Chapter 179: Chapter 174: Gifting a Pill Formula
After weighing his options, Mu Chen decided the Demon Castle’s standing was more important. "Uncle Xuan Yin," he began, "this request of mine isn’t exactly simple, because the quantity I’m asking for is imnse..."
Indeed, mass-refining the Gathering Essence Pills required a massive supply of raw materials. The initial trial-and-error period alone would consu a great deal of ti and ingredients. On top of that, the Demon Castle currently had thirty-five mbers—thirty-six, including Mu Bingling. At one pill per person per day, that amounted to thousands of pills per year. If one pill required one portion of each ingredient, that was thousands of portions needed, and that didn’t even account for failures during refining. So, when Mu Chen said his request wasn’t simple, he ant it.
Xuan Yin laughed. "Haha, an imnse quantity? Then na a number. Let
see just how ’imnse’ we’re talking."
Mu Chen pondered for a mont, then held up five fingers. "Five thousand portions of each."
"Five thousand portions?!" Di Cang and Wu Changqing were shocked. Wu Kui almost spat out the at in his mouth. His eyes went wide and he held up five greasy fingers, exclaiming, "Five thousand portions?! Heavens, kid, you’re not planning to resell the herbs, are you? Even for Third-Grade dicinal Herbs, five thousand portions would be worth tens of millions of Purple Elental Crystals! This is..."
"Enough." Xuan Yin closed his eyes, made a quick calculation, and then smiled. "It’s just five thousand portions of each dicinal herb, isn’t it? I’ll have Kong Ye Ming deliver them to you tomorrow. We have so many of those herbs in the storehouse that we’re running out of room anyway. However... I have one condition."
Mu Chen said, "Please, Uncle Xuan Yin, go ahead."
"You have to tell
what kind of elixir you plan on refining. As far as I know, there are no pill formulas in the Empire’s records that use these three dicinal herbs together. Unless... your pill formula is one the Empire doesn’t possess." Xuan Yin hit the nail on the head, putting Mu Chen in a difficult position.
Di Cang frowned. "Xuan Yin, isn’t that an inappropriate question? After all, a pill formula is as important as a Martial Artist’s Secret Technique. They are secrets that cannot be shared publicly."
Xuan Yin gave a wry smile. "How could I not know that? But I’m very curious. I also have my own selfish reasons."
Mu Chen frowned in thought for a mont. He seed to have co to a decision, as his brow slowly unfurrowed. He said to Xuan Yin, "Uncle Xuan Yin, as a citizen of the Xuanling Empire, I should contribute my strength to the Empire. But..." Here, Mu Chen bowed slightly and said respectfully, "But, this elixir is too important for the students of the Demon Castle. If we want the Demon Castle to surpass the Holy Hall, we must have elixir resources superior to theirs to support our students’ cultivation. Otherwise, our goal is just an empty dream. The Holy Hall is using the sa resources we are. The gap between us can never be closed that way."
Mu Chen’s words made Di Cang and Lingyun lower their heads. How could they not have realized such a huge problem? It was precisely why they had sent these youths, who should have been learning under the protection of their ntors, to participate in life-or-death trials where they could perish at any mont. But now, hearing Mu Chen’s words, Di Cang’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Mu Chen, are you saying the elixir you want to refine can close the gap between the Demon Castle and the Holy Hall?"
Mu Chen nodded. "Yes. I can tell you the na of the elixir I’m going to refine. It’s called the Gathering Essence Pill."
"The Gathering Essence Pill?" The five of them were puzzled. They had never heard of an elixir with that na.
Mu Chen smiled faintly. "I don’t expect you to have heard of it. But if I ntion another elixir with a similar, though lesser, effect, you’ll understand. The Gathering Essence Pill—you’re familiar with that one, right?"
Xuan Yin exclaid, "I know that one! The Gathering Essence Pill! That’s a High Grade Elixir that aids cultivation, with a Grade as high as Lower Grade Profound Rank."
Mu Chen said, "That’s right, that’s the one. But when you compare that Gathering Essence Pill to mine, the difference is night and day. My Gathering Essence Pill has ten tis the efficacy, and its Grade is even Upper-grade Profound Rank."
"Up-Upper-grade Profound Rank? Ten tis the effect of the other Gathering Essence Pill... As far as I know, refining that one requires Fifth-Grade dicinal Herbs. And the ingredients for your Gathering Essence Pill are just those common Third-Grade dicinal Herbs? Is that for real?" Wu Changqing’s jaw dropped. This was the day Wu Changqing had made that expression the most in his entire life.
Xuan Yin was too agitated to even eat his roasted at. He shot to his feet and said urgently, "Mu Chen, I know my request is excessive, but can this pill’s formula be shared with the Empire? We are in desperate need of a formula like this."
Mu Chen shook his head. "Uncle Xuan Yin, first, please forgive my willfulness. I cannot share this pill formula with the Empire for the ti being. If I do, the Holy Hall will undoubtedly find a way to get their hands on it. Then they will invite their own Cauldron Masters to refine it. As you know, the Holy Hall’s connections and reputation extend far beyond the Xuanling Empire. Finding a Cauldron Master would not be the least bit difficult for them."
Xuan Yin sighed and sat back down. "You’re right. I was too rash. But how did you co by such a pill formula? And can you guarantee its authenticity?"
Mu Chen nodded. "I ca across this pill formula by a stroke of luck during my three years of training abroad. There should be no issue with its authenticity." Mu Chen lied without batting an eye, his expression unchanging.
Xuan Yin pressed his temples, unwilling to give up. "Is there really no way to share this elixir with the Empire? I can trade other things for it. Weapons, elixirs, dicinal herbs, Purple Elental Crystals, anything. As long as it’s within my power."
Mu Chen smiled slightly. "Uncle Xuan Yin, please let
finish. It’s true I can’t share the formula for my Gathering Essence Pill with the Empire right now. But I never said I couldn’t share the formula for the *other* Gathering Essence Pill."
Mu Chen’s words struck the five of them like a bolt from the blue. Xuan Yin felt his throat go dry. In a trembling voice, he asked, "You... you’re saying you also have the formula for the Gathering Essence Pill?"
Mu Chen rubbed his nose and said quietly, "I suppose so. But I will contribute the formula for my Gathering Essence Pill to the Empire sooner or later. That will have to wait until the Demon Castle’s reputation and status have completely surpassed the Holy Hall’s. So for now, Uncle Xuan Yin, you’ll just have to make do with the other one."
GULP...
Di Cang swallowed hard, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "Ma-make do... Damn it, just ’make do’ with the formula for the Gathering Essence Pill? Kid, do you not know its value, or do you have no idea what the Gathering Essence Pill even is?"
But Mu Chen just said nonchalantly, "I know what it is. Isn’t it just an elixir that only Middle and Upper Class Empires have? Is that so strange?"
Hearing this, the five of them were ready to burst into tears. To them, Mu Chen’s words sounded like, "Isn’t it just like putting on clothes when you wake up? Is that so strange?"
’That’s the Gathering Essence Pill! A pill formula only High-class Empires possess! And this kid talks about it like it’s trash,’ Xuan Yin and the others thought to themselves. ’Mu Chen really is too young. He doesn’t understand the importance of a pill formula.’
Little did they know, Mu Chen didn’t think much of such a pill formula at all. His Golden Dragon Scripture contained records of tens of thousands of pill formulas for all sorts of effects. Never mind a Lower Grade Profound Rank Gathering Essence Pill; the Golden Dragon Scripture even had records of Emperor Grade Elixirs. It was just that the required ingredients were too complex, and their grade requirents were incredibly strict—so had even gone extinct. Refining an Emperor Grade Elixir was sowhat unrealistic.
Seeing that they were all just staring at him without a word, Mu Chen thought they were dissatisfied. He mulled it over for a mont and said, "Uncle Xuan Yin, in two years at most, I will share the formula for my Gathering Essence Pill with the Empire. That is the greatest promise I can make. The Demon Castle truly needs this elixir."
Di Cang finally spoke up. "Let’s settle it then. Xuan Yin, you should be aware of the Imperial Academy’s current situation. For the Xuanling Empire, the Gathering Essence Pill is already a Supre Grade Elixir. In this matter, we should respect Mu Chen’s decision."
"Good! Good! It’s a deal then! The Gathering Essence Pill! Haha, Mu Chen, you truly are the lucky star of our Xuanling Empire!" Xuan Yin had already given up hope. Even if Mu Chen hadn’t offered the formula, he would have still given him the Third-Grade dicinal Herbs. But now that Mu Chen was willing to offer the formula for the other pill as a substitute, he was ecstatic. ’What’s a Middle-class Empire? With the Gathering Essence Pill, just give
two years, and the Xuanling Empire will beco a Middle-class Empire too!’
Seeing Xuan Yin agree, the tight knot in Mu Chen’s brow finally relaxed. With a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in his hand. A ball of blue light instantly condensed on his fingertip. The Golden Dragon Scripture was already fused with Mu Chen’s consciousness, so he didn’t even need to think. With a few quick strokes, Mu Chen wrote out the pill formula for the Gathering Essence Pill.
"Uncle Xuan Yin, this is the pill formula for the Gathering Essence Pill. I’ve also included so important notes inside. Of course, I’m not the one who ca up with these notes."
With that, Mu Chen handed the scroll to Xuan Yin. Xuan Yin took it, a wide smile on his face, and unrolled it for a look. Seeing that the refining ingredients were indeed all Fifth-Grade dicinal Herbs, he put it away, reassured. Then, he eagerly said to Mu Chen, Di Cang, and the others, "In that case, I’ll go back right now and study this pill formula with Kong Ru. I can’t wait to see our Xuanling Empire rise! Mu Chen, tomorrow I’ll have that boy Kong Ye Ming deliver the dicinal herbs you asked for. And I’ll give you double! No! Triple the amount!"
"This..." Mu Chen wanted to decline. He wouldn’t be able to use triple the amount.
Xuan Yin said with a serious expression, "Your contribution to the Empire is far too great. This pill formula is like a lifeline in a blizzard; it has given the Empire hope. Getting it in exchange for so Third-Grade dicinal Herbs is already a huge bargain for . Don’t try to refuse."
Mu Chen gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. "In that case, I’ll shalessly accept."
Xuan Yin chuckled and said to Wu Changqing beside him, "Elder Wu, we must hurry back now. The sooner we can refine the Gathering Essence Pill, the sooner our Empire can rise above the rest."
"Mm, this old man will go back with you now." With that, right under the noses of Mu Chen and the others, Wu Changqing swept the remaining large chunk of roasted wild boar into his Storage Ring. Without even a goodbye, he grabbed Xuan Yin, and with a flash, their bodies transford into a streak of green light and vanished from the small grove. His manner didn’t resemble soone rushing back to study a pill formula at all; he looked just like a robber making a getaway!
Mu Chen stared blankly at the spot where the roasted at had just been, the corner of his mouth twitching twice. Dark lines appeared on Lingyun’s and Di Cang’s foreheads. Only Wu Kui hadn’t yet processed what had just happened...
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