Chapter 120: True Pill Refinement (Part 2)

"Clearly, the theory of physical constitution does not hold water!"

"Therefore, Alchemist Zhang Jian thoroughly researched the matter and recorded his conclusions in 'On Tempering Pills.' In this book, he elaborately detailed his view that the varying effects of Body Tempering Pills are not due to physical constitution but rather to the uneven distribution of medicinal properties during the refining process. Even pills from the same batch and of the same grade can have different efficacies!"

"This theory persisted for several years until it was challenged and disproven twelve years ago. The challenger was not an alchemist but a one-star master teacher. He questioned, 'If medicinal properties are unevenly distributed during refining, why does this only happen with Body Tempering Pills and not with other elixirs?'"

"Consequently, he proposed a bold hypothesis, recorded in 'Ning Han's Sayings.' This book has very limited sales on the market, with only one copy available in the Guild's elementary library. If any of you haven't read it, you can take a look when you have time; it's located in the far-right corner of the nineteenth bookshelf!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled and continued, "This master teacher, Ning Han, put forward a bold conjecture, theorizing that the specific issue with Body Tempering Pills arises because their primary ingredients or refining techniques differ from those of other pills. Of course, he only proposed the theory without putting it into practice."

"Eight years ago, Alchemist Zhao Le of the Hongxuan Kingdom was inspired by this book. He conducted extensive experiments, changing no less than eighteen main ingredients and forty-two refining methods, eventually reaching a conclusion! He also documented his research findings in a work titled 'Detailed Explanations of Body Tempering.' Coincidentally, our Guild's elementary library has a copy, located on the upper-left side of the twenty-seventh shelf, alongside 'Yang Zhen's Alchemy Treatise' and 'The Refining Method of Blood Jade Pills.' If you don't believe me, you can have someone retrieve it to see for yourselves!"

"I believe the answer in that book is correct and fully addresses your question!"

At this point, Zhang Xuan paused, waved his hand, and motioned for Ouyang Cheng to send someone to fetch the book.

"No need..." Alchemist Jin Chen, who had been smug moments before, turned ashen after hearing this. He took two steps back, seemingly aging several years in an instant.

"What's wrong? If we don't get the book, I'm worried Alchemist Jin won't acknowledge my answer," Zhang Xuan said.

"Your answer is correct; I've read that book, and it's exactly as you described!" Alchemist Jin Chen nodded.

"Correct?""Exactly the same?""That's impossible... He answered Alchemist Jin Chen's random question off the cuff, citing so many books, and even remembering their exact locations... How is that possible?""Is he even human? Is this real?"...

Hearing his admission, the room erupted once more. Everyone had presumptuously assumed that Zhang Xuan, being young, couldn't have read many books. Only after hearing this did they realize that compared to him, they were the ones who truly hadn't read much! He could not only clearly recall the content and time periods after reading but also state the book's title and its precise location in the library... As for them... merely remembering the content was an achievement! It seemed there truly was a gap between people.

"Since Alchemist Jin acknowledges my answer is correct, please proceed with your second question!" Zhang Xuan smiled. Competing on memory? What a joke! With the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind, he just needed a thought, and the books would "fly" to him; all he had to do was read them aloud. No matter how good their memory was, could it possibly be more accurate than his reading?

"My second question is: when refining a Grade-1 Strength Enhancing Pill, why do alchemical cauldrons often crack, making it difficult to continue the process?" Alchemist Jin Chen hesitated for a moment, pondering for a full ten minutes before speaking this time.

"Impressive!""That's a sharp question!""Indeed, during the refining of Grade-1 Strength Enhancing Pills, the cauldron frequently cracks. On the surface, this seems like an alchemist's problem, but it's actually related to artifact forgers as well!""Yeah, let's see how he answers!"...

Hearing Alchemist Jin Chen's second question, everyone's spirits were piqued once more. An alchemist's cauldron is forged by an artifact forger, so if it cracks during alchemy, it's not entirely within the scope of alchemy; it borders on another discipline. However, upon closer scrutiny, it still pertains to the alchemy profession. Because of this ambiguity, many alchemists don't pay attention to such issues, let alone answer them.

Everyone understood his intention, and Zhang Xuan, naturally, did too. He raised the corner of his mouth and began, "This issue is addressed in books like Alchemist Wu Xiao's 'Cauldron Maintenance,' Alchemist Zhao Qian's 'Alchemy Precautions,' Alchemist Niu Xuan's 'Miscellaneous Details,' and Alchemist Pang Bo's 'New Cauldron Upkeep'..." Without the slightest pause, he rattled off more than a dozen book titles before finally concluding, "...These books all record it. Frankly, it's not even a problem. The cauldrons you're using are made of ordinary Nine-Refined Iron. While this iron is hard, it cannot withstand extreme temperature fluctuations. The main ingredient of the Strength Enhancing Pill is the blood of a Frost Beast, which carries an extremely yin and cold energy. When it clashes with a hot cauldron, the cauldron naturally can't bear the strain!" "To resolve this, it's best to use a Profound Iron Cauldron! Or, simply replace the cauldron after refining each batch of Strength Enhancing Pills!"

Zhang Xuan said, beaming. This question seemed tricky, but in reality, it was recorded in the elementary library. However, there were simply too many books there. All the guild apprentices were focused on studying quick alchemy methods to pass the official alchemist examination, so why would they meticulously research what they considered "useless" books? Furthermore, once they became official alchemists, their status changed, bringing more social obligations and privileges, leaving even less time for reading. Many pieces of knowledge could be found in the library, yet they had never looked for them, or were even unaware of their existence. Consequently, while other alchemists couldn't answer these questions, they posed no difficulty for Zhang Xuan, who had the entire elementary library copied in his mind.

"Alchemist Jin Chen, are you satisfied with this answer? If not, I can continue..."

"No need, your answer is entirely correct!" Cold sweat beaded on Alchemist Jin Chen's forehead. When he first started refining Strength Enhancing Pills, he encountered this problem and sought answers everywhere, eventually finding it in a single book: 'New Cauldron Upkeep' by Alchemist Pang Bo, which Zhang Xuan had just mentioned. He had thought this information was only recorded in that one book, hoping to use it to stump his opponent. To his surprise, this person rattled off over a dozen titles in one breath. He was fortunate not to have rashly mentioned the book's name; otherwise, with the opponent listing so many, he would surely have made a fool of himself. "Damn, what is this guy's brain made of? How can he remember so clearly?"

Seeing his reaction, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man exchanged a bitter smile. This was just the tip of the iceberg. If they knew that this guy could even pinpoint the exact page within a book where a certain statement originated, they probably wouldn't have sought out such a challenge and insisted on this alchemical debate! To be honest, he said he'd point out flaws in alchemy, which indeed added difficulty. But trying to win by competing in knowledge against him... that was probably just a pipe dream.