"Hand over the blue-gilded leaves," Senior Sister Lan ordered while standing beside the alchemy furnace.

  Xiaomeng quickly picked up a small silver bowl from the table containing five green leaves. The ends of the leaves were tinted with a slight blue color. Quickly handing the bowl to Senior Sister Lan, she stepped back.

  Senior Sister Lan carefully threw the leaves inside the furnace one by one while observing the process inside. Then she stirred the mixture for some time before saying, "The moon-touched grass."

  Xiaomeng quickly scanned the bowls placed on the table. Some had a purplish branch, some had golden powder, and many other such ingredients were present. Her eyes immediately locked onto the white grass placed at the very center. Hurriedly picking up the bowl, she gave it to Senior Sister Lan.

  This process continued for the entirety of the pill refining. Senior Sister Lan would call out for the ingredients, and Xiaomeng would hand them over without any error. The pill refinement had started early in the morning and was only completed by late in the afternoon.

  As soon as the pill outlet was opened, a rich medicinal fragrance spread throughout the whole room. Senior Sister Lan took out the finished pills and stored them in the prepared jade bottles. Each bottle had three pills, and when she sniffed a bottle, Xiaomeng felt a rich medicinal fragrance envelop her senses.

  Looking at her, Senior Sister Lan said, "You can take one pill for yourself."

  "Are you sure?" Xiaomeng asked, wide-eyed.

  "Yes," Senior Sister Lan lightly nodded. "Since my assistant has gone to the secret realm with the Vice Sect Master, I didn't have anyone to properly assist me. But luckily you came along. Controlling the fire, managing the brewing, and also putting in the right ingredients at the right time is taxing on the mind, even for me."

  "Thank you, Senior Sister," Xiaomeng bowed her head in gratitude.

  Then, taking an empty jade bottle, Senior Sister Lan put one pill inside and handed it to Xiaomeng. Then she took out a small and recently written manuscript from her storage ring and handed it to her little helper. "Just like today. Remember the ingredients for the pill, the method to prepare them, the sequence of their addition into the furnace, and the precautions to be taken at each step."

  Taking the book, Xiaomeng nodded her head in understanding. It was the fourth week since she had entered the sect. Her cultivation had also risen to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement last week. Since everyone around her was wearing the banner of being talented, she also decided to showcase a little of her own mastery in alchemy. She rapidly memorized all indigenous plants and all recipes of Rank One pills from the books borrowed from Senior Sister Lan.

  Following that, starting from this week, she had been helping her Senior Sister Lan in making higher-level pills. Her only work was to properly observe for any mishap unnoticed by Senior Sister and to supply her with appropriate ingredients at appropriate times.

  Of course, this chance did not come easily. She had been thoroughly tested by her Senior Sister for the past few days. The halo of being a part of the "Genius Generation," as well as her personal assistant being out of the sect for quite some time, also played a great part in that.

  Since today was their first collaboration and it was a massive success, Xiaomeng was looking forward to their future endeavors. As she was busy daydreaming, the door of the furnace room was slowly opened. The large steam from the room flowed outside, creating a foggy atmosphere. In a few moments, a Foundation Establishment disciple walked inside.

  Senior Sister Lan took out a paper from her storage ring and handed it to the incoming disciple. Then, pointing at the pills, she instructed, "Take them to the Mission Hall and submit the completion of this request." Then, taking out a second paper sheet and a token engraved with her name, she continued, "Bring the ingredients on this list from the Contribution Hall."

  The disciple slightly bowed, took the paper sheets and the pills, and made his way to the Contribution Hall. Xiaomeng just observed from the side. Must be nice being a Senior Sister, she thought. She couldn't wait to boss others around for such tasks. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead. At some point, Senior Sister Lan had appeared in front of her. "You are once again making that idiotic face."

  Looking at the raised finger which had flicked her head, Xiaomeng made an aggrieved expression. Suddenly, the hand moved forward, and Xiaomeng jumped back with a guarded expression. "From your reaction, it seems that you are not just focusing on studying. Keep working on your martial skills. Soon, the new disciple tournament will be held," Senior Sister Lan noted her observation.

  Xiaomeng just nodded her head and quickly ran out. If she stayed put, she would only be toyed with by the increasingly daring Senior Sister.

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  Xiaomeng's life in the sect had been very peaceful except for a few moments like now. Just when she made a turn, she was jumped by a few outer disciples. Unlike other peaks, the Alchemy Peak didn't have a stringent divide between inner and outer disciples. So many outer disciples were able to access most of the peak. And being young, the feeling of jealousy had easily sprouted in their little hearts. And Xiaomeng always did a good job of weeding out this feeling and preserving their cultivation heart.

  "Arghhh!" the young Qi Refinement disciple shouted. His hand was being held at his back and twisted in reverse by Xiaomeng. His two companions were already down on the ground with their eyes rolled back.

  "Say it if you want me to stop," Xiaomeng lightly whispered in his ears.

  "Never!" the disciple said with gritted teeth and swollen, red eyes. Hearing his answer, Xiaomeng put more force in her hands and increased the pressure.

  Every now and then, a Foundation Establishment cultivator passed by. But looking at the pleading eyes of the boy, they just tacitly ignored him. At first, everyone had thought that Xiaomeng enjoyed bullying the weak. But as things came to light, they realized that it was the new disciples who definitely deserved a nice beating. And hence it led to the current scene.

  Finally, being unable to bear the pain, the boy said in a hoarse voice, "I'll say it."

  "What?" Xiaomeng replied. "Your voice is so small I can't hear anything. Speak a little louder."

  "I said I'll say it!" the boy shouted with every ounce of his energy.

  "Ah, okay," saying so, Xiaomeng released the boy's hand. With the support gone, the boy fell to his knees. Looking back at Xiaomeng, he gritted his teeth and said in a pained voice, "I'm… sorry… Senior… Sister." It seemed like it took his whole life just to get those words out.

  Hearing those words, a smile bloomed on Xiaomeng's face. After lightly giving the boy two pats on the head, she sharply punched him in the jaw. The boy fell down unconscious with his accomplices. Leaving the kids behind, Xiaomeng made her way to her residence. Her face was still full of smiles and her thoughts filled with various ideas about what to do with the next batch. This had become a daily occurrence for her and a good chance to test and practice her strength.

  Soon after, a few more outer disciples came to the site of the fight. One of them said, "How many times do we have to do this? With things continuing like this, she may very well become the Senior Sister of the outer sect."

  "What do you know?" another one shot back. "We are just trying to gauge her strength properly. We just have to maintain this until the seniors who have gone for external training come back. At that time, with their help, we will definitely teach her a lesson."

  At that time, a few senior disciples who were observing the brawl and were going to come out and help heard those words. They suddenly turned their backs and went their own way. These youngsters really deserved a thorough beating one of these days. Would Senior Sister Lan just stay put if her favorite junior was harmed? Trying to provoke a tiger when it had just quieted down. Thinking back, the ones who had gone out for training were really such idiots who would provoke the sleeping beast just to make a point.

  In a short while after her martial practice, Xiaomeng had returned to her room. She put the small jade bottle containing the spirit pill in her closet. She would use it during her breakthrough. Then she went and sat at the table at the side of the room.

  Taking out a blank bamboo paper and an ink brush, she started writing. It had already been a month since she had arrived here. Since she had promised her "Uncle" Chen Bao and her "Aunt" Xiao Cao that she would write regular letters, it was time to perform that duty.

  She opened the writing with a warm greeting and followed by telling them that she was doing well. About the test and the fun moments with her friends. Then she proceeded to write about Senior Sister Lan and also about the progress she had made in her cultivation. She clearly avoided any mishaps that had happened to her so as not to make them worry for nothing.

  After the full page letter was written, she properly folded and enclosed it. Then she got up and went outside to the base of the Peak. Since the whole sect was situated on a large floating island, there were timely exchange channels between the sect and the outside world every two weeks. But the sect had installed special artifacts for letter sending. Moreover, unlike the sects she knew, the Jade River Sect didn't forbid its disciples from maintaining contact with the outside world.

  At the base of the peak, a large wooden box was placed with a small square hollowed out to allow the disciples to put their letters inside. Xiaomeng once again carefully checked the address she had written and put the letter inside. Following that, she stood aside for a moment. Soon a crackling sound like something was burning came from inside the box. After a moment, the sound died down, and Xiaomeng made her way back to her dwelling.

  The letters which had been burned inside the box were transmitted to the locations written on them. Xiao Cao was coming back from work and found a white envelope on her doorstep. Picking it up, she read the sender's name, and tears started to unconsciously flow from her eyes. Chen Bao, who had also returned at the same time, saw his wife and rushed over, worried something had happened. But when he saw the letter from his daughter, even the large man was unable to control his tears. A similar scene played out at several places throughout the whole region.

  Going inside the house, the couple first lit the lamps. Then, sitting on the bed, they opened the envelope and started reading the letter. Being under the rule of a cultivation sect, the people were taught how to read and write to prevent any corrupt officials from taking advantage of them. Due to this, the couple had no trouble reading the letter from their daughter.

  From her words, she seemed more lively and cheerful than when she had been at home. From a young age, she seemed more mature than kids her own age and rarely made friends. Her parents had gotten worried due to this, and this worry had intensified when she had gone to the sect where a lot of kids gathered. But now looking back, it was the best decision for her. She seemed genuinely happy. After finishing the letter, the couple safely stored the letter in a secret compartment of the cabinet.

  That night, Xiaomeng had a beautiful dream. She was having a nice meal with Su Yulan and Su Wenhao. But this time, Chen Bao and Xiao Cao were also sitting at the table.