Master, actually the elixir liquid is quite good, there's no need to refine it into pills.

One early morning.

Li Yingling, who was planning to go out to gather materials and contemplate the trials of the upcoming grand competition, was abruptly apprehended by her own master.

"Master! I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?! Why are you treating me like this?"

Li Yingling pressed herself against the wall in terror, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at the pill pinched between her master’s fingers.

Chu Xingchen held a pale brown pill in his hand and said with utmost seriousness,

"What are you so afraid of? This is a proper pill refined from an alchemy furnace. Look at its quality—it definitely won’t taste bad."

This was the truth. To ensure a successful refinement, he had spent a fortune. After all, if you wanted to do a job well, the right tools were indispensable.

Chu Xingchen had reluctantly purchased a rather expensive but top-quality alchemy furnace.

While buying the furnace, he had even considered giving up alchemy altogether and switching to selling furnaces instead.

But one must love the profession they choose. Upon further thought, the market for pills had great prospects—if the effects were good, they would be highly sought after.

After all, not everyone could refine pills, but everyone would inevitably get injured at some point.

However, since his disciple wasn’t injured, Chu Xingchen had refined a Qi Condensing Pill instead.

It was a basic auxiliary cultivation medicine—effective, but not ideal. The only good thing was that it had no side effects. One could even eat it like candy if they wanted.

But Li Yingling wasn’t buying her master’s explanation at all. She protested pitifully, "Then why don’t you eat it yourself, Master…? Don’t tell me even you lack confidence in it?"

Chu Xingchen glared at her. "Your master is thinking of you by sharing such a treasure! How can you fail to appreciate my good intentions? Open your mouth and swallow this pill properly!"

Li Yingling took a deep breath, cursing the fact that her second junior brother wasn’t in the sect right now.

Chen Baiqing was still too young. Her master could afford to act shamelessly, but as the eldest senior sister, she had to maintain her dignity.

With a resolute expression, Li Yingling reached out and took the brown pill.

But even after mustering her courage, she still couldn’t bring herself to swallow the pill her master had refined…

The trauma was simply too deep—especially after seeing Zhao Wanqing’s younger brother, who, even while unconscious, had instinctively clawed at his own throat.

It was utterly horrifying.

However, this did give her an idea.

"Master! How about we make your pills part of the trial? Every participant has to eat one of your refined pills first."

Li Yingling seemed to have convinced herself as she excitedly continued,

"The path of cultivation is fraught with hardships. If one can’t even overcome Master’s pills, how can they overcome any other challenges?"

Chu Xingchen’s face darkened. Forget how wasteful this idea was—even if he wanted to, he might not be able to refine enough pills for everyone.

And what did she mean by "overcome" his pills?!

Slander. Pure slander.

Chu Xingchen pretended to ponder deeply before suddenly asking,

"Ah, Yingling, did your junior brother mention anything to you before he left?"

"Huh? No… uh… cough… gag… Master?!"

Just as Li Yingling opened her mouth in confusion, a brown pill was tossed inside.

Chu Xingchen smiled. Who said he had only refined the one pill in her hand? Now that he had an alchemy furnace, he could refine an entire batch at once.

Ignoring Li Yingling’s despairing "Master is trying to kill me" expression, Chu Xingchen carefully observed her reaction.

But she didn’t seem to react at all.

Li Yingling also noticed something was off. She smacked her lips thoughtfully—the pill had a strong herbal taste, but it wasn’t as terrifying as the previous liquid concoctions.

Was the difference between having a furnace and not having one really this huge?

Just as Li Yingling was about to sigh in relief—

A familiar wave of rejection surged from her stomach, rapidly spreading through her entire body.

The medicinal effects… were too potent!

Li Yingling suddenly grabbed her master’s arm. Suppressing the eerie sensation of being possessed from within, she forced a strained smile and said,

"Master, this pill is non-toxic and delicious… You should try one too…"

Chu Xingchen watched as Li Yingling’s brows furrowed, her expression barely holding together. His face instantly darkened.

Truly a rebellious disciple!

Her face was practically twisted in pain, yet she still dared to lie and say it was… fine?!

Chu Xingchen asked seriously,

"Stop joking. This is our sect’s future source of spirit stones. Be honest with me—does it taste bad?"

"The taste is fine, but the bodily rejection is even stronger. The flavor’s improved, but it feels like I’m being possessed!" Li Yingling said with a pained expression.

"Master, did you add something like souls into the pill…?"

"Don’t make your master sound like some evil cultivator."

Chu Xingchen sighed and casually sent a surge of spiritual energy into Li Yingling’s body, dispersing most of the medicinal force.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one’s control over spiritual energy became far more refined. This much was child’s play.

Just where had he gone wrong?! The pills he sold shouldn’t make people feel like they were being tortured!

After some thought, Chu Xingchen quickly concluded—it must be the system’s fault!

Its alchemy technique was definitely cursed!

Now that he had spent a fortune on the furnace, he had no choice but to keep refining. At the very least, he had to earn back the furnace’s cost!

With some experience under his belt, he could just buy a couple of alchemy manuals and start over.

As the medicinal effects faded, Li Yingling gradually recovered from the sensation of being possessed.

She sighed softly and said earnestly,

"Master, I was too naive before. The liquid concoctions were actually pretty good. There’s no need to force yourself to refine pills…"

Li Yingling meant every word. If something tasted bad, one could just block their sense of taste. But how could one block the feeling of their body being torn apart from the inside?

Ignoring his disciple’s nonsense, Chu Xingchen turned away dejectedly, ready to buy some alchemy manuals for further study.

Having narrowly escaped disaster, Li Yingling sighed and abandoned her plans to gather materials for the day.

Today was not a good day to go out. She might as well stay home and cultivate for a while…

Stretching her limbs, Li Yingling quietly returned to her room.

After cultivating for a short while, a knock came at her door.

Li Yingling asked, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Qianqian. There’s an old monk from Zen Forest Temple outside with a young monk, saying they’re here to see the sect leader. But the sect leader isn’t here right now."

"Mm, take them to the main hall first. I’ll be there shortly."

Li Yingling remained calm. Her master had anticipated such situations and left her with some contingencies.

Ning Qianqian acknowledged and left.

After deliberately stalling for a while longer, Li Yingling finally got up and headed to the main hall.

The hall wasn’t fully constructed yet—it was still a rough shell.

A few tables and chairs had been placed inside to serve as a makeshift reception area.

Before even stepping inside, Li Yingling heard Yuan Kong’s voice, both aggrieved and stubborn.

"Senior Brother, I already told you—I did it willingly!"

"Well, this old monk must also be willing."

So it was about the treasure, after all.

Li Yingling’s thoughts flickered, but her expression remained cold and composed.

She stepped into the hall with an impassive face, her gaze falling upon Yuan Kong and Yuan Jing.

Yuan Kong was still the same Yuan Kong.

Yuan Jing's beard and hair had now turned completely white, his face unable to conceal its exhaustion. His right hand trembled as it pressed against the chair, as if struggling to hold his body upright.

Could it be that he could no longer even sit steadily?