Chapter Sixty-Two: Conversation

Lu Zhe sat cross-legged on a rock, eyes closed in meditation. With each measured breath, the spiritual energy coiled around him was drawn into his lungs, transformed into spiritual power, and finally released as a faint exhalation of turbid air.

This marked the second week since his advancement to Spirit Master. During these two weeks, Elder Ye had made him do nothing but cultivate, insisting that, having just ascended, he must lay a solid foundation to prevent his spiritual power from becoming unstable in the future.

After a long while, Lu Zhe slowly opened his eyes. His throat moved, and he expelled a mouthful of impure air.

He sprang up from the rock, dusted himself off, and walked over to Elder Ye.

At that moment, Elder Ye was lying on his back, arms and legs spread wide, basking in the gentle sunlight.

Lu Zhe stood beside him, glancing down at the elder who was enjoying his sunbath so contentedly that he felt a sudden urge to give him a kick. He suppressed it.

Taking a seat beside Elder Ye, he nudged the old man, waking him.

Elder Ye opened his eyes slowly after being nudged a few times. He squinted, adjusted to the sunlight, then looked at Lu Zhe. “You’re done cultivating?”

“I finished before you even woke up from your nap,” Lu Zhe replied, somewhat irritably.

“Oh.” Elder Ye sat up, stretched lazily, pursed his lips, and then looked at Lu Zhe. “What’s for lunch?”

A vein pulsed on Lu Zhe’s forehead. He gritted his teeth. “Weren’t you supposed to handle that?”

Elder Ye slapped his forehead, suddenly enlightened. “Ah! I forgot.”

With that, he stood up slowly, glanced at Lu Zhe, and said, “Wait a moment.” He looked toward the nearby stream, reached out his hand, and a burst of green light flared. The green light flickered at his fingertips, then shot rapidly toward the stream.

A thunderous boom resounded as the green light struck the water, sending a pillar of water half a man’s height into the air. It rained down in droplets, and several palm-sized fish slowly floated to the surface.

“You’re using Exploding Fist to fish. Only you would think of something like that,” Lu Zhe said sarcastically, watching Elder Ye.

Elder Ye laughed heartily. “Don’t dwell on the details.”

Ignoring Lu Zhe, he rolled up his sleeves and pants, and waded into the stream to collect the fish.

Lu Zhe shot him a look of disdain, sighed, and entered the woods. Soon he emerged with an armful of dry branches.

After arranging the branches, Lu Zhe suddenly drew his palm back. Scarlet spiritual energy twined around his hand, and then he thrust his palm toward the pile of twigs. With a soft puff, smoke began to rise, then flames appeared, and finally the fire began to burn steadily.

“Ha, you’re using spiritual power to light a fire!” Elder Ye’s triumphant voice sounded from behind, delighted at having discovered a secret.

Lu Zhe shot him a glare, grabbed a few sharp sticks, took some fish from Elder Ye’s hands, skewered them, and set them over the fire to roast.

Elder Ye sat across from Lu Zhe, idly tossing a few more dry branches onto the flames. Watching the fire, he suddenly said, “Zhe’er, do you want to defeat Shangguan Yijing?”

Lu Zhe didn’t even look up. “You’ve asked me that question several times already.”

Elder Ye ignored his response and continued, “How do you plan to beat her?”

Lu Zhe raised an eyebrow at this, glancing at Elder Ye, who was still staring intently at the fire.

“How? Hm… I want her to admit defeat willingly, I suppose,” Lu Zhe replied after a moment’s thought.

“And how will you get her to do that?” Elder Ye looked up at Lu Zhe, his tone calm.

“Well… by beating her, obviously. That’s why I came out here to train,” Lu Zhe answered without hesitation.

Elder Ye waved his hand, dismissing the answer. “Defeating her will only win her compliance, not her heartfelt admiration. Gaining someone’s genuine respect isn’t so simple.”

“Then what will?” Lu Zhe inquired.

“Show her your character, or dazzle her with your extraordinary talent,” Elder Ye said, spreading his hands as if envisioning the future.

Lu Zhe shot Elder Ye a sidelong glance. “What character? What extraordinary talent?” By the end, Lu Zhe was laughing at himself.

“That’s not the way to look at it,” Elder Ye interrupted, waving a hand.

Lu Zhe just smiled faintly, clearly not taking Elder Ye’s words to heart. “I know my own worth.”

Elder Ye slapped his thigh. “Since you know your own abilities, that makes things easier. You’re aware that Shangguan Yijing is the future leader of the Windrider Sect, aren’t you?”

“I know,” Lu Zhe replied. This was no secret to him.

“Then you also know that the Windrider Sect is connected to both your royal family and your Alchemists’ Guild, don’t you?” Elder Ye continued.

“I do,” Lu Zhe replied, his tone as calm as ever.

“And I suppose you also know that Huang Bo, the famed ‘King of Medicine’ and your kingdom’s foremost alchemist, is secretly in love with their sect leader?” Elder Ye pressed on.

“That I didn’t know,” Lu Zhe replied lightly. This was the first he’d heard of it, but it had nothing to do with him anyway. It wasn’t as if the sect leader liked him. He’d better focus on roasting the fish.

“Do you remember what I told you about alchemists?” Elder Ye asked, watching as Lu Zhe began to eat.

“Of course, I remember,” Lu Zhe replied, blowing on his fish between bites.

He tore off a piece of meat, chewed, and looked at Elder Ye. “Master, what are you getting at?”

A mysterious smile played at the corner of Elder Ye’s mouth as he looked at Lu Zhe.

“You… you’re not suggesting I become an alchemist, are you?” Lu Zhe asked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Elder Ye nodded.

Lu Zhe waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t joke, Master. Alchemists require hands-on instruction. You’re not one yourself—who would teach me?”

Elder Ye straightened up. “It’s true, I’m not an alchemist. But…” He broke off mid-sentence, glanced at Lu Zhe with an odd look, and said quietly, “But I know one.”

Lu Zhe’s eyebrows shot up. “You know an alchemist?”

Elder Ye nodded.

“What rank is he? How many cauldrons?” Lu Zhe asked eagerly.

Alchemists had their own ranking system, which was simple: based on the number of cauldrons depicted on their chest. One cauldron was entry-level, two was apprentice, and so on. The more cauldrons, the higher the rank, with nine in total. Each rank was further divided into bronze, silver, and gold cauldrons—bronze for basic, silver for intermediate, gold for advanced. If two alchemists had the same number of cauldrons, the color would indicate their level.

“I don’t know,” Elder Ye said sheepishly, scratching his head.

“It doesn’t matter—as long as he’s an alchemist. But… do I even have the potential to become one?” Lu Zhe eyed himself skeptically.

“No worries. Even though your spiritual power is mainly fire, there’s a trace of wood element in it. That gives you potential,” Elder Ye explained.

His words rekindled Lu Zhe’s fighting spirit. To become an alchemist was a supreme honor. If he truly had the potential, he should devote himself to the craft—perhaps one day he might become a renowned alchemist.

“But,” Elder Ye added, changing his tone.

“What is it?” Sensing there was more, Lu Zhe asked.

“If you want to be an outstanding alchemist, you’ll need something else,” Elder Ye said, his tone mysterious.

“What?” Lu Zhe’s curiosity was piqued.

“The Twenty-Four Rare Herbs!” Elder Ye declared with gravity.