Chapter 18: Beyond Perception

Soon, Wu Qingxue prepared five sets of the required spirit materials.

Ye Chen looked at the extra spirit materials with a furrowed brow and asked, "I only need two sets, why did you prepare so many?"

Wu Qingxue smiled bitterly and said, "Master, I..."

"Just call me Ye Chen. You are my martial attendant, not my servant," Ye Chen waved his hand. In the martial world, although cruel, Ye Chen never liked enslaving others. Otherwise, in the world of cultivators, if he wanted to acquire servants, countless people would line up.

Wu Qingxue felt relieved in her heart. She had indeed found it difficult to call Ye Chen "master."

"Ye Chen, I'm not sure what you want to refine, but I've never tried refining these conflicting spirit materials before, so I prepared more just in case the success rate is not high," Wu Qingxue explained.

"It's unnecessary," Ye Chen shook his head. With his guidance, if she still failed, it could only mean that Wu Qingxue was too incompetent.

Entering the refining room, Ye Chen scanned the equipment and said, "Let's start refining. Just follow my instructions."

Wu Qingxue took a deep breath and began refining according to Ye Chen's instructions.

"First, purify."

Wu Qingxue began purifying each kind of spirit material according to Ye Chen's requirements.

Her technique was already quite good, but in Ye Chen's eyes, it was full of flaws and defects. He began to reprimand her directly.

At first, Wu Qingxue felt somewhat aggrieved, but with each improvement in her refining technique under Ye Chen's guidance, she found that she was making much faster progress. The purified materials became even more refined, which filled her with joy.

As time passed, Ye Chen's reprimands became more severe, but Wu Qingxue no longer felt any grievance. Each change in refining technique taught her something new, as if she had opened another door to refining, revealing a different, more dazzling light.

And it was a much brighter light.

Wu Qingxue wanted to remember these techniques and steps, but as the refining process deepened, she became more and more confused, only instinctively following Ye Chen's arrangements.

"Alright, retract your soul power." Finally, after who knows how long, Ye Chen spoke up.

Wu Qingxue felt a sense of relief as if she had been granted a reprieve, and hurriedly retracted her soul power, feeling completely drained.

It was hard to imagine that as a royal-level alchemist, she would feel so exhausted from refining spiritual-grade items and depleting her soul power.

But as she looked at the radiant liquid and inhaled its refreshing aroma, recalling the various unique refining techniques, Wu Qingxue couldn't help but smile.

"We did it! These spirit materials can actually blend together!" Wu Qingxue exclaimed excitedly.

Ye Chen's reprimands and her own exertion seemed insignificant to Wu Qingxue. She wished to be reprimanded by Ye Chen every day and to refine like this every day. In doing so, she believed she could open a new door and grow rapidly, surpassing any other alchemist at the same level.

At this moment, she truly began to accept Ye Chen and acknowledge her identity as his martial attendant.

Ye Chen took the bottle of Body Refining Liquid and sensed it slightly, frowning, "The purity is simply trash. Refine it again. If it's still at this trash level, I'll handle the refining myself."

Trash? Trash?

Wu Qingxue felt like crying.

She felt that this Body Refining Liquid, compared to the one Ye Chen refined a few days ago, had a richer aroma and should be better.

Moreover, it was her first attempt at refining, and succeeding was already good enough.

Was Ye Chen's demand too high?

But she dared not say these words.

These refining techniques were completely beyond her comprehension, so how could she dare to question them?

If she offended Ye Chen, she might never get the opportunity for guidance again, let alone enter this new field.

"Are you going to exhaust your soul power every time you refine as a royal-level alchemist?" Ye Chen looked at Wu Qingxue with a hint of disappointment in his words.

Wu Qingxue's heart trembled slightly, and she hurriedly said, "Ye Chen, I'm not exhausted. I can continue refining."

"In that case, hurry up," Ye Chen said.

Wu Qingxue took a deep breath and quickly gathered her soul power to start refining again.

This time, she gave it her all, putting in 200% effort at every step, determined to refine a purer potion and not disappoint Ye Chen.

After an hour, Wu Qingxue finally succeeded in refining again. She looked at Ye Chen with hope and asked, "Ye Chen, do you think it's qualified this time?"

"Although it's still trash, it's slightly better than before. It barely passes," Ye Chen said.

"Qualified?" Ye Chen's idea of qualified was definitely based on the standards of the immortal martial world. If judged by the standards of the Canglan Continent, what Wu Qingxue had refined would already be considered top-notch.

"I will purify the purity of these two potions, but next time, I hope I won't have to intervene," Ye Chen said as he enveloped the two bottles of potion with his soul power.

"Purify? Purify?!"

Wu Qingxue was dumbfounded. Whether it was alchemy, potion mixing, or artifact refining, how could the finished product still be purified afterward? Wasn't purification supposed to be done before refining?

Ye Chen didn't explain. He enveloped the liquid with his soul power and cast several seals.

Wu Qingxue widened her eyes and stared unblinkingly at Ye Chen's technique. The seals seemed to contain profound mysteries, allowing her to grasp some insights but unable to fully comprehend them.

"It's done," Ye Chen said as he stopped. He looked satisfied as he examined the two bottles of potion. "With this level of Body Refining Liquid, I can recover to the Triple Realm, and Father can at least break through to the Double Realm."

Wu Qingxue forcibly memorized Ye Chen's technique, her face growing more horrified as she looked at the two bottles of potion. "They've actually become purer?!"

The fact that the finished potion could still be purified completely surpassed Wu Qingxue's understanding. The refining techniques, the steps, the method of purification—all seemed to transcend the common knowledge of alchemy.

Wu Qingxue found it hard to imagine that in just one day, she had experienced so many things that defied common sense.

She realized that it wasn't defying common sense but rather surpassing her own understanding. It was a path she had never walked before, a broader path.

"Grandfather was right. This is a great opportunity for me," Wu Qingxue whispered to herself, determined to serve Ye Chen well as his martial attendant and seize this opportunity.

"Refine the remaining materials as well, take it as practice. You have three chances. I hope you can refine potions of this purity again," Ye Chen said to Wu Qingxue.

"Understood," Wu Qingxue responded with genuine respect in her expression.

Ye Chen said no more and walked out with the potions, preparing to advance his realm. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Destroy the refined potions directly. Do not consume them under any circumstances."

Without Ye Chen's assistance, consuming the Body Refining Liquid without authorization and forcibly changing the rules of cultivation would definitely cause a clash of forces within the body. Under the True Martial Realm, there might not be any danger. However, beyond that, the clash between the two forces could result in anything from the destruction of meridians to death.

"Yes," Wu Qingxue replied solemnly.