Within Lingyao Peak, the medicine garden was undeniably one of the most crucial locations. At any given time, dozens of disciples whose internal energy surpassed the eighth level were stationed there on guard.
As they arrived at the medicine garden, a disciple clad in blue robes immediately approached them.
His gaze swept over them momentarily before he spoke in a firm voice, “Senior He, please pause here.”
He Wude smiled slightly. “Yiming, retrieve the Master’s token.”
He Yiming flipped his wrist, tossing the token gifted by Yaodaoren over.
The blue-robed disciple, whose internal energy reached the ninth level, caught it and examined it closely. An expression of profound respect instantly surfaced on his face. He bowed deeply. “It is the Ancestor Master’s command. Please, both of you, proceed.”
He kept his body half-bowed, cleared the path, and respectfully invited them in.
Although He Wude had been readmitted to the sect by Yaodaoren, and He Yiming’s status as an elder had been acknowledged, this news had not yet spread widely. Otherwise, they would not have needed any token to enter the medicine garden.
When He Yiming stepped into the medicine garden, the scenery that met his eyes made him instantly perk up.
The garden was a tapestry of greenery, its banks lined with soft grass, echoing with the songs of orioles and the lively hum of bees and butterflies amidst the blooms. The beauty was striking, vastly different from what he had initially expected.
He Wude, standing beside him, let out a long sigh. “It has been over forty years since I last trod this ground. Nothing seems to have changed; it feels as if it were but a blink of an eye. Time truly flies.”
He had lived on Lingyao Peak for forty years, and his familiarity with this garden was no less than that of his own home.
Many rare plants within the garden boasted histories stretching back a thousand, even several thousand, years. To these plants, He Wude’s departure from Lingyao Peak for a mere few decades was almost instantaneous. Thus, as He Wude entered the garden, he showed no sign of unfamiliarity; rather, he was overcome with emotion.
He Yiming’s gaze shifted. More than ten people moved through the garden with extreme care. Although He Yiming did not understand precisely what they were doing, he knew these were the disciples responsible for tending to the garden’s rare flora.
Among these individuals, most were Lingyao Peak disciples between thirty and fifty years old, but there were also a few whose age was comparable to He Wude’s.
Their entry immediately drew attention. The two elder figures exchanged greetings with He Wude. Upon learning that He Wude had officially returned to the fold, they were overjoyed, offering repeated congratulations.
When they learned that He Wude and He Yiming had come to the garden under the orders of Yaodaoren to familiarize themselves with the herbs and medicinal ingredients, expressions of surprise crossed their faces. Still, they were merely perplexed; no one harbored any doubts.
He Wude chose not to disclose that He Yiming was about to become a Xiantian Elder of the Hengshan lineage. After all, as his own grandson, any boast from his lips might leave an unfavorable impression. Since He Wujin was already aware, the news would likely spread throughout Lingyao Peak within days anyway.
Under the guidance of the elder, He Yiming began his studies in the medicine garden.
The token gifted by Yaodaoren itself represented the status of an elder within the Hengshan lineage. With this token in hand, passage throughout Hengshan was absolutely unimpeded. However, He Yiming’s entire focus was currently fixed on the art of alchemy. Thus, his days were spent either lingering in the medicine garden or immersed in Yaodaoren’s library.
The various rare medicinal materials in the garden broadened his horizons immensely, filling his mind with practical knowledge on how to cultivate these herbs and the specific considerations for each rare plant.
Under He Wude’s dedicated instruction, he even personally participated in the cultivation processes for several specialized herbs, including pest removal and grafting.
Furthermore, the library housed countless volumes. What He Yiming found curious, however, was that all the texts here pertained to medical arts. He immediately grasped it: the collection of texts related to martial arts for the Hengshan lineage was not housed on Lingyao Peak.
Several disciples were responsible for cleaning and guarding the library. Every time they saw He Yiming, their faces were filled with respect and deference—a level of reverence they displayed even when encountering Yaodaoren.
It was only at this moment that He Yiming understood why Yaodaoren had instructed He Wude to teach him these most fundamental lessons.
Because his status had now been publicized by He Wujin, the attitude of the Lingyao Peak disciples guarding and tending the garden had undergone a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal.
In his presence, everyone became excessively compliant and respectful. Under such an atmosphere, even if He Yiming wished to ask questions, he would feel awkward. Only the old man, He Wude, maintained the exact same demeanor toward him, regardless of how his status had changed.
Only under these circumstances could he successfully absorb genuine knowledge.
A full month passed in this manner, and He Yiming finally managed to memorize countless pieces of knowledge concerning medicinal ingredients through rote learning.
The more he learned, the more he realized the profound depth of this field. In comparison, it was hardly inferior to the path of martial arts.
At this point, he thought of Xie Zhiren from the Xie residence, becoming secretly vigilant. While he certainly needed to study alchemy, he could not devote all his energy to it. If doing so delayed his cultivation of martial arts, the cautionary tale of Xie Zhiren was right before his eyes.
That day, he finished his cultivation session with Yuan Lixun. Yuan Lixun had also benefited from his connection; Yaodaoren had gifted her a Golden Elixir of Vitality. Her progress in cultivating internal energy was now meteoric, perhaps even surpassing He Yiming’s own cultivation speed in the past.
He Yiming was naturally very pleased with her progress. After cultivation, he left his room and, as usual, started walking toward the summit.
However, as soon as he left the courtyard, he saw He Wude emerging from his own room, beckoning him. “Yiming, come with me to the alchemy cave dwelling.”
He Yiming was greatly surprised. “Grandfather, we are not going to the medicine garden today?”
He Wude chuckled. “You have pretty much finished identifying the herbs in the garden, and you understand the basic raw materials inside and out. Starting today, you can enter the alchemy cave dwelling to observe the refinement process.”
He Yiming frowned slightly. “Isn’t this a bit too soon?”
He Wude shook his head. “For others, without at least one or two years of foundational practice, never mind entering the alchemy cave dwelling, they wouldn't even get near the ordinary alchemy rooms outside the dwelling. But you are different. As an elder of this sect, you have certain privileges.”
He Yiming forced a bitter smile. “Grandfather, that’s not what I mean.” He said earnestly, “The way of medicine is vast and profound. I have only studied the basic knowledge for a month and don't understand much. Starting hands-on alchemy now seems overly hasty. Remember, like martial arts, medicine requires a solid foundation to achieve higher success.”
He Wude nodded, his face full of relief. He was delighted by his grandson’s insight.
However, after smiling for a moment, he slightly shook his head with a hint of regret. “Yiming, I understand your thoughts. But…” He hesitated before finally saying, “I might as well tell you the truth, Yiming. In fact, no matter how hard you strive, your achievements in alchemy will not be great. So, in my view, you might as well engage with the way of alchemy sooner, understand the processes, and then dedicate your energy back to martial arts.”
He Yiming was slightly startled and asked, “Grandfather, why do you say that?”
He Wude spoke seriously. “Alchemy, like martial arts, is determined not primarily by effort, but by innate talent.” He paused, then cupped his hands toward Yaodaoren’s cave dwelling in a slight salute. “My Master once said that to achieve anything significant in alchemy, it requires ninety-nine percent effort and one percent intuitive inspiration.”
He Yiming blinked twice, certain he had heard correctly, and asked suspiciously, “Grandfather, didn't you just say the key factor was talent? How can effort account for such a large proportion?”
He Wude cleared his throat. “I haven't finished. My teacher also said that while everyone can put forth that ninety-nine percent effort and sweat, without that one percent of intuitive talent, the final outcome will still be nothing.”
He Yiming suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; this Yaodaoren truly knew how to manipulate words.
He Wude chuckled a few times. “In alchemy, achieving some success is not difficult for a Xiantian master. But to stand at the pinnacle of this path, one absolutely must be a cultivator who cultivates both Fire and Wood elements simultaneously. Though you possess unimaginable talent in martial arts, deeply grasping the essence of the Metal and Water elements, when it comes to alchemy…” He shook his head and sighed, “What a pity, what a pity!”
He Yiming couldn't help but smile wryly. It was strange; he had reached Xiantian realm initially through the Fire and Wood elements. However, during subsequent epiphanies, he first grasped the essence of wind, rain, clouds, and mist, and because he practiced the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting, he inadvertently mastered the essence of the Metal element. As a result, his proficiency in the Fire and Wood elements seemed comparatively lacking.
Shaking his head slightly, He Yiming said, “Alright, whatever you say, Grandfather. Let’s go to the alchemy cave dwelling.”
He Wude detected the insincerity in his tone and couldn't help but shake his head slightly, thinking that perhaps only after facing setbacks would Yiming change his mind and refocus the majority of his energy on martial arts.
The two of them set off and smoothly entered the cave dwelling atop the mountain.
Logically, He Yiming, a novice who had only recently begun to touch upon alchemy and hadn't even attained the status of an apprentice herbalist, had no right to enter the cave dwelling.
But when they entered and explained their purpose to Yaodaoren, the elder, who appeared extremely young, waved his hand grandly and assigned one of the five alchemy rooms exclusively to He Yiming.
He Yiming initially felt a little embarrassed, but after Yaodaoren’s explanation, he felt relieved.
It turned out that the alchemy rooms in the cave dwelling utilized the power of Earth Fire to refine elixirs. Besides Xiantian experts, even Houtian pinnacle masters whose internal energy reached the tenth level dared not remain inside for very long.
Therefore, although these alchemy rooms required massive construction efforts and yielded a success rate far superior to ordinary alchemy chambers outside, they had never been fully operational simultaneously.
Yaodaoren assigning one to He Yiming was merely doing him a small favor.
Entering the alchemy room, He Wude took out the materials he carried, one by one.
These materials were not inherently precious, but collecting them was extremely complicated. In particular, the hundreds of flavors of rare floral nectar were almost impossible to find outside.
Every morning, designated disciples would collect the nectar from the rare herbs in the medicine garden.
This nectar was naturally not considered precious to Lingyao Peak, but outside of the medicine garden on the secluded Lingyao Peak, even the mortal emperors could not easily procure it.
After all, in cities where countless people lived, it was impossible to find a medicine garden with a history spanning thousands of years. Moreover, ordinary gardens could never possess the unique geographical advantages of this location.
Besides the nectar, He Yiming also saw some specialized herbs.
These herbs had mostly been cultivated within the garden as well, but their value wasn't high; many could be seen even in Taicang County.
Of course, the herbs cultivated in the garden, due to the different growing environments, were far superior in quality to those outside. Moreover, these herbs had a special characteristic: their growth cycle was short, maturing and ready for harvest in about three months at most.
When studying the knowledge of herbs, He Yiming had once been thoroughly puzzled why the garden would use such a precious location to grow common herbs. Wasn't that too much of a waste?
But seeing the solemn expression on his grandfather’s face now, he seemed to understand that these herbs indeed possessed a value justifying their presence.
“Yiming, what I am refining today is the Bigu Pill. Watch carefully,” He Wude stated seriously.
He Yiming was slightly taken aback. Having recently devoured medicinal texts, he was naturally familiar with the famous Bigu Pill.
It was rumored that ingesting one such pill would sustain a person for a day without hunger or thirst. However, the ingredients for this pill were so difficult to gather that it had gradually faded from public view.
His gaze flickered over the nectar and herbs, and he finally understood the underlying reason. These materials might not be rare individually, but gathering a complete set would indeed be difficult for anyone outside of hidden sects like Hengshan.
He Wude approached the pill furnace in the room. While explaining the steps of refining and the reasoning behind each action, he placed certain herbs and nectar into the bronze cauldron in a specific sequence.
Then, he opened the specially made pagoda beneath, and a surge of red light immediately spread through the chamber.
Since only the first layer was opened, He Wude merely squinted, not finding it overly uncomfortable, while He Yiming seemed entirely unaffected.
He Wude silently counted, adding a little more nectar, then sighed, “If Master were here, he could use his Fire and Wood energy to sense the integration of the herbs and nectar in the furnace. Refining this kind of elixir would be effortless for him. But for those of us who do not cultivate both Fire and Wood simultaneously, successfully refining the elixir becomes incredibly difficult.”
Even as he spoke, his hands did not slow, and roughly every quarter of an incense stick’s burning time, he would cautiously lift the lid to observe the situation inside. Judging by his grave expression, he clearly held no guarantee of success.
He Yiming observed the old man’s every move, but remaining near the cauldron, he had already slowly circulated his true energy, probing the changes within through the bronze tripod’s feet resting on the ground.
After a long while, he finally understood why the top alchemists absolutely had to cultivate both Fire and Wood techniques.
The herbs inside the cauldron were all Wood-element plants, so Wood cultivation allowed easy sensing of their vitality. He Yiming could clearly perceive that every time He Wude made an adjustment, the vitality within the herbs increased slightly, but if he maintained a certain step for too long, that vitality would inevitably diminish significantly.
The stronger the vitality, the greater the chance of successful pill formation; conversely, if the herb’s vitality dropped below a certain threshold, that entire batch of elixir would be ruined.
Besides the Wood vitality sense, He Yiming could also clearly perceive the presence of Fire energy. Within the bronze cauldron, it was under the influence of Fire energy that the medicinal properties of the herbs rapidly changed. Without this power, mixing the properties of the herbs would be immensely challenging.
Slowly, He Yiming began to form special insights into the coordination between Fire and Wood. His eyes gradually brightened.
He Wude dared only use the lowest possible fire intensity for the refinement, but He Yiming vaguely sensed that if the heat were pushed to maximum during certain stages, it could not only save time but even slightly boost the vitality of the medicinal ingredients.
Of course, this was merely a feeling; without attempting it, he lacked absolute certainty.
If his observation of Xie Zhiren refining elixirs in the Xie residence previously was merely scratching the surface and observing the process, this time he was truly beginning to touch the core essence of alchemy, slowly grasping things unique to himself.
Finally, He Wude gently tapped the pagoda, completely cutting off the Earth Fire. He then lifted the lid of the bronze cauldron, glanced inside, and let out a cry of immense joy.
“Yiming, the pill is formed.”
He Yiming stepped forward to look. Inside the bronze cauldron were over twenty small pills. They were dark and unremarkable, yet they emitted a faint, clean fragrance.
He Wude removed the pills from the cauldron, sighing, “I haven’t done this myself in so many years, and I managed to succeed on the first try. Forty years of foundational work were not wasted.”
Seeing the old man’s excitement, He Yiming also felt a stir of eagerness. “Grandfather, the herbs and nectar you prepared were far too much; less than a third was used. Why don't you let me try a turn?”
He Wude had prepared three sets of materials, fearing a failure on the first attempt that would require immediate rework. He hadn't expected to succeed on his first try, and yet He Yiming immediately asked to try refining after his success.
However, after only a brief hesitation, he immediately agreed. These materials held little value on Lingyao Peak, and given He Yiming’s status, no one would dare voice an objection even if he wasted them. Since he had the interest, He Wude naturally would not obstruct him.
Ps: Thanks to all the brothers for the monthly ticket support. Three hundred tickets were caught up in one day, but we are still a bit behind the pirate army. We still need the strong support of our Crane friends.
Ten thousand five updates today, and tomorrow will be the same. Please cast your monthly tickets toward the gradually slimming White Crane, allowing the White Crane to take flight…