Chapter 99 - Exchanging Recipes

Having resolved the issue of champions, the old man turned his mind to his concoction while Ao Wen began discussing her strategy with the young men who stood for her. Briefly, Ao Wen approached the Zhang family Patriarch to discuss the barrier he would be placing around the confrontation. After all, not only would there be several Brawlers throwing about their martial energy during the battle, but two Alchemists would be concocting and a disrupted concoction could have all manner of consequences. While the Zhang family patriarch thought she was being overly cautious, he agreed to use a barrier that would be effective against even the attacks of fourth-stage cultivators. After all, as Ao Wen pointed out, even a small failure of a barrier segment could unleash a cloud of vapor that was deadly to mortals.

Meanwhile, Wai Dan knew he couldn't attempt anything too complicated, concocting in the middle of an active fight was already madness! With so many distractions it would take every ounce of his concentration just to ensure his refinements succeeded. At the same time, if he chose a recipe that was too easy, it would be as good as passing a win to Ao Wen. He had to select something obscure enough to give the young fraud trouble yet still looked approachable enough for her to fall into the trap. At the same time, the recipe needed to be familiar enough to him that he would have no trouble concocting it under pressure of this challenge. 

Finally, after careful consideration, he began to write out an elixir recipe before presenting it to Ao Wen as though holding a viper that he dared her to take from his outstretched hand. "I trust this meets the needs of the challenge?" Wai Dan said tersely. The recipe he presented was one of his own personal formulas, created after years of research on the native flora of the Thundercloud forest. He doubted any foreign alchemist would grasp the concoction method from the recipe alone but she hadn't said he needed to provide the concoction method, only the recipe! This would be his second trap! 

"Interesting," Ao Wen said as she studied the recipe. "By removing Stalwart Gypsum Root and replacing it with the ground core of Thundercloud Plums and Ironwood Sap you've managed to lower the costs to produce a batch of Heaven's Dew Restorative Elixir by half while only lowering its effectiveness by one part in five," she said, assessing the recipe. "It wouldn't be suitable in real combat applications since it introduces the sideffect of drowsiness, but for post battle recovery or use in martial tournaments it isn't a bad variation," she praised. 

"Heaven's Dew Restorative Elixir?" Alchemist Wai asked. "There's a similar recipe that you're familiar with?" She had to be bluffing! This was his personal research of many years! He'd worked from first principals and ancient texts! There was no way she could know this recipe.

"There is, I assumed you used it as a base recipe because Stalwart Gypsum Trees only grow in arid climates with rich mineral deposits and isn't easily obtained here. This sort of elixir, when properly concocted, fades bruises in minutes, eases the aches of joints and speeds the healing of cuts and abbrasions, it even helps clear the fog of head wounds. It's really a useful variation that you've developed," she said honestly. Truthfully, seeing the Independent Alchemist's work and his standard, she felt that he was deserving of some respect as an opponent. Not that she intended to hold back in any respect, rather, she would do the opposite, bringing her full skills to bear against the overbearing goat of an alchemist. 

"Since Alchemist Wai has shared his personal work, I'll share one of my own as well," she said as she began writing. Ao Wen's writing took considerably longer and filled multiple pages compared to the simple recipe that the older man had presented to her. When she finished, she gave the other alchemist a slight smile in pride as she presented her work. "Hopefully Alchemist Wai finds this as interesting."

"Dragon's Tongue Firebreath Elixir!" He couldn't help himself from reading the title of the recipe in shock. Pouring over the ingredients he found nothing more draconic than Ember Glow Snapdragon petals, but as his eyes flickered from one volatile ingredient to the next, his bushy eyebrows creeping higher and higher! "This is madness! A person who imbibes this will most certainly explode!"

"No they won't," Ao Wen explained with a smile. "That's what the Warrior's Crypt Bleeding Heart and the Iron Tusk Boar's stomach lining are for. When the heart beats fast enough and the stomach is properly fortified, any first stage cultivator will be able to exhale a tongue of flame five meters long and up to two meters wide," she explained, drawing shocked looks and amazed gasps from many in the audience. For most people in Turning Leaf town, the only elixirs they encountered were either treatments for illnesses or methods of supporting cultivation. Single use elixirs that gave a boost in strength might appear rarely but an elixir intended to be used as a weapon was all but unheard of! 

"I've given this elixir to hundreds of warriors in the battle against Yin Fiends because they're particularly susceptible to flames and incinerating corpses is one of the few ways to make sure that the dead don't crawl out of shallow graves to fight you again," Ao Wen explained, painting a horrific scene for the cultivators and mortals gathered in the great hall. "I've included the concoction method for you as well," she said with a predatory grin. "I'm sure that an accomplished Independent Alchemist who challenged the alchemy standards of my Sacred Flame Celestial Temple will have no trouble with this little elixir devised by an Alchemy Novice," she added with an even wider grin and dangerous flames flashing in her eyes. 

"Of course there's no difficulty," Wai Dan said, clutching the notes Ao Wen had given him as though strangling them. "Today, you'll learn the dangers of challenging your betters!"