Chapter 671 - 629: Vice Pavilion Master, a Slight Shock from a Top-Quality Pill

Despite his high status within the Merak Sacred Land, he never tired of such displays.

’Why use status to intimidate people when flaunting your knowledge is so much more effective? It gives you a much greater sense of superiority, too.’

"Thank you for your guidance, Vice Pavilion Master Zhao!"

After exchanging a look, Feng Anliang and Sikong Qing cupped their fists in thanks.

They didn’t know much about alchemy; their understanding was superficial at best. They were aware of some aspects but didn’t grasp the full picture. Their main focus was on Martial Arts Cultivation.

Neither of them had ever been assigned a mission to escort a Pharmacist to the Pill Pavilion for an assessment before. This was a first for them.

Their current Martial Arts Cultivation was the result of many years of diligent and focused cultivation.

He wasn’t sure if they were addressing him that way on purpose, but either way, Zhao Yu rolled his eyes at them.

’These kids are hopeless!’

Before long, a rich fragrance began to fill the room, a potent Pill Fragrance that wafted right to their noses.

"This is the aroma of a Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. There’s no mistake. I’ve taken quite a few of them recently, so I wouldn’t misidentify it!"

Sikong Qing said with a smile upon smelling the fragrance.

His cultivation was at the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera stage. Furthermore, with an Elder for a father, he was never short on Cultivation Resources, so he naturally took only the best Elixirs for each stage.

And at his current Martial Arts Cultivation level, the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill was a perfect fit.

Smelling the familiar aroma now, he naturally recognized it at once.

Surprise also showed on Feng Anliang’s face. According to Vice Pavilion Master Zhao Yu, Yang Chan had succeeded on his very first attempt. His potential as a Pharmacist was far greater than he had anticipated.

After all, considering the various factors, he had subconsciously felt that Yang Chan would most likely fail on his first try. He’d expected him to first familiarize himself with the conditions for refining elixirs in the Merak Sacred Land and then take his time. He never thought Yang Chan’s performance would be so far beyond his expectations.

A thought popped into his head. ’No wonder the Saintess values Yang Chan so highly. She’s placing far more importance on him than on Elder Hua, the Advanced Pharmacist who came from the Cyan Yuan Sect before. Yang Chan’s potential really is much greater.’

"That’s Pill Qi. To successfully refine a Top Quality Elixir on the first attempt is truly impressive!"

"Pharmacist Yang looks young, but his Alchemy Ability is formidable!"

"Your Saintess has found a good one. He has a lot of potential!"

Zhao Yu saw much more than Feng Anliang and Sikong Qing. That rich Pill Fragrance was Pill Qi, a phenomenon that only occurs when a Top Quality Elixir is successfully refined.

To be able to achieve this on the first try was far better than he had anticipated.

The Advanced Pharmacist who had come from the Cyan Yuan Sect before had only succeeded in refining a Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill on his second attempt, and it was just a normal-grade one at that.

His first attempt failed because he wasn’t accustomed to the conditions here at the Merak Sacred Land, which caused an error during the refining process. However, he later identified and corrected his mistakes and quickly succeeded.

Overall, his ability was decent, but Zhao Yu could also see the man’s limits. It was basically impossible for him to ever be promoted to a Top Level Pharmacist.

Just as Martial Arts Cultivation has its bottlenecks, so too does improving one’s Pharmacist Ability. You could even call it a hard ceiling.

From certain things revealed during the man’s alchemy, one could spot certain issues. These were habits accumulated over many years and were now very difficult to change. If he did try to change them, it might even negatively affect his Pharmacist Ability, as they had become an integral part of his skills. Making a rash change would only be counterproductive.

That man’s limit was refining elixirs that could assist the cultivation of an Initial Stage Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. Anything beyond that was basically impossible for him!

"A Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill?"

Feng Anliang was stunned for a moment upon hearing Zhao Yu’s words. Having taken many elixirs himself, he naturally understood the difference between a Top Quality Elixir and a normal one, as well as what that implied.

If just succeeding on the first try was considered an excellent display of adaptability, then producing a Top Quality Elixir demonstrated Yang Chan’s absolute mastery over the refining process for the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill.

Only someone with an incredibly high degree of mastery over the alchemy process could accomplish such a feat.

It could be said that the gap between being able to refine a normal Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill and a Top Quality one was as wide as the heavens and the earth. The demand for them was different, and so was their value.

It was like the difference between a standard version and an enhanced version; the disparity was obvious.

The intelligence he had received before mentioned that Yang Chan had once managed to refine a Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill by a stroke of luck. Now, it was clear there was no luck involved. To successfully refine a Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill during an assessment demonstrated a level of control over the process that far surpassed most others.

There were quite a few Advanced Pharmacists in the Merak Sacred Land, but not many of them could refine a Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. This was a dividing line, a clear indicator that distinguished the abilities of different Pharmacists.

"So impressive!"

"Pharmacist Yang’s ability is truly beyond my expectations!"

Surprise flashed across Sikong Qing’s face again, but it was followed by a flicker of realization.

’So that’s why the fragrance was so familiar! It’s identical to the Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pills I take.’

’No wonder my father, the Elder, arranged for me to accompany Feng Anliang, welcome the people from the Cyan Yuan Sect, and see Yang Chan become a Third Level Alchemist in the Pill Pavilion.’

’He even told us to watch carefully and prevent anyone from disrupting Yang Chan’s assessment. So he knew about his abilities all along.’

’As expected, my father is as farsighted as ever. He truly is the man I aspire to become—so wise.’

’The two of us Direct Disciples brought Yang Chan to the Pill Pavilion and found Zhao Yu, and no one tried to interfere. Everything went smoothly—even more smoothly than we expected.’

Sikong Qing’s gaze fell on the still-closed door, and a newfound respect filled his eyes. This was someone who could refine Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pills, one of the Advanced Pharmacists from whom he could obtain Top Quality Elixirs in the future.

’My father is always saying my consumption rate is too high and that the Sect can’t keep giving me Top Quality Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pills every time my resistance wears off. It looks like my farsighted father has found a new supplier for me. For the foreseeable future, I’ll have to get my elixirs from Yang Chan.’

CREAK!

The door opened, and Yang Chan walked out, a Pill Bottle in his hand.

Inside was the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill he had just refined.

’Back in the Cyan Yuan Sect, I always refined these in batches to save time. Refining just a single pill this time lowered the difficulty quite a bit.’

’It went as expected; a Top Quality Elixir. The efficacy is pretty good—the quality is fine for regular use.’

’It was my first time refining something in the Merak Sacred Land, so I’m not that familiar with the setup yet. Otherwise, the efficacy could have been even better.’

’Still, it’s more than good enough for this assessment.’

’This should secure my position as a Third Level Alchemist. The whole process went much more smoothly than I expected. No one tried any dirty tricks to target me.’

’But it makes sense when I think about it. Two Direct Disciples from Xuanjin Peak escorted me to the Pill Pavilion for my assessment, and it was all done in front of the Vice Pavilion Master, who is a Top Level Pharmacist. Anyone who wanted to cause trouble here would practically have to be the Merak Saint Son himself.’

’My assessment to become an Advanced Pharmacist isn’t that big of a deal. I’m just someone from the Cyan Yuan Sect, an affiliate Sect of the Merak Sacred Land. Even with some talent, I’m not important enough for the Merak Saint Son to get personally involved.’

’Besides, making such a big scene would be hard to clean up and could even hurt the Merak Saint Son’s chances of competing for the Saint Master position.’

’Giving up on targeting me was actually the best choice for him.’

’As for my earlier suspicion that Vice Pavilion Master Zhao would try something, that worry mostly disappeared when he let me screen the Spirit Medicine myself and then waited patiently without rushing me as I made my preparations.’

’Furthermore, Top Level Pharmacists hold a transcendent status in the Merak Sacred Land. Not even someone like the Merak Saint Son can necessarily order them around. And even if he could, he wouldn’t waste that kind of leverage on my assessment. I’m a nobody, after all. I’ve never even met the Merak Saint Son, much less offended him.’

’I’m not so jinxed that I’d have that kind of bad luck. Things going this smoothly is how it should be. Otherwise, all the effort these people put in would have been for nothing.’

’All in all, I was just overthinking it. The outcome was exactly what I’d hoped for!’