The Apprentice of Heaven and Earth

The next morning, Qin Ran woke up with a start from his sleep and sat up abruptly in bed. He was confused for a good while before remembering why he had to get up early.

He seemed to have accepted a disciple and was going to teach her cultivation today.

Last night before bed, he reminded himself that he had to set a good example and...get up early.

"Ah!!!" Realizing this point, Qin Ran couldn't help but wail and cover his face. What sin had he committed to end up in this situation?!

"Mom, I don't want to go to school..."

"Get a grip on yourself, you're the teacher!!"

In the end, he still got out of bed.

Qin Ran put on a white singlet and opened the bedroom door to the corridor. The cool, moist morning breeze blew in from the forest, carrying the fresh scent of grass and soil, instantly awakening him.

He looked up at the vast sky. Only a few wisps of clouds drifted lazily by. Golden light shone behind the forest - the sun was rising.

It was going to be another sunny day!

Qin Ran stretched lazily.

Looking back, he glanced at the bedroom door next to his and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to knock.

"Let her sleep a while longer," he murmured with a sigh.

She was so young, having traveled thousands of miles from home to cultivate here. It must have been difficult for her. It reminded him of his own inexplicable transmigration to this world.

Qin Ran slowly went downstairs to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of pure white milk. He took a pack of bean-like things that looked like candy from the fridge and sat down at the dining table.

Creating things similar to those on Earth was the only comfort in this otherworldly traveler's heart.

The fridge was made using formations - it wasn't too difficult to replicate the principles of a fridge using formations. The exterior looked just like fridges on Earth.

The candy beans were a breakfast he had refined using the pill refining methods for the Grain Pill but with different ingredients, adding some flavors he liked. They were nutritious and tasty.

As for the milk, it was bought from the market. It was also cow's milk, but not from ordinary cows. Rather, it was milk from a species called Three-Horned Crimson Aurochs.

This world didn't have dedicated dairy suppliers, but all kinds of beast milk could be bought at cultivator markets. Some of these milks had been tried by predecessors and were known to not only taste good but also benefit cultivation, like this Three-Horned Crimson Aurochs milk. Some were new finds by cultivators and no one knew if they were drinkable or not.

After a mouthful of milk, Qin Ran picked up a book about rare treasures and exotic beasts from a nearby shelf to read while eating. It was quite a leisurely and carefree scene.

Just then, the living room door suddenly opened and Li Shiyin in a bright yellow mandarin collar dress walked in from outside.

Li Shiyin's gaze passed through the living room and saw Qin Ran in the kitchen. She then headed over.

"You..." Weren't you still sleeping? Qin Ran said hesitantly. "Where did you go?"

"I walked around outside, looking everywhere." Li Shiyin replied.

"Oh!" As expected, he was the lazy dog. Qin Ran nodded with a straight face. "That's pretty early."

"I'm used to it. It was like this at home too." Li Shiyin said.

"Always like this? What does your family do?" Qin Ran stood up to pour a cup of cow's milk for Li Shiyin and said, "Sit and have some breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Li Shiyin was puzzled. Her master's words were quite strange sometimes. Although understandable, the wording was a little odd.

"Breakfast, meal and fast, they're similar." Qin Ran said casually, placing the cup in front of Li Shiyin on the table. "This is Three-Horned Crimson Aurochs milk. It's good for the body, but you can't drink too much."

Li Shiyin sat down and said, "My father is the Grand General of the North Chu Country. He was very strict with us since we were young."

The North Chu Country? Geographically speaking, it was not far from the Dao Sword Sect. In fact, it could be said that the Dao Sword Sect was within the North Chu Country's territory. However, there was no substantial hierarchical relationship between the North Chu Country and the Dao Sword Sect.

As for Qin Ran who had transmigrated over, he could be considered half a person of the North Chu Country.

"A prominent military family huh?" Qin Ran smiled.

No wonder this lass could hike up a mountain with him all day yesterday and still wake up so early today. He had thought the average person in this world also had such great physical fitness!

He pushed the breakfast candy beans to Li Shiyin and said, "These are made using the methods for refining Grain Pills, but catered to my personal taste. Later I'll teach you how to refine them, and you can make them to your own taste."

With so many odd things, Li Shiyin felt she was almost immune to surprises now. She popped two candy beans into her mouth. They melted upon entering, sweet and delicious, transforming into a warm stream down her throat.

She glanced at Qin Ran. So her master liked sweet food.

After chatting for a while in the kitchen and eating breakfast, Qin Ran brought Li Shiyin across the river to the brick and stone building.

Qin Ran pushed open the large door and said to Li Shiyin, "Cultivation and pill refining are usually done here, but living is separate from that. Still have to keep them apart."

"??" Li Shiyin was puzzled directly, not really understanding Qin Ran's train of thought. Weren't cultivation and pill refining a cultivator's whole life? But she didn't dare ask.

"The first floor is for pill refining. There are pill furnaces, earth fire, Profound Condensation water, centrifuges...oh, the Centrifugal Formation." As they walked into the corridor, Qin Ran briefly introduced each room to Li Shiyin. "The first floor is basically for pill refining."

"Then the second floor stores medicinal ingredients, and the third floor stores pills..."

As he spoke, he brought Li Shiyin upstairs to the second floor and casually pushed open a room. The interior was arranged like a Chinese medicine shop, with rows of brown drawers containing medicinal ingredients.

"The first step in pill refining is to recognize medicinal ingredients..." There was a table and chairs in the middle of the room. Qin Ran had Li Shiyin sit down while he himself pulled out a large bundle of herbs from a small drawer. "This is the main material for refining Origin Recovery Pills - Origin Guiding Grass."

Li Shiyin sat there watching her master take herbs out of the small drawer, knowing there must be some magical array formation inside.

Qin Ran spoke while taking out more than a dozen ingredients of various shapes from other drawers, introducing them one by one to Li Shiyin until her head buzzed noisily.

"These are all the medicinal ingredients for refining Origin Recovery Pills. Origin Recovery Pills are a very basic medicinal pill, usually used by Foundation Establishment stage cultivators to quickly recover spiritual power. If spiritual power runs out during battles, Origin Recovery Pills can replenish it."

Qin Ran took out a portion of each medicinal ingredient and arranged them on the table in front of Li Shiyin. He also took out a book from the purse-like cosmos bag at his waist and handed it to Li Shiyin.

"Your task today is to remember what these original medicinal ingredients look like - their appearance, collection methods, processing methods, appearance after processing, effects, quantities used in refining, and processing methods during refining..."

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed Li Shiyin's confused gaze and stopped, simply saying in the end, "Forget it, just remember their original appearance and effects, as well as their appearance after processing."

Looking at the medicinal ingredients before her and listening to her master's ceaseless chatter, Li Shiyin had long been confused. She finally found a hint of a master's temperament in him, and it was even more terrifying than the old tutors in the family school. She could only nod blankly.

"That's it then..." Qin Ran finished his instructions, gathered up the ingredients and walked out. "I'll be refining pills downstairs. Come find me around noon to test you."

Watching Qin Ran's retreating back, Li Shiyin slowly came back to her senses. She held the book in her hands and reluctantly turned her head towards it. The pages had illustrations and text. The illustrations were colorful and lifelike while the text was...densely packed and very detailed.

She took a look...

"Ah..." and let out a big yawn. She further grumbled to herself, "Did I get up too early today? Feeling a little sleepy..."

Although Dan Peak had declined and was virtually defunct, it was still Dan Peak after all. It had to do what it was supposed to.

And what was Dan Peak supposed to do? Of course, pill refining! To provide Dao Sword Sect with a basic medicinal pill supply.

Of course, for Qin Ran to supply the entire sect with all its pills, he would have to work himself to death. But providing some basic, necessary pills within his capabilities was still possible.

Like the Grain Pill, Origin Recovery Pill, Foundation Establishing Pill and other essential medicinal pills he could refine.

Qin Ran was preparing to refine Origin Recovery Pills today.

Origin Recovery Pills, a basic medicinal pill, can quickly restore spiritual power. They are needed by all cultivators in the immortal cultivation world, from low-level cultivators to top-level masters. Well, low-level cultivators need low-grade Origin Recovery Pills, while high-level cultivators need high-grade ones.

So how was Qin Ran's pill refining skills? Can't say it's good or bad. It's just different from others.

Because he had a scientific research mindset, his skills can't be compared to other pill refiners in the cultivation world.

The most obvious trait is that his pill refining speed is much faster than ordinary pill refiners. Once he comprehends a pill formula, his refining methods are completely different.

In just a morning, while other pill refiners could open one furnace at most, without guaranteed success, even if it succeeded, a furnace yielded only seven or eight pills. But Qin Ran could open two or three furnaces, all successful, with at least ten pills per furnace.

After easily completing today's tasks, Qin Ran took three or four porcelain bottles upstairs, humming a tune, ready to check on Li Shiyin to see if she remembered the medicinal materials.

But when he opened the door, he saw Li Shiyin's drool nearly flooding the table...