Immortality and cultivation begin with alchemy and accounting.

After Wu Yuxiu left, Bai Xuanjing stood in the courtyard for a while longer.

He could sense that Baek Hyun-gu was in a bad mood today.

But it wasn't because of the Clan Guard Hall.

At least, Bai Xuangu was in a pretty good mood when Bai Xuanjing took out the magic weapon.

"Is it because I sell Huang Yudan (a type of medicinal herb) overseas that you think I'm hiding my talents?"

Bai Xuanjing recalled Bai Xuangu's words and made a guess in her mind.

But if it were merely because Bai Xuanjing was hiding his talents, Bai Xuangu wouldn't have acted this way.

There must be some other reason behind this.

Moreover, it seems that Wu Yuxiu also knows the reason.

However, neither of them told Bai Xuanjing what he meant.

I couldn't figure out the reason for the problem even after a long while.

Bai Xuanjing could only shake her head helplessly, clear her mind, and return to her room.

He casually stuck the feather on the shelf of the desk and sealed it with a spell.

Then Bai Xuanjing took out a mid-grade first-tier short sword magic weapon and began refining it.

The refining of ritual implements requires a painstaking, gradual process, taking time and effort.

The more effort one puts into refining and perfecting a magical artifact, the more skillfully one can control it.

……

Inside Bai Xuangu and Wu Yuxiu's house.

"Xuanjing went back?"

Baek Hyun-kyu sat at the table, his voice slightly hoarse.

The room was decorated with pearls, but he sat sideways, his face half in shadow and half in light.

"I stood there for a while and then went back to my room." Wu Yuxiu sat down next to Bai Xuangu and took his hand.

"You too, you almost let it slip in front of Xuanjing."

Bai Xuangu sighed softly, "Xuanjing is now in his twenties and has long since come of age. He is now a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator."

There are some things he should know, but I don't know if keeping them from him is a good thing or a bad thing.

"You're over forty and your cultivation is at the ninth level of Qi Refining. After you find out, do you think it's good or bad?" Wu Yuxiu asked rhetorically.

Bai Xuangu fell silent, his eyes slightly reddening.

"Let's talk about it another time!"

Knowing that Bai Xuangu was feeling bad, Wu Yuxiu stood up and hugged him to comfort him.

……

The next morning.

Bai Xuangu and Wu Yuxiu left early again, and Bai Mingyuan and his sister were also taken to Bai Jingming's place.

Only the tortoise lay in the center of the yard, enjoying the morning light.

Seeing Bai Xuanjing leave, Zhiluogui turned his head, his turtle face looking as if he was smiling.

Although Bai Xuangu handed over the Zhiluo Turtle to Bai Xuanjing.

However, Bai Xuanjing has been busy cultivating the alchemy manual during this period and hasn't had much time to learn the way of beast taming.

They didn't even refine the monster bag.

Bai Xuanjing touched the shell of the Zhiluo Turtle, then remembered that there was still Zhan Yue Daolu's dried meat in his storage bag.

He then took out a few and tossed them to the tortoise.

Monsters don't have fixed feeding times. For example, the Stop-Fall Turtle can eat only once a month without any problems.

The way Bai Xuangu and his group fed the Zhiluo Turtle was very simple: they took the monster to the sea and let the Zhiluo Turtle catch ordinary fish and shrimp to eat.

However, not being hungry doesn't mean you can't eat.

Feeding is also one way to enhance the bond between the beast tamer and the monster.

Sensing the aura of the spirit beast meat within the jerky, the Zhiluo Turtle immediately perked up, crawled to Bai Xuanjing's side, and made a "hissing" sound.

Soon, it finished the jerky that Bai Xuanjing fed it and obediently rubbed against Bai Xuanjing's thigh.

"A turtle, how can it be like a dog?" Bai Xuanjing laughed as he touched the shell of the Zhilu turtle.

Afterwards, Bai Xuanjing sat in the courtyard for a while.

When he felt it was about time, he left the courtyard and fled towards Baiyu Mountain.

Daoping Island is mainly inhabited by disciples of the second branch of the Bai family, with a few ordinary people as well.

These mortals are mostly family members of cultivators, or servants who serve cultivators in their daily lives.

Before long, Bai Xuanjing arrived outside Baiyu Mountain.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Bai Xuanjing looked dazed.

In his memory, he often came here in his childhood to listen to the teachings of the alchemy pavilion.

Looking back now, most of those instructors were also retired first-grade low-level alchemists, not much different from him now.

A blue stone path leads to the summit of Baiyu Mountain, where the cave dwelling of Bai Qingbai, the second elder of the clan, is located.

There are many buildings standing side by side on the mountainside, among which the most ancient and grand building with hanging eaves is the Alchemy Pavilion.

People passed by from time to time; some Bai Xuanjing didn't recognize, while others she did.

Most of the people I knew were just nodding acquaintances; we'd exchange greetings and then say goodbye.

"Brother Xuanjing!"

Bai Xuanle arrived in a hurry after standing at the foot of the mountain for less than a quarter of an hour.

"Sorry, I just finished my practice and I'm a little late," Bai Xuanle explained.

If a cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm is willing, they can go without sleep for several days in a row, but in the long run, their essence, energy, and spirit will decline.

Bai Xuanle looked like she hadn't slept for several days, appearing listless and lacking energy.

"You've been cultivating all night?" Bai Xuanjing asked, somewhat surprised.

Bai Xuanle scratched his head. "I'm a bit lacking in natural talent, so I can only make up for it in other areas."

Bai Xuanjing nodded without saying anything more.

"Here are the materials for thirty-three Demon-Feeding Pills. This is the Earth Fire Token. I have purchased the right to use the Earth Fire for seventy hours. You can use it as you wish."

The Birch Blossom Demon-Feeding Pill is, after all, a low-grade first-tier pill, and the raw materials are not cheap.

However, after a cultivator from the fifth branch contracts a spirit beast and registers it, they can receive an extra stipend for the spirit beast's cultivation.

In addition, spirit beasts are one of the reliance of the five cultivators.

Even their cultivation techniques are related to beast taming, so the cultivators of the five branches often spare no expense in investing resources in spirit beasts.

Bai Xuanle quickly took out a crimson token and more than thirty kinds of spiritual medicine materials, dragged them with her spiritual energy, and handed them to Bai Xuanjing.

The Earth Fire Token is a unique item of the Earth Fire Chamber of White Jade Mountain.

Contribution points can be exchanged for tokens, and excess contribution points can be deposited to exchange for Earth Fire usage time.

When needed, simply find an empty Fire Chamber and use the Fire Token to open it.

It's very convenient that you don't have to go to the Alchemy Pavilion to find a steward to book a room every time you come.

After all, Bai Xuanle had previously given Bai Xuanjing a scroll of medicinal pill notes.

Bai Xuanjing didn't mention the money for the Earth Fire, thinking that if Bai Xuanlu forgot, he would just pay some contribution points himself.

Consider it a matter of reciprocity.

I didn't expect Bai Xuanle to be so meticulous; she had already considered this.

This improved Bai Xuanjing's impression of him even more.

Since that's the case, Bai Xuanjing didn't stand on ceremony.

When you're refining pills later, pay close attention and make several batches of pills.

"You know the Earth Fire Chamber better than I do, so I won't go with you. I had some insights during my cultivation this morning, and I'm planning to go back and reflect on them," Bai Xuanle said with a chuckle.

As cultivators, Bai Xuanjing naturally understood the feeling of reaching a crucial stage in their cultivation.

That feeling of anticipation, of something about to happen but not quite, is truly agonizing.

So he nodded and said, "Then, Brother Xuanle, I'll take my leave now!"

After saying this, the two took their leave.

Bai Xuanjing followed the bluestone path up the mountain.

Halfway up the mountain, I unexpectedly encountered someone.

They weren't very close, but Bai Xuanjing had heard this person's name many times since returning home.