Chapter 379 - The Diversity of Pill Alchemy
Qin Nan did not spend any time further there as he swiftly made his way back to the Qinglong Sacred Area.
Due to the sudden incident taking place at the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground, the honorable quest regarding it was canceled as a result. The reward of ten Primary Stones was no longer valid, thus leaving him with only two Primary Stones left.
That being said, he was in luck today as he managed to exchange for three Primary Stones at the Quest Hall, leaving him with a total of five Primary Stones.
“Let’s consume these for the time being!”
Qin Nan sat down in a room in the Quest Hall.
It had been a month since he had joined the Sacred Area, thus the situation was no longer the same as before. The envoys and custodians of the Qinglong Sacred Area had now accepted his presence with a calm heart, instead of trying ridiculously hard just to meet him in person.
Qin Nan calmed his thoughts and consumed the five Primary Stones.
The Primary Stone was a magical item containing the force of the Heavens and Earth, extremely beneficial to cultivators. However, Qin Nan could not use it to improve his cultivation, as the Divine Battle Spirit would emit a terrifying absorption force to devour the Primary Stones as soon as Qin Nan consumed them.
Buzz!
The Divine Battle Spirit shuddered slightly, as if it was turning energetic.
“This Primary Stone is effective indeed!”
Qin Nan’s heart was immersed in joy.
“Now I know that these Primary Stones are useful to upgrade the Divine Battle Spirit, I shall find some way to earn them.” Qin Nan quickly made up his mind.
During the battle against Jiang Bilan, although the Divine Battle Spirit did not possess any specific ability, it appeared that its presence alone could result in a suppression against lower-grade Martial Spirits, thus nullifying their capabilities.
If the Divine Battle Spirit were to level up to Di rank, the geniuses in the lower district who tried to overpower him with their Martial Spirits would end up being suppressed by his Martial Spirit instead.
This was exceedingly important to Qin Nan for the time being. Although his Six-Dragon-Lined Golden Nascent Soul was incredible, it was unable to suppress his opponents’ Martial Spirits.
“Let’s check if there’s any honorable quest!”
Qin Nan took out the Qinglong Scroll and browsed for a while, but was soon disappointed as he could not find any available honorable quests. Furthermore, there was no other quest that he could earn a significant amount of Primary Stones in a short time.
“Hmm?”
Qin Nan’s eyes flickered as he caught a glimpse of a quest.
The quest was different than the other quests, as it was tagged as a permanent quest, meaning that it would never be canceled, and could be taken an unlimited amount of times.
“Refine Yue-ranked Blue Luminous Pill, Snowy Moon Pill, etc. to exchange with Primary Stones at the Quest Hall. Exchange ratio is one to one!”
Qin Nan’s breathing intensified after reading the information.
An exchange ratio of one to one!
In other words, if he were to refine a thousand Blue Luminous Pills, he would be able to exchange them for a thousand Primary Stones, without being limited to the maximum of exchanging three Primary Stones per day!
“However, these pills with the rank Yue are not easy to be refined!”
Qin Nan took a deep breath as he wore a stern look on his face.
In the lower district, Pill Alchemists were cla.s.sified into three main ranks of Xing, Yue, and Ri[1], while each rank was split into ten grades. If there were three thousand Pill Alchemists in the entire lower district, only a few dozen could become a first-grade Yue ranked Pill Alchemist, not to mention the number of people who managed to surpa.s.s the Yue rank and level up to the Ri rank.
Even the Demonic-Cored Highness who had spent hundreds of years mastering Pill Alchemy only ended up reaching the tenth-grade Yue rank!
“The path of Pill Alchemy progresses at a slow pace, but since I have acquired the memories of the Demonic-Cored Highness, I’m able to improve much faster.”
Qin Nan wore a firm look as he immediately looked into the Qinglong Scroll to research about Pill Alchemy.
In the Qinglong Sacred Area, the first mountain—Duanmu Peak—focused on cultivating one’s Dao Heart. The second mountain was named the Caomu Peak, which specialized in Pill Refining. According to the introduction in the Qinglong Scroll, not only was the Peak Leader of the Caomu Peak a Martial Highness, he was also a third-grade Ri ranked Pill Alchemist, with the name Caomu. A hundred years ago, it was said that he managed to refine a Ri-ranked pill without using any cauldron, pill-refining flame, or herb, but rather used the natural wind, rain, and lightning of the Heavens and Earth instead. As a result, his achievement shock the entire lower district back in the day.
“Refining a pill with the energy of the Heavens and Earth without using any cauldron, pill-refining flame, or pill. Such remarkable skill!”
QIn Nan took a deep breath.
According to the Unconventional Pill Almanac, pill-refining was not only about the pills, but the refinement of Yin and Yang, and all creations too.
This could only be done after reaching a near-perfection stage in Pill Alchemy. Even ordinary third-grade Ri ranked Pill Alchemists would not be able to do that, further showing how extraordinary Peak Leader Caomu was.
“Alright, time to go to Caomu Peak and shop for herbs and cauldrons to start refining some pills!”
Qin Nan immediately made up his mind and left the place.
Caomu Peak was different than Duanmu Peak. The mountain was not as tall, only half of the height of Duanmu Peak. However, when glancing from afar, the entire mountain appeared to be enclosed within a mystical glow and layers of mist. Inside the mountain laid over ten Dragon Veins that continuously summoned magical rains that watered the entire Caomu Peak, resulting in an astounding sight.
“That’s over ten Dragon Veins right there!”
Qin Nan could not help but exclaim.
Previously at the Mystic Spirit Sect, a Dragon Vein that had yet to evolve completely was already considered as a precious treasure of the sect. In contrast, these Dragon Veins of Caomu Peak were specifically used to summon rain, most likely to nurture the herbs.
After all, Caomu Peak was not only about pill-refining, it also included herb-planting, cauldron-forging, research of pill formulas, and tradings of goods, etc.
As soon as Qin Nan arrived at Caomu Peak, he headed straight to the Trading Hall to begin his shopping.
En route there, he discovered that the soil and the ponds were nothing ordinary. They were filled with rich Qi thus granting them with magical effects. Even though the scenery was not stunning, it allowed the visitors to feel relaxed, as if they had arrived at a paradise.
As Qin Nan reached the Trading Hall, it was crowded with people, resulting in a lively scene.
“Fresh uncommon soil for sale! It contains a fire-elemental aura, the best option when it comes to nurturing fire-elemental herbs!”
“Don’t miss out on the great deals here when you pa.s.s by. You can find Atavistic Pill Remedies here!”
“I’ve got a piece of treasure here; it’s the cauldron of a Ri-ranked Pill Alchemist from a few hundred years ago!”
“……”
It was as if a whole new world was presented to Qin Nan, as everything taking place was able to attract his attention.
Although he had acquired experiences regarding Pill Alchemy from the Demonic-Cored Highness, it was his first time to personally come into contact with the world of Pill Alchemy, thus causing him to be attracted after seeing various types of soil and herbs.
It appears that there is a lot more to this world than meets the eye.
“Yikes? Senior Brother Qin Nan?”
At that instant, a scream could be heard.
The person turned out to be Lin Xiaoyu.
“Hmm? Why are you here?”
Qin Nan was slightly startled.
“Senior Brother Qin Nan, I finally get to see you now. I’ve been so worried for the past month!” Lin Xiaoyu did not answer his question as her eyes reddened. She felt guilty as she thought it was her fault that Senior Brother Qin Nan had been involved in grave danger. However, she swiftly collected her thoughts, causing her to blush as she poked her tongue out and said, “Senior Brother, I’m actually a disciple of Caomu Peak.”
“I see.”
Qin Nan let out a smile.
At that moment, a hideous voice could be heard all of a sudden, “Wow, Lin Xiaoyu, you dare to have close interactions with a man here? I don’t think it would bring you any good if Senior Brother were to be told about it!”
[1] TL Note: FYI, Xing = Star, Yue = Moon, Ri = Sun