A day ago.
"Hmm... I wonder what insight that brat had for him to rework the Grain Pellet's Recipe until this level..." Elder Wei Xuan said while holding a Two-Star Pill between his two fingers. Apparently, he was studying the pill for flaws before giving a verdict.
He was feeling neither prejudiced nor unhappy. But more or less, there was something he was unable to let go of in his heart for making him so indecisive at this moment.
As Chen Tu's Alchemy Teacher, the elder naturally wanted to endorse Chen Tu's reworked recipe and the Grain Pellet he refined. But at the same time, his worries and self-ego made him couldn't help but be indecisive in this matter.
In fact, this same ego of his was why Tang Yun Long has yet to participate in the Titled Alchemist Examination. It wasn't overrated to say that with Tang Yun Long's performance to date, he could easily pass the test.
"Old Wei... What is occupying your mind so much until you didn't notice me coming in?" Another elder's voice broke Elder Wei Xuan's concentration. And judging from the sense of familiarity in his words, they were close acquaintances.
"Ah... Old Jiang. What brings you here?" Elder Wei Xuan moved his attention to the visitor who welcomed himself into the workshop without prior approval. Since it was an acquaintance, this individual naturally had all the right to come in whenever he wanted.
"I heard that recently, there's a good kid here in the Outer Grotto capable of refining Grain Pellets with a high success rate. Is that boy one of yours?" the elder with the surname (Jiang) asked. He was an elder of the Blood Refining Grotto, but unlike Elder Wei Xuan, this elder was part of the Inner Grotto.
"Yes. That brat is our youngest. In fact, this boy might be my second Official Disciple." Elder Wei Xuan chuckled and returned the Two-Star Pill to the wooden tray. This question from Elder Jiang seemed to help Elder Wei Xuan make up his mind.
Given Elder Jiang's experience, he was naturally capable of recognizing what pills it was. After all, both of them were Bronze-Titled, Lower-Tiered Alchemists. Suppose they had to inspect the medicine from close proximity to identify what it was. In that case, they should have killed themselves using a block of tofu.
"How many cauldrons was this? Two Two-Star and six standard Grain Pellets... Even Xiao Long would have difficulty doing something like this in one take." said Elder Jiang. The Xiao Long he mentioned is obviously Elder Wei Xuan's only Official Disciple, Tang Yun Long.
"One pot. If that boy's skill got better, even three Two-Star and five standard pills is possible..." elder Wei Xuan continued. He handed a written recipe to Elder Jiang at the end of his reply.
"Hahaha... Spiritual River Rock Beans? This recipe actually used that Spiritual Ingredient nobody wanted? What are you trying to do here? Revolutionized the Grain Pellet all over again, like the Spiritual Capturing Recipe you created while you're younger?" Elder Jiang laughed.
The two acquaintances naturally know each other's dark history from a young until now. Of course, they're not only rivals in alchemy but also in love. But topics like this shall be mentioned in future.
"Would you believe if the boy you asked for was the one making this up?" Elder Wei Xuan asked.
"NO! Of course! What age is that brat? Ten? Eleven? And you're trying to joke with me here that he created this recipe? Old Wei, as Alchemist, we both know that making a new recipe is much better than improving another. Or else, won't we had a more efficient Spiritual Replenishing Pill Recipe by now?" Elder Jiang continued.
"So be it if you choose to not believe me. This boy is definitely going to be my second Official Disciple, so keep your hand off from him." Elder Wei Xuan shakes his head after he listens to Elder Jiang's rebuttal.
If even Elder Jiang had a problem believing him, then that could only explain how excellent is Chen Tu's potential.
"Anyway, what is your purpose here? I don't think... You're here just to ask something about that boy, huh?" Elder Wei Xuan continued. If a small matter like Chen Tu is enough to make this Inner Grotto Elder come here, then that would be too unbelievable.
"I was told that the Verdant Sky Small World is opening its door in half a year. But this time, all the participants were restricted to below the Spiritual Condensation Layer. Since my six disciples all had broken through this limit long ago, I could only give you the chance instead." Elder Jiang said.
From his words, the place called "Verdant Sky Small World" is plentiful in treasure. As for what treasure it was, that had to be explained in detail. But they should be beneficial to an Alchemist, judging from the two's profession and their interest.
The two naturally continue with their discussion until late at night.
...
......(Weird... It seems that the negative effect of refining too many Spiritual Replenishing Pills at once didn't apply to me. Could it be thanks to my Sun and moon Condensation Art?)
Chen Tu grinned. The discouragement others are facing couldn't be applied to him because of his unique physique from birth. Well, by being obvious, Chen Tu's birth was already a mystery.
After all, there wouldn't be anyone capable of refining the piece of the eggshell of an unknown source, let alone extracting a glimpse of memory and a Spiritual Gathering Art from there.
This discovery naturally allowed Chen Tu to face no restrictions when refining the Spiritual Replenishing Pills. And naturally, he continued.
He swallowed the Medicinal Pills like they were candies. And after a hundred or so, Chen Tu finally felt that his body was bloated enough with Spiritual Energy.
This time, there are no longer obstacles obstructing his breakthrough. The two hundred days' worth of Spiritual Energy in his body was like an engine that charged through the thin wall in between.
Once it was broken, all the Spiritual Energy was dispersed and seeped into his bone and marrows, further pushing out all the impurities from his body. He's now stank as a skunk, but there's no doubt that Chen Tu is finally a fourth-level Body Tempering Cultivator.
(What an amazing feeling... Could this be something only those in the fourth level would realize?) Chen Tu remained seated, but for every breath he took, the Spiritual Energy of his surroundings was attracted over. His body was like a leaf sponging up all the dew as it absorbed all these blimps of Spiritual Energy to nourish his flesh. This mist-like Spiritual Energy is incomparable to what a Spiritual Replenishing Pill offers. Still, it was something nobody would complain about. After all, no matter how diluted and faint this Spiritual Energy was, they're still the Spiritual Energy everyone pursued. Nobody would cover their water well when it rains because they're afraid it would be overfilled by the rainwater. Apparently, Chen Tu's guess was correct. A feat like this was indeed someone above the Flesh Tempering Stage could enjoy. And thanks to his fully-tempered flesh, Chen Tu is now more than capable of applicating Spiritual Energy to strengthen his physique. Although the diff
(Hmm... I wonder what kind of medicinal pill is this Spring and Autumn Profound Pill and Lesser Vitality Pill. Could their effect be something extraordinary, like the Spiritual Replenishing or Spirit Desertification Pill?) Chen Tu spoke to his own while flipping through the pages. The contents were fairly easy for him to understand, and there was nothing to be suspicious about. But when Chen Tu came to the ingredient part, he had the urge to scratch and pull his hair. (Aargh... Now, this is where my first obstacle comes in...) Chen Tu took a few deep breaths after he set the book aside. He had mixed feelings due to what was going on inside his mind. The reason for these confusing thoughts was naturally understandable. After all, this was a lost recipe Qin Lei's father, Qin Tianbao, found from excavating the tomb of a certain expert. Interestingly, this relic site was also where Qin Tianbao had a mishap and lost one of his legs. And no wonder he would be allowed to keep these two
"junior brother Chen, this Three-Star Pill... Did you refine them by yourself?" Tang Yun Long asked. Even he hadn't had success in refining a pill of this quality. At most, he is only confident in refining Two-Star Pill. Furthermore, this result was before Chen Tu was officially accepted by the elder as his second official disciple. If he was, would he be capable of Four-Star, or even a Five-Star? Of course, that kind of level is nowhere to be heard of... After all, no alchemist would dedicate all their time to researching and refining a four or Five-Star Grain Pellet. Even if that alchemist is the most foolish one, he would likely have zero to little interest in an entry-level pill like this. Looking at the Three-Star Grain Pellet sitting on the table, the elder couldn't calm his heart down. And without further ado, he put his hand out toward Chen Tu and asked for something. "Xiao Tu... Bring the Alchemist Token out." Elder Wei Xuan asked. It appears that what he will be doing
"Good. Very good. Then, you'll be the second official disciple of this old man from this moment onward. I am looking forward on how far you can grow." Elder Wei Xuan appeared very satisfied with Chen Tu's instant reply. This could also show how much Chen Tu had longed for this chance. "Disciple understood!" Chen Tu kneeled and raised a teacup in both hands to the elder. Regardless of the custom, serving a cup of tea to your master is essential. This customary practice not only creates a proper master and disciple but also the connections in between. "En... Those unimportant things will be told to you by Xiao Long later. For now, take this as your gift to study under my tutelage. It was the Pill Formula I promised you last time." the elder said after placing the teacup aside and taking something from nothingness. Apparently, the elder had a piece of Spatial Jade too. And from the look of it, the quality is slightly better than what Tang Yun Long had. "Why don't you take a look at i
"Teacher, really? We're going to attend the examination for the Titled Alchemist this year?" Tang Yun Long couldn't help but feel excited. Naturally, he was very happy with what Elder Wei Xuan had said. After all, Tang Yun Long is turning eighteen this year. And even amongst all the disciples from both elders, his talent in Alchemy was the highest. But regardless of how he requested, Elder Wei Xuan would always reject him when it came to permission to attend the Titled-Alchemist Examination. No matter how much he begged, the elder would deem he was not ready for the test yet. Counting from the year he had been asking until now, it was almost four years past. But today, the sun seems to be rising from the west. Of course, Tang Yun Long realized that the change in Elder Wei Xuan's mind did not come from him but from Chen Tu. Without bathing in this junior brother's brilliance, he might have to wait another year or two before his chances arrive. Obviously, there was a reason for the
Next morning. Following Tang Yun Long's suggestion, Chen Tu made his way to the Registration Office after breakfast. And as usual, he waited with the others in the queue until it was his turn. "What can I do for you today, junior?" the worker asked with impatience in his tone. In his opinion, Chen Tu is likely another disciple coming to claim his monthly salary provided by the Blood Refining Grotto. But all his following words were stuck in his throat before he could continue after Chen Tu had his disciple token taken out. "Chen - Chen Tu? You're Chen Tu?" the worker's tone changed into a more polite and easy to the ear. His attitude also had 180 degrees of turnover. Chen Tu didn't reply to him but simply nodded with a smile. And to these workers who looked down on the weak disciples, such treatment was the best venom to reeducate them. The worker immediately changed how he addressed Chen Tu from "Junior" to "Fellow Disciple Chen." And needless to say, this instantaneous change
"Finally!" a creature roared. An expression of happiness could be seen on the creature's face for obtaining a legendary fruit, which rested in the heart of its palm.The fruit is also known as the Twin Physiques Creation Fruit.Based on what the legend about this fruit says, if this fruit was consumed by a human, it would grant them a second physique of a Divine Beast. On the contrary, if the Spiritual Creature is the one consuming this fruit, they would be given the ability to reform their body into a human.This explained how attractive the Twin Physiques Creation Fruit was.With one million years to sprout, one million years to develop its first leaf, and another million years for its consecutive leaves, this Twin Physiques Creation Fruit would only bear a single fruit in its eleven millionth year.The subsequent fruit would take ten million years to grow after the first fruit."Shall I eat this fruit right now, to avoid any mishap?" the creature continued. It was extremely careful
"I had to say, boy... Why would you keep running out of the manor knowing you'll get beaten after this?" said an old man in his seventies. While speaking, his hand didn't stay idle but instead rubbed an ointment on the scarred buttcheeks.From his words, this wasn't the first time he's applying the ointment on the boy's buttocks. In fact, something like this happened once a week.At first, the boy had a light punishment for attempting something like this. But gradually, it gets worst. Now, he's treated the same as the other adults and was given similarly harsh punishment for attempting to escape the manor.But surprisingly, no matter how painful the punishment was, the boy not only could overcome it, to the point it became a norm to the disciplinary servants and family elder."Xiao Tu... How many times did your grandfather tell you? The world outside there is harsher than what we have now inside this Chen Manor?" the old man continued.Although he calls himself Chen Tu's grandfather,