Chapter 33: The Basics of Qi-Blood Dispersion

"Jiuzhang, don't let me down!" Without paying attention to the alchemy preparations outside, Lin Yuan's focus was entirely on the Jiuzhang at this moment.

With his mind immersed in the Jiuzhang space, Lin Yuan observed carefully.

The leaf representing the technique for refining the Qi-Blood Powder quietly sprouted, vibrant and tender, like spring tea awaiting the warmth of the sun.

His suspended heart finally settled.

For half a month, he had been tirelessly studying and comprehending the foundational text of medicines day and night, becoming thoroughly familiar with its content. Yet, without opportunities to engage and comprehend practically, he was left with theories untested, trapped outside a positive cycle of spiraling growth.

But now, seeing the Jiuzhang sprout, he felt immensely reassured.

"As I suspected, the Qi-Blood Powder's refining is akin to martial cultivation techniques, capable of being deduced. Thus, my refining methods and understanding of pharmacology are no longer a bottleneck for me."

"With sufficient pills to ensure the deduction of the Qi-Blood Powder, I can continue to deduce, not only the Qi-Blood Powder but even the Five Qi Pill and higher-level pills."

"A smooth path lies before me. What I currently lack is merely that spark to light a conflagration."

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan's heart calmed.

He quietly withdrew from the Jiuzhang space.

The alchemy outside continued, with Shen Huaining guiding Ji Shengfang step by step through the alchemical process, adding herbs to the Pill Furnace.

Clang! Clang!

The sound continued, as Ji Shengfang, following Shen Huaining's previous alchemy techniques, relentlessly used Qi-Blood to decompose and refine the herbs within the furnace.

As the fragrance grew richer, Ji Shengfang's steps suddenly faltered, unable to perform the next refining technique.

At this moment, Ji Shengfang's face was flushed, panting heavily, trying to continue using Qi-Blood for refining. After all, he was not a true alchemist and lacked proficiency in refining techniques.

"Stop!" Shen Huaining shouted, swiftly intervening to correct Ji Shengfang's mistake, preventing the herbs from being ruined, while also urging Ji Shengfang to halt.

Then, Shen Huaining took over the refining process, and before long, the second furnace of pills was completed.

"This month, you've completed nearly half of the alchemy process, showing slight improvement, but it needs further strengthening." After refining this batch of Qi-Blood Powder, Shen Huaining nodded at Ji Shengfang.

Ji Shengfang, hearing this, smiled with joy: "Thank you, Pharmacist Shen, for your guidance."

He felt a sense of pride, having completed half of the alchemy process, which was far ahead of other chore disciples in Renxin Hall. This was why he could firmly hold the position of the top chore disciple under Pharmacist Shen.

After speaking, he glanced at the crowd beside him and smiled with satisfaction, stepping aside.

The alchemy progress of the following individuals was far behind Ji Shengfang, each stopping at roughly thirty percent of the process. By the time it reached the final person, less than ten percent was completed.

However, Shen Huaining was well aware of these individuals' alchemical foundations and didn't comment much.

Watching the queue in front of him gradually decrease, Lin Yuan felt anxious.

Except for today, he had never participated in refining the Qi-Blood Powder. If he were truly asked to start now, he would be at a loss.

"Since I'm here, I might as well relax. If I can't, then I can't. If Shen Huaining forces me to refine, it would be utterly embarrassing. Perhaps today I won't be asked to refine; maybe it's just an assessment of sorts."

"If it's a test of my foundational knowledge of pharmacology, that wouldn't be too difficult."

With these thoughts flashing across his mind, Lin Yuan felt assured, a quiet confidence appearing in his expression.

"How's the foundational pharmacology reading?" Shen Huaining asked, his expression solemn as he looked at Lin Yuan.

"I've read most of it, though there are still areas I haven't fully grasped," Lin Yuan replied humbly.

At this, Ji Shengfang in the crowd nudged Miao He with a glance.

Miao He, understanding the gesture, interjected loudly with praise: "Pharmacist, Brother Lin has been diligently cultivating and studying, demonstrating a profound understanding of pharmacology. In the Furnace Hall, his identification of inferior herbs is especially notable, many being indistinguishable even to trained eyes, yet they can't escape his discerning gaze. No mishaps have occurred in any tasks to date."

Hearing this, the crowd couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"The herbs in the Furnace Hall don't even retain their original appearance. How could he identify all herbs, and even discern their quality, with just a foundational pharmacology book?"

"We've all read the foundational pharmacology; it's incredibly extensive. How can someone memorize it all in just a month? Is Lin Yuan truly that talented?"

"No way, right? Could Lin Yuan really be a genius of alchemy? He doesn't seem to have any special skills besides being good-looking. You never hear much of his reputation either."

Amidst everyone's skepticism, Ji Shengfang smiled mockingly to himself. He was certain that Lin Yuan couldn't have completely read the foundational pharmacology. Ji Shengfang himself had spent over half a year at Renxin Hall and had the opportunity to compare real objects with illustrations, touching and tasting them to barely grasp the basics.

"Trying to compete with me for the pharmacist disciple position? Good luck trying." At this moment, Ji Shengfang was watching Lin Yuan with the same amusement as watching a monkey perform tricks.

There's a term for this—sabotaging by excessive praise!

Lin Yuan was aware of this; Ji Shengfang and Miao He wished to see him fail. The higher the praise, the harder the fall.

First impressions are crucial. If his performance in this first alchemy session didn't satisfy Shen Huaining, it would basically mean self-destruction of his future. Because if an ordinary person doesn't capture Shen Huaining's special attention, they wouldn't stand a chance of entering Shen Huaining's alchemy hall, let alone receiving Shen Huaining's personal teaching.

But if Lin Yuan failed to impress this time, making Shen Huaining overlook him, he might forever lose the chance to learn alchemy, doomed to spend three years manning the Furnace Hall's ledger, only to eventually be expelled from the academy in despair.

But he wasn't afraid because even if Shen Huaining wasn't pleased, he could rely on the Jiuzhang to refine the Qi-Blood Powder. By then, achieving a status equivalent to Shen Huaining, he wouldn't need Shen Huaining's direct instruction.

As everyone harbored their own thoughts.

"What's the efficacy difference between Purple Ancient Silk and Blue Ancient Silk?" Shen Huaining suddenly posed a question.

Upon hearing this query, over thirty individuals fell into deep thought.

"Ah, what's the distinction between them? Why can't I recall it?" someone murmured, drawing a blank.

"This herb is too obscure, I can't think of it right away."

Lin Yuan, upon hearing the question, pondered slightly.

He was quite familiar with these two herbs, as both could enhance Qi-Blood, which he had paid special attention to. He frequently used them when preparing inferior herbs.

With a brief moment of reflection, he replied: "According to the book, Purple Ancient and Blue Ancient are cultivated using different materials. Purple Ancient Silk requires the monthly application of live animal blood for growth, thus its efficacy is approximately thirty percent higher than that of Blue Ancient."

"Hmm? Yes, I remember now, that's true."

"Lin Yuan really knows his stuff, being able to recall even this. Could he truly be a genius?"

"Only a month passed; how could he possibly remember all this? Could he be guessing?" Lin Yuan's answer suddenly sparked everyone's fading memories.

Seeing Lin Yuan answer calmly, Ji Shengfang and Miao He exchanged glances, a shadow crossing their eyes.

"A blind cat catching a dead rat! He surely won't be able to answer the next question," Miao He thought, frowning.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad," Shen Huaining said, stroking his beard, feeling pleased.

He asked two more in-depth alchemy-related questions. Lin Yuan, at this point, knew nothing about them and could only admit ignorance.

Despite this, Shen Huaining was quite satisfied, "You haven't engaged in alchemy techniques yet, right?"

"Today, you don't need to stay for the last batch. But next month, I will be assessing you." Shen Huaining instructed, "Sheng Fang, get a set of alchemy equipment and the Qi-Blood Powder recipe for Lin Yuan."

"Yes, Pharmacist Shen, I'll take care of it immediately," Ji Shengfang bowed and replied, his eyes shadowed.

He had intended to use this occasion to leave Lin Yuan with an impression of being incompetent in Shen Huaining's mind. Who would have thought Lin Yuan actually had some actual skills? This maneuver not only backfired but indeed left Shen Huaining with an impression of Lin Yuan being diligent and eager to learn.

Thus ended the first alchemy session.

*******

Back in the Furnace Hall, at the ledger desk.

Lin Yuan focused himself, sitting quietly for a long time to calm the turmoil within. The reason was simple, the method for refining Qi-Blood Powder had begun to take shape, only lacking a spark to ignite it.

"Fellow disciples, the Qi-Blood Powder for this month has been distributed, fresh from the furnace." As Lin Yuan pondered, Liu Chaoyi entered the Furnace Hall with the monthly share.

"Great, I've been waiting for this warmth," the chore disciples of the Furnace Hall said, grinning as they received their share of Qi-Blood Powder from Liu Chaoyi.

"Old Liu, where's the special supply prepared for Junior Sister Wang this month? Let us have a look."

"Hahaha. Old Liu, I heard Junior Sister Wang has been getting close to another fellow disciple recently; you should put in more effort," amidst Liu Chaoyi's distribution of Qi-Blood Powder, teasing voices rang out endlessly.

"Go, go, go, get lost, you clods can't understand Junior Sister Wang's thoughts," Liu Chaoyi's old face turned red as he hastily dismissed these Furnace Hall disciples, then hurriedly left.

Holding the Qi-Blood Powder, Lin Yuan felt exceptionally calm. The monthly share was but a drop in the bucket compared to his need. However, once he had enough energy to deduce the Qi-Blood Powder refining method, problems that had plagued his martial practice for some time would be resolved.

According to his calculations, deducing the Qi-Blood Powder refining method would require about the same amount of Qi-Blood Powder needed to deduce the Scarlet Spirit technique. Based on the Qi-Blood Powder allocation, it amounted to roughly eight hundred to a thousand taels of Silver, an enormous sum considering his current situation.

Based on Lin Yuan's current earning pace, without external interference, it would take nearly two years to accumulate that amount of money.

"Still too slow, there's no time for this," he thought.

He had a nagging premonition that his side business of selling fake medicine couldn't last long. There were mainly two reasons: firstly, it was affecting the business of some pharmacies, providing chore disciples with cheap Healing Medicine; secondly, as more people used it, there would inevitably be others eyeing the money earned from selling ointment.