Chapter 250: Weaponization
’So, I did insult the Enforcent Guild,’ Liam sorted out his thoughts, ’At least when it cos to Isaac’s faction.’
It still sounded strange how a mortal had any standing in the cultivation world, but Liam had to believe Old Joe, and that conclusion matched what he had witnessed.
’And Grace is famous?’ Liam recalled. ’I don’t know how good that is.’
Old Joe had stressed how beneficial Grace could be as a business partner. Most cultivators couldn’t even establish connections with random rchants, let alone soone who controlled many of them.
Yet, that put Liam in a pickle, and it wasn’t just about personal safety. Worthwhile allies were valuable, but he wasn’t sure he wanted any. His heart simply wasn’t ready to face the possibility of their loss again.
Old Joe had also shared countless other pieces of information involving the land, Guilds, and opportunities lone cultivators like him pursued. Except for the vague ntion of a tournant further north, the area didn’t really differ from the six Sects’ neighborhood.
The open market had been a better available service for cultivators, but the area’s superiority stopped there. Fairfort had sothing, too, but Liam preferred not to go there and risk getting entangled with the Enforcent Guild.
The next Outer Circle, or different areas, might have more of those superior services, but Liam would think about that once he got there. Now, he pushed those matters aside since the ti to concoct had arrived.
Naturally, Liam didn’t include Old Joe in the isolated room that the stone tablet created. He left him guarding outside, both to preserve secrets and to avoid his poisonous concoctions from killing him.
And, once Liam sat behind the cauldron, all those thoughts disappeared, replaced by alchemy.
The smoking powder was the first order of business. Liam had limited himself to concocting one batch at a ti since he didn’t want to empty his stashes, didn’t know whether he would gain access to a pipe, and was unsure how long resources inside the space-ring lasted.
However, the pipe was hopefully in sight, so Liam didn’t have to worry about changing his core’s feeding thod. He even had enough ingredients and a channel to buy more, and his ti with the space-ring had given him so confidence in its properties.
Ti flowed normally inside the space-ring, but the absence of sunlight, humidity, and other factors made it far superior to ordinary containers, allowing far longer storage.
So, instead of taking care of a single week, Liam concocted enough powder for a whole month, stopping there because he wasn’t sure whether his cultivation’s requirents would increase by the ti he finished the batch.
The experints with the rank 2 venom ca next, and they went far less smoothly.
Liam had spent most of his alchemical training focusing on poison, achieving a quasi-specialization and familiarity in those substances, often leading to reliable predictions.
But rank 2 ingredients and concoctions were different beasts. Liam had it easy with the powder since he had mastered the weaker recipe to perfection, but not now, especially since it was an experintal phase.
First ca the experints with the venom itself. Liam had seen what it did but had to understand how it behaved as an ingredient, what it liked, and what results each alchemical fla produced.
The results put the rank 2 venom in a specific category that Liam could link to a series of existing recipes, but the waste ca next. Similarities didn’t imply that those tried and tested formulas would work, and they didn’t.
One ingredient at a ti, Liam burned through the sets he had purchased for those experints, searching for whatever could blend with the rank 2 venom to create a proper alchemical product.
A partial success eventually arrived. Liam managed to mix the venom with a rank 1 ingredient, giving birth to a slimy yellow paste that wasn’t toxic waste, which he didn’t hesitate to eat.
Rank 2 ingredients currently were the most expensive side of Liam’s cultivation journey. They were why his recent purchase demanded so many spirit stones despite the discounts and gifts.
So, Liam wanted nothing more than to apply the rank 2 ingredient his own body produced to literally everything he could. The financial benefits would be imnse, and his venom glands were even quite a restless organ, refilling themselves to full in less than a day.
But, to Liam’s dismay, even in a sowhat complete concoction, his cultivation just wouldn’t accept his venom as a nutrient. His core only acknowledged the rank 1 ingredient he had managed to blend with the deadly substance.
Liam gave up on the matter altogether afterward, focusing solely on weaponizing the venom, benefitting from the previous experience, but not as much as he would have liked.
The idea of concocting a rank 2 healing pill vanished since Liam took over one and a half weeks to obtain results, but he felt no regret when studying it.
A single, yellow pill rested between Liam’s fingers, standing right under his gaze. It was uneven, its surface jagged. It seed that the slightest pressure would crush it into dust, but he knew that wouldn’t be the outco.
After all, the yellow pill was another upgrade. Liam might have altered the recipe’s main ingredient and two minor ones. Even the required alchemical fla was completely different, but it remained the Poisonous Cloud Pill.
’This isn’t just situational anymore,’ Liam concluded, slling and feeling the rank 2 pill’s properties. ’This might be my best weapon right now, Primal Urge aside.’
With the Poisonous Breath, the Cloud Pills sounded superfluous since both unleashed similar effects.
However, the new Cloud Pill was deadly instead of just debilitating. It was even deadlier than the spell since it was born from more than just Qi. Also, it required none of that energy and was imdiate.
Moreover, since Liam had finalized the recipe and didn’t have to pay for its rank 2 ingredient, the new Cloud Pill was relatively dirt cheap.
’I should write the recipe and concoction down,’ Liam considered, storing the pill in his space-ring. ’Maybe I should get one of those green jades. I hope they aren’t expensive.’
Of course, Liam had prioritized that application because he knew the Cloud Pills. Still, he didn’t plan on stopping there. That was only the first step, ant to make the following ones easier due to his increasing experience.
’How should I apply it next?’ Liam half-wondered as he stood up to store his cauldron and everything else in the space-ring, before cleaning himself up in the best way he could.
Afterward, Liam donned the black cloak and exited the isolated room, finding Old Joe dutifully sitting cross-legged in front of it. He seed to have remained in that spot the entire ti, just like Liam had ordered.
"Senior, I hope your seclusion was fruitful," Old Joe promptly exclaid, bowing until his head touched the ground.
"We must set off," Liam ordered, stealthily storing the stone tablet once he was done removing the room.
"Imdiately, Senior!" Old Joe stood up, even turning, as if knowing that Liam would opt to drag him around.
Yet, before Liam could grab Old Joe’s collar, a loud growl resounded from the foundation expert’s abdon.
’Right, food,’ Liam realized, having completely forgotten about that part since his own supplies had basically gone untouched ever since he beca a rooting expert. ’I guess he fears
more than starvation.’
As Liam thought that, he stealthily materialized strips of dried at under his sleeve. He still wanted to rid himself of Old Joe in a way that didn’t involve killing him, but he wouldn’t let him starve in the anti.
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