Zhou Fu, a woman of seventy-two years, is an outer disciple of Dao Sword Sect, dedicating sixty-four years to her cultivation journey since joining.
Her aptitude for cultivation is decent, now a senior cultivator in the Foundation Establishnt stage, just a step away from the legendary Golden Core. Within the outer sect, aside from the occasional expert in the Golden Core stage, she commands respect, with fellow disciples addressing her as Senior Zhou.
This strength and cultivation were the results of her sixty-four years of diligent practice.
However, despite her considerable ti in the Foundation Establishnt stage, she feels her cultivation path has reached a plateau. Yearning to break through to the next level and achieve Core Formation, she understands that an external catalyst, a significant opportunity, is needed.
After years of searching, the opportunity finally arrives when she learns that the Chief Alchemy Hall is recruiting new mbers.
Chief Alchemy Hall?
The place responsible for managing the sect's elixirs and dicinal herbs, a location rich in various pills, including the coveted Break Barrier Pill!
This is the opportunity she's been waiting for.
Joining the Chief Alchemy Hall to acquire not just one, but at least one Break Barrier Pill.
She senses that this is a crucial turning point in her life. If seized, her cultivation path ahead will be smooth sailing.
The recruitnt for Chief Alchemy Hall requires disciples skilled in alchemy and mathematics. Many are deterred by these prerequisites, but Zhou Fu realizes that in the past, the Butler Hall never recruited based on alchemy knowledge. Could it be that they are not just recruiting butler disciples?
She promptly inquires about the current Elder of Chief Alchemy Hall and learns it's Qin Ran, the Dan Peak Chief.
"This is to recruit disciples for Dan Peak..."
Knowing that the extraordinary female sword immortal Li Shiyin is from Dan Peak but practices sword cultivation, not alchemy, she speculates, "Elder Qin must be aiming to revive Dan Peak!"
What is the trend of the tis?
This is the trend of the tis!
For a disciple like her from the outer sect, a low-ranking mber of the sect, when the higher-ups decide to revitalize Dan Peak and recruit the first batch of dedicated alchemy disciples, it's a monuntal shift in the tides.
"If I can ride this wave, not only Core Formation, but becoming an alchemist with an endless supply of pills for Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation stages may not be impossible."
With determination, Zhou Fu decides that this ti, even if it costs her life, she will be within the Chief Alchemy Hall.
She must seize this opportunity and beco a butler disciple under Chief Elder Qin!
Coming from a humble background, Zhou Fu, with decades of cultivation experience as an outer disciple, has a basic understanding of various oddities. She already possesses a bit of scattered knowledge about alchemy.
Now, she gathers all the alchemical books she can find, locking herself away, tirelessly and without rest, forsaking food and drink. She morizes these teachings, going through them not just once but multiple tis, until August thirty-first, the final day, when she finally erges from seclusion.
On the first day of September, Zhou Fu spent the night preparing herself, ensuring she was in the best possible condition, and appeared early at the Questioning Dao Square. This was her chance for a breakthrough in life, and she wouldn't allow any setbacks.
She waited patiently, without a hint of impatience. While others complained or whispered curses about Qin Ran, she remained silent. Even amidst the hustle and bustle around her, she chose not to speak.
As the autumn sun grew hotter, Qin Ran, riding on his Profound Underworld Spirit Tiger, arrived.
Zhou Fu gazed up at Qin Ran amidst the crowd, observing the terrifying beast beneath him. She realized she was nowhere near Qin Ran's level, not even close.
With just a roar from the tiger, she found clarity in her own position. This was the realm of high-level cultivators.
When soone questioned the fairness and validity of Qin Ran's examination, Zhou Fu found it amusing.
There were no fools here who would baselessly question Qin Ran; it was rely an attempt to gain attention and find an alternate path into the Chief Alchemy Hall.
When Li Shiyin handed her the exam questions with sword qi, Zhou Fu couldn't help but ponder life. With her understanding, she couldn't fathom the level of mastery required to control sword qi to such an extent. The sword qi was sharp enough to cause pain on her skin as it pierced the air, yet it couldn't cut through a thin piece of paper.
So, these were the direct disciples, the Top Ten Geniuses.
When soone arrived late and was promptly dismissed by Qin Ran, Zhou Fu couldn't help but inwardly sneer. Such a life-changing opportunity, yet the person treated it so carelessly. Such is the nature of facing heavenly trials.
The alchemy exam questions were challenging, but Zhou Fu remained calm. She knew she had so knowledge of alchemy, and if she found it difficult, others would find it even more so. She calmly completed all the questions she could, wrote her na and information in the designated places, and refrained from doing anything she shouldn't.
After the exam ca the long wait. Zhou Fu didn't engage in other activities; she simply waited at ho, quietly ditating.
On the third day after the exam, she finally received a note fluttering in from outside, stating: "Tomorrow, co to the Chief Alchemy Hall for the interview."
There were over fifty participants for the interview.
Zhou Fu arrived early, standing first outside the Chief Alchemy Hall.
...No one dared to cut in line, as the steward, Yan Yi, stood nearby.
At exactly ten o'clock, when the sunlight stread out from the hall, Qin Ran, looking youthful and accompanied by his sword immortal disciple, appeared at the entrance of the Chief Alchemy Hall.
Zhou Fu rembered that Qin Ran had also appeared at ten o'clock the previous day, so she knew he would only arrive after ten.
Qin Ran and Li the Sword Immortal walked into the Chief Alchemy Hall. As they passed by her, Qin Ran said, "Follow ."
She followed him into the hall and stood obediently in the center.
Qin Ran took his seat at the head, with Li the Sword Immortal standing beside him, and the door behind her was closed by Yan Yi. At this mont, there was no one else in the hall.
"Zhou Fu?" Qin Ran took out a booklet from the table and asked her gently.
He seed like a young lad one might encounter on a spring outing, casually conversing with her. But the experience of the exam day made Zhou Fu realize he was a smiling tiger.
"Yes," she made herself appear and sound as respectful as possible.
"Do you know about Zhican Valley?" Chief Qin suddenly asked her.
She didn't understand the aning and simply replied truthfully, "Yes."
"Are you from Zhican Valley?" Chief Qin asked again.
Zhou Fu frowned, shaking her head. "No."
Chief Qin glanced at Li Jianxian, Li Jianxian nodded, and he lowered his head to jot down a few notes, then continued to ask, "Do you enjoy alchemy?"
"I do."
"Have you ever practiced it?"
"..."
Afterward, Chief Qin asked her many strange questions, and after finishing, he asked her to wait outside the door.
Zhou Fu stood in the corridor under the eaves of the Chief Alchemy Hall, seeing disciples going in for interviews, then standing behind her with a puzzled expression; she saw people going in for interviews, then coming out looking disappointed; she saw people going in for interviews, then not coming out...
Although she had reached this point, it seed like she had passed, like she was going to be a probationary disciple, but Zhou Fu still didn't know what Chief Qin's standards were. The whole process made her feel confused.
After everyone had finished their interviews, there were a total of six people left behind her, plus her, making seven in total.
Apart from them, Zhou Fu noticed that out of those who went in but didn't co out, there were as many as four. Thinking of Chief Qin asking her about Zhican Valley, she had so guesses...
Chief Qin called them into the Chief Alchemy Hall, his voice still calm, and announced to them, "Zhou Fu, Wu Yan, Zheng Jue, three of you are disciple stewards, Wang Yishan, Jian Xun, Li Ergou, Zhang Lu are miscellaneous disciples..."
In the end, Zhou Fu beca a disciple steward, and her job was to distribute elixirs to the disciples within the sect every month.
Besides that, the Chief Alchemy Hall conducted a monthly assessnt on elixirs...
So, compared to the monthly distribution of elixirs, Zhou Fu felt that the monthly assessnt seed more important.
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