paranoianovel Chapter 159 It turns out I'm a genius at alchemy
Chapter 159 It turns out I'm a genius at alchemy
Chapter 159 It turns out I'm a genius at alchemy
"What happened?"
Chu Xuan asked in surprise.
He didn't even know Situ Jin, and this was their first meeting. How did he end up tricking him?
Deacon Cui chuckled and said, "Junior Brother Chu, it seems you don't understand the benefits of being in the top ten of the Wind and Cloud Ranking. What do you think these outer disciples are scrambling to get on the Wind and Cloud Ranking for? It's not just about being on the Wind and Cloud Ranking and possibly being chosen by the inner sect elders; there are also real benefits!"
Not only can you receive 1,000 contribution points for free every month, but you also get discounts when exchanging cultivation techniques within the sect. The higher you go, the greater the discount. The top ten get a 30% discount, and the top five get a 50% discount!
Situ Jin was originally ranked tenth on the popularity list, which meant he was entitled to a 30% discount. He took a fancy to a cultivation technique that originally cost 10,000 contribution points, but after the discount, it cost 7,000.
Before he could even leave the Library of Law, the Rankings were updated! He had been pushed down to tenth place. Just a stick of incense's time short, and he ultimately had to spend an extra two thousand contribution points.
Chu Xuan was taken aback upon hearing this.
This is just too much of a coincidence!
However, this has nothing to do with him. He didn't create the popularity charts, so why bother looking for him?
Then, he grasped the key point, his eyes lighting up as he asked, "Senior Brother Cui, do you mean that these three items of mine can also enjoy a 30% discount?"
"That's right!" Steward Cui nodded.
Chu Xuan was immediately delighted!
This saved him 1,500 contribution points, which is equivalent to his monthly salary in the Beast Garden!
After Steward Cui completed the registration, Chu Xuan handed over his contribution points and then took his leave.
Upon returning to Beast Garden No. 9, his first task was to study "Miscellaneous Talks on Martial Bones and Spiritual Roots".
After an afternoon, he had a basic understanding of the root bone structure.
This book explains things very thoroughly. It turns out that there are not only nine types of bone structure, but also dragon-shaped bone structure above the nine types. Dragon-shaped bone structure is further divided into large dragon shape and small dragon shape!
Even in the Xuan Yang Sect, a talent with nine-form innate abilities is a once-in-a-century genius!
As for the dragon-shaped bone structure, whether it is a large dragon or a small dragon, it is a rare sight in the entire Dayong Dynasty.
The author of this essay has only ever seen small dragon-shaped bone structures, not large dragon-shaped ones.
There are only three ways to improve one's physical constitution:
First, elixirs! Some rare and precious herbs naturally have the effect of improving one's physical constitution.
However, such rare natural treasures are extremely rare and have very demanding requirements for growth conditions. Even if they do grow, the requirements for their age and medicinal properties are also very high!
For example, the Purple Heart Marrow Cleansing Lotus Root that Chu Xuan obtained before was also extremely rare.
Wen Wan and the others hadn't held out much hope, so discovering the Purple Heart Marrow Cleansing Lotus was an unexpected surprise.
In addition, the Purple Heart Marrow Cleansing Lotus Root only has an effect on improving the root bones of those below the sixth form, and it only has one effect.
Other similar natural treasures are all pretty much the same.
Such rare and precious materials are hard to come by.
The second method involves using elixirs!
Alchemists often possess the power to turn the rotten into the miraculous! Some medicinal herbs are inherently highly poisonous, but in the miraculous hands of an alchemist, they can be combined into precious medicines.
This is also why alchemists are so sought after.
However, most alchemists are eccentric and difficult to persuade to refine pills. Without a prescription, even if you could persuade an alchemist, it would be like a skilled cook trying to make a meal without ingredients.
Even if the alchemist and the pill formula are both available, the pill refining process is still full of uncertainties.
Even the most skilled alchemists cannot guarantee that their furnaces won't explode.
The medicinal herbs needed to refine pills that enhance one's physical constitution are mostly very valuable and extremely rare. Preparing even a single batch of these herbs requires an unimaginable amount of financial and material resources. If the furnace explodes, all previous efforts are wasted, and the process must begin anew.
The third method is a technique to improve one's physical constitution.
This kind of cultivation technique is even harder to find and rarer than the two mentioned above. Once it appears, not only the Xuan Yang Sect, but also the top powers of the Great Yong Dynasty, and even the royal family, will fight over it!
Because this is a truly heaven-defying method to change one's fate!
According to the records in the miscellaneous notes, let alone the Xuan Yang Sect, even the entire Dayong Dynasty, including the royal library, most likely did not have such a cultivation method.
After seeing all this, Chu Xuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died completely!
Damn it, that's like saying nothing at all.
If I don't watch it, there's still some hope.
After watching it, there was absolutely no hope left.
Obtaining the complete technique of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Method is virtually impossible.
However, Chu Xuan did not come away empty-handed. The author of the essay also mentioned another possibility at the end: that is, the cultivation of a body-strengthening technique!
If one cultivates a physical training technique to perfection, it is possible to alter one's physical constitution as well.
Of course, this is just the other party's guess.
The book mentions that someone once perfected the horizontal training technique, and his physical constitution was upgraded from the original nine-form constitution to the small dragon form.
However, the other party was unsure whether this was due to the perfection of the external martial arts technique.
As for the person mentioned by the other party who had perfected the external martial arts, Chu Xuan was somewhat surprised to find that it was an "acquaintance"!
Emperor Taizu of the Great Yong Dynasty slaughtered Gou Sheng!
Chu Xuan was speechless.
This was the first time he had ever heard the name of Emperor Taizu of the Great Yong Dynasty, and he never expected it to be so shocking.
After reviewing it several times to make sure there were no omissions, he put the ramblings about innate talent aside.
It seems unlikely that improving one's physical constitution is currently possible.
None of the methods mentioned above are realistic for him.
After that, Chu Xuan focused his attention on the other two secret techniques. After reading them several times, information appeared on the panel.
【Thousand Faces Transformation Technique (0/10000)】
【Stunning Explosion (0/10000)】
Chu Xuan was most concerned about the Thousand Faces Illusion Technique.
Now that he has risen to ninth on the popularity rankings, his every move is under the watchful eyes of countless people, and the Blood God Sect is also secretly eyeing him. If he doesn't resolve this problem, he won't be able to leave the sect.
If one could master the Thousand Faces Transformation Technique and completely change one's appearance, this problem could be solved.
At that time, whether he goes to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range to hunt exotic beasts or to carry out missions, it will be very convenient, enough for him to continuously harvest essence value.
It is truly an essential household item and an excellent remedy for murder and robbery!
In the following days, with no strange beasts to kill, Chu Xuan focused his main energy on cultivating the Thousand Faces Illusion Technique.
With a sufficient supply of elixirs, his improvement speed was not slow.
But seeing that his essence value was only increasing by less than one hundred per day on the panel, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"It's truly easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!"
In the past, he would have been overjoyed to gain nearly a hundred essence points every day.
But after enjoying the daily increase of hundreds or thousands of essence points, seeing the current snail-paced growth inevitably leaves one feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
At this rate, it will take him at least another year and a half to reach the pinnacle of his internal energy and advance to the true essence stage.
Even without relying entirely on his own essence points, and with his own cultivation, it would still take him a year to cultivate.
This is only if he focuses all his energy on cultivating the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Technique. If he were to cultivate other techniques or secret arts, the time required would be even longer, perhaps doubling or even several times longer!
"Senior Brother Chu, someone outside wants to see you."
Just as Chu Xuan was thinking of a way to break the deadlock, Zhang Cheng came in and said.
"Get out of here!"
Chu Xuan said irritably.
Since he climbed to ninth place on the popularity list, he has been constantly visited, which has been a great annoyance to him.
Of course, Chu Xuan didn't disappear from everyone's sight.
Generally speaking, if it's an acquaintance or an important person, Zhang Cheng will directly say who it is.
Now that Zhang Cheng said there was someone there, it meant that the other person was neither familiar with Chu Xuan nor an important figure, so Chu Xuan was too lazy to engage in any pretense.
"Okay!"
Zhang Cheng nodded. "Oh, right, she said her name is Ye Zhiyi. Senior Brother Chu, if you don't want to see her, I'll send her away—"
You're breathing so loudly, damn it!
Can't you just say it all at once?
Chu Xuan glared at him resentfully and said, "Wait, please come in! Forget it, I'll go myself—"
After saying that, he walked quickly outside and soon saw Ye Zhiyi standing in front of a carriage at the door. She still looked as quiet and gentle as ever. It had been a year since he last saw her, and she seemed to have changed.
The carriage bore the Dong family's emblem, and several guards followed beside it, the head of whom was an old nanny who was a master of internal energy transformation!
It seems that Ye Zhiyi is doing well since arriving in the prefectural city.
"Young Master Chu, how have you been?" Ye Zhiyi greeted Chu Xuan with a smile as he came out.
"Miss Ye, please come in."
Chu Xuan greeted him with a smile and welcomed him in.
As for the old nanny and several guards, they stood still, watching with complicated expressions as Chu Xuan welcomed Ye Zhiyi inside.
Thinking back to when they met Chu Xuan in Qingshan City, he was just an insignificant nobody, not even worthy of their attention.
Now, in less than a year, the situation has changed dramatically.
That unremarkable kid has become a prominent figure in the outer sect of the Xuan Yang Sect. He has not only become a Gang Jin expert, but also ranked seventh on the Fengyun Ranking. Even the Dong family has to curry favor with him!
They weren't even allowed to enter Chu Xuan's place.
After brewing tea for Ye Zhiyi, Chu Xuan instructed Zhang Cheng, "Zhang Cheng, go to Yunqi Ping and see if Senior Sister Lu is here. If she is, invite her over and tell her that Miss Ye has arrived!"
"No need."
Ye Zhiyi shook her head. "I came from Sister Lu's place. Senior Brother Lin Chong, who rents a courtyard with her, told me that Sister Lu left a few days ago to go on a mission. It was also Senior Brother Lin who told me that Young Master Chu is here."
"I see!"
Chu Xuan nodded, and then asked about Ye Zhiyi's recent situation.
He still remembers the five thousand taels of silver notes that Ye Zhiyi gave him before she left.
Although it was nothing to him now, it was a crucial safeguard for Chu Xuan, who was about to travel alone to an unfamiliar place.
For Ye Zhiyi at the time, it was also a huge expense.
The total assets of the entire Jinxiu Pavilion were probably only a little over ten thousand taels of silver; otherwise, it wouldn't have faced annihilation just because it lost ten thousand taels of goods.
Chu Xuan always kept this kindness in his heart.
He had been to Lingxiao City a few times before and occasionally passed by the Dong family. However, at that time he was only at the Transformation Realm and was still an inconspicuous outer disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect. He might not be welcomed by the Dong family and might even cause trouble for Ye Zhiyi, so Chu Xuan gave up the idea of visiting.
Ye Zhiyi didn't hide anything and told everyone about her recent situation over the past year.
Chu Xuan frowned slightly upon hearing that Ye Zhiyi's Jinxiu Pavilion had been seized by the Dong family's relatives.
The Dong family is a second-rate family, yet they are greedy for even this small amount of business. Their behavior is simply too disgusting.
Ye Zhiyi smiled and said, "Fortunately, everything is in the past now. Speaking of which, I have to thank you a lot, Young Master Chu. I came here specifically to express my gratitude."
"I?"
Chu Xuan was taken aback.
Ye Zhiyi smiled and recounted the detailed process of the Dong family returning Jinxiu Pavilion recently.
"I see!"
Chu Xuan laughed too. He never expected that he would become a "big shot" who could indirectly influence a second-rate family without even realizing it!
After Ye Zhiyi finished speaking, she took out a letter from her sleeve and said, "This was something my father obtained by chance in his early years. Since my father passed away, it has been in my possession. I am not a martial artist, so it is of no use to me. I just don't know if it will be of any use to Young Master Chu."
Chu Xuan hadn't planned to accept it, but when he heard Ye Zhiyi say that the item was related to martial artists, he smiled and took it.
I didn't have much hope, but when I opened it, I was stunned.
"Hmm? A prescription? ————"
Chu Xuan stared wide-eyed, somewhat incredulous, "This is—a formula for improving one's physical constitution?!"
The above describes a recipe for a pill called "Tianyun Dan," which is one of the pills that can improve one's physical constitution.
"hiss----"
Chu Xuan couldn't help but gasp, "Miss Ye, this is far too valuable!"
Elixir formulas are the lifeblood of alchemists; even a simple formula for a pill is priceless.
Back in Qingshan City, Qianjin Pavilion only had a fragmented formula for the Blood Coagulation Pill. They pieced it together from various sources and produced a low-grade Blood Coagulation Pill, which was enough to leave the Bai family helpless!
Even in Lingxiao City, a single Blood Coagulation Pill recipe is enough to make a second-rate family powerful. Of course, that's assuming they can hold onto it.
And this kind of elixir formula that enhances one's physical constitution is even more precious!
Even for the top families of Lingxiao City, that was a priceless treasure.
What's more, what Ye Zhiyi took out was a complete pill formula!
Ye Zhiyi is not a martial artist, but that doesn't mean she's ignorant. She couldn't possibly be unaware of the preciousness of this pill formula!
Ye Zhiyi shook her head, but did not take the pill formula returned by Chu Xuan. She smiled and said, "Young Master Chu should understand that if this remains with me, it is just a piece of paper, and it will bring more trouble than good! Only in Young Master Chu's hands can its value be realized."
Chu Xuan remained silent, knowing that Ye Zhiyi was telling the truth.
But that's not entirely true either.
Even if Ye Zhiyi couldn't refine the Heavenly Essence Pill with this formula, she could still obtain immense wealth and security by taking it to any first-rate power, or even the Xuan Yang Sect, ensuring a life of comfort and protection.
But it gave itself—
"never mind!"
Chu Xuan sighed inwardly, without being pretentious.
This is exactly what he urgently needs right now.
"Miss Ye, this pill formula is indeed of great use to me, so I won't stand on ceremony! If you ever need my help in the future, you can always send someone to Xuan Yang Sect to find me!" Chu Xuan solemnly promised.
Ye Zhiyi smiled gently and did not refuse, "Then I thank Young Master Chu in advance!"
Ye Zhiyi did not linger and soon boarded the carriage to bid farewell and leave.
After seeing Ye Zhiyi off, Chu Xuan returned to his room, his heart pounding with barely suppressed excitement.
It's like someone bringing you a pillow when you're feeling sleepy.
I thought there was no hope of improving my physical constitution in the short term, but now things have taken a turn for the better.
"Heavenly Essence Pill! Now I have the formula, but I don't know how to refine pills—"
Soon, Chu Xuan encountered another problem.
Elixirs are not something that can be easily concocted.
Every alchemist must start practicing identifying medicinal herbs from a young age, becoming familiar with the various properties of spiritual herbs, and undergo decades of training before they might become an alchemist.
This requires a massive amount of material and financial resources, and also necessitates a significant investment of time and experience!
Otherwise, alchemists wouldn't be so rare!
Chu Xuan knew nothing about elixirs, and even if he wanted to learn, it was too late. As for asking others to refine elixirs, it would be difficult to find them, and even if he did, he wouldn't trust them. Besides, asking them would be tantamount to giving them the elixir formula.
"How about we give it a try?"
Chu Xuan thought for a moment.
After that, he began to study the prescriptions repeatedly.
Soon, new information appeared on the panel.
[Energy Value: 436/10000]
[Heavenly Essence Pill (0/10000)]
,
Chu Xuan was somewhat taken aback; the message had actually appeared.
Then, with a thought, he tried adding one hundred essence points to the information of the Heavenly Essence Pill.
The panel changed again in the next instant.
[Energy Value: 336/10000]
[Heavenly Essence Pill (100/10000)]
"Holy crap—"
Chu Xuan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, almost jumping up and down with excitement.
It actually works!
This means that even if he doesn't know alchemy, as long as he accumulates the experience points for the Heavenly Essence Pill to perfection, he will have the ability to refine the Heavenly Essence Pill!
Although he still doesn't know how to make other pills, when it comes to refining the Heavenly Essence Pill, he is a master!
"Awesome!"
Chu Xuan couldn't help but shout a salute, never expecting that essence points could have such a use!
"So I'm actually a genius at alchemy?!"
Chu Xuan couldn't help but chuckle.
Now that he has the recipe, he can gradually accumulate alchemy skills! So, as long as he gathers all the materials needed to refine the Heavenly Essence Pill, he can start refining the pill.
"Zhang Cheng!"
Chu Xuan immediately shouted.
"Senior Brother Chu, what's wrong?" Zhang Cheng rushed in and asked.
Chu Xuan immediately said, "Quickly invite Senior Brother Liu to come here."
Under normal circumstances, collecting these alchemy materials would be somewhat difficult for him. But now he's cooperating with the Liu family, who are also shareholders of Wanbaolou, making the collection of various spiritual herbs incredibly easy.
However, he is currently unable to leave the sect, so he can only ask Liu Chengzhi to come over.
Fortunately, Liu Chengzhi was also in the sect, and Zhang Cheng brought him over in less than half an hour.
When Liu Chengzhi arrived, Chu Xuan had already copied down all the spiritual herbs needed for the Heavenly Essence Pill and handed it to Liu Chengzhi, saying, "Senior Brother Liu, it's inconvenient for me to leave the sect, so I had to ask Zhang Cheng to invite you. Please forgive me. I need these spiritual herbs. Do you see if Wanbaolou can help me gather them?"
Liu Chengzhi saw the omen and, without any hesitation, immediately began to read it.