Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 114 Heading to the Imperial City, Alchemy Techniques (Please Subscribe)

Xu Chuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light; the so-called deterrent power of the Pill Hall was exactly what the Xu family needed at the moment.

In the future, with the clan's protective formation inside, which can block those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and the Dan Palace outside, people will think twice before acting. As long as they don't cause any trouble, or if there are natural disasters or man-made calamities, they can develop steadily for a long time.

As for spirit stones, if Xu Chuan really puts in his best effort to refine them, as long as he has enough materials, he can easily earn seven or eight hundred spirit stones a month.

Seeing Xu Chuan deep in thought, Zhou Sen also advised, "For rogue cultivators, joining the Pill Hall is indeed the most suitable option. Even if Fellow Daoist San Shu wants to establish a Qi Refining family in the future, he can protect the family for the rest of his life."

Xu Chuan looked interested and asked Yun Zhongzi, "Senior, if I agree, is there any further assessment required?"

Yun Zhongzi smiled faintly, "As the chief, I have the right to recommend someone to serve in the Pill Hall. I can refine Jade Sprout Pills, and I can refine a mid-grade pill with just twelve portions, which is enough to qualify me for the position of Pill Hall's official.

With your current level of mastery in alchemy, you're more than qualified to rank in the top five.

"Then I thank Senior Yun Zhongzi for his kind offer. I am willing to enter the Pill Hall," Xu Chuan said respectfully, clasping his hands in greeting.

"In that case, you shall set off with me to the capital in a couple of days. Even if you do not wish to stay in the Dan Palace for long, you must register and leave your life lamp in the palace."

Yun Zhongzi stroked his beard and said, "Being able to discover such a genius in alchemy as Xu Chuan makes this trip worthwhile."

Xu Chuan said he had other matters to attend to at the cave dwelling and would visit Yun Zhongzi at the Prince's Mansion in two days.

Yun Zhongzi let Xu Chuan go as he pleased.

"Why is Father suddenly going to the capital?" Xu Mingxian asked in surprise upon hearing what Xu Chuan said.

"By chance, my father entered the Imperial Pill Hall. Behind the Pill Hall is the royal family of the Great Wei Dynasty, and my Xu family has since gained a powerful background."

Next, we'll go to the Imperial City. Father will be studying alchemy in the Pill Hall until you have completely repaired the Four Symbols Heavenly Gang Formation. Then we'll return to Dongxi.

"Yes, Father." With the support of the Great Wei royal family, Xu Mingxian felt that her future was bright.

------------

Two days later.

At the entrance of Prince Yong's Palace.

"Who is this?" Yun Zhongzi asked Xu Mingxian curiously.

"My name is Yun Ming. I greet Senior Yun Zhongzi of the Pill Hall." Xu Mingxian immediately clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Xu Chuan immediately explained, "He is my sworn brother, and he is also going to the capital with me this time. I wonder if Senior Yun Zhongzi could take him along?"

Yun Zhongzi stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Of course it's possible."

He brushed his hand across the storage bag, and a streak of blue light shot out, hovering in mid-air—it was a flying boat.

He leaped up first, then said to Xu Chuan and the other man, "Come on up, both of you."

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian also leaped up.

"Your Highness, we shall take our leave now."

Yun Zhongzi, aboard the Yong Dynasty's flying boat, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

The next instant, the flying boat shot off like an arrow towards the eastern horizon and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

One day later.

The imperial city of the Great Wei then appeared beneath their feet.

Yun Zhongzi piloted his flying boat straight towards the imperial city. Suddenly, a semi-transparent yellow light screen appeared in front of him. He then waved his sleeve, and a beam of azure light shot out.

The translucent yellow light curtain instantly dissolved, revealing a large hole that allowed the airship to pass through.

After passing through, Xu Chuan looked back and saw that the light curtain had already closed and disappeared without a trace.

I'm afraid there aren't many people in the entire Great Wei who can pass through the city's protective formation as directly as Yun Zhongzi.

Everyone else had to land properly and enter through the city gate before they could fly on their swords.

The entire imperial city is very large; it would take quite a while to walk around.

Russian qing.

The flying boat stopped in front of a grand hall in the southern part of the imperial city.

This hall has three stories and triple eaves, just like a black bird about to take flight. Gilded wind chimes in the shape of elixirs hang from the corners of the eaves. When a breeze blows, the chimes ring out clearly, as if the fragrance of medicine is flowing along with them.

Layer upon layer of bluish-gray glazed tiles gleam warmly in the sunlight, while the interlocking brackets are intricately carved with scenes from mythical tales such as Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs and Laozi refining elixirs.

“Young friend Yunming, those who are not from the Pill Hall are not allowed to enter the Pill Hall. Please wait here. After we have dealt with the matter of Fellow Daoist San Shu entering the hall, you can go with him to the cave dwelling arranged by the Pill Hall to stay temporarily.”

Xu Mingxian bowed and said, "Thank you, Senior Yun Zhongzi."

Xu Chuan followed Yun Zhongzi into the Pill Hall.

The bottom alchemy room had its doors wide open, and dozens of apprentices were busy coming and going. Most of them were young people in their teens and twenties, with the youngest being only a little over ten years old.

"The first floor of the Pill Hall is where apprentices study and refine pills. There is a corresponding library and many pill-making rooms. The pill furnace in each pill-making room is a low-grade magic weapon."

"The second floor is where offerings are made, and the third floor is where I refine elixirs and meditate."

“Every new worshipper will receive a mid-grade magic weapon alchemy furnace. However, those who can enter the Alchemy Hall are all true alchemy masters. After a few years, they will be able to replace it with a high-grade magic weapon alchemy furnace on their own.”

"As a worshipper, Fellow Daoist San Shu can read all the books on the first and second floors. As for the third floor, you need to apply to me."

Yun Zhongzi summoned all the current worshippers in the Dan Hall, a total of seven people, introduced Xu Chuan to them, and then presided over Xu Chuan's entry ceremony into the hall—presenting him with a jade tablet, a Dharma robe, and a pill furnace, and finally lighting the life lamp.

It was similar to the initiation ceremony of the sect that Xu Chuan had imagined.

"Steward Chen, arrange a cave dwelling and alchemy room for the Three Eaves. I have other matters to attend to and will be leaving now."

The steward surnamed Chen hurriedly bowed to Yun Zhongzi, saying, "I will obey the chief's orders and make proper arrangements to satisfy the thirteenth retainer."

Yun Zhongzi nodded slightly and then went to the third floor of the Pill Hall.

Deacon Chen led Xu Chuan to the second floor, saying as they walked, "The first eleven alchemy rooms are already occupied. As for the thirteenth alchemy room, I will arrange the twelfth alchemy room for you. Is that alright?"

Xu Chuan strolled around the alchemy room, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "This one will do."

Deacon Chen smiled and said, "Take this jade talisman. It can unlock the restrictions of the twelfth alchemy chamber. If you plan to travel for an extended period of time, remember to let me know."

Xu Chuan nodded slightly.

He then chose a nearby courtyard as his place of residence.

There are many courtyards nearby, all protected by protective barriers. They belong to the Guidan Hall and are also the residences of the worshippers and apprentices.

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian settled down here.

There was a market town nearby, mostly filled with shops selling spirit herbs, but very few selling pills. After inquiring a bit, I learned that they were all closely related to the several worshippers of the Pill Hall.

Around the Pill Palace, there are also many independent cultivators who know how to refine pills. They go out to hunt monsters for materials to earn money to rent cave dwellings, while studying the Dao of Pills.

He only hoped to pass the Dan Hall examination held every five years and become a Dan Hall attendant.

For them, this was like achieving instant success.

As night falls, countless stars adorn the night sky.

Xu Chuan Courtyard.

"Father, only now do I realize the status of the alchemists in the Pill Hall, which is why so many alchemists yearn for it but cannot obtain it."

Looking at Xu Mingxian's grinning face, "I'll accept your flattery for now. Whether it's alchemy, array formation, weapon crafting, or talisman crafting, once you reach a certain level, you'll be respected by thousands."

Even those at the Foundation Establishment stage, high and mighty, might personally come to request an audience.” Xu Mingxian knew Xu Chuan was urging her on, and nodded, saying, “Father, rest assured, Yun Nu will continue to study array formations and will not let you down.”

"By the way, keep all these spirit stones. If you want anything, go to the market and see what you need. Father probably won't need them for the time being at the Pill Hall."

Xu Chuan gave all the spirit stones in his storage bag to Xu Mingxian, who accepted them without saying anything.

"Speaking of the Pill Hall, how come the monthly offerings to the Pill Hall are only five spirit stones? Back when I was a guest elder in the Zhou family, my father's monthly salary was three times that amount," Xu Mingxian asked in confusion.

Xu Chuan shook his head and chuckled, "The Pill Hall mainly accepts offerings to protect powerless and unaffiliated alchemists. Senior Yun Zhongzi once said that with my alchemy skills, I could complete the Pill Hall's annual tasks in one or two months."

The rest of the time, I reckon the worshippers are either refining elixirs for themselves or colluding with others to profit from it.

A master alchemist who is not afraid of being targeted and can refine pills without any scruples will make a considerable profit.

Those who enter the Pill Hall do so either for its protective power or for the protection of the Great Wei royal family.

"Then Father can be without any worries from now on?" Xu Mingxian asked excitedly, his eyes gleaming.

"Just use a portion of your abilities appropriately. Father came to the Pill Palace not only to seek its protection, but also to further his studies in alchemy."

"If I can absorb the accumulated knowledge of alchemy from the Pill Hall, I am confident that I can leave a lineage of alchemy for our Xu family, so that future generations of family members will not need to rely on others to learn alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxian felt boundless admiration and wanted to emulate him, leaving behind the legacy of array formations for the Xu family.

The next day.

Xu Chuan went to the Pill Hall and learned of his mission: 250 Qi-restoring pills, 250 Yuan-restoring pills, 250 Qi-nourishing pills, and 250 Qi-gathering pills.

These are all requirements for mid-grade pills.

If a high-grade pill is refined, one pill is equivalent to four mid-grade pills; low-grade pills are not included in this calculation.

In other words, if all the pills are of superior quality, only 250 pills need to be refined.

Xu Chuan secretly estimated that he could refine pills in nearly eight hours a day, which would yield ten batches. Each batch could produce up to nine pills at most, and as few as six.

Nowadays, it is rare to see low-grade pills or pill refining failures.

Based on this calculation, the Pill Hall's annual task can be completed in a little over a month, earning a guaranteed sixty spirit stones. As for the performance-based spirit stones, let's just forget about them.

I feel a sense of unease, as if I'm recalling some distant and uncomfortable memory.

Yun Zhongzi once said that he could complete the year's task in two or three months, which was an estimate based on the yield rate of Jade Sprout Pills.

But little did he know that it was only half of Xu Chuan's strength.

If he were to use first-tier pills like the Qi-Nourishing Pill, which he was already very familiar with, he would probably only regain 30-40% of his alchemy skills in two or three months.

Xu Chuan immediately had the idea of ​​swallowing up 70%, but then quickly gave up.

"Take three or four tenths of it, and occasionally refine some low-grade pills. That would be just right."

Xu Chuan did not intend to sell these swallowed pills, but would consume them himself and leave the excess to other members of the family.

Four types of elixirs, with fifty portions of materials for each type.

Xu Chuan could store six or seven bottles of mid-grade pills and two or three bottles of high-grade pills for each type of elixir.

Time flies, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Chuan rarely ventured out of the Pill Hall, spending his time either refining pills or cultivating.

Now that the task at the Pill Hall has been completed, I have received a guaranteed sixty spirit stones from Steward Chen.

After that, he spent his days studying the first and second level alchemical texts, becoming known as an "alchemy fanatic" in the eyes of his apprentices and other worshippers.

At 7 PM, Xu Chuan began to meditate and cultivate.

Every day at dawn.

He would occasionally offer guidance to apprentices who sought his advice.

Later, some even sought out him to discuss alchemy, and they had a very pleasant conversation.

Among the other offerings, he got along best with the Third Offering Master Yunding. He was a rogue cultivator who was self-disciplined and devoted himself to the pursuit of alchemy and foundation building.

"Fellow Daoist Yunding, I feel that I have hit a bottleneck. It seems that my alchemy skills are difficult to improve. Do you have any solutions?"

Master Yunding wore the standard robes of the Dan Palace and was slender.

Hearing this, he stroked his white beard and smiled, "The way of alchemy is the same as cultivation. It will naturally encounter bottlenecks. Either you break through the realm, or you improve your alchemy-related abilities, such as fire control techniques, mastery of medicinal properties, and hand gestures for condensing and collecting pills."

Xu Chuan seemed to be deep in thought.

His previous success in alchemy was all due to his unparalleled mastery of the properties of medicinal herbs.

As for his fire control techniques and the hand seals for condensing and collecting pills, they are all quite ordinary.

"I am a rogue cultivator and have no such lineage. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yunding could tell me where to find these?"

Master Yunding was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter, "It seems that you haven't been to the third level yet."

"What do you mean by this?"

"The first and second floor libraries mainly contain various alchemical classics and some common alchemical formulas, which we can view free of charge. However, the fire control techniques and the like are available for a fee and are collected on the third floor."

"So that's how it is." Xu Chuan hadn't known any of this before; he had been focused on alchemy and studying alchemical texts.

Master Yunding added, "If you have enough spirit stones, you can ask the chief for the Nine Flames Technique and the Jade Liquid True Refinement Technique. These two are the most advanced inheritances related to alchemy in the Pill Hall."

Admittedly, the higher the level of the technique, the more difficult it is to cultivate.

I too cultivate both. While I have mastered the Jade Liquid True Refinement Technique, I have only scratched the surface of the Nine Flames Technique.

"I would be grateful if you could introduce me to something, fellow Daoist." Xu Chuan cupped his hands in greeting and asked for guidance.

Master Yunding looked at Xu Chuan, waved his hand and laughed, "We are both worshippers of the Pill Hall, there is no need to be so polite. The Jade Liquid True Refinement Technique contains complete techniques for refining, condensing and collecting pills. When you cultivate it to the highest level, you can improve the quality of the pills by 10% to 20%."

The Nine Flames Technique is not only an amazing fire control technique, but also a method of manipulating divine thoughts. It is divided into three levels: three flames, six flames, and nine flames. When mastered, one can control nine divine thoughts at will and remain consistent.

To give a simple example, when it comes to manipulating magical artifacts, most cultivators can only control one or two at most. If they control more than that, they will make mistakes when facing enemies.

However, if one masters the Nine Flames Technique, one can control various spells and utilize multiple magical artifacts, easily gaining the upper hand in battle.

"If it's so miraculous, why did the Pill Hall open its doors to us?"

Xu Chuan's eyes flickered, and he was also moved by what he heard.

"This technique is not free; it requires one hundred spirit stones to copy, and it also requires the chief's approval. The difficulty of cultivation is astonishing. I have only mastered the Four Thoughts as One."

Master Yunding sighed, "I have heard that even the chief has stopped at the Six Flames stage, only achieving the unity of the Six Thoughts."

"The Nine Flames Technique is difficult to master through ordinary hard work. The Three Flames Technique is considered the entry level. We alchemists can basically master it by refining pills all day long. However, with each additional thought, the difficulty of achieving complete control and consistency increases almost exponentially."

Whether I possess comprehension or not, I do not know.

However, the reason why ordinary alchemists' hard work is useless is because they do not have the destiny and talent of "Heaven rewards diligence" like me.

This is enough to make up for a lack of understanding.

"If one cultivates the Nine Flames Technique to its fullest potential, one might be able to reach the state of condensing nine pills in a single furnace, each one a top-grade pill?!"

Xu Chuan cupped his hands to Master Yunding and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist Yunding. I will go and ask the chief for some information later."

(End of this chapter)