Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 42 Taihe Dan Scroll
It's important to understand that for every additional high-quality pill produced in a batch, the skill required for alchemy increases exponentially.

Even a top-grade alchemist like him could barely manage to produce three high-quality pills out of ten in a single batch.

He estimated that four pills per batch would require at least a second-level alchemist to achieve that!
Moving up the ranks, each additional high-quality pill is extremely difficult to obtain, representing the ultimate control over flames, the ultimate utilization of medicinal materials, and the ultimate understanding of alchemy... the levels are already different!
Therefore, Xu Qianyan rarely praised him.

Upon hearing such praise, Lü Bailian's eyes lit up with delight; this was beyond his limits.

That was an exceptional performance.

Under normal circumstances, he can refine one high-quality pill and six to eight medium-to-high-quality pills.

This immense pressure ironically transformed the last medium-sized pill into a medium-high-sized pill.

"This time, we can be considered to be in an invincible position."

With the pressure gone, Lü Bailian's first batch of pills was decent, but it still fell short of the average quality of a medium-to-high-grade pill.

Even if Lin Changheng refines eight medium-to-high-grade pills in his third batch, he still cannot surpass him. Under the same conditions, his perfect result in the third batch will kill the competition.

In his view, Lin Changheng entered the realm three or four years later than him, so his foundation was already lagging behind. Even if he had a sudden burst of talent, he would not be able to achieve the "one excellent quality and nine above-average quality" that even he could only achieve with a stroke of genius!
Steady!

Similar ideas also appeared in the minds of most people present, especially those who understood alchemy.

Lin Changheng is doomed to lose this time, it's a pity that Master Lü unleashed his full potential in the third batch...

Some voices expressed regret.

Lin Changheng naturally heard Xu Qianyan's announcement. Facing the stove and with his back to everyone, a slight smile appeared on his usually calm face.

Correspondingly, the flames in the furnace became a bit more active...

It's just that no one noticed it.

A quarter of an hour later.

The elixir is ready.

"Ok?"

As Xu Qianyan took the pills and began his evaluation, a surprised exclamation rang out, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.

A sense of foreboding arose in Lü Bailian's heart.

The eldest daughter of the Xu family took the opportunity to glance at Lin Changheng with great interest. She saw that he remained calm and composed, his back straight as a pine tree, waiting quietly.

There was no emotion in his eyes; not even a basic desire could be seen.
"interesting."

Then, Xu Qianyan spoke up, "Hehe, Master Lin's furnace is quite good..."

Lu Bailian felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and a sense of foreboding began to grow. Sure enough, he then heard, "One high-quality pill has been refined, and the remaining nine are all of medium to high quality."

"what?"

A collective gasp of surprise immediately filled the room.

Are they equivalent again?

This is the second time!

"Both alchemists are quite excellent, but Alchemist Lin is slightly better and deserves to receive the secret teachings of the middle-grade alchemy."

Xu Qianyan's voice slowly rang out, delivering the final verdict.

The crowd was in an uproar. In other words, the slight difference in the first batch of pills made by Master Lü Danshi had led to such a defeat?
It's such a pity.

It's one thing if one's skills are inferior, but Master Lü really lacked luck. If he had performed as well as he did in the second and third batches after the first one, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

His skill level is really not necessarily worse than Master Lin's...

"Thank you for your kind offer."

Lin Changheng ignored the various voices in the discussion, remaining calm as he cupped his hands in greeting to Lü Bailian, nodded to Miss Xu, and then left with a mid-grade alchemist.

Lu Bailian hadn't expected this outcome either, and he was somewhat downcast. However, when he saw Lin Changheng cupping his hands in greeting, he still mustered his spirits to return the greeting.

But he wasn't too discouraged, since a slight difference could easily be erased.

It's just a bit of a pity that I missed out on the inheritance of a mid-grade alchemist...

Soon, a group of people gathered around him and began to comfort and encourage him.

Some people felt sorry for him and sighed with regret. "Thank you for the understanding and encouragement from all my seniors and friends. Master Lin Dan has accumulated a lot of knowledge and skills and has received the secret teachings. I am no match for him."

"Stop talking about luck. It's not only disrespectful to Master Lin, but also contemptuous of me."

"...A loss is a loss, and inferiority is inferiority. I, Lü, can accept it!"

Lu Bailian suddenly smiled, then solemnly uttered words that astonished most people, before resolutely turning and leaving.

"What a magnanimous heart! Truly open and honest!"

Watching the straight back of the departing figure, someone came back to their senses and couldn't help but sigh.

……

Lin Changheng was unaware of what happened in the competition hall afterwards.

He had already followed this mid-grade alchemist to the Sutra Repository outside the Guifeng Daoist Temple.

Ru Yan obtained an ancient, bluish-green jade slip.

"The restrictions on this jade slip will be lifted for three days. During this period, you must not leave without permission, and the jade slip must not be taken away. You must stay here to memorize and comprehend it."

"Whether one remembers much or little, and whether one's understanding is thorough, depends entirely on one's ability and comprehension. Does Master Lin understand this?"

After the mid-grade alchemist led the way and gave some instructions, he turned and left. Only then did the tall, thin steward give him detailed advice.

He still remembered the "Master Lin" in front of him. He had previously exchanged a flawed high-grade cultivation technique in the hall. He was somewhat stubborn and wouldn't listen to advice.

So this time, after giving the key instructions, I didn't say much more and left leisurely.

"Understood, thank you for informing me, senior."

Lin Changheng grasped the jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and began to examine it.

If it weren't for the Xu family's conflict with the Chen family on the front lines of land reclamation, the attack on their rear that resulted in the death of a mid-grade alchemist, and the lack of a successor within the clan,

This forced them to open the gates to registered retainers within the clan.

And they were so stingy, giving it only to one person.

This is also a drawback of the family model: people cherish their possessions and only pass them on to family members.

The sect model is much more open, but the connections are not as close as those based on blood ties.

It can only be said that each has its advantages and disadvantages.

"The Secret Notes of the Taihe Elixir Scroll!"

Six large characters appeared in Lin Changheng's perception; the name did indeed sound quite grand.

Then I focused on my research.

After a while, Lin Changheng moved the jade slip aside, rubbed his temples, and realized that although this mid-grade alchemy was based on the low-grade method, it was several times more profound.

But for his current level of understanding, there are difficulties, but not many.

If there are any difficulties, you can either spend a long time trying to understand them thoroughly, or you can bother Master Mo and ask him for advice.

Lin Changheng smiled, not worried at all; there are always more solutions than problems.

If all else fails, we can just wait for the [Original Treasure Seed] to absorb the spirit a second time.

Now that we've reached [Spirit Stealing: 70/100], we should be able to nurture the second layer of the Origin Treasure Seed within a year at the latest, at which time our comprehension will also reach a new level!

Three days later.

The restrictions on the jade slip were automatically restored, interrupting Lin Changheng's comprehension.

But it didn't matter; he memorized all the information on it immediately and wasn't worried about losing it.

As promised, Lin Changheng swore an oath not to reveal the truth. After leaving the Sutra Repository, he couldn't help but squint as he was exposed to the direct sunlight he hadn't seen for three days.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the clouds churning above me, the sky high and distant. A blue-feathered crane flew out from the side of the dojo, flapping its wings and soaring over the mountain peak, its long, clear cry reaching straight into the heavens.

Lin Changheng suddenly chuckled softly and stepped completely into the brilliant sunlight.

(End of this chapter)