Immortal Path Space

Chapter 382: Insights into Alchemy

The war between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan had not yet reached Pill Hall's Alchemists, but they were slightly busier than before.

The conflict had not escalated to the point where Alchemists needed to take the battlefield. However, if it did reach that stage, Qingxu Sect's demise seemed imminent.

Initially, he could have hidden within the confines of Pill Hall. However, his true strength was exposed, making the Sect aware that he possessed combat abilities alongside his Alchemy skills.

Moreover, even if he could hide, he had numerous subordinates who couldn't evade the conflict. If he didn't step forward to lead, they might even be used as cannon fodder.

"Senior Brother Xu, how have you been lately?" Wang Hong spotted Xu Zhiguang from a distance, with his white beard and hair.

Wang Hong admired Xu Zhiguang's dedication to Pill Recipe. Xu Zhiguang had forsaken everything else in pursuit of perfecting his Alchemy skills, including his own combat prowess.

Though Wang Hong admired him, he had no intention of following suit. Some things were better kept under one's control, like combat abilities.

"It's Junior Brother Wang! It's been a while, Junior Brother Wang. I was just thinking about looking for you to exchange Alchemy experiences," Xu Zhiguang said upon seeing Wang Hong. His conversations always revolved around Alchemy, seemingly unaffected by the battles happening in the Cultivation World. Alchemy was his sole focus.

As they were conversing, Yuan Yong, an attendant from Pill Hall, approached Wang Hong.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yuan." Wang Hong expressed his gratitude and headed towards where Master Mei was located in the building.

"Disciple Wang Hong pays respects to Master Mei," Wang Hong greeted as he entered the room.

"No need for formalities, please have a seat." Master Mei seemed to have a great fondness for the art of tea. Every time Wang Hong visited, he would find her brewing tea. Unfortunately, her favorite Qiu Long Tea, of which only one plant remained, had been taken by Wang Hong.

Master Mei had an easygoing temperament and disliked unnecessary formalities. After her instruction, Wang Hong obediently took a seat at the Tea Table.

"I heard you were stationed at the first defense line recently?" Master Mei personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Wang Hong.

"Yes, Master. That's correct." Wang Hong accepted the Spirit Tea and took a sip, noticing that its quality had declined significantly due to the ongoing battles that even affected the lives of Golden Core cultivators.

"In the future, whether you go or not, it's your choice, and you don't need my permission. As an Alchemist, the foundation of Qingxu Sect rests upon us, the core of Pill Hall. You can choose to decline participation in battles," Master Mei calmly stated.

"Thank you for your understanding, Master." Wang Hong stood up, bowed deeply to Master Mei, and expressed his gratitude. With her support, he would have the autonomy to decide whether or not to participate in battles. He could also refuse tasks that he deemed too dangerous.

After expressing his gratitude, Wang Hong took the opportunity to seek guidance from Master Mei on some challenging aspects of Pill Recipe refinement. He had already started collecting the Spiritual Herbs required to build a Golden Core, which fell into the third-tier Pill category. Wang Hong was currently preparing to refine a third-tier Pill, and since he lacked experience in this area, he cherished the chance to learn from Master Mei.

After Master Mei answered several of his questions, she could tell from his inquiries that Wang Hong was planning something specific.

"With your current level of skill, you've already mastered second-tier Pills to perfection. However, refining third-tier Pills at the Foundation Building cultivation level is almost unheard of. Firstly, the materials for third-tier Alchemy are extremely rare, and no one would be willing to provide them for your refinement. The risks are too high.

Furthermore, the flames required for refining third-tier Pills were best obtained from the true fire of Golden Core cultivators, as it could be controlled from the heart. Using third-tier spiritual charcoal or earthfire was also an option, but these flames were harder to control, and a slight mistake could lead to the destruction of an entire batch of Pills.

I have an Alchemy insight on third-tier Pills here. You can take it and study it," Master Mei said, producing a Jade Scroll. Wang Hong accepted the Jade Scroll with gratitude, fully aware of the immense value of Master Mei's personal Alchemy insights, which had accumulated over hundreds of years.

He took a sip of Spirit Tea, feeling a slight sense of guilt, and then said, "I happen to have a batch of Spirit Tea in my shop. The quality is quite good. I would like Master Mei to taste it."

Apart from Qiu Long Tea, Wang Hong also cultivated a type of Jadedream Spirit Tea in his Space, which had slightly inferior quality but was suitable for entertaining guests and selling through his business. Qiu Long Tea was too precious to serve to just anyone.

Wang Hong retrieved a wooden box from his Storage Bag, which contained half a pound of Jade Green Silk Tea. He presented it to Master Mei with both hands.

He wanted to offer Qiu Long Tea, but Master Mei was already familiar with it, and he couldn't explain its source.

Master Mei accepted the tea box and said, "I happened to run out of Spirit Tea recently, but I won't take advantage of you. There are fifteen high-grade Spirit Stones here; consider them payment for the tea."

Wang Hong couldn't refuse her, so he reluctantly accepted the high-grade Spirit Stones, turning his gift into a transaction.

"Alright, if you have no other business, you may leave."

As Wang Hong exited Pill Hall, he was loaded with a pile of Alchemy tasks. Even for other cultivators working tirelessly, it would take several months to refine the Pills.

Meanwhile, at a flat terrain behind the Demon Clan's camp, beyond the second defense line, various peculiar Demonic Beasts had gathered. Some were large, some small, some stood upright, others lay on the ground, some coiled around massive rocks, and a few even hung upside down from trees.

Despite their differences in appearance and habits, they all shared one common trait: they radiated immensely powerful auras.

Surprisingly, every single one of these Demonic Beasts was of the third-tier, numbering at least a couple hundred.

In contrast, even if all the surrounding cultivators of Qingxu Sect were assembled, the number of Golden Core cultivators on their side was only around a hundred.

At this moment, a grey giant eagle perched on a rock took the lead in speaking with a human voice.

"Hu Meier, our East Sea Clan has all arrived. Have all of your West Zhou Demon Realm members gathered? It seems like you haven't dispatched many Demonic Beasts for battle. Shouldn't we unite at this critical time and stop hiding things?"

Surprisingly, this Demonic Beast was speaking in the Human Clan language. Each Demon Clan had its own unique animal language, but this complicated communication between different clans.

However, none of the races wanted to use another race's language, as it would be seen as a great humiliation. Eventually, they resorted to using the Human Clan language when they needed to communicate across racial boundaries.

Hu Meier, the Demonic Beast in question, was a white fox with three tails.

Upon hearing the grey eagle's inquiry, a wave of sadness welled up inside her.

Not long ago, a Flying Boat organized by the Human Clan had invaded the West Zhou Demon Realm, causing heavy casualties to their Western Demon Tribe, with one-third of their numbers lost. This included her Fox Clan, which had also suffered severe losses, leading to the disappearance of several subgroups.

Hu Meier glanced at the surrounding Demonic Beasts and replied, "We have all gathered."

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