"Moreover, the minimum cultivation requirement is Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement."
"Otherwise, if your cultivation is too low, your spiritual energy won't be enough to continuously control the fire or sense the medicinal properties of herbs, making it difficult even to distinguish spirit plants."
"And these are just the most basic prerequisites. Moving up from there requires using countless spirit stones for trial and error."
"To become a First-Tier alchemist, you have to spend at least a thousand low-grade spirit stones."
"This is simply not something an ordinary family can afford to support."
Speaking up to this point, Bai Yue fell into a brief silence.
Evidently, this conversation with Ye Hao had reminded Bai Yue of the hardships she had experienced while practicing alchemy back in her family.
Fortunately, none of it had been in vain. She had entered the Foundation Establishment realm and even become a Second-Tier alchemist, starting to give back to her entire family.
"I had no idea it was this difficult."
Ye Hao had initially thought that becoming an alchemist would be quite simple.
Looking at it now, the resources required to become an alchemist in the early stages were truly immense.
For the time being, he had no such intentions anymore.
"Of course. Outsiders only see how lucrative being an alchemist is."
"They never consider that if such a lucrative profession were so easy to achieve, wouldn't everyone be an alchemist?"
Coming back to her senses, Bai Yue raised her beautiful eyes to look at Ye Hao, covering her mouth with a soft chuckle as she responded.
"Alright, Sister, it's getting late, so I'll be heading back now."
Ye Hao stood up, seeing that it was about time.
He cupped his hands in farewell.
"Go ahead, little brother."
Bai Yue nodded.
This little guy was much more interesting than Wen Liang.
Ye Hao turned and left, quickly finding Senior Brother Wan Bao waiting at the entrance of the market.
"Senior Brother Wan Bao, let's head back."
Ye Hao looked at him and reminded him with a smile.
"How did it go? What good stuff did you buy this time?"
Wan Bao looked at Ye Hao, raising an eyebrow slightly as he asked out of curiosity.
Afterward, he took out his plantain leaf.
The two sat on it together and flew off toward the Baiyun Sect.
Ye Hao gave a light smile and nodded, replying, "I bought a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills and plan to go back to cultivate."
"Impressive!"
"This old guy is thoroughly impressed."
"A bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills costs at least a hundred low-grade spirit stones. I can't believe you were willing to part with that much!"
Wan Bao had been controlling the plantain leaf, but when he heard that Ye Hao had actually bought a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills in one go, he froze in surprise, causing his output of spiritual energy to falter slightly.
Fortunately, he quickly returned to normal.
Those were high-grade Qi Gathering Pills.
Naturally, he knew the price.
A bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills was worth at least a hundred spirit stones, yet the Ye Hao before him acted as nonchalantly as if he were buying a bag of white spirit rice.
That sense of total indifference, of not putting Qi Gathering Pills in his eyes at all—Wan Bao couldn't pretend to have that even if he tried.
Still, Ye Hao had casually whipped out two First-Tier high-grade Fireball Talismans earlier.
Thinking about it that way, it actually seemed quite normal for Ye Hao to just buy a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Pills.
"If I have spirit stones on me, of course I should spend them to break through to Third-Layer Qi Refinement sooner."
"That way, I can claim a cultivation technique for free."
Ye Hao said with a smile.
"True enough, speed in one step leads to speed in every step."
"You're still young. If you can really break through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement before twenty, you might even be selected in advance as an inner disciple."
Hearing Ye Hao say this, Wan Bao came to a realization and nodded thoughtfully.
Only now did he remember how very young Ye Hao was.
Handyman disciples all possessed low-grade spirit roots.
However, as long as they broke through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement, they became eligible to become outer disciples.
Yet precisely because handyman disciples mostly had low-grade spirit roots, those disciples who managed to break through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement were generally over forty or even fifty years old.
They fundamentally lacked the potential for Foundation Establishment.
Therefore, Baiyun Sect had a special exception rule.
Among handyman disciples, if one could break through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement before turning twenty, they were qualified to be exceptionally promoted to an inner disciple.
Because reaching Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement before twenty meant they had a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm in their lifetime.
And only by becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator could one truly enter the high-level ranks of Baiyun Sect.
"I'll strive for it," Ye Hao replied with a smile.
If the Senior Brother Wan Bao before him knew that he had already reached Fifth-Layer Qi Refinement and would even break through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement before long, allowing him to directly become an inner disciple right then...
He wondered what Wan Bao would end up thinking.
However, he knew that if he truly revealed his real realm, let alone becoming an inner disciple, he might be targeted and snatched away by some old monster to extract the secrets in his heart—or even turned into a puppet.
Therefore, before he possessed absolute self-preservation capability, he definitely could not expose his secrets.
In fact, he had already considered that perhaps he could just remain a handyman disciple indefinitely.
After all, the resources he needed could be obtained entirely through the system's returns.
He didn't need the sect.
At worst, he could spend a few more spirit stones to buy what he needed.
Ye Hao had even thought that as long as Baiyun Sect didn't collapse, he could stay in this handyman disciple identity until the end of time.
Wan Bao lightly patted Ye Hao's shoulder and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Ye, I believe you will definitely succeed."
"Then I'll take your good words, Senior Brother," Ye Hao replied with a smile and a nod.
The two chatted as they flew in the direction of Baiyun Sect.
An hour later, the two finally returned to Baiyun Sect and parted ways.
After all, their wooden huts were not in the same direction.
While Ye Hao had been browsing other stalls, Wan Bao hadn't been idle either.
Wan Bao had purchased some cultivation supplies.
This time, he also intended to make a push for Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement, considering it a way to fulfill a personal wish of his.
Whether he succeeded or failed, he could accept the outcome.
...
"Forget it, I'll just rest for tonight."
After returning to his wooden hut, Ye Hao lay down on the bed.
However, Ye Hao did not plan to cultivate.
He was truly exhausted today, having experienced a battle and met an alchemist.
Not only had she answered his questions, but she had even given him a Healing Pill for free.
It just seemed a bit difficult for him to become an alchemist in the short term.
As for cultivating, that would have to wait until he was well-rested and recharged.
Taking the Qi Gathering Pills to cultivate tomorrow would be the best choice.
"It's time for the settlement again."
Ye Hao glanced at the time marked on the system and immediately opened his eyes.
He looked toward the empty air at the screen of light, waiting for the system's announcement.
[Today's Harvest: 330 low-grade spirit stones, 1 bottle of First-Tier high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, 1 First-Tier high-grade Healing Pill.]
[50x Yield Settlement.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained 16,500 low-grade spirit stones, 50 bottles of First-Tier high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and 50 First-Tier high-grade Healing Pills.]
Rate on N.U.
