5: Chapter 5 Successfully Enters the Pill Hall

In fact, very few Matrilocal son-in-laws ever come here.

Firstly, the Family does not deliberately Cultivate them unless they possess outstanding talent.

Secondly, Family inheritance is crucial; the Art of Herbalism is extremely complex. Even just identifying Spiritual Plants and understanding their mutual promotion and restraint cannot be learned overnight; it requires lifelong exposure from a young age.

Thirdly, those who become a Matrilocal son-in-law for the Qin Family are basically people with poor Aptitude and empty pockets.

"Are you that newly recruited Matrilocal son-in-law? The only one with a pregnant wife?" the Elder of the Alchemy Hall stroked his gray beard and smiled.

"I am Chen Fan. My wife has just become pregnant, so I've been a bit lucky," Chen Fan said with an awkward smile, not expecting such a matter to become a topic of conversation.

"However, Alchemy is different from having children. Many people pursue it their whole lives only to end up with nothing, wasting a vast amount of energy and time instead. You must think this through."

"This Junior has thought it through."

"Then let me test you first. If you can answer, you may enter the Alchemy Hall to study. If you cannot answer, you had better find something else to do as soon as possible."

The Elder's attitude was clear; it was a polite rejection, merely being courteous due to Family rules.

"Please set the questions, Senior. This Junior read quite a few books in his earlier years."

"Is that so?" After hearing this, the Elder frowned slightly and unconsciously let out a soft huff.

The Family Disciples nearby saw this, and their faces were filled with mockery, some even using harsh words.

"These days, these Matrilocal son-in-laws are truly whimsical. The Family wants them to produce more children, not waste time."

"Indeed. This Dao of Alchemy is extremely profound. This person is not young anymore, yet he doesn't know his own limitations; he is truly overestimating himself."

"Sigh, over the years, the Qin Family has recruited quite a few Matrilocal son-in-laws, most of whom are trash. This person is no exception." A relatively refined young Family Disciple gave a cold laugh.

However, just as everyone was chattering, a beautiful female Cultivator with an outstanding temperament in the crowd glanced slightly at Chen Fan, revealing a trace of sympathy.

She merely shook her head slightly without mocking him, then took out a book on the Art of Herbalism and began to read carefully.

In her view, although the Alchemy Hall did not openly refuse Matrilocal son-in-laws, the assessment was extremely strict, and very few among them could pass.

At this moment, Chen Fan's mindset was extremely calm. Back at his mother-in-law's house, he had often endured such ridicule and was already accustomed to it.

Currently, with a vast foundation of the Art of Herbalism in his mind, as long as the other party was not deliberately making things difficult, passing should be no problem.

"Very well. Then this old man will test you. First is the identification of Spiritual Plants. Tell me the difference between the Thousand-Moon Grass and the Purple Spirit Flower."

"These two Spiritual Plants look identical on the outside, but their roots have subtle differences. Especially under moonlight, the Thousand-Moon Grass appears dark red, while the Purple Spirit Flower is purple," Chen Fan answered unhurriedly.

After hearing this, the Elder raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly.

"Tell me the difference between the Blazing Flame Grass and the Profound Flame Flower."

"Both of these are fire-attribute Spiritual Plants and look quite similar on the outside. The subtle difference lies in the veins of their roots; the one with orderly, intricate patterns is the Blazing Flame Grass, while the other is the Profound Flame Flower."

Answering two questions in a row made the Elder secretly surprised, and he couldn't help but look at him with more respect.

The other Family Cultivators saw this, and their expressions appeared somewhat strange.

"Then what about the Mist Silver Flower and the Soul-Returning Grass?"

"These two Spiritual Plants are extremely easy to confuse, but because their growing environments are different, the Mist Silver Flower prefers shade, so the base of its petals appears a faint brown; whereas the Soul-Returning Grass prefers the sun, so the edges of its petals appear dark red."

"Haha, you really do have some foundation. However, being able to identify Spiritual Plants is only the entry level; there is still a long way to go before refining Medicinal Pills."

The Elder said this while staring at Chen Fan, overjoyed.

However, he was slightly hesitant in his heart. The other party's Spiritual Root was simply too poor; after all, refining Medicinal Pills had certain requirements for one's Realm.

Furthermore, Pill Formulas were core secrets of the Family; how could they be known by an outsider with no blood relation?

Just as he was hesitating, a clear voice slowly drifted over.

"Uncle Wu, since he passed your assessment, he should be allowed to enter the Alchemy Hall to study. You must keep your word. If you refuse, wouldn't that mean you are deliberately bullying a Matrilocal son-in-law?" The beautiful female Cultivator nearby said with bright, lively eyes and a smiling face.

"Fine. You may enter the Pill Refining Room to study and become an official apprentice, with a monthly subsidy of three Spirit Stones. However, there will be a strict assessment after graduation. If you do not pass, you still cannot remain in the Alchemy Hall."

Speaking to this point, the Elder surnamed Wu's expression became serious.

"Thank you, Senior Wu." Chen Fan's face was filled with gratitude, and he was overjoyed in his heart; three Spirit Stones per month could just solve his urgent needs.

"No need to be so polite. My name is Wu Shouzhuo. In the future, just call me Uncle Wu. It just so happens that today I will be explaining the principles of mutual promotion and restraint of Spiritual Plants; listen carefully!"

Wu Shouzhuo was a Guest Elder of the Qin Family, who had worked diligently for many years, specifically responsible for refining low-grade Medicinal Pills, that is, those with fewer than four patterns.

"My name is Qin Lingxi. I didn't expect you to actually be able to answer Uncle Wu's tricky questions, but this is just the beginning. There is indeed a long way to go before you can become an Alchemist."

After the beautiful female Cultivator introduced herself, her gaze fell back onto her book, presenting the very image of an ice-cold beauty.

"He is just a Matrilocal son-in-law; he will be weeded out in the future anyway." The relatively refined-looking direct descendant of the Qin Family let out a cold snort, his face full of disdain.

In his view, without a massive investment of financial resources, one could not go far on the path of Alchemy, and Matrilocal son-in-laws were merely tools for producing offspring.

Chen Fan did not refute him, merely smiling faintly. Being new here, it was perfectly normal to be targeted.

Next, he listened to the lecture very seriously. Because the content Wu Shouzhuo was explaining was too simple for him, he simply took advantage of the dense Spiritual Qi in this place to quietly circulate the Xuantian Technique.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, two months passed, and without any surprise, Qin Yue also became pregnant.

This matter immediately caused an uproar among the group of Matrilocal son-in-laws.

Unexpectedly, the Cultivator with the worst Aptitude had pregnancies one after another.

These Matrilocal son-in-laws who came to the Qin Family were all sharp-witted, and their calculations were very well thought out.

That was to make use of the Cultivation resources and Spiritual Qi provided by the Family to advance quickly, therefore focusing their main energy on Cultivation.

If they could achieve continuous Breakthroughs in their Realm after a year or so, presumably the Qin Family would not make things too difficult for them.

As for the matter of sleeping with their wives, they merely dealt with it perfunctorily.

The burly man Sun Xuan, who had initially been valued by the Qin Family, heard about this and didn't care at all. He looked down upon Chen Fan, whose Aptitude was extremely poor, believing that even if he produced offspring in the future, they would likely just be Mortals.

Offspring without a Spiritual Root were destined to have no status in the Qin Family.

...

One day, in a large residence of the Qin Family, Great Elder Qin Yuanshan heard the request of the person before him and was so surprised he couldn't speak.

"You want to take two more wives?"

"Elder Qin, right now both of my wives have successfully become pregnant. This Junior would like to take advantage of his youth to keep up the good work."

Chen Fan's goal was very clear: to complete the System side mission as quickly as possible, obtain the System rewards, and strengthen his power.

After all, his Spiritual Root was very poor, and both wives were Mortal women. It was not certain that they could produce offspring with a Spiritual Root, so he had to cast a wide net.