Chapter 1055: Heavy Blow
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ling Han pondered for a moment, and said, “I’m simply a little interested in alchemy. However, I still want to place my primary focus on cultivation.”
This was a polite refusal.
Pu!
Jiu Wuqi’s eyes almost popped out in astonishment. ‘The Deputy Head of the Alchemy Institution personally invited you, yet you actually rejected her offer?! Do you know how lofty the status of Alchemy Institution disciples is?
‘Even cultivators of an equivalent tier have to show them utmost respect. In fact, even cultivators of a higher tier have to be polite before them. They’re pretty much a rank above everyone! How impressive and mighty is this?
‘Do you know how hard it is for cultivators to advance a minor level? It takes tens of thousands years even in the Mountain River Tier. In fact, many people can’t advance any further after reaching the cultivation level of the low extreme, medium extreme, or high extreme.
‘This being the case, how incredibly precious is the fact that alchemists are a level above cultivators of an equivalent rank?
‘Yet you actually rejected her offer? Are you stupid, or are you retarded?!’
Meanwhile, Yan Xiaoxuan laughed heartily, and said, “The pharmacy to the east of the Imperial City is owned by you, am I correct?”
Ling Han’s heart jolted. However, this was no secret, and Yan Xiaoxuan would naturally investigate him since she wanted to take him in as her disciple. Ling Han nodded, and answered, “Yes.”
An awkward expression instantly appeared on Jiu Wuqi’s face. Just then, he had still said that no pharmacy would sell pills to Ling Han if he were to give the word. Who knew that Ling Han had his own pharmacy? It was as if he had been smacked across the face!
Yan Xiaoxuan continued, “I’ve heard that your pharmacy only sells three types of pills?”
Jiu Wuqi almost burst into laughter.
‘You can only refine three types of pills, yet you still have the face to open a store? Aren’t you afraid of causing others to laugh to death?’
He instantly regained his confidence, an air of arrogance reappearing on his face.
Ling Han chuckled, and said, “Correct.”
“Are these three types of pills all refined by you?” Yan Xiaoxuan asked. Her eyes suddenly became piercing, and they exuded a hint of a domineering aura unique to Sun Moon Tier elites.
Ling Han’s divine sense had always been resilient and powerful. Now that he had absorbed the essence of a Demon Master, almost no one could suppress him through his divine sense—unless his opponent was a supreme elite at the Genesis Tier.
He thought for a moment, and replied, “My talents are thin and my skills are shallow, so I’ve only been able to learn these three pill recipes.”
Jiu Wuqi’s feeling of superiority became even more intense. Ling Han had only learnt three pill recipes, while he had learnt 176 Level One pill recipes and 74 Level Two pill recipes!
It was precisely because he had refined a large number and a wide variety of pills that he had accumulated enough experience and tempered his divine sense enough. As such, he had finally reached a state where he could see the door to becoming a Level Three Alchemist. This was what he was most proud of.
Yan Xiaoxuan smiled as she clicked her tongue, and said, “The three pills are the Heavenly Qi Pill, the Heavenly Pearl Pill, and the Jade Heaven Pill. Ling Han, you started from zero yet were able to become a Level Three Alchemist in the short span of one year. If such a feat is merely the result of your interest, I can’t begin to fathom what kind of results you can achieve if you were to focus all of your attention on alchemy.”
Pa!
Jiu Wuqi instantly stumbled back and sat on the ground, his face twitching and his expression as pale as dying embers.
He had genuinely suffered a heavy blow.
‘This brat can actually refine Level Three Divine Pills? Even if he can only refine one type, he’s still a Level Three Alchemist!’
Yet he had still been glorifying himself before Ling Han… How laughable! How embarrassing! Ling Han had probably been laughing on the inside when he had boasted about becoming a Level Three Alchemist soon, right?
‘Damn it! F*cking damn it!’
Hatred welled up in his heart. Someone like him would never seek to reflect on themselves. It was clearly him who had provoked Ling Han first, yet now that he had been humiliated, he piled all of the blame onto Ling Han.
Yan Xiaoxuan glanced at her disciple in slight displeasure. ‘How can one become so emotional over such trifles and show all of their emotions on their face? How can one reach the summit of alchemy with such an attitude and mentality?’
Having a heart like a capering monkey and a mind like a galloping horse were great taboos of alchemy. Such capriciousness couldn’t be tolerated.
Ling Han clasped his hands and politely refused again, saying, “Senior, to tell you the truth, I’m more interested in cultivation even though I do hold a strong interest in alchemy.”
This was a world of cultivation, after all. Even though alchemists were esteemed and revered, this kind of lofty status was given by none other than cultivators.
This signified that… cultivators could confiscate their status at any time!
Yan Xiaoxuan also smiled, and said, “Don’t worry. You won’t be refining pills all day long even if you do join the Alchemy Institution. A prodigy like you—who was able to become a Level Three Alchemist in merely a year—can probably become a Level Four or Level Five Alchemist with no problem at all.”
However, Ling Han knew that he could only refine a Level Three Divine Pill so soon because the resilience and strength of his divine sense was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators at the medium extreme. Otherwise, how could it have been so easy to refine a Level Three Divine Pill, which was equivalent to the rank of the high extreme?
Moreover, he didn’t need to worry about controlling the cauldron fire in the Black Tower, which made refining Level Three Divine Pills even easier. Although he was confident that he could refine the Jade Heaven Pill even if he were placed in the outside word, he definitely wouldn’t be able to obtain a perfect 10 pills with each cauldron that he refined.
The strength of his divine sense could only sustain him in refining Level Four Divine Pills. If he wanted to refine Level Five Divine Pills, his cultivation level would have to reach the high extreme of the Mountain River Tier at minimum.
“If you join the Alchemy Institution, you’ll be able to access all of the pill recipes kept by the Alchemy Institution!” Yan Xiaoxuan made an irrefutable offer upon seeing that Ling Han was still hesitant.
Ling Han was instantly moved.
Pill recipes were extremely precious, and like secret techniques, they remained concealed and were kept secret by those who owned them. Even money couldn’t necessarily buy them.
Yet right now, the Alchemy Institution was actually willing to give him free access to their pill recipes!
“Moreover, there’s no need for you to forfeit your identity of a student of the Northern Institution. You can simply practice both cultivation and alchemy.” Yan Xiaoxuan opened a backdoor for him, and asked, “What do you say?”
Seeing the Deputy Head’s sincerity, Ling Han nodded, and said, “I’m willing to listen to Senior’s arrangements!”
“Brilliant, brilliant!” Yan Xiaoxuan was also extremely happy. He was a prodigy, a genuine prodigy! It was the Alchemy Institution’s fortune to recruit him!
Perhaps a giant of alchemy who could influence the entire alchemy world would one day walk out from this Alchemy Institution.
Now that Yan Xiaoxuan had spoken, there was no doubt that Ling Han would be able to enter the Alchemy Institution. He didn’t need worry about it, as there would naturally be someone to take care of the process.
In reality, alchemists didn’t refine pills all day long. They also needed to cultivate.
There was no way around this. How could one control their cauldron fire or extract and intertwine the divine patterns from ingredients without a sufficient cultivation level?
Thus, Ling Han’s being both a cultivator and an alchemist at the same time wasn’t rare, nor would anyone denounce him because of this. Anyhow, the Deputy Head of the Alchemy Institution was personally taking him in as her disciple, so who would dare to? Would they not be afraid of having no pills to eat for the rest of their lives?
After only three days, Ling Han was bestowed three pill recipes by Yan Xiaoxuan, all of them for Level Three Divine Pills.
In the future, Ling Han would receive more and higher-ranked pill recipes the stronger his alchemy ability became.
Ling Han put the three pill recipes aside for the moment. Right now, his focus was to refine the Mysterious Azure Pill, a pill that could be taken by cultivators at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier. This pill could instantly replenish a large amount of one’s Origin Power, and it could be said that it was one of the most useful pills.
“Blockhead! Blockhead!” Li Weiwei rushed over to disturb him and shatter his peaceful cultivation. “There’s bad news! Your little comrades have been beaten!”