After receiving the Dean's approval, Liu Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He naturally understood the difficulties that the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy was currently facing. Due to the academy's poor performance in recent Spiritual Academy Tournaments, even the positions of its Five Great Academy had become somewhat unstable.
However, even though he was aware of these issues, Liu Bai could do nothing about them. After all, they stemmed from the Dean's own educational philosophy, and it was not Liu Bai's place to interfere in such decisions.
The path of the strong had never been smooth or easy. Yet among the millions of students in the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy, how many were truly willing to shed their blood along this path?
Liu Bai would never try to persuade the Dean with lofty ideals such as "sacrifice for righteousness," for in his eyes, that was nothing more than hypocritical talk—using others' lives to satisfy one's moral vanity.
Of course, the Dean's overprotective attitude was also undesirable. The best solution was to allow the students to choose for themselves.
Although most people valued their own lives—especially at their age—there were still some who were determined seekers of the Dao, unyielding and courageous. The academy merely needed to provide them with the means to become stronger. Whether or not they made use of it would be up to them.
Naturally, to prevent arrogant youngsters from overestimating themselves, a selection system was still necessary. The current "Spiritual Value" system implemented by the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy was an excellent example.
By setting high prices for dangerous trials, the system effectively kept the mediocre at bay.
While Spiritual Values did not directly represent strength, those without strength would find it nearly impossible to accumulate many of them.
Moreover, in their efforts to earn more Spiritual Values, students were encouraged to take on more challenges and opportunities—serving as an indirect form of motivation.
It had to be said, the reason Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy could stand among the Five Great Academies was due to its well-designed system. As long as the Dean could let go of his inner worries, everything would fall back into order.
After returning to the Willow God Association headquarters, Liu Bai immediately summoned Guo Xiong and the others.
"I heard you implemented a points system in the Willow God Association?" Liu Bai asked.
Guo Xiong nodded. "Yes, I basically copied the academy's Spiritual Value model. I even linked the two systems together so that all members of the Willow God Association can exchange points for Spiritual Values."
Liu Bai nodded in satisfaction. He had not personally involved himself in these management details. Guo Xiong, Li Qing, and the others were capable administrators who kept the organization running smoothly, so Liu Bai saw no reason to interfere.
"Good. Then take these pills and store them in the warehouse. Make them available for exchange to all Willow God Association members using their points. Set the price twenty percent lower than the academy's—consider it a welfare benefit for everyone."
Even with a twenty percent discount, Liu Bai still made a profit. His pill refinement success rate was exceptionally high, meaning his earnings easily surpassed those of the Pill Institute's alchemists.
Furthermore, this move would stabilize the relative value between the association's points and the academy's Spiritual Values, while also providing him with a steady source of materials for alchemy. It was a plan that served three purposes at once.
"This is... the Spirit Essence Pill?" Guo Xiong and the others were stunned as they looked at the hundreds of jade bottles Liu Bai took out. Each bottle contained a pill radiating an intense medicinal fragrance.
"Boss, where did you get these?" Guo Xiong widened his eyes in disbelief.
Although these pills were of little use to them personally, nearly ninety percent of the Willow God Association's newer members were still at the Divine Soul Realm, making such pills extremely valuable.
"I've been studying alchemy recently, so I refined a few batches," Liu Bai replied casually.
His nonchalant words left everyone speechless—except for the cheerful Su Ling'er, who continued to giggle without a care in the world.
"You can refine pills?" Su Xuan asked blankly, staring at Liu Bai.
"Mm, I just got interested and studied it for a bit," Liu Bai said lightly.
Guo Xiong and the others were dumbfounded. Boss, you're showing off again, and the evidence is overwhelming!
"Boss, tell me—what is it that you can't do?" Guo Xiong sighed deeply.
Liu Bai paused for a moment before answering calmly, "Having children."
Guo Xiong: "…"
Su Xuan: "…"
Li Qing: "…"
An Ran: "…"
Su Ling'er: "...Having children? Who's having children? I'm still a baby!"
After teasing his old friends, Liu Bai felt refreshed and content.
Although he could never again experience the camaraderie of his previous life—bragging and joking with his brothers—he still needed to relax every now and then.
In the days that followed, Liu Bai did not go out.
To outsiders, it seemed like he was preparing diligently for the upcoming Divine Spiritual Mountain event, so everyone tactfully refrained from disturbing him.
However, contrary to their assumptions, Liu Bai was living quite leisurely. Whenever he got bored, he refined some pills or crafted spiritual artifacts. He had not taken out these items yet, as he intended to leave some for the Liu family.
As long as the Willow God Association's operations could cover his material costs, everything beyond that was pure profit—resources he could conveniently store in his spatial ring for future use.
Yet just as Liu Bai was enjoying his calm days, a rumor suddenly began spreading throughout the academy.
The Willow God Association was said to be "mass producing" Spirit Essence Pills, available for exchange using their internal points—and at prices cheaper than the academy's!
At first, few paid attention. But as more people spoke of it, and as members of the Willow God Association confirmed the news, it quickly caused a stir among the new students.
Eventually, Guo Xiong had to publicly explain the situation, stating that these pills had all been refined by their president, Liu Bai, as a form of support for his members.
His explanation not only earned Liu Bai greater admiration from his followers but also caught the attention of sharp-eyed individuals who noticed a key detail—Liu Bai could refine pills!
In the Artifact Hall, Elder Chi Huo, who was just preparing to forge a high-grade spiritual armor for his disciple, overheard the spreading rumor and froze in surprise.
"That brat... when did he learn alchemy?"
When Liu Bai had exchanged for the basic Pill Refinement Manual, he had yet to make a name for himself. Apart from a few insiders, no one knew of it. Since he had not shown any involvement with alchemy afterward, this revelation naturally came as a shock.
"Aiya, why should I worry about that? That brat is a freak anyway. The more he can do, the better—as long as he doesn't neglect his artifact forging, it's fine."
Having interacted with Liu Bai the most, Elder Chi Huo was already well acquainted with his monstrous talent. At this point, no matter how unbelievable the news was, he could still keep a straight face.
"Although... could this end up drawing out that old geezer Kong Qing from the Pill Hall?"
If Elder Chi Huo had known his words would prove prophetic, he would have suspected himself of being cursed. For indeed, the news had just reached the Spiritual Pill Institute.
"You're saying that a young man who has been in the academy for barely a year can already mass-produce third-grade pills such as Spirit Essence Pills and Spirit-Stabilizing Pills?"
Beside a blazing furnace, an elderly man in a gray, wide-sleeved robe with an unkempt appearance looked at his disciple in surprise.
This elder was none other than the Heavenly Seat Elder of the Spiritual Pill Institute, Elder Kong Qing. His disciple was the Earth Seat Elder, Elder Ming Shi.
"Yes, Master," Ming Shi replied respectfully. "I even managed to exchange one from a member of the Willow God Association. Its medicinal potency was excellent, and its quality top-tier. Unless the refiner is a high-ranking Spiritual Alchemist, it means his foundation in alchemy is incredibly solid. I believe it should be the latter…"
Unless the other party's alchemy had reached a realm comparable to his own, it would be impossible to refine a Spirit Essence Pill of such high quality.
However, considering that the other party was merely a teenager, Ming Shi could not believe that his alchemy had truly reached the same realm as his. Therefore, the only explanation was that his foundational mastery was extremely firm.
"Come, follow me to take a look," Elder Kong Qing said decisively.
But his words immediately startled Ming Shi, who hastily tried to dissuade him. "No, that would not be appropriate. How could my teacher personally meet with a student? I will send someone to inform Liu Bai and have him come to the Spiritual Pill Institute to meet you instead."
His teacher had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, never participating in Elder Council meetings, yet today he was suddenly interested in meeting a student. Ming Shi could not make sense of it.
"Hmm, that works too."
In truth, Elder Kong Qing's thoughts were quite simple and pure. He had no interest in power or politics, so he often skipped such meetings. However, a possible alchemy prodigy like Liu Bai naturally intrigued him far more. Thus, he agreed without hesitation.
After finally persuading his rather "willful" teacher, Ming Shi let out a sigh of relief. However, instead of sending someone else to deliver the message, he chose to go personally.
There was no helping it. When the teacher had business, the disciple naturally had to serve. Besides, Liu Bai was no ordinary student. Even as an Earth Seat Elder, Ming Shi dared not show arrogance. Given Liu Bai's monstrous talent, it might not take more than two years before the boy surpassed him.
Meanwhile, though Liu Bai had been living rather leisurely lately, his gains were considerable.
Most notably, his progress in the Dao of Alchemy had been tremendous. With the Azure Ram Pill Codex in his possession, he naturally had the means to advance further. Yet this time, he chose not to rely on experience points, but instead to use his unparalleled foundational mastery to gradually break into the Intermediate Spiritual Alchemist realm.
Surprisingly, after several months of effort, Liu Bai achieved notable success—he had successfully refined his first Grade Four Spiritual Pill!
Being able to refine a Grade Four Spiritual Pill meant that he had reached the level of a Fourth Rank Spiritual Alchemist. This not only filled Liu Bai with immense joy but also gave him a deep sense of satisfaction. It seemed that even without the system, he was not entirely useless—at least when it came to alchemy, he did have genuine talent.
Just as Liu Bai completed the refinement of his Grade Four Spiritual Pill, Ming Shi arrived at the Willow God Association's residence. The moment he entered, he sensed an intense surge of pill energy fluctuating through the air.
"This is... a Grade Four Pill?! Could it be Liu Bai again..."
At that instant, Ming Shi's heart was deeply shaken.
If Liu Bai's ability to refine the Spirit Essence Pill had already been impressive, that was still a Grade Three Spiritual Pill, a lower-tier level. In the Great Thousand World, or even on a single continent, such alchemy geniuses could occasionally appear.
But a Grade Four Spirit Pill was entirely different.
Though the difference between a Grade Three and Grade Four Pill was only one rank, it marked the division between the lower and middle tiers—a chasm as vast as the heavens and earth. Crossing that threshold was far from easy.
Recalling his own experience, Ming Shi remembered that it had taken him three whole years to finally become a Grade Four Alchemist back then.
"I really have encountered a monstrous talent this time..." Ming Shi sighed in amazement. Realizing that Liu Bai had just finished his refinement, he transmitted his voice forward.
"Liu Bai, Elder Ming Shi of the Spiritual Pill Institute's Earth Seat has come to visit. May I request an audience?"
His tone was extremely polite. After all, in Ming Shi's view, a prodigious talent like Liu Bai would undoubtedly catch his teacher's attention. If his teacher decided to take Liu Bai as a disciple, that would make Liu Bai his junior brother—so being courteous was certainly wise.
Liu Bai, who had just finished his refinement and hadn't even had time to admire his handiwork, was startled when he heard someone calling for him. Initially, he felt a bit annoyed, but upon hearing the visitor's identity, he was shocked.
"What's going on? Why would someone from the Spiritual Pill Institute come, and an Earth Seat Elder at that?"
He had no idea about the rumors spreading outside. The Willow God Association had become the hottest organization among new students, with countless people trying to join. However, Guo Xiong and Li Qing had worried that taking in too many members at once might cause trouble, so they had declared a temporary halt to recruitment, suppressing the frenzy.
Yet, this only made the rumors about Liu Bai grow even more exaggerated. Thanks to the boasting of certain talkative members of the Association, his reputation had taken on an almost mythical tone.
Of course, Liu Bai knew nothing about this, and neither did Ming Shi, who was waiting outside.
After hearing the self-introduction, Liu Bai quickly invited Ming Shi into the reception hall.
Although this was not their first meeting, Ming Shi could not help but feel a renewed sense of awe when he saw Liu Bai's youthful face again.
"Elder Ming Shi, may I ask what brings you here today?" Seeing the elder staring straight at him, Liu Bai felt a little uneasy and quickly asked.
Ming Shi came back to his senses, smiling awkwardly. "Apologies, I was being rude. The reason I came is because there are rumors throughout the Academy that you can refine the Grade Three Spirit Essence Pill. I only wished to confirm it for myself. However, I did not expect to arrive just as you were refining a pill. May I ask—was that a Grade Four Pill you were refining just now?"
Though he already had his suspicions, Ming Shi could not help but seek confirmation.
....
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