Dashing Student Chapter 1443 - 1440: The Path to Death

Yun Ying found herself quite helpless, only able to watch Chen Nan depart, a deep sense of loss clouding her heart. However, she quickly compelled herself to regain her composure.

"Junior Brother, I shall seek you out once my cultivation is complete. You must await my return!"

For reasons she couldn't quite pinpoint, her feelings towards Chen Nan differed from her regard for others. It might have been because Chen Nan was her sole junior brother, or perhaps it was his habit of calling her 'Female Knight,' a title that spared her from the subtle mockery others indulged in.

Alternatively, it could be that Chen Nan hailed from beyond Moon River Valley, a world she keenly longed to explore.

Regardless of the exact cause, she cherished the moments spent in Chen Nan's company.

Acknowledging Yun Ying's words with a gentle smile and a nod, Chen Nan then turned away from the Medicine Hall, setting his course toward the Pill Room.

"I truly need to regain my strength swiftly. While I remain unaware of their exact intentions, it is certain that nothing good lies in store for Yun Ying."

"Since you've saved me once, I absolutely cannot stand by idly!"

After navigating through several turns, Chen Nan arrived at the Pill Room, a structure integrated into the cliff face that, from a distance, resembled a colossal rock protruding from the mountainside.

Access to the Pill Room was restricted to a precarious, narrow path that clung to the sheer cliff. Chen Nan found himself questioning the reasoning behind Moon River Valley's choice for such an inaccessible location for their Pill Room.

Proceeding along the path toward his destination, Chen Nan halted at the entrance of the Pill Room. He clasped his hands in a respectful salute and announced, "Disciple Chen Nan, dispatched by Elder Mei Gui for assistance."

His voice seemed to fade into the distant clouds, and the Alchemy Room remained enveloped in silence, save for a subtle plume of smoke ascending from its roof, carrying with it the faint, sweet scent of medicinal elixirs.

A considerable time passed without any response from the Pill Room. Just as Chen Nan prepared to call out once more, the door swung open abruptly.

"Enter!" a gruff voice commanded from within.

Chen Nan stepped across the threshold into the Pill Room. Before him stood an immense pill furnace, reaching a staggering ten feet in height, supported by three legs and featuring three openings. Intricate carvings of fantastical beasts adorned its surface. At this very moment, the furnace glowed with intense heat.

He had previously considered his own Heavy Mountain Pill Furnace to be quite substantial, but he now recognized that there were always larger existences.

The size of a pill furnace does not inherently guarantee superior quality; in reality, larger furnaces present greater challenges in heat regulation. The crux of successful alchemy lies precisely in effective heat control, a fact that left Chen Nan somewhat perplexed.

Adjacent to the colossal pill furnace stood an elderly man, his appearance unkempt. His white hair and beard flowed freely, his clothes were ragged, and a gourd was strapped to his waist.

Despite his disheveled state, Chen Nan observed that this old man was a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Realm, seemingly on the cusp of breaching into the Nascent Soul Realm. This individual, he surmised, must be the sect's third Elder.

It remained uncertain whether Yun Ying was aware of this, but within this sect, all Elders and even the Sect Leader had attained the perfection of the Golden Core Realm, a considerable rarity among sects.

"Are you Chen Nan? Can you truly practice alchemy?" the raspy voice inquired again, emanating from the unkempt old man.

Chen Nan nodded promptly, affirming, "Yes, this disciple possesses considerable skill in the art of alchemy."

"Heh," the old man snorted derisively. "Even at my advanced age, I would hesitate to claim absolute mastery over alchemy; yet you dare to boast at such a tender age?"

"Very well, if there were any other available disciples within the sect, I would not resort to using you; come, assist me!"

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed Chen Nan a pill recipe, instructing him to commit to memory the list of spiritual materials, alongside the precise temperatures and sequence of their addition.

"This is... the Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill?"

Upon examining the pill recipe, Chen Nan instantly recognized the medicinal elixir, and his heart could not help but skip a beat.

The Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill is a sixth-grade elixir renowned for its ability to combust a cultivator's potential, compelling Golden Core Realm cultivators to forcefully advance their cultivation. However, each application of this pill depletes a user's innate potential, inflicting severe damage upon their cultivation foundation.

Furthermore, consuming this elixir to hasten cultivation provides no genuine augmentation of strength. Consequently, this pill is exclusively employed by demonic cultivators during the process of nurturing blood slaves.

Chen Nan's thoughts immediately turned to Yun Ying's precarious condition, his pupils constricting sharply. Yun Ying's ailment bore an striking resemblance to the effects experienced after ingesting the Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill.

But if this were the case, Yun Ying's future cultivation path would be irrevocably sealed. Why would her own sect subject her to such a fate? He was utterly bewildered.

"Heh, what thoughts occupy your mind?"

A sinister voice suddenly pierced the air from behind him, and the unkempt old man's face contorted into a mocking grin.

Chen Nan vigorously shook his head, responding, "Nothing of consequence. I am merely filled with admiration for the Elder's proficiency in refining sixth-grade elixirs."

"Hmph, a frog dwelling at the bottom of a well, what knowledge can such a creature possess of the vast heavens and the boundless earth?"

The disheveled elder let out a cold snort before declaring, "Alright, quickly memorize this. You'll assist me in refining these pills, and if even a single mistake is made, you'll face a dire fate within the alchemy furnace!"

"Yes," Chen Nan hastily put on a facade of fear.

Before long, the unkempt elder began the refining process. He unfastened the gourd at his waist, gave it a puff of air, and the gourd rapidly swelled to the size of a small boat.

Perching himself atop the gourd, he ascended to hover above the pill furnace. With a flick of his fingers, the flames within the furnace roared to life with intensity.

"Burning Vein Grass!"

At the command, Chen Nan located the Burning Vein Grass amidst a heap of materials on the ground. He channeled his mana, sending the spiritual medicine into the pill furnace while the elder observed from his vantage point above.

"Falling Star Flower!"

"Blood Reversing Lotus Leaf!"

...

For every spiritual medicine the unkempt elder named, Chen Nan dutifully complied. He also played a crucial role in regulating the heat, maintaining a sense of organized activity amidst the whirlwind of the refining process.

"Hmm? This young fellow is quite skilled, truly convenient to have around," the unkempt elder mused to himself.

Not only did Chen Nan react with promptness, but his genuine understanding of alchemy allowed him to subtly correct the elder's errors. On many occasions, Chen Nan had the next required spiritual medicine prepared even before the elder could utter its name.

This display of aptitude sparked a feeling of admiration within the elder.