True Master Shao was a pragmatic man. Faced with Hall Master He blocking his way outside the hall, he smiled amiably.

"The Daoist’s consolidation of his Merit is a matter of paramount importance. Please, Hall Master He, allow me to wait here."

Hall Master He wouldn’t dare make things difficult for a Foundation Establishment True Master; he lacked both the courage and the ability to do so.

He simply said with a serious expression,

"Please, True Master Shao, retire to a side hall to rest. When the Daoist is free, he will surely send someone to summon you."

True Master Shao’s attitude remained deferential; he did not storm off in a huff just because the Daoist had slighted him.

"Then I shall trouble you to lead the way, Hall Master He."

One was a Foundation Establishment True Master, while the other was a Qi Cultivation Cultivator who could never advance further in this life.

Their statuses were as far apart as the clouds and the mud.

Ordinarily, Hall Master He would have had to bow and scrape, humbling himself to show his reverence.

But times had changed. He had been personally promoted into the Changming Celestial Lake by the Daoist and was no longer a mere Hall Master of the Lower Courtyard.

Instead, he had leaped beyond the sect’s hierarchy of upper and lower courtyards, becoming a bona fide "official of the Eastern Palace."

It no longer mattered if someone was a descendant of the Eight Lords or from some other master-disciple lineage; no one could push him around at will anymore.

After all, as the old saying goes, you have to know who the master is before you beat their dog.

True Master Shao took the initiative to build rapport.

"I hear you’re skilled in alchemy, Hall Master He? I’ve collected a few pill recipes over the years and was hoping to find a fellow enthusiast to compare notes with."

Hall Master He sighed to himself. ’To have a Foundation Establishment True Master deign to associate with me... it’s all thanks to the Daoist.’

He said modestly,

"I wonder which pill recipes you’re referring to, True Master Shao? I’m only slightly versed in the ’transformation’ methods of yellow-white alchemy. I’m afraid I’ll only end up embarrassing myself."

True Master Shao raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

His offer to compare notes on alchemy had merely been a pleasantry; he hadn’t expected Hall Master He to actually have some real skill.

The schools of alchemy were many and varied. Some had even established their own Daoist Lineages, their traditions as vast and countless as the misty sea.

They were broadly divided into four main trunks—Flora, Minerals, Blood Nourishment, and Primordial Qi—from which sprouted countless branches.

The yellow-white alchemy Hall Master He spoke of belonged to the "Outer Elixir" category.

It involved using the art of intercalary material transformation to refine a pill base, then using water and fire to harmonize lead and mercury, and finally extracting medicinal gold and alchemical cinnabar.

This school of alchemy was extremely demanding of one’s resources and required meticulous control over heat and timing. It was by no means an easy art to master.

"You’re too modest, Hall Master He. The ’Touching Stone into Gold’ aspect of yellow-white alchemy is a top-grade technique within the Outer Elixir arts."

True Master Shao chuckled.

"I have two pill recipes here. One is for the ’Pure White Spirit Nourishing Pill,’ which can strengthen one’s Divine Sense and fortify the Primordial Gate."

"The other is for the ’Peach Health Extension Pill.’ It strengthens one’s essence and nourishes their qi—to say nothing of extending their lifespan—but its most crucial function is to balance one’s Yin and Yang and the Five Elements."

"I once refined a batch of the Peach Health Extension Pill, intending to present it to the Daoist. However, this pill must be nurtured for a full century, and it still lacks the final degree of refinement, so it has yet to fully form."

Hall Master He was inwardly shaken. ’This True Master Shao really thinks big.’

The Peach Health Extension Pill was a type of inner core. Its refinement required one to gather Innate Primordial Qi and expend their own divine life essence. Such a cost was enough to make most Pill Masters turn pale at its mere mention.

As the two made small talk, they arrived at Baoyang Hall.

The Changming Celestial Lake was divided into six departments. The one specializing in alchemy, gathering cinnabar, concocting medicines, and extracting essences was the Pill Department, which had Baoyang Hall, the Cinnabar Forging Hall, and the Hall of Returning to the Origin under its purview.

True Master Shao stepped into Baoyang Hall. The first thing that greeted his eyes was a six-zhang-tall Pill Furnace, its base shaped like a black tortoise and its body chiseled with nine apertures and eight orifices. The hall was supported by eight great, dragon-coiled pillars, each carved with patterns of water and fire.

"’Nine apertures and eight orifices to channel the True Spirit...’ I have long heard of this ’Crescent Moon Furnace.’"

"I doubt one could find many pill furnaces of the high-grade Magical Treasure level in the entire Innate Sect."

A look of envy flickered in True Master Shao’s eyes. Of all the types of Magical Treasures, pill cauldrons and formation arrays were the rarest.

The former was a veritable "treasure basin." A single high-grade Magical Treasure-level Pill Furnace could endlessly produce Foundation Establishment-grade Treasure Medicine Pills, making it an incredibly precious treasure even for Branch Sects and Grand Sects.

The latter was even more so the very foundation for establishing a sect. Without a great formation to protect the sect gates, a sect would sooner or later face annihilation, its destruction only a matter of time.

"This Crescent Moon Furnace, I believe it was a gift from Zhen Peak to the previous Daoist."

Ever since he had been hand-picked by the Daoist and sent to take charge of the Pill Department, Hall Master He had been grinning from ear to ear every day.

Take this Crescent Moon Furnace, for example. Back when he was still presiding over Jieyun Hall in the Lower Courtyard, he wouldn’t have even been qualified to touch it.

The material wealth of the Changming Celestial Lake, this "Eastern Palace," far exceeded his expectations.

The previous Daoist, Ning Hechu, had died in the process of his ascension, leaving no arrangements for his affairs.

While he had certainly left behind an inexhaustible supply of Spiritual Objects and Resources, he had also left many messes to be cleaned up.

"Please, have a seat, True Master Shao."

Hall Master He ordered someone to bring the Five Metals and Eight Minerals, the most common of preparatory materials.

The Essences of the Five Metals were gold, silver, copper, iron, and lead.

The Mothers of the Eight Minerals were cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, chalcanthite, alum, magnetite, saltpeter, and coal.

True Master Shao spread the pill recipes on the table, and the two began to converse, exchanging their insights on alchemy.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous! To think that yellow-white alchemy has delved so deeply into the Material Properties Change of ’Touching Stone into Gold’..."

Before long, True Master Shao was clapping his hands in admiration, and the way he looked at Hall Master He had changed.

’This man was a nobody in the Lower Courtyard, with little talent for cultivation,’ he thought. ’Who would have imagined he’d have such unique insights into alchemy?’

Hall Master He sighed.

"If one cannot reach Foundation Establishment, these are ultimately nothing more than minor heterodox arts."

Alchemy, too, required one’s cultivation as a foundation.

This was especially true for Top-Grade Treasure Pills of the Foundation Establishment Level. If one’s Life Essence was lacking, it was impossible to refine them successfully.

A glint appeared in True Master Shao’s eyes as he spoke in a low voice,

"Hall Master He, have you ever heard of the ’Purple Gold Divine Pill’?"

Hall Master He frowned and slowly nodded.

"I believe it’s from a legend passed down from antiquity, but I haven’t researched it in any great detail."

True Master Shao said in a grave voice,

"The Purple Gold Divine Pill is an alchemical method created by the Demon Dao in ancient times. Strictly speaking, it is also a type of inner core."