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GEV 126: Holy Pill Bible, Exchange Hall
🕑 Added 2024-03-15 14:11:42 +0000 UTC"Every Pill Master has their own insights on the Art of Alchemy, developed from experience and rare enlightenment, which results in varying alchemical techniques," Old Man Guan slowly explained to the attentive youth.
His calloused hands were placed on the charcoal gray Pill Cauldron as translucent red flames burst forth from his palms, evenly distributing heat to every inch of the cauldron.
Zhao Wei watched in rapt attention, analyzing Old Man Guan's flame control technique, his True Spirit Alchemical Flames, and his steady and calculated precision when it came to combining various medicinal essences inside the cauldron.
"Treat the flames and the plants as an extension of your spirit. Only through the establishment of a deep connection can one hope to increase their success rate and pill quality at the final step of congealment!" Old Man Guan continued with the demonstration as he calmly manipulated the extracted medicinal essences and under his fluid expertise, he gently tamed the varying elements of the herbs to effortlessly combine.
That one pill was among many that were being concocted by Old Man Guan inside the pill cauldron. He showed his experience and multitasking abilities as he oversaw the creation of multiple elixirs.
Quickly removing the worn-out lid from the mouth of the charcoal gray Pill Cauldron, Old Man Guan gently guided the eight pills to float atop his palm.
The pills were perfectly round and shone with a pale green glow when sunlight hit their pristine surfaces.
A strong herbal scent hit Zhao Wei's nostrils and just from simply smelling the pills, he felt his mind relax, his soul attain serenity and his spirit roused to the heavens.
They carried an unusual pill aura that seemed to coincide with nature yet still bound to the mortal level.
'Clear Soul Pill.' Zhao Wei quickly identified the pills. He had already done so even before Old Man Guan had begun making the pills.
Using [𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁], a blue text materialized in front of his vision.
***
⟨⟨Clear Soul Pill⟩⟩
This is a Semi-Spiritual pill concocted by Vice Head Guan.
After burning the pill, it has the effect of clearing the mind and nourishing the soul.
NOTE: People with unstable minds will easily succumb to Qi Deviation.
Medicinal Ingredients used: Spirit Crystal Grass(High quality), Hundred Flower Fruit(High quality), Evening Glory Flower(High quality), and Red Lingzhi(High quality).
Success rate: 100% due to the high-quality herbs and exceptional alchemical skills of Pill Master Guan.
Quality of the concocted pills: Excellent.
***
"I trust that you have gotten a glimpse of my Alchemical technique. I call it the "Yin-Yang Alchemy Flow" which incorporates the steadiness of the Yin and the turbulence of the Yang." Old Man Guan's serious voice sounded as he put the fresh pills into a pill bottle.
Then, he looked at Zhao Wei with hopeful eyes. He wondered what sort of surprises the young man was going to show him after spending four days with Pill Master Yun Yao.
'Oh, it seems he can't see the prompts of blue text in front of me just like in Yun Yao's case. That's good.' Zhao Wei cautiously thought but he still maintained a calm exterior.
"I have recorded everything in my mind, you have to trust me on that, teacher," Zhao Wei said with confidence.
"Good, good." Old Man Guan ruffled his beard as he remembered that Zhao Wei was a master of memorization with 100% retention.
"I understand that this semi-spiritual pill is high above your current level but I think seeing where your current limits lie will make it better for me to gauge your proficiency." He then explained his intentions while pointing at a new set of medicinal ingredients used in concocting the ⟨⟨Clear Soul Pill⟩⟩.
"I am not afraid of challenges." Zhao Wei's eyes gleamed with valiance.
"I like your spirit."
Zhao Wei took on the mantle before the charcoal gray Pill Cauldron.
A few moments later, Old Man Guan could be seen with his mouth hanging wide open in disbelief.
Zhao Wei held onto 8 pills in the palm of his hands that shone even brighter than Old Man Guan's earlier pills.
The vague feeling of spirituality was also strong on them.
Their quality, at first glance, also seemed to be better.
The student had certainly surpassed the master when it came to the creation of the ⟨⟨Clear Soul Pills⟩⟩. Though not by a huge, despair-inducing margin.
'Now I think I should introduce Enel memes in the Fan Universe. The Art of Jaw dropping has become a mainstream Dao of pursuit.' Zhao Wei joked internally. He felt it would be a waste of time and resources to even think about introducing memes as sacred as they were.
"Sigh, I am glad I see Mt. Tai. You have surpassed my evaluation criteria by going beyond. My pills are of Excellent quality but yours have undoubtedly achieved perfection." Old Man Guan released a bitter sigh.
He was both happy and aggrieved by Zhao Wei's current achievement.
With how Zhao Wei could perfect his own alchemical craft by putting a spin on what he had shown him, how could he have the confidence to teach him more extensively?
"It was because of you that I managed to create a perfect pill, teacher," Zhao Wei humbly spoke but Old Man Guan cried internally.
Who would have thought that he would pick up a monster as his pseudo disciple with such heaven-defying levels of perception and talent?
"There is something I want to give you before you go visit Old Man Zhang," Old Man Guan resolutely said after giving it some thought.
"Is that it?" Zhao Wei innocently arched his brows in confusion as if not understanding why Old Man Guan's tutelage was short-lived compared to Yun Yao's.
"Yeah, I don't think I can teach you more things. What I am going to give you will be more valuable than pointless narration from me." Old Man Guan explained with a heavy expression on his ruddy face.
'I am afraid my old heart won't take it anymore if you continue giving me a constant dose of heart attacks. My face is too old to be slapped!' Old Man Guan cursed inside his mind.
Zhao Wei showed a sad expression as if he didn't want to part with Old Man Guan.
'Don't give me such a face, boy!' Old Man Guan's lips twitched in guilt and irritation.
Without dilly-dallying, he proceeded to rummage through his pockets, removing a thick black book the size of three Oxford Dictionaries combined, and gave it to Zhao Wei.
"That's my legacy. It contains the insights I have gained through my journey of alchemy, the pills I have ever created, the errors I have made, and a generalized overview of alchemy in relation to immortal cultivation."
"It also contains insights of other master alchemists that I had alchemical Dao Discussions with."
If he was no longer confident in teaching Zhao Wei further, it was better to finalize his role and show that he did his best.
Zhao Wei didn't refuse the precious gift. Knowledge from multiple master alchemists was definitely more than precious. Even though he had yet to read the Holy Pill Bible, he had an inkling that it would surely help him become a master with his own established school of thought.
But the minor problem was that he was binding his karmic threads with Old Man Guan and now, it was stronger as he had given him his life-long recorded experience.
It was an inevitability but not something worth being concerned about in front of benefits.
"Your legacy... lies in good hands. Thanks, teacher." Zhao Wei spoke with utmost sincerity.
"I know. I believe your legacy will be even grander than existence itself and I don't know why. You have shown me that some individuals are really set to be better and unrivaled compared to others. I... I don't even know what to say, young brat."
"This old man has never felt more speechless than at this moment." Old Man Guan cringed at his own words.
"Take these pills. They will earn you quite a huge sum of substandard primal crystal stones. That's the fate of alchemists: being rich." Old Man Guan then placed the green pill bottle on Zhao Wei's outstretched palm.
"Hehe, you really know how to make people smile, old man." A shameless smile formed on Zhao Wei's face as he swiftly hid away the pill bottle.
"You... So money is what makes you smile genuinely. Unbelievable, brat!" Old Man Guan hurriedly chased away the young greedy 'pill collector' from the pavilion.
A jovial laughter rang through the pavilion as Zhao Wei happily ran like a mischievous cat with one destination in his mind: The Exchange Hall.
He was going to make quite a lot of substandard primal crystal stones.
He was finally going to get rich!
How carefree will that be?
***
