Chapter 82: Detailed Explanation of the Green Essence Alchemy
Chapter 82: Detailed Explanation of the Green Essence Alchemy
When Luo Chen arrived, Uncle Mi Huahua smiled genuinely.
When Luo Chen left, his smile was forced.
In the Bright Moon Hall, Sikong Shoujia and Luo Chen had already departed, leaving only Mi Junping to accompany her father.
“Father, does it really require such a huge investment to build an alchemy chamber?”
Mi Junping couldn’t help but ask.
As the head of the Merit Hall, she managed personnel and also handled some financial calculations.
The items Luo Chen had proposed would cost over a thousand spirit stones, just for the initial setup of the alchemy chamber.
And that was just the beginning. They had already invested a Xuan Yun Cauldron worth 900 spirit stones and a Purple Cloud Copper Furnace worth 400 spirit stones.
Once the alchemy chamber was built and actual alchemy began, the Mountain Breakers would have to provide a vast amount of raw materials.
Even though Mi Junping handled thousands of spirit stones daily, this was a different matter entirely!
Mi Huahua sighed, a bitter expression on his face.
In front of his family, he didn’t need to hide his true feelings.
“Junping, you don’t understand. This is just the beginning of our investment.”
Mi Junping was surprised, “It’s already a lot!”
Mi Huahua shook his head, “Why do only major sects have alchemists? Even family alchemists are usually from Golden Core families or long-established Foundation Establishment families. The hidden costs are one of the reasons!”
“Our Mi Family is a newly established Foundation Establishment family and can’t support a true alchemist’s extravagance. Setting up an Alchemy Hall is only possible with the Mountain Breakers’ help.”
Mi Junping, who was well aware of the family’s situation, felt the same way. Supporting a cultivator’s alchemy for decades or even centuries was terrifying.
It was something a newly established Foundation Establishment family couldn’t manage.
“Luo Chen’s demands are still minor.”
“Second-stage alchemists are even more prestigious. Their alchemy tools are at least top-grade magical artifacts. They disdain ordinary flames and insist on using earth fire. Do you know how much an alchemy chamber with earth fire costs?”
Mi Junping whispered, “How much?”
“From acquiring an earth fire spring, channeling the fire, setting up the array, and building the alchemy chamber, the Ailao Mountain cultivators once quoted 8,000 spirit stones!”
“Wow, they might as well rob us!” Mi Junping gasped.
Mi Huahua sighed, “That’s just the construction cost. The materials have to be purchased from the Immortal Construction Residence in Ailao Mountain, and they’ll make a profit too.”
“So, even though Luo Chen seems to have many demands, it’s only a few thousand spirit stones, which I can afford, and the Mountain Breakers can afford as well.”
Mi Junping asked, “Can we earn it back later?”
“Of course we can earn it back, but to earn more, we’ll have to see if that young man can refine the dan formula I gave him.”
Mi Huahua said with a hint of anticipation but also hesitation.
“Elder Sikong, I’ll leave the Alchemy Hall to you.”
“No problem, the leader has already promised full support. I won’t let you down.”
“Then, see you tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow!”
At the inner city crossroads, Luo Chen watched as Sikong Shoujia hurried away and smiled.
He then rushed home eagerly.
Soon, he arrived at the courtyard.
He closed the door, not needing to turn on the lights.
The new wing of the house had two glass sky windows, providing much better lighting.
Luo Chen sat at his desk and took out a pile of items from his storage bag.
Two bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills, his fixed salary for the next month, which he had just received.
He had already consumed most of the five bottles he had previously bought, so this was a timely replenishment.
Besides the Qi Nourishing Pills, there was a yellowed book and two bamboo scrolls.
First, he cast the Spirit Eye Technique to carefully inspect them, ensuring there were no hidden traps.
Only then did Luo Chen feel safe to pick up the book.
Detailed Explanation of the Green Essence Alchemy
This was the book on alchemy that Uncle Mi Huahua had promised.
The paper was yellowed, with numerous annotations.
It was clear that Luo Chen was not the first person to read this book after the author.
The Mi Family members had likely read it many times.
“Alchemy is vast and profound, ranking first among the hundred arts of cultivation. Though it lacks the outward power of weapons, talismans, arrays, and puppets, it can guide us cultivators to the Great Path.”
“I, though merely a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, am listed as a third-stage alchemist, a master of my generation.”
“This book contains my casual notes during my alchemy practice, recording the journey from the basics of alchemy to—”
Just from the opening, Luo Chen could sense the pride of the alchemist named “Green Essence Master.”
He indeed had every right to be proud.
To refine third-stage elixirs at the Foundation Establishment realm was no small feat.
The book was incredibly detailed, covering almost every aspect of alchemy for beginners. Even with his celestial background, Luo Chen found some of the technical terms a bit overwhelming.
"This is a good book, but it’s not something I can master in a short time. I should take my time and study it more often."
He carefully put away the Qingyuanzi Alchemy Detailed Explanation and turned his attention to the two bamboo scrolls.
One scroll was intact, while the other bore the marks of having been burned.
Uncle Mi Shuhua had actually given him two alchemy formulas, but one was incomplete, so he hadn’t placed much hope in Luo Chen.
What the old man truly cared about was the complete formula.
"Jade Marrow Pill!"
Luo Chen examined the formula meticulously, from the main ingredients to the proportions and effects.
Before he knew it, the evening had arrived. He rubbed his aching temples, feeling a deep sense of appreciation.
"No wonder Uncle Mi Shuhua went to such lengths to bring me here, even going so far as to establish the Alchemy Hall."
"If I can really refine the Jade Marrow Pill, the Mountain Breaker Gang will make a fortune!"
"No, that’s not right. It’s Uncle Mi Shuhua who will make a fortune."
Luo Chen had secretly asked Qin Liangchen about how the profits from the Alchemy Hall were distributed after his share. While there were no specific percentages, it was clear that the Gang Leader, Uncle Mi Shuhua, would take the lion’s share.
Other divisions, aside from their leaders and Ninth Rank Qi Practitioners, rarely received any spirit stones.
This meant that most of the Alchemy Hall’s profits would end up in Uncle Mi Shuhua’s pocket.
And the Jade Marrow Pill was a high-profit item.
"An orthodox cultivation pill!"
This label alone explained the value of the Jade Marrow Pill.
According to the formula, the Jade Marrow Pill could increase a cultivator’s spiritual energy.
A common effect, right?
But the more common it was, the more mainstream it became.
However, such mainstream pills, along with their formulas and distribution channels, were controlled by major sects.
Ordinary forces rarely had such pills for sale. If they did, there would certainly be some involvement from a sect.
"But this pill has many drawbacks!"
Luo Chen recalled the formula’s descriptions of effects and contraindications, feeling a bit disappointed.
While the Jade Marrow Pill was a mainstream pill, the amount of spiritual energy it contained was relatively small, only a tenth of that in a Qi Nourishing Pill.
Moreover, consuming too many could lead to drug resistance.
Drug resistance was a common issue with most pills.
The biggest drawback of the Jade Marrow Pill, however, was that overconsumption could cause the dantian to jadeify.
This was something no cultivator could accept.
The dantian was the most critical point for low-rank cultivators.
If damaged, it could either cut off their path to cultivation or cause a chaotic surge of spiritual energy, leading to death.
Jadeification was not a good term.
Once jadeified, a cultivator’s breakthrough to higher realms would become extremely difficult.
In alchemy terms, this was known as a "pill barrier," an obstacle caused by consuming pills.
Many obscure pills could easily cause pill barriers.
Only pills like the Qi Nourishing Pill, Dust Transforming Pill, and Jade Dew Pill, which had been studied for centuries, had their pill barriers resolved.
Overconsumption at worst would just render them ineffective.
"Despite its many drawbacks, it is still a valuable pill for low-rank cultivators!"
Luo Chen had come from the First and Second Ranks of Qi Practitioners, and he knew the pain of relying on pills all too well!
The Spirit Medicine Pavilion never sold Qi Nourishing Pills individually, only in bottles.
And one bottle cost one hundred spirit stones!
One hundred spirit stones, a trivial amount for Foundation Establishment cultivators, could be easily afforded by late-stage Qi Practitioners and even mid-stage cultivators with some effort.
But for early-stage cultivators, this was a huge sum!
Even if they sold everything they owned, they might not be able to afford a bottle.
The Jade Marrow Pill was different.
From its main ingredients to its effects and drawbacks, it was clear that its price would be relatively low.
In other words, low-rank cultivators could afford it!
"Poor cultivators may be poor, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have spirit stones."
"If I had known about such a pill back then, I could have bought some each year with some effort."
"Once this pill is refined, it will be a way to gather spirit stones from poor cultivators!"
Luo Chen put down the bamboo scroll, his doubts now resolved.
As for Uncle Mi Shuhua’s concern about whether he could refine it?
Ha, he had a system!
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
Luo Chen had his own plans and then turned his attention to the burned scroll.
"Pathway Pill?"
(End of Chapter)
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