The sun had barely risen above the horizon when two figures slipped past the walls of Ziyu City.

  "Xuanling, do I really have to come too? I'm an alchemist, not a fighter!" Xuan Dan complained. "Combat is supposed to be your job—and the job of future incarnations!"

  Qing Xuanling smiled wryly as she made her way toward the Scarlet Forest with her incarnation, Xuan Dan. She'd been enduring complaints ever since announcing she'd bring Xuan Dan along on this expedition.

  "First of all—you're not an alchemist yet. You haven't even read ten pages of the book Madam Yechan sold us." Qing Xuanling rolled her eyes. "And it's far too dangerous to enter the Scarlet Forest alone. You won't always have to fight—but I need you nearby in case I get injured or face a dangerous enemy."

  "Remember—we're the same being. If I die, you're finished too."

  That last point robbed Xuan Dan of any further argument. Indeed, it was better to accompany the primary body and prevent her from getting herself killed alone.

  "Fine—I'll accept that. But do you even have a plan? You just handed me this robe and sword before announcing we were leaving…" Xuan Dan examined the cheap black fabric of the hooded cloak that perfectly covered her face.

  Qing Xuanling nodded as she surveyed the towering trees with crimson leaves that marked the entrance to the Scarlet Forest.

  "The Scarlet Forest is a mysterious place filled with both danger and opportunity. Even the three major powers of the city—our Qing Clan, the Mo Clan, and the Ink Sword Sect—have failed to fully explore the forest's outer perimeter, which stretches over ten thousand kilometers in length and twenty thousand in width."

  Qing Xuanling narrowed her eyes. "Obviously, we won't venture too deep—but at minimum, I want to push one to two thousand kilometers inward. From my research, there are no second-level beasts yet, and even late-stage first-level demonic beasts are rare."

  Xuan Dan frowned. "It's risky… But I suppose it's still within acceptable limits. Alone, you could already survive against a mid-stage first-level beast. With me, we should be able to kill one. The real problem would be encountering a late-stage beast…"

  "Cultivation is a struggle against the heavens themselves." Qing Xuanling shrugged as she stepped into the forest. "My goal on this journey isn't just to earn fifty spirit stones—I also aim to improve our cultivation. We're only at the second layer of Qi Refinement. I doubt that level of power is sufficient for serious pill refining."

  That left Xuan Dan speechless. She hadn't considered that yet. Indeed, one generally needed to reach at least the third layer of Qi Refinement before even aspiring to learn alchemy.

  With nothing more to say, she followed Qing Xuanling deeper into the Scarlet Forest.

  This journey was destined to be long.

  Days passed swiftly as Qing Xuanling and Xuan Dan traveled and occasionally battled low-stage demonic beasts. As time went on, they discovered several hidden advantages of Qing Xuanling's divine talent.

  For instance, the innate coordination between them wasn't merely the result of sharing identical memories and combat experience—it stemmed from a unique, mysterious connection that allowed them to instinctively anticipate each other's actions without conscious thought. It was almost magical.

  The most recent discovery was: whenever Xuan Dan returned to Qing Xuanling's divine sea, all knowledge she had acquired was instantly absorbed by Qing Xuanling.

  They had just learned this last benefit.

  "Incredible! Your talent is ridiculously overpowered!" Xuan Dan gaped in disbelief. "You could basically have your incarnations learn a million things for you while you just rest!"

  Qing Xuanling's expression darkened. "Xuan Dan—why are you so lazy? The amazing part is that I can focus on improving my cultivation and techniques while my incarnations handle earning money or delving into the Dao!"

  "That's what's truly magical!"

  Xuan Dan smiled sheepishly and quickly scrambled to name another advantage to save face. Unexpectedly, something did occur to her.

  "Wait… Xuanling—what do you think of my understanding of Madam Yechan's book?" Xuan Dan asked, the firelight from their newly built campfire flickering across her face in the darkness. "Don't you… have a different interpretation?"

  Qing Xuanling frowned and brought a hand to her chin, reviewing the knowledge and insights she'd absorbed from Xuan Dan.

  'Hmm… Alchemy is indeed profound, just as I thought… I see—the law of elemental attributes… Yes, as Xuan Dan reasoned, a fire herb and water herb could interact if another ingredient is added to stabilize their instability. But what if, instead of suppressing that instability, we harness it…'

  Qing Xuanling's train of thought froze.

  "I… arrived at a different conclusion based on your understanding, Xuan Dan…" An uncontrollable smile spread across Qing Xuanling's face.

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  Xuan Dan grinned too. "Hahaha—I knew you'd realize it! This is fantastic! I never imagined we could create a self-reinforcing learning cycle between us!"

  The "self-reinforcing learning cycle" Xuan Dan referred to was their ability—as originally one being—to reach entirely different conclusions and share them almost instantly. Though Qing Xuanling lacked exceptional alchemical talent, she was naturally intelligent and could extract insights from Xuan Dan's ideas. And however gifted Xuan Dan was in alchemy, she couldn't think of everything alone.

  Now, with the few insights Qing Xuanling could derive from alchemical knowledge, they could completely fill the gaps in Xuan Dan's understanding. Then Xuan Dan would feed that refined knowledge back to Qing Xuanling—who might conceive ideas Xuan Dan herself had missed…

  Qing Xuanling and Xuan Dan exchanged excited glances. If their theory was correct, Xuan Dan's future path in alchemy would be supreme!

  "Hehe—just as I thought, my talent is absolutely insane!" Qing Xuanling chuckled as she roasted a portion of the demonic beast they'd hunted together earlier.

  It wasn't especially delicious—but it was edible enough.

  Xuan Dan nodded and was about to speak when she suddenly froze. Behind her came the sound of snapping leaves.

  Qing Xuanling immediately grabbed her sword and assumed a defensive stance.

  Someone—or something—was approaching!

  Xuan Dan also went on alert, moving to stand beside Qing Xuanling with her sword drawn. She didn't forget to pull her hood lower, concealing her features.

  Soon, three figures emerged from the bushes.

  "I hope we haven't disturbed the two Daoist sisters."

  A man and two women emerged from the bushes. The man took the initiative to speak.

  "If it's not an inconvenience… may we share your campfire?" He had charming features, shoulder-length green hair, and clear, bright eyes.

  Qing Xuanling hesitated. She could sense the man was at mid-stage Qi Refinement, while the two women were at late-stage—possibly peak stage. Meanwhile, she and Xuan Dan remained at low-stage Qi Refinement.

  One of the women behind the man seemed to notice her concern and smiled gently. "We mean no harm. We're from another city and decided to pass through the Scarlet Forest before heading to Ziyu City. It's just that…"

  The other woman finished for her. "We got lost thanks to that idiot Fenzhi!"

  The green-haired man smiled bitterly. "You two chose to follow me! It's not entirely my fault!"

  The first woman—who had a gentle, serene appearance—smiled faintly. "As you can see, we've simply come to ask for directions."

  Qing Xuanling narrowed her eyes, studying the three cautiously before speaking. "I can give you directions—but you cannot stay with us. It's too dangerous for mere cultivations low-stage Qi Refiners."

  The sharper-tongued woman frowned and nearly retorted, but the kind-looking woman spoke first.

  "That's enough. My name is Su Meiren. This is my companion Yan Xueyan, and the boy is Wi Fenzhi." Su Meiren smiled sweetly. "May we know your names, Daoist sisters?"

  Qing Xuanling hesitated briefly—then nodded. "I'm Ling Zhiqing, and she's my sister, Ling Yuer. As for directions—you need only follow the river current one kilometer east of here, then pass through the black rock arch several hundred meters from the riverbank…"

  Qing Xuanling provided detailed instructions to reach Ziyu City, unsurprised that the trio had gotten lost. The Scarlet Forest had a strange tendency to disorient travelers.

  Only experienced individuals like Qing Xuanling—who had participated in numerous field exercises and secretly ventured into the forest several times—could navigate it with ease.

  Even the impetuous Yan Xueyan asked doubtfully, "Do we really need to take so many detours just to reach one city?"

  Qing Xuanling shrugged. "The Scarlet Forest is strange—it never wishes those who enter to leave again. Without fixed landmarks, it's very easy to become lost."

  Su Meiren frowned slightly and nodded. "I see. We clearly failed to research properly before entering such a dangerous forest. But Sister Zhiqing—what are you doing alone in this forest at your cultivation level? Isn't it too dangerous?"

  "To seek opportunity—obviously." Qing Xuanling's eyes burned with determination. "My innate talent isn't strong, so I must risk my life to find a chance to rise."

  Wi Fenzhi's eyes widened as he clapped. "Wow—that's the true spirit of a cultivator, Sister!"

  Yan Xueyan's expression also softened. "Indeed. It's rare to encounter youths with such resolute spirit."

  Qing Xuanling watched their exchange in confusion. "Youths?" Neither of them looked over twenty…

  Su Meiren covered her face with her hand. "Forgive them, Sister Zhiqing. They can be a bit… foolish at times."

  Qing Xuanling shook her head and observed them silently. Su Meiren smiled wryly upon realizing what her silence meant.

  "We'll take our leave then, Sister Zhiqing. Please accept this storage pouch as thanks. It contains two pill bottles—one for healing, one for Qi recovery. Forgive the intrusion." Su Meiren smiled as she gently pulled the other two away.

  They immediately headed toward the river Qing Xuanling had mentioned.

  "What strange people…" Qing Xuanling examined the storage pouch in her hands with caution. "What do you think, Xuan Dan? Could it be a trap?"

  Xuan Dan pulled back her hood and rolled her eyes. "Why would they need to set a trap? They could simply act—and not even our souls would escape their grasp. They're likely young masters from a major power."

  Qing Xuanling nodded and handed the two pill bottles to Xuan Dan. "Yes—I had the feeling their cultivation levels were higher than they appeared…"

  Xuan Dan uncorked the bottles and sniffed them. She possessed a kind of instinct regarding pills that allowed her to discern whether they were beneficial or harmful—though that was the extent of her ability.

  "The pills are clean—nothing strange. And the spatial pouch has ten square meters of storage…" Xuan Dan clicked her tongue. "Yes—without doubt, they must be young masters an the Foundation Establishment Realm. Only someone at that level could casually give away something like this."

  Qing Xuanling narrowed her eyes. "What business could they have in the city? They're too strange—I can't tell whether they're good or ill-intentioned."

  Xuan Dan waved it off. "Does it matter? We're just low-stage Qi Refiners. The clan elders will handle whatever comes. Don't worry—we've only spent ten days in the Scarlet Forest and only gathered three low-grade beast cores. We still have a long way to go before reaching fifty spirit stones."

  Qing Xuanling nodded and quickly returned to roasting their meal. Tomorrow, they would venture even deeper into the forest.

  * * *

  "Sister Meiren—why were you so generous with that girl?" Yan Xueyan asked curiously. "Those bottles contain pills with purity levels close to one hundred percent. Even within our sect, they're quite difficult to obtain."

  Wi Fenzhi nodded. "True—and she wasn't even that pretty. It's rare for the 'demonic Meiren' to be so kind."

  "Who are you calling by that stupid nickname?" Su Meiren frowned. "And I simply found the girl adorable! It's rare to see youths with such spirit. Doesn't it make you want to support something so lovely?"

  Wi Fenzhi shook his head. "Your tastes are so strange, Meiren…"

  Su Meiren huffed and stopped paying them attention. Instead, she recalled Ling Zhiqing's plain but pleasant face. Her instincts told her their paths would cross again.