As time passed, Yan Yi's gestures became increasingly complex, and the temperature inside the secret chamber rose sharply. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but her face was filled with excitement.
"Thousand Spirits, Dragon, Tiger, Elephant."
With a soft shout and a new incantation, the True Fire began to spin. A mist emanated from above the Dan Refining Peak, dragon and tiger phantoms appeared, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.
A beautiful smile appeared on her slightly pale face, a result of overexertion. The pill was finally refined.
Although the Third-Grade Profound Yang Pill wouldn't be of much help to A Yun, it was perfectly suited for Qing Feng. It could help him accelerate his cultivation progress, and perhaps he might achieve something at the Ziyan Sword Debate three years from now.
Thinking of this, Yan Yi's smile became even brighter.
She turned to look for Qing Feng, only to find him sound asleep amidst a pile of books, a smile still on his face, seemingly immersed in a beautiful dream.
The smile on Yan Yi's face instantly vanished. Suppressing her anger, she finally understood why Qin Heng always bristled with rage every time he saw Qing Feng.
She grabbed a book and walked towards Qing Feng, intending to give him a good scolding.
However, as she approached within a meter of Qing Feng, he suddenly opened his eyes, and their gazes met.
Yan Yi abruptly threw the book at Qing Feng, but he nimbly dodged it, easily avoiding the strike, and stood to the side.
He looked at Yan Yi, seemingly wanting to say something, but when he noticed her appearance, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Due to the extremely high airtightness of the alchemy room, it was almost completely unventilated to maintain the temperature of the flames.
As a cultivator at the first level of Foundation Establishment, prolonged exposure to the high-temperature environment left Yan Yi drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her, outlining her figure.
Although the material of her clothing was excellent and completely obscured the color of her skin, her graceful figure was still clearly visible due to their close proximity. It was truly unexpected that Senior Sister Yan Yi was so captivating.
But then again, if her figure wasn't good enough, she wouldn't have attracted attention when they first met in the Thousand Lake World, would she?
Getting back to the point, because of the sweat, Yan Yi's hair strands clung to her skin, making her appear even more delicate and alluring.
Noticing Qing Feng's gaze, Yan Yi realized her attire might be inappropriate. Her cheeks flushed, and she said angrily, "What are you looking at?"
"Enlightenment," Qing Feng replied solemnly.
"Enlighten your head!" Yan Yi said furiously. "Alchemists are the most respected profession in the world, and becoming one is one of the most difficult things. How can you become a qualified alchemist with such a casual attitude?"
If it weren't for Qing Feng, she wouldn't sacrifice her own cultivation time to teach him.
"No, the most respected are the strong, because alchemists serve the strong, which is why they appear noble.
Senior Sister Yan Yi, there's something I need to remind you: no one can completely rely on others, even alchemists need to diligently cultivate and become stronger.
The Dao Ancestor is the best example of this. People respect the Dao Ancestor not only because he can refine pills, but more importantly, because he possesses great power," Qing Feng explained.
"I don't need you to teach me these principles. Right now, I'm the teacher, and you need to memorize all these medicinal herbs first," Yan Yi said.
"I've memorized them," Qing Feng said.
"Are you sure you've memorized all of them? What are the medicinal properties of Cold Bitter Grass?" Yan Yi questioned.
"It is cold in nature and bitter in taste. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and cooling the liver to regulate menstruation. It is especially good at neutralizing snake venom, and when used with Fu Yu Flower, it can neutralize most toxins. It usually grows in damp places..."
"What about Zhu Yu Grass?"
"After consumption, one will not feel hungry. It is the main ingredient for making Grain Abstinence Pills and is widely cultivated due to high demand. Additionally, it has a cooling and detoxifying effect, but eating too much can lead to obesity."
As Qing Feng described various medicinal herbs in detail, Yan Yi became increasingly surprised, and finally even shocked: "You've memorized these before?"
"I read some material before entering the Thousand Lake World, just in case I missed any treasures," Qing Feng explained.
Thinking of Qing Feng's actions in the Thousand Lake World, Yan Yi was thoughtful, but still maintained her composure, saying, "Memorizing these is just the basics; technique is the key."
Afterward, she took out many secret manuals on alchemy techniques from her storage bag and handed them to Qing Feng.
"Okay, I'll read them carefully," Qing Feng said.
"Also, take the Profound Yang Pill from the furnace later; it will help your cultivation," Yan Yi said.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Yan Yi," Qing Feng replied earnestly.
He kept all of Yan Yi's help during this period in his heart; even fellow disciples from the same peak might not have done so much.
"Before A Yun went into seclusion, I promised to take care of you. Besides, my debt to you is far more than what I've done these past few days," Yan Yi said calmly.
Since Qin Yue's seclusion three months ago, Qing Feng and Yan Yi had been together almost every day. Although this took up a lot of her alchemy time, she didn't mind.
On the contrary, she felt that this way she could repay Qing Feng somewhat. And she genuinely enjoyed this kind of life.
"There's no need to talk about owing or not owing. I just acted according to the situation back then. After all, we are all fellow disciples, and Senior Sister was there too," Qing Feng replied.
"So I owe A Yun a favor, and so do you. Or, should I speed up the updates? For example, squeeze out some time from your sleep to write?"
Yan Yi suggested. As a friend of Qin Yue and Qing Feng, she was the third person in the entire Beast Taming Sect to know about "Journey to the East."
"The weather is really nice today. I'll sleep a bit more," Qing Feng yawned and lay down to continue sleeping. Free updates were already good enough; wanting him to do double updates was out of the question.
"Get up, there's one more thing. Sixth Martial Brother asked me to tell you that the day after tomorrow is Hero's Day, and new Disciples are to visit the Martyr's Shrine to witness the great contributions of our predecessors. Sixth Martial Brother thinks it's most appropriate for you, as a descendant of a hero, to attend, and you can also pay respects to your parents," Yan Yi said, a little annoyed.
"Got it," Qing Feng answered casually with his eyes closed.
Meanwhile, three months had passed, and the ban on Hu Ji Peak was finally lifted. Qi Lin and Zhang Gao went directly to their informants on Chen Ming Peak.
"Still haven't seen Qing Feng?" Having arrived happily, only to find the situation far from what they imagined, Zhang Gao's expression immediately darkened.
"No, I've tried my best, but he hasn't appeared. Ostensibly, he's assisting us, but in reality, everything is controlled by Lu Ran. I subtly inquired and heard that he's in seclusion, preparing to compete for a spot as an unofficial alchemist on Dan Refining Peak."
Lin Qian explained softly. Her appearance seemed delicate, yet she exuded an irresistible charm.
"An unofficial alchemist on Dan Refining Peak? He wants to snatch Martial Brother Zhuang's position. That's just wishful thinking," Zhang Gao sneered.
"Someone who only knows how to sleep, it's just a dream. But this is also an opportunity. Once he fails, you can take the chance to comfort him, and then find a way to get close to him," Qi Lin suggested.