Song Qiaoqiao looked at the handsome Junior Brother before her, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
This was the first time she had ever met a Junior Brother who asked where to buy Pill Formulas.
And she didn't recognize this Junior Brother at all.
"I'm Song Qiaoqiao. Junior Brother Fang, were you recruited into the sect for your Alchemy Talent?"
A Senior Sister with the surname Song… This couldn't help but remind Fang Yun of Steward Song.
Speaking of which, he still didn't know Steward Song's given name. He used to call him Steward Song along with everyone else, but after that changed, he had always just called him Elder Song.
He had never asked, and Steward Song had never volunteered any personal information.
"Senior Sister Song, I wasn't recruited into the sect for my Alchemy Talent, but for my talent in planting," Fang Yun said honestly.
"That's what I thought. If you were recruited for your Alchemy Talent, I should have known. It seems you're very interested in the path of alchemy, Junior Brother."
"Yes."
"The path of alchemy doesn't start with understanding Pill Formulas. First, you should become an alchemist's apprentice and find opportunities to observe an Alchemy Master refining pills. That way, you can avoid many pitfalls," Song Qiaoqiao advised.
Through their simple interaction, she realized Fang Yun had a misunderstanding about how to begin the path of alchemy.
Getting a Pill Formula and then trying to figure out how to refine pills through trial and error without the guidance of an Alchemy Master—that's something only Loose Cultivators would do.
"On Dan Cloud Peak, there are often tasks for recruiting apprentices. If you get the chance, Junior Brother Fang, you can accept one and start with the basics."
Since she was clearly offering a well-intentioned reminder, Fang Yun nodded to show he understood.
Fang Yun's first impression of this Inner Sect Senior Sister, Song Qiaoqiao, was very good.
"The place to buy Pill Formulas is in the Dan Cloud Pavilion. Let me take you there, Junior Brother."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Song," Fang Yun said immediately.
Song Qiaoqiao led the way, and Fang Yun hurried to follow.
With someone to guide him, he arrived at the Dan Cloud Pavilion on Dan Cloud Peak much faster.
Behind a counter in the Dan Cloud Pavilion stood not a Steward, but an Outer Sect disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect with a Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivation.
"Junior Sister Wang, this is Junior Brother Fang Yun. He needs to purchase a Pill Formula."
The female Outer Sect disciple, whose surname was Wang, first glanced at Song Qiaoqiao, then looked Fang Yun up and down, before finally shifting her gaze back to Song Qiaoqiao.
"Senior Sister, didn't you accept a mission from an Elder? How do you have time to bring a Junior Brother over here? Let me guess... You haven't taken a liking to this Junior Brother Fang, have you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Junior Sister Wang? I really do have to get going."
Song Qiaoqiao didn't take the joke seriously. Thinking about what she still had to do, she left the Dan Cloud Pavilion.
Seeing Song Qiaoqiao leave, Fang Yun walked up to the counter.
"What Pill Formula do you need, Junior Brother Fang?" the female Outer Sect disciple surnamed Wang asked. As she spoke, she was sizing Fang Yun up again.
"Senior Sister Wang, I need the Pill Formula for the Qi Nourishing Pill."
"Oh, the Qi Nourishing Pill. Junior Brother Fang, you must be just starting out with alchemy, right?"
"More or less."
"In three days, I'll be refining some Qi Nourishing Pills. I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming over to be my apprentice for a few days?"
The female Outer Sect disciple was clearly showing her interest. Combined with how she had been looking at him earlier, Fang Yun felt like she had taken a liking to him.
It wasn't that he was narcissistic; he was just quite confident in his current appearance.
While he might not have been devastatingly handsome, he was definitely far from ordinary.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Sister, but I'm already assigned to a task."
As he refused, Fang Yun also didn't reciprocate the interest she was showing. The reason was simple: her physical charms didn't meet his standards.
Her figure was average, and she was merely pretty.
Putting aside her figure, a woman's face had to at least be on Senior Sister Song's level. As for the figure, one like Senior Sister Song's would just be a bonus.
He was a staunch believer in the 'bigger is better' philosophy.
"Oh, you already have a task. What a shame." The female Outer Sect disciple surnamed Wang glanced at Fang Yun again before turning away. "Wait a moment, Junior Brother. I'll go get the Pill Formula for you."
Before long, she returned with a rolled-up sheet of parchment in her hand.
"One Pill Formula for the Qi Nourishing Pill. Junior Brother, will you be paying with Contribution Points or Spirit Stones?"
For items within the Celestial Cloud Sect, if you could pay with Spirit Stones, you could definitely pay with Contribution Points. However, some items could only be purchased with Contribution Points.
"Spirit Stones will be fine."
"Seeing as you're a new face, Junior Brother, you probably don't have any Contribution Points. That'll be ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"You're right, Senior Sister," Fang Yun admitted as he took out ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
This was about what he had expected. For a Celestial Cloud Sect disciple, the Pill Formula for the Qi Nourishing Pill cost around ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
Compared to Loose Cultivators, sect disciples paid only slightly lower prices for resources purchased within the Celestial Cloud Sect. For knowledge-based items, however, the prices were drastically lower.
Outside the sect, a Pill Formula for the Qi Nourishing Pill would cost at least one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
After paying the ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones, Fang Yun put the Qi Nourishing Pill Formula away.
"Senior Sister Wang, I'll take my leave."
With that, Fang Yun turned to leave.
"Junior Brother Fang, wait."
Fang Yun hadn't taken more than a few steps before he was called to a halt.
"Is there something else, Senior Sister?"
"You don't seem to know my name, do you, Junior Brother?"
"Then... what should I call you, Senior Sister?" Fang Yun asked, feigning ignorance.
"Wang Yourong."
"Okay."
This time, when Fang Yun turned, he really left.
As Fang Yun's back disappeared from the entrance of the Dan Cloud Pavilion...
Watching him go, Wang Yourong couldn't help but shake her head.
"Another dense Junior Brother."
After leaving Dan Cloud Peak, Fang Yun returned to his residence.
By the time he returned, the sky had already grown dark.
After boiling and eating a few measures of Clear Water Rice, Fang Yun didn't cultivate tonight. Instead, he used the rest of his time to start looking through *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy*.
Last month, he had gained Talent Points just from attending a lecture. If all went according to plan, he should be able to gain more Talent Points after he thoroughly mastered *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy*.
After choosing planting, alchemy, and artifact refining for his Life Talents, it was possible to gain Talent Points by doing anything related to those three fields.
He would have to explore and figure out more ways to obtain Talent Points.
Over the next ten-odd days, the time Fang Yun could squeeze out for cultivation was minimal.
Aside from tending to the three mu of Purple Corn, he spent most of his remaining time poring over *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy*.
Every time he read *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy*, he gained new insights.
After the incident last time, the older disciple Tian Ruifeng was no longer as enthusiastic toward him as before.
However, if he had a genuine question about planting Purple Corn, Tian Ruifeng would still answer it, though his tone was different from before.
Considering Tian Ruifeng still treated him this way even after he'd said he was going to pursue alchemy in the future, Fang Yun felt it was already quite good.
In the blink of an eye, the end of the eleventh month arrived.
One night, as he was reading late by lamplight, Fang Yun closed his copy of *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy* and couldn't help but stretch.
'I think I've completely mastered it.'
He had a little over two months before he had to return *Preliminary Understanding of Alchemy*. Fang Yun wasn't in a hurry to give the book back; returning it at the end of January next year would be plenty of time.