"...You want to become alchemists?"
Bai Fanxian paused after hearing the request from all three children.
Honestly, she'd been considering teaching her followers alchemy. She simply didn't want to force it on anyone. Everyone had their own path to follow.
Which was why she'd never brought it up with the children before.
But now that they'd asked themselves, she couldn't be more pleased. Huang Zihuan caught the small sparkle in his lady's eyes.
The elderly butler recognized that quality in her—she had a teacher's temperament. It showed in how she'd answer questions from anyone in those Q&A threads, or at the alchemy seminar. If she knew something, she'd share it freely.
Her teaching methods could be harsh, but for that group who seemed to enjoy her scoldings, it worked perfectly.
These three children, though, might find it shocking.
"...I understand."
Bai Fanxian nodded. She studied all three children carefully. They were completely different from each other, with characteristics going in entirely different directions. She'd need separate approaches for each of them.
Hui'er with her fierce Yang power required one form of training. Tang Yeye, being the opposite pole, needed something else entirely.
Mei Ying was the tricky one.
"You need to train Sword Arts with your grandfather."
Mei Ying, who'd been waiting expectantly, looked crushed. Zheng Renyi, on the other hand, perked up immediately and nodded along as if Bai Fanxian had said the wisest thing in the world.
Huang Zihuan sighed. His lady could be too blunt sometimes.
"My lady, you should explain why..."
Bai Fanxian paused, then cleared her throat.
"...Your cultivation's only at Qi Gathering stage. For alchemists, higher cultivation opens up higher-level pill refining."
Having spent so long with the Tang family, Huang Zihuan understood this limitation well. Even his master Tang Tianjie was blocked by this wall—stuck at Tier 3 pills.
"Exactly. At Qi Gathering stage, even Tier 1 pills have a high failure rate."
The elderly butler's addition made Mei Ying realize she hadn't been rejected after all. She whirled toward her grandfather with newfound determination:
"Then in the mornings I'll train Sword Arts with Grandfather. In the afternoons, I'll study alchemy!"
Zheng Renyi nodded with a smile. Finally, his only granddaughter would inherit his Sword Art—and alchemy knowledge from the Alchemy Empress herself. Her future looked incredibly bright!
"You two as well. Understand?"
Bai Fanxian turned to the other two children who flinched slightly. Liu Yianfei smiled and said:
"During this vacation, I'll help be their sparring partner. Then when Grandmaster Xie gets back, we can work out a proper training schedule."
Of course, because Xie Suyao hadn't returned yet. But when she came back, she'd naturally be willing to help gladly.
"Alright... this afternoon, you all follow me to the field."
.
.
.
Lunch passed quickly after that. Once they'd helped Huang Zihuan with the dishes, the children gathered at the field beside the house.
The recently renovated property left this area still untidy. Bai Fanxian saw it as the perfect spot to install something.
The household members gathered to watch, confused about what was happening. Then Bai Fanxian waved her hand lightly. The ground split open as if something had carved out a massive chunk. She slashed her hand again and dimensional fluctuations appeared beside her. A terrifying rift opened, and something floated out.
It looked like a door.
When it emerged fully, everyone gasped—it was enormous, fitting perfectly into that excavated hole!
The structure resembled some ancient mechanism. Even Liu Yianfei, with all his military experience, had never seen anything like it.
Once installed, Bai Fanxian surveyed the area and waved her hand again. The ground rose to seal the room completely, leaving only the distinctive entrance visible.
Bai Fanxian placed her palm on the entrance. The mechanism sensed its owner's qi and activated. The door opened slowly. When it swung wide, even Dragon Queen got goosebumps from what she sensed inside.
Treasures. High-level materials. Everywhere.
"...Welcome to my workshop."
Bai Fanxian walked in, leaving her followers gaping behind her—all except Hui'er, who'd seen this before. Stepping inside felt like entering another world. Equipment and exotic materials filled every corner. Huang Zihuan thought that if Tang Tianjie, alchemy-obsessed as he was, ever saw this room, he'd cry tears of joy.
"...Young lady, these ginseng..."
Sword Master Zheng Renyi's voice trembled as he passed the herb garden in one corner. Ginseng grew there as if in their natural habitat. But the critical part was—
...he couldn't determine their age!?
Little Red—Dragon Queen—shot over on her tiny wings and perched on the fence, eyes sparkling as she stared at the herbs. Drool leaked from the corner of her mouth.
"Master! Can I eat just one bite?"
Even a Semi-Immortal couldn't help feeling jealous. Everything in this room held genuine value!
Bai Fanxian ignored her and walked to a corner where several alchemy cauldrons sat. She examined them slowly. Though none compared to her main cauldron, each one here was high-level—capable of refining Tier 7 pills.
Each had different characteristics. But none seemed suitable for three children just starting out.
Where had all the beginner cauldrons gone?
"...Huang Zihuan, does the Tang family have cauldrons for practicing alchemy?"
Bai Fanxian turned to ask the elderly butler, who nodded but with uncertainty.
"Not sure, but the research room might have some Tier 2 ones..."
Despite being an alchemy family, the Tangs rarely kept beginner cauldrons around. After someone passed the Tier 1 stage, those practice cauldrons—beaten up from countless failed attempts—weren't worth keeping.
People saved them as mementos at most.
Still, Huang Zihuan knew exactly where to get practice cauldrons. And that place would have plenty to spare.
"...If you call them, I bet they'd send some over for free."
Ten minutes later, chaos erupted at the Alchemists' Association. One of their highest-ranking elders—the "Alchemy Empress" herself—had called with a request: she needed practice alchemy cauldrons.
This was her first request since accepting the position and becoming a Tier 4 alchemist.
Elder Chen Deming, temporarily handling the chairman position, immediately called several close elders for an urgent meeting.
"Elder Fang, what do you think she's up to?" The old man turned to Fang Niang—that small woman who, despite her age, still looked youthful.
"Not sure... Maybe experimenting with something?"
"Or maybe teaching someone?"
One elder's suggestion made the room fall silent. That seemed most likely. Someone like Grandmaster Bai wouldn't need cheap practice cauldrons herself. She must have taken on students.
"Elder Sun's doing business out east. Let's have him deliver the stuff and ask her about this."
"Good thinking. If we can get her or her students in the upcoming competition, with the Alchemy Empress's name attached, we'd pull huge numbers."
They reached their decision.
Transportation moved through the fastest channels. Less than two hours later, Master Sun—Elder Sun Mingchuan—stood at Bai Fanxian's residence with over ten beginner cauldrons packed in crates.
He felt hesitant, slightly nervous. He'd once been displeased with the "Alchemy Empress" after she demolished his thread. But after witnessing her knowledge and abilities firsthand, he'd become one of her most loyal fans.
He pressed the doorbell with withered fingers, but heard no sound. Puzzled, he pressed it repeatedly, tilting his head.
Was it broken? He'd have to mention it to the Empress.
Before he knew it, the elderly butler appeared on the other side with a dry smile. The old man greeted Master Sun respectfully, then opened the door and used his authority to let Sun Mingchuan enter the Border.
Huang Zihuan led Master Sun to the reception room, where Bai Fanxian and the three children already waited. As for her workshop—the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Less trouble that way.
"Empress!"
The moment he saw his idol, Sun Mingchuan seemed years younger.
"I've brought the practice cauldrons you needed."
The old man set boxes of cauldrons on the table. Bai Fanxian flipped her hand and one cauldron floated over for inspection.
She nodded. Low quality, but perfect for beginners. The children could explode as many as they wanted without regret. She sent one cauldron to each of the three. Master Sun watched it all.
"You're teaching the kids alchemy?"
He could tell at a glance, but needed to confirm.
"Problem with that?"
"No! Not at all!" Master Sun waved his hands quickly. He didn't want her to misunderstand.
"Actually, I wanted to ask—would you be interested in having the kids participate in the association's alchemy competition?"
That caught Bai Fanxian's interest. She nodded slightly. "Tell me more..."
"Well, the association's been running a project to teach alchemy to ordinary people and anyone interested. I'm handling the media side. We've already got partnerships set up."
That was the background. After Master Sun's displeasure and Wen Long's exposure by reporters, they'd changed the celebrity brand ambassador. Plus, they'd received support from the Yang family company for advertising and filming locations. The project exploded beyond expectations.
From general knowledge lectures, they'd opened the first "Alchemy" competition. Using a cooking competition show format—many contestants, different weekly challenges, gradual elimination until two finalists faced off.
They could do this because cultivators had been revealed to the world. And the more they promoted it, the more overwhelming the response became.
Cultivators were interested. Ordinary people who'd never seen anything like this wanted to know what "alchemy" really was.
The overwhelming support made it the most-watched program of the era.
"...So if you're interested, I'd love for the kids to get some experience in this competition. We've got clear level divisions—beginners only face other beginners. Totally fair."
Master Sun smiled as he finished. The more interested Bai Fanxian looked, the more confident he felt she'd say yes.
"...Can I join too?"
Bai Fanxian's question delighted Master Sun. "Of course! I was just about to invite you as an honorary judge..."
"No, I mean as a contestant. Can I compete?"
"..."
Master Sun's mind went blank.
"You're... you're joking, right?"