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While chatting, Hexin casually picked up a piece of paper from the table. After taking a glance, she couldn't help but twitch her eye. "Did you copy all of this?"

Qin Shu knew what she was going to say and quickly interjected, "Ugly handwriting doesn't hinder learning. If you don't like how I wrote it, feel free to copy it again yourself."

After finishing her sentence, she waved her hand, ready to leave. "I'm in a hurry. Gotta go."

Before Hexin could respond, she had already stepped out the door.

Hexin opened her mouth, furrowing her brow.

She hadn't even had a chance to share the good news that she had reached the first stage of Qi Refinement, and Qin Shu was already gone. This woman, seriously...

Everyone has the same twelve hours in a day, yet she's always busier than anyone else.

Qin Shu truly was busy. Even as she walked, she couldn't resist checking the jade communication token to see if she had received any replies to the messages she sent three days ago.

Her efforts paid off as she received three private voice messages.

She opened the first one, and a lively voice rang out:

"Need intel? Come to Seven Kill Pavilion! Our intel is reliable and affordable! No regrets, no losses!"

Indeed, no matter which world, it seemed advertisements were inescapable.

She clicked on the second message, only to hear a similarly energetic voice:

"Bai Xiaosheng knows everything from astronomy to geography! Struggling to find the information you need? Look no further than Bai Xiaosheng!"

Qin Shu: "..."

Finally, with little hope, she opened the third message. This time, a deep male voice greeted her:

"How much?"

Her finger, which had been poised to swipe away the message, paused. She cleared her throat and replied, "Perhaps... you could gain the friendship of an alchemist?"

After all, she only had six low-grade spirit stones, two bottles of the lowest-tier Spirit Replenishment Pills, and a leftover Golden Rainbow Pomegranate.

What price could she possibly offer? She'd likely be blocked the moment she made an offer.

So, why not sell a dream? Maybe she could fool someone honest enough to bite.

To her surprise, shortly after sending that message, a response arrived.

"I am Suihan of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. May I ask your name?"

"Qin Shu," she replied.

...

After waiting a while longer, her jade token lit up again. Qin Shu picked it up and saw the reply from Suihan:

"Crimson Sun Frozen Ice is an extremely rare cold substance. According to legend, there is a piece at the bottom of the Boundless Sea in the far north of the Eastern Continent."

Qin Shu hadn't expected him to actually provide an answer. But the Boundless Sea was, after all, a vast ocean. How was she supposed to find a small piece of Crimson Sun Frozen Ice?

On the other end of the jade communication, Suihan set the token aside and put away the tortoise shell in front of him.

His junior sister walked through the doorway and, seeing his actions, asked curiously, "Senior Brother, did you divine something?"

Suihan, expressionless, tucked away the communication token and replied with a simple "Yes."

Lu Jin approached curiously. "Senior Brother, who did you divine for? What did the divination show?"

Suihan raised his eyes to look at her, his pitch-black pupils like icy mirrors. Lu Jin froze under his gaze before hearing him respond coldly, "The secrets of heaven must not be revealed."

Lu Jin pouted. "Then can you divine for me? Will my love life go smoothly?"

Suihan shook his head. "One divination per month—rules are rules."

Stomping her foot in frustration, Lu Jin turned and left in a huff. "I'm never talking to you again!"

Suihan, unbothered, focused his thoughts on the divination he had just performed.

He had entered the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion at the age of eight, spending over two hundred years performing countless divinations. Yet he had never seen such an unusual outcome.

This Qin Shu clearly had a short-lived fate, but the divination suggested her future was immeasurable. Could she have turned to ghost cultivation?

It was for this reason that he decided to grant her a favor.

Perhaps... he really could gain the friendship of a future alchemist.

Forming a good bond now might even save his own life someday.

Clenching his fists, Suihan coughed into his hand. The darkness clouding his pupils began to fade, blending with the whites of his eyes into an unnatural gray.

For now, it was clear that Qin Shu's sect wouldn't allow her to leave the mountain. Even if she could leave, she wouldn't survive crossing the Misty Forest to reach the Boundless Sea.

Given the current priorities, her top objective was obvious: to apprentice under Elder Lingxu.

Qin Shu laid out a plan. Blindly memorizing books wouldn't help—many medicinal herbs looked too similar. Even if she memorized the texts perfectly, she wouldn't be able to apply what she learned.

Thus, she visited the task hall again and took on an assignment at the medicine hall.

The medicine hall received shipments of herbs daily, which needed sorting. The hall's steward, overwhelmed by the workload, regularly posted tasks at the task hall, exchanging minimal points for cheap labor.

This was exactly the kind of hands-on experience Qin Shu needed, so she signed up for ten days of assignments.

When she arrived at the medicine hall, a batch of herbs had just been delivered.

The steward, Ma Chengcai, was busy at work. Upon hearing her request, he frowned impatiently.

"What? No one else in the sect could do it? They sent a little girl to waste my time?"

Qin Shu quickly explained, "Master-Uncle, I took on this task voluntarily. Don't let my age fool you—I'm quick and efficient."

She smiled ingratiatingly and pulled out her remaining Golden Rainbow Pomegranate from her storage bag. "Master-Uncle, please let me stay. I promise I'll learn fast and won't cause trouble."

Ma Chengcai eyed the fruit and recognized it immediately. "You dared to pick fruit from Cheng Yan's tree? Hah, bold little girl."

For a moment, Qin Shu didn't know whether to withdraw her hand or keep it outstretched.

In the end, Ma Chengcai took the fruit and said, "Fine, I'll take it. You can start with the pile of Arhat Sacred Flowers at the door. Sort them into three grades. Focus on that for today. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

Overjoyed, Qin Shu's sharp eyebrows lit up with excitement. "Thank you, Master-Uncle! I'll get started right away!"

Watching her head inside, Ma Chengcai weighed the fruit in his hand and sneered.

That little girl had no idea the trouble she'd get into if she flaunted this fruit.

Inside the hall, Qin Shu found the pile of Arhat Sacred Flowers—a heap towering as tall as two people. Sorting it all in one day? It was practically a death sentence.

Noticing three storage bags nearby, she carefully selected one flower from each, channeling her wood-based spiritual energy to sense their differences.

After opening her eyes, she had a clear understanding.

Picking up a flower, she infused it with her spiritual energy, hesitated for a moment, and placed it into the middle bag.