Inside the Ancestral Hall of the sect leader's grand hall.
Sect Leader Feihe Zhenren was leading Ding Yun in offering incense to the ancestors above, recounting their merits and paying respects.
After a series of rituals were completed.
Feihe Zhenren sincerely expressed his gratitude, saying, "Sister, thank you so much.
Ever since I became sect leader, I haven't had a single peaceful night's sleep. I'm constantly worried about my inadequacy, let alone leading the sect to prosperity. Maintaining the status quo is difficult enough, especially with the demon cult's forces growing stronger in recent years. I walk on thin ice every day, diligently and cautiously.
I'm afraid of making a mistake that could bring about the sect's downfall.
Sometimes I don't even dare to come to this Ancestral Hall because I feel I've let down the ancestors and my master's trust in me by entrusting me with the sect's management.
Only recently have I been able to sleep soundly.
Only then did I have the courage to come and worship the ancestors."
"If it weren't for you, sister, I would likely never experience such peace, such freedom, such a stress-free day in my life. Indeed, all fear and worry stem from insufficient strength!
Regardless, sister, you are not only my benefactor, but also the benefactor of our Yuhua Sect. I intend to engrave your achievements in the Ancestral Hall for future generations to admire."
"As a member of the Yuhua Sect, contributing to it is my duty. Sect Leader, you need not be so polite.
And, Sect Leader, if you have something to say, please speak plainly."
Ding Yun did not believe that Sect Leader Feihe Zhenren would spontaneously wax poetic like this, especially in the Ancestral Hall. She was also too impatient to play guessing games.
So, she asked directly.
"Uh, sister, I harbor no ill intentions.
Consider this, even our Yuhua Sect's Yuhua Treasured Scripture is not known by just one person. To prevent its loss, at least two or three people must know the complete manual. While your ability to refine pills that help breakthrough to the Xiantian realm is indeed your merit, if only you know it, it's difficult to guarantee it won't be lost.
Sister, please don't misunderstand.
I'm not saying I want to steal your formula.
Mainly, we cannot fully guarantee your safety, nor can we completely ensure your formula won't be lost.
So my thought is…
Could you perhaps take on a final disciple?
You can pick any disciple from the sect, or even your daughter-in-law, or even your granddaughter. A lineage centered around you, preserving the formula, is perfectly fine, as long as you pass it down.
I truly don't covet your formula. My primary concern is for the sect. Such a formula is undoubtedly a supreme elixir that can ensure the sect's eternal prosperity and must not be lost. Sister, you must understand my predicament."
Feihe Zhenren didn't know how Ding Yun refined her pills, but he was acutely aware that if a piece of knowledge was held by only one person, the risk of it being lost was immense. Other sects wouldn't even need to do much.
If they simply assassinated his sister,
Their sect would likely revert to its original state before long, and might even be suspected by malicious individuals of hiding secrets, leading to their annihilation.
Conversely, if the formula was secretly passed on to a few more people, his sister would be safer.
And the formula could be passed down.
Feihe Zhenren genuinely had few selfish motives in this regard.
However, Ding Yun couldn't agree immediately. If this Golden Elixir were truly refined by her through normal alchemical methods, let alone finding a successor to pass down the formula, she could even publicize it.
But that wasn't the case.
So, after a long period of contemplation, Ding Yun finally said, "Sect Leader brother, I understand your concerns.
But I can feel that my ability to refine this pill is related to my own innate talent. Therefore, I cannot be certain whether others who learn my pill formula will be able to refine the same pills.
How about this: Later, have my daughter-in-law and granddaughter move to the Scripture Pavilion. I will first guide them in learning alchemical knowledge in advance, and when the time is right, I will pass the formula to them.
What do you think of this arrangement?"
Although Ding Yun didn't refine this Golden Elixir, she was confident in her ability to refine similar pills. Therefore, she preemptively managed the Sect Leader's expectations by suggesting that pills made by others might not be as effective as hers, while agreeing to buy time.
She was buying herself time to research the formula.
The talent issue she used as an excuse was also plausible. Many martial arts manuals and folk skills were created by predecessors, yet how many ultimately reached their creators' heights? Isn't that talent?
Instances of a successor surpassing their master were rare.
Feihe Zhenren also knew that this was not the time to be overly demanding. It was good enough that his sister had agreed. He couldn't push for too much. At worst, he could assign several elders to patrol near the Scripture Pavilion to ensure their safety.
So, he quickly agreed to Ding Yun's proposal.
After a few more pleasantries,
He escorted Ding Yun back.
Upon returning to the Scripture Pavilion, Ding Yun immediately began searching for all sorts of books related to alchemy, including, but not limited to, alchemical treatises circulating among the populace, as well as medical texts and herbals. For books that had duplicates, she took the duplicates directly. For those without duplicates, she had several disciples meticulously copy them.
After a while of busy work,
Just as she had gathered the books,
Her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, who had previously lived in the outer sect, were swiftly sent over by Feihe Zhenren's order.
However, Ding Yun had no time for pleasantries at the moment.
She merely instructed the sect disciples to settle her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, urged her daughter-in-law to stay there from now on, and to get a good wash and sleep tonight, with any issues to be discussed tomorrow. Then, Ding Yun, along with those books, entered the cultivation chamber again and went into seclusion.
Of course, this was the public explanation.
In reality, she was re-entering the "Pay-to-Win Farm" to cultivate books. As those alchemical, medical, and herbal texts gradually transformed into golden trees, bearing skill fruits for her to consume.
Ding Yun's knowledge of medicine in this world was rapidly growing and improving in her mind.
It merged with her own existing knowledge.
After consuming a large batch of skill fruits, Ding Yun had mastered the medical knowledge of this world to a considerable extent. Combined with her pre-existing knowledge, she quickly devised a Xiantian pill suitable for most martial artists in this world. She then left the "Pay-to-Win Farm."
Utilizing the batch of medicinal ingredients sent by the sect leader, which she hadn't used before, she began to truly refine the Xiantian pill.
The process was not particularly difficult. On her first attempt, Ding Yun successfully refined thirteen Xiantian pills. Of course, their effects were significantly different from the pills condensed by the golden fruits.
The pills condensed by the golden fruits had no medicinal toxicity. They were instantly digested upon consumption, converting into pure internal energy that caused no harm to the body. Overall, they were a perfect advanced Xiantian elixir.
The only drawback was that the internal energy had an attribute.
Depending on the cultivation technique, one had to consume pills accordingly.
The advantage of the artificially refined Xiantian pills was their lack of restrictions; anyone cultivating any technique could take them. However, the disadvantages were also obvious.
Firstly, they contained medicinal toxicity. Taking them would affect subsequent breakthroughs, requiring about three to five years for the body to naturally expel the toxicity and eliminate its effects.
Secondly, the pills needed to be slowly refined by circulating internal energy after consumption. Furthermore, they exerted some impact on the meridians within the body. Refining them too quickly would damage the meridians.
This would lead to a reduced probability of breaking through to the Xiantian realm.
Those with depleted qi and blood had no hope of breaking through with this. Even with dozens of bottles, they had no expectation of achieving a breakthrough through these pills.