Qing Xuanling opened her eyes to meet a pair of eyes identical to her own.

  "Finally you wake up…" The person before her—an exact replica of her—smiled. "Original."

  Qing Xuanling sat up in bed, staring at her perfect double for a few seconds before bursting into unrestrained laughter.

  "Haha—unbelievable! Not only do you look exactly like me, you're even more talented!" Qing Xuanling gazed at her first incarnation with curiosity and excitement. "Tell me—how do you feel? Do you have my memories from before you were created?"

  The first incarnation smiled and nodded. "Yes. In fact, we share the same memories. Not only that—I feel an inexplicable connection to you. I have independent thoughts, yet somehow… I still feel like I'm you. It's quite mysterious."

  Qing Xuanling nodded. "So that's how it is... When a portion of my primordial spirit was severed, I expected you'd develop independence—I was even a little worried. But from what you're saying…"

  The incarnation finished her sentence:

  "…we won't have any issues—neither with me nor with future incarnations. After all, we're the same person at our core!"

  They exchanged warm smiles. They continued chatting about their subtle differences until the incarnation suddenly remembered a delayed matter.

  "Original—you should check the talent I awakened. I know it's related to alchemy thanks to this inexplicable fervor I feel toward it, but I'm not sure exactly what it is…"

  The incarnation knew she had awakened a divine talent—it was knowledge imprinted within her the moment she came into being.

  Qing Xuanling immediately nodded, and information about her first incarnation's talent—Alchemy-Blessed Fanatic—surfaced in her mind:

  [Your devotion to the Dao of Alchemy is peerless—so profound that Alchemy itself has been moved to bless and nurture you.

  - Your alchemical talent grows as your devotion deepens

  - You are more prone to enter enlightenment states when comprehending the Dao of Alchemy]

  Qing Xuanling relayed the talent's description to her incarnation—and both reached the same conclusion.

  "This is insane!"

  They shouted in unison.

  They'd never heard of a divine talent this powerful. The last one they knew of belonged to the Mo Clan—their clan's rival. The patriarch's eldest son, Mo Ranyu, had awakened talent "Poison Resistance", granting him immunity to poisons of his own cultivation rank.

  Though useful—and impressive for learning the Mo Clan's poison techniques—it was nearly useless against higher-ranked toxins.

  Mo Ranyu, currently at mid-stage Qi Refinement, was still far from Foundation Establishment. Practically speaking, he'd be dead if exposed to a rank-2 poison meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

  His talent would've been celestial if it let him resist rank-2 poisons as a Qi Refiner—but it didn't.

  In truth, most divine talents were on Mo Ranyu's level. His was even considered quite good and practical.

  But "Alchemy-Blessed Fanatic" was on another level. Its description literally spoke of being blessed by the Dao of Alchemy—one of the Great Daos of cultivation!

  The Dao was something even legendary Golden Core cultivators yearned to touch. And here was the incarnation of a mere second-layer Qi Refiner being blessed by the Dao of Alchemy itself!

  It was utterly scandalous!

  "Hehe…" Qing Xuanling drooled slightly, already imagining the mountains of spirit stones she'd earn through alchemy. An idea suddenly struck her, "Right—we should give you a name! Though we're one in essence, more incarnations will come. We can't just call you Incarnation 1, 2, 3… Do you have any name in mind?"

  The first incarnation brought a hand to her chin, nodding in agreement. "Yes—being called by numbers would be terribly awkward for me… A good name… A name… I know! I'll call myself Dan! Xuan Dan!"

  Qing Xuanling smiled. "Good name! Alright—now that that's settled, shall we begin with alchemy, Xuan Dan?"

  "Sure—first we need to find a cauld—" Xuan Dan's expression froze. "…Xuanling—do you remember the price of the cheapest alchemy cauldron on the market…?"

  "I think the cheapest one costs two hundred spirit stones…" Qing Xuanling's face darkened as she glanced down at the pouch on her waist—the one holding her remaining five spirit stones…

  Qing Xuanling and Xuan Dan locked eyes.

  "We're too poor…" Xuan Dan covered her face. "We barely earned a hundred and fifty spirit stones over the past two years. There's no way we can suddenly afford an alchemy cauldron!"

  Qing Xuanling swayed on her feet. She'd believed her ascent was about to begin—but cruel reality had slapped her right in the face.

  Even the greatest genius in history needed money! A poor devil would remain a poor devil no matter how much talent they possessed!

  But as Qing Xuanling sank into despair, Xuan Dan's eyes gleamed with a flicker of madness.

  "Qing Wentian!" She slammed her palm on the floor. "Let's borrow money from that idiot! He's at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement and receives constant clan support! Two hundred spirit stones must be pocket change to him!"

  Qing Xuanling stared fearfully at Xuan Dan's bloodshot eyes. "Have you gone mad?! Two hundred spirit stones is still an enormous sum for any Qi Refiner! Even Wentian couldn't lend that much!"

  But Xuan Dan shook her head fiercely. "No—we have to try anyway! Do you plan to spend another two or three years scraping together spirit stones?! When do you expect to catch up to Wentian?! While you take one step back—frantically gathering spirit stones—he's taking several steps forward!"

  "At this rate, you won't just fall permanently behind Wentian—you'll also stay beneath those idiots who keep mocking us! Besides—we can repay Wentian once we start refining pills! A low-grade first-level pill bottle sells for thirty spirit stones! We won't take long to gather two hundred!"

  Xuan Dan grabbed Qing Xuanling by the collar of her robe and spoke frantically. Qing Xuanling found no opening to contradict her logic…

  She gritted her teeth. Xuan Dan was right. If she clung to her pride, she'd remain stagnant forever.

  "Fine—but you'd better keep your word, Xuan Dan!" Qing Xuanling smiled, a trace of madness now glinting in her own eyes. "We still need spirit stones for medicinal herbs! I'll risk my life facing more demonic beasts and earn at least fifty spirit stones within two months!"

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "That should be enough capital to buy a low-grade pill formula and its ingredients!"

  Xuan Dan returned her smile—the same madness shimmering in her gaze. "Good. In that case, I promise—I'll produce my first successful batch of pills in fewer than ten attempts. No—five!"

  In the end, they were the same person. That vein of madness ran through both of them.

  After calming down, Xuan Dan sat cross-legged in the room.

  "I feel I can stay within your divine sea if I wish—but I won't be able to cultivate there. I'll remain here, cultivating in hopes of reaching the third layer of Qi Refinement while you handle external affairs." With that, Xuan Dan closed her eyes.

  Qing Xuanling simply nodded, left the room, and sealed the door with a talisman. The chambers were equipped with privacy formations—she wasn't worried about Xuan Dan being discovered.

  She immediately headed to the room beside hers—Qing Wentian's chamber. She raised her hand to knock—but hesitated.

  She and Qing Wentian were practically siblings. They'd grown up together; as far as she knew, their parents had been cousins. That was why she'd been adopted into Qing Wentian's family and raised alongside him.

  'But… does that give me the right to ask him for so many spirit stones? Even blood relatives would hesitate to ask for something like that.'*

  She lost her nerve at the last moment and turned around, but suddenly the sound of a door opening was heard.

  "Xuanling—what are you doing standing in front of my door like an idiot?" Qing Wentian's voice sounded from behind her. "What—do you want to borrow money or something?"

  Qing Xuanling turned around, about to speak—then her face froze completely. Her ears turned bright crimson.

  Qing Wentian's eyes widened in shock.

  "What…? Seriously?!" Confusion flashed across his face. "I've offered to lend you spirit stones before—you seemed to be saving up for something, but you always refused! What changed your mind now?"

  Qing Xuanling took a deep breath, suppressing her shame, and replied evasively. "Before… I didn't have a clear path. I wasn't sure I could repay you. But now—it's different. I'm confident I can pay you back within three months at most…"

  Qing Wentian studied her expression seriously for a moment—then smiled. He rummaged in his pocket and tossed her an expensive-looking pouch.

  "Here—this is all my liquid cash right now. Make sure you pay me back in three months like you said—I was planning to buy a good sword with it."

  Qing Xuanling felt the pouch's weight—several times heavier than it should be—and realized it was a storage pouch. By the heft, it contained a little over two hundred spirit stones…

  She lowered her head, slightly overwhelmed. But after another deep breath, she lifted her head with a confident smile.

  "I'll repay you double in two months!" She laughed and quickly hurried away—heading straight for a shop to buy an alchemy cauldron.

  Qing Wentian watched her as she walked away, feeling strangely empty.

  'That was all my savings from the past year…'

  A single silent tear rolled down Qing Wentian's cheek.

  * * *

  Qing Xuanling swiftly arrived at Ziyun City's commercial district—specifically the street selling secondhand goods. Alchemy was an expensive profession; cauldrons were typically acquired through masters rather than markets.

  Beyond tradition, this was due to the exorbitant prices of alchemy cauldrons. Even an lowest-quality new cauldron cost at least threeone thousand or two thousand spirit stones.

  Qing Xuanling obviously had no intention of buying something that expensive outright. What she sought was a secondhand cauldron—maximum price: just over two hundred spirit stones.

  She walked down a street lined with shabby, neglected-looking shops, vendors shouting deals at the top of their lungs:

  "For sale a sword as sharp as a first-level artifact! Buy now before it's gone—only fifty spirit stones!"

  "A bottle of low-grade Qi recovery pills for ten spirit stones! Only seven bottles in stock—don't miss this deal!"

  "Leather armor from a semi-demonic beast for thirty spirit stones! I swear—it'll withstand attacks from mid-stage Qi Refiners!"

  Fierce offers swirled around Qing Xuanling, fishing for any fool silly enough to bite. Because without exception—they were all complete scams.

  The "artifact-sharp" sword was likely just a high-quality mortal weapon. A genuine low-grade Qi recovery pill bottle cost twenty spirit stones at official shops—these were probably poison pills riddled with impurities.

  And the leather armor? Likely made from an ordinary bear or similar beast.

  Complete scams targeting unsuspecting passersby.

  She knew—because she'd been scammed herself in her early years. She'd bought a thing or two here, only to be brutally scolded by Instructor Huan for throwing money in the trash.

  Though of course—not every shop on this street was a fraud.

  Qing Xuanling approached a store at the street's end with a sign reading: "Immortal's Junkyard"

  "As pretentious as ever…"

  She smiled faintly and stepped inside. Surprisingly, the shop's interior was tidy for a place called "junkyard." All goods were neatly arranged on tables or hung on walls; only the largest items remained on the floor.

  At the back of the shop, a voluptuous young woman sat behind the counter. She had fiery red hair and a heart-shaped face. Seductive eyes were adorned with a beauty mark at the corner of each.

  Qing Xuanling's gaze unconsciously drifted downward—well, you know where—before quickly snapping back to the woman's face.

  "Still as mischievous as ever, little Ling'er~" The seductive woman smirked playfully. "Sigh—I always invite you to touch, but it seems you prefer sneaking peeks instead!"

  Qing Xuanling's face flushed crimson. "Madam Yechan—stop joking! I'm here on business!"

  Madam Yechan laughed a little more at Qing Xuanling's embarrassed expression before turning serious.

  "Of course, of course—my Immortal's Junkyard is always open for business~" She gestured toward her wares. "From broken but sharp weapons to this shopkeeper's undergarments—we have basically everything you could seek!"

  "Though of course—that last item is available only for you~" Madam Yechan winked.

  Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth, enduring the embarrassment. "An alchemy cauldron! I want the alchemy cauldron you showed me last time!"

  Madam Yechan's eyes widened slightly. "Oh~? That's new! Is little Ling'er planning to venture into alchemy?"

  Qing Xuanling nodded. "For certain reasons… I realized I might possess great talent in alchemy. This could be my chance to change my fate as a complete-root holder. I won't waste this opportunity."

  Madam Yechan narrowed her eyes. "Mmm… Indeed—if you manage to become a genius alchemist, reaching Foundation Establishment won't be difficult… But this is a huge gamble. How certain are you of this supposed talent?"

  "Completely certain." Qing Xuanling replied without hesitation. "I'm sure that within three months, I'll be able to refine low-grade pills."

  "Jojo—such immense confidence!" Madam Yechan's eyes curved into crescent moons. "We'll see whether it's the recklessness of a young girl or the rising of a phoenix… But…"

  Qing Xuanling held her breath—but Madam Yechan's next words were like a cool drizzle on a scorching afternoon.

  "I don't think you're reckless. I've watched you grow over the past two years. The wounds, the tears, the will to keep moving forward you've shown me—they're not those of someone who'd make such a gamble without hope." With a flick of her wrist, an alchemy cauldron suddenly appeared on the counter.

  The cauldron was forged from dark green—nearly black—metal, engraved with the image of a tree shedding its leaves. At first glance, its exceptional craftsmanship was unmistakable.

  "Two hundred spirit stones—and it's yours, little one~" Madam Yechan winked.

  Qing Xuanling started—not just at the wink, but primarily at the price.

  "What?! This cauldron doesn't have a single crack—and its craftsmanship is obviously superb! In other shops, it wouldn't sell for less than thousand spirit stones!" Qing Xuanling shook her head frantically. "I can't accept this!"

  Madam Yechan pouted—a gesture that made Qing Xuanling's heart skip a beat. "Mmm? Are you doubting this shopkeeper's business acumen? If I say you can take it for two hundred spirit stones—That's because it's only worth that much! Pay up quickly, or forget about ever entering my shop again!"

  Qing Xuanling studied Madam Yechan's beautiful face—then finally drew out the pouch Qing Wentian had given her. It contained two hundred fifteen spirit stones.

  "…Take."

  Madam Yechan snatched the pouch, deftly extracted two hundred spirit stones onto the counter, and tossed the pouch back to Qing Xuanling.

  "You overpaid~" She caressed Qing Xuanling's cheek. "I know you'll repay the favor someday—so don't feel so pressured~"

  Qing Xuanling's eyes reddened slightly. Lately, she'd only been receiving kindness from others. She vowed in her heart to repay everyone—instructor Huan, Qing Wentian, and Madam Yechan!

  With that resolve, she gritted her teeth and cast aside the shame in her heart.

  "Madam Yechan—don't you happen to have a basic alchemy primer that costs twenty spirit stones?!" Qing Xuanling's voice trembled slightly. She knew how costly knowledge was.

  A book containing alchemy fundamentals cost at least fifty spirit stones.

  But Madam Yechan merely cooed flirtatiously.

  "What a coincidence—I just happen to have one~" She produced another item from thin air and tossed it to Qing Xuanling. "Study it well~ Who knows—maybe one day I'll need your pills!"

  Qing Xuanling quickly handed over the fifteen spirit stones Madam Yechan had returned plus the five that she originally had—and finally examined the book she'd been given.

  Its title read: "The Mysteries and Concepts Behind a Pill"

  She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Madam Yechan. Grabbing the alchemy cauldron, she hurried toward the exit.

  "I probably won't be able to visit for the next two months—but when I return, it'll be with my first bottle of pills!" Leaving those words behind, she dashed out of the shop and back toward Qing Clan territory—afraid that if she delayed, someone might rob her.

  Madam Yechan watched the flustered girl with a faint smile.

  "Tsk, tsk… This shopkeeper really is terrible at business. I always end up giving good things to cute things." She chuckled amusedly. "Though… maybe this time I'll see a return?"

  Madam Yechan's emerald eyes shimmered with anticipation for Qing Xuanling's future.