Chapter 11: Chapter 11 - The Pharmaceutical Division and the Intern Commute

For the next hour, Su Bai conducted what the Elders of Verdant Peak considered a profound lecture on the Dao.

To Su Bai, it was just a standard corporate training seminar.

The format was simple. The disciples sat cross-legged on the lush grass, looking up at him with starry eyes. The Elders stood respectfully to the side, occasionally stepping forward to ask a "hypothetical" question.

In reality, the Elders were just asking him to explain the exact bottleneck concepts their own students were failing to understand.

Whenever an Elder spoke, Su Bai mentally translated the riddle-filled Daoist jargon into modern supply-chain logic, dissected it, and handed it back as an easily digestible metaphor.

To explain the complex circulation of Qi through narrow meridians, he used simple analogies about inventory management in a sect’s storehouse. To explain elemental affinities, he talked about routing river water through farming canals to maximize yield.

The disciples experienced breakthroughs left and right. Spiritual auras popped like popcorn across the courtyard as bottlenecks shattered.

Halfway through the lecture, a junior disciple approached on the Elders’ orders. He respectfully offered Su Bai a cup of the peak’s premium spiritual tea.

Su Bai took the cup, then offered a serene smile. Internally, his alarms were blaring.

He knew exactly what would happen if he drank a supreme healing tonic. The pure life energy would be instantly inverted into necrotic decay. To him, this beautiful cup of tea was a mug of boiling battery acid.

He needed to get rid of it.

"Observe," Su Bai said. His voice carried effortlessly across the silent courtyard. He stepped toward a decorative, slightly wilted potted spiritual fern. "When the Dantian is overwhelmed, one must not force the energy to assimilate. One must practice the Dao of... delegation."

With a smooth, sweeping gesture, Su Bai poured the entire cup of premium tea directly into the dirt of the potted plant.

The effect was instantaneous. The spiritual tea hit the soil and the wilted fern violently exploded with life. It rapidly grew three feet taller in the blink of an eye. It unfurled massive leaves of vibrant jade, instantly crowning itself with glowing white flowers.

The Elders exchanged trembling, awestruck glances.

’Heavens...’ The Elders’ jaws went slack. Their hearts skipped a beat. ’He didn’t even hesitate.’

That tea was a priceless healing treasure. It was something even the Sect Master would carefully savor. Yet Su Bai casually tossed it into the dirt just to make a point about the Dao.

’He views supreme treasures as nothing more than teaching tools. What profound, untouchable detachment from worldly greed!’

***

Finally, the hour was up.

Seeing that the crowd was thoroughly saturated with enlightenment, Su Bai stood up and smoothed his white robes. "If there are no more questions, I believe we can conclude today’s session."

The disciples scrambled to their feet and bowed perfectly at the waist.

"Thank you for your teachings, Senior Brother Su!" they chorused.

The Elders quickly stepped in. They herded the energized disciples away to the meditation chambers so they could consolidate their new breakthroughs.

Soon, the courtyard was empty, save for Su Bai, Elder Qin, and Liu Meng.

Su Bai turned to the old man and clasped his hands respectfully. "Elder Qin, I have a request. Would it be possible for me to learn alchemy here at Verdant Peak?"

Verdant Peak was the Radiant Sky Sect’s bustling hub dedicated exclusively to alchemy, medicine, and herb cultivation. The inner areas of the mountain were a chaotic mix of pristine herb terraces and loud, frequently exploding pill furnaces.

To the rest of the sect, they were the vital, life-saving healers. To Su Bai, they were simply the overworked Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Division, constantly stressed out by their daily quotas.

Hearing the request, both Elder Qin and Liu Meng looked incredibly surprised. Then, their faces lit up with pure excitement.

To Elder Qin, it didn’t matter if Su Bai had a single drop of actual alchemy talent. If the peerless "teacher" of Clear Cloud Peak started studying alchemy, he would inevitably figure out a way to simplify the complex pill-forging theories. He would be the ultimate middle-management supervisor for their struggling apprentices!

’A leader doesn’t need to forge the pills. He just needs to guide those who do!’ Elder Qin thought happily.

In Liu Meng’s mind, a wildly different scenario was playing out.

She possessed a Dual Spiritual Root, specifically Fire and Wood. In the cultivation world, that was the absolute golden standard for an alchemist. It was the reason Verdant Peak had immediately recruited her upon entering the Inner Sect.

If her Senior Brother Su learned alchemy, he would be spending hours upon hours in the forging halls. With her! She could show him the furnaces. They could sort herbs together. They could study the flames side-by-side...

"Hehehe..." Liu Meng couldn’t help but giggle out loud. Her face turned as red as a tomato as she got completely lost in her romantic, rom-com imagination.

On the other hand, Su Bai’s internal monologue was strictly industrial.

’I need an infinite supply of toxic waste,’ Su Bai thought practically. ’I have limited Spirit Stones. Buying pill dregs from the Auction House every day is totally inefficient and will bankrupt me. But if I become an alchemist, I can purposely fail every single refinement and legally manufacture my own toxic garbage for free!’

A moment later, Elder Qin clapped his hands together. "It would be an absolute honor to have you in our forging chambers, Martial Nephew! GAHAHA! In truth, many disciples from other peaks come here to study the flames. I will inform the Peak Master of the good news immediately!"

Su Bai smiled. His corporate restructuring was going perfectly according to plan.

"Thank you, Elder Qin. For now, I must return to Clear Cloud Peak to consolidate my insights," Su Bai said.

"Of course, Martial Nephew!" Elder Qin beamed. He turned to his blushing disciple. "Meng’er, escort your Senior Brother Su back to his peak. Make sure he travels safely!"

"Yes, Master!" Liu Meng chirped.

She summoned her flying sword, which instantly expanded into a sleek, glowing blade of emerald light hovering a foot off the grass. She stepped gracefully onto the hilt and gestured for Su Bai to join her.

As Su Bai stepped onto the blade, Liu Meng immediately enveloped him in a soft, protective bubble of her Foundation Establishment Qi. She was still under the impression that he was deeply injured and needed to be shielded from the harsh high-altitude winds.

Su Bai gently placed a hand on her shoulder for balance.

"Hold on tight, Senior Brother!" she warned with a bright smile.

With a sharp whoosh, the sword shot into the sky.

Su Bai’s breath caught in his throat. As they pierced through the cloud layer, the sprawling, majestic peaks of the Radiant Sky Sect opened up beneath them. The wind rushed past the Qi barrier, and a massive, undeniable thrill washed over him.

In his past corporate life, the most exhilarating thing he had ever experienced was an office elevator dropping a little too fast.

But this? This was absolute, unadulterated freedom. The power of flight was intoxicating.

’I need my company car back,’ Su Bai thought. His eyes burned with intense, capitalist determination as he looked down at the world. ’I need to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.’

***

Within minutes, they smoothly descended and landed at the base of Clear Cloud Peak. Liu Meng looked genuinely disappointed that the "carpool" ride was already over.

"Thank you, Junior Sister," Su Bai said as he stepped off the blade. "Let’s touch base again soon. I’ll be sure to visit."

"I will hold you to that, Senior Brother!" she smiled brightly before she bowed respectfully and flew off back toward Verdant Peak.