The process of refining the medicinal ingredients went as usual.
However, Qin Yu noticed that after his Spiritual Power had increased, he could control the flames much better.
And now, it didn't take much Spiritual Power to make the fire more concentrated.
The more concentrated the flames, the less they spilled out, and naturally, the temperature was higher, which meant he didn't need to pour in as much Spiritual Power as before.
This resulted in both his Spiritual Power and Spiritual Qi consumption dropping when refining ingredients.
Originally, refining one ingredient would require him to recover his Spiritual Power and Spiritual Qi—now, he could refine two!
Calculating the time, it took him less than a day and a half to refine all of the ingredients!
At this speed, even if he couldn't further purify the medicinal liquid, supporting Lin Qianqian and her sister would be a breeze.
Next up was purification.
As the temperature rose, the medicinal liquid in the Alchemy Furnace quickly came to a boil.
Now that he had more experience, Qin Yu calmly used his Spiritual Power as a hand to fish out the impurities from the liquid.
About two hours later.
After he couldn't fish out any more impurities, Qin Yu poured out the medicinal liquid.
Looking at the liquid in the bottle, he frowned slightly.
It was still as murky as stagnant water.
Qin Yu even took out a bottle of previously purified medicinal liquid to compare—still couldn't see any difference.
But his Spiritual Power had clearly reached middle tier now, and he really couldn't find any more impurities just now.
Could it be that, to produce a more purified medicinal liquid, what needs improvement isn't Spiritual Power intensity, but... technique and skill?
This troubled Qin Yu.
Books about alchemy techniques are extremely expensive.
Many cultivators with decent Spiritual Power talent choose to apprentice at an apothecary to learn technique and skill.
Qin Yu had considered it before, but his Spiritual Power talent was so poor, he couldn't even qualify as an apprentice.
But now things were different...
After tidying up a bit, Qin Yu left the partitioned room.
Lin Qianqian and her sister were still cultivating.
What they were doing was refining Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into their own Spiritual Qi, using it to open up the meridians throughout their body, and when their Dantian was unlocked, they'd finally be Qi Refining First Layer cultivators!
Lin Qianqian had just started, while her little sister Lin Shuishui had almost gotten all her meridians open—probably wouldn't take much longer before she'd become a true cultivator.
Seeing Qin Yu come out, Lin Qianqian immediately opened her eyes.
She was a little surprised at first, then happily stepped off the bed and walked toward Qin Yu. "Husband."
Qin Yu casually wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling his petite wife into his embrace. He took a deep inhale by her neck and asked, "Did you miss me?"
"Mm."
"I did."
Getting such a clear answer, Qin Yu was a bit surprised. The old Lin Qianqian would just shyly mumble a reply, but now she was much more bold.
Must be because her Romantic Point had risen.
Because Shuishui was there, the two had to restrain themselves, always waiting until nightfall.
[Emotion Point from Lin Qianqian +4]
[Flame Point: 11]
Sure enough, as Lin Qianqian's Romantic Point went up, the Flame Point he earned each time increased as well.
At this rate, it wouldn't take too many days for Qin Yu to boost his Root Bone again.
Just a short while later...
"Husband, have you rested well?"
Lin Qianqian's sweet, delicate voice carried an indescribable sultriness. Her crescent-moon eyes locked onto him, gleaming with watery light as if it might drip down.
"Heh, what an audacious little demon—daring to challenge an Immortal Master with a mortal body!"
How could Qin Yu resist? He took after the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and struck like he was beating the White Bone Spirit, giving the little demon a proper lesson…
[Flame Point: 15]
[Flame Point: 19]
Before falling asleep.
Lin Qianqian traced circles absentmindedly on his chest with her finger, mumbling, "Husband, why won't you let Shuishui… cultivate with us?"
The way she said it made it clear she'd already brought it up with Qin Yu before.
"Shuishui's still too young…"
Qin Yu felt helpless.
In his eyes, Lin Shuishui was just a little girl—how could her big sister act like this? Shouldn't she be watching out for him instead of pushing her sister toward…
Not that he was a pit of fire or anything.
It was because he'd always treated both sisters kindly and equally, so Lin Qianqian had this notion.
An idea that couldn't be doused.
"Sleep!"
She wanted to say more, but Qin Yu sealed her lips, and the two fell asleep holding each other.
In a blink, another half month passed.
The trio had lived together for two months already.
And in one night about half a month later, thunder suddenly shook the night—Lin Shuishui got scared and ran out of her partition, diving into the couple's bed…
She must've been so flustered she mistook Qin Yu for her sister, hugging him and refusing to let go.
Couldn't blame the girl.
She'd always shared a small partitioned bed with her sister, had never slept alone, so being scared of thunder was normal.
Even though nothing happened that night, from then on—who knows what Lin Qianqian told her—Shuishui would blush when she saw Qin Yu, and occasionally sneak glances at him.
She was completely acting like a girl growing into her feelings.
Qin Yu was an upright man with principles. It wasn't that he lacked power or anything, just that Lin Shuishui was…
A bit too young.
[Flame Point: 103]
[Lin Qianqian Romantic Point: 45 (Unbreakable)]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer (20%)]
[Root Bone: Middle Grade Mortal Bone (Flame Point 103/100) - Can Breakthrough]
Originally, Qin Yu wanted to improve his Spiritual Power first, but even after advancing to middle tier, the purified medicinal liquid was still only First Grade.
Since he was likely lacking in technique and skill, he decided to boost his Root Bone first.
Though his Realm couldn't advance quickly, improving his Root Bone could at least cut down on alchemy time.
"Breakthrough!"
As the flame flickered, little sparks rained into Qin Yu's body, like a gentle Spring Rain.
He could clearly feel his body was changing—not exactly shedding his old self, but compared to the barren wasteland before, he was now fertile soil.
It felt like seeds had been planted under that rich soil—sooner or later, they would sprout and grow.
[Root Bone: Upper Grade Mortal Bone (Flame Point 3/1000)]
He glanced at the flame.
In just two months, he'd risen from Lower Grade Mortal Bone to Upper Grade, and his Spiritual Power had gone from zero to middle tier!
Upper Grade Mortal Bone.
Though he was still a ways off from becoming a disciple of an Immortal Sect, within Lin Xian City, he was definitely no slouch.
Not to mention, his Spiritual Power was already middle tier!
With this aptitude, any apothecary in the city would value him, and he might even get recruited by an Alchemist as a disciple.
And for Qin Yu, this was only the beginning!
[Thank you all for your rewards, thank you very much.]