“Oh?” The woman was taken aback when Jiang Xiaobai mentioned her pill formula, her brows furrowing again as her gaze towards him began to shift, showing a hint of displeasure.

Jiang Xiaobai’s upfront critique of her formula unsettled her.

Furthermore, the Elder Huang he mentioned must be Huang Lin Yuan from the Spirit Taming Grounds.

She was unaware that Huang Lin Yuan had taken on an official disciple, especially someone as ill as Jiang Xiaobai appeared to be.

Cultivators typically don’t suffer from mundane illnesses since the process of cultivation involves purifying the body with spiritual energy. The fact that Jiang Xiaobai nearly coughed up blood indicated a severe condition. Moreover, while Huang Lin Yuan is an authority in beast taming, he’s not known for his knowledge of pill formulas, suggesting that his disciple, Jiang Xiaobai, would be even less knowledgeable about pills.

Thus, she deduced that Jiang Xiaobai’s critique was likely just a pretext for striking up a conversation with her, a common occurrence given her status as a pill master often approached by other disciples from the Yunjian Sect. Instinctively, she assumed Jiang Xiaobai had similar intentions.

Noticing the woman’s cooling demeanor, Jiang Xiaobai continued, “Oh, I noticed you used ingredients like the Sky Origin Fruit, Snow Lotus Seed, Drunken Dragon Grass, Eight-petal Immortal Orchid…” As he listed the ingredients, the woman’s initially cold expression turned to one of astonishment, her view of Jiang Xiaobai shifting significantly.

After Jiang Xiaobai named over a dozen spiritual herbs, the woman expressed her surprise, “You… you recognize all of them?”

“Not only do I recognize them,” Jiang Xiaobai said with a pale but smiling face, “Based on these ingredients, I also know you’re trying to concoct a pill that instantaneously boosts spiritual energy!”

The woman was shocked into silence by Jiang Xiaobai’s assertion. He continued, “But the effects of your spiritual herbs conflict with each other. Following this formula, your concoction will still fail.”

“Then… do you know how to resolve it?” she couldn’t help asking.

“Yes, the Sky Origin Fruit and Drunken Dragon Grass you’re using actually can’t be fused directly. You need to add a bit of Earth Spirit Root to neutralize them; otherwise, the special spiritual attracting effect of the Sky Origin Fruit will be dispersed.”

“Also, using the petals of the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid is not appropriate since their medicinal strength is too potent and conflicts even more with the overall medicinal effect. However, using the stem of the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid would be different.”

“Oh, and your…” Jiang Xiaobai continued, occasionally coughing but the woman was too engrossed to interrupt, listening patiently as he detailed each herb’s required proportions meticulously.

Her expression grew more intrigued, and she fell into deep thought. “That’s all I have to say!” Jiang Xiaobai concluded, coughing twice more, “I wish you success, miss!”

With that, he waved to the woman and left. By the time she snapped back to reality, Jiang Xiaobai was already far away. She blinked, then hurried back to where the spiritual herbs were stored, moving quickly. She understood some of what Jiang Xiaobai had said but not all. Yet, she felt the modifications Jiang Xiaobai suggested could indeed make her formula workable.

On the way back, Zhou Bin occasionally looked at the smiling Jiang Xiaobai, finally unable to restrain his curiosity, “Xiaobai, what did you say to her?”

“Oh, nothing much, just getting to know her!”

Jiang Xiaobai responded, “What if we could become friends?” Zhou Bin looked at him quizzically, then replied after a moment, “Xiaobai, I really don’t want to discourage you!” He continued, pausing for emphasis, “I admit you are indeed good-looking, but in our Yunjian Sect, talent and strength are what truly attract attention!”

“Moreover, she is a distinguished pill master; it’s unlikely she would take notice of us, let alone become friends.”

“Why sell yourself short?” Jiang Xiaobai said with a smile, “Besides, I’m just trying!”

With a flicker of determination in his eyes, Jiang Xiaobai knew he had a theoretical understanding but lacked the spiritual power to concoct pills. Now that he had the chance to get to know someone skilled in pill making, he wouldn’t pass it up. However, this might make his knowledge of medicine public, making him somewhat conspicuous as a minor figure in their sect. Yet, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. So, regardless of the outcome, he was ready to face it.

Zhou Bin, seeing Jiang Xiaobai’s determination, shook his head and said no more. As they returned home and the sky darkened, Jiang Xiaobai meditated on his bed, coughing a few times before swallowing a Bigu Pill and closing his eyes to cultivate. Zhou Bin sat opposite, also entering a state of cultivation.

At the Danling Place, in the inner hall, with the guidance of spiritual power, a pill landed in Ning Zhi Xi’s hand. “Elder Ning, how is it?” Nie Yuan, watching eagerly, asked. Ning Zhi Xi, holding the pill, stood up and handed it to Nie Yuan, “This pill… still has problems.”

Taking the pill and sniffing it, Nie Yuan looked at Ning Zhi Xi, “Elder Ning, what do we do now? The ancestor urgently needs this pill, this…”

“Elder Nie, don’t worry. I’ll go back and figure out the problem,” Ning Zhi Xi assured. “In the meantime, don’t rush to make more, to avoid wasting spiritual herbs.”

“Alright,” Nie Yuan sighed, “I’ll wait for your good news.”

As Ning Zhi Xi left, Nie Yuan stood there, pulling out the formula and falling into deep thought. Soon after, a figure entered, hesitating before saying, “Master, I’ve finished my pill concoction. Would you like to see it?” It was the woman Jiang Xiaobai had advised.

Lifting his head, Nie Yuan’s expression softened, “Yes, show me.” The woman approached, respectfully presenting her pill to Nie Yuan, who, upon receiving it, immediately showed surprise at its scent and then examined the pill, his astonishment growing.

“Qin Ru, what formula did you use?” Nie Yuan asked, looking at her in wonder. The woman, feeling a bit awkward, explained the improved formula Jiang Xiaobai had helped her with. “Brilliant, this combination of herbs is brilliant!” Nie Yuan couldn’t help but praise her, “With this formula, your two senior brothers might not even compare to you!”

Looking at the pill, he declared, “This formula should be added to the sect’s archive!” The woman was startled, knowing the significance of being added to the archive. This was an unexpectedly pleasant development, but her face showed deeper embarrassment as she hesitated to speak.

“Hehe, what’s wrong? Are you embarrassed now?” Nie Yuan smiled, “Qin Ru, you’ve always had great potential. Work hard, and the position of my successor could be yours!”

“Thank you, Master!” The woman wanted to say more, but Nie Yuan gave her no chance, “Alright, you can go. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Yes!” As the woman nodded, she glanced at the formula in Nie Yuan’s hand, her gaze filled with curiosity. She knew her master had been researching this formula for a long time, always failing. She wondered what pill it was, but it was clearly beyond her current level, so she respectfully said, “Master, I’ll leave you to it,” and then departed with a bow.