enough to give Ye Qingchen a flash of enlightenment.

Of course, Ye Qingchen practiced Alchemy during the day but didn’t stop cultivating at night. As the Divine Wood Jue became increasingly perfected through healing, his cultivation speed grew faster and faster. However, because the mysterious woman absorbed most of his Vitality Force, his rate of advancement actually slowed down. This was why it took him nearly a month to reach the Eighth-Layer Martial Master Realm.

Ye Qingchen was not satisfied with this speed but could do nothing about it. After all, opportunities to cultivate were plentiful, but the chance to be personally instructed by an Alchemy Master was rare. Thus, he focused most of his energy on Alchemy. If others knew he had advanced a minor realm in less than a month, they would surely be green with envy. Countless people could be stuck at a single minor realm for years without any progress. If they found out Ye Qingchen was still unsatisfied with his speed, they would probably fly into a rage!

As he guided Ye Qingchen, Deputy Pavilion Master Liu watched his student’s rapid progress and found his own understanding of the word ”genius” being constantly redefined. Ye Qingchen’s rate of improvement was monstrous. Whatever issue the deputy pavilion master raised, Ye Qingchen could quickly correct it, sometimes even inferring other solutions on his own. Occasionally, a question from Ye Qingchen would leave Deputy Pavilion Master Liu utterly speechless.

This wasn’t really Deputy Pavilion Master Liu’s fault. After all, Ye Qingchen possessed the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and the Fen Tian Elder’s inheritance, so he would compare everything his instructor taught him against these two legendary legacies. With their aid, his progress was naturally divine.

Moreover, now that he had integrated the Fen Tian Earth Fire, Refining Medicinal Herbs was almost insultingly simple. Impurities that others struggled to remove, Ye Qingchen handled with ease, a fact that made Deputy Pavilion Master Liu immensely envious. He wanted to ask about it several times, but considering it was likely related to Ye Qingchen’s personal secrets, he suppressed his curiosity.

Time trickled by. Every day, Ye Qingchen was exhausted to his core, yet he relished every moment.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and Ye Qingchen’s cultivation reached the Ninth-Layer Martial Master Realm.

By now, he could easily refine Third-Grade Spirit Pills with a high success rate. Watching Ye Qingchen progress so swiftly, Deputy Pavilion Master Liu was immensely gratified. According to his original plan, it would have already exceeded his expectations if Ye Qingchen had simply managed to patch up his deficiencies within these two months.