All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 248 Third-Order Wood God Gu

Zhou Qing immediately took out his alchemy furnace and refined several batches of Marrow Cleansing Pills in front of Yao Ze.

Of course, he deliberately reduced the success rate and the number of pills produced. He finally managed to reduce the success rate to below 50% and produced only four pills per batch, almost all of which were of low quality.

Even so, Yao Ze was still dumbfounded.

The Yao family only has one second-tier mid-grade alchemist. Although the success rate and number of pills produced by him in refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill are higher than Zhou Qing's, the latter is already ninety-two years old and has been immersed in the Dao of Alchemy for sixty years to reach this level of alchemy skills.

Even so, that alchemist was second only to the ancestor in status within the clan.

Zhou Qing is twenty-two years old this year, and he probably hasn't even spent a tenth of that time learning alchemy.

Such alchemy skills are enough to surpass those of his peers.

At least in Jinyun Prefecture, you won't find another like it.

The fact that Zhou Chaoxian was able to teach Zhou Qing suggests that he was no ordinary second-tier high-grade alchemist.

Now, Yao Ze had even more confidence in Zhou Qing and his apprentice.

In his mind, Zhou Qing went from being a scoundrel to a young prodigy, and finally to a genius with unlimited potential.

Even if the ancestor knew about this, he would probably be tempted and extend an olive branch to Zhou Qing and his apprentice.

“This matter is of great importance. If Brother Zhou can swear an oath on the inner demons that will allow him to reach the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top in the future, I have an incredible opportunity to share with Brother Zhou and your master.”

Yao Ze's expression was solemn, and he adopted a very humble posture, even changing his form of address from "I" to "this humble one".

"A vow made by the inner demon? A tremendous opportunity?" Zhou Qing's heart stirred. Judging from Yao Ze's appearance, he didn't seem to be lying to him.

"Young Master Yao, are you joking? We are strangers, yet you ask me to swear an oath by my inner demons right off the bat. No matter what opportunity comes my way, I will not swear an oath by my inner demons that will allow me to break through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."

Zhou Qing feigned displeasure, preparing to put Yao Ze in a difficult position.

"Brother Zhou, please don't be angry. I know you didn't have a good impression of me when we first met, but it's all a misunderstanding."

You have a close relationship with Xuewei, so you'll inevitably have to deal with us a lot in the future.

"If Brother Zhou agrees to my conditions and makes a vow to overcome his inner demons, his success rate in achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top will increase by at least 30%. Doesn't Brother Zhou feel tempted?"

Yao Ze quickly replied.

He wasn't worried that Zhou Qing wouldn't be tempted. After all, even if Zhou Qing was a martial arts genius, the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm had blocked countless geniuses.

Zhou Qing currently only has the potential to break through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top in the future. What people value most about him now is still his talent in alchemy.

"A success rate of over 30%?" Zhou Qing was surprised; this time, it wasn't entirely an act.

He awakened the Ice Soul Spirit Body, and there will be no bottleneck before reaching the Five Qi Convergence Realm.

However, the absence of bottlenecks does not guarantee 100% success when attempting to reach the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

Even with a 90% success rate, there is still a 10% chance of failure.

When doing many things, especially when the potential profits are huge, having a 70% chance of success is already a very high success rate.

However, if the breakthrough of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top fails, the foundation is likely to be damaged.

If a 100% success rate is achievable, even a 98% success rate is acceptable and can be delayed.

Especially since Zhou Qing is still young, there's no need to rush.

Accumulate knowledge and experience before unleashing its full potential. Every bit of progress you make now will allow you to cultivate faster once you break through to a higher level in the future.

"Brother Zhou, please take a look at this." Yao Ze took out a jade box, about a foot long and half a palm wide, from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Zhou Qing opened the jade box and saw a lush, coral-like tree root lying inside.

A powerful scent of vegetation instantly filled the entire room.

At this moment, the wooden puppet in Zhou Qingyuan's orifice began to stir.

The verdant tree root lying in the jade box suddenly trembled, its roots slowly wriggling, as if it would come back to life at any moment.

"This is..." Zhou Qing closed the jade box and looked at Yao Ze.

“This is a wood-elemental spirit object that my father acquired in his early years. It is estimated that it has lived for over five hundred years,” Yao Ze explained.

"A five-hundred-year-old wood-elemental spirit object?!" Zhou Qing was shocked. This object was an invaluable treasure, whether used to assist in the cultivation of the Green Wood Scripture or to refine Gu. He never expected that Yao Ze would have such a hidden treasure.

"As long as you, Brother Zhou, swear an oath against your inner demons, ask your master to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill for us, and keep it a secret, this wood-elemental spiritual object will be yours."

Yao Ze said solemnly.

"Just for the Heavenly Spirit Pill, you're offering up a wood-elemental spiritual item?" Zhou Qing was taken aback; this deal seemed far too easy for him.

"Very well, since Brother Yao is so sincere, then I will swear by my inner demons that I will not reveal anything you have told me today in any form. If I break this oath, may I be stuck at the bottleneck of twelve blood exchanges in the future and be unable to break through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."

Zhou Qing immediately swore that he had no intention of leaking the secret, and that his sincerity was enough. As for the Ice Soul Spirit Body allowing him to overcome his bottleneck, he couldn't be blamed for that.

"Brother Zhou, what courage you have!" Yao Ze praised, and breathed a sigh of relief. He then immediately told Zhou Qing the whole story.

"I see." Zhou Qing suddenly realized that Yao Ze's father, Yao Tian, ​​had actually hidden a three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit. The Yao family patriarch's actions were truly despicable; otherwise, Yao Tian would probably have already offered up the Heavenly Spirit Fruit and the wood-elemental spirit items together.

"I wonder if Brother Zhou can persuade your master to refine Heavenly Spirit Pills for us? And guarantee that if the number of pills produced is insufficient, all the mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills will be given to us first?" Yao Ze stood up and bowed solemnly.

Since even a mid-grade second-tier alchemist from the Yao family could refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill, Yao Ze had no doubt that Zhou Qing's master, Zhou Chaoxian, a high-grade second-tier alchemist, couldn't refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill.

However, according to the rules for hiring an alchemist to refine pills, the alchemist either charges a high fee or keeps some of the pills after they are refined.

Therefore, this wood-elemental spiritual plant served as the cost of refining the elixir.

Even so, Yao Ze was still uneasy, because there were indeed alchemists who charged extra fees and would keep some of the pills after they were made.

This is also the unspoken rule.

Because high-level alchemists mostly come from powerful organizations and rarely take on private jobs, alchemy pills are extremely rare.

After the elixir was completed, most of it was swallowed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Or perhaps the number of pills produced is too small. If you encounter an unscrupulous alchemist, they might simply declare the pill-making process a failure. There are alchemists who do this.

Yao Ze feared that Zhou Chao would leave behind the mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill after refining it, since the mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill had a significant auxiliary effect on the breakthrough of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

It would be difficult to heal Yao Tian's injuries with just a low-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill.

“I agree to that. This wood-elemental spiritual plant alone is enough to cover the cost of refining the pills.” Zhou Qing nodded. According to the other party, he only needed a mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill, and if there was a high-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill among the finished pills, it would be his.

To refine the same elixir into a superior grade, besides requiring skilled alchemy techniques, the most important factor is actually the medicinal materials.

Using a three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit to refine a Heavenly Spirit Pill is actually a bit of a luxury.

With such potent medicinal power, Zhou Qing was confident that once a batch of pills was produced, most of them would probably be mid-grade pills, and if he was lucky, the probability of producing high-grade pills would not be low either.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou, but..." Yao Ze stood up, gave Zhou Qing a deep bow, and looked somewhat embarrassed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“Brother Yao, please speak freely,” Zhou Qing said solemnly.

"It's not that I don't trust you and your master, it's just that lives are at stake. My father needs at least six mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills to stabilize his injuries."

If this alchemy attempt fails and we receive fewer than six mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills, then the transaction will have to continue.

Within three years, no matter how many high-grade Heavenly Spirit Fruits we collect, our Master must continue to open the furnace and allow us to observe the alchemy process.

After the elixir is completed, all the pills will belong to our four branches.

The transaction is not considered complete until at least six mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills have been collected.

Yao Ze explained.

Actually, he didn't want to make such an important deal with Zhou Qing, whom he had just met, so casually, but his father couldn't wait any longer; he would likely die within three to five years. And the sooner he was cured, the better he would recover. Compared to Zhou Chaoxian, whom he had never met before, Zhou Qing was definitely easier to talk to.

After all, Zhou Qing and Yao Xuewei had a close relationship.

Given the potential for huge profits, Zhou Qing, out of respect for Yao Xuewei, would likely do his utmost to facilitate this matter.

The fourth branch of the family has another purpose in wanting to form a marriage alliance with the Xie family of Emerald Valley: to ask the Xie family's alchemists to help refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill.

The reason for not seeking out alchemists from the same family is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Although the alchemists in the Xie family might not be trustworthy either, Yao Ze had no other choice; he had to save his father.

The arrival of Zhou Qing and his apprentice is like a lifeline for Yao Ze.

Perhaps it would be better to leave the three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit, along with the wood-elemental spiritual items, to future generations.

Yao Ze has two sons and a daughter, but none of them are considered to have good physiques. As for waiting for the next generation...
If the fourth branch continues to decline, it's uncertain whether they will have any descendants.

So Yao Ze decided to take a gamble.

The only truly harsh part of this deal was that it required Zhou Qing to swear an oath against his inner demons.

As long as Zhou Qing's master, Zhou Chaoxian, is confident enough in his alchemy skills and values ​​Zhou Qing enough, the transaction will definitely be completed.

"This condition isn't too harsh. In three years, let alone my master, I might even be able to learn how to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill." After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qing agreed to Yao Ze's condition.

"Thank you very much, Brother Zhou!" Yao Ze bowed deeply, then looked at Zhou Qing expectantly.

"I hereby solemnly declare: If this transaction cannot be completed, may I be blocked by bottlenecks when breaking through the Qi and Blood Dragon, Qi and Blood Furnace, and Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, and be unable to make any progress."

"Brother Zhou!" Seeing Zhou Qing make such a solemn oath, Yao Ze couldn't help but admire Zhou Qing's character.

"Since Brother Zhou is so agreeable, I will deliver the Heavenly Spirit Fruit tomorrow. I wonder how long it will take Brother Zhou to inform your master?"

Zhou Qing explained, "It will only take a day or two to notify my master; he should still be near the prefectural city. As for collecting the auxiliary medicinal materials for refining the Heavenly Spirit Pill, that will take some time. Since we are using a three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill, it is best to use other medicinal materials of the highest quality as well."

The prescription cannot be modified at will, and many medicinal materials have age restrictions; it is not necessarily true that the older the better.

However, the higher the age of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, the larger its size, and the more concentrated its medicinal power becomes.

By appropriately increasing the quantity and quality of other auxiliary medicinal materials, a larger quantity of high-quality Heavenly Spirit Pills can be refined.

"Leave this matter to us. Please give us a month," Yao Ze said solemnly. Since he had already given away the three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit and the Wood Element Spiritual Object, he naturally did not want the quality of the auxiliary medicinal materials to affect the final alchemy result.

"Alright, then I'll await your good news, Brother Yao."

Zhou Qing cupped his hands in greeting.

"I'll go back and prepare now." Yao Ze immediately stood up, without taking back the jade box that was on the table.

Zhou Qing got up to see him off.

As they reached the door, Yao Ze asked him to stay.

After Yao Ze left, Zhou Qing returned to his room and reopened the jade box.

The rich scent of grass and trees wafted out again, instantly making the air in the room much fresher, with a refreshing and invigorating feeling.

The wood-man Gu in Zhou Qingyuan's aperture began to stir instinctively again, as if it might break free at any moment.

"It seems this wood-elemental spirit object is very beneficial to the wooden puppet gu?"

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he was not in a hurry.

The next day, Xie Feng, the manager of Xie's Trading Company, visited again, speaking with great friendliness and subtly inquiring about the matter of 'Zhou Chaoxian'.

After dealing with Xie Feng and seeing him off, Zhou Qing began to take stock of the medicinal materials needed to refine the Heavenly Spirit Fruit.

In the evening, he strolled around the city and returned to the restaurant. By then, it was completely dark, and Yao Ze was already waiting for him in his room, personally handing him a jade box.

Inside was a radiant, over three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit.

"I'll go find my master right now!"

Zhou Qing immediately prepared to leave.

“Brother Zhou.” Yao Ze’s expression changed slightly, his lips moved, and after a moment of silence, he said solemnly, “I’m entrusting this to you.”

"Don't worry, Brother Yao!" Zhou Qing cupped his hands in greeting, walked out of the restaurant, and headed straight out of the city.

"It has a tail?"

Not far outside the city, Zhou Qing noticed martial artists trailing behind him at a distance.

"It was either sent by Yao Ze, or someone from the Xie family, or something else entirely."

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

He had already made a vow against his inner demons, so Yao Ze seemed to have no reason to send someone to follow him. Therefore, it was likely someone from the Xie family.

It could also be someone else from the Yao family, after all, Yao Ze caused him trouble yesterday, which caused quite a stir.

However, Zhou Qing didn't care who it was.

He immediately activated his Wind and Thunder Boots and used his Lightning Speed ​​Step to shake off the warriors following behind him.

Immediately afterwards, he used the Ice Fiend Gu to fly over a thousand miles and land in a mountain range.

Since the auxiliary medicinal materials were not yet fully prepared, Zhou Qing was not in a hurry to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill. He released the Wooden Man Gu from his Yuan Aperture and then took out the Wood-type Spiritual Object.

Wow!
The wooden gu was so excited that its entire root system began to dance.

"Here you go!"

Zhou Qing paused for a moment, then threw the wood-elemental spiritual object at the wooden puppet. The next moment, the wooden puppet shone brightly and its size rapidly shrank.

"Such a big reaction?!"

Zhou Qing already felt that the true essence in his Yuanqiao was being consumed rapidly at a visible speed.

"Could this wood-elemental spiritual object be the thousand-year-old spiritual wood needed for the combined refinement of the Wooden Man Gu?"

Zhou Qing remembered the method of combining the wooden puppet Gu and immediately took out thousands of spirit stones from his storage space.

In just a short while, over a thousand spirit stones were used up.

At this moment, the spiritual light around the wooden puppet quickly dimmed, and a green root resembling a ginseng root floated in mid-air.

You have obtained a new Gu worm—the Wood Spirit Gu (in development)

[Rank: Tier 2 Top Grade (Under Development)]

[Wood Spirit Gu: Formed by absorbing the essence of thousand-year-old spirit wood, the Wood Human Gu can evolve into a third-tier Wood God Gu by absorbing the essence of plants and trees and pure life force.]

"Third tier! Wood God Gu?!" Zhou Qing's face showed surprise.

Unexpectedly, the five-hundred-year-old companion spirit that Yao Ze mentioned actually contained the essence of a thousand-year-old spirit tree.

"Tier 3 Combat-Type Gu Insect"

With eager eyes, Zhou Qing took out the Heavenly Silkworm from his Yuanqiao.

Since the Wood Spirit Gu needs life force, let it absorb as much as it wants!

Under Zhou Qing's urging, the silkworm began to continuously release its life force.

(End of this chapter)