At these words, Ye Chen felt a jolt in his heart.
To possess a Divine Spiritual Root was to be destined for the throne of a Great Emperor; to possess a Supreme Sacred Body was likewise a path to that same throne. Could it be that he truly possessed the bearing of a Great Emperor?
Suddenly, a golden radiance emerged from Ye Chen’s body, and a surge of powerful energy erupted outward.
Rolling tides of spiritual energy began to pour incessantly into his frame, and Ye Chen immediately sat cross-legged to cultivate. He sank his energy into his Dantian, absorbing the spiritual essence steadily, following the breathing and meditative techniques his mother had taught him just yesterday.
The elder of the Hundred Herb Garden was taking a nap when, suddenly, a golden light appeared within the garden. The light intensified, surging straight up into the clouds.
"What is this?"
He arrived at the scene immediately.
At that moment, he saw the spiritual energy of the garden converging toward a single spot.
"Could it be that some expert in the clan is cultivating here? How could they be absorbing such a vast amount of energy?"
"It seems I must investigate," the elder said, flying toward the center of the garden.
Fourth Senior Sister had only just departed when she sensed a powerful surge of energy. She rushed back, only to see streams of energy flowing into Ye Chen. She approached his side and watched as the spiritual essence poured into his body.
Suddenly, the energy began to retract, pulling inward into Ye Chen’s frame. He took a long breath and opened his eyes.
Fourth Senior Sister looked at her Junior Brother, Ye Chen, in astonishment. "Junior Brother, did you... break through to the Qi Refinement Realm?"
At this moment, the energy emanating from Ye Chen was no longer that of the Qi Refinement Realm, but the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Fourth Senior Sister remembered clearly that Ye Chen had only begun to cultivate yesterday. In just two days, he had gone from a total beginner to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"This—this talent is far too heaven-defying!"
Fourth Senior Sister’s eyes were filled with shock, her mouth agape in an "O" shape, as if it could hold an egg. She stared at Ye Chen in disbelief.
Suddenly, she sensed another presence flying toward them. She quickly whispered, "Junior Brother, hide your aura! Someone is coming!"
Ye Chen had learned the art of concealment just yesterday, and it came in handy right now. He immediately masked his energy.
The elder of the Hundred Herb Garden arrived. He scanned Yue Lingxi and Ye Chen.
Yue Lingxi was a Nascent Soul Realm expert, but her aura remained unchanged, so the master who had been cultivating just moments ago could not have been her. If not her, then...
She looked at Ye Chen again, but at this moment, there was not a trace of a cultivator's aura on him.
She shook her head, thinking to herself, *What am I thinking? This boy has a useless Spiritual Root and cannot cultivate. How could it be him? I must have been mistaken.*
"Sigh, I’m getting old," the elder muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.
Yue Lingxi took Ye Chen and left the Hundred Herb Garden. His ability to cultivate remained a secret; if he hadn't successfully mastered the concealment technique yesterday, he would have been exposed today.
Once they returned to her cave dwelling, Ye Chen asked, "Fourth Senior Sister, can I learn alchemy now?"
Yue Lingxi smiled. "Junior Brother, everything must be done step by step. Haste makes waste. You just broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm today, and now you want to learn alchemy? Aren't you pushing yourself a bit too hard?"
"Senior Sister, have you ever heard the saying: 'Thirty percent is destined by heaven, seventy percent depends on hard work; only those who strive will win!'" Ye Chen said with a smile.
Yue Lingxi looked at him in shock. The little fellow was only eight years old, yet he spoke with such flair.
"Alright then. Just watch me demonstrate once. You don't need to learn it yet, just watch, and I will teach you slowly later," Fourth Senior Sister said.
Ye Chen nodded.
Yue Lingxi began to demonstrate with focus. Perhaps she was usually scatterbrained, but whenever she did alchemy, she was incredibly serious.
She waved her slender hand, and various herbs flew out, landing in her grasp. With another light flick, she tossed the herbs into the pill furnace. Then, with a gentle tap of her finger, a ball of flame appeared, licking the furnace.
Fourth Senior Sister carefully controlled the intensity of the heat as she began to refine the pill.
Ye Chen watched her. Clad in a green dress, her delicate, porcelain-like face was breathtakingly beautiful. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, and her skin, smooth as suet jade, was partially visible. Her eyes, clear as spring water, were filled with intensity, and her slender fingers moved continuously, placing herbs into the furnace.
Truth be told, Fourth Senior Sister looked truly stunning when she was focused.
Within the body of an eight-year-old resided the soul of a twenty-something man; Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of infatuation as he looked at his fairy-like Senior Sister. He quickly steadied his mind and scolded himself, *Ye Chen, what are you doing? You are here to learn alchemy!*
Although he had been stealing glances at her, he had actually memorized the entire alchemical process.
Suddenly, Fourth Senior Sister waved her hand. A pill floated up and landed in her palm.
"This is the simplest Qi-Recovery Pill. It replenishes True Qi when you've exhausted too much of it. Pills are graded from the first to the ninth rank; this is the most basic first-rank pill," Fourth Senior Sister said, showing the pill to Ye Chen with a smile.
Ye Chen had already memorized the whole process and wanted to try it himself. He looked at her and asked, "Fourth Senior Sister, may I have a try?"
Fourth Senior Sister nodded.
Ye Chen immediately began to refine the pill, imitating her movements.
"Junior Brother, as I said before, haste makes waste. No one succeeds in alchemy on their first try. If you fail, don't be discouraged!" she warned from the sidelines.
Ye Chen nodded, then focused his attention on the task. He didn't have her powerful True Qi, so he had to be diligent—measuring the herbs, lighting the fire, and beginning the refinement.
Yet, his technique was remarkably fluid. Measuring the herbs, controlling the fire, and condensing the pill—everything was done in one go.
Suddenly, a perfectly round pill flew out of the furnace and landed in Ye Chen's hand.
"Senior Sister, what do you think of this pill? Did I succeed?" Ye Chen held the pill out before her.
Fourth Senior Sister was usually absent-minded and didn't pay much attention to things. But when she saw that Ye Chen had actually produced a pill, she was stunned.
With a look of shock on her face, she stared at him, her mouth agape. She gasped, "Xiao Chen... don't tell me you're an alchemy genius!"