Chapter 7 Top-Tier Yellow-Grade Qualification

Zhong Caile happily pulled Wu Shaogan up to the base of the altar, and then climbed up the small steps next to it to sit side by side on the stone seat.

Wu Shao chuckled dryly and asked, "Why did you specifically ask me to come here?"

Zhong Cai said with a grin, "I'll give you a pass."

Wu Shaogan didn't understand: "What?"

After seeing his friend's bewildered expression, Zhong Cai explained, "I invited you to sit here with me to mark you so that you can freely enter and exit the altar without being stopped."

Wu Shaogan was touched by Zhong Cai's lack of vigilance towards him, but still gently reminded her: "Your innate treasure is extraordinary. Giving me this power would be too rash."

Zhong Cai said nonchalantly, "Hey! This power can only be given to one person. I've already given it to you, so no one else can have it. It's also to give me some protection."

Wu Shaogan was helpless. Whether or not Zhong Cai had the power to exercise it was entirely up to him. What kind of guarantee could he offer Zhong Cai? He only had so much strength, and he couldn't cultivate anymore.

Zhong Cai leaned against Wu Shaogan, her expression becoming slightly serious.

"Stop joking, Lao Wu. If you encounter any danger, just hide inside the altar."

Wu Shaogan was taken aback, then suddenly realized what he meant and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this a companion treasure of the Sumeru Mustard Seed type?" Then he refuted this statement, "Not entirely, you can also offer it as a sacrifice."

Zhong Cai nodded and said, "My altar is quite complex. Besides being used for sacrifices, it also has a certain defensive power—no cultivator at or below the Suspended Illumination Realm can break it. In addition, it also possesses some abilities similar to a mustard seed, such as being able to store both inanimate and living things. Moreover, when I am not using it, it turns into a speck of dust and hides in my hair. If I go inside, the speck of dust will hide nearby."

Wu Shaogan breathed slowly, his heart beating a little fast.

·

Only when a cultivator reaches the Opening Palace Realm can they store their companion treasure in their Dao Palace. Those who have already opened their Divine Soul Secret Treasury before reaching this realm can only carry their companion treasure with them, conceal its true nature, disguise it with other things, or find a safe place to protect it.

Once a cultivator reaches the Palace-Opening Realm, even if a companion treasure can contain living beings, once the treasure is stored in the Dao Palace, the cultivator cannot enter it; if the cultivator enters, the treasure can only remain in place.

However, there is a special type of companion treasure, namely the Sumeru Mustard Seed.

It allows people to hide inside, and it can also become so small that it is difficult to detect. You should know that only secret cultivators who have reached the peak of the Palace Building Realm can enter the Dao Palace on their own and have the Dao Palace turn into dust.

Furthermore, the vast majority of Sumeru mustard seed-like objects can only hide people, and those that also possess other abilities are extremely rare, appearing only in legends—it is said that there is a medicinal spring inside that Sumeru mustard seed that can cleanse the marrow and eliminate all diseases.

What Zhong Cai possesses now is even more special.

·

Wu Shaogan asked in a low voice, "What grade is this altar?"

Zhong Cai also answered in a low voice: "Currently, it should be classified as a top-grade level 5, which is equivalent to having the top-grade aptitude of a yellow grade. However, as my strength increases and I invest more and more spiritual energy, the altar may also grow larger. At that time, the grade seems to increase accordingly, and my aptitude will also improve accordingly."

Wu Shaogan narrowed his eyes: "A companion treasure that can enhance itself... I've never heard of such a thing before. Acai, you must remember, from now on, except when you are alone or in front of me, do not let anyone see your altar. No matter how much you trust them."

Zhong Cai put her arm around his shoulder and readily agreed: "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. To be honest, if we weren't tied together now, I might not have told you so soon."

Wu Shaogan rubbed his temples. It was the right thing not to tell him at all; it turned out that Zhong Cai was just telling him "not so soon." But he had to admit that it was precisely because Zhong Cai always gave him the utmost trust that he was able to break through so quickly in the past and recover his emotions so quickly now.

After sighing, Wu Shaogan said, "It's good that you know what's going on."

Zhong Cai put her arm around Wu Shaogan's shoulder, her eyes darting around: "I've got an idea. You see, I need a furnace to refine pills. You have a lot of connections, can you help me figure out how to get one? It has to be discreet, like we can just say that the furnace is the companion treasure I summoned, how about that?"

Wu Shaogan was taken aback for a moment, then praised, "That's a good idea." He pointed to the blue mustard seed pouch at Zhong Cai's waist and smiled mysteriously, "Take a close look at our assets."

Zhong Cai was taken aback. He picked up the mustard seed bag to examine it and found a small, stove-like object in one of the compartments of the shelf where miscellaneous items were stored. He had thought it was an incense burner when he was taking inventory of the house, but now, could it be an alchemy furnace?

With a thought, the thing landed at Zhong Cai's feet. He circled it a few times and realized it really was a pill furnace.

It's unclear what material it's made of. It has three structurally stable legs at the bottom. Upon closer inspection, you can see that the round furnace is actually divided into two layers. The lower layer has openings on all four sides, which should be the furnace chamber for burning firewood. The upper layer is the sealed furnace body, used to put medicinal herbs in for refining.

"Pretty good, looks like level two?" Zhong Cai asked curiously. "Where did you get it? Won't others find out about its origin?"

Wu Shaogan said, "It was also a coincidence." He said in a light tone, "My eldest brother has a legitimate daughter named Wu Zhaohong. Her aptitude is only at the middle level of the Yellow Rank. The ability of her companion treasure, the vase, is only to keep first- or second-grade rare herbs alive for another ten days after inserting them into it. Perhaps because of this, she became interested in alchemy. My sister-in-law was very supportive and found her a first-grade alchemist to teach her. Now, after studying for almost ten years, she can also refine ordinary first-grade pills. She is very considerate to me. Even after she got married, she often sent people to inquire about my well-being. So I thought I would find her a better alchemy furnace and found a skilled second-grade artifact craftsman."

"That craftsman was nearing the end of his life and hadn't taken any orders for a long time. However, when I asked him for a job, he kindly agreed, only requesting a few rare refining materials to finish the piece. I spent two years gathering the materials, and he spent another six months polishing it. In the end, he didn't disappoint me and finished this top-grade level two alchemy furnace at the end of last year, enough for Wu Zhaohong to use for a long time. Then the craftsman passed away. He was a recluse with no children, grandchildren, or relatives, and I had to arrange his funeral."

Wu Shaogan said, "I originally wanted to give Wu Zhaohong a surprise on her birthday this year, so no one else knew except me. Even Xiang Lin only knew that I had someone forge a weapon, but didn't know what it was. Now it's perfect for you to use."

As Zhong Cai listened, he frowned and said, "I bet it's because Wu Zhaohong always fawns over you, and you've been so generous, giving her a lot of favors in the past. Also, is she married in this city? Before, even if you got a minor scratch, wouldn't she immediately send someone to inquire, and then you'd give her a bunch of gifts? But this time, you were unconscious for most of the day, and not only did she not show up, but she didn't even send a single wedding gift when we got married, right?" He knew Wu Shaogan so well that he didn't doubt his own judgment at all, and he sneered, "You're really shrewd enough, but you don't deserve your kindness."

Seeing his friend get angry on his behalf, Wu Shaogan didn't seem to mind much and said with a smile, "This shows that this alchemy furnace should have belonged to you in the first place, and only you are worthy of it."

Zhong Cai thought for a moment and readily agreed, "You're right." He touched the alchemy furnace and continued, "If the accompanying treasure is a level two alchemy furnace, then I'll tell everyone it's a low-grade yellow-rank furnace."

The two then looked at each other and laughed.

As for that spoilsport Wu Zhaohong? Who even remembers her anymore?

Wu Shaogan chuckled, "You should put the altar away later, and make a list so someone can buy you more rare herbs so you can start learning alchemy sooner."

Zhong Cai nodded in agreement, then counted on his fingers with Wu Shaogan, saying, "I have to start with first-grade pills now. The inheritance says that each low-grade first-grade pill has one wisp of pill spirit essence, a mid-grade pill has two wisps, a high-grade pill has three wisps, and a top-grade pill has five wisps. For a beginner like me, it's good enough if I can even produce pills, let alone expect to get the best quality ones. If I can only produce one or two low-grade pills at a time, I'll have to go through several batches to gather ten wisps of pill spirit essence to perform even the lowest-level sacrifice! If it's a high-level pill, like a hundred wisps or a thousand wisps... just thinking about how many precious herbs and how much gold that would require makes my scalp tingle. Low-grade first-grade pills don't even sell for much. If I'm unlucky during the sacrifice, I'll end up losing money. Sigh!"

Wu Shaogan couldn't help but chuckle: "There's no need to think the worst. If you were a peerless genius in alchemy, able to refine twelve full pills in each batch, and all of them would be top-grade pills, wouldn't that mean each batch would have sixty strands of pill essence?"

Zhong Cai rolled her eyes.

Having already obtained the inheritance, doesn't he know whether he can become an unparalleled genius in alchemy?

Zhong Cai's gaze unconsciously fell on the crater where white flames were still burning, and her lips twitched slightly.

Honestly, he really felt that this thing was like the gacha system in the game he played in his previous life. Not only were there different tiers of sacrifice, but what was even more outrageous was that no matter which tier it was, as long as you sacrificed ten times in a row, there was a guaranteed resource!

And isn't this dent just like a gacha pool?

·

"First-grade rare herbs: Gastrodia elata, White Snail Root, and Seven-Finger Flower... Among them, Gastrodia elata is one of the three main ingredients of the Hundred Herbs Pill, White Snail Root is one of the two main ingredients of the Blood-Replenishing Pill, and Seven-Finger Flower is one of the two main ingredients of the Bone-Tempering Pill... The market price of Gastrodia elata is three and a half taels of silver, the market price of White Snail Root is five and a half taels of silver, and the market price of Seven-Finger Flower is one and a half taels of silver... The market price of a low-grade Hundred Herbs Pill is one hundred and twenty taels of silver, and it is a pill used to heal injuries... Low-grade is most suitable for cultivators at the fourth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm; mid-grade is one hundred and fifty taels of silver, most suitable for cultivators at the sixth level of the Heavenly Guidance Realm; high-grade is three hundred taels of silver, most suitable for cultivators at the eleventh level; and top-grade is five hundred taels of silver, most suitable for cultivators at the twelfth level... The market price of the Blood-Replenishing Pill... The market price of the Seven-Finger Flower..."

Zhong Cai sat on the stone bench, her fingers idly tracing the various rare medicinal herbs laid out on the stone table.

Gastrodia elata is lush green with serrated leaves and emits a faint spicy aroma; White snail root is a precious medicine in which the stems and leaves wither after maturity, leaving only the white root that resembles a snail, and it has no odor; Seven-finger flower, as the name suggests, has flowers shaped like seven fingers on a palm and has a sweet fragrance.

Zhong Cai rummaged through the rubbish while muttering to herself.

I never imagined that I would have to study so hard after transmigrating. I was supposed to be a useless little brat who just blindly cultivated.

Carefully studying the knowledge passed down in his mind, Zhong Cai pushed the three precious medicines aside and picked up several more herbs from the basket beside the table, beginning to compare them with his memory and familiarize himself with the prescription.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhong Cai felt dizzy and his stomach was growling. Suddenly, he smelled a meaty aroma, and his stomach growled even louder. He couldn't help but look up.

Not far away, an extremely handsome young man stood quietly, holding a bowl of steaming meat soup in his hand.

Seeing that Zhong Cai had noticed him, the young man smiled at Zhong Cai and said, "Shall we have something to eat first?"

Zhong Cai practically lunged at him, tears welling in her eyes: "Old Wu, you've saved my life! I was starving! I spent the whole morning memorizing all that stuff, I was going crazy!"

Wu Shaogan chuckled; this guy was spouting nonsense again—and handed the broth to Zhong Cai.

Zhong Cai couldn't wait to take a big gulp; the temperature was slightly hot, but it was very palatable.

The minced meat dissolved in the soup, making it fresh, fragrant, and rich, which quickly soothed Zhong Cai's stomach.

Zhong Cai wiped her mouth, put the empty bowl on the table, and let out a long breath.

"Ah! I'm finally alive."

Wu Shaogan sat on another stone bench and said with a smile, "I have already given the order for lunch, it will be ready soon."

Zhong Cai said emotionally, "What would I do without you!"

Wu Shaogan couldn't help but laugh again.

Lunch was served quickly, and Zhou Lin and Dong Jin each carried a tray and walked in through the second gate.

Wu Shaogan helped Zhong Cai put the precious medicines on the table into a basket.

Zhou Lin set out two bowls of meat and vegetables and took away the empty bowls.

Dong Jin placed two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of rice on the stone table, filling it to the brim.

Zhong Cai ate from the bowl and asked, "Where's the medicinal food for Shao Gan? Weren't you supposed to make it for him three times a day?"

Zhou Lin quickly replied, "It's already stewing, just a little bit hot enough. It'll be delivered soon."

Zhong Cai was finally satisfied: "Okay, hurry up."

Zhou Lin and Dong Jin quickly left.

Wu Shaogan's eyes softened as he rested his chin on his hand, watching Zhong Cai wolf down her food.

A short while later, Zhou Lin brought over a bowl of medicinal soup, which he took and drank in one gulp.

Zhong Cai picked up a slightly sweet vegetarian dish with her chopsticks and brought it to Wu Shaogan's lips, saying, "Quickly get rid of the medicine taste."

Wu Shaogan ate it directly, chewing and swallowing it in a couple of bites. He then immediately ate a piece of tender beast meat that Zhong Cai had shared with him, and after tasting it, he said, "Zhou Lin's cooking is not bad."

Zhong Cai nodded: "I also think it's alright. This meat dish is the best-tasting one today, and the energy in it is very mild. You still need to rest well, so you can't eat anything too spicy. Just try this mild one."

Wu Shao chuckled dryly in agreement.

Zhong Cai muttered to herself, "Once you've recovered, we can eat whatever we want. All this cooking is making me crave food..."

Wu Shao chuckled dryly at him and agreed again, "Okay, we'll eat something different every day then."

Zhong Cai thought for a moment and said, "If it's particularly delicious, we can eat it several times."

Wu Shao chuckled dryly.

In the shadows of the corridor, Xiang Lin, who had been silently guarding the area, watched this scene with a slight sense of relief.

Ever since the young master was deposed, he had been worried about his mood. Fortunately, Young Master A-Cai came, and the young master indeed improved, becoming happier than when he was always on edge.

·

In the afternoon, Zhong Cai identified various rare and common medicinal herbs, repeatedly memorized several of the most common elixir formulas, and then learned how to start the furnace, how to light the fire, how to guide the size of the flame, the amount of medicinal herbs to add, and the degree of fire control at different times, etc.

Wu Shaogan stayed by his side the whole time, occasionally tidying up the various scattered medicinal herbs for him.

Zhong Cai was completely oblivious, her mind completely absorbed.

Suddenly, Xiang Lin appeared at the second gate, came to Wu Shaogan's side, and whispered something in his ear.

"Young master, Miss Wu Xiang has come to ask for seedlings and leaves, saying she is willing to buy the person with money."

Wu Shaogan said casually, "Tell her to get lost."

Xiang Lin responded with a "Yes," and then vanished in a flash.

Wu Shaogan continued to look at Zhong Cai, his eyes and brows gentle.

·

In the outer courtyard, Xiang Lin looked at the pretty girl in front of the gate and said expressionlessly, "Young Master told you to get lost."

Wu Xiang looked rather grim.

In the past, she could only let her uncle take those two lowly maids away. But now that her uncle was crippled, she politely went to ask for them back, but her uncle didn't give her any face. He didn't even show his face and just had someone scold her. Did he really think he was still the pride of heaven?

Feeling annoyed, Wu Xiang wanted nothing more than to storm into the courtyard.

However, Wu Shaogan was of a higher generation, and the person blocking his way was a cold-hearted death guard.

She was completely helpless and had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

·

Inside the courtyard, Zhong Cai, certain she wouldn't panic, turned to Wu Shaogan and asked, "I feel alright, why don't we give it a try?"

Wu Shaogan carried a basket of medicinal herbs, demonstrating his support through his actions.

Zhong Cai, carrying the alchemy furnace, happily followed him into the cultivation room.