This talent had evolved two days prior, once the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees reached a certain scale. To be precise, Brewing Artisan had upgraded into Grand Brewer.
Qi Ping hadn't expected his shared talents to upgrade as his Animal Companions' talents improved. In the game, a companion's talents were fixed, so this was an unexpected surprise.
'A shared talent... it makes sense. It's based on the companion's gift. If they improve, my copy of it should improve as well.'
'This makes the Golden Marrow Bees even more worth cultivating.'
Having experienced the convenience of Brewing Artisan in potion refining, Qi Ping understood its importance. With this talent, his path would be much smoother, especially since it was a perfect match for the Plant Growth skill.
[Grand Brewer: You possess an outstanding talent for brewing honey and a sharp spiritual sense for spirit herbs. You can perfectly fuse herbs to maximize their effects and convert them into honey.]
With the upgrade to Grand Brewer, Qi Ping could clearly feel that his sensitivity to herbs had reached a new level. For a First-tier Mid-grade herb like Blood Ginseng, he could sense its medicinal properties and impurities with absolute clarity. Even when it came to fusing herbs, he no longer found it difficult or obscure; he had an intuitive sense for the process.
He guessed that Grand Brewer was a standout talent even among High-grade First-tier gifts. Therefore, as long as he was careful, refining any First-tier potion should be easy. This gave him absolute confidence in the next batch of mutation potions.
He prepared his wooden table and proportioned the herbs before closing his eyes to rest. Despite his improved talent, he felt it was safer to follow the same ritual as before to maintain a stable success rate.
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, that two-legged beast who visited before is back.)"
"Buzz buzz... (She looks like this...)"
A Golden Marrow Bee appeared by his ear, describing Sister Nan's appearance and movements.
"Sister Nan is here?" Qi Ping's brow furrowed as he was jolted from his rest.
Sister Nan herself was fine, but he had told her to visit immediately if her Crisis Warning triggered. Thus, her arrival likely meant trouble. He abandoned his plans for refining and rushed down the mountain.
At the base of Peak 007, Old Man Zhou's courtyard.
Qi Ping hadn't lived here for half a month. The courtyard was now draped in spiderwebs, and both the inner and outer gardens were covered in fallen leaves. Some of the delicate flowers the old man had kept had withered from neglect. The entire place felt abandoned.
Dressed in plain clothes, Sister Nan arrived at the gate and stared at the derelict courtyard in shock. She knew Old Man Zhou had returned to the secular world, but what about Qi Ping? Shouldn't he still be here? Had something happened to him?
Worry flared in her heart. Qi Ping had been kind to her, and they shared a friendship; she didn't want him to come to harm. Just as she was about to enter to search, she saw a clean-cut youth sprinting down from the mountain.
"Qi Ping?"
"Sister Nan! Long time no see!"
"Are you living on the mountain now?" she asked, pointing at the abandoned house. She was relieved to see him unharmed.
"Yeah. Since Old Man Zhou is gone, it's easier to keep the bees on the mountain. It's safer, too."
"I see. You gave me quite a scare!" she said with lingering fear.
"Not at all. If anything happened, I'd send a bee to warn you. So, what brings you here?"
"My Crisis Warning has triggered again." Her expression became extremely grave. Clearly, this warning had left her particularly unsettled.
"Again?"
"And it's stronger than any time before!" she confirmed.
Qi Ping's heart sank. A warning that reached her and was stronger than ever before meant the coming danger was far beyond ordinary Demon Insects. This made his need to refine the potion, evolve the hive, and reach Level 3 even more urgent.
'I need to refine the potion immediately. My state should be good enough.'
Without further small talk, he said, "Sister Nan, come up the mountain with me. I've made preparations there. In my territory, even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would die!"
"You can kill a late-stage cultivator?"
"Yes!" Qi Ping nodded firmly.
"Alright! Then I'll add some toxic traps and arrays to your defense."
She agreed without hesitation. She knew Qi Ping was not a man to make empty boasts. If he said it, he could do it! Even though his strength shocked her, she trusted him.
Moments later, Qi Ping brought her to the ancient cedar tree. "Sister Nan, set up your defenses here. I have something to take care of, but I'll be back later!"
"Go ahead. Don't worry about me," she replied with a smile.
She knew he had secrets, but she had no desire to pry. She simply wanted to help. She also planned to tell him the source of the Demon Insect Chapter after this crisis was over. During this time, she had seen the shadow of a true powerhouse in him. She believed that if no accidents happened, he would become a prominent figure.
She trusted him implicitly. If she could help him now, she believed he would repay her generously later. Perhaps Qi Ping was her best chance to turn her secrets into actual power—compared to the greedy or arrogant sect and family cultivators, he was far more trustworthy. His gift of honey earlier was proof of his character.
'Perhaps he will be my greatest ally in achieving my goals,' she thought privately. Of course, they had to survive first. To face the danger, she brought out her most precious toxins—poisons capable of killing a late-stage cultivator!
"Okay!" Qi Ping responded before heading off to refine his potion.
He had his own plans for her as well. After this crisis, he would use the honey to exchange for the information about the Demon Insect Chapter. Such a precious secret required the right timing; asking too abruptly could be counterproductive.