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Chapter 136: Pill Refining
Chapter 136: Pill Refining
(Translator's note: This chapter has been translated for your pleasure. For the full experience, please consider subscribing.)
"Right, nephew Fang..."
Zhou Yuantong fiddled with the invitation card in his hand, "This time... do you intend to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill? Have you really gathered the main ingredients?"
"Of course. Take a look..."
Fang Xing retrieved a box from his storage bag and casually tossed it over.
Zhou Yuantong opened it and saw the second-rank vulture-like demon bird's demon core, his eyes lighting up.
After a brief inspection, he nodded in satisfaction, "Indeed a second-rank demon core. Nephew, you are quite fortunate... Back in my day, I once ventured deep into the wilderness with a friend, slaying seven second-rank demonic beasts, yet we came away with nothing... I wonder where you obtained this demon core from?"
"What? Are you questioning the source of my ingredients now?" Fang Xing chuckled, "It was obtained through a stroke of luck, of course."
"Haha, what a stroke of luck! It seems Heaven itself wants you to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Zhou Yuantong laughed, but his heart stirred with suspicion.
This Qi Refining cultivator seemed overly confident. Typically, solitary cultivators who obtained treasures would keep them hidden. Yet, here he was, readily handing over a second-rank demon core.
"Well then, let's discuss the pill refining process..."
Fang Xing asked, "When can we start the pill refining, senior?"
"Well... with just a single second-rank demon core, we can't start the furnace. We'll also need supplementary ingredients like the Green Dragon Ginseng and Moon Dew..."
A hint of difficulty appeared on Zhou Yuantong's face.
"That's simple; just spread the word, and we'll get what we need," Fang Xing replied with a smile.
"So, nephew intends to partner up for pill refining?" Zhou Yuantong's eyes glinted, and he stroked his beard, "With my skills, I can't guarantee that there will be two or more successful pills..."
Fang Xing fell silent at his words.
According to the Wanfa Danjing (Pill Scripture of Myriad Techniques), using a demon beast's inner core as the main ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill would result in a slightly lower success rate compared to using orthodox materials.
However, if a Pill Refining Master were to do it, they could ensure five top-quality pills from a single furnace. A Pill Refining Grand Master, on the other hand, could manage four to five pills, a mix of top and regular quality.
Yet, here was Zhou Yuantong, unable to even assure two successful pills.
'As I thought... are the cultivators here too weak?'
Fang Xing smiled, "In any case, I get first pick. I have sufficient wealth to compensate you... Besides, who knows? With your pill refining skills, you might end up with two or even three top-quality pills. That would be a win-win situation, wouldn't it?"
He paused, then continued, "However... according to the rules of refining precious pills, we must observe the process."
"Of course," Zhou Yuantong readily agreed and returned the demon core to Fang Xing, "Keep the demon core safe, nephew. I'll spread the word and find some fellow Daoists... In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable in the guest room."
"Ancestor?"
Zhou Xin, who had witnessed this exchange, was deep in thought.
"Hehe..."
Zhou Yuantong waved his hand, and a light barrier restriction appeared, isolating the inside from the outside.
"This young man seemed dignified and imposing earlier, giving off a vibe of being from a prestigious background. He almost fooled me... But if he truly had such a background, why would he come to me for pill refining? Moreover, he doesn't even have the supplementary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Zhou Yuantong stroked his beard, a smile playing on his lips.
"What do you make of it, Ancestor?" Zhou Xin's eyes sparkled.
"Our Zhou family needs to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator to ensure stability..." Zhou Yuantong mused, "Your sixth uncle has already reached the peak of Qi Refining but lacks a Foundation Establishment Pill..."
"There should be a Green Dragon Ginseng within the family," Zhou Yuantong continued, "As for the Moon Dew, we can trade with the Zheng family to gather the supplementary ingredients. It shouldn't be a problem. Immediately take my token and retrieve the medicinal ingredients from the family, and while you're at it, bring your sixth uncle and twenty-seventh uncle along."
"Yes!"
Zhou Xin's demeanor turned solemn as she curtsied, holding her skirt. Then, she gracefully withdrew.
She glanced in the direction of Fang Xing's guest room and shook her head, sighing inwardly: 'Some people are just born unlucky... If Ancestor manages to refine two regular pills, there might be a glimmer of hope. Otherwise...'
...
Several days later.
Fang Xing was once again invited to the parlor, "Oh? Is the Zhou family planning to collaborate with me?"
Zhou Yuantong laughed heartily, "Indeed... I've been thinking about it, and I believe that publicizing this matter might bring you harm. It's better to handle it privately... As it happens, our Zhou family has some accumulated medicinal ingredients. I'll have them appraised, and we should be able to provide a set of supplementary ingredients. Take a look!"
Standing beside Zhou Yuantong were two Qi Refining cultivators.
One was a burly man who had reached the peak of Qi Refining. He patted his waist storage bag, and a jade box appeared.
Upon opening it, a lush green ginseng with faint dragon-like markings could be seen within.
The other Qi Refining cultivator was a middle-aged scholar with a refined appearance. He also retrieved a jade bottle from his storage bag, containing a drop of dew that faintly resembled the moon.
"Green Dragon Ginseng and Moon Dew..."
Fang Xing nodded.
"This Green Dragon Ginseng is five hundred years old..." Zhou Yuantong proudly declared, "And the Moon Dew is of top quality. As for the remaining twenty-seven types of ordinary supplementary ingredients, my manor has them all prepared. What do you think, nephew?"
Zhou Yuantong beamed at Fang Xing.
"I leave everything in your hands, senior. However..." Fang Xing's gaze swept the room, his voice turning slightly grave, "What if there's only one regular pill?"
"Naturally, you get first pick, nephew. Just compensate us with three thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones," the burly cultivator replied, exchanging a glance with the middle-aged scholar.
"Good!"
Fang Xing nodded and suddenly asked, "Do you have a Tier 2 Spirit Covenant? For such an important matter, it would be more reassuring to sign a contract first..."
"This..."
The burly man and the middle-aged scholar exchanged glances, looking towards their ancestor.
"Haha, of course!"
Zhou Yuantong put on an impartial demeanor and took out a Tier 2 Spirit Covenant, writing down the conditions one by one. "I'll sign first..."
For this type of spirit covenant, names and such were not important. What mattered were the imprints of the cultivator's spiritual power.
If one wanted to be even more stringent, they would add a bloodline imprint.
Zhou Yuantong flicked his sleeve, and a circular imprint formed on the spirit covenant, which he then handed to Fang Xing.
Fang Xing examined it and nodded, leaving his own imprint—a sword mark in bright platinum.
"It's done... Please follow me to the pill refining chamber."
Zhou Yuantong chuckled and led Fang Xing and the others to the pill refining chamber.
"Everyone, please stay at least three meters away. I'm about to begin."
Zhou Yuantong's expression turned solemn as he executed a set of intricate hand seals.
A large, ancient statue of a scarlet beast head on the wall opened its mouth, spewing forth balls of dense earth fire.
With nimble fingers, he began to heat the pill furnace as if his hands were dancing among flowers.
Zhou Xin's eyes sparkled, "Ancestor's control over this fire technique has become even more proficient."
However, she knew that the technique her ancestor was using was extraordinary, which was why he was working so quickly and not slowing down to let her observe, as he usually did.
Fang Xing pretended to be a novice pill refiner, his clear eyes wide as if he couldn't understand a thing.
In reality, he could discern quite a bit from this technique and felt that although it wasn't as good as the ones in the Pill Scripture of Myriad Techniques, it still had its benefits.
It was a good opportunity to record this with the camera he had in his pocket, so he could play it back frame by frame later for a detailed study.
Although the cultivation world had items like 'image-capturing stones' and 'sound-recording talismans', they all required spiritual power to function.
The old ancestor of the Zhou family would never imagine that there were mundane devices that could record without the use of spiritual power. At that moment, he was fully focused, adding various medicinal ingredients into the pill furnace, refining them into different liquids and powders...
Next, he added the Tier 2 demon beast core and the two main supplementary materials...
The process of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill took more than three days.
During this time, Fang Xing and the Qi Refining cultivators sat cross-legged, occasionally consuming a Hunger-Suppressing Pill.
Finally...
"Open!"
Zhou Yuantong executed another hand seal, and the originally scarlet pill furnace opened with a boom, releasing an astonishing pill fragrance.
A bolt of blue light, like lightning, shot out and was caught by Zhou Yuantong.
He glanced at it, and his old face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment.
"How did the pill turn out?"
Fang Xing asked casually, seemingly unconcerned.
"Ah..."
Zhou Yuantong heaved a sigh, revealing his palm. There was a blue pill within, its medicinal properties subdued, resembling a sapphire.
However, there was a black line on the 'sapphire'.
"I am ashamed. This time, I've only managed to refine a single inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill..."
Zhou Yuantong looked at Fang Xing, but saw that he remained calm, which surprised him a little. "Well... Do you still want it? If you take this inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, you'll still need to compensate us for the supplementary materials..."
"That's not urgent."
Fang Xing suddenly smiled. "I've heard that among pill masters, there's a technique called 'Pill Hiding Art', which allows them to hide refined pills within the pill furnace. I don't know if it's true or not. Would you mind if I inspect the pill furnace?"
"How dare you!"
The two Zhou Qi Refining cultivators immediately shouted angrily, "The pill furnace is an extremely private object. How can you ask to inspect it?"
"I've been refining pills for many years, and my reputation is still worth something... Moreover, do you think I would cheat you? We even signed a Tier 2 Spirit Covenant!"
Zhou Yuantong's face turned serious.
"A Foundation Establishment cultivator can still break the contract as long as they're willing to pay a heavy price... Furthermore, I've seen a real Tier 2 Spirit Covenant before. The one you gave me earlier looks very similar but is slightly inferior... Probably a defective product, right? The consequences for breaking such a contract are much lighter, aren't they?"
Fang Xing stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the aura of a master.
Seeing this, Zhou Yuantong became even more uncertain.
He produced a silver token and waved it, enveloping the entire mansion in a layer of yellowish light.
Only after doing all this did Zhou Yuantong feel somewhat relieved. He turned to Fang Xing, his face twisting with a sinister smile, "Since you've seen through it, wouldn't it be better to just take that inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and leave?"
He had cheated earlier, and the Tier 2 Spirit Covenant he provided was indeed defective, but he would still have to pay a small price for it.
If Fang Xing took the inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and left, it would be considered fulfilling the agreement, and he wouldn't have to suffer any backlash.
Moreover... This person might have some background and connections. Perhaps he had even informed his friends about his visit to refine pills.
If something unexpected happened and it was spread out, it would greatly damage the reputation of the Zhou family's old ancestor.
Therefore, he intended to fob him off with an inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Even if this person made a fuss, at most, it would be attributed to his poor performance this time.
It was worth it for a Foundation Establishment Pill!
He never expected that this young man would see right through it... What was he relying on?
(End of Chapter)
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