Published: February 24, 2025
Tan Yun glanced around, and after confirming the age and type of the spiritual herbs, he smiled slightly and said,
"Refining a Revival Sovereign Pill can take up to six months, or as short as a few months."
"However, in order to produce it as quickly as possible, I cannot teach you step by step."
"Thank you, Master." Shen Subing smiled brightly, looking forward to it. "Master, how often will you teach me alchemical arts?"
After some thought, Tan Yun replied, "I will come to find you whenever I have time."
"Master is so kind! Thank you, Master!" Shen Subing said happily, seeming to remember something. She continued, "Master, before you start refining pills, there are two things I want to share with you."
"Oh? Let me hear them." Tan Yun said curiously.
"Master, the first thing is that I have taken on a grand-disciple named Nangong Ruxue. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, with exceptional talent and unique qualifications, but her identity is known only to me. She is the little princess of the Nangong Sacred Dynasty, one of the four great sacred dynasties today."
"Oh? That identity is not simple!" Tan Yun was genuinely surprised and then teased, "Is my grand-disciple even more beautiful than you?"
"Not quite," Shen Subing replied playfully, but then her tone changed. "However, she mentioned that she has a sister who has been missing for many years and is currently cultivating in the Divine Soul Celestial Palace. She is said to be incredibly beautiful, but I don't know if that’s true."
"In my heart, no one is more beautiful than you," Tan Yun casually replied.
"Thank you for the compliment, Master. I think so too," Shen Subing said with a demeanor that suggested it was only natural. Every woman likes to be praised, and Shen Subing was no exception.
"Master, the second thing is that a disciple named Tan Yun under my guidance actually reached the 108th floor of the Supreme Mustard Seed Time-Space Pagoda three months ago!" Excitement was evident in Shen Subing's beautiful eyes.
"Oh really?" Tan Yun feigned shock. "No one has ever reached the Supreme Mustard Seed Time-Space Pagoda in fifty thousand years. For Tan Yun to achieve this is indeed impressive!"
Shen Subing smiled gently and said, "Master, you don’t know. When Tan Yun first entered the Inner Sect, including me, all the nine great chiefs of the Inner Sect considered him useless, so no one took him in."
"The reason I took him in was that the elder of the outer sect swore to protect him."
"Later, who would have thought that he turned out to be a genius? Looking back, I do feel a bit guilty for how I viewed him at that time."
Tan Yun chuckled, "Guilty for initially seeing him as useless?"
"Yes." Shen Subing said with a hint of regret, "Master, I feel even more guilty now for what I did to him later."
"Tell me about it." Tan Yun said with curiosity.
"Master, logically speaking, since he reached the 108th floor and created a legend for the Inner Sect disciples, I should have taken him under my wing and nurtured him." Shen Subing paused, "But I was selfish and didn't take him as a direct disciple."
"Because the steward of the Spirit Mountain Herb Garden is a family servant of mine, he treats me as his own. Although I am his young lady, in my heart, he is like my grandfather."
"He has been a steward for many years, and I wanted to keep Tan Yun by his side so that when Tan Yun became famous in the Inner Sect, I could request an elder position from Chief Tang for him."
"Plus, Tan Yun does not practice alchemy, so I didn’t let him refine pills, selfishly leaving him as a disposable disciple in the Spirit Mountain Herb Garden."
"Master, do you think I am very selfish?"
After listening to Shen Subing's heartfelt confession, Tan Yun smiled gently. "Subing, you are a bit selfish, but your selfishness might not seem so in Tan Yun's eyes."
"I don't understand." Shen Subing was puzzled.
"Subing, remember, there are people in this world who don't care about whether they are a direct disciple or a disposable disciple. Tan Yun might be one of those people. For him, just staying in the Spirit Mountain Herb Garden might be good enough."