Chapter 647 617: Scatter the Ashes, Great Zhou's New Crown Prince

"Alright, put it with the other Spirit Medicines."

Yang Chan set down the Alchemy Notes. They were left behind by the predecessors of the Cyan Yuan Sect and served as a great source of experience for him—one of the ways he improved his skills as a Pharmacist.

Without using Potential Points for advancement, he could only rely on his own hard work.

Potential Points were useful, but for Yang Chan at his current level, spending them on his Pharmacist skills would be of little use. He lacked the Top Level Spirit Medicines he needed, so even if he advanced as a Pharmacist, he still wouldn't be able to refine Spirit Pills.

It was like the old saying: even the most skilled chef can't cook without ingredients. No matter how great his abilities, how could he create a masterpiece without the necessary components?

"Pharmacist Yang, this is a report from White Jade City."

"The Emperor of Great Zhou has appointed a new Crown Prince!"

Han Bingyu handed a letter to Yang Chan.

The news wasn't particularly important to them; in fact, this wasn't even the first time it had happened.

The current Old Emperor, Yang Yu, had been on the throne for far too long. He had appointed not just two or three Crown Princes, but many—and every single one of them was now long dead and buried in some unmarked grave.

Now that the Old Emperor had advanced to the realm of Blood Exchange Martial Saint, any man who became Crown Prince was destined for a grim fate. If he kept his head down, he might be allowed to grow old and die as Crown Prince. But if he got any ideas, he would simply follow his fallen imperial brothers to the grave.

After all, more than one Prince had died at the Old Emperor's hands.

Han Bingyu didn't think much of the report, viewing it as insignificant.

Unless the Old Emperor had other plans, this new Crown Prince was destined for tragedy. It would be far better to be a Carefree King.

Of course, there was one silver lining: the Old Emperor no longer restricted the Martial Arts Cultivation of his sons.

Even if one of the Princes reached the level of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, they would pose no threat to him. Thus, he had actually loosened the restrictions on their Martial Arts Cultivation.

To the Old Emperor, Yang Yu, a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster was nothing. While his Combat Power wasn't considered high among Blood Exchange Martial Saints, it was more than enough to completely crush any Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster.

In fact, if another Blood Exchange Martial Saint were to emerge within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, it would be a boon for him, as it could help him succeed with the Destiny Method.

Although Princess Qianyue had failed to find the Destiny Method he so desperately craved, he hadn't given up. He was still searching for a way to obtain it, hoping it would solve his two biggest problems: his relatively weak Combat Power and his connection to the fate of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.

The emergence of the Alien Races posed a great threat to the entire Human Race, but it also forced humanity to band together. Consequently, the once-ambitious Rising Sun Empire was kept in check by the combined pressure of the other major Imperial Dynasties, preventing it from making any major moves.

They had managed to stall long enough for the Dragon Slayer, Ouyang Qingtian, to lose his Mandate of Heaven.

No one could hold the Mandate of Heaven forever.

Without this advantage, the threat to the other Imperial Dynasties diminished significantly. The Rising Sun Empire's growth was hampered by the allied dynasties, slowing to a crawl. This, in turn, bought the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty precious time to develop, allowing its people to rest, recuperate, and rebuild their lives.

The people of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty benefited from the Old Emperor Yang Yu's focus on public welfare. As a result, the lives of commoners throughout the land improved greatly. They could at least survive, and sometimes even had a small surplus of food.

This was a matter personally overseen by a Blood Exchange Martial Saint; naturally, no minister dared to defy his will.

Furthermore, because the Old Emperor Yang Yu was linked to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty's destiny, he could sense whenever a region was in trouble. He would then personally intervene, allowing the entire Imperial Dynasty to prosper. As a result, the Old Emperor's own power saw a faint but steady increase.

Although the Old Emperor's selfish nature hadn't changed—everything he did was ultimately for himself—the people of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty still reaped the benefits.

In contrast, the Noble Families had long since been crushed by the Emperor of Great Zhou's suppression. The major Sects of the Imperial Dynasty, however, remained unaffected. They continued to abide by their treaty, which helped the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty recover more quickly.

Of course, this was partly because the major Sects had already suffered heavy losses in the previous border war against the Jin Meng Empire. Moreover, if the Great Zhou Imperial Family were to target the major Sects, they might unite in rebellion, and the Imperial Dynasty's hard-won stability would be shattered.

Since Emperor Yang Yu's power was so heavily influenced by the dynasty's destiny, he dared not risk offending the major Sects. Instead, he turned his attention to the Noble Families.

Weakening the Noble Families had the convenient side effect of helping the common people.

The major Sects might hold dominion over entire provinces, but they had little involvement in daily affairs, with most of their members choosing to cultivate in remote mountains. The Government Offices, therefore, still managed the major cities. The Noble Families, on the other hand, resided within those very cities and had a much greater impact on the lives of the populace.

"Oh."

Yang Chan glanced at the letter but wasn't particularly concerned.

If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had a new Emperor, he would pay more attention. A Crown Prince with no future, however, was not worth his concern.

Besides, the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty wasn't interfering in the affairs of the major Sects right now, so there was even less reason to be concerned.

"That's all for now."

"Nothing major has happened recently," Han Bingyu said, seeing Yang Chan's expression.

Few major events could truly affect the Cyan Yuan Sect, and as the sect's Chief Pharmacist, even fewer could affect Yang Chan personally.

Especially after he had recently refined the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill and been promoted to Advanced Pharmacist, his status had risen even higher, meaning there were even fewer matters that could trouble him.

Gu An had even made special arrangements to ensure trivial matters wouldn't disturb Yang Chan, wanting him to solidify his current state. In Gu An's view, Yang Chan had been struck by a powerful surge of Pill Sense, which was what enabled him to refine the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. It was crucial for Yang Chan to capture this insight so he could refine more Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pills in the future—perhaps even Top Quality ones.

The difference between an ordinary elixir and a Top Quality Elixir was immense. Having personally consumed one, Gu An understood this difference clearly, and he naturally craved more.

They not only accelerated one's cultivation progress but also reduced the buildup of Elixir Poison in the body.

The higher one's status and the stronger one's cultivation, the more one worried about Elixir Poison. To prevent excessive accumulation, many cultivators would abstain from elixirs for long periods after taking one. Top Quality Elixirs, however, were different. They contained far less Elixir Poison and had superior Medicinal Properties, allowing for rapid cultivation advancement.

But not everyone was like Yang Chan. Every day at dawn, his panel would automatically absorb all impurities from his body, including Elixir Poison. Because of this, he could take elixirs daily without worrying about it, as the impurities simply became part of his Daily Potential Point Collection. He didn't have to give it a second thought.

If Elixir Poison and other impurities could actually increase his Potential Points, Yang Chan would have gladly taken elixirs designed for that purpose just to boost his Daily Potential Point Collection.

"You should use this time to read more medical texts and try refining some simple elixirs. Even after advancing to Basic Level Pharmacist, there's still plenty of room for improvement."

Yang Chan looked at Han Bingyu. She had already been promoted to Basic Level Pharmacist but had chosen to continue serving as his Pharmacist Apprentice.

Therefore, Yang Chan still gave Han Bingyu pointers on alchemy from time to time. Although a Basic Level Pharmacist was nothing special in his eyes, within the Cyan Yuan Sect, it was a high-status position—higher than her current rank as an Elite Disciple.

Of course, that status was relative. To Yang Chan, there was no real difference.

Han Bingyu's main value to him lay in gathering intelligence and handling miscellaneous tasks related to Spiritual Materials. When it came to alchemy, she certainly couldn't compare to Commandery Princess Lan Yue.

After all, Commandery Princess Lan Yue had a Top Level Pharmacist for a teacher, was an Intermediate Pharmacist herself on the verge of becoming an Advanced Pharmacist, and possessed far broader experience. She was already capable of refining the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. Once she had accumulated enough Pill Sense, she could attempt the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill and advance to the rank of Advanced Pharmacist.

However, this step was a massive bottleneck for Commandery Princess Lan Yue—one she was unlikely to overcome anytime soon.

"Yes, yes! I've been reading the medical texts just as you advised, Pharmacist Yang. I even tried refining the Lantian Jade Refining Pill, but I haven't succeeded yet!"

Han Bingyu nodded eagerly and reported on her progress.

Even after her promotion to Basic Level Pharmacist, her attitude hadn't changed in the slightest; she remained as diligent as ever in her work for Yang Chan.

This was one of the reasons Yang Chan was so pleased with her.