Chapter 145 Pill God Wood
The master and his disciples laughed and joked for a while.
Sang Yunchu's expression turned slightly serious, and he suddenly said, "I received a reminder from Brother Yifei."
Zhong Cai also suppressed her smile and quietly looked at her master.
Sang Yunchu said, "The day when the Dan Shenmu tree will return to spring is coming soon."
Zhong Cai was taken aback: "Dan Shen Wood?"
Sang Yunchu smiled and began to explain to his young disciple.
"The Pill God Wood is an ancient and wondrous tree, its origins unknown, yet it is a priceless treasure for us alchemists..."
·
The full name of Dan Shenmu is: Dan Dao Shenmu.
It is a precious plant that is said to be of the highest quality, even reaching the level of a celestial grade.
No one knows how it appeared. One day, an ordinary alchemist was traveling and accidentally entered a valley while being chased by wild beasts. He also discovered it.
The alchemist received the message conveyed by the divine tree and thus learned that the divine tree contained countless inheritances.
The transmission of Daoist alchemy.
These inheritances are also unknown to who sent them into the sacred tree... or perhaps the sacred tree itself accumulated these inheritances over countless years of its existence due to its own supernatural powers, nurturing them continuously...
The sacred tree is willing to bestow such a legacy upon the alchemist.
The opportunity to pass on this legacy comes on the once-in-a-millennium "Day of Spring Return".
·
The alchemist who first discovered the sacred tree was also the first person to receive its blessings.
He acted in accordance with the rules of the sacred tree and gained many benefits.
It was precisely because of these advantages that his alchemy skills continued to improve, allowing his strength to steadily break through.
Despite his mediocre talent, he managed to participate in the "Day of Rejuvenation" three times in a row with the help of elixirs.
In the end, this alchemist only reached the Nirvana Realm.
However, he left behind a large amount of alchemy knowledge for his family, and managed to support the family's development.
Even though this family had faced crises of upheaval throughout its long history, it was able to rise again and regain its former glory by preserving its heritage and falling to the bottom.
Today, this family remains a powerful family on the continent.
It is a level eight power.
Within their ranks, they also support an eighth-level alchemist.
·
Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai exclaimed with some admiration, "This senior alchemist is truly remarkable!"
Wu Shaogan nodded in agreement.
Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "He seized the opportunity and had enough perseverance."
Zhong Cai asked with some curiosity, "Master, do you know what qualifications this senior alchemist once had?"
Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "His family has always kept the legends of their ancestors, but they have spoken very little about them and are quite vague. They only say that their ancestors used alchemy and various opportunities to reach the Heavenly Rank, but the final hurdle was too difficult, so they stopped at Nirvana."
"It is also said that the senior was considered a minor genius in the family back then, but the family itself was not very powerful. Most cultivators judged that the senior's initial aptitude should have been at the Xuan grade level. He was very outstanding for the family, but quite ordinary when traveling the continent."
Zhong Cai was a little dazed.
It sounds like that so-called small family back then was probably similar to the Zhong family, or at most at the level of the Wu family.
Such a family can only display its power in the lowest-ranking cities.
That family was fortunate to have a senior alchemist as a member, and they treated him well. As a result, the family not only jumped from level four or five to level eight, but also continued to rise to the top.
In this fantasy world, those talented and lucky clan members are very important to the clan's power.
If you meet someone like that, you can elevate your entire family to new heights...
Zhong Cai unconsciously looked at Wu Shaogan again.
It's just that his own husband is unlucky.
Wu Shaogan keenly noticed the affection in his Ah Cai's eyes, and couldn't help but smile slightly. Under the table, he took Ah Cai's hand.
Sure enough, his wife, A-Cai, quickly took his hand and comforted him.
·
Sang Yunchu and Jiang Chongguang both noticed the little quirks between their disciples.
However, both masters pretended not to notice.
It's a good thing that the disciples have a good relationship. Sometimes it's quite interesting to watch these little tricks of young people.
Sang Yunchu smiled slightly and continued the previous topic.
Let's begin to explain more about the Dan Shenmu tree.
Sang Yunchu said, "The sacred tree changes every five hundred years and withers and flourishes every thousand years."
·
The sacred tree has flourished for five hundred years and then withered for nearly five hundred years. When it sprouts new buds again, it is called "returning to spring".
The so-called day of spring's return is not just one day, but rather lasts for a period of time.
In the past, it would take anywhere from ten days to several months.
As the sacred tree returns to spring, its new buds quickly sprout a lush canopy of leaves and numerous branches, enveloped in a hazy, precious light.
The shape of the leaves of the sacred tree is mostly similar to that of ordinary trees, but it also produces many leaves that are parallel to the ground. They are quite broad, like thin little platforms that can support several people.
When an alchemist refines elixirs on flat ground, a fragrant aroma will linger, which will be absorbed by the divine tree.
If the requirements of the sacred tree are met, the sacred tree will naturally drop a leaf to support the alchemist.
At this point, the alchemist can continue refining pills.
If you feed the refined elixir to the leaf, the leaf will grant you a share of its legacy.
The inheritance might be alchemical techniques, alchemical formulas, or resources related to alchemy—it might even include alchemical furnace materials, fire, and precious medicines, or other knowledge related to alchemy…
Whether the inheritance is exquisite, what level it has reached, and how many are involved are all determined by the divine tree after the leaves have "tasted" the elixir.
This judgment will inevitably be based on factors such as the number of pills fed by the alchemist, the quality of the pills, and the alchemy techniques contained in the pills.
If the divine tree is satisfied with the elixir, it will provide a highly likely inheritance that will be extremely helpful to the alchemist. If it is difficult to judge, the divine tree may choose to provide a higher-level elixir formula.
If the divine tree is not satisfied with the elixir, it will offer anywhere from two to many orbs of light for the alchemist to choose from. The specific inheritance gained from one of these orbs depends entirely on luck—but it will never exceed the alchemist's current level.
Normally, if the divine tree is dissatisfied three times in a row, the alchemist will be sent back to the ground.
If the divine tree has a great fondness for elixirs...
The alchemist would then be pleased to increase the difficulty of the test.
Starting from the fourth time an alchemist refines pills, the alchemist will be attacked by wooden beasts.
At this point, the alchemist would need to bring along a martial arts cultivator to defend against the attack.
Regardless of success or failure, the leaves of a newly brewed elixir will float upwards. However, there is no inheritance to be given if it fails, but if it succeeds, one will receive double the reward.
If a martial arts cultivator is strong enough, they can not only resist but even slaughter wooden beasts—when they kill three or more, the alchemist will produce pills, and the benefits they receive will include something advantageous to the martial arts cultivator. The more beasts killed, the greater the benefits.
If a martial arts cultivator simply persists in resisting the wooden beast and prevents it from disturbing the alchemist, he will not gain any benefit; this is merely his duty.
·
Although it is unknown why the Divine Tree made this rule, any alchemist who wants to obtain the inheritance must bring along a martial arts cultivator.
There can only be one, and it cannot be changed.
The sacred tree also encourages conflict between its leaves.
If a martial arts cultivator on one leaf knocks down another from a leaf, the alchemist on the defeated leaf will also lose their qualification and be sent back to the ground.
At the same time, the leaves that have lost their alchemists will float over and merge with the winning leaves, increasing their thickness and also floating upwards by one layer. After an alchemist successfully produces a pill, there is also a chance to receive resource rewards that are beneficial to martial arts cultivators.
The thicker the leaves, the more stable they are.
While the initial blades are quite stable, they cannot withstand the impact of other blades.
Once the blades thicken, they can be manipulated and moved within a certain range by martial arts practitioners—and can also begin to collide with nearby initial blades.
The martial arts cultivators on the initial leaves must knock their opponents off or drive them away before they can affect the alchemists.
Otherwise, if the leaves flip over and the alchemist falls, not only will the batch of pills be ruined, but the alchemist himself will also lose the qualification to advance.
Furthermore, if a martial arts cultivator in battle consumes too much profound energy, they can only recover by taking pills refined by alchemists on the leaves.
This also tests the alchemists' skills, their feeding plan for the sacred tree, and their planning for the use of pills by martial arts cultivators, etc.
Martial arts practitioners and alchemists suffer losses together, and martial arts practitioners are of great help to alchemists. They are not just supporting roles and should not be underestimated.
·
Sang Yunchu said with a smile, "All alchemists of level three to six can go to the Divine Tree, but from the day of the return of spring, any alchemist who cannot refine a high-grade pill will not have their pill fragrance absorbed by the Divine Tree and will not pass the Divine Tree's selection."
Zhong Cai understood. In any case, the eligibility requirements were not low. Even alchemists with decent alchemy skills could miss the opportunity if they were not careful.
Sang Yunchu continued, "The martial arts cultivators chosen by the alchemist are very important. They must be people who are highly trusted and whose interests are inseparable. At the same time, the level of the martial arts cultivator must be the same as the level of the pills refined by the alchemist."
Zhong Cai chuckled: "Old Wu and I are a perfect match."
Sang Yunchu nodded and said, "That's right. But your levels are all a bit low. If you go as level three alchemists, the benefits you can gain will be insufficient. No level three alchemist has ever obtained a level nine inheritance, but level four alchemists have."
Zhong Cai blinked and said, "Master means that the time before the Divine Tree Rejuvenates is enough for me to advance to level four?"
Sang Yunchu chuckled: "It's too rushed for many alchemists, but it's certainly enough for you, Cai'er."
Zhong Cai asked curiously, "How long will it take?"
Sang Yunchu said, "Every thousand years, the time when the divine tree returns to spring is not very precise, with an error margin of several years. If we calculate based on the time of the last return to spring, it should be in fifteen years. However, it may be a few years earlier or a few years later, so we cannot say for sure."
Zhong Cai calculated the time. If it really was fifteen years, then it would be more than enough. And if it was ten years... he felt that he could manage that too.
He must be fully prepared!
Since it is a sacred tree whose origin is currently unknown, it may have existed for tens of thousands of years! The amount of inheritance it can contain is probably too great to count.
Now that he's had this opportunity, he absolutely can't let it slip away!
After all, his master is only a little over two hundred years old and is already a level seven alchemist, so he completely missed the opportunity to go to Shenmu.
If he manages to obtain something good from the sacred tree, he should share it with his master upon his return, to lessen his master's regrets...
·
Zhong Cai calculated the time again.
By then, the protagonist will likely be around twenty years old, possibly having just reunited with Duan Yuehua from the original book, or perhaps having said goodbye to Duan Yuehua and gone off to train alone.
The part of the story that he and Lao Wu know so far doesn't include the existence of the Dan Shen Wood.
The protagonist doesn't follow the alchemy path, and the story doesn't involve the Dan Shen Tree... Perhaps the original book will mention the Dan Shen Tree several more chapters later, when it talks about one of the protagonist's harem members who knows alchemy?
Generally speaking, the routine is like this.
If the protagonist doesn't actively seek out certain resources, but those resources are quite useful, they are often acquired by the protagonist's harem.
In a way, it still ended up belonging to the main character...
Of course, the protagonist's child is completely different from the current child.
The plot has already been cut in many places, and it's hard to know what it will become due to the butterfly effect.
Zhong Cai secretly wondered if there might be any outstanding transmigrators who, as alchemists, would also take this opportunity to find the Pill God Wood.
—If there were such a transmigrator, they would probably choose to go back in time.
Regardless of whether they have any ill intentions towards the protagonist, this sacred tree is indeed a very stable resource, and it is not exclusive to the protagonist. Anyone who can take advantage of it will definitely want to do so.
·
Sang Yunchu smiled and said, "Cai'er, this is the next task I'm giving you."
Zhong Cai snapped out of his daze and said confidently, "Disciple understands! Master, please rest assured!"
Sang Yunchu nodded in satisfaction.
Then, Sang Yunchu gave Zhong Cai some instructions and told him some interesting stories about the Dan Shenmu, as well as some forces that were deeply involved with it.
Just like that alchemist back then, he only developed because of the divine wood.
Zhong Cai listened with great interest.
Suddenly, his thoughts drifted, and he asked, "Master, do you think that Master Ding Jing's sudden martial arts contest to find a Daoist partner might also be related to the Divine Pill Tree?"
Sang Yunchu was used to his disciple's unconventional thinking, but he didn't give a definite answer. Instead, he said only, "Ding Qing is over a thousand years old."
Zhong Cai was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something.
·
The lifespan of a cultivator who builds a palace is two thousand years, and Ding Qing has lived for more than a thousand years. Therefore, the last time the Dan Shenmu tree rejuvenated occurred after he had been cultivating for some time.
Ding Qing is a wandering cultivator who likes to travel around. I just happened to have heard of him for some reason, and I might even have had the chance to meet him... Maybe he even assisted the alchemist as a martial arts cultivator in the last battle.
There is a very high chance that he knows.
During the matchmaking contest, many people brought up Ding Qing's past.
Ding Qing was used to wandering the world, and after many years, he had a son named Ding Jing.
It is said that Ding Qing and his wife were also Daoist partners, but his wife passed away unexpectedly, and he devoted all his energy to Ding Jing.
After Ding Jing grew up and became an alchemist, Ding Qing went to places that were beneficial to alchemists, which led to his later settlement in Jiuqu City.
Nine-Bend City is a level-two city, and its cultivators are abundant, making it far superior to some lower-level cities.
First, make a name for yourself here, then hold a martial arts contest to find a husband; you're more likely to find a very outstanding cultivator to marry.
After finding a Daoist partner, the next step is to work together to get along. It would take at least ten or more years. By then, Ding Jing would definitely have already cultivated with his Daoist partner and had a very good understanding with them. Their interests would also be inseparable, so wouldn't they be able to work together even better?
For alchemists heading to the Divine Pill Tree who truly aspire to achieve something, finding a martial arts cultivator as their Daoist partner would be the best course of action.
While alchemists would certainly be willing to pay martial arts cultivators for the resources obtained from the Divine Pill Tree that are beneficial to them—after all, these resources were obtained through life-and-death battles—wouldn't it be even better to give them directly to one's Daoist partner, keeping the benefits within the family?
...Of course, these are all just Zhong Cai's guesses.
Ding Qing has lived for so many years; even if he isn't cunning and shrewd, he certainly isn't simple-minded.
This possibility is still quite high.
·
That evening, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan lay sprawled on a bed deep within the ancient city, chatting and fiddling with each other's fingers.
Wu Shaogan took out a mirror and looked at himself.
Zhong Cai leaned closer and took a look.
It was that malicious list.
Zhong Cai also took out her own side and flipped it over to take a look.
Both mirrors are identical, and the list of malicious actions presented remains unchanged; it looks exactly the same as before.
Zhong Cai smiled and asked, "Old Wu, what are you worried about?"
Wu Shaogan said, "Lu Yuning."
Zhong Cai thought about it and understood Lao Wu's idea.
They had just complained to their master, and it was unclear whether Uncle Yuan would mention them as "witnesses" to Lu Yuning.
Lu Yuning has been banned from the house for ten years!
If Lu Yuning knew, or guessed... Lu Yuning was originally hostile to him, maybe that hostility would have turned into malice?
Of course, Lao Wu would be worried.
Zhong Cai snuggled closer to Wu Shaogan, comforting him, "It's alright. Let's not even talk about whether his hostility will turn into malice. Even if he has malice, the only threat he can pose to us comes from Uncle Yuan and his alchemy, right?"
Wu Shaogan looked at Zhong Cai with gentle eyes.
Zhong Cai said confidently, "In terms of alchemy, he's definitely no match for me. Just look at the number of floors in that alchemy tower. I cleared thirty floors on my first try, but he's only barely made it to ten. What threat could he pose to me? I wouldn't say I know everything he knows, but it shouldn't be difficult to deal with him. Even if he manages to create something incredibly powerful, I can create something even more powerful. As long as I'm careful, can Lu Yuning really cause any trouble?"
"As for Uncle Yuan, there's even less to worry about."
“Uncle Yuan is Master’s good friend and a reasonable person. In addition, Lu Yuning has a criminal record. If Lu Yuning targets us maliciously, Uncle Yuan will definitely discipline his disciple instead of bullying us.”
"Besides, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance that Uncle Yuan will act unreasonably, we still have our master here."
“Master Sang is more capable than Uncle Yuan, and Master Jiang is more capable than Lord Yuan Bing.”
"We're absolutely safe!"
Wu Shaogan understood everything Zhong Cai said.
But no matter how well he understood it, it couldn't compare to him confirming it in front of the mirror himself.
Wu Shaogan lowered his head and kissed Zhong Cai on the lips.
Zhong Cai instinctively bit down.
Wu Shaogan smiled immediately, his eyes softening with even more tenderness.
Zhong Cai also had curved eyebrows and eyes.
The two hugged and kissed, both becoming happy.
·
The following days were peaceful.
Zhong Cai still went out to play with Wu Shaogan every day, visiting all the more famous attractions in Jiuqu City.
They didn't encounter anything like a martial arts contest to find a husband again during that time—but on one or two occasional scenic spots, they actually ran into Ding Jing and his fiancée Zong Ling.
This couple likely chose to travel together to cultivate their relationship.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan only knew these two people on their own initiative and did not greet them.
Of course, they didn't know about the two of them over there.
They didn't have any interaction with each other.
·
Meanwhile, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan also had time to travel together with Ji Ting and Mi Wanyue.
After all, the relationship between their masters was evident, and the two senior brothers and sisters were very enthusiastic from the beginning, and the two of them also maintained good relations with them.
Some of the scenic spots were also suggested by the two senior brothers and sisters—they usually didn't go with them, not because they didn't want to talk to them, but because they didn't want to disturb the loving couple.
·
As for Lu Yuning's matter...
Yuan Yifei did not hide it from his two disciples.
Gittin found it hard to believe, because in his eyes, his junior brother had always been well-behaved, docile, and honest. Although the two brothers hadn't spent much time together and were mostly busy with their own things, he still had a good impression of his junior brother, considering him a lovable child.
To his utter surprise, his junior brother was actually such a womanizer in private.
In Giddings' eyes, there was no longer any filter for his "close junior brother".
Although he didn't dislike Lu Yuning too much because of this, he didn't approve of his junior brother's behavior.
At the same time, he agreed with his master's decision to keep his junior brother locked up for a longer period of time.
My junior brother's personality requires more discipline.
Mi Wanyue was stunned for a moment, but then she wasn't too surprised.
She didn't know why, but her feelings towards Junior Brother Lu were always somewhere in between. Although she couldn't find any major faults in him when she thought about it carefully, she couldn't feel a sense of closeness to him.
Now that she had listened to her master's words, she had a better understanding.
It's probably because Junior Brother Lu is two-faced, and she also dislikes his attitude towards relationships.
Therefore, even though Junior Brother Lu's actions as his true self were not actually out of line, some of his subtle words and behaviors still made her instinctively feel that... the two of them couldn't get along.
However, Mi Wanyue did not believe that locking someone up for a period of time would make Junior Brother Lu repent and start anew.
After all, Junior Brother Lu is already this age, and many of his ideas have already taken shape. How can he be easily changed?
But she also felt that her master probably didn't really intend to change Junior Brother Lu.
Most likely, it was just to teach Junior Brother Lu a lesson—no matter what Junior Brother Lu thought in his heart, he would never do it again after he was released.
·
Ji Ting and Mi Wanyue were unaware that Lu Yuning's punishment was due to Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan; they simply assumed that their master had discovered it with his keen eyes.
Therefore, when they were with Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, they didn't mention Lu Yuning at all.
·
As time went by, Zhong Cai's initial excitement about Jiuqu City gradually faded.
He still enjoyed his leisure time, but he also focused on refining pills and accumulating profound energy every day.
Life has become very regular.
Zhong Cai learned four more level-three pills intermittently.
For each type, he still honed his alchemy skills to the point that the success rate of producing pills was at least 80%, and that each pill produced was at least one of the highest quality.
However, despite his significant improvement, Zhong Cai no longer climbed the Danlou Tower.
·
Before they knew it, Sang Yunchu and his disciples had been living in Jiuqu City for nearly two months.
It's almost time for me to leave.
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