Lu Dongwei let out a startled cry. He thought he heard his granddaughter mention the Ancestor of the Dan Sect.
Lu Siyao looked at her grandfather, who was shouting in front of her, and repeated,
“Grandpa, it’s the Ancestor of the Dan Sect. I’ve taken him as my master.”
Lu Dongwei: …
He was utterly shocked.
“Haha… Siyao, you truly haven’t disappointed Grandpa, nor the family,” Lu Dongwei exclaimed, his old face flushed with excitement.
“Grandpa… I… I was only able to become the Ancestor’s disciple with Xia Feng’s help. Otherwise, given my qualifications, how could I have possibly joined the Ancestor’s lineage? The Ancestor no longer accepts disciples.”
Lu Siyao explained with a hint of excitement. The thought of Emperor Xia Feng’s status filled her with immense admiration.
“Xia Feng? He has that capability?” Lu Dongwei gulped after hearing this.
“Grandpa… some things are inconvenient to tell you. Perhaps you will know in the future. He is no ordinary person.”
Lu Siyao did not wish to reveal too much about Xia Feng’s identity and glanced up towards the mountain peak.
“Alright,” Lu Dongwei nodded gravely.
The grandfather and granddaughter left the Dan Sect with mixed feelings.
…
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. During these three years, Xia Feng remained in the Dan Sect, secluded and studying alchemy under Wuji Zi.
During this time, Lu Siyao was responsible for taking care of Xia Feng and Wuji Zi’s daily needs. Xia Feng and Wuji Zi, like madmen, dedicated themselves to alchemy every day.
However, over these three years, Lu Siyao had advanced from a fourth-grade alchemist to a fifth-grade alchemist.
It was impossible not to improve when following two such formidable figures.
On this day, Xia Feng prepared to refine the Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan. This pill was specifically designed for Immortal Emperors to break through to Immortal Venerable, offering a one-third chance of success.
This pill required a Grandmaster-level alchemist to refine.
“Xia Feng, are you ready?” Wuji Zi asked Xia Feng with a solemn expression.
Over the past three years, they had spent so much time together that a deep friendship had formed. Wuji Zi did not hold back, imparting all his learned knowledge to Xia Feng.
While they called it exploration, it was Wuji Zi who was consistently teaching Xia Feng, making him akin to a half-master.
“I am ready,” Xia Feng nodded.
Today was a momentous occasion for a breakthrough, and Xia Feng felt a surge of excitement.
“Refine with confidence. If it doesn’t work, you can try again next time. Don’t worry about the materials; even if you mess up this batch, the Dan Sect has another set of materials for the Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan.”
Wuji Zi spoke reassuringly, fearing Xia Feng might have performance anxiety.
The Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan was a high-grade ninth-tier pill, requiring an Alchemy Grandmaster to refine. The entire Dan Sect possessed only these two sets of high-grade ninth-tier materials.
If both batches were wasted, they would have to find materials for ninth-tier pills again.
“Alright,” Xia Feng nodded earnestly.
“I won’t disturb you. Relax and begin,” Wuji Zi said, then left with Lu Siyao.
Xia Feng was left alone in the alchemy room. He began to relax, repeatedly practicing the refining method of the Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan in his mind. Once he was certain there were no issues, Xia Feng commenced the refining process.
Outside, the waiting Lu Siyao paced back and forth, her heart filled with worry for Xia Feng.
“Siyao, sit down. Your pacing is making my old eyes dizzy,” Wuji Zi called out to the worried-looking Lu Siyao.
“Master, will Big Brother Xia succeed?” Lu Siyao asked.
“Success or failure depends on destiny. Refining a high-grade ninth-tier pill not only requires one’s own skill but also the seizing of opportunities from the Heavenly Dao.”
Wuji Zi appeared quite relaxed, sipping his tea and pointing to the sky.
High-grade ninth-tier pills inherently went against the Heavenly Dao, requiring the forceful seizing of its opportunities to be refined.
As soon as Xia Feng refined the Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan, he would directly ascend to the rank of Alchemy Grandmaster.
“Master, you’re saying the same thing as saying nothing,” Lu Siyao chided.
“Haha…” Wuji Zi laughed heartily at this.
Time slowly passed. Fifteen days went by with no movement. Lu Siyao and Wuji Zi remained by the alchemy room’s entrance, not leaving their posts for those fifteen days.
“Master, look.”
Lu Siyao suddenly pointed to a crack in the sky and exclaimed.
Wuji Zi looked up, his eyebrows twitching, and said excitedly, “It’s basically done. I hope Xia Feng can control it in the final moments. He is already seizing the Heavenly Dao’s opportunities.”
“Master, does this mean it’s successful?” Lu Siyao’s expression was one of intense excitement.
“He is already seizing the Heavenly Dao’s opportunities. As long as he perfectly forms the pill in the end, he can ascend to Alchemy Grandmaster. Truly extraordinary talent.”
Wuji Zi felt both envy and excitement.
He envied Xia Feng’s unreasonable talent and was excited that he could claim half the credit for Xia Feng’s breakthrough to Alchemy Grandmaster.
Lu Siyao nodded, her gaze fixed on the crack in the sky.
The crack in the sky vanished shortly after it appeared. Lu Siyao quickly pointed upwards and asked, “Master, it’s gone, it’s gone!”
Wuji Zi stroked his beard and calmly replied, “Now it all depends on his pill formation. Be patient.”
Meanwhile, inside the alchemy room, Xia Feng felt a force descending from the heavens directly into the pill furnace. He knew this was the Heavenly Dao’s power being seized.
After this force disappeared, Xia Feng began to slowly reduce the heat, from fast to slow, from large to small.
In the final stage, Xia Feng concluded the process in one go, cutting off the heat.
Hum…
A humming sound emanated from the pill furnace. Xia Feng rejoiced; it was done.
This was the sound of the pill forming; without a formed pill, there would be no humming.
Xia Feng stood and walked towards the pill furnace, waving his hand to open the lid. Eight Po Yuan Wu Ji Dan lay within, shimmering with golden light. Xia Feng reached out and picked one up.
A misty aura surrounded the pill, along with three visible pill patterns.
“Finally, I have broken through to Alchemy Grandmaster,” Xia Feng muttered to himself excitedly.
His efforts over the past three years had not been in vain. He had learned much by refining pills with Wuji Zi day and night.
Xia Feng was deeply grateful for this.
A friend and a master.
After putting the pills away, Xia Feng turned and walked towards the alchemy room’s exit.
As the door to the alchemy room opened, Lu Siyao rushed forward eagerly and asked with concern, “Big Brother Xia, did it work?”
Xia Feng smiled knowingly and replied, “It worked.”
“Hooray!” Lu Siyao cheered, jumping with excitement.
Wuji Zi, standing nearby, nodded with a pleased smile.
“Xia Feng, congratulations,” Wuji Zi said, stepping forward to congratulate him.
Xia Feng bowed deeply to Wuji Zi and said, “Thank you.”
Wuji Zi quickly supported Xia Feng and chuckled, “Xia Feng, there’s no need for such formalities between us. Your achievements today are entirely your own. It is also my honor to have personally taught an Alchemy Grandmaster.”
Xia Feng understood the significance of becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster and how crucial it was for him.