After collecting plenty of spiritual herbs for refining Ningxi Pills, Chen Jinshu hurried to the alchemy room.
"Just reaching High-Grade Tier One requires ten more types of herbs than before," she muttered.
It was only now that Chen Jinshu truly understood how outlandish it was for a mid-Stage Qi Refining cultivator to aim for high-grade pills.
In the records of Xuanming Sect's archive, some alchemy prodigies could craft high-grade pills even in the mid-Stage of Qi Refining. Peng Qi was one such example. However, even he only managed to refine a low-quality high-grade pill at the peak of Qi Refining Stage Six—not quite the level of a true prodigy.
Still, that alone was enough for a Golden Core expert to take him as a disciple. As for her, currently at Qi Refining Stage Five, trying to refine a high-grade pill was no different from dreaming. Of course, it wasn't entirely hopeless. If her comprehension was strong enough, high-grade pills were not entirely out of reach.
Especially since their master had gifted each disciple a portion of Enlightenment Tea. This tea was no ordinary drink—it could significantly enhance one's ability to comprehend Dao. Moments later, the kettle before her boiled. She added a small pinch of the Enlightenment Tea and sealed the lid.
"Each disciple only got one portion, and it's less than ten taels in total. Just a few brews and it's gone…"
The pinch she just used was already half a tael. While waiting for the tea to steep, she brought out the Lüqi Zither and began playing fluently. Soon, the alchemy room was filled with melodious music. Before long, the tea's aroma began wafting from the kettle. Just a sniff cleared her senses and made her mind noticeably sharper.
Her understanding of the piece she was playing—Hymn of the Earth Vein's Rebirth—deepened further. Even the scent alone was part of the tea's effect, though minor. When the piece ended, she opened her eyes in delight, staring at the drifting golden fragrance in quiet fascination.
"I wonder what kind of feedback the tea will give once it's absorbed by the lotus-petal birthmark?"
Curious and slightly excited, she poured herself a cup and took a careful sip. She decided to test it through her music first—after all, she was already familiar with many tunes. With the tea's boost in comprehension, perhaps she could make a breakthrough.
But using the tea to study the High-Grade Tier One pill recipe felt like a waste for now. She hadn't even memorized the full recipe—using such rare tea this early would be a shame. After taking a sip, she put the cup down and slowly savored the lingering taste.
As the tea entered her stomach, the lotus-petal birthmark on her forehead immediately activated, drawing out the Enlightenment force hidden in the tea. A few seconds later, the mark returned a thread of golden Enlightenment Qi. This thread was even purer and more radiant than when she used Moon Spirit Honey before.
As she guided the qi, her hands returned to the zither strings and began to play. The moment the Enlightenment Qi stirred, all her past memories of playing the Lüqi Zither surged through her mind. She could now clearly detect even the tiniest mistakes in her techniques.
"So that's what it was!" she whispered, her hands moving instinctively as she played.
This time, she chose to perform Butterfly Dream of Zhuangzi.
Colorful butterflies materialized around her, fluttering across a flower-filled illusion that emerged from the wooden floor. It felt as if she were truly in a fairyland, the scent of flowers teasing her nose.
Halfway through the tune, the internal technique "Ten Thousand Echoes Heart Manual", which she had previously attempted to cultivate, began to circulate on its own. It was slow and subtle, so immersed was she in her playing that she didn't even notice.
Still, the unique Resonant Force began to form within her—a formless and colorless energy only cultivators of the technique could sense.
As the saying went, "Those with a mindful heart will know."
Without pause, she finished the piece and immediately transitioned to the next—The Cry of Cranes Among the Pines.
The illusion around her shifted. Towering pine trees erupted from the ground, accompanied by the heart-wrenching cries of cranes. As the Enlightenment Tea's power fully depleted, Chen Jinshu opened her eyes, extremely satisfied.
"The proficiency of my zither pieces has improved drastically. Even the most difficult one, Five Mountains Demon Sealing Sound, is now at the beginner level!"
Still, she didn't immediately take a second sip of tea.
She recalled from certain herbology texts that the first sip of Enlightenment Tea had the strongest effect. The remaining tea had significantly diminished power. Thus, rather than drinking more, she chose to make the most of this time to continue practicing her music.
Later that afternoon, during the Shenhour (3–5 p.m.)
Chen Jinshu had spent several hours practicing the zither. She had initially planned to study the High-Grade Tier One pill recipe, but ended up entirely focused on her music. Perhaps her burning desire for the top ten outer sect tournament rewards—which she knew were beyond her reach—was subtly influencing her heart.
Back at the Steward Hall, she had even inquired about the rewards for the top ten. They were indeed astonishing.
Even tenth place came with: One Foundation Establishment Pill; One Tier Two Spirit Artifact; And the right to select a spiritual treasure from the first floor of Xuanming Sect's treasury.
This treasure vault was located behind the archive, containing high-grade artifacts the sect had collected over centuries. These spiritual treasures, unlike regular spirit artifacts, possessed the potential to develop artifact spirits.
Granted, the items on the first floor were lower-grade, and their potential for spirit awakening was only slightly better than average. Still, they were the dreams of many disciples. The higher one ranked, the more Tier Two artifacts and Foundation Pills one received.
When Chen Jinshu learned about these rewards, her first thought was: "I probably have no real chance of making the top ten."
With her current strength and zither skills, top fifty at best.
"Everything has its fate. Forcing it leads nowhere."
She quickly cast aside her distracting thoughts, packed away her Lüqi Zither, and brought out the High-Grade Tier One Ningxi Pill recipe. She casually took her teacup and drank the rest of the Enlightenment Tea.
Soon, her spiritual sea again reflected back Enlightenment power—though it was less concentrated than before, only slightly stronger than that of Moon Spirit Honey. Still, it was just right for her. Too much at once would have been wasteful. An hour passed in a flash, and she began to notice new insights in the pill formula.
With more herbs involved in high-grade pills, one needed to split their spiritual focus, and the refining technique had to be about 30% faster as well.
"Looks like I'll need to upgrade both my spiritual sense and refining skills before attempting this."
"Given my current cultivation, I can only refine two furnaces a day!"