Immortal Mansion: With mediocre qualifications, I have no choice but to live forever

Months flew by.

Under Zhou Yiqiao's guidance, Xu Qingyi seemed to be reborn, and her speed of improvement shocked all the alchemists in Qingdan Pavilion.

Under Zhou Yiqiao's personal training, Xu Qingyi's alchemy skills improved by leaps and bounds, and he was already able to reach the threshold of the second-stage late stage of elixir.

On this day, in the alchemy room of Qingdan Pavilion, Xu Qingyi held his breath and concentrated, deftly manipulating the flame under the alchemy furnace with his hands.

Her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but the light in her eyes was more determined than ever before.

As the last spell was entered, a crisp sound was heard from the alchemy furnace, and a furnace of purple spirit pills with a wafting spiritual energy was declared successfully refined.

The Purple Spirit Pill, a late second-stage elixir, is a rare and top-grade elixir for foundation-building cultivators.

Xu Qingyi gently opened the alchemy furnace, and a rich fragrance wafted into her nose. She knew that she had succeeded.

However, despite successfully refining the Purple Spirit Pill, Xu Qingyi's face did not show much joy.

She sighed softly, her heart filled with worry.

Tomorrow is the day for the competition with Huo Yan, but she has never succeeded in refining a third-level elixir.

The more progress she made in the past few months, the more she realized that Huo Yan was not known as the number one alchemist of the younger generation in Border Town in vain.

At least in Xu Qingyi's opinion, if she didn't have Zhou Yiqiao's guidance and training, she would have to practice at least ten years at the second level if she wanted to become a true third-level alchemist.

"Yes, your achievements in just a few months have exceeded my expectations."

Zhou Yiqiao's voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Xu Qingyi's thoughts.

He hadn't known when he was standing at the door of the alchemy room, his eyes full of praise and encouragement.

Xu Qingyi raised her head and met his gaze. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, but it was soon followed by a growing sense of guilt.

Although she has been practicing hard behind closed doors for the past few months, she is not unaware of the rumors outside.

Over the past few months, the Yan Yang Sect has been deliberately fermenting this matter, and with the promotion of those who like to do good things, almost all the alchemists near the border market are planning to come and watch the ceremony.

What was originally just a small-scale competition between Qingdan Pavilion and Yanyang Sect has now evolved into a large-scale exchange meeting for alchemists.

Countless eyes were watching this competition. Xu Qingyi knew that if he failed tomorrow, the reputation that Qingdan Pavilion had built up in the border area over the past few decades would collapse in an instant.

"Boss, Qingyi knows that he is still weak. Compared with Huo Yan, it is difficult for him to win. Why don't you choose someone else?"

Xu Qingyi stared at the ground, not daring to look Zhou Yiqiao in the eye.

Zhou Yiqiao walked slowly into the alchemy room, stood beside Xu Qingyi, patted her shoulder gently and comforted her.

"Qingyi, don't worry too much. I chose you for a reason. In tomorrow's competition, you just need to show your true level."

Xu Qingyi felt a little relieved after hearing this, but she was still a little nervous.

"Boss, I'm afraid I've let you down."

Zhou Yiqiao smiled slightly and said.

"Go ahead, give yourself a day, go to the market, and relax."

Xu Qingyi hesitated for a moment, finally nodded, packed up, and left Qingdan Pavilion.

After Xu Qingyi's figure disappeared outside the door, Little Lizi walked forward worriedly and asked in a low voice.

"Boss, although Xu Qingyi has made rapid progress, Huo Yan's strength should not be underestimated. Are you sure?"

There was only one day left, and Zhou Yiqiao had no intention of keeping the matter in suspense any longer, so he spoke to Little Leo.

"Relax your mind."

Little Leo was stunned and didn't understand what Zhou Yiqiao meant.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle yet powerful force enveloping him, making his mind relax involuntarily.

Zhou Yiqiao stretched out his index finger and gently tapped on Xiao Lizi's forehead. A stream of spiritual power slowly flowed into Xiao Lizi's mind.

Little Leo only felt a flash before his eyes, and his body suddenly moved uncontrollably!

"Boss, this... this is..."

Little Leo was so excited that he was a little incoherent.

"Here is the method that Xu Qingyi will use to defeat Huo Yan tomorrow."

After hearing Zhou Yiqiao's ambiguous answer, Little Leo had already guessed how Xu Qingyi won.

He didn't ask any more questions and immediately bowed to Zhou Yiqiao. He left the backyard quickly with excitement and made final preparations for tomorrow's competition.

After Little Leo left, Zhou Yiqiao chuckled and then disappeared into the backyard as well.

......

As the night deepened, Xu Qingyi strolled among the dimly lit streets of the border market, but her heart was unable to calm down.

The hawking and laughing sounds all around her intertwined into a lively market scene, but she seemed to be out of it, her mind full of tomorrow's alchemy showdown with Huo Yan.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by, bringing with it a barely perceptible fragrance. Xu Qingyi stopped and looked around, only to see warm lights coming from an inconspicuous little teahouse not far away.

She walked in involuntarily and found a seat by the window.

The teahouse was bustling with people, but most of them were customers chatting about family matters, making it feel particularly warm and cozy.

Xu Qingyi ordered a pot of tea and sipped it slowly, trying to relax her tense nerves for a moment.

As the aroma of tea wafted in the air, she couldn't help but recall every detail of her past few days, from when she first entered the second level to now when she was able to refine late second-level pills. Every step was the result of Zhou Yiqiao's hard work.

"Miss Qingyi, are you worried?"

A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts. When she looked up, she saw that it was the owner of the teahouse, an old man with a kind face and a good foundation.

Xu Qingyi smiled slightly and said softly.

"Yeah, there's an important competition tomorrow, so I can't help but feel a little nervous."

The alchemy competition between her and Huo Yan had long been known to the whole city, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the teahouse owner understood what Xu Qingyi meant by the competition.

Hearing this, the old man laughed, took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from behind the counter and handed it to Xu Qingyi.

"This is the calming incense passed down from my ancestors. Just a little bit can help people calm down. Maybe it can help you."

Xu Qingyi took the porcelain bottle gratefully, paid double the amount of spirit stones, thanked the old man, and left the teahouse with the porcelain bottle.

After Xu Qingyi left, Zhou Yiqiao appeared behind the teahouse owner.

"Manager Zhou, are you really sure that girl will use this bottle of calming incense?"

The old man turned around and asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter. This calming incense is just my insurance."

"Thank you for what you did today. I'd like to ask Manager Zhang to thank Manager Sun on my behalf. This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope Manager Zhang won't despise it."

Zhou Yiqiao threw out a bag of heavy spirit stones, which landed on the tea table with a crisp sound.

The old man was about to thank him when he saw Zhou Yiqiao's figure disappear in front of him.