by Feng Yise
If not for wanting to preserve some parts of a grand elder's prestige and because he did not wish to lose himself too much in front of Ye Yuan, he would have started dancing around right away.
This was not enough to express his emotions.
"Wang Jie, you quickly go and ask Ouyang Yu if there is still Iceheart Dew in the sect! If there isn't, make them gather it at top speed! Remember, it must be at the fastest speed! I must see the Iceheart Dew within a month!" Skymaple hurriedly instructed.
Wang Jie also had an eye-opener today. Ye Yuan's words gave him a feeling of being enlightened.
In reality, while Wang Jie had a gentle character, he also had pride that others did not possess.
In the Tranquil Cloud Sect, he was among those true Alchemy Path geniuses. Otherwise, he would not have been fancied by Skymaple and become his disciple.
Wang Jie had always thought highly of himself. He felt that his accomplishments on the alchemy path were already absolutely outstanding among people of the same age.
But Ye Yuan's words today opened another window for him.
Wang Jie only knew today just how unstable his foundation skills were and how shallow his previous understanding of medicinal knowledge was!
Hearing Skymaple's orders, Wang Jie said respectfully, "Yes, Master."
Logically speaking, running errands should be done by Ye Yuan. Ignoring that Wang Jie's seniority was exceedingly high, even with his Alchemy Grandmaster status, it should not be his turn to run errands.
But at this current moment, Wang Jie gladly enjoyed the hardship and felt that it was only natural and right.
To the Skymaple Court, Ye Yuan was a distinguished guest. How could they let a distinguished guest run errands?
After Wang Jie left, Skymaple started to consult Ye Yuan like a student on how to refine the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill.
Refining pills were not just the simple act of putting together medicinal herbs. Each type of medicinal herbs, its quantity, flame intensity when refining, and so on, were all extremely particular things.
A discrepancy of a hair's breadth could lead to an error of a thousand miles!
Messing up a step could possibly result in the refinement to fail.
Alchemists was an exceptionally meticulous occupation. The path they walk was completely different from martial artists.
Yet, the more he chatted with Ye Yuan, the more Skymaple felt his blood run cold. His gaze when looking at Ye Yuan also changed once more.
If one were to say that the first time he saw Ye Yuan, he was looking at him with a disdainful angle, then after Ye Yuan talked about the Western Flower recipe, it became viewing him as equals.
But now, Skymaple was looking up to Ye Yuan!
Although they were only chatting about one type of medicinal pill, Ye Yuan's views tended to give Skymaple a feeling that he could grasp the entire concept by grasping a typical example.
Not knowing the reason, just one chat and Skymaple felt that his alchemy skills improved quite a bit!
Many things that Ye Yuan talked about, Skymaple did not even think about them in the past.
Especially when Ye Yuan was talking about the refinement method. Skymaple frequently had the feeling that medicinal pills could even be refined in such a way.
The incomplete pill formula of this Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill was accidentally acquired by Forefather Ouyang Tuotian. Even he could not complete it. The missing parts in the pill formula were not just one core material. The refinement method was missing too.
Many of Skymaple's past refinement methods were fumbled out by himself. Cauldron explosions were naturally something to be expected.
"Ye Yuan, did you research and come up with this pill formula yourself?" After a long while, Skymaple finally asked the suspicion in his heart.
This Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill formula was something that even their forefather could not complete. If Ye Yuan could come up with it himself, then this alchemic talent was overly heaven-defying.
Ye Yuan obviously would not say that he already knew this pill formula from the start. Of course, even if he did not know, completing it was not something hard.
"Of course not. Actually, before entering the sect, I already had a master. This pill formula was imparted to me by him. When I was searching for missions in the Support Star Pavilion, I just happened to see the level nine No. 3 mission, so I accepted it," Ye Yuan said with a grin.
Skymaple breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. It seemed like Ye Yuan's monstrousness was still within the boundaries of understanding. Even so, from Ye Yuan's conversation, it could be seen that his alchemy skill foundation was extremely solid!
However, Skymaple developed an intense curiosity towards such master who could train such an incredible disciple.
The way Skymaple saw it, that person was definitely an existence more amazing than him. He might even be an Alchemy Sovereign!
Ye Yuan recounted the fabricated story again before Skymaple dismissed that idea of requesting an audience.
Skymaple obviously did not know that while he was unaware, he had already spoken to a former Alchemy Emperor.
Even if Ye Yuan could not refine out high-tier medicinal pills now, his experience and knowledge were simply not on the same level as Skymaple's.
Ye Yuan looked as if he was conversing with Skymaple, but in reality, it could be counted giving pointers to him.
Being able to obtain some pointers from an Alchemy Emperor was enough for Skymaple to profit from his entire life. Because it was impossible for Skymaple to even see Ye Yuan's shadow in this lifetime.
In his previous life, there had been countless Alchemy Ancestors, Alchemy Saints, even Alchemy Venerables who sought for Ye Yuan's guidance but did not even had the chance. An Alchemy King like Skymaple did not even have the qualifications to present himself in front of him.
Not that Ye Yuan valued his old broomstick, but because he really did not wish to waste time in this area. 1
The reason why Ye Yuan was so generous was actually still because of his promise to Lu Yan last time.
Ye Yuan reckoned that Skymaple should be the Tranquil Cloud Sect's greatest expert in the Alchemy Dao. For him to have any breakthrough naturally brought enormous benefits to the entire sect.
The use of the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill was to aid the divine soul in breaking through.
At Skymaple's age, he basically already exhausted all of his potentials. Under the circ.u.mstances without the use of external force, he would essentially just stop at his present realm in this lifetime.
Skymaple himself was already clear on this point. That was why he placed all of his energy on the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill.
Whether the power of the sect was strong or not, it had never been about the number of disciples, history, or acc.u.mulation. The deciding factor was the sect's most powerful member!
A sect that possessed a middle-stage Soul Sea Realm martial artist would be stronger than a sect like the Tranquil Cloud Sect. Furthermore, it would be overwhelmingly stronger!
If they did not have the protection of the sect protecting grand array, a middle-stage Soul Sea Realm could take on the entire Tranquil Cloud Sect by himself!
Once martial artists cultivated to a certain realm, human piling tactics would no longer be able to compensate for the gap.
The more Skymaple conversed, the more he opportunistic he became. The more he conversed, the greater his thirst for knowledge was. But Ye Yuan controlled the limits very well, conversing with the other party with the attitude of being equals, not letting Skymaple feel like he was giving pointers.
With his master as the backing entity, Ye Yuan's conversation did not appear too unexpected.
Before long, Wang Jie barged in very excitedly . . . Valued his old broomstick means valuing old belongings or outdated stuff such as this pill which has no value at all to him.
Chapter 243 - Selling Pill Formula
Seeing Wang Jie
barge inside directly, Skymaple frowned and said unhappily, "Already so m.a.t.u.r.e, yet why are you still so brash? Don't you see that Ye Yuan and I are currently conversing?"
Unknowingly, Skymaple already placed Ye Yuan on the same level as him.
"Ah! Sorry Master. Disciple was rash," Wang Jie hurriedly apologized with a salute.
Skymaple waved his hands irritably and asked, "What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?"
Wang Jie had an eager face as he said, "Replying master, just now, I went to find Lord Sect Master. He said that a few days back, some disciples just happened to obtain some Iceheart Dew. So I brought it back."
When Skymaple heard it, his anger involuntarily turned into joy as he said, "Really? Great! Since all the ingredients are prepared, then let's start refining!"
He had just learned many things from Ye Yuan and was currently itching to practice his skills. In addition, he obtained the pill formula, so he would naturally be itching to have a go.
"Don't be anxious, Master. I haven't finished talking yet. There isn't much Iceheart Dew. According to what Ye Yuan said, it should only be enough for one refinement," Wang Jie said.
Skymaple frowned and said, "So little? How is it possible to succeed in one go?"
Wang Jie said, "Iceheart Dew is originally extremely scarce. It was only coincidentally obtained this time by an elite disciple out doing missions. He exchanged 10 thousand points by handing it to the sect! Even if the sect seeks it out in full force, it would probably be very hard to find within three months."
As the grand elder, how could Skymaple not know the scarcity of Tier 4 medicinal herbs?
However, he yearned for the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill too deeply. Even if the material was harder to get, he had to obtain it!
This was not just to fulfill him alone, but also to fulfill the entire sect!
The materials that Skymaple exhausted these few years were worth upwards of 10 million points when added up. But Luo Qingfeng did not grumble at all. Why?
Simply because back then, Ouyang Tuotian founded the present Tranquil Cloud Sect with his own strength!
The sect's upper echelons all understood the difference between low-rank Alchemy King and middle-rank Alchemy King!
Hearing Wang Jie's words, Skymaple's good mood instantly vanished, and his heart inexplicably became frustrated.
Although the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill was a low Tier 4 medicinal pill, it was really somewhat forceful for Skymaple. The possibility of succeeding in one go was too low!
Once he failed, he would have to wait up to three months, maybe even half a year's time!
The Clear Spirit Jade Fluid and Nine-leaf Heavenly Fragrance Grass collected the previous time were already pretty much expended. At most, he could refine once or twice.
If the refinement this time failed, he would have to gather these two kinds of medicinal herbs again.
The Clear Spirit Jade Fluid and Nine-leaf Heavenly Fragrance Grass were also Tier 3 medicinal herbs; similarly, they were very rare.
Who knew how long he would have to wait to refine again.
Thinking up to here, Skymaple's brows knitted together even tighter. Pressure engulfed him like it blotted out the skies and land.
For over a dozen years, Skymaple virtually did not inquire about sect affairs and put his heart and soul on the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill. But he kept being unable to obtain a breakthrough.
Although Luo Qingfeng and the other sect upper echelons did not say anything, the pressure on Skymaple was also enormous. Otherwise, he would not be so hot-tempered either.
Skymaple only felt that the bottle containing the Iceheart Dew weighed 30 thousand catties when he took it over from Wang Jie's hands.
He returned to his seat and started to waver.
Ye Yuan saw through Skymaple's state of mind and said, "Grand Elder, I have a suggestion. While this can't guarantee that you'll definitely refine the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill, it should raise the success rate considerably."
Skymaple was currently dejected. When he heard Ye Yuan's words, he nearly jumped up. He stared at Ye Yuan intently and asked, "What method? As long as I can refine out the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill, I'll add in 200 thousand more points!"
These words were simply heavenly melody to Skymaple.
Ye Yuan knew the advantages of points, so he obviously would not reject.
In truth, him completing the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill formula was already considered completing the mission. With just a message from Skymaple, he could get the reward already.
However, he already did it to this extent already. Might as well help him to the end.
"When Master imparted me the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill formula, he even told me about another Quasi-Tier 4 pill formula. This kind of medicinal pill is called Soul Driving Pill. Master said that the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill was the upgraded version of the Soul Driving Pill. The two originated from the same source. The refinement method is also extremely similar. The refinement of the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill is much more complex than the Soul Driving Pill, but the essence is pretty much the same. If Grand Elder can use the Soul Driving Pill to practice and familiarize yourself with the refinement method, refining the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill after should be much easier," Ye Yuan said.
Skymaple trembled agitatedly when he heard this. "Excellent! Truly excellent! There's really such a medicinal pill?"
Martial Path medicinal pills were easy to find, but Alchemy Path medicinal pills were hard to obtain!
There were actually very, very few medicinal pills that affected the divine soul. It was like a single hair from nine oxen when compared to martial path medicinal pills.
Back then, Ouyang Tuotian also coincidentally obtained the incomplete Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill formula. Skymaple naturally had not heard about the Soul Driving Pill before.
Ye Yuan nodded and said, "How would I dare to deceive Grand Elder? Although the herbs to refine the Soul Driving Pill are also rare, with the sect's strength, I think there should be some in stock. It should be enough for Grand Elder to use for practice."
"Quickly tell me the pill formula! I'll let Wang Jie go retrieve the herbs!" Skymaple said impatiently.
After he said that, Skymaple suddenly felt that it was inappropriate. He involuntarily smacked his head and said awkwardly, "Haha, take a look at this old muddle-head! Even if it's a Quasi-Tier 4 medicinal pill, this pill formula is also a priceless treasure! Ye Yuan, what requests do you have? Just state them. I'll do all I can to recompense you! En . . . Is one million points enough? Just take it as the sect is buying your pill formula! Uh . . . Will your master mind?"
Skymaple started to worry about personal gains and losses. Pill formulas were always undisclosable secrets to any influence.
Especially medicinal pills that raised soul force. They were even more so priceless treasures!
While the grade of the Soul Driving Pill was not as high as the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill, its value was even greater to the Tranquil Cloud Sect instead!
Even if Ye Yuan completed the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill formula, how many people in the Tranquil Cloud Sect could afford to enjoy it?
There was only Skymaple, that one Alchemy King alone!
But the Soul Driving Pill was different!
Quasi-Tier 4 medicinal pills had effects on Sea Transformation Realm Quasi-Alchemy Kings. The Tranquil Cloud Sect acquiring this pill formula was equivalent to alchemists realms collectively rising a rank!
Such trade was too worthwhile to the Tranquil Cloud Sect!
If not for being fearful of the 'master' behind Ye Yuan, once Ye Yuan rejected, he might even give birth to the idea of forcefully snatching.
One million points to buy the Soul Driving Pill formula was really not considered much.
A Quasi-Tier 4 pill formula was no big deal to Ye Yuan. Since he opened his mouth, he was obviously prepared to give it to Skymaple.
<
br /> "Master let me enter the secular world to test myself. He said that everything is up to me. He naturally would not mind. But the Soul Driving Pill formula is indeed precious, so I'll accept Grand Elder's one million points. In the future, when Master asks about it, I can also explain."
Ye Yuan obtained many benefits from the sect too. His Azure Dipper Floating Zero Sword Art emerged from the Azure Dipper Purple Yang Sword Art. There was no harm in treating this pill formula as giving a plum in return for a peach. It was just to not make Skymaple feel that he was indifferent that he accepted the one million points.
Chapter 244 - Competing Essence Fires
Inside Skymaple's refining room was a mess.
From yesterday until now, Skymaple had already refined over a dozen cauldrons of Soul Driving Pills.
In the end, he was an Alchemy King. It was still very quick for him to get started on refining Quasi-Tier 4 medicinal pills. After wasting four sets of materials, Skymaple finally refined the Soul Driving Pill.
Of course, Ye Yuan's pointers could not be understated at all.
Refining soul force medicinal pills was different from conventional medicinal pills. If he did not have Ye Yuan's guidance, Skymaple might not even be able to refine a complete Soul Driving Pill after wasting ten portions of materials.
After four furnaces of medicinal pills, Skymaple failed once or twice again. After 10 furnaces, he basically no longer failed.
"Grand Elder is indeed worthy of being an Alchemy King. To actually familiarize yourself with the Soul Driving Pill by using only a dozen over sets of materials. With Grand Elder's present state, the success rate of refining the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill should be above 60%."
Ye Yuan stealthily slipped in a flatter, but Skymaple's face went red. "I am a disappointment as an Alchemy King. If not for your master's refinement method and him passing on all his experience to you, it's probably unlikely for me to learn it so quickly."
Ye Yuan giving pointers by the side was naturally borrowing the name of his fictional master.
Ye Yuan smiled and did not give any explanation. Instead, he said, "Strike while the iron is hot. Grand Elder, consume medicinal pills to recover your strength first. Let's succeed in refining the Seven Profound Soul Driving Pill in one go while the sensation is still there!"
