“You must be tired after your journey and going straight through the assessment,” Master Ji said. He wanted to chat longer with this remarkable junior, but seeing how late it was getting, he summoned Wen Wen with a look of regret. “Show Little Yu around the association so she can get her bearings. Take her friends along, too.”
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Little Yu, you’ve just arrived in the city. Have you found a place to stay yet?”
“I came straight to the association as soon as I entered the main city,” Shi Yu replied, her eyes curving slightly. “I was planning to find an inn after this.”
Master Ji shook his head in disapproval. “Don't bother looking for an inn.”
“The Dao of Alchemy relies heavily on cultivation. Never let your cultivation lag behind,” he advised, stroking his beard. “The association manages its own cave dwellings, complete with spirit nodes. Have Girl Wen take you there so you can pick one out to rent and focus on your cultivation for now.”
Spirit nodes?
Anything tied to artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, or talismans truly represented wealth and resources.
Spirit nodes connected directly to natural spiritual meridians. The surrounding area gathered spiritual energy from heaven and earth, making it far denser than elsewhere—acting as a natural Spirit-Gathering Array.
Places known as a blessed paradise were essentially cave dwellings that housed such spirit nodes.
That the Alchemist Association managed its own cave dwellings was proof of its formidable foundation.
Such cave dwellings were extraordinarily precious. They were likely reserved for a select few association members. An ordinary person couldn't rent one even with enough spirit stones unless they had the right connections.
Nearby, the three Zhou siblings exchanged glances, quietly astounded.
Master Ji’s high regard for Shi Yu was truly... well, it was only natural. Given her talent for alchemy, it would be strange if the Alchemist Association didn't treat her with utmost care.
Hearing Master Ji arrange every detail for her so thoughtfully, Shi Yu felt a wave of warmth. Her expression softened. “I understand. Thank you for your care, Master Ji.”
She wondered how much denser the spiritual energy in the association's spirit nodes would be.
She looked forward to seeing the results. Pairing a spirit node cave dwelling with her own Spirit-Gathering array plate would surely boost the effect to a whole new level.
Standing aside, Wen Wen chimed in with a timely smile. “Each cave dwelling comes with its own alchemy room with earth fire diverted inside. Concocting pills in there is ideal.”
Though earth fire paled in comparison to Heavenly Fire, it was far superior to ordinary charcoal fires and provided a noticeable boost during alchemy.
With her Void Fissure Spiritual Flame, Shi Yu had no need for earth fire, but there was no reason to bring that up.
She nodded with a smile. “That sounds wonderful.”
Having spent years in the Alchemist Association, Wen Wen had long mastered the art of tact and reading the room. Her demeanor toward Shi Yu's group was respectful and warm without feeling overbearing or uncomfortable.
Seeing that Master Ji had finished instructions, she spoke up. “Master Ji, I'll take Miss Shi and the others on ahead.”
Master Ji nodded. “If she’s short on spirit stones for renting the cave dwelling, put it on my tab.”
He unfastened a jade token from his waist and tossed it into Wen Wen’s arms.
Startled, Wen Wen caught the token, bowed in acceptance, and turned to Shi Yu and the Zhou siblings. “Miss Shi, everyone, please follow me.”
After they departed, Master Ji stood in place, his heart swimming with complex emotions.
“The president and the others... traveling to Hengze Prefecture this time, they’ll probably return with dark faces like usual, needing half a month to recover.”
He sighed deeply, fell silent for a brief moment, then burst into hearty laughter. “Our Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association has been in decline for far too long. Now, at last, we’ve found our turning point!”
...
“Internally, the association imposes few restrictions on alchemists. On the contrary, it provides many conveniences,” Wen Wen explained as she led them.
Within the grand building of the Alchemist Association, there were surprisingly few people walking about.
Passing through the main hall into the inner quarters, the association's true appearance gradually revealed itself. Wen Wen led Shi Yu's group forward at a leisurely pace, offering detailed explanations at every stop.
Dazzling bas-reliefs of various spiritual plants were carved into snow-white walls. After crossing the main hall and walking down a winding corridor around a bend, their view suddenly opened up.
Massive stone pillars supported a towering domed ceiling shaped like the lid of a cauldron. Intricate walkways spanned between the multiple floors, each layer brightly lit and fragrant with medicinal aromas.
The design exuded an indescribable air of nobility and grandeur.
The three Zhou siblings had never seen such a magnificent sight. Dazzled and overwhelmed, they tried their best to restrain themselves, yet quiet gasps of marvel kept escaping their lips.
Wen Wen brought them to the first floor. “This entire floor consists of alchemy rooms.”
Every room housed a pill furnace made of red-yellow copper. Resting squarely like crouching tigers with divine shields, each furnace was illuminated by a white jade stone suspended above, emitting a soft light.
“The alchemy rooms are divided into different tiers. The lowest tier only provides space and charcoal fire. Better ones feature earth fire, while the highest tier offers earth fire alongside array formations that assist in adjusting your mental state while refining.”
“Array formations?” Shi Yu asked with slight curiosity.
Wen Wen nodded. “Once you have your own cave dwelling, Miss Shi, using its earth fire will be more than enough for everyday alchemy. But if you wish to refine high-difficulty pills, you can come to the association to make use of these auxiliary arrays.”
“Given your talent and privileges, Miss Shi, renting an alchemy room here won't cost much.”
After her explanation, Wen Wen smiled and asked, “Would you like to try out one of the alchemy rooms with an array formation?”
Shi Yu had no reason to refuse; she was indeed curious to see it in action.
Following Wen Wen into one of the top-tier alchemy rooms, Shi Yu closed her eyes to sense the formation. Within moments, she opened them, a tinge of disappointment in her gaze.
The array set up inside was similar to the one in the assessment room outside, serving merely to aid concentration and focus the mind.
Strictly speaking, it was only marginally better than the one in the assessment room.
She could set up such a formation herself. Why would she bother coming all the way to the association for it?
Seeing no particular reaction from Shi Yu after testing it, Wen Wen was secretly astonished. This array was personally set up by an elder of the Array Association and possesses extraordinary efficacy. How can Miss Shi be completely unmoved? Could she... actually look down on it?
Her mind filled with wild conjectures about Shi Yu's background, Wen Wen kept her expression neutral and continued leading the tour.
On the second floor, every room was packed with spiritual plants of various attributes and effects. Each room was outfitted with arrays to slow down the decay of spirituality and loss of medicinal potency, with additional specialized arrays stacked according to the plants' attributes.
For example, fire-nurturing arrays, ice-preserving arrays, and so forth.
Shi Yu took a loop through the floor. While the Alchemist Association had a vast quantity and variety of spiritual plants, most were common species. She saw none of the rare herbs she urgently required.
The next few floors up were dedicated to other alchemy-related materials or administrative areas where the association handled its affairs.
Upon reaching the top floor, Wen Wen turned around and apologized to the Zhou siblings, “As for the top floor, you three...”
The three immediately realized that the top floor was off-limits to them. Sensibly stopping in their tracks, they said, “We'll wait here.”
Shi Yu followed Wen Wen up, passing through a narrow corridor until they arrived before a heavy stone chamber.
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