Seeing Zhao Sheng hesitate, the short, stout old man advised, "Senior, why not buy a first-grade high-quality alchemy furnace? If I'm not mistaken, you're probably just starting out in alchemy, there's no need to practice with a spiritual weapon furnace right away."
His words only made Zhao Sheng more determined.
"I have a manual on alchemy here; you can take a look at it first."
After speaking, Zhao Sheng took out a jade slip containing pill formulas from his storage bag and handed it to the short, stout old man.
"Really?" Master Jinming couldn't help but show his delight, and quickly took the jade slip, placing it between his eyebrows to read it.
Cough cough!
After a short while, Zhao Sheng noticed that the other party was engrossed in the jade slip and wouldn't put it down for a long time, so he deliberately coughed twice.
Master Jinming was pleasantly surprised and reluctantly put down the jade slip, a hint of embarrassment showing on his face.
"Please forgive me, senior. Master Canhezi's writings are so wonderful that I was so engrossed in reading them that I forgot the time."
Zhao Sheng felt that the other party was being a bit greedy, but he didn't want to dwell on such a small matter, so he generously said it was no problem.
When asked if this alchemy manual could be exchanged for a spiritual alchemy furnace, the short, stout old man confidently assured him that it could, and that it would be a top-quality piece of its kind.
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng's eyes flashed, and he suddenly said, "An exchange is fine, but I have one more condition."
"Senior, please speak," Master Jinming said readily.
"I want to learn alchemy, but I lack a good master. However, I don't want to become an apprentice. What do you think is the best way to resolve this?"
Master Jinming replied without hesitation, "It's simple. As long as you have enough spirit stones, I guarantee I'll find you a renowned master to guide you in alchemy in detail."
"I see!"
Zhao Sheng spoke noncommittally while retrieving the jade slip containing the pill formula.
Upon seeing this, Master Jinming became anxious and quickly said, "Senior, please wait. Whatever your request is, please feel free to tell me. I will do my best to fulfill it."
He couldn't let go of the alchemical realm personally written by Master Canhezi.
Others often call him a master, but Jin Ming himself knows that in front of a true alchemy master, his skills are simply not up to par.
Canhezi was a famous alchemy master in the Shattered Star Sea for over a thousand years.
His works are invaluable treasures to any alchemist, especially within the Alchemist Guild, where they are priceless.
It's like being in a completely different world when you're not in the same profession!
Zhao Sheng had no idea of Canhezi's true identity, and naturally, he couldn't have foreseen the true value of this alchemy manual.
Of course, even if he knew, Zhao Sheng wouldn't regret it. Because he didn't have the habit of hoarding his own possessions.
He wouldn't let go of any opportunity to take advantage of someone.
Zhao Sheng tapped the jade slip and muttered to himself, "I've thought about it. Exchanging this alchemy manual for a pill-refining furnace seems like a bad deal. If it's not feasible, I might as well not exchange it."
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming's face fell, and he said anxiously, "Senior, please think it over! At worst... at worst... wait, I've got it!"
As he spoke, Jin Ming slapped his thigh, his expression becoming excited, and hurriedly said, "Senior, I will personally guide you in alchemy, and I won't charge you any spirit stones. Is that alright?"
Are you sure you can do it?
Zhao Sheng drew out his words, his eyes subtly revealing a hint of disdain and suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming became even more excited. "Why not! Don't let my appearance fool you, I am one of the few second-tier alchemists in the guild, second only to the two guild leaders in status."
"Yeah?"
Zhao Sheng nodded noncommittally, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This alchemy manual can be traded, but only to you!"
Zhao Sheng emphasized the word "one person".
Jin Ming understood what he meant.
He thought for a moment, then nodded slightly in agreement.
"In that case, I look forward to your guidance in the future!" Zhao Sheng smiled slightly and pushed the jade slip back.
"Alright, let's pick a suitable alchemy furnace first."
Jin Ming reverted to his cunning businessman nature, quickly putting away the jade slip and then patting the apricot-yellow storage belt at his waist.
A flash of blue light appeared, and three radiant, ancient and uniquely styled alchemical cauldrons appeared on the table.
"How about it? These three are all spirit-grade alchemy furnaces from my collection. Each one is a masterpiece, definitely not ordinary stuff!" Jin Ming said proudly, stroking the nearest furnace.
"Indeed excellent!" As soon as these alchemy furnaces appeared, Zhao Sheng saw the spiritual light they emitted and the rich fragrance of the pills they exuded.
"Hehe! Not to brag, but you won't lose out if you choose any of these three alchemy furnaces!" The old man said with great delight when he saw that Zhao Sheng was somewhat moved.
Zhao Sheng smiled slightly, without saying a word of rebuttal, and slowly picked up a pill cauldron, using his divine sense to examine it.
"This is the Grinding Wind Cauldron, forged entirely from millennia-old bronze. It contains twenty-three pill-refining seals, allowing it to evenly absorb the temperature of spiritual fire. It is extremely stable, increases the success rate of pill formation, and is easy to manipulate..."
Whenever Zhao Sheng picked up a cauldron to examine it closely, Jin Ming would chatter incessantly praising it, his smug expression making everyone laugh.
"This is it!" After inspecting all three alchemy furnaces, Zhao Sheng pondered for a while and then pointed to a black alchemy furnace with three ears and six legs, and nine crimson fire dragons engraved on its inner wall, and said to the old man.
"Tsk tsk! Senior, you really have a good eye. This Nine Dragons Cauldron is absolutely the most suitable for you. Although it is only a low-grade spiritual artifact, it is inlaid with nine dragon fire apertures and can hold up to nine kinds of heaven and earth spiritual fire. For each additional spiritual fire, the grade of this cauldron will be raised. If all nine fires can be gathered, the Nine Dragons Cauldron is even comparable to a high-grade spiritual artifact alchemy furnace."
Jin Ming was slightly surprised when he saw Zhao Sheng choose the lowest grade item, but he quickly regained his composure and praised the Nine Dragon Cauldron to the skies in just a few words.
After putting away the Nine Dragon Cauldron, Zhao Sheng asked Jin Ming, "Master Jin, do you know how to refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"
Jin Ming was taken aback upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes, but he quickly said, "I'm not bragging, but there are no more than three people on the entire Nine Truths Island who can refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and my senior brother is one of them."
After saying that, he coughed and hesitated, "You are a Foundation Establishment senior, but you haven't formally become my disciple. I really don't deserve to be called your master. Let me be humble and suggest that we address each other as fellow Daoists from now on."
"Okay, that's how it will be done from now on. My real name is Zhao Chonghe, and I just joined the Spring and Autumn Alliance a few days ago." Zhao Sheng said readily.
After saying that, Zhao Sheng asked again, "Fellow Daoist Jin, may I ask if you have the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Jin Ming was taken aback again upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "I do have the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, but I cannot trade it to you for the time being."
Why?
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you may not know this, but the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill is extremely important. It requires one to be a second-tier alchemist of the Alchemist Association, and only after the two association leaders have given their unanimous approval can one exchange it for an equivalent treasure. If you truly wish to obtain this formula, you must first join the Alchemist Association," Jin Ming patiently explained.
"I see. I wonder how a pill refiner can join? And what are the requirements?" Zhao Sheng asked, a look of realization flashing across his face.
"It's very simple. As long as you can successfully refine ten kinds of first-tier pills with a success rate of over 50%, you can join the Alchemist Association after advancing to the first-tier Alchemist level," Jin Ming said with a smile.
"Thank you for telling me, fellow Daoist." After a moment's thought, Zhao Sheng thanked Jin Ming.
Then, the two discussed for a while and made detailed arrangements for teaching alchemy in the future.
Half an hour later, the two reached an agreement, and Zhao Sheng left the Dan Ding Hall under the pretext of having something to do.
Five days later, Zhao Sheng had initially refined the Nine Dragon Spirit Cauldron and headed towards Sunset Peak!
Upon arriving at Sunset Peak, Zhao Sheng entered through the cave entrance at the foot of the mountain. After showing his guest minister token to the guard, he smoothly entered the mountain's interior and walked along the fire-resistant brick path for a while.
In the alchemy room, the No. 1 fire chamber, Zhao Sheng finally met Jin Ming, who was sitting upright.
Standing beside him was a young man with long limbs and dark yellow skin, wearing a white robe with a blue glaze.
Upon meeting, after exchanging a few simple pleasantries, Zhao Sheng learned that the young man's name was Jin Dancheng, a relative of Jin Ming, and also his eldest disciple.
Jin Ming looked at Zhao Sheng and said bluntly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao is new to the Dao of Alchemy. The first step is not to learn how to refine pills, but to learn how to identify the types, origins, quality, pharmacology, and properties of spiritual herbs. After you have entered the field, you can learn how to process medicinal materials and how to control the fire. Only then can you try refining pills. So you should first learn from Dan Cheng, and if you have any questions, you can come and ask me."
Seeing Zhao Sheng's dissatisfaction, Jin Ming emphasized again: "Alchemy is not an easy task; it is several times more difficult than cultivation. Of course, with your Foundation Establishment realm, it may not take you more than a few years to learn this little bit of alchemy knowledge."
Zhao Sheng pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Alright! Then I'll trouble you, young friend Dan Cheng."
Upon seeing this, Jin Dancheng hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I dare not, I dare not. This junior will do his utmost to help senior master all the basics of alchemy as soon as possible."
...
After a cup of tea, Jin Dancheng led Zhao Sheng to a spirit medicine shop in Danhuofang.
This shop, named Zhenyaoge, was opened by Jin Ming. It occupies more than twenty rooms and is considered a large pharmacy in Danhuofang.
In the storeroom in the backyard where elixirs were stored, countless brown medicine boxes were arranged on the shelves, and the rows of shelves were arranged neatly like bookshelves in a library, filling the entire storeroom to the brim.
Jin Dancheng walked to the first row of medicine shelves, took out a medicine box, opened the box, and revealed a layer of withered yellow, fine as grass fibers inside.
"Senior, please look, this is the Yellow Beard Grass, it—"
"I know that!"
Halfway through explaining the Golden Elixir, Zhao Sheng rudely interrupted him: "Xuhuang Grass, bitter in taste and color, with a cold medicinal property, often grows on tree roots and in mountain hollows... Xuhuang Grass over a hundred years old is the main ingredient for refining Jade Yellow Elixir, a first-order detoxification pill, mainly used to neutralize poisonous snakes and scorpions..."
Watching Zhao Sheng talk on and on, Jin Dancheng couldn't help but swallow hard, a sheepish look on his face.
"...That's all I know. Does young friend Jin have anything to add?" Zhao Sheng asked Jin Dancheng with a sincere expression after he finished speaking.
"That's all! Senior's summary is excellent. Let's look at the next kind of spiritual medicine. Hmm, this is the Black Spirit Seed."
Jin Dancheng had only uttered half a sentence when Zhao Sheng interrupted him again: "I also know a little about this Black Spirit Seed. It grows on the Black Spirit Tree, bearing only one seed every ten years, and the seed does not fall when it ripens..."
...
Half an hour later, in the spirit medicine storehouse,
"What about the Agarwood Pearl?"
"Hmm, I know a little..."
As each medicine box was opened, Jin Dancheng opened them faster and faster, his expression growing increasingly somber.
He was shocked to discover that the Foundation Establishment senior in front of him had a knowledge of spiritual herbs that far exceeded his expectations.
Although he doesn't recognize all spiritual herbs, he can describe most of them in detail, and some even have a more comprehensive and detailed understanding than he does.
No joke!
Zhao Sheng has lived several lifetimes. In his third life, he spent most of his life collecting spiritual herbs. In his fourth life, he specially searched for and read through all kinds of scriptures and ancient books, cultivation methods, talismans, pills, artifacts, insects, formations, and any other knowledge and experiences related to cultivation.
Over the years, Zhao Sheng has accumulated a wealth of theoretical knowledge, and his understanding of elixirs is in no way inferior to that of ordinary alchemists.
Throughout the entire day, Zhao Sheng and Jin Dancheng, through their combined instruction and explanation, managed to go through the entire warehouse.
Jin Dancheng was deeply affected by this and almost became withdrawn.
That night, when Jin Dancheng reported Zhao Sheng's miracle to his master Jin Ming, Jin Ming was also greatly surprised.
Of course, he only thought that Zhao Sheng had worked hard for many years to learn alchemy, and he never imagined that the other party had something to hide.
Jin Ming thought about it again and realized that this was a great thing for him, so he directly instructed, "Here's what you'll do: start teaching him how to process medicinal herbs tomorrow. If he's still like this today, then teach him how to prepare spiritual medicine directly. Now, go!"
"Yes, Master!" Jin Dancheng nodded in agreement and withdrew.
...
Early the next morning, inside the Zhenyao Pavilion, a pharmaceutical factory.
Jin Dancheng led Zhao Sheng into a spacious room filled with the fragrance of herbs.
The room was furnished with four long wooden tables, each with various specialized tools and a wide array of fresh medicinal herbs.
Jin Dancheng stepped forward, picked up a palm-sized brown Ganoderma lucidum, turned to Zhao Sheng, and confidently said, "This is a sea Ganoderma lucidum, a specialty of the Shattered Star Sea. It grows on the seabed and is most susceptible to damage from being dried over a fire. It is usually prepared with water jade..."
To Jin Dancheng's surprise, Zhao Sheng did not interrupt him this time, but listened with great interest.
"Alright. Give it a try!"
Jin Dancheng's confidence soared, and he gave the sea lingzhi to Zhao Sheng to personally try processing.
"good!"
Without hesitation, Zhao Sheng took the sea lingzhi, picked up the water jade pestle, and gently squeezed the cap of the lingzhi. The excess water quickly dripped from the edge of the lingzhi.
Jin Dancheng stared at Zhao Sheng's skillful and professional technique, and was once again speechless.
You said you were just a beginner, so why are your techniques so skillful?
Is this a joke?!
As a result, the process of preparing the elixir was once again accelerated, and accelerated again.
In just seven days, Jin Dancheng looked completely dejected, as if his body had been hollowed out and it was difficult to squeeze out any fresh juice—well, knowledge!
"What? He's finished studying again!"
That night, after listening to his apprentice's report, Jin Ming was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.