Chapter 692 639: The Years Hasten Old Age, I Have High Hopes for You

Yang Chan had never met the Pill Pavilion Master before. It wasn't that the Pavilion Master, Bai Keyi, was some reclusive, mysterious figure. On the contrary, he had made several public appearances every year for the past few years.

Whether it was a major event for the Pill Pavilion or the Merak Sacred Land, he was never absent.

Some said the Pavilion Master had hit a bottleneck with his pharmacist skills and wanted to find another way to break through. Others claimed he wanted to break through to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint.

There were so many rumors it was impossible to tell which was true.

Yang Chan had heard these rumors as well, but he treated them as little more than interesting gossip and paid them no mind. After all, it was all just hearsay.

True secrets were never that easy to uncover.

But one thing was certain: the Pill Pavilion Master had been very active within the Merak Sacred Land in recent years.

"Disciple Yang Chan greets the Pavilion Master!"

Yang Chan wasn't particularly surprised by the appearance of the Pill Pavilion Master, Bai Keyi. He'd heard others describe him before; after all, plenty of people had seen the Pill Pavilion Master, so he had a good idea of what to expect.

He looked more or less as people had described him.

Now, having entered the room, Yang Chan bowed and spoke.

In terms of Pharmacist Ability, this man was far more skilled than him. Yang Chan had even met the Alliance Leader and Vice Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance—both Top Level Pharmacists—and neither could compare to the man before him.

The man's ability had reached a certain apex. As for how high that was, Yang Chan couldn't be sure.

However, one thing was certain: this man had not yet advanced to the legendary rank of King-level Pharmacist. Otherwise, with the abilities of a King-level Pharmacist, his cultivation would have long since reached the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm.

Yang Chan had heard Black Dragon mention that a King-level Pharmacist could refine elixirs that aid in breaking through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm—elixirs that offered a very high probability of success.

Furthermore, the Pill Pavilion Master's current Martial Arts Cultivation was only at the Second Bone Marrow Cleansing, still a ways off from the Third Bone Marrow Cleansing. Under these circumstances, he must be below the legendary King-level Pharmacist. Of course, even so, his Pharmacist Ability was still a cut above Yang Chan's.

As for their Martial Arts Cultivation, although both had undergone the Second Bone Marrow Cleansing—and the Pavilion Master had even reached the Second Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm before him—his aura wasn't particularly strong.

Even in a Holy Land with countless Martial Arts Techniques and abundant Cultivation Resources, how far one could progress ultimately depended on individual ability. The upper limits of cultivation were also constrained by the physical body.

While some elixirs could trigger an immediate breakthrough, they came with side effects. Some even made it difficult, if not impossible, to advance one's cultivation any further. Thus, most people wouldn't dare take such elixirs unless they had already reached the end of their potential.

Even so, such elixirs weren't easily obtained. Acquiring one required paying a steep price.

The Pill Pavilion Master, Bai Keyi, had a stable aura, indicating he hadn't resorted to such methods. However, he didn't exude a dangerous presence to Yang Chan, which meant his Combat Power was far weaker.

He was even a few notches below the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters Yang Chan had encountered on his way to the Merak Sacred Land.

When a person possessed outstanding talent in one area, it was almost unavoidable that they would have shortcomings in others. After all, everyone's time is limited; achieving perfection in all things is nearly impossible.

Not everyone could be like Yang Chan.

"Very good. Pharmacist Yang, you have more spirit than I expected!"

"Your Martial Arts Cultivation is a bit on the weak side, but you can improve it over time. The Merak Sacred Land has abundant Cultivation Resources, so don't neglect your Martial Arts Cultivation. This is especially true since you are currently at the External Iron Bone Refining stage. After you advance to Inner Master, your Lifespan will increase dramatically!"

Bai Keyi nodded slightly as he observed Yang Chan.

Yang Chan made a good impression on him. He was full of spirit—a particular kind of vitality unique to the young, especially geniuses, that was invigorating to be around.

It was always comfortable to be in the company of such people.

'The years hasten one's age,' he thought. 'Only by spending more time with the young can you feel young yourself.'

Based on his remaining Lifespan, he still had fifty or sixty years left—a full lifetime for an ordinary person. Yet, he could clearly perceive his body's functions slowly weakening with each passing day.

A Martial Arts Expert's perception was incredibly keen, allowing him to sense even the most minute changes, but there was nothing he could do to stop this particular decline.

He had already consumed most of the available life-extending elixirs, and the materials for any more were incredibly rare. The only other path was to break through in his Martial Arts Cultivation to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm, which was the path he had chosen to pursue in recent years.

He had hit an insurmountable bottleneck in his path as a Pharmacist, so he naturally turned his focus to Martial Arts Cultivation. As long as he could break through in his Martial Arts, he would have more time to improve his Pharmacist Ability.

'Many Top Level Pharmacists spend over two hundred years and still fail to become a legendary King-level Pharmacist. So, I'll try to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint instead. With five or six hundred years, maybe I'll succeed.'

Furthermore, as time wore on and his body's functions degenerated, it constantly gave him the feeling of being old. Bai Keyi did not like this feeling at all. At times, a sense of terror would even bubble up from the depths of his heart—a fear born of mortality. He was desperate to change his circumstances.

This was one of the reasons why, after spending most of his life improving his Pharmacist Ability, he had become so much more active in recent years.