Lu Li dared not delay, quickly exiting the cave abode. Upon stopping to look, he discovered the door to the nearby alchemy room was already open. He hastily straightened his robes and walked in.
"Close the door." Seeing Lu Li enter, Xiao Jue spoke while cleaning the pill furnace.
Lu Li glanced at the mechanism button beside the door, tentatively pressed it, and after a crisp click, the door began to slowly slide shut.
"How is your memorization of the medicinal herbs going?" Xiao Jue showed no discernible emotion as he asked casually.
Lu Li hurriedly took the Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs from his bosom and handed it over. "Reporting to Elder, I have already finished memorizing it."
"Finished memorizing?" Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow, took the Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs, and casually summoned a plant with eight long leaves, its entire body dark blue but its roots and stems crimson red. "What is this?"
Seeing this, Lu Li's pupils instantly contracted, and his breathing became somewhat hurried. This... wasn't this the Thunderfire Orchid used to refine the Piercing Acupoint Pill!
Seeing Lu Li's expression, Xiao Jue thought Lu Li was nervous and hadn't studied properly at all, his face instantly turning cold. "Speak!"
Only then did Lu Li react. "Yes, yes, it's the Thunderfire Orchid. It takes one hundred years to reach the first rank, with a maximum of the second rank. It prefers yang and dislikes yin, growing in open areas. No other spiritual herbs can survive within a radius of ten zhang around a Thunderfire Orchid..."
"You even memorized the medicinal properties and growing environment?" Xiao Jue couldn't help but show surprise upon hearing this.
He then took out another spiritual herb with a shape similar to the previous one but entirely blood-red in color. "What about this one?"
"Blood Crystal Grass. It takes one hundred years to reach the first rank, with a maximum of the first rank. It is suitable for both yin and yang, growing in areas with dense Spiritual Qi..."
Hearing this, Xiao Jue became even more astonished.
He took out several more spiritual herbs for Lu Li to answer. Lu Li showed no difficulty, speaking the answer the moment the spiritual herbs appeared. By the end, Xiao Jue was directly dumbfounded.
He still couldn't believe that someone in this world could memorize the entire Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs within seven days.
You must know that it contained over six thousand types of spiritual herbs.
So he directly flipped to a section towards the back of the Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs, found a spiritual herb even he had never seen, and said, "Tell me the annotation for the Soul Infant Fruit."
"Soul Infant Fruit."
After a brief moment of thought, an image of a grey fruit that looked like an infant suddenly surfaced in Lu Li's mind. He said, "Soul Infant Fruit, starting at the fourth rank, then rising one rank every thousand years thereafter. Its nature belongs to yin and fears yang, often growing in ancient battlefields where great experts were buried. It is a peerless spiritual herb for enhancing soul strength..."
"You... you you!" Xiao Jue's eyes widened. Comparing, he found Lu Li's words were exactly correct, not a single character off. For a moment, he was so shocked he couldn't speak.
After taking a deep breath, he said with a face full of emotion, "I have to say, your memory is truly terrifying. I only read the first thousand types in this Precious Mirror of Spiritual Herbs and felt dizzy and unable to continue. I never expected you..."
Lu Li naturally wouldn't tell him he had been studying it for over two months, respectfully saying, "This disciple was just a bit more diligent."
"Diligent. Are you saying I'm not diligent enough?"
"Ah?" Lu Li was stunned, not knowing how to respond.
"Just joking with you, look how scared you are. Alright, since you've memorized it, I won't give you a hard time anymore. From now on, work hard here. I won't treat you badly."
After saying this, he had Lu Li start sorting the medicinal herbs.
After categorizing them, Xiao Jue began alchemy again. Lu Li quietly waited for his instructions. Seeing sweat appear on the other's forehead, he cautiously walked over to wipe it, then returned to his original position to continue waiting.
"This kid."
Xiao Jue considered himself thick-skinned, but he never expected this kid's skin was even thicker. Softening his heart, while refining, he spoke a few more words about alchemy knowledge.
Lu Li was naturally extremely happy, silently memorizing everything the other said.
After refining one spiritual herb, Xiao Jue had Lu Li throw in the second one. Seeing how Deng Qingsheng was scolded last time, Lu Li naturally wouldn't use his hand to lift the furnace lid. His gaze swept around, and without waiting for Xiao Jue to speak, he spotted a special cloth on the alchemy platform.
He used the cloth to lift the furnace lid a small crack, quickly tossed the spiritual herb in, and immediately closed it. According to Xiao Jue, the medicinal liquid inside the furnace was extremely sensitive to temperature changes after refinement, so temperature fluctuations should be minimized as much as possible.
Actually, Lu Li had tempered his body, so the furnace lid's temperature couldn't affect him. He did this just to avoid Xiao Jue scolding him for not remembering.
Seeing this, Xiao Jue also nodded in approval.
The two were busy with great enthusiasm in the alchemy room, while in a cave abode on a cliff in the back mountain of Tianjue Peak, Deng Qingsheng was so angry he smashed a fist against the rock wall. To think he, a genius with three spiritual roots who reached the fourth level of Qi Refining in just six years after entry, was being so disregarded.
"It's all your fault, all your fault!"
Deng Qingsheng's fists clenched with cracking sounds, his eyes shooting cold rays. "You just wait, I will definitely not let you off like this!"
Knock knock knock.
Suddenly, knocking came from outside the cave abode.
"Pass it in." Deng Qingsheng's face was as dark as water. He opened a slit and said coldly to the lame, fat man outside.
This iron door had a restriction. Once closed, only Xiao Jue's token could open it from the outside. After entering, he could only obediently wait for Xiao Jue to release him six months later. However, Xiao Jue wouldn't let him starve, sending Min He to deliver food every day.
Min He was that lame, fat man from the dining hall.
Hearing this, Min He slid the tray through the gap in the door.
Just as he was about to leave, Deng Qingsheng suddenly called out to him: "Wait, help me with one thing. I'll give you a reward."
"I've been very busy lately." Min He said indifferently, directly turning to leave.
This leg of his was broken by Deng Qingsheng. If it weren't for his cultivation not being high enough, he would definitely kill this bastard, let alone help him do anything.
"One bottle of Condensing True Pills!" Deng Qingsheng's eyes erupted with killing intent as he shouted loudly.
"Condensing True Pills?" Min He stopped and said indifferently, "What thing."
Condensing True Pills, as the name suggests, are pills that refine Spiritual Qi into True Qi. They can help people quickly refine Spiritual Qi and are pills that Qi Refining stage cultivators eagerly pursue. Even in a place like the Qingyang Sect, a regular formal disciple could only receive one bottle a month.
As for the menial disciples, don't even think about it.
If you really wanted them, you had to exchange them with contributions: one hundred contributions for one pill, one thousand contributions for one bottle.
So when Min He heard the words "Condensing True Pills," he immediately stopped. The Spiritual Qi on Tianjue Peak was quite dense. If he had Condensing True Pills to help, he would definitely be able to quickly break through to the third level.
"Help me kill someone." Seeing Min He stop, Deng Qingsheng couldn't help but show a trace of mockery, thinking a dog was a dog, remembering food but not beatings.
"Impossible!"
Min He turned to look at Deng Qingsheng. Expecting him to kill someone for one bottle of Condensing True Pills? There was no such good deal.
"Two bottles! Two bottles should do, right!"
Seeing Min He directly leave, Deng Qingsheng wildly slapped the iron door.
"Three bottles, otherwise don't even talk about it!" Min He was ultimately moved and walked back.
Daring to haggle with me? Deng Qingsheng's eyes flashed with cold light. After struggling repeatedly, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Three bottles it is!"
"Kill who?"
"That new attendant boy. He's only at the first level Perfection, you're at the second level early stage. Killing him is as easy as turning over a hand."
"New?" Min He frowned, immediately knowing who the other wanted to kill. He said indifferently, "He's my brother. Don't you think this request is ridiculous?"
"Brother? What brother do you have? Stop the nonsense. Will you do it or not!"
"Raise the price!"
"Haha, you... have guts, daring to play with me. Four bottles at most, take it or leave it!" Deng Qingsheng was directly laughed to anger. Min He's eyes flashed, and he said, "Bring his dog head to me within seven days. We'll exchange goods and money at the same time!"
Though he said this, Deng Qingsheng had absolutely no intention of giving Min He the Condensing True Pills. He thought to himself, after you kill that kid, I'll expose you. Killing two birds with one stone, wouldn't that be wonderful?
"That won't do. You think I'm a fool? What if you go back on your word then!" Who knew Min He wouldn't fall for it at all.
"What do you want!" Deng Qingsheng couldn't help but view Min He in a different light.
"At least pay two bottles as a deposit first!" Min He extended his palm, looking at Deng Qingsheng indifferently. "After the deed is done, pay the remaining balance. One hand exchanges money, one hand exchanges goods!"
Hearing this, Deng Qingsheng's fists clenched with cracking sounds. After hesitating for a long time, he finally took out two jade bottles and tossed them out. "I hope you don't play me, otherwise... you know the consequences."