White-Robed Chief

Zhou Huang glared at Chu Li. However, when Zhou Huanghe noticed the serious look on Chu Li’s face, he realized that Chu Li had made up his mind. Zhou Huang grudgingly said, “You’re insane. Why do you want to learn alchemy when you’re already so skilled at growing Spirit Herbs? Don’t you have enough Spirit Pills?”

“It’s more interesting to refine those pills on my own.”

“You should just save yourself the trouble and exchange the Spirit Herbs for Spirit Pills instead. Inexperienced people like you will require an unending supply of Spirit Herbs. I’d lose a huge amount of Spirit Herbs if I had to waste them on every single Pill-refining Master!” Zhou Huang huffed. “You may have a knack for growing Spirit Herbs, but you won’t be able to endure this.”

Chu Li smiled and said, “Elder Zhou, thank you very much for your concern, but you don’t have to worry. I won’t let this distract me from growing the Spirit Herbs.”

Chu Li chanted the sutras once a day now. Sometimes, he chanted them once every two or three days.

Zhou Huang impatiently said, “I don’t care whether you plant the Spirit Herbs or not. I just don’t want you to stray from your original path. How would you benefit from learning alchemy? Are you really going to focus on your alchemy obediently?”

Chu Li was a genius at cultivation. People like him were meant to do great things in the martial arts world. So how could Chu Li sit still beside the alchemy furnace? Chu Li would simply be wasting his time and energy to learn alchemy. The things that he gained would not make up for his losses.

Instead, the Spirit Herbs that Chu Li wasted could be exchanged for numerous Spirit Pills. Zhou Huang was not upset that Chu Li would be wasting his time and energy. Rather, Zhou Huang was upset because of the wasted Spirit Herbs.

Chu Li said, “I’m going to eat this Wind Speed Pill first before we continue our discussion.”

Chu Li kneaded the beeswax to get rid of it before he placed the pill in his mouth.

“Channel it quickly to prevent the pill from losing its effectiveness,” Zhou Huang said.

Chu Li nodded. Then, he crossed his legs and began the channeling process on his bed.

Chu Li opened his eyes fifteen minutes later. In the blink of an eye, his figure flashed before he reappeared outside the house. The moment Chu Li’s silhouette shifted, numerous figures appeared at the same time. Zhou Huang glanced at the shadows and then, he smiled as he said, “How is it?”

“I’m definitely faster now!” Chu Li said in awe.

Chu Li’s speed was nearly ten percent faster now — this was a shocking improvement.

It would be difficult to increase Chu Li’s speed by the slightest amount because he was already extremely fast. Nonetheless, this pill made Chu Li ten percent faster. Chu Li’s speed was completely different now because he could appear ten or even eleven meters away.

“It would be nice if we had a few more Wind Speed Pills.” Chu Li sighed.

“You must be dreaming!” Zhou Huang rudely spat. “There’s only one. I’ve also heard that the effectiveness of the Wind Speed Pill decreases with every pill you consume. It would be useless if you ate too many of them.”

Chu Li nodded.

Zhou Huang said, “You’re extremely lucky to have gotten the last pill.”

Chu Li smiled and said, “I’m very grateful to you, Elder Zhou.”

“I have another one. This is the Giant Spirit Pill.” Zhou Huang took another jade bottle out from his chest and passed it to Chu Li. “This pill will increase your strength. With your natural spiritual force strengthened, you’ll become much greater.”

Chu Li poured out a Spirit Pill that resembled a topaz. The pill was yellowish-brown, but it was smooth and shiny.

“I’m going to eat it.” Chu Li pinched off the beeswax and ate the pill in one go without holding back. He then channeled it again for fifteen minutes after that.

Chu Li waved his hand and suddenly, he whistled quietly.

“It’s great!” Chu Li said in admiration.

Chu Li could feel that his strength had increased greatly. The effects of the Wind Speed Pill had also allowed his hands to move faster. With this, Chu Li would be able to use his sword and attack at a quicker pace. The Light Blade’s destructive force had significantly increased as well. These two Spirit Pills made Chu Li much more powerful.

Chu Li shook his head and sighed. “The ancient people must have been extremely powerful.”

Having the ability to consume numerous pills like this allowed those people to be physically weak and yet, compared to the current masters of the martial arts world, they would be much stronger.

“There’s no point in admiring them,” Zhou Huang sneered. “It would be impossible for us to enter the Hundred-Thousand Hills. Every time I think of Hundred-Thousand Hills, I have this itch to go there. I wish I had wings so that I could just fly there. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to get out even if I could fly there!”

The Hundred-Thousand Hills had an endless supply of Spirit Herbs, including Spirit Herbs that were extinct everywhere else could also be found in Hundred-Thousand Hills. As someone from the Spirit Medicine Nursery, Zhou Huang was extremely envious of that.

“Elder Zhou, do you still have the formula for the Giant Spirit Pill?” Chu Li asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huang immediately realized that Chu Li had not given up on becoming a Pill-refining Master.

Zhou Huang grudgingly said, “Do you really want to learn alchemy?”

Chu Li shook his head. “I’m just curious. I want to try and learn it because it’s good to have a skill. That way, I won’t starve to death if my martial arts is crippled in the future.”

“Okay, okay!” Zhou Huang huffed. “Since you want to learn alchemy, I’ll introduce you to someone from the herbalist hall. We’ll see if you can learn it or not. However, we’ll make an agreement first. You’ll get a time period of one month and you’re only allowed to learn for a month!”

Chu Li gave a fist salute and smiled. “Thank you very much, Elder Zhou.”

“Hmph, don’t thank me just yet!” Zhou Huang looked angry as he turned around and left.

Chu Li said, “Let’s go there today.”

“Fine, let’s go.” Zhou Huang scoffed.

…

“Are you sure you want to learn alchemy?” the bug-eyed man coldly sneered while he stood before Chu Li.

Three people were currently having a conversation as they stood in front of a cave.

The bug-eyed elder was dressed in a black-colored traditional outfit. His ruddy complexion made it seem like he had stood under the hot sun for some time. More so, the old man’s eyes were bloodshot and narrowed as though he had been crying. He frantically reached his hands out and covered his eyes when a breeze blew past him, wanting to prevent the wind from blowing into his eyes.

Although the man hurriedly covered his eyes, some of the wind had still managed to enter. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face.

Chu Li nodded. “Elder Ni, I want to learn alchemy.”

“You should just concentrate on growing your Spirit Herbs. What makes you think you can learn alchemy?” Ni Hong wiped his tears before he coldly said, “It’s essential to concentrate on your work. Your mind and body must be focused on one point, and you can only do one thing at a time. If you attempt to grow Spirit Herbs for your Spirit Medicine while learning alchemy, you won’t achieve anything in the end!”

Chu Li said, “I’ve already made a deal with Elder Zhou. I’ll only spend a month learning this. If I fail to learn it, I’ll give up after a month.”

“A month!” Ni Hong sneered. “There would be no need for Pill-refining Masters if people could learn alchemy within a month.”

“Elder Ni, stop blabbering. If you’re going to teach him, then just say so.” Zhou Huang scoffed while he stood on the sidelines. “However, I don’t know what will happen to the Spirit Herbs in the future if you refuse to teach him.”

“Alright, I’ll give you a month,” Ni Hong coldly sneered. “I don’t care if you manage to learn it or not. I’m only going to teach you for a month!”

“Thank you very much, Elder Ni.” Chu Li gave him a fist salute.

Ni Hong snorted. “Pill-refining Masters must have great innate talents. So let’s begin now. We’ll start from the alchemy furnace before we move on to heat control. You can experience it for yourself at the end.”

Ni Hong led Chu Li into a deeper part of the cave.

The inside of the cave was tidy and spacious. There was an exquisite alchemy furnace that was as tall as a person when they were seated, and the meticulous patterns that were engraved on the alchemy furnace looked as though they could come alive.

There were several rocks below the alchemy furnace that resembled burned charcoal. These rocks also looked like steel that had turned red from being heated up as it produced a scorching heat.

“This is the alchemy furnace.” Ni Hong pointed at the object. His stern face had instantly softened while a gentle expression appeared. “The alchemy furnace is a Pill-refining Master’s closest companion. You’ll spend more time with the furnace than your wife.”

Chu Li nodded.

Ni Hong said, “The quality of the alchemy furnace is extremely significant. It’s also very important for you to have a good understanding of it. You must know the alchemy furnace as well as your own body, and you have to be equally sensitive toward the alchemy furnace too. Otherwise, you can’t become a Pill-refining Master.”

Chu Li nodded again.

Ni Hong continued, “As for heat control, I can’t fully explain that to you in an hour and a half; it’s too complicated. You must experience heat control on your own to understand it properly. Heat control feels different to each person, but it’s the most important part of alchemy. If you fail to master heat control, you can’t become a Pill-refining Master.”

“Elder Ni, does the herbalist hall have the formulas for the Wind Speed Pill and Giant Spirit Pill?” Chu Li interrupted the older man and asked.

“Wind Speed Pill and Giant Spirit Pill… Yes!” Ni Hong nodded and said, “They were simple spirit pills that could be easily refined in ancient times. However, it’s impossible to refine them now because we can’t find Wind Speed Grass or Titanium Grass anymore.”

Chu Li nodded once more. “Wind Speed Grass and Titanium Grass…”

“Don’t let your imagination run wild,” Ni Hong scoffed.