Chapter 382: Reward of Three Spirit Stones (Part 2)

"President Liu, are you sure this is okay, writing like that?"

At the Apothecary Guild, Mu Yangfeng felt like dying. He should have stopped him earlier and prevented him from scribbling nonsense! It was bad enough not knowing what a Kuihai Pill was, but at least he could have looked up the information! Just touching the wall and writing an answer was far too casual!

Although he didn't know why Purple Pearl Grass, Youyang Flower, and Three-Leaf Green lost their potency, as a peak two-star apothecary, he still knew something about the properties of these herbs. Drying yin-attribute herbs in the sun, not using the roots of the Youyang Flower, the younger the Three-Leaf Green, the better... What the hell was all this nonsense? Anyone with a basic understanding of alchemy would know this was pure fabrication, completely contrary to normal alchemy practices. Wasn't he just digging a grave for them?

He didn't even need to think; the four-star apothecary on the other side must be stamping their feet in anger, wishing they could crush him. Originally, he was immensely grateful for the guidance that allowed him to refine a Grade-3 pill, feeling like he had reached the pinnacle of his life. Now he realized, pinnacle my foot! This was like being brought to the peak, only to be clubbed to death right after! Otherwise, had anyone ever seen a low-level apothecary speak to a high-level one like this?

His lips twitched, feeling his life turning bleak, when he saw the wall in front of him flash with light and illuminate once more.

"It's over..."

Knowing it must be a punishment for him displayed on the wall, he felt a wave of despair. He was about to turn away to avoid the embarrassment when he saw Apothecary Hongyun, not far away, gasping for breath, as if shocked to the point of collapse.

"Apothecary Mu, you, quickly look..."

Apothecary Hongyun then tremblingly pointed towards the wall. Puzzled, Mu Yangfeng turned his head. What he saw made his heart feel like it would explode, and he froze on the spot. After a long silence, a voice finally escaped his lips.

"This... How is this possible?"

The words on the wall shone brightly, strong and vigorous: "Correct. Sufficient as compensation for the Cold Yin Pill formula."

Correct? Mu Yangfeng rubbed his eyes hard, confirming he hadn't seen wrong. His eyes widened, unable to process it. Just scribbling randomly in a daze, and it turns out to be the correct answer? Was he dreaming?

"As long as it's correct, no matter what, my profession is safe..."

Shock gave way to immense relief. Since it was deemed correct, the other party couldn't revoke his apothecary qualification; his career was secured. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when the wall in front of him flashed with light again, and another line of text appeared.

"During the refinement of a peak Grade-4 Qi Aperture Pill, the cauldron easily explodes. How can this be resolved?"

"A peak Grade-4 pill?"

"The Qi Aperture Pill? I've heard of it. It's a peak Grade-4 pill that even some five-star apothecaries find difficult to refine. After consumption, it can open the body's Qi apertures, making one's cultivation stronger and incredibly valuable... They're asking about the refinement of *this* pill?"

Silence fell over the room once more. Was the four-star apothecary on the other side insane? President Liu was so disrespectful, yet they not only didn't mind but continued to ask more questions. Could it be... that President Liu was truly so capable he could guide a four-star apothecary in alchemy?

"This..."

He looked curiously at the young man not far away, about to discuss how to solve it, when he saw him pick up the brush and write another line of text. Seeing this line, Mu Yangfeng, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt his vision go dark again, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. Apothecary Hongyun and Jiang Chen, not far away, also felt their knees weaken, barely able to stand.

Brother... Are you trying to defy heaven itself?!

Six large characters glowed on the wall:

"Compensation: Three Spirit Stones!"

"This guy... Is he seriously treating us like we're learning from him?"

Upon seeing the message from the other side, Qi Shengyu nearly went mad on the spot. After the shock of the previous correct answer, they had decided to continue asking questions to see if the person truly possessed skill or had just gotten lucky. Then... President Su posed this question, and they had expected a specific answer, but instead, they got these six words...

"Compensation... Compensation my foot!"

A dignified four-star apothecary of the Kingdom Alliance Guild testing a three-star like him, and he actually dared to demand money... Damn it! "We're testing you, testing you, understand?!" Did he really think they didn't know and were asking for his guidance?

"Agree to it!"

After a moment of hesitation, Su Xing nodded.

"Agree?"

This time, it was Qi Shengyu's turn to be bewildered.

"This question... I don't know the answer either. I want to see what he comes up with!" Su Xing said.

"You... don't know?" Qi Shengyu nearly stumbled.

President Su was the most skilled in alchemy in the entire guild, having reached peak four-star. What did "don't know" even mean...? Wasn't this supposed to be an assessment? How had it truly turned into a consultation? Besides, if he truly didn't know, how would he determine if the answer was correct?

Shocked, but seeing the president insist, he still wrote "Agree." As soon as he finished writing, two words came back from the other side: "Pill formula."

After a moment of hesitation, he wrote down the "Qi Aperture Pill" formula. Not long after, another line of text appeared on the wall.

"For the Qi Aperture Pill, due to conflicting energies and the strong properties of the required herbs, the herbs need to be soaked in flowing water beforehand to remove their fiery nature, then add a dose of Quixie Grass..."

"Let me try..."

The method recorded on the wall was simple. After reading it, President Su immediately began an experiment. Before long, he stopped, looking at the medicinal aroma wafting from the alchemy cauldron, his face blank.

It was correct! It was actually correct! A problem that he, a dignified peak four-star apothecary, couldn't solve, was answered by someone who had just passed the three-star examination, and without a single error... What was going on?

"The person on the other side is probably not Mu Yangfeng. Apothecary Qi, go investigate who it actually is..."

After a moment of dazed thought, he suddenly understood. If Apothecary Mu truly possessed such ability, he would have been famous long ago. How could he possibly be unknown and inconspicuous until now?

"Alright, I'll go to Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom now..."

Realizing this as well, Qi Shengyu quickly nodded. Tianwu Kingdom was within the territory of Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom. To find the person, he would have to go there first.

"Hmm, but don't rush. Ring the bell immediately! Order all apothecaries in the alliance to come to the guild at once!" President Su commanded again.

"Yes!" Qi Shengyu nodded and turned to leave.

"Alright, all done!"

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly as he recorded the Cold Yin Pill formula from the wall into the library. With this formula, he could refine the Cold Yin Pill and stimulate Zhao Ya's physique. Getting the formula for free, and even getting spirit stones sent to him—it was quite a profit.

"By the way, when do you think their spirit stones will arrive?" he couldn't help but ask.

"This... I've never experienced anything like this, so I'm not sure... But, under normal circumstances, they should arrive in about half a month!" Mu Yangfeng said after a moment of hesitation. He had been shocked at first, but now he was numb. Others applied for pill formulas from headquarters at great cost, paying heavily, but this guy? Not only did he get the formula, he even made money... Even seeing it with his own eyes, he found it unbelievable, his mind swimming.

"Half a month? That's not too long..."

Zhang Xuan nodded. Earning three spirit stones in half a month was quite good.

"President Liu, what do we do now?" Mu Yangfeng asked.

"Now that I have the pill formula, naturally, I need to refine the pill. Help me find these herbs..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Although the Cold Yin Pill is a Grade-4 pill, I just checked, and the herbs aren't particularly rare. Our Apothecary Guild can gather them all, but... even if we find the herbs, without a four-star apothecary, we can't refine it!"

Mu Yangfeng looked at him, puzzled. Apothecary Hongyun also looked utterly bewildered. The highest-ranking apothecary in the entire Tianwu Kingdom Apothecary Guild, the guild master, was only an early three-star and couldn't refine Grade-4 pills! Knowing the formula and finding the herbs was useless if there was no one to refine them!

"Who says you can't refine a Grade-4 pill without a four-star apothecary?" Zhang Xuan waved his hand and looked at them. "Don't you have me? You just need to help me refine it..."

"Me?" Startled, Mu Yangfeng nearly fainted. He knew his own level very well: peak two-star. Being able to refine a Grade-3 pill was already thanks to the other party's guidance... Grade-4? He couldn't even imagine it!

"Don't worry, just find the herbs first, and I'll guide you when the time comes!" Knowing what the other party was worried about, Zhang Xuan comforted him.

"You'll guide me?" Mu Yangfeng looked at him doubtfully after a moment of hesitation. "Can it really succeed?" If anyone else had said it, he would have thought it was bragging. But the young man in front of him had created too many miracles since he met him tonight. Perhaps, he truly could guide him to refine a Grade-4 pill and amaze everyone.

"Don't worry. If it doesn't succeed, will it just fail? At worst, the cauldron will explode..." Zhang Xuan said casually.

"Explode?" Mu Yangfeng's mouth twitched, and he nearly fainted. "Do you know how powerful a Grade-4 pill explosion can be...?" Although Grade-4 and Grade-3 pills were only one level apart, there was a fundamental difference, like the transformation of a weapon from the Ghost-grade to the Spirit-grade; they were incomparable! A normal Grade-4 pill, if it exploded, could instantly kill a supreme expert caught off guard... let alone masters like them! And he said, "at worst, the cauldron will explode"... If it really exploded, the entire Apothecary Guild would probably be gone.

"It can destroy the entire Apothecary Guild?" Zhang Xuan paused, stunned after hearing the explanation. He had thought a cauldron explosion would be like Mo Yu's incident in the Beast Hall, not causing much damage. He hadn't expected a Grade-4 pill to be so powerful.

"Yes, not only is a cauldron explosion dangerous, but the herbs for Grade-4 pills are also extremely precious. Although our guild can gather them, their total value is immense, immeasurable! One set alone would cost... three spirit stones to buy! If converted to gold coins, it would be impossible without hundreds of millions..." Apothecary Mu continued.

"Three spirit stones? Hundreds of millions of gold coins?"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man on the other side swayed, then his eyes turned bloodshot. He rushed back to the pill formula wall, a look of righteous conviction on his face. He picked up the brush and casually wrote a line of text: "Are the apothecaries on the other side still there? Do you have any more problems? Three spirit stones for one answer. The more questions, the better, I can answer all of them..."

Mu Yangfeng was speechless.

Jiang Chen and Apothecary Hongyun were speechless.

On the other side, President Su Xing was speechless.