Chapter 93: Are You Teaching Me Alchemy?
Not all members of the Divine Repository Sect were indiscriminate killers. Some, like Zhang Han in the beginning, had the sole duty of assassinations or only targeted evildoers. For such individuals, Jiang Li naturally had ways to ensure they could never reveal the secrets of the Divine Repository Sect while still sparing their lives.
Unfortunately, these members were the minority. More were like Zhang Han now—people who slaughtered for the power of the Divine Repository, fabricating excuses or, in some cases, not even bothering with one before killing.
For the latter, Jiang Li showed no mercy, wiping them out completely.
With the clean-up of the Divine Repository Sect completed, the next step was to root out the Outer World Demons hidden in the Nine Provinces.
Jiang Li already had a general plan in mind.
First, he needed a pill.
……
The best place for alchemy in the Nine Provinces was undoubtedly the Pill Refining Peak of the Dao Sect. The Ninefold Golden Core in Jiang Li’s possession, capable of granting instant ascension in broad daylight, had been crafted by the Peak Master of Pill Refining Peak.
Before even reaching Pill Refining Peak, Jiang Li could hear its Peak Master, Su Wei, arguing with someone from a distance.
“I’ve been refining pills my entire life, and you’re telling me my technique is wrong? Are you saying you can do it better than me?” The usually mild-mannered Su Wei was now jumping with rage.
It was no wonder he reacted this way. Su Wei was known for being easygoing—but that was because he had no interest in anything outside of alchemy. Now, someone was criticizing his alchemy skills? How could he not be furious?
“With your lousy technique? I could do better with my eyes closed!”
“Then let’s compete! We’ll refine the most basic Nourishing Pills—one hundred portions of materials each. Whoever produces the highest quality pills wins! If you can surpass me, you can take my position as Peak Master! But if I win, you have to obediently assist me in pill refining!”
His opponent sneered. “Who wants to be Peak Master? Change the stakes. If I win, you’ll be my bellows boy.”
“Deal!”
“Deal!”
Jiang Li was intrigued. Su Wei’s alchemy skills were legendary. He was the foremost authority on alchemy in the Nine Provinces, and any cultivator studying pill refinement had to read his three classic works: Pill, Furnace, and Flame.
He had never seen anyone dare to question Su Wei’s alchemy skills before.
Jiang Li stepped into Su Wei’s alchemy chamber. The pill furnace was wide open, flames roaring inside. Su Wei stood before it, shouting hysterically, while the flames in the furnace seemed to mock him in return.
Su Wei was arguing with his own pill furnace.
He was so engrossed in the argument that he didn’t even notice Jiang Li’s arrival.
“What’s going on?” Jiang Li curiously asked Su Wei’s young attendant.
The attendant was a little girl with rosy lips and white teeth, wearing a red bellyband, her hair tied into two small braids at the back. She looked quite adorable.
Upon seeing the Human Sovereign, she quickly bowed. She wanted to call out to her master, hoping he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of outsiders.
Everyone knew Jiang Li loved watching drama unfold. He stopped the girl and urged her to explain.
“It’s all because Ancestor Tianyin enlightened all spiritual artifacts—including Master’s pill furnace, Chiwu.”
“Master’s furnace is a growth-type spiritual treasure. He obtained it back in the Foundation Establishment Stage, and it has followed him for over 1,500 years, eventually becoming a top-tier Dao Artifact.”
“Ever since Chiwu developed intelligence, it didn’t constantly shout about wanting freedom like some other spiritual treasures. Instead, it chose to stay by Master’s side and assist him in alchemy.”
“At first, Master was delighted, thinking this was a symbol of their 1,500-year friendship. But who would’ve thought that Chiwu likes to talk while Master is refining pills? It even tries to teach him how to refine them!”
At this point, the girl pinched her throat and imitated Chiwu’s voice in a muffled tone.
“Old Su, if you refine like this, you’ll ruin the pill.”
“With such crude technique, you still expect to produce Pill Clouds?”
“Come, come, let me show you how to refine pills properly.”
“Are you stupid? I told you this wouldn’t work. If you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t have failed!”
“Little girl, since you clean me every day, I’ll do you a favor—don’t follow that idiot master of yours. I’ll teach you alchemy instead.”
“What are you staring at? You think glaring at me with those big donkey eyes will change anything? I’ll snatch your disciple right in front of you! You can’t teach properly, yet you don’t want others to teach? How selfish!”
The girl whispered into Jiang Li’s ear, afraid that Su Wei might overhear. “Master always said he wasn’t good at combat. But ever since Chiwu gained intelligence, I discovered that Master can actually smack a top-tier Dao Artifact so hard it forgets which direction is north!”
“Now, Chiwu has challenged Master to a pill refinement contest. The winner will determine who takes the lead in future alchemy.”
At that moment, Su Wei started his competition against his own pill furnace.
Su Wei went first. He simultaneously placed one hundred portions of Nourishing Pill ingredients into Chiwu, precisely controlling the flames. He extracted the essence of the herbs, discarding the impurities, and skillfully manipulated the process using the Eight Trigrams Hand Technique…
“Hey, hey, lower the flames a bit.”
“What’s wrong?” Su Wei frowned. He felt that the heat was just right—adjusting it either way would ruin the pill.
“It’s giving me a stomachache.”
A vein throbbed on Su Wei’s forehead. If he weren’t focused on refining the pill, he would’ve cranked up the flames and burned this annoying furnace to death!
A hundred Nourishing Pills formed in the flames, each shrouded in red Pill Clouds, resembling the crimson glow of a sunset—mystical and beautiful, like fine works of art. These were top-grade Nourishing Pills.
“Hah, trying to disrupt my Dao Heart? Dream on.” Su Wei spoke calmly, as if he hadn’t just been enraged moments ago.
“Your turn.” He refused to believe Chiwu could do better.
Chiwu was unwilling to back down. It swallowed one hundred portions of Nourishing Pill ingredients into its furnace, the flames roaring fiercely, making a smacking sound—like someone chewing food.
“Urgh—”
Chiwu spat the pills out.
The sight made all three onlookers physically uncomfortable.
Wait… did this mean all pills were essentially a furnace’s vomit? Who could stomach that thought anymore?
“Look, done.”
A pill the size of a human head rolled to Su Wei’s feet.
“What… is this?” Su Wei stared at the object—it did resemble a pill, and it even had red Pill Clouds.
Chiwu hesitated for a moment. Its flames flickered before it proudly declared, “This is an improved version of the Nourishing Pill! You can call it the Grand Nourishing Pill!”
“A person can only take up to fifty top-grade Nourishing Pills before they lose effectiveness. But my Grand Nourishing Pill—one pill is equivalent to a hundred! The effects are definitely superior to yours!”
“What kind of joke is this? This thing is meant for human consumption?!” Su Wei furiously pointed at the massive, ball-like Grand Nourishing Pill.
“That’s none of your concern. Worst case, just feed it to spirit beasts, or wait until someone learns a divine ability like Heaven and Earth Dharma Form first. Either way, my pill is of higher quality than yours, so you’d better accept your fate as my bellows boy.”
“I refuse to acknowledge this as a Nourishing Pill!”
“Hey, you old brat, that’s cheating!”
“I—”
“Gentlemen, since the competition is over, why not do me a favor?” Seeing that the argument would drag on indefinitely, Jiang Li stepped in.
“Jiang Human Sovereign.”
“Brother Jiang.”
Only then did man and furnace notice Jiang Li. They temporarily called a truce—after all, in front of outsiders, they still had to maintain the dignified image of a respected alchemist and a respected pill furnace.
“I want to refine a Pureblood Pill. Can you do it?”