Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 257 - 170: Direct Lineage of the Dao Tradition

Chapter 257: Chapter 170: Direct Lineage of the Dao Tradition

Although he didn’t know why Lin Yan had moved the final round of the assessment earlier, on second thought, it did align with his own intentions.

Soon, all the preparations for alchemy were ready.

Lu Chang’sheng and Lin Yan moved to the Alchemy Room.

The others followed as well.

A moment later, Lu Chang’sheng retrieved his personal pill furnace from the treasure vault’s immortal insect, replacing the pill furnace in the Alchemy Room with his own.

Huo Ming and the others had a subtle gleam in their eyes, feeling somewhat impressed.

Thinking back on their own experiences, joining White Cloud Pharmacy and acquiring their own entry-level pill furnace had taken them at least four or five years, but Lu Chang’sheng had gotten one in less than two.

Clearly, this junior, so favored by their teacher, was also quite adept at navigating the sect.

Wang Li’s eyes were especially bright, as if he’d spotted something that fascinated him deeply.

Lu Chang’sheng hadn’t expected that displaying his pill furnace for the first time in public would trigger such thoughts in these people. Once he’d steadied himself, he began refining the Qi Storage Pill.

This was his signature pill formula. Clearly, Lin Yan wasn’t interested in making the assessment more difficult at this point.

A true expert shows their hand right away.

As Lu Chang’sheng smoothly entered the alchemy state, the spectators’ eyes lit up, and then he demonstrated his steady, reliable style as he refined the pills.

After more than an hour, the alchemy session drew to a close.

There was a strange look in Lin Yan’s eyes.

He took out the freshly made Qi Storage Pill, still warm to the touch, and took a deep breath, but said nothing more.

This piqued the curiosity of Huo Ming and the other disciples.

Was there something wrong with this pill?

Judging the finished product was a step Lin Yan never skipped after an assessment.

But this time, he didn’t do it.

Huo Ming, jealous of Lu Chang’sheng, felt a surge of delight, assuming that the pills Lu Chang’sheng made hadn’t won Lin Yan’s approval.

But the next moment, Lin Yan said, "Can you refine another batch?"

Huo Ming fell silent.

The Qi Storage Pill was an ordinary first-rank pill. Even the most basic Qi Cultivation novice could refine three or four batches in a day.

For Lin Yan to ask this—it was clear he was going out of his way to give another chance.

"Of course I can."

"Good, then do it again," Lin Yan said.

His expression was calm; no one could tell what he was thinking inside.

Was he giving Lu Chang’sheng another chance out of fondness, or hoping for something more?

No one knew.

Not until Lu Chang’sheng cleaned out the furnace and refined another batch of Qi Storage Pills did everyone realize they could no longer sit still.

Lin Yan even rushed over, staring at Lu Chang’sheng intensely.

Moments later, he hoarsely said, "Huo Ming, Ji Yuan, you all wait outside."

"Yes, Teacher!"

The few spectating disciples exited the Alchemy Room one after another.

The stone door shut behind them, and the four exchanged glances, all with looks of astonishment on their faces.

"Two successful batches in a row—was it just luck, or has Junior Brother Lu reached Great Success in the Alchemy Dao?" Ji Yuan gasped repeatedly.

Great Success meant a pill formation rate of seventy or eighty percent.

Of course, Minor Achievement meant fifty percent, and if luck was good, two batches in a row could succeed.

Alchemy depended a lot on one’s state; when things went well, the success rate was higher, and when off, much lower.

But raw strength was the most important. For an entry-level alchemist, successfully producing pills two times in a row was exceedingly rare.

"Tonight, I’m hosting a little banquet. Do any of you have time?" Wang Li asked with a smile.

The others glanced at each other. In the end, Ji Yuan and the sole female disciple, Lin Feng, agreed to come; as for Huo Ming, after a bit of hesitation, he politely declined with, "We’ll see when the time comes."

······

Inside the Alchemy Room.

Lin Yan asked solemnly, "Tell me, what level have you reached with your Qi Storage Pill cultivation?"

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t hold back; this time, he intended to make a splash and open up higher circles through his teacher.

It was all about leveraging opportunities.

Recently, as Lin Yan observed him, he was also taking the measure of Lin Yan—and the character of Master Baiyun in White Cloud Cave Mansion.

If they followed the Righteous Path, he could press forward with confidence, his reputation as his shield. If they were part of the Evil Dao, he would keep a low profile and move in the shadows.

With his current connections, unless Lin Yan and Master Baiyun hid their true colors deeply, some clue would emerge sooner or later.

So far, he hadn’t heard any troubling rumors.

Therefore, he could act boldly.

Of course, the main point was that while his alchemy talent was outstanding, it wasn’t monstrous. As long as White Cloud Cave Mansion was willing, they could easily protect him.

"Teacher, a few days ago, I just reached Minor Achievement."

"But with Minor Achievement alone, you couldn’t produce a pill of this quality," Lin Yan said, unconvinced, staring intensely at Lu Chang’sheng. He felt Lu Chang’sheng was hiding something—he wasn’t just at Minor Achievement for the Qi Storage Pill, but at Great Success.

"If he hasn’t been hiding it till now, that would mean it only took him half a year to go from the entry level to Great Success with the Qi Storage Pill—such a talent..." Lin Yan’s heart swelled with excitement.

This was a stroke of incredible luck!

An absolute treasure.

With talent like this, even showing a hint would get him snatched up by the Immortal Sects. How could a small sect alchemist like him hope to recruit someone of this caliber?

Fortune!

Heaven-sent fortune!

Lu Chang’sheng could feel Lin Yan’s gaze growing more and more intense. He couldn’t help but speak up: "Teacher?"

Lin Yan snapped out of it and realized he’d lost his composure. He said, "What were you just saying?"

"I said this: I have nothing to hide from you, Teacher. At present, I am at Minor Achievement with the Qi Storage Pill. The reason I was able to refine a pill like this was because I used a few tricks."