She stuck out her tongue shyly, feigning embarrassment.
"If only I were as skilled as Senior Sister."
Situ Yue's eyes slowly turned red.
The Senior Brothers nearby immediately felt a stab of pity.
"Little Junior Sister, your talent simply isn't in alchemy. Don't belittle yourself."
"Senior Sister has just studied a few hundred years longer than you. It's nothing to compare."
In their effort to comfort Situ Yue, they quickly reduced Lan Yue to someone completely useless.
Standing at a distance, Lan Yue's heart had long since gone numb. Ever since Little Junior Sister arrived, those Junior Brothers had eyes only for her. They no longer looked at their Senior Sister at all.
If not for Master still treating her decently, she would have left the sect already. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to ignore their voices.
"Enough."
Dao Qing's tone carried a hint of irritation.
Though his eldest disciple had been willful lately, she was still his first disciple, one of special significance.
"She is your Senior Sister. Even if you're comforting Little Junior Sister, you cannot disrespect her. If I hear words like this again, you can all go reflect on your actions at the Cliff of Reflection."
Dao Qing was angry now, and none of the disciples dared to speak.
Situ Yue's expression stiffened. She swallowed down her hatred in silence.
She would be Master's only female disciple. She would be the one everyone cherished.
Senior Sister had to be driven out.
…
Time flew. Song Wanníng carefully wrote the names of each spiritual herb on a strip of cloth. Her pace was slower than Xiao Heyun's, as each name was only set down after repeated deliberation.
Xiao Heyun, on the other hand, simply copied the system's analysis without hesitation, moving at an alarming speed.
By now, more people had crowded into the palace. Many disciples of the Medicine King Sect had been searching for Song Wanníng and, upon finding the medicinal trial, became as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
When it came to alchemy, who could surpass them?
The other cultivators were far less pleased. The first trial already left them confused.
The beasts that had charged in were no different. Identifying herbs? Beyond a handful of common plants, they relied on sensing spiritual energy. Now, they were just as baffled.
But no one wanted to give up. What if other treasures appeared later?
Soon, Xiao Heyun passed the first stage and entered the second room.
The second stage was herb preparation, but the catch was that every herb from the first stage had to be processed. Each herb required a different method. Even a slight mistake could ruin its medicinal properties.
"Why is this so troublesome?"
Xiao Heyun felt a headache coming on, but had no choice but to start.
In practical work, the system could only give guidance, not do it for him, so his speed slowed dramatically.
Song Wanníng, after finally entering the second stage, began to overtake him. With more than a century of alchemy experience, preparing herbs was the simplest task for her. Her movements were fast, her technique precise, clean, and efficient.
…
"Tch, is he about to be overtaken?"
Situ Yue stared anxiously at Xiao Heyun. She disliked that beautiful woman and preferred the handsome man to win.
Dao Qing lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze falling on Song Wanníng. Watching her handle the herbs with such practiced skill, a glint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
As for Xiao Heyun, his quickness in the first stage was giving way to slowness and small mistakes here. Clearly, his strength lay in theory.
Dao Qing paid it little mind and continued sipping his tea.
His disciples had not left either, lingering in case Master decided to take in another disciple.
"Huh? Her movements are too rough. As an alchemist, she should know alchemy is sacred. How can she be so careless?"
Situ Yue seemed to have spotted a flaw, pointing at Song Wanníng in dissatisfaction.
Song Wanníng had just rolled a certain herb into a ball, then squeezed it hard to force out its juice.
Dao Qing: "…"
Situ Yue had expected agreement, but when she turned around, the others wore hesitant, almost awkward expressions. Her own face stiffened for a moment before Lan Yue let out a cold laugh.
"Little Junior Sister, if you don't understand alchemy, go study properly instead of embarrassing yourself.
This herb is called Condensed Wine Grass. Its juice smells like wine and is used for crafting Soul-Capturing Pills. Extracting the juice by hand, as that young lady did, is perfectly fine—better, even, as it ensures a cleaner extraction while keeping the remaining herb fresh."
Lan Yue had no intention of indulging this Little Junior Sister anymore.
At first, she had been delighted to have her join, but Situ Yue had turned out to be two-faced, always acting pitiful and speaking ambiguously, causing misunderstandings.
That was how her Junior Brothers had gradually grown distant.
Her gaze was icy, her words making Situ Yue flush with shame for a moment.
But Situ Yue didn't show it. She lowered her head, looking as if she might cry.
"I'm sorry. I… I have studied, but these are herbs for refining lower-realm pills. I've only studied immortal-grade pills…"
Her apology instantly made the Senior Brothers feel protective, and they turned to scold Lan Yue instead.
Lan Yue gave them no quarter, firing back each retort until their faces turned red with frustration.
Situ Yue hid her satisfaction. These men only ever doted on her. Other women?
Hmph. They should all vanish.
But when she turned back, she caught Master watching the woman in the water mirror without blinking. Her good mood evaporated.
She could not allow Master to take another female disciple and threaten her position. Master could only take male disciples.
She would have to find a way to sour his opinion of that woman.
…
"Hu…"
Song Wanníng let out a long breath, rubbing her sore neck before finally standing. She glanced with satisfaction at the neatly prepared herbs.
They were lined up in perfect order, ready to be chosen for alchemy at any moment.
The thought had barely formed when the scene before her shifted.
A majestic pill furnace appeared in the center of the room, its sheen alone proof of its extraordinary quality.
Song Wanníng narrowed her eyes, a spark of curiosity toward the palace's mysterious owner rising in her heart. But her attention was soon drawn to the list of requirements beside it.
"Refine ten top-grade Soul Capturing Pills?"
As the name suggested, the Soul Capturing Pill targeted the soul, often used for assassinations…
She hadn't expected the person behind this to demand such a pill.