Chapter 27: Xu's Herbal Shop

“Let's do the assessment.”

“Very well, please follow me.”

With the agreement reached, the richly dressed young man stopped pressing the issue. Wang Yu, on the other hand, grew even more curious.

“Elder, how long have you been with Deacon Xu? And how should I address you?”

“My surname is Zhu; you may simply call me Elder Zhu. As for following Deacon Xu, it has only been a few days. The Xu Family Alchemy Shop just opened, and I have a bit of a reputation among shopkeepers, so I was invited to manage it temporarily.”

“I see.”

Every profession has its own circles, and eloquence is a talent. It's normal for there to be a circle of shopkeepers, but inviting someone to manage the shop temporarily might be a bit unusual.

Elder Zhu led Wang Yu into the backyard, pointing to a room. “This is a first-tier earth fire room. All the necessary medicinal ingredients are prepared. I will wait at the entrance while you refine the pills, young man.”

“Understood.”

Wang Yu was confident and naturally unafraid of a simple assessment. Another two months had passed, and he had not only perfected two basic pill formulas.

Slot 2: Cold Dragon Alchemy (Incomplete Method)“Cold Dragon Alchemy (35/100): Twelve practices a day, achievable in eight months.”

With his alchemy reaching this level, it could be considered a minor accomplishment. Combined with his fully comprehended pill formulas, there was no reason for failure.

Therefore, even though it was his first practical attempt, he felt remarkably proficient.

Pill refining consists of four steps:Refinement, Fusion, Pill Condensation, and Pill Nurturing!

Refinement, the most widely known step, involves removing impurities and extracting the essence.

These 'impurities' are often misunderstood as toxic or harmful substances. However, this is not the case. Spiritual herbs, being concentrations of the essence of heaven and earth, are inherently pure and rarely contain actual impurities, making them among the purest spiritual materials.

Refinement, therefore, means removing certain properties of the medicinal ingredients that do not align with the pill formula's requirements, such as earthy odors or influences absorbed from the ground during root growth.

The specific parts to be removed vary depending on the growth environment, making this itself a complex field of study.

Anything beyond the properties required by the pill formula is considered an impurity.

This is true refinement!

The second step, Fusion, as the name suggests, involves blending the medicinal properties of various spiritual herbs. This requires a deep understanding of pharmacology, as well as mastering the principles and sequence of combining ingredients in a pill formula. A single mistake can significantly increase the difficulty of forming the pill.

Understanding medicinal properties, pharmacology, and ingredient processing methods alone could take an ordinary person twenty or thirty years to master. The fire control technique also plays a crucial role in this step, forming the core of fire-based alchemy.

The third step, Pill Condensation, primarily relies on pill-forming seals to solidify the medicinal liquid into a pill. This step heavily emphasizes skill and cultivation, requiring spiritual sense for precise control and spiritual energy for blending.

Therefore, the young man's doubts about Wang Yu were not unfounded. Wang Yu had only revealed his cultivation to be at the third layer of Qi Condensation, at which level spiritual sense cannot leave the body. How then could he precisely control the details of pill refining?

After successful Pill Condensation, the fourth step, Pill Nurturing, requires slow refining over a gentle flame. This allows the medicinal properties to fully integrate under the influence of spiritual energy; only then can the process be considered a complete success.

If any hidden issues remain from previous steps, they can lead to cracks in the pill or conflicting medicinal properties, rendering it a waste pill. This step emphasizes systematic progress at a steady pace, and controlled acceleration within that stability!

Refining a batch of Spirit Nourishing Pills only took a quarter of an *shichen*, which is half an hour.

These pills are primarily made from Five-Essence Grass and Spirit Grain, supplemented by common first-tier spiritual ingredients such as spiritual spring water, incorruptible roots, long-fragrance fruits, and honey nectar.

Before the Cold Dragon Alchemy method could refine a Cold Dragon Pill and condense a “Cold Flame Seed,” it was just an ordinary alchemy technique, devoid of any unique characteristics.

Therefore, Wang Yu's refining process was also unremarkable.

Half an hour later, a batch of Spirit Nourishing Pills was complete. Five pills were formed, all of medium quality. This was due to his imperfect fire control technique, which affected the pill formation rate.

In fact, a thorough understanding of the pill formula can improve the quality of the pills.

Naturally, the profundity of one's alchemy skill also impacts pill quality and success rate; it's a comprehensive factor.

Overall, Wang Yu's mind understood, but his hands were slow. This aspect would gradually improve as his alchemy technique advanced. Next, he refined a batch of Spirit Recovery Pills.

The process was uneventful. Six pills were formed: two of high quality and four of medium quality, a slightly better outcome.

Looking at the two bottles of spiritual pills in his hand, Wang Yu held back one Spirit Nourishing Pill and two high-quality Spirit Recovery Pills, submitting only four of each type.

He considered this 'reasonable attrition,' otherwise, how else was he to get rich?

Even so, when he pushed open the door and presented the pills for Elder Zhu's inspection, he still received astonished praise.

“Excellent skill! It's not impossible for you to refine high-quality spiritual pills in the future. This is the employment contract for the Xu Family Alchemy Shop, certified by the sect. If you agree, you can sign it directly.”

Wang Yu took the contract and examined it, immediately astonished by the alchemist's income. It truly lived up to its reputation as a rare production-type profession that could earn substantial wealth.

The Xu Family Alchemy Shop offered two hundred spiritual stones a month. While this might seem small, he had only earned two hundred contribution points working at the Tantai Medicinal Garden for half a year. Although contribution points were more valuable, this was a monthly income, totaling twelve hundred spiritual stones over six months—a considerable salary.

That was enough to buy two high-quality Cold Blood Pills.

There were also requirements for pill refining: ten batches daily, with Spirit Nourishing Pills and Spirit Recovery Pills each making up half. The low-quality pill rate must not exceed 20%, and each batch must yield at least three pills.

With two and a half *shichen* (five hours) of refining time, plus the recovery periods needed in between, the daily work would amount to about five *shichen* (ten hours), practically occupying the entire day.

Calculating this, he suddenly felt a sense of exploitation.

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu said, “Elder Zhu, the contract itself is fine, but the duration needs to be changed to one year. Ten years is too long.”

“That can be discussed.”

Elder Zhu, smiling, invited Wang Yu to a side reception room and spoke concisely.

“The alchemy shop needs to earn profits, and we also provide you with some pill formulas for free. In other words, we have a duty to nurture your skills. Master Alchemist Xu will periodically offer guidance, saving you a great deal of time.”

Wang Yu still shook his head.

“Ten years is too long. I will only sign for one year.”

“Eight years.”

“One year.”

“Six years.”

“One year.”

Seeing that Wang Yu remained unswayed, Elder Zhu continued.

“We offer high remuneration because we value long-term benefits. The alchemy shop doesn't profit from this aspect; in fact, we even lose money nurturing you. If you want to shorten the duration, your monthly income will also be reduced.”

The familiar sales pitch nearly triggered a strong reaction in Wang Yu. He took a deep breath before asking, “How much will it be reduced by?”

“A hundred.”

“Then I’ll be leaving!”

Wang Yu was unyielding, adopting an 'I'm leaving' stance. Elder Zhu gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, alright, one year it is. Your salary won't be reduced, but you won't receive the shop's training.”

“That’s acceptable.”

After the contract terms were amended, Wang Yu double-checked everything before signing and pressing his handprint. The document was in triplicate: one copy for him, one for the alchemy shop, and one for the sect's Disciplinary Hall.

Working at the Xu Family Alchemy Shop, he would be able to save enough spiritual stones to buy high-quality Cold Blood Pills within a month at most. Then, he wouldn't have to worry about slow cultivation progress.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Pleasure doing business with you too.”

After bidding farewell, Wang Yu returned to the common disciples' cave dwelling. In another six months to a year, his strength would undergo a significant transformation. Additionally, he could now consider purchasing a magical artifact.