The new Geniuses Ranking caused quite a stir within the Dao Sword Sect.
First, there were two new entrants who squeezed out two original rankers.
Second, Qi Peak did not even have anyone in the top five. The prestigious Qi Peak with so many talented cultivators did not have a single genius squeeze into the top five positions. It was said that Qi Peak's Peak Master, He Daoguang, was furious and vowed to make trouble for Dong Zhongyuan.
Third, Li Shiyin and Tian Wenjin's rankings were too high. Everyone recognized these two peerless beauties on the Beauty Ranking, and agreed they could make it onto the Geniuses Ranking, but they should only be around the ninth or tenth positions.
In response to the sect's doubts about her, Li Shiyin's reply was - anyone is welcome to challenge her.
However, no one came to challenge her.
Li Shiyin did not care about those disciples who only dared to criticize behind her back. She cared more about her Master.
That day, she discovered her Master was not on duty at the Medicine Hall. Instead, he was squatting under the Devouring Demon Willow, fiddling with something. That naughty brat Liu Xiaoji was also lying lazily on the willow branches of the Devouring Demon Willow, watching with great interest.
"Master, what are you doing?" She ran over to ask.
Only when she got closer did she see her Master holding a porcelain bottle, dripping some white turbid liquid into a pit which contained a honeycomb.
"I'm testing the Spirit Water..." Qin Ran replied absently. "The Phoenix Wing Tiger Head Wasps show signs of hatching in recent days. I want to upgrade the Spirit Water."
"Upgrade?"
"This Spirit Water was something I casually concocted previously to grow the Crane Crown Immortal Grass. It works for spirit herbs but has little effect on spirit beasts," Qin Ran explained. "I plan to replace the nutrients plants need with those animals require. And the Phoenix Wing Tiger Head Wasps are ferocious predators that eat meat..."
Li Shiyin felt dizzy listening to the proper academic knowledge. She did not continue asking for now, and talked about something else instead: "Master, you didn't go to the Medicine Hall today?"
"I did go!"
"Then why did you come back so early?"
"What's the point of staying when there's nothing for me to do there?"
"Elder of Medicine Hall..." Li Shiyin found it amusing.
"What are you laughing about?" Qin Ran put away the Spirit Water and turned to see Li Shiyin grinning foolishly, puzzled by her reaction.
"Elder, an elder should be very old. But Master, you don't look old at all," said Li Shiyin, smiling charmingly. "Every time I hear them address you as Elder, I find it funny."
"Yet I'm the Peak Master!" Qin Ran also laughed. "A Peak Master should be very capable. Do you think I'm capable?"
"Master, you are extremely capable!" Li Shiyin nodded earnestly in agreement.
"Is that so?" Li Shiyin's earnest look made Qin Ran pause for a moment, feeling a little proud inside.
"Yes!"
Qin Ran laughed very happily. Nothing made a man happier than being admired by the girl he liked.
He shook his head, then took out a wasp pupa that had just been fed Spirit Water from the honeycomb to observe carefully...
"Master?"
Qin Ran understood her unspoken question and explained: "I'm looking at its growth to determine if the Spirit Water has helped it or not.
"Pay attention to the development of its wings and internal organs in its thorax. Note the time and length when the gold edges appear on the wings, with and without the aid of Spirit Water, and compare between the two.
"For its abdomen, the sign to look for is..."
Li Shiyin squatted down beside him and tilted her head, watching her Master attentively. She did not notice what her Master was saying, she just thought he looked very handsome when serious.
"Master..." She asked softly, "Why do you know everything?"
"I don't know everything. But someone out there knows these things. They gained the knowledge, recorded it in books, I read the books, so I know too. This is the inheritance of human civilization," Qin Ran explained.
"When I wanted to breed the Phoenix Wing Tiger Head Wasps, I looked for information related to them, then integrated that knowledge and extracted what I needed..."
"Master, you do know everything," Li Shiyin emphasized.
Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin's earnest expression and smiled without correcting her again.
He put the wasp pupa he was observing back and sealed it behind a water membrane to replace the wax.
He took out his experiment records and documented in detail the Spirit Water used this time, the wasp's growth conditions, and various other data.
After he finished recording, he stood up.
Li Shiyin stood up along with him and asked, "Master, what shall we do now?"
"The data collected over these days is about enough. I'm going to the Research Building to develop Spirit Water No.2," said Qin Ran.
"Spirit Water No.2?" The silly disciple obviously did not take in what her Master said.
"The one just now was Spirit Water No.1, specially catered for spirit herbs," Qin Ran knew his disciple was silly but was very patient as he explained again. "Then based on the Phoenix Wing Tiger Head Wasp's application, I will modify a Spirit Water No.2 suited for it."
"Oh, I see!" Li Shiyin still seemed clueless.
Liu Xiaoji had long been unable to endure this and went back into his willow tree.
Although Li Shiyin did not understand at all, she still followed along closely behind Qin Ran to the Research Building.
On the second floor of the Research Building's Medicine Chamber, Long Qiqi was sitting at a table by the side, her petite figure leaning over the large table, holding a pen and scribbling away.
The sound of Qin Ran and disciple entering made her lift her head. Seeing Li Shiyin tailing behind Qin Ran, she could not help but scoff, "No trouble caused by you trailing pest today?"
These two bickered all the time. Qin Ran was too lazy to respond and went to retrieve what he needed by himself.
Instead of following him, Li Shiyin leaned against Long Qiqi's table. This was the table she had read books at when she first arrived, while learning about the Water Overflowing Golden Mountain Temple. But after she started learning the sword, she never came back here.
Later on, Long Qiqi occupied this spot for a long time.
Seeing Long Qiqi here now, Li Shiyin felt strangely uncomfortable. She looked condescendingly at Long Qiqi to see what she was writing, and commented mockingly, "What are you doing?"
Long Qiqi showed Li Shiyin the paper filled with words and bragged, "These are the interactive equations of the effective parts within the medicinal materials. What do you think, can you understand them?"
The dense lines of words made Li Shiyin dizzy. She avoided looking and retorted proudly instead, "These were all derived by my Master."
She was well aware this was Qin Ran's unique pill concocting research methodology.
"So what does it have to do with you?" Long Qiqi rolled her eyes.
Li Shiyin sneered, "You don't even call him Master yet you shamelessly learn his alchemy skills."
These techniques were unique to Qin Ran. Long Qiqi was clearly aware of this, held some shame for her freeloading, and was momentarily rendered speechless.
Li Shiyin raised her chin arrogantly like a proud young rooster. She glanced at Long Qiqi once before chasing after Qin Ran again.
"Master, I'll help carry stuff for you!"
Long Qiqi looked at the equations on the paper, extremely conflicted, and could only mutter angrily in the end: "Trailing pest!"
Downstairs at the Alchemy Chamber, based on the data, Qin Ran deleted and modified multiple times until he finally produced Spirit Water No.2 with Li Shiyin.
—— Every time Master Alchemist Qin Ran publishes a thesis, there will be Li Shiyin's name listed as co-author. The female sword immortal Li Shiyin must have outstanding alchemy skills too!