Chapter 3: This Is Treasure!

“Gift successful!”

“Gift: Ten low-grade Qi Gathering Pills.”

“Returning gift….”

“One hundred low-grade Qi Gathering Pills have been credited.”

“First gift by the host detected. Though it didn’t surprise the recipient greatly, a critical hit reward has been triggered!”

“Reward: Complete understanding of First Grade Alchemy.”

“First Grade Alchemy Complete Understanding has been delivered.”

“Detected that the host does not possess storage equipment. Physical rewards will be temporarily stored in system space and can be retrieved at any time…”

Holy crap…!

Hearing the system’s notification, Ye Chen’s eyes widened. Not only had one hundred Qi Gathering Pills been credited, but he had also triggered a critical hit reward? He had directly gained a complete understanding of First Grade Alchemy? This was too good to be true!

Ye Chen had felt firsthand just how difficult alchemy was in those past few days. There were no formulas to follow. You had to pay full attention to the furnace, constantly adjusting the flame based on the different materials, and channeling spiritual energy to fine-tune the process. A single mistake and the entire batch would be ruined.

His predecessor had studied alchemy for four years and was only just a beginner. He was nowhere near a true First Grade Alchemist. Now, with a single critical hit, he had attained the complete understanding of First Grade Alchemy. It was like winning the lottery.

At this moment, Ye Chen’s gaze toward Lin Ke’er had completely changed, like a stock-trader watching his portfolio shoot up to the sky.

Lick, lick, lick… I’m going to lick this treasure for the rest of my life!

…

Ye Chen’s burning gaze made Lin Ke’er feel a slight unease. A sense of worry crept into her heart. Could it be that Ye Chen thought giving a gift meant she would become his Dao partner? How could that be possible? Ye Chen must be too desperate!

However, every time he gave something in the past, Ye Chen would eagerly drag her into conversation, babbling on for ages. Lin Ke’er had no choice but to listen, smiling along. After all, it wouldn’t look good to just take the gift and leave.

But she had to maintain some distance. Receiving a gift was one thing, but becoming a Dao partner was another. The two were entirely separate matters.

As Lin Ke’er pondered how to phrase her next words, balancing keeping Ye Chen interested while not leading him to think she was fully invested, Ye Chen suddenly spoke.

“Then, Fairy Lin, go back and focus on your cultivation. I’ll head back to rest for a bit myself….”

With that, he turned and left. The sound of the door slamming shut behind him echoed.

Lin Ke’er, who had been preparing various responses in her mind, blinked in surprise. He’s leaving just like that? Why wasn’t he clinging to her like before, desperately chatting away and not wanting to part?

But the surprise was only momentary. Lin Ke’er didn’t think much of it. Who would care about the thoughts of a simp, anyway? Her attention was entirely on the pills in her hands.

The Qi Gathering Pills were the most suitable for early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. They could significantly speed up cultivation. Taking one before each session of training would give her roughly 1.5 times the normal effect.