Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

When other forces inquired about the whereabouts of the Valley Master Hu, they discovered that he had already set off towards Tianfu Academy, so they had no choice but to give up. After all, Gu Yao had brought out the most spiritual herbs, and it was difficult for other sects to influence Hu Valley Master.

Some sects attempted to send messages to both Tianfu Academy and Hu Valley Master, hoping to observe the refining process of the Tianyuan Pills and to exchange alchemy skills. After Hu Valley Master arrived at Tianfu Academy and briefly met with the academy’s higher-ups, he agreed to the request from these sects. This result was highly satisfactory to all parties involved.

The news spread quickly, drawing attention to Tianfu Academy. In the past, the disciples of Tianfu Academy had been looked down upon, but now they had become the object of envy. Many regretted not joining Tianfu Academy earlier, thinking that if they had, they would have had the chance to observe the collective pill refining process up close.

It must be said that the gathering of so many alchemists at Tianfu Academy was a grand event in the alchemy community of Tianlin Continent.

After Valley Master Hu’s arrival, Gu Yao led him to visit the room where the spiritual herbs were stored. This room contained all the harvest from the secret realm. Most of the disciples who came out of the secret realm had handed in any unused spiritual herbs to the academy in exchange for contribution points. Gu Yao also handed over a portion, and his contribution was the largest. So even though it was known that he and Chi Changye held two Blood Liuli Fruits, there was no consensus on asking them to hand one over.

There were whispers among some, suggesting that Chi Changye only needed one, and that Gu Yao still had a long way to go before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, so the second Blood Liuli Fruit should be handed over to help the academy cultivate its third Golden Core disciple. However, Dean Yu stood by Chi Changye and Gu Yao, believing that they had taken significant risks to obtain these fruits, and whether they handed one over was entirely up to them.

Hu Valley Master was perhaps the one who had encountered the most rare spiritual herbs across Tianlin Continent, due to his alchemy skills. When other cultivators found valuable spiritual herbs, they would often send them his way. Now, upon entering this room and seeing the rare spiritual herbs gleaming with spiritual light, Hu Valley Master felt as though he were a country bumpkin who had just entered a city. He couldn’t help but look at one herb, then touch another, his affection for them clearly evident.

The chubby boy had come in as Gu Yao’s assistant. Seeing his grandfather so engrossed in the rare spiritual herbs, he had no words to say: “Grandfather is always like this. He wanted to personally take care of me, but once he started researching alchemy and refining pills, he would forget all the trivial matters. He even let me go hungry several times, forcing me to have others take care of me.”

Gu Yao chuckled: “When we first entered the secret realm and saw all the spiritual herbs on the ground, I almost got dazzled, and I couldn’t move my feet.”

After Hu Valley Master had finished inspecting all the herbs, he calmed down a little, repeatedly praising the collection. In the past, most of the rare spiritual herbs were either brought back from secret realms or dangerous places, but the quantity and variety were quite limited. No secret realm had resources as abundant as those from the Cangkun Secret Realm. If more such realms were opened, the cultivation level of Tianlin Continent’s cultivators would definitely improve by another level.

Thinking this, Hu Valley Master realized that he had become a bit greedy. He was happy with what he had, but now he wanted even more.

“Once the other alchemists arrive, we’ll discuss things, let them settle in for a few days, and then we can start refining the pills. I’ll need Master Gu’s assistance,” Hu Valley Master said with a smile.

“Of course, no problem.”

Hu Valley Master patted his grandson on the head. He had been worried about him since he entered the secret realm. With his alchemy skills, it was possible to blow up a furnace while refining simple pills. It wasn’t until he received the news that his grandson had safely emerged with Gu Yao and the others that he finally relaxed.

It was just like when he had gone out on his own journeys and encountered dangers. He knew that he shouldn’t have stopped his grandson from entering the secret realm. Fearing death would only limit one’s progress, but as a grandfather, how could he not worry? Especially when he heard that disciples from the Changxian Sect had initially slaughtered local cultivators in the secret realm, he was filled with fear. Fortunately, his grandson was clever, and with the protection of Chi Changye and others, he was safe and sound and even gained some opportunities.

When his grandson spoke of encountering the Snake and the role the Snake played as a treasure-hunting snake in the secret realm, Hu Valley Master’s affection for the crystal snake grew even stronger.

Upon hearing that many alchemists had gathered at Tianfu Academy, Lou Huaijing was about to take the disciples of the Changxian Sect back to their sect via the teleportation array. The secret realm trip had ended. Although many disciples had died, the harvest was not small, and these harvests needed to be submitted to the sect in a timely manner.

The thought that so many spiritual herbs had been obtained by Gu Yao and his group, who were now using them to refine pills, even the Tianyuan Pills, made many Changxian Sect disciples uncomfortable. Although they acknowledged Chi Changye’s strength, most of the rest were useless. It felt like a waste to use those herbs on them.

Ning Hui was even angrier. If those spiritual herbs had been given to him, he could have easily become a seventh-grade alchemist. However, once he returned to the sect, the herbs he brought back would first be used by the seventh-grade alchemists. How much would be left for him? This made him both resent and envy Gu Yao.

Amid the discussions, Lou Huaijing led his people into the teleportation array, and Ning Hui secretly gave a signal to Lord Meng.

Lord Meng reassured him, and Ning Hui quietly felt some satisfaction. Unfortunately, he was leaving and wouldn’t be able to witness Chi Changye’s downfall; otherwise, he would have been even happier.

Lou Huaijing sighed. After leaving this time, he wasn’t sure when he would have another chance to meet Chi Changye. He always felt it was a regret. If Chi Changye had been in the Changxian Sect, he would have been an incredibly talented and brilliant figure. No one in the sect could compare to him.

“Let’s begin!”

The alchemists gathered at Tianfu Academy were very polite towards Gu Yao. Although Gu Yao was the youngest and least experienced among the alchemists, he was now a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and an eighth-grade intermediate alchemist. It was said that he could even refine high-level eighth-grade pills with ease. However, due to the limited time in the secret realm, after advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he hadn’t had much time to refine pills. The alchemists present were all only at the level of eighth-grade intermediate or advanced alchemists, while Gu Yao was younger than most of the apprentices they brought along.

Sometimes, these alchemists would look at their apprentices and feel a sense of frustration, thinking: “If Gu Yao can do it, why can’t our apprentices show some spirit?” But then they would recall the situations of Hu Valley Master’s two previous apprentices and find some balance. Fortunately, their own apprentices had been doing fine, and there was no need to take on new ones to train.

As for the rumors that Hu Valley Master’s apprentices had been crippled because of immoral behavior and forgetting their roots, everyone just listened without taking it too seriously. Even if it were true, those two apprentices had brought it upon themselves, and no one could tolerate rebellious behavior from their disciples.

In such a setting, Hu Valley Master, of course, did not forget his responsibility as the head of Cuiyan Valley. Therefore, several elders and key disciples had accompanied him, and other factions had also brought their chosen disciples. The biggest beneficiaries were the alchemists at Tianfu Academy, such as the disciples at Pill Peak and the students who had recently joined Sword Peak to study alchemy under Gu Yao.

The disciples at The Pill Peak had now learned to keep a calm mindset. The previous attitude of being aloof and superior had been abandoned, and after adjusting their attitudes, the atmosphere at The Pill Peak had improved considerably.

“Let’s get started. The first pill I will refine is an eighth-grade advanced pill. The materials I will use are… and the methods I will apply are…” Hu Valley Master introduced his process while refining the pill. Gu Yao was on the side, helping to sort out the required spiritual herbs, and even performed some preliminary refinement, saving Hu Valley Master quite a bit of effort.

The alchemists sitting around watched intently, memorizing every detail. When they saw Gu Yao handling the spiritual herbs with ease and composure, they couldn’t help but feel envious.

After full preparation, the first batch of pills was successfully refined, and the fragrance of the pills spread, leaving everyone intoxicated. After Hu Valley Master collected the pills, he took a moment to adjust his breathing and then answered questions from the other alchemists. Some alchemists had tried to refine this kind of pill before, but always felt that something was missing. However, this time, it felt like a door had been opened, and they decided to try again. Some also compared Hu Valley Master’s alchemy skills with their own, learning from his strengths.

“Gu Alchemist, it’s your turn,” Hu Valley Master said before adjusting his breath.

“My turn?” Gu Yao had only planned to assist this time.

“Yes, your turn. I believe you’ve studied this pill before, haven’t you?” Hu Valley Master smiled. If anyone else had suggested this, it might have seemed like an intentional attempt to make Gu Yao look bad. But Gu Yao knew that Hu Valley Master was not like that.

With that thought, Gu Yao’s mindset remained calm. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

Saying that, he took out his newly acquired alchemy furnace, which had been used for a while and had become increasingly comfortable to handle, surpassing the others he had used before.

Although some alchemists might have had objections, they did not speak out at such a moment. The disciples at The Pill Peak stared wide-eyed in shock, looking at Gu Yao. He really dared to refine an eighth-grade advanced pill? Didn’t he fear failure and the ridicule that would come with it?

Some people admired Gu Yao just for his courage, while others thought he was overestimating himself, carried away by a few compliments.

Wei Jinzhi’s gaze was burning as he closely watched Gu Yao’s every move. He was holding a recording stone in his hand, capturing every detail of the alchemy process, intending to study it further later. Many alchemists, like him, did this, as some things could not be fully understood in the moment.

Gu Yao also allowed the alchemists from The Sword Peak to use recording stones, so that the alchemists from The Sword Peak, as well as future incoming alchemists, could learn from them. Such high-level recording stones were rare.

Gu Yao’s movements were steady and composed, despite being watched by countless eyes. He proceeded methodically, adding the spiritual herbs into the alchemy furnace, and the refinement process was flawless. As the events from the secret realm spread, some began to realize why Gu Yao, with only four spiritual roots, possessed such extraordinary alchemical talent—this was closely tied to his powerful soul strength.

Many alchemists silently made a vow that, in the future, when accepting disciples, they would not just look at the spiritual root aptitude but also the strength of the disciple’s consciousness. However, they also knew that practitioners with naturally strong souls, like Gu Yao, were even rarer than those with superior spiritual root aptitude.