"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 has something in connection with the Titled-Alchemist plaque he was bestowed by the Heavenly Alchemist Association.
Chen Tu respectfully returned the Alchemist Token to the elder. And without further ado, the elder patted the wooden plaque twice to withdraw a special needle from a corner. It surprised everyone, as they had no idea there was a mechanism like this inside the Alchemist Token.
The elder carefully scrapes a small part of the Grain Pellet's outer layer using the needle in his hand. The second surprise quickly came as the flakes that got scraped out actually stuck around the needle.
"Teacher, what is the purpose of this?" Xia Xuan-Xuan asked. She was the liveliest amongst the seven disciples, after all. And naturally, she's also the one with the least patience. She had seen the elder refines pills many times, but he never once did something like this.
Naturally, it got the disciples and roused their curiosity.
"This was a method to evaluate the quality of a Medicinal Pill. After all, we alchemists need to have a quicker way to evaluate a pill, and using this needle is one of them." the elder answered Xia Xuan-Xuan. Even without her asking, he would explain things to them for their benefit anyway.
"In case anyone here had the opportunity to attend a Pill Evaluation Conference in the future, you'll be witnessing an even more accurate way to grade the pills. I hope all of you will be looking forward to this." the elder added while placing the needle back inside the Alchemist Token.
A hint of Spiritual Energy was channeled into the Alchemist Token to allow something magical to happen. And out of the ten lines from the bottom of the token leading upwards, three of them lit up with dim brilliance.
This means...
Chen Tu's Grain Pellet is definitely a Three-Star Pill.
"Did you refine this pill using the same recipe you gave me half a month ago?" Elder Wei Xuan asked. As an alchemist, the elder hated all kinds of unexplainable probabilities. But he wished Chen Tu's answer was what he had guessed.
"Yes, teacher. It was the same recipe as before. But the ingredient's quantity had been adjusted a little to increase the chance of success." Chen Tu replied to the elder politely.
"How - How many pills did you get from this adjusted recipe then?" the elder continued. Since the pill formula had been adjusted slightly, shouldn't it be a little different?
After all, a Three-Star Pill is different from a Two-Star. Whenever a Three-Star Pill appears, it swallows all nearby pills to strengthen its own. Those nearby pills would still form, but only an outer shell without a hint of medicinal value.
Of course, this is just a Grain Pellet at the end of the day. Even if the Supply Office tried, they could only offer the rate of two Spiritual Coins for the Three-Star Grain Pellet.
"One Three-Star, One Two-Star, and Two standard Pills. That's four Grain Pellets in total." Chen Tu answered. Based on the offered price from the Supply Office, this pot of Grain Pellets would be bought by them for 4 Spiritual Coins.
It naturally lacked a Spiritual Coin compared to the previous formula, but there's something worth being concerned about here.
A Two-Star Grain Pellet could only keep the user full for half a day at most, regardless of how rare it was. But it dulled compared to a Three-Star Grain Pellet that could be effective for the whole day.
If a Three-Star Grain Pellet was put on the market, it would sell like hotcakes. Furthermore, it wasn't ridiculous for a Three-Star Pill like this to have its selling price adjusted a little due to its demand.
At that time, perhaps each Three-Star Grain Pellet Chen Tu refined would be sold at the rate of four to five Spiritual Coins each, depending on how much it was sought after by the users.
Even in this Outer Grotto alone, the sales for Grain pellets are between five to seven thousand pellets daily. And the lacking has to be covered by the sales of below-standard pills.
Using this as a rough assumption, one could easily guess how great of help the Three-Star Grain Pellet would be when it was in full production for the Supply Office.
"Not too shabby..." Elder Wei Xuan said. It appeared he had made up his mind about something he had been considering for a while.
"Xiao Tu." the elder called Chen Tu's short name in a stricter tone after the praise. The rest, who had accompanied the elder for much longer than Chen Tu and Qin Lei, immediately quieted down and observed the elder patiently.
Even Tang Yun Long quieted down and stared at the elder and Chen Tu.
"Yes, teacher." Chen Tu quickly responded when his name was called out.
"I had made up my mind. Would you like to be my second official disciple?" the elder announced his decision out loud to everyone here to listen. Apparently, this is something very important to all of them.
They could also be said to be witnesses of this moment.
"This disciple, Chen Tu, is willing!" Chen Tu quickly replied. With how obvious the elder was doing this, he would be a fool if he still needed some time to consider!
"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,
Chen Tu immediately slithered inside the courtyard like an agile snake. Sticking close to the walls wherever he goes, Chen Tu focuses on the ground, searching for a hole to crawl outside. To his disappointment, not even a gap existed along the walls. Furthermore, little did he know that he was tailed by another child about his age closely from behind. Maybe because he was still young and had little to no existence in the eyes of the adult, this allows Chen Tu to run around the courtyard without garnering others' attention. But the same explanation cannot be used on the other child who follows Chen Tu closely without getting caught. One has to know that while it was easy for one to sneak around, it is ten times more challenging to tail someone else without getting caught by all sides. Soon, Chen Tu gave up. He's not only feeling exhausted but also sad from not finding a hole to crawl outside. And during the process, Chen Tu also noticed that the door back to the servant's area wa
"Blasphemy!" the patriarch of the Chen Family shouted angrily at the two youngsters kneeling before him.Seated beside him were six other leading figures of the Chen Family. Based on seniority, Chen Zigang would have to address them as "uncles."Thanks to the mess they've made outside the Chen Manor, they were kneeling before the patriarch, awaiting their punishment."Sixth brother, let everyone know what the two useless bums did outside without missing a word." said the patriarch, Chen Tian Peng."As you ordered, Lord Patriarch." the sixth brother, Chen Tian Ma, responded. Turning his attention to the two brats kneeling in the middle of the hall, he recites what kind of mess was made.The destruction of a Spiritual Garden containing Crimson Marble Fruits.Two steads were taken, and only heaven knows where they ended up. The culprit, who kneels here, is said to be thrown from the horse midway and hurt their buttocks.Flirting with Liu Xiaofei, the princess of the Liu Family with a sim
Chen Tian Peng pondered while unconsciously rubbing his goatee with his thumb and index finger. In his mind, Chen Tu's reply actually made sense. As one of the five large families here in Crimson River Town, the duty of upholding the rules and safety of this settlement is their responsibility.Furthermore, this "Phoenix Pavilion" business is opened on the Chen Family's territory.Suppose they were caught by others before the Chen Family Policing Hall. In that case, the blame could be destructive when other families use it as a weapon to attack the Chen Family.It was not a secret that the five families were competing against one another for the sake of the leader of five families in this Crimson River Town. Obviously, the one named the family's leader would take the larger portion of the pie before dividing them into the rest.While the sum might be meager in the eyes of the county governors, it is still worth a bite to large families like the Chen.Who would complain if they're given
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
"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
"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
"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
(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
(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
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
"Disciple understands." Chen Tu cupped his fists together and replied. His response also helps confirm that he will be taking the assignment seriously. "Xiao Tu will start paying more attention to his pill refinement after returning and wouldn't disappoint the teacher's expectation," he added. After saying what he should, Chen Tu excused himself from the workshop by giving a reason he'll have to get back and prepare. And obviously, the eight Grain Pellets were left in the workshop without saying. That's a must in case the elder changes his mind later. And regardless of how he decides, Chen Tu still has to leave a sample for Elder Wei Xuan to check on them, correct? This means a copy of everything from the ingredient, steps, and final product was left for the elder's inspection. Chen Tu's activities consisted of eating, sleeping, cultivating, and refining pills for the following days. Thanks to all these tasks in his hand, he hardly reported to the Spiritual Garden to work or assis
The question piqued the elder's interest after Xia Xuan-Xuan opened her mouth. Apparently, even the elder couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Tu's answer. But at the same time, he can't ask this question openly. After all, he was an elder. Someone who stood at least a few levels above them in alchemy and cultivation. Wouldn't it hurt his pride slightly to ask a junior about something he should know better? Luckily, there's a Xia Xuan-Xuan in the group. While her talent is neither good nor bad, she has this social commonsense that could make everything work. Hence, she was the elder's icebreaker, always the first to hear and know everything. Chen Tu didn't respond to Xia Xuan-Xuan's question instantly. Still, everyone here could see that Chen Tu's gaze was currently pointed at the pill mold. This reaction from Chen Tu can be partially translated to "look at the result yourself!" He stayed silent and observed the mold until it was completely cooled. Then, instead of inspecti