Chapter 458: Valley Master Nie’s Thoughts

Seeing his daughter so surprised, even trying to stop him, Valley Master Nie nodded inwardly: “This girl hasn’t let her head get clouded by excitement.”

Nie Qianyu spoke again: “Father, are you really sure about this? Some of those pill recipes are the treasured secrets of our Spring Rebirth Valley, the painstaking work of generations of our ancestors. Besides, the pills made from these recipes are highly coveted in the martial world. If Brother Ren were to accidentally leak them, it could bring disaster upon us.”

Valley Master Nie nodded after hearing her words. “Little Yu, you are quite right. I’m gratified to hear you think this way. But you’re only seeing the surface, not the deeper layers.”

“Please explain, Father.”

“First, while these pill recipes are the secrets of Spring Rebirth Valley, no one has managed to successfully refine these pills for a thousand years. If a recipe can’t produce pills, can it still be called a recipe?”

“Second, the pills these recipes produce merely enhance one’s internal strength and strengthen the body. Ren Xiaoyao’s martial arts are already formidable. Even if he succeeds in refining them, it’s just another step forward for him. Do you think he would share such recipes or pills with others?”

“Moreover, these kinds of pills are no secret among the great sects. In the common sects, they’re already the stuff of legend. Even if Ren Xiaoyao were to leak them, his first concern would be his own safety. And our Spring Rebirth Valley is renowned for alchemy—having such recipes is hardly surprising. As long as we firmly deny their existence, who could use a thousand-year-old legend against us?”

“Besides, the great sects wouldn’t care about these recipes, and why should we fear the ordinary ones? Don’t forget, our alliance is also a considerable force in the martial world.”

“But what if it’s the group that was hunting me?”

“That’s even less of a concern. Ren Xiaoyao escorted you back and ruined their plans. He’ll be too busy hiding from them to provoke them further.”

“Sigh, actually, once Father masters the technique, we could make the pills ourselves. Why bother…”

Valley Master Nie gave a bitter smile. “Even though Ren Xiaoyao can use this technique to refine the pills, I may not succeed. The ancient methods of Spring Rebirth Valley have been lost for a millennium, and the pills we make now are far inferior to those described in the texts. If we don’t seize this chance to have Ren Xiaoyao help us refine them, we’ll lose the opportunity forever and regret it when it’s too late.”

Nie Qianyu began to understand her father’s reasoning. Spring Rebirth Valley had always been renowned in the martial world for its pills and healing, and outsiders assumed its thousand-year legacy meant deep reserves. But only a select few knew that the Valley’s ancient stores were long depleted, many pills had been lost to time, and the old alchemical arts had vanished—the reality was far from the glorious image others imagined.

If Zhang Xiaohua could refine all of Spring Rebirth Valley’s pills using the ancient methods, even without considering the broader impact, it would at least make Spring Rebirth Valley stand taller and prouder. Moreover, as Zhang Xiaohua continues to successfully refine the valley’s pill recipes along the way, it could be said that he is not just helping Valley Master Nie, but also paving a bright and prosperous path for the future development of Spring Rebirth Valley.

Seeing that her father’s mind was made up, Nie Qianyu nodded resolutely and said: “I understand, Father. When the time comes that we need those pill recipes, I will come and tell you.”

Valley Master Nie nodded with a smile. “I trust your judgment, Little Yu.”

His gaze drifted outside the hall as he added softly: “And I trust my own judgment as well.”

Inside the inner valley, in the pill room, Zhang Xiaohua was “toiling away” for Spring Rebirth Valley, sweat pouring down like rain. He continuously formed hand seals, sending them into the pill furnace. Although flames flickered inside the furnace, the surrounding temperature was not high at all; even with the furnace mouth wide open, not a trace of heat escaped—only the occasional speck of ash-like impurity drifted out.

The pill recipes Nie Qianyu had left behind were all ordinary pills. Even using a martial artist’s cauldron, they would only take a short while to complete, let alone with a cultivator’s pill furnace—terms like “nurturing the pill” or “forming the embryo” would pass in a flash, requiring little time. By the time Nie Qianyu was speaking with Valley Master Nie in the hall, Zhang Xiaohua had already refined half of the pills.

However, although the process for refining these pills was the same, there were subtle differences during the “nurturing” stage.

When refining Hundred Dispersal Pill and New Snow Pill in the pill furnace, Zhang Xiaohua could faintly sense the circulation of the five elements within them using his divine sense. The finished pills, though small, were like the Fasting Pills he made yesterday—the medicinal power rarely seeped out. But the Plum Tongue Pill had a significant flaw; although not as obvious as with the earlier Fasting Pills, the difference was still clear.

After a while, having finished refining the remaining herbs, Zhang Xiaohua formed a final hand seal, causing several pills of varying sizes to float before him. Using his divine sense to inspect them, he found that about half of them were brimming with fragrance. Looking at the other pills, which were perfectly round but pitch black, Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly.

If his guess was correct, the pills whose medicinal power remained contained were likely those in which all five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were present and balanced, allowing them to generate and restrain each other, forming a complete system. Only such pills could truly be called “Dan”. The others, he suspected, were missing one or more of the five elements and thus could not achieve true integration.

Alas, most of Spring Rebirth Valley’s pill recipes differed from those of the Immortal Dao. Whether in name or in the herbs used, the jade slip Zhang Xiaohua had obtained only detailed the pill-refining techniques, with just a few precious herbs described in detail and illustrated. The rest were mere names, and he couldn’t tell whether the herbs had been lost over time or simply renamed.

There was no doubt that Spring Rebirth Valley’s pill recipes originated from the Immortal Dao. But after ten thousand years, perhaps due to lost herbs or changed names, the recipes themselves had inevitably changed. The Hundred Dispesal Pill, for example, might still use herbs with the same names as before, or perhaps suitable substitutes with matching elemental properties, which allowed the pill to maintain the balance of the five elements. The Plum Tongue Pill, on the other hand, was not so fortunate—its substitute herbs likely didn’t match the original elemental attributes, or…or perhaps for some other reason Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t quite explain. In any case, the recipe was flawed!

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xiaohua stored the pills floating in the air into jade bottles, then recorded his recent insights into the jade slip. Only then did he look up, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

With the decline of the Immortal Dao, the art of alchemy had naturally waned as well. After millennia of transmission and change, the original truths were long lost. Though he possessed pill-refining techniques, he could not find the right herbs—what a pity.

Moreover, there was another key reason Zhang Xiaohua wanted to stay in Spring Rebirth Valley and use their recipes to refine pills. The jade slip described two methods of pill refinement: one was the method he currently used, activating formations with spirit stones to produce pill fire and temper the medicine. This method was suited for ordinary pills, which required little time and few incantations, with low requirements. The other method involved using external fire to directly heat the furnace, generating pill fire within it for refinement. This was used for higher-grade pills, which took much longer to form—sometimes several days, ten days, or even hundreds of days—and required extremely complex incantations. Any slight mistake could lead to failure.

Zhang Xiaohua had already mastered the first method of pill refinement, but was still unfamiliar with the second. He noticed that Spring Rebirth Valley’s alchemy practices closely resembled this second method, and since the valley also possessed unique conditions not found elsewhere, he wanted to see if he might have the opportunity to truly learn this second method here.

However, the current pill recipes only required the simpler first method, making the second unnecessary for now.

With this in mind, Zhang Xiaohua rose from his meditation cushion. Earlier, he had used his divine sense to probe the inner valley and had seen many secluded spots, lush with vegetation and crisscrossed by streams. Most importantly, the Yuan Qi in Spring Rebirth Valley was dense—there might be rare medicinal herbs hidden within, ones that divine sense alone might miss. He decided he needed to explore in person.

Moreover, since Spring Rebirth Valley’s pill recipes might be remnants of Immortal Dao heritage, there was always the chance of a fortunate encounter while wandering within.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Xiaohua formed a hand seal, leapt up, and vanished in a flash—using earth escape to travel directly into the depths of the inner valley, without even passing through the door.

Fortunately, the divine sense techniques from the latter part of “Guiding Spirit Art” were quite effective. Before long, Zhang Xiaohua arrived beside a small stream bordered by deep forest. Though the afternoon sun was blazing, this area was cool and shaded. Ahead was a small hillside, and as Zhang Xiaohua floated to its top, he saw several well-tended medicinal gardens at its base—clearly Spring Rebirth Valley’s special plots for rare herbs.

Sweeping the area with his divine sense, he found that these herbs absorbed spiritual energy much faster than those on the outskirts, and the energy here was far denser. He moved closer, bypassing a few hidden barriers, and stopped in front of one of the gardens. Squatting down, he examined the plants closely. Sure enough, it was a herb called “Corrosive Shade Grass”. This herb had the same name in both the jade slip and Spring Rebirth Valley’s records. While the jade slip lacked illustrations, the valley’s books included drawings, and both sources described it identically: “Of the yin attribute, grows by water.” In the jade slip, it was listed as an ingredient for refining “Xun Sui Pill”, while in the valley’s records, it was the main ingredient for “Awakening Spirit Pill”.

Seeing how far this place was from the valley entrance—an ideal spot for Corrosive Shade Grass to grow—Zhang Xiaohua thought that if he had to report to Valley Master Nie and then return to harvest, it would be a needless hassle. Besides, Valley Master Nie had already given him permission to freely use any herbs within the inner valley, so these distant herbs should certainly be included as well.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaohua saw no need to stand on ceremony with Valley Master Nie. He took out the jade box he had prepared for storing herbs, and, following the steps described in the jade slip, carefully harvested several stalks of Corrosive Shade Grass, sealing them within the jade box.