Chapter 20: Instruction

Li Zhirui’s mind was racing with schemes, and while some present were aware of it, others were merely immersed in joy, thinking of him as a good child who prioritized the family's interests.

Sitting at the head of the table, Li Shiqing asked with a smile in his eyes, "Have you decided?"

If anyone among the dozen or so people present had seen through Li Zhirui's entire plan, it was undoubtedly Li Shiqing.

However, Li Shiqing felt no dissatisfaction with this, nor did he feel there was anything wrong with Li Zhirui's approach; on the contrary, it made him appreciate and value Li Zhirui even more.

Previously, while under the rule of the Beast Taming Sect, the Li family's development had been very slow due to the sect's domineering and feudal nature. However, this had also ensured a relatively peaceful environment for the family, preventing them from coming into contact with the true cultivation world.

Consequently, many clansmen still held outdated views; their mindsets were fixed, and they were quite foolish, lacking in cunning and depth.

But things were different now. The Li family had moved away from Bailang County to this vast ocean, and the true, cruel world of cultivation was opening its gates to the Li family's cultivators.

If they continued as before, there was no telling how many clansmen would fall victim to others' schemes and become nothing more than bleached bones on the path of cultivation.

Now, Li Shiqing realized that as the most valued clansman—and perhaps the future leader of the Li family—Li Zhirui's intelligence was something to be celebrated. How could he not be satisfied?

"Yes!" Li Zhirui knew his little schemes had been seen through by Li Shiqing, but he did not panic in the slightest. He replied decisively, "Once the family has selected the clansmen to be trained, I will go and teach them."

As for his insights on alchemy, Li Zhirui needed to organize them first. Since he had started learning alchemy, he had never forgotten to record his realizations and confusions. To this day, he had recorded two full jade slips, totaling tens of thousands of words.

"Since you are willing, then it is decided." Li Shiqing waved his hand and said, "Everyone, return to your own business."

After leaving the main hall, Li Zhirui followed Li Shile to the warehouse to hand over this month's supply of spiritual pills to the family.

"You're no pushover, kid. You didn't mention a single condition in the main hall. What are you planning?" Having interacted with Li Zhirui frequently, Li Shile had become quite close to him, which allowed him to tease him like this.

Li Zhirui said with a beaming smile, "Grandpa Le, what are you saying? Can't it just be because I want to repay the family for raising me all these years?"

"It's not that I doubt your loyalty to the family, but you definitely have other calculations." Li Shile didn't believe a word of Li Zhirui's sweet talk.

However, seeing that Li Zhirui was unwilling to speak, Li Shile did not force him. Regardless, the boy had a sense of propriety, and given his second brother's intelligence, he was certain the man had seen through the boy's purpose.

"Grandpa Le, I'll be going now." Li Zhirui needed to hurry and organize his insights. If he hadn't prepared his materials by the time the family arranged the personnel, it would have been quite embarrassing.

***

Three days later, Li Zhirui awaited the seven clansmen arranged by the family. Among them were two alchemists previously trained by the family, most of whom were his elders. Only Li Zhilan and Li Zhirui were of the same generation, though she was his elder female cousin.

After greeting everyone one by one, Li Zhirui brought out his prepared alchemy insights and distributed them to everyone, saying, "I don't actually know how to refine pills myself; it is merely a matter of practice making perfect."

"In these jade slips, I have recorded all the problems I encountered during my practice, along with their solutions and key points to note during alchemy."

"Therefore, I hope the elders can thoroughly study the contents of these slips before we begin practicing. This will also save the family some spiritual herbs. What do you all think?"

"Mhm, Xiao Rui is right! One should indeed master the pill recipes first; only then can one master the methods more quickly."

Li Shihe, the highest in seniority and one of the only two alchemists present, stepped forward to support Li Zhirui, effectively providing him with backing. Otherwise, as a junior, assigning tasks to elders right from the start—even with good intentions—might have made people feel uncomfortable.

Li Zhirui bowed slightly to Li Shihe in thanks, unable to help but feel inwardly that he was still too young. Despite his cleverness, he could not avoid certain oversights.

"Gather at the alchemy room in ten days," Li Shihe took over the leadership.

Once everyone was arranged, they dispersed. Ten days later, the eight of them gathered in the alchemy room.

"Kid Rui, I can already refine Jade Spirit Pills. Watch my process first," Li Shihe began. "I feel like something is going wrong somewhere."

As an alchemist trained by the family, Li Shihe's talent in alchemy was not inferior to Li Zhirui's, and he possessed more experience. Although he had not yet reached the realm of "mastering one method to understand all methods," ten days had been enough for him to learn the water-refining method for Jade Spirit Pills.

At the same time, Li Shihe stepped forward for Li Zhirui's sake, to ensure it would be easier for him to teach the others later.

Now that the most senior elder and the family's Alchemy Elder was willing to accept Li Zhirui's guidance, how could the others refuse?

"Grandpa Shihe, please proceed," Li Zhirui said respectfully.

To be honest, Li Zhirui truly had no standing to instruct Li Shihe. Judging by his technique, he was far more sophisticated than Li Zhirui; his hand seals were precise, and he steadily refined seven Jade Spirit Pills.

The only flaw was likely that Li Shihe was accustomed to the fire-refining method; during the initial extraction of the spiritual herbs, he had been a bit too forceful, resulting in a slightly lower amount of essence.

"I felt something was off before, but I couldn't pinpoint the problem. So that was it."

Hearing Li Zhirui point out his mistake, Li Shihe said with an admiring expression, "As expected of the pride of our Li family!"

"Grandpa Shihe, it's because you are used to the fire-refining method that you didn't notice. Everything else was perfect; I could never reach your level." Li Zhirui wasn't being falsely modest; he was telling the truth.

Li Shihe waved his hand and said, "You all go one by one. Let the boy see."

The other elders took turns refining pills, and the results surprised Li Zhirui. He hadn't expected that among those present, besides the two original alchemists, one of the other five would also be able to refine Jade Spirit Pills. Although it was a struggle—producing only one pill of mediocre quality—they had managed it.

What Li Zhirui didn't know was that some of these people were alchemy apprentices, while others possessed powerful divine sense; in short, they all had certain advantages in refining Jade Spirit Pills.

Furthermore, the alchemy insights Li Zhirui provided were extremely comprehensive, which was why that clansman with the powerful soul was able to learn the process.

With such an example, Li Zhirui felt that among the remaining clansmen, there might even be a few more who could refine Jade Spirit Pills.

Regrettably, by the time the moon reached its zenith, the others had still not learned; they always failed at some particular step.

Li Zhirui sighed inwardly. Judging by the current situation, these individuals indeed lacked talent in the path of alchemy.

If they were to insist on learning, it would likely require a massive consumption of spiritual herbs to provide them with practice before they could possibly succeed.

"Let's call it a day," Li Shihe said. He was not disappointed by this result.

The Li family had tried this before with no effect. In truth, the fact that even one clansman had learned to refine Jade Spirit Pills was enough to make Li Shihe very satisfied.

"Remember to come to the alchemy room tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon." Having said that, he signaled for Li Zhirui to follow him out.