Chapter 147 Ten Years Later
Sure enough, Sang Yunchu sold the array plate for a good price within a few days.
It is said that although this array plate is damaged, it was actually a level six array plate when it was intact. The patterns on it are also quite valuable for research, and they come from ancient times. Therefore, it is actually more expensive than a normal level six array plate from modern times—it costs 30,000 low-grade Xuan stones.
Zhong Cai happily accepted it.
During this time, he also went to the Trading Hall with Wu Shaogan.
As agreed upon by the two, they would trade thirteen rare and precious natural treasures with the academy.
Because these resources were of high quality and priceless, the senior students in charge of the transaction couldn't make the decision themselves. They had to ask the mentor to come and appraise them before they could give a price, and the prices were all very high.
In total, the amount reached 150,000 low-grade Xuan stones.
·
After obtaining all the necessary items, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan began their cultivation.
Unless absolutely necessary, the two of them kept to themselves and rarely left Duobao Peak.
Time flies by unnoticed...
·
Ten years later.
In front of the Danbang stone tablet in Canglong Dange.
Seven or eight alchemists stood quietly, looking up at the fourth level of the tall stone tablet...the top.
Zhong Cai, a Grand Alchemist, eight stars, possesses exceptional abilities.
It's still the same familiar name, and it still has the same inscription on the stone tablet.
Despite its brevity, the phrase "outstanding ability" has always been present, from Level 2 to Level 4, without ever changing.
This means that, among all alchemists, this Alchemist Zhong is exceptionally talented and has never been overshadowed.
Furthermore, many alchemists who were paying attention to the stone tablet discovered that, regardless of the level, Master Zhong not only reached the top smoothly, but also—it seemed that the higher the level, the faster he could reach it.
The alchemists let out a long breath, their gazes slowly falling on the other names on the stone tablet.
One of the alchemists spoke in a low voice: "Senior brother, we watched as Junior Brother Zhong jumped from the level below our names to the same level as us, quickly reached the top, and then quickly leaped to the level above us..."
This was a level three alchemist, and several other level three alchemists who shared the same plight came with him.
Despite his lack of confidence, the fact that his name is on the stone tablet proves that his alchemy skills are actually quite advanced.
At this moment, he was sighing to his senior brother beside him.
His senior brother, a fourth-level alchemist, chimed in with a wry smile: "...And, he's reached the top again."
Other fourth-level alchemists chimed in, sighing, "After reaching the top, he rapidly increased the types of pills he refined. Each one was quite difficult to refine, yet he made it so easy... It's truly breathtaking."
As the alchemists spoke, they all shook their heads.
This junior brother Zhong is putting pressure on alchemists of every level equally.
Under such pressure, any alchemist with a bit of ambition would work frantically to try and shorten the distance between themselves and Junior Brother Zhong.
Then they'll find that they can't catch up at all.
Junior Brother Zhong seemed to appear briefly in front of them before vanishing in a flash!
Only the alchemists who were exhausted to the point of near death from chasing after him remained.
Soon, everyone will realize that they have actually made a lot of progress, but those ranked higher than them have also made just as much progress...
After exchanging bewildered glances, the alchemists at their level dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest. Otherwise, they might not only fail to catch up with Junior Brother Zhong, but their rankings could also be pushed down by their fellow disciples ranked below them!
And so, everyone continued to work hard as a habit... and also habitually checked Zhong Cai's ranking from time to time.
There's nothing we can do about it.
·
The alchemists sighed and chatted for a few more minutes.
“Junior Brother Zhong only comes to take the test after he has learned several kinds of pills. This result is what he achieved when he took the test two months ago.”
"With Junior Brother Zhong's talent, he has probably learned something new by now."
"How many kinds do you all think there will be?"
"Two kinds, I guess?"
"Or perhaps three?"
Suddenly, another alchemist in yellow robes said, "I've heard that Junior Brother Zhong's Daoist partner is also quite outstanding, with strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. He was already the number one in the Enlightenment Realm when he was still in the Enlightenment Realm, and it seems he has improved again now?"
The other alchemists were stunned.
They hadn't paid much attention to the situation with the martial arts cultivators, but upon hearing this, they all looked towards the yellow-robed alchemist.
The alchemist in yellow robes added, "I only heard some rumors by chance, and I don't know the specifics."
The other alchemists chimed in:
"In short, she is a good match for Junior Brother Zhong."
"I also overheard that Junior Brother Zhong cherishes his Daoist partner very much. It's just that they haven't been going out much in recent years, otherwise I would have heard many more rumors about their affection..."
"Where did you hear that from?"
“In the past, when Master Zhong was attending classes in the Mei Family Mountains, his Daoist partner would always come to pick him up. As a result, many other alchemists from the Mei Family also called their Daoist partners over, which caused quite a stir.”
"I've heard about it too! But I never imagined that the source would be Junior Brother Zhong and his Daoist partner?"
"It was them! After that, many alchemists and their Daoist partners became closer and closer, and many alchemists who had not yet sought a Daoist partner also seemed to have softened their stance."
"Indeed! I have a junior sister who is exceptionally skilled in alchemy and has top-notch looks. She was once pursued by several martial arts cultivators, but she didn't know how to choose, and even intentionally declined them all, not wanting to find a partner. But because of that incident, after comparing them, she found someone who was extremely sincere to her, and they are now very much in love..."
"I've also heard that a junior disciple from the same faction once thought it was too much trouble, but who knew..."
·
While the alchemists were exchanging ideas, a few martial arts cultivators who had come here also managed to glean some insights from their conversation.
One of the martial arts cultivators said, "Isn't Master Zhong's Daoist partner Junior Brother Wu Shaogan? He's already at the top of the Azure Dragon Ranking!"
Whether they are alchemists or martial arts practitioners, they all have some knowledge of the prominent figures in their respective fields.
Several other martial arts practitioners also spoke up:
"Junior Brother Wu ascended to the Azure Dragon Ranking a few years ago, just like when he ascended to the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Both times, he broke through the barriers on his first attempt and rose to a high position!"
"I remember, it seems like we were in the top five the very first time?"
"I watched all of Junior Brother Wu's consecutive ranking matches! The first time, Junior Brother Wu fell to fifth place, but he seemed to feel that his strength was still insufficient and did not continue to move up. Two or three years later, when he ranked again, he had no more obstacles and was able to surpass two places in each challenge! In just three ranking matches, Junior Brother Wu has already overwhelmed all the others and directly reached the top!"
The martial arts practitioners were so engrossed in their conversation that they attracted the attention of the alchemists.
One alchemist exclaimed in surprise, "I remember that the top three on the Azure Dragon Ranking were all of low-grade Immortal rank! Our Azure Dragon Ranking has countless resources to support them and also focuses on combat strength. With such a huge difference in aptitude, how could they possibly be defeated by Junior Brother Wu?"
The martial arts cultivators were incredulous back then, but the facts were right in front of them, so they had no choice but to believe it.
"When Junior Brother Wu was ranking, two of his junior brothers with Immortal-grade aptitude happened to break through to the Fusion Realm and became teaching assistants for their master. They were no longer included in the Azure Dragon Ranking."
"Back then, some people tried to use this to say that Junior Brother Wu was unworthy of his reputation, but that was just narrow-mindedness. We all know that when Junior Brother Wu reached the top, he genuinely defeated another junior brother of the Immortal Rank!"
"Moreover, this celestial-grade junior brother is none other than the original number one ranked junior brother, Hou!"
"Junior Brother Hou has the strongest combat power, but he didn't rush to break through. Instead, the second and third-ranked Immortal-grade disciples fused first. When Junior Brother Wu made it into the top five on his first attempt at the rankings, he became very interested in Junior Brother Wu and simply waited a little longer."
"Yes, he couldn't wait to come over when Junior Brother Wu came to compete again. He was really looking forward to fighting Junior Brother Wu!"
"That match was truly exceptionally fierce, but in the end, Junior Brother Wu actually emerged victorious!"
"One of the mentors who witnessed that battle mentioned that Junior Brother Wu's strength was on par with the former number one, and both of them were very skilled in combat and had extremely high combat comprehension, which allowed them to improve themselves in battle. At the time, many mentors believed that the outcome between these two junior brothers would depend on who had better luck."
"However, as the battle intensified, the mentors discovered that Junior Brother Wu's talent in combat was even stronger. In addition, his foundation was no less than that of the former top-ranked player. In the end, it was because he comprehended the truth faster that he managed to snatch the victory."
“I know too! Someone went to ask Junior Brother Hou about it. Perhaps because Junior Brother Wu’s victory was not due to luck, he was quite convinced. He quickly integrated into the team and then went off to train somewhere else.”
"And no one will think that Junior Brother Wu is unworthy of his reputation anymore; he defeated that monster!"
"Silence! How can you call Junior Brother Hou a monster..."
·
The alchemists, curious, started chatting with the martial arts cultivators.
Martial arts cultivators are happy to deepen their connections with alchemists, and naturally they will share all their knowledge.
At the same time, chatting shouldn't be just one side asking and the other answering, so martial arts cultivators will also ask alchemists about things they care about.
Naturally, they also gained a better understanding of Zhong Cai.
This couple has achieved remarkable success in their respective fields, yet they themselves are very low-key.
Normally, people might not remember them all the time, but whenever martial arts cultivators or alchemists come to the Azure Dragon Ranking Stele, they will immediately notice the names hanging at the top.
Then they would remember the "great achievements" of the couple.
·
In the ancient city, there is an alchemy room.
Zhong Cai sat cross-legged in front of a huge alchemy furnace, watching the fire intently.
Gradually, the flames rose in the furnace, and a series of popping sounds erupted from beneath the furnace lid, as if something was violently colliding!
Even the stove itself was trembling slightly.
Suddenly! The explosion stopped abruptly.
Zhong Cai quickly made a hand seal, and the furnace lid flew high into the air.
Several pills suddenly shot out of the alchemy furnace and flew straight toward Zhong Cai's face.
Zhong Cai remained motionless.
Several finger shadows quickly appeared in front of him.
The next moment, a perfectly shaped hand was spread out in front of Zhong Cai.
In the palm of his hand lay six round pills.
Two of them are top-grade pills, and four are high-grade pills.
At the same moment, a slightly low and gentle voice rang out, with a faint smile: "Congratulations, A-Cai, on producing another batch of Breakthrough Pills."
·
The Breakthrough Pill can help peak cultivators in the Suspended Illumination Realm break through bottlenecks. It is also very difficult to refine and is a rare fourth-grade pill.
Moreover, the price is also extraordinary.
Normally, the highest price for a level 4 resource is 5,000 Xuanzhu, while the price of this Breaking Calamity Pill varies from low grade to high grade, with market prices of 2,000, 2,500, and 3,000 respectively.
For disciples of larger factions, these qualities of pills are not too difficult to obtain.
But if it's a top-grade Breakthrough Pill...
Although there is a reference price of four thousand, it is really hard to come by, so it can often be speculated up to five thousand.
Just one pill costs five thousand!
This number is truly terrifying!
·
Zhong Cai has six Xuanzhu in this batch, which can be sold for at least 15,000 to 16,000.
The time he spent refining this batch of pills was only one hour.
One important reason is Zhong Cai's alchemy skills, but another reason is that Zhong Cai has already broken through to the Suspended Illumination Realm.
Although it has only been less than a month since the breakthrough, it is indeed a leap of two major realms compared to back then.
·
Over the years, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan have never been idle.
Zhong Cai's days are filled to the brim with activities: improving her profound energy, practicing secret techniques, honing her alchemy skills... nothing is left undone.
The results have been remarkable.
He mastered all five Meteor Hammer techniques, fused with all the necessary star treasures, and utilized all the star cultivation resources, thus enhancing the power of the techniques to an extremely high level.
His combat power thus continuously improved.
Not long after returning to Duobao Peak, Zhong Cai had already broken through to become a third-level Enlightenment cultivator, but it took him nearly ten years to reach this level—mainly to accumulate the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth.
After accumulating enough foundation, Zhong Cai, at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm, fused the Heavenly Yang and Earthly Yin energies into Chaotic Qi, which was then used to enlighten the companion treasure. The companion treasure would then absorb the Chaotic Qi and enhance its foundation, allowing it to reach the bottleneck leading to the Suspended Illumination Realm (fourth tier).
·
However, Zhong Cai's early plan to try his luck on the Hidden Dragon List after the consecration ceremony was never fulfilled.
Firstly, because the day of the return of spring was more demanding for alchemy, Zhong Cai devoted a lot of energy to alchemy, and his old man Wu no longer needed to compete in the Hidden Dragon Ranking, so he didn't think about it much at all.
Secondly, there was the combination of the "Five Elements and Five Stars Scripture" with the five secret techniques. The difficulty of improving and integrating the secret techniques themselves was greater than expected. It took Zhong Cai a long time to fully master them, and he was already over thirty years old.
·
Zhong Cai's greatest improvement was, of course, in his alchemy skills.
He spared no expense in honing his skills in this area.
He spent several years refining thirty-five kinds of level-three pills, ensuring that the success rate of each pill was at least 90%, and that each pill was a fully formed, high-quality pill in considerable quantity.
Therefore, Zhong Cai's name was always prominently displayed at the top of the third level on the Danbang Stele, making it impossible for any later alchemists to catch up...
When Zhong Cai felt that level three pills were no longer a challenge for him, he finally began to try refining level four pills.
·
The transition from level three to level four pills presents another hurdle. The number of pills required for each batch decreases from nine to six, significantly increasing the difficulty of refining the pills, let alone producing high-quality ones.
Even Zhong Cai had to expend a lot of effort.
However, just like with each level of pills before, once Zhong Cai became familiar with one or two, other pills of the same level would become easier to refine, and the time required to learn each type of pill would become shorter and shorter.
Not long after, Zhong Cai climbed to the top of the list of fourth-level alchemists.
If he were to advance further and reach the level of a fifth-grade alchemist... then he would probably become a fifth-grade alchemy king in no time!
Zhong Cai has now learned to refine eleven different types of level four pills, reaching the level required to obtain a badge!
He achieved eight stars in the last assessment, and now he has gained three more.
—The alchemist who had high hopes for him was right.
·
Wu Shaogan is also very hardworking.
Besides various training and trials, his skill in drawing purification talismans has become more profound, and he has also learned to refine pill furnaces—he seems to have a great talent for this as well, having already refined pill furnaces from level one to level three, and is now studying level four.
He thought that before A Cai became a fifth-level alchemist, he should at least be able to refine a fourth-level alchemy furnace.
In addition, Wu Shaogan's cultivation level also broke through one after another.
It took him several years to accumulate enough foundation from the fourth level of enlightenment before he was finally satisfied. Then, he suddenly realized that he had accumulated enough foundation before he started to aim for the fifth level of enlightenment.
Resources within the Azure Dragon Academy are readily available, and Wu Shaogan himself has no shortage of any pills needed for cultivation. As a result, his breakthrough speed in the Suspended Illumination Realm is extremely fast.
It only took Wu Shaogan a few years to reach the peak of Xuanzhao!
·
When Wu Shaogan reached the mid-stage of the Suspended Illumination Realm, he did not immediately challenge the other Suspended Illumination Realm cultivators, but instead went directly to challenge the Azure Dragon Ranking.
However, since he was not yet thirty years old at that time, he reached the fifth place on the Azure Dragon Ranking while simultaneously topping the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Successfully achieved the dual-list accomplishment!
Wu Shaogan's martial arts talent is just as top-notch as Zhong Cai's alchemy talent.
Not long after, Wu Shaogan turned thirty and voluntarily withdrew from the Hidden Dragon List.
Then he quickly rose to the top three of the Azure Dragon Ranking, and then to the top spot.
During this period, he received many rewards from his master in quick succession.
·
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan have achieved great success in various aspects, and their rankings are always soaring, surpassing many geniuses.
They greatly enhanced the prestige of their two masters, who were extremely proud and sent rewards immediately each time, making the two men incredibly wealthy.
However, probably knowing that the two had no shortage of other resources, the masters were quite generous and directly "gifted money".
That is to say, they would often give away tens of millions of Xuan Pearls or hundreds of thousands of low-grade Xuan Stones.
When Zhong Caidan reached the top of the list and Wu Shaogan reached the top of the Azure Dragon list, the two masters' actions became even more terrifying!
They all sent over a million low-grade mystic stones!
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan were already somewhat numb from their masters' overwhelming generosity, but this time, with a million coming in, they were still shocked once again...
And it was precisely because their masters were so generous that the two of them were even more determined not to embarrass them.
As a result, they maintained their achievements and continued to improve.
Specifically, this manifests itself in the following ways:
Zhong Cai goes to add new badge stars every few months...
Wu Shaogan would also try his hand at some of the martial arts arena challenges within the academy, breaking a few records and such...
Meanwhile, for those seeking Zhong Cai's pills, Zhong Cai will take on more difficult orders and complete them perfectly, delivering the best results.
Wu Shaogan would accept and quickly defeat his opponents whenever he faced a challenge in the rankings. Even if the opponent was very strong or very strange and difficult to deal with, he could find a breakthrough in a very short time, defeat the opponent, and absorb the "nourishment" provided by the opponent in the battle to improve his own strength.
Most of the academy disciples and mentors who were watching discovered that he could learn something new from every battle he fought.
All of these can further enhance combat power!
·
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan's progress exceeded their two masters' expectations and even their own.
Originally, the two were going to go to the Pill God Tree as fourth-level alchemists and Martial Arts cultivators, but there was still no news of the Pill God Tree's rejuvenation. If they had to wait a few more years before they could officially begin...
I'm afraid Zhong Cai can now refine level 5 pills even if he's above his level, and Wu Shaogan can also use the top-grade Breaking Calamity Pill to quickly reach the Fusion Realm!
If you're not careful, you might find yourself participating at an even higher level.
However, for the two of them, it would be most appropriate to go as the fourth level.
Because alchemy requires time to hone, even if Zhong Cai has high talent, his foundation will still be shallow after reaching the fifth level of alchemy. When he comes to the Alchemy God Tree, he probably won't get much benefit at all.
·
After Zhong Cai successfully refined the elixir, he put it away.
The two got up and walked together into the specially designated hall for storing medicinal pills.
Yes, as Zhong Cai was able to refine more and more pills, the two of them used a small hall specifically to store the pills that Zhong Cai had refined.
Every grade and every quality of elixir will be preserved.
For example, when Zhong Cai was refining Zhiyun Pills, he would collect two or three pills of each grade, from low to high. When it came to the highest grade, he would collect several more.
The same applies to other elixirs.
These elixirs represent Zhong Cai's direct understanding of his alchemy skills, and are also a resource he has stored up.
As an alchemist, one will inevitably encounter many requests for pills in the future, and there may also be situations where one needs to conceal one's identity... If it is just a request for pills, of course one should offer high-grade or top-grade pills to demonstrate one's alchemy skills; but if one does not want to reveal one's identity, low-grade and mid-grade pills are the means of concealment.
·
At this moment, Zhong Cai walked through the collection hall, admiring each of the pills he had refined, a look of joyful harvest on his face.
Wu Shaogan walked beside him, also with a pleasant smile.
He felt very proud—no alchemist in the world could compare to his Ah Cai!
Even Master Sang is one of them.
·
Sang Yunchu is undoubtedly an outstanding Pill King—in fact, although he is only a Pill King at present, he successfully refined an eighth-grade pill several years ago!
However, simply refining level eight pills only qualifies one as a level eight alchemist.
Only after producing the finest quality pills can one become a Pill Emperor.
But Sang Yunchu is already very close to becoming a Pill Emperor...
Refining level eight pills takes a long time and the medicinal materials are difficult to obtain. To refine them to the highest quality, the process is even more time-consuming.
Sang Yunchu can now refine top-grade level eight pills, and the bottleneck to becoming a Pill Emperor is just around the corner.
Perhaps, with just a sudden flash of inspiration, he could break through smoothly!
·
In Wu Shaogan's mind, even if Master Sang was so amazing, his A Cai was even more amazing.
When A-Cai reaches that level, he will definitely break through faster than Master Sang!
·
This wasn't just Wu Shaogan's idea.
Sang Yunchu himself... thought so too.
Zhong Cai's achievements brought him a lot of pride, but what made him even happier was that Zhong Cai clearly had the potential to surpass his teacher.
Therefore, Sang Yunchu never hesitates to offer encouragement.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
