Jin Zhanyi raised an eyebrow. He turned around at the same time, looking at He Yiming with surprise.

Although Jin Zhanyi knew nothing of the art of alchemy, he was aware that achieving any degree of mastery in that discipline likely required an effort no less than that spent cultivating the martial path.

He Yiming, having reached this level in martial arts before the age of twenty, was already unprecedented. If this fellow were to divert his attention to studying alchemy as well, was he even human?

His expression shifted slightly to awkwardness. He Yiming offered, "This junior has merely a passing interest in it, so I have dabbled slightly. In front of an elder such as yourself, I certainly cannot claim to be proficient."

Hao Tong finally relaxed. This made more sense; if He Yiming were truly as skilled in the Way of the Elixir as he was in the Martial Way, he would genuinely begin to question how the young man managed his studies.

After a moment of contemplation, Hao Tong posed several questions, all related to the principles of alchemy. He Yiming smoothly answered a few, but others left him dumbfounded, completely unable to respond.

Even so, he had already earned Hao Tong's newfound respect.

The old man's eyes faintly glowed. "He Yiming. I hear you cultivate all Five Elements simultaneously. Do you have a particular skill in the Way of Wood and Fire?"

He Yiming extended both hands. In a mere instant, one hand appeared withered and skeletal, while the other dramatically manifested a small sphere of fire. Though the fireball was minor, the two men before him could easily sense the immense Fire Power concealed within.

This fireball was actually condensed from the Flower of Fire.

Hao Tong nodded slightly, appearing lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally made a decision. "Follow me."

Led by the elder, they departed the Pill Refining Zone and entered a courtyard imbued with an ancient, rustic charm.

Upon entering, He Yiming immediately caught the faint, fragrant scent of medicinal herbs. He knew this must be the Herb Repository area.

After entering one of the rooms within, He Yiming's eyes widened slightly.

This room was filled with rare herbs. If he wasn't mistaken, these were precisely the precious ingredients recorded in the elixir formulas. The only difference was that the quantity here seemed several times greater.

Hao Tong smiled faintly. "He Yiming, do you recognize these herbs?"

He Yiming nodded slightly. Due to the tutelage of the Medicine Daoist, He Yiming's knowledge of herbs was indeed exceptional. Furthermore, ever since obtaining the formula for the Youth Retention Pill, he had studied the required ingredients thoroughly. Even without physical samples, he had gone to great lengths to pore over ancient texts, committing the colors and shapes of these rare materials to memory.

Thus, the moment he entered the room, he recognized the provenance of the herbs and was deeply shaken by the extravagance displayed by the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Hao Tong continued to smile. "He Yiming, although this old man has considerable skill in alchemy, I am not adept at selecting the raw materials. Why don't you help me choose a set of ingredients required to refine the Youth Retention Pill?"

Jin Zhanyi turned his head in surprise. He opened his mouth, ultimately stopping himself before speaking.

He Yiming's expression was also rather strange. To be highly skilled in alchemy yet claim ineptitude in selecting ingredients—was the elder lying brazenly? However, He Yiming vaguely sensed that the old man intended this as a test, so he immediately agreed and slowly began walking around the room.

All the herbs were arranged on tiered wooden racks, piled high, nearly filling the room. These were all extremely rare items, yet their preciousness was utterly obscured by being stored like this.

Each shelf held only one type of herb, which He Yiming found very convenient. He reached out and gently stroked one of the herbs. Wood power hovered at his palm, allowing him to clearly sense the potent power of "Life" contained within the plant.

This power even reminded him of the enormous ancient tree in the Hengshan Herb Garden.

Although satisfied with the medicinal properties of this particular herb, after a moment's hesitation, he did not immediately pick it up, but instead moved to the second herb of the same type.

His pace was steady. Soon, he had gently touched every herb on that shelf. Then, without further hesitation, he picked up the very first one and placed it into a nearby herb basket.

A flash of surprise crossed Hao Tong’s eyes. He had personally selected all the herbs in this room over the past few days and was intimately familiar with their characteristics and contained medicinal potency.

Therefore, the moment he saw the single herb He Yiming chose, he knew the young man had selected the best specimen among its peers.

However, he still held a lingering doubt: did He Yiming choose based on his own innate ability, or had he stumbled upon it by sheer blind luck?

Yet, moments later, his doubt was perfectly resolved.

He Yiming’s movements grew faster, sometimes even stroking two herbs simultaneously with both hands before selecting the superior one.

Once or twice might be attributed to chance, but performing this feat repeatedly left no doubt, even for a fool, that he possessed absolute certainty.

Hao Tong nodded slightly, filled with admiration. Such a promising talent—cultivating both Fire and Wood, and possessing an almost unbelievable sensitivity to medicinal materials.

Using He Yiming's method to discern the quality of herbs, there was perhaps only one other person in the entire Lingxiao Treasure Hall who could do the same.

Even Yi Xiantian, who had condensed the Flower of Wood, rarely possessed the ability to probe the life force within herbs to this degree.

And He Yiming could achieve this effortlessly, while also being a martial prodigy.

To become a great Alchemist required not just immense talent, but also forging a long path in the Martial Way.

This was not just because martial cultivation offered unparalleled assistance to alchemy, but also because a stronger martial base meant a longer life, allowing for deeper understanding of elixirs over time. Even if alchemical ability were slightly inferior, the sheer longevity could absolutely compensate for it.

Watching He Yiming select the herbs with increasing proficiency, Hao Tong became hesitant. Such an individual might never be encountered again if passed up now. But the problem was that this person was not a member of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, but hailed from the Northwest Heavenly Pool. Imparting the entirety of their alchemy knowledge might not necessarily be beneficial to the Lingxiao lineage.

While he remained conflicted, He Yiming had finished selecting all the herbs.

Presenting the basket to Hao Tong, the old man reached in and lightly flipped through the contents, sighing, "You have performed far better than I had anticipated."

He Yiming smiled faintly. At this moment, perhaps any words he offered would be inappropriate.

Hao Tong took the basket and returned to the alchemy chamber. He moved to the side of the pill furnace and murmured, "He Yiming, stand here. Be my assistant."

He Yiming was ecstatic and immediately positioned himself beside the furnace. Jin Zhanyi shook his head and stepped back a few paces, utterly uninterested in the secrets of alchemy.

Hao Tong began the initial processing of the herbs in the basket. He did not work alone; as he worked, he narrated the details meticulously.

He Yiming listened quietly. Whenever he encountered something he truly didn't understand, he committed it to memory, determined to recall every detail.

He knew that while this elder's mastery of alchemy might not surpass Fan Shuo, it was absolutely far superior to the Medicine Daoist’s. This was the foremost authority he had ever encountered. Such an opportunity to receive instruction would surely be rare, so he cherished it immensely.

An hour later, the herbs were fully processed. Despite two top-tier grandmasters personally handling the task, they dared not be careless in the slightest.

Only after the final step before the actual refining was complete did both men simultaneously let out a breath of relief.

Composing his mind, Hao Tong stated, "Yiming, let us begin the refinement."

The hour spent together had significantly narrowed the gap between them. Hao Tong’s address to him had become more informal.

He Yiming acknowledged him and his gaze swept around the base of the furnace, his eyes filled with confusion.

Beneath the furnace, there was nothing to burn, nor any device resembling an Earth Fire source. How, then, was the temperature to be controlled?

Hesitantly, he could not suppress his curiosity and inquired, "Senior, there is no fire source beneath this pill furnace; how can the elixir be refined?"

Jin Zhanyi, who had silently observed the old man and the youth preparing the herbs for a full hour, finally burst out laughing. "Brother He, so you haven't witnessed the refining process of a Venerable-level Alchemist before?"

He Yiming's face flushed slightly.

Hao Tong merely chuckled softly, offering no direct answer. He stepped up to the furnace and, following the established sequence, placed the first batch of processed herbs into the vessel.

Then, his expression turned solemn. "Refining the Youth Retention Pill is a challenge even for this old man. I shall exert my utmost effort. How much you manage to learn will depend on your own fortune."

He Yiming quickly bowed in acknowledgement. The knowledge he had gained in that single hour was already enough to inspire deep reverence for the elder.

Hao Tong nodded slightly and calmly extended one hand, resting it directly upon the surface of the furnace.

Instantly, his hand began to glow crimson. Slowly, the temperature of the entire furnace started to rise steadily. The nine divine dragons of differing forms surrounding the furnace also began to shimmer with red light, appearing as if they might spring to life at any moment.

He Yiming stared wide-eyed. He finally understood why there was no ignition source below.

It turned out that Venerable Hao Tong was utilizing his own incredibly potent Fire Element energy to temper the elixirs within the furnace.

At that moment, He Yiming’s expression finally changed. While he was self-assured, he had never imagined that someone could achieve this level of feat.

He now held an entirely new understanding of the formidable power possessed by the elder before him.