Chapter 58

With Chu Ning’s current achievements, she already met the criteria for special admissions at any university.

In other words, even if she didn’t take the entrance exams, she could still enroll in a university—any university she wanted.

“Imperial Star Military University, then,” Chu Ning said.

She had already discussed this with Qin Zheng before. As a military spouse and the marshal’s partner, she was inevitably tied to the military. Choosing Imperial Star Military University was the most suitable option.

Besides, Qin Zheng was currently the honorary principal of Imperial Star Military University. If she went there, things would be more convenient.

Moreover, Imperial Star Military University was the top academy in the Federation. Since she had decided to attend university, it was naturally the best choice.

Gu Sanjie’s eyes lit up.

“Then when the time comes, you should register Grand-Grandmother as your mentor.”

“Grand-Grandmother is the dean of the Alchemy Academy at Imperial Star Military University. Though she rarely takes on students anymore, you’re half a junior of our Gu family, so she should be willing.”

Chu Ning was slightly puzzled but felt a tug on her sleeve from Gu Ming.

“Grand-Grandmother is our Gu family’s most formidable high-ranking alchemist. Her mental strength has already reached late-stage S-rank. When Sanjie was at Imperial Star Military University, it was Grand-Grandmother who mentored her.” Gu Ming’s voice carried excitement, clearly hoping Chu Ning would agree.

Chu Ning, however, furrowed her brows slightly.

The president of the Alchemy Association had also wanted to take her in as a disciple before.

But she really wasn’t interested in taking on a master…

Seeing everyone looking at her expectantly, she felt a bit helpless.

“Alright then,” she agreed.

Forget it. It was just a student-mentor relationship, not a formal discipleship.

Since she was now connected to the Gu family by marriage, she should at least give them this bit of face.

“Great! I’ll go inform Grand-Grandmother right away!” Gu Sanjie actually lost her composure in excitement.

Noticing the way the others’ expressions changed, she quickly composed herself.

“I have something to do, so I’ll leave first! You all continue chatting! Take your time!” With that, she stood up in a seemingly calm manner and walked away.

But after taking a few steps, she couldn’t contain her excitement anymore and broke into a run.

Chu Ning was a little startled. So this was Sanjie’s real personality?

Gu Qian noticed Chu Ning’s expression and gave an awkward laugh.

“That’s just how she is. Hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine.”

After chatting for a while longer, Da Jie and Si Jie both received phone calls and left.

Once Si Jie had gone, Chu Ning took the opportunity to bid farewell.

Gu Qian tried to persuade her to stay for a bit longer but eventually personally walked her to the door.

Leaving the Gu family estate, Chu Ning got into the hover car and let out a breath.

In the driver’s seat, Gu Ming glanced at her with a smile.

“You did really well today. Mom and the others like you a lot.”

Chu Ning looked at Gu Ming.

“You sure?” Her expression was slightly skeptical.

Gu Ming stifled a laugh.

“Mm!” He nodded firmly.

“Sanjie might have a sharp tongue, but she actually thinks highly of you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have suggested that you take Grand-Grandmother as your mentor after entering Imperial Star Military University.”

“She wants to be your senior sister.”

Chu Ning’s mouth twitched.

“…Is that so?”

Before long, the two of them arrived back at the Marshal’s Mansion.

Just as they reached the gate, Gu Ming received a call about a shipment issue that needed his attention.

Feeling a little frustrated, he had no choice but to leave without stepping inside.

Chu Ning entered the house alone and headed straight for the alchemy room.

Inside, Qin Zheng and Xia Ye were both present.

One was handling medicinal ingredients, while the other was refining pills—it looked surprisingly harmonious.

Upon seeing her return, Qin Zheng was the first to pause his work.

Xia Ye, on the other hand, sped up his pill refinement.

“Wife,” Qin Zheng greeted.

Chu Ning walked over to the two of them.

Just as she reached their side, Xia Ye’s pill was successfully formed.

“Wife—” Xia Ye also called out, popping a Jade Dew Pill into his mouth.

“Mm.”

“I only borrowed 20 billion from the Gu family. Is that enough?” Chu Ning asked Xia Ye.

A smile tugged at Xia Ye’s lips.

“It’s enough. The online store will soon generate funds, so our financial pressure is mainly in these first few days.”

“With this 20 billion, it’ll be enough to establish the basic framework of Dan Sect and keep it running smoothly.”

Chu Ning felt relieved.

“Will you be able to handle Dan Sect’s affairs?” At home, Gu Ming seemed to be the busiest, constantly out and about. But she knew that Xia Ye wasn’t exactly idle either.

His health still wasn’t great, yet he had to manage Dan Sect’s operations while also refining pills and cultivating. And yet, he had never once complained.

“Mm.” Xia Ye gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’m just overseeing things, not doing everything myself. Don’t worry, Wife.”

“By the way, I have an idea and wanted to ask for your opinion.”

“Go ahead.”

“I want to… try recruiting some beastmen and training them as alchemists.”

Chu Ning was momentarily stunned.

Xia Ye continued, “There are few females, and even fewer alchemists. Even entry-level alchemists are highly sought after by organizations. Li Huan has been helping drive traffic to our online store, and while we’ve attracted many job seekers, there still aren’t enough alchemists.”

“I reviewed the applications, and almost all the alchemists who applied only want to sign pill supply contracts, not lifetime contracts. Given Dan Sect’s current situation, it’ll be difficult to secure lifetime contracts.”

After all, for alchemists, making money was important, but it wasn’t their top priority.

At the core of it, while they acknowledged Chu Ning’s talent in alchemy, they didn’t see Dan Sect as having a strong enough foundation to help them advance in their craft.

Since Dan Sect was still in its infancy, it would take time to build that foundation.

Furthermore, while Chu Ning was already a mid-level alchemist, she was still far from being a high-level one—or at least, that’s what outsiders believed.

A mid-level alchemist wasn’t attractive enough for entry-level alchemists to gamble their future on.

But for the long-term development of Dan Sect, they had to start nurturing their own talents as soon as possible. And the only ones worth training were those willing to sign lifetime contracts.

If that was the case, he wanted to give beastmen a chance.

“That’s fine,” Chu Ning agreed without much thought.

Whether it was females or beastmen, it made no difference to her.

After all, the Dan Sects of the cultivation world had both male and female disciples, and there were even more male disciples than female ones.

However—

Something occurred to her, and she added, “That said, I’d still prefer to prioritize recruiting alchemists.”

“Training new talents requires significant investment. If we bring in beastmen, it’ll take extra steps to screen them, and once we do recruit them, we’ll have to train them from scratch.”

“Existing entry-level alchemists, on the other hand, already have talent and can be employed immediately.”

“Also, we can gradually transition the pill supply contracts into lifetime contracts. I’m confident that some of them will eventually choose to stay with Dan Sect.”

“Mm, don’t worry, Wife. Recruiting alchemists will remain the priority.”

“Besides, I guarantee that the first batch of beastmen alchemists won’t cost Dan Sect anything. In fact, they’ll bring us profit.”

Chu Ning raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Xia Ye smiled.

“In a few days, I plan to take the entry-level alchemist certification exam. If I pass, the news will spread, and plenty of people will come looking for us—such as members of noble beastman families.”

Noble families had many descendants, and some of them weren’t suited for combat or had no interest in fighting—like himself and Gu Ming.

If they were given an alternative path and a chance to become alchemists, they’d be willing to pay a hefty price for it.

If these people joined Dan Sect, it would accelerate its rise and strengthen its foundation.

Moreover, once word got out that he had become an alchemist, they wouldn’t even need to search for recruits—aspiring beastman alchemists would come flocking to them.

Searching for talent was too slow. Selecting the best from those who came was the most efficient approach.