When people think of the Supreme Old Lord, besides his serene and noble appearance, the most vivid impression they form is... Qin Feng smiled warmly at the old man, only speaking when the old man's scalp grew numb. "Lord, my wife is deeply passionate about alchemy. Why don't she join you for training?" The old man blinked, surprised by such a request. Qin Shao continued with a smile. "As the saying goes, 'It's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them fish.' What do you think?" With a firm bite of his teeth, the old man replied, "Very well—have her come in. I will certainly teach her diligently. However, alchemy relies heavily on intuition and natural talent. Even someone full of enthusiasm may find little gain if their aptitude is lacking." This was his way of setting expectations—teaching is guaranteed, but success is not assured. "Don't worry, Lord. My wife has an exceptional talent in alchemy. You'll see when the time comes." "He spoke with confidence, noting that Lin Caiwei had already mastered dozens of alchemy techniques at the Xianhu Palace, a level that even Laojun from the Celestial Palace would have been amazed by. Upon hearing his agreement, the Jade Emperor, whose heart had been hanging in the air, finally felt at ease. With a smile, he said, 'Qin Feng, the battle against the Magistrate's first warrior will rest entirely with you.' 'Wait a moment,' he turned to the high-placed Emperor, smiling gently, 'Your Majesty, it seems you haven't yet offered me any benefits. Laojun represents himself, and cannot be equated with the rewards you've provided.' The Emperor began to feel a headache—this feeling, aside from the Queen Mother of the West, had only once before surfaced with Sun Wukong. He sensed that this young man was just as difficult to handle as the Monkey King had been back then. 'What do you wish for?' the Emperor asked, clearly aware that without some incentive, the man would certainly not give his full effort—either way, he'd be cutting corners." Qin Feng stroked his chin, thinking as he spoke, "Your Majesty, I've heard that your women are all exceptionally beautiful—like San Shengmu and the Seven Fairies, for instance..." The Jade Emperor frowned and quickly interjected, "Qin Feng, I no longer have any unmarried women among my court. All those of suitable age have already been married. Please don't count on them. Moreover, I've heard you have at least a dozen beautiful companions—aren't you satisfied yet?" Oh well, it seems I came too late. How come no one was left for me? Are you truly certain there's no suitable daughter among your daughters? Well, perhaps it's true. With an entire hall of ministers present, he wouldn't dare to lie. Since there are none left, Qin Shao adopted a truly gentlemanly demeanor, saying, "Your Majesty, I must have misunderstood. What I mean is whether my companions—those who have just ascended to the heavens—could become friends with your female courtiers. They've just arrived, and they have no friends at all; they're quite lonely." The Jade Emperor's furrowed brows smoothed out, and he smiled, saying, "Ah, I see now. It's just a minor matter. I'll entrust this to the Queen Mother to handle. Rest assured, they'll surely find the experience welcoming and comfortable." With the business settled, the next natural topic to address was the competition. According to the agreement between the magical realm and the heavenly court, the match would take place on the sixth day of next month, twenty days from today. With ten thousand golden elixirs, Qin Feng naturally wouldn't consume them all himself—he was afraid of digestive discomfort—so he kept a portion for himself and distributed the rest among the young women. Isabella successfully secured the recognition of the Emperor Huangtian, becoming a full member of the heavenly realm by virtue of her bloodline. The thirty or so disciples from the Hall of Huangtian journeyed to the remote, wild regions, tasked with gathering as many inner organs of fierce beasts as possible. Qin Feng's mission, however, was simpler: to consume the elixirs and refine the inner organs, striving to elevate his rank to a new level before the competition began. By the seventh day, he smoothly advanced to the mid-grade Lingxian; on the twelfth day, he reached the upper-grade Lingxian; by the nineteenth day, he was clearly on the verge of breaking through to the Zhixian rank—only to encounter a minor setback at the most critical moment, failing to make the promotion. It was indeed frustrating, especially since the culprit turned out to be the Huangtian Emperor. At that time, Qin Feng was simultaneously refining six inner dan. The Huangtian Emperor, concerned about his disciple's progress, came over to inspect him and observed three inner dan on each of his arms, prompting an involuntary exclamation—just one character: "Hm." However, this single word interrupted Qin Feng's refining process, causing all his prior efforts to fall short. He immediately resumed and went on to refine dozens of additional inner dan, yet ultimately achieved nothing. The Huangtian Emperor expressed deep regret, feeling he had let his disciple down. Qin Shao was rather open-minded; qualifying for the next round was already considered lucky, as not advancing was expected. Having climbed two levels in such a short time, he was already quite satisfied. Moreover, the inner elixirs used for his promotions had all been hunted down by his master's emissaries—how could he possibly complain about such a minor matter? "Thinking of this, he extended his right hand, fingers lightly pressed together as he calculated, then immediately smiled: 'Indeed, as I had predicted—fortune lies hidden within adversity, and adversity within fortune. This saying truly makes perfect sense.' One disciple, puzzled, asked: 'Master, what exactly are you saying? Is it related to Qin Feng, our junior disciple?' The Emperor smoothed out his expression, serious and composed: 'The celestial secrets must remain sealed. Once revealed, consequences follow. I certainly don't wish to mislead him again.' According to Qin Feng's plan, he should have visited the orchard of the Queen Mother of the West or the imperial garden of the Jade Emperor—both renowned for their beauty and nourishing produce. Yet on the way, he had been distracted, and when he regained his focus, he found himself in the lands of Huaxia, standing right before the valley he had recently seized from Mili. The misty barrier, no longer effective against a high-level immortal, revealed clearly the figure of Mei Li, watering flowers in the meadow. In addition to various seasonal vegetables, she and Lin Caivie’s mother have cultivated numerous flowers and erected a trellis for grapes, creating a thriving, vibrant scene throughout the valley. "How did we end up here," he mused, adopting a mindset of contentment—since he’d come, he’d just have to make do. Tomorrow’s sparring match would surely be exhausting, so today he’d enjoy a hearty meal to replenish himself. As he lowered his height, he shouted enthusiastically, "Old buddy, I’m here!"