Qin Tianze clicked his tongue.
"She seriously sent someone for her?"
Qin Rui shrugged.
"Yuelan is Yuelan."
"This is a family meeting."
"And she probably thinks her cultivation is more important."
"That's arrogant."
Qin Rui gave him a look.
"Tianze, half the elders here won't say anything to her face."
"They're elders."
"Some of the weaker elders would get beat up by her."
Qin Tianze scoffed.
"She wouldn't dare."
Qin Rui smiled.
"She absolutely would. Politely, maybe. But she would."
Qin Tianze rolled his eyes.
Before he could respond, the leading elder tapped the table.
"Enough side talk."
The hall quieted.
The meeting began with the usual matters.
Mission Bureau updates.
Beast movement.
Reports from the eastern wilderness.
Rumors of a hidden inheritance.
Possible coordination with other families.
Whether to send juniors.
Whether Origin Core escorts would attract too much attention.
The elders debated carefully.
Some wanted to move early.
Some wanted to wait.
Some wanted to send scouts only.
Some wanted to pressure the Mission Bureau for classified reports.
Qin Tianze listened with growing interest.
An inheritance helpful to all three paths.
That meant even Wizards might benefit.
His Mid Earthen Magical Core was already enough to make Pale Moon Arcane College watch him. If he found a mana inheritance or ancient spell structure, his position would rise even further.
He smiled faintly.
Finally, one elder asked, "Has anything unusual occurred within the city itself?"
Most shook their heads.
But an older elder near the middle hesitated.
His expression became strange.
The leading elder noticed.
"Elder Qin Wen. Speak."
Qin Wen cleared his throat.
"There is… one matter."
"Related to the beast gathering?"
"No. Related to our family."
Several people looked over.
Qin Tianze leaned back.
"What now? Did someone embarrass us in a duel arena again?"
Qin Wen glanced at him.
Then said, "Qin Yuan has entered the Clearbell Eastern Three-Path Pill Association."
The hall went silent.
Not shocked yet.
Just confused.
Qin Tianze blinked.
Then laughed once.
"Who?"
Qin Wen's expression became even stranger.
"Qin Yuan."
"My brother Qin Yuan?"
"Yes."
"The 1st layer Spirit Opening Qin Yuan?"
"Yes."
"The one with the Ninth-Grade Spiritual Root?"
"Yes."
Qin Tianze stared at him.
Then slowly looked at Qin Rui.
Qin Rui looked back.
Neither spoke.
One elder frowned.
"Entered as what? Herb assistant?"
Qin Wen shook his head.
"No."
"Outer labor?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Qin Wen placed a phone on the table.
The device projected a hologram into the center of the hall.
A clean official notice appeared.
CLEARBELL EASTERN THREE-PATH PILL ASSOCIATION
NEW RISING TALENT REGISTRATION NOTICE
Name: Qin Yuan
Status: Seventh-Star Apprentice Alchemist
Special Observation: Exceptional medicinal pattern recognition, fire control, pill refinement stability, and three-path compatibility potential.
Association Evaluation: Highly valued.
For several breaths, no one moved.
Then Qin Tianze nearly fell out of his seat.
His spell tablet wobbled in the air.
"What the hell?"
An elder snapped, "Language."
Qin Tianze pointed at the hologram.
"That says Qin Yuan!"
"We can read," Qin Rui muttered.
Qin Tianze ignored him.
"No. No, that's wrong. That has to be another Qin Yuan."
Qin Wen tapped the notice.
A profile image appeared.
Calm face.
Ordinary black clothes.
Association badge.
Qin Yuan.
The hall erupted.
"Seventh-star?"
"How did he hide this?"
"Did Qin Haoran know?"
"Why was he never tested?"
"He has a Ninth-Grade Spiritual Root. How can his pill talent be this high?"
"The Pill Dao does not rely only on Spiritual Root."
"The association posted him officially. They would not make such a mistake."
"Highly valued? By them?"
One elder's eyes brightened.
"This is good news. A seventh-star apprentice from our Qin Family? If nurtured properly, he could become a true alchemist."
Another elder frowned.
"Good news, yes, but not simple. The association is stronger than us. If they have already taken him under protection, we cannot act like he is just a normal junior."
"He is still Qin Family blood."
"Blood does not override association contracts."
"We need to bring him back and discuss his future."
"No. We need to investigate carefully before doing anything stupid."
Qin Tianze sat frozen.
His thoughts felt jammed.
Qin Yuan?
That Qin Yuan?
The quiet nobody?
The brother he barely considered when thinking about family competition?
A seventh-star apprentice?
Highly valued?
Qin Tianze suddenly remembered every time he had dismissed Qin Yuan as irrelevant.
Every time he had assumed Qin Yuan would remain ordinary.
Every time he had thought the family had only two real young talents.
Himself.
And Qin Yuelan.
Now the hologram floated in the middle of the hall like a slap.
Qin Rui leaned toward him and whispered, "So… your nobody brother is famous now."
Qin Tianze's face darkened.
"Shut up."
Qin Rui raised both hands.
"Just saying. Life comes fast."
At the front of the hall, the leading elder's expression became solemn.
"This matter is not to be spread casually by our side. Do not pressure Qin Yuan. Do not send juniors to provoke him. Do not attempt to force him back into family management."
Several elders looked unhappy.
The leading elder's voice turned cold.
"I mean it. The Three-Path Pill Association is not a minor sect. If they value him, then he is already under their eyes. Anyone who acts greedily may harm the family more than help it."
Qin Wen nodded.
"I agree. We should contact Qin Haoran and Qin Meiyue first."
Another elder frowned.
"They are outside the city."
"Then send a sealed message."
The leading elder looked toward the young woman representing Qin Yuelan.
"And inform Qin Yuelan."
The young woman nodded.
"She already knows."
The room went quiet again.
Qin Tianze looked up sharply.
"What?"
The messenger's expression remained calm.
"Senior Sister Yuelan received the notice before the meeting."
Qin Tianze's eye twitched.
"And?"
"She said, 'Good. He finally stopped wasting time.'"
Qin Rui covered his mouth.
Qin Tianze slowly turned toward him.
"Laugh and I'll throw you out the window."
Qin Rui's shoulders shook.
"I'm not laughing."
"You are absolutely laughing."
"I'm emotionally supporting you."
"You're enjoying this."
"A little."
The elders ignored them.
The meeting continued, but Qin Tianze barely heard the next few discussions.
Qin Yuan's image remained in his head.
Calm.
Plain.
Unbothered.
As if he had never been a nobody at all.
Days later, Qin Yuan finished taking the last Perfect Common Foundation Pill.
He sat alone inside a rented cultivation room beneath the Pill Association.
The room was small, but expensive.
White formation lines covered the floor.
A low-grade Spirit Qi gathering array hummed beneath him.
Beside it, a body-tempering pressure array released slow pulses of force, pressing against his muscles, bones, and blood.
The Perfect Common Foundation Pill dissolved inside him like warm gold.
This was the last dose.
The previous pills had already done most of the work.
Root Purifying Dew had cleared stubborn impurities around his Spiritual Root.
Meridian Cleansing Liquid had widened several clogged pathways.
Gold Flesh Strengthening Pills had tempered his Flesh Gates again and again.
Bone-density support medicine had made his frame heavier and stronger.
Now the final pill pushed everything into place.
Qin Yuan closed his eyes.
His Spiritual Root trembled.
The old root had been weak.
Thin.
Rough.
Like a dry branch barely able to pull Spirit Qi from the world.
Now, under the medicinal force, faint golden-white lines spread through it.
Impurities burned away.
Cracks sealed.
The root did not become genius-level.
Not even close.
But it crossed an important threshold.
Eighth-Grade.
Seventh-Grade.
Then Sixth-Grade.
Perfect Common Spiritual Root.
At the same time, his Flesh Gates changed.
Bronze had been pushed toward Silver.
Now the final wave of medicinal force struck like a hammer.
His muscles tightened.
His blood heated.
His bones rang faintly.
The invisible gates within his flesh opened wider, stronger, cleaner.
Silver.
Then Gold.
Perfect Common Flesh Gates.
Qin Yuan opened his eyes.
Notifications filled his vision.
Foundation Improvement Complete.
Spiritual Root upgraded.
Eight-Grade Spiritual Root advanced to Sixth-Grade Spiritual Root.
Flesh Gates upgraded.
Bronze Flesh Gates advanced to Gold Flesh Gates.
Cultivation Talent has increased.
Absorption Talent has increased.
Impurity Refinement Talent has increased.
Body Refinement Talent Unlocked.
Vital Force Circulation Talent Unlocked.
Bone Strength Talent Unlocked.
Muscle Control Talent Unlocked.
Blood Heat Resistance Talent Unlocked.
Pain Adaptation Talent Unlocked.
Qin Yuan slowly exhaled.
The difference was immediate.
Spirit Qi entered faster.
Not slightly faster.
Far faster.
Before, absorbing Spirit Qi felt like trying to drink through cracked bamboo.
Now it felt like opening a narrow but clean stream.
His body also felt different.
Denser.
Warmer.
More responsive.
When the pressure array pulsed against him, his muscles no longer trembled in protest. They answered.
Qin Yuan looked at his hands.
Then clenched them.
The air popped faintly between his fingers.
He remained calm.
But inside, satisfaction rose.
This was the correct decision.
Foundation first.
Always foundation first.
His cultivation had been suppressed for days.
Not by force.
By choice.
Now that his foundation had improved, the bottleneck before him felt almost laughably thin.
Qin Yuan closed his eyes again.
Spirit Qi moved.
This time, it did not crawl.
It rushed.
The first layer Spirit Opening barrier shattered.
Second layer.
Skin refinement deepened instantly.
The second barrier shattered.
Third layer.
Flesh refinement surged.
His muscles drank Spirit Qi like dry earth taking rain.
The third barrier shattered.
Fourth layer.
Blood refinement began.
His blood warmed, circulated faster, and carried Spirit Qi through his body in smooth waves.
At the same time, his Flesh Gates pulled the pressure array inward.
Vital Force awakened inside him.
Not much.
But enough.
First layer Body Opening.
Then second.
Then third.
Then fourth.
His bones creaked.
His muscles tightened.
His blood pulsed with heavy rhythm.
The room's formation lines brightened as they absorbed the excess pressure.
Qin Yuan opened his eyes.
The breakthrough had taken less than a minute.
Spirit Opening, 4th layer.
Body Opening, 4th layer.
Dual path advancement.