CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: CLOUD-BREAKING PILL

"Just in time for the assessment, if the Young Sect Leader truly wants to join our Alchemy Master Alliance, the two of us can recommend you. By then, you only need to participate in the assessment, obtain the Alchemist credential, and you will be considered an alchemist of our alliance." Li Huayuan spoke.

The Alchemy Master Alliance has established itself in the Profound Domain for many years and has developed to be extremely large, with countless divisions.

Such assessments are held once a year and simultaneously in various places.

The assessment in the Chu Kingdom will be held in ’Celestial Essence City,’ which is the imperial capital of the Chu Kingdom, and it is incredibly prosperous.

"The assessment will take place in half a month. I can send a message to Celestial Essence City now to arrange the registration for the Young Sect Leader; you just need to attend by that time." Qin Lan said.

"In that case, I’ll trouble Elder Qin." Ji Chen nodded.

Li Huayuan said, "Normally, before becoming an alchemist of the alliance, one must first participate in the First Grade Alchemist assessment, and no one is an exception. However, the assessment lasts for three days, and the Young Sect Leader can then participate in the Second Grade and even Third Grade assessments."

In his view, Ji Chen’s attainments in the Alchemy Dao are extremely high, definitely not limited to just First, Second, or Third Grade. Li Huayuan was very much looking forward to seeing what level Ji Chen had reached now.

"We’ll see when the time comes." Ji Chen replied, "For now, just help me register for the First Grade assessment."

"Okay." Qin Lan nodded.

Ultimately, the three of them bid farewell to each other and left the Drunken Ink Residence.

Ji Chen sat down in the courtyard.

He handed over the few martial techniques he had imprinted during this period to Fang Qingyao for her to practice.

As for the remaining ones, he sent them to Ji Xiaotian to be sold outside in exchange for some spirit stones.

After all, the Lingyun Sect requires a considerable amount of spirit stones now.

In addition, a large number of Qi Gathering Pills need to be refined. The herbs planted in the Pill Pavilion alone are not enough, so they must be procured from the outside, which is also a significant expense.

This made Ji Chen sigh; managing a sect is undoubtedly not an easy task.

In his past life, although he was a Pill and Martial Arts Dual Expert, towering over the ages, he was always a lone wolf, never joining any power, let alone putting in so much effort to strengthen a sect as he does now.

"The short-term development is almost planned out."

Looking into the distance, Ji Chen muttered to himself, "Purple Cloud Sect, huh..."

"The overlord of the Profound Domain?"

He couldn’t help but let out a sneer, "I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction you will have when you discover that the Lingyun Sect suddenly rises in the near future."

...

Time flew by.

A few more days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Ji Chen relied on the help of spirit stones and Spirit Gathering Pills, operating the Supreme Scripture in cultivation, and his cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds.

By now, his strength had once again made a breakthrough, and he has officially reached the Third Layer of the Vein Condensation Realm.

And within his Spiritual Sea, he possessed nine spirit veins. Along with the Phantom Sword Technique and other Profound Tier Martial Techniques, Ji Chen now, without exaggeration, could say that if he were to strike with full strength, even cultivators of the Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Vein Condensation Realm would not be his match.

This day, Ji Chen rose and left the Drunken Ink Residence.

He headed in the direction of the Pill Pavilion.

"Have you heard? From next month onwards, the sect will distribute a type of Second Grade elixir called the Spirit Gathering Pill to us. It’s said to be extremely effective. I can’t wait to get it."

On a path through a bamboo grove, Ji Chen was passing by and happened to overhear some disciples’ discussions as they reached his ears.

"Really? The sect can’t make ends meet and can hardly maintain operations. Why would they suddenly be so generous and distribute elixirs?" someone was surprised, clearly just hearing about this matter.

Ji Chen did not pay any mind to such comments.

Soon, he arrived at the Pill Pavilion.

Li Huayuan, upon learning of his arrival, came out to greet him willingly.

Now, even Wang Ping’s attitude towards Ji Chen had undergone a complete transformation.

As the Medicine Boy by Li Huayuan’s side, he was one of the few within Lingyun Sect aware of some insider details.

In the recent period, news of the Qi Gathering Pills had spread throughout Lingyun Sect, and many people were unaware of why the sect had suddenly become so generous.

But Wang Ping knew very well in his heart.

All of this was closely related to Ji Chen, the Young Sect Leader.

Behind the notorious reputation of a dissolute brat, Ji Chen hid an identity that was known to very few.

"If the Young Sect Leader has any matters, just send someone to inform me and I will visit you at Drunken Ink Residence. How dare I trouble you to come to my Pill Pavilion in person?" Li Huayuan welcomed Ji Chen into the Pill Pavilion, puzzled as to why Ji Chen chose to visit suddenly today.

"It’s nothing important."

Ji Chen smiled, "I plan to borrow your Pill Pavilion to refine some elixirs."

"I see."

Li Huayuan realized, no wonder Ji Chen had to come in person.

With such thoughts, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

After all, all this time, he had never truly seen Ji Chen refine elixirs closely; he wondered if he could observe this time.

Ji Chen could see his thoughts and said with a faint smile, "If you want to watch, you can, but I haven’t gathered all the herbs yet. I’ll need you to have someone go to Yang City to procure them for me."

Saying this, he took out the herb list he had already prepared.

"Fourth Grade elixir!"

With just a glance, Li Huayuan couldn’t help but be shocked.

Although he didn’t know what elixir Ji Chen was going to refine, the herbs used were all valuable, and most of them were only used in refining Fourth Grade elixirs.

"Indeed, it’s a Fourth Grade elixir." Ji Chen nodded.

This time, the elixir he intended to refine was called the ’Cloud-Breaking Pill,’ a magical elixir that could forcibly raise a person’s cultivation by several minor realms.

After all, he was going on a trip to participate in the assessment at Celestial Essence City, and in Ji Chen’s view, carrying some Cloud-Breaking Pills on him was never a bad thing.

With his current Third Layer cultivation in the Vein Condensation Realm, after taking the Cloud-Breaking Pill, his cultivation would instantly be raised to about Six to Seven Layers in the Vein Condensation Realm, a truly drastic increase in strength.

However, it does have significant side effects.

For ordinary cultivators, such an elixir, after its effects wore off, would cause more or less damage to the Spiritual Sea, taking two to three months to several years to recover, possibly never fully recovering.

But Ji Chen was different. With nine spirit veins, his Spiritual Sea was incredibly strong, so the side effects of the Cloud-Breaking Pill were almost nonexistent for him.

Soon, Wang Ping left the Lingyun Sect with the herb list, heading to Yang City to procure the herbs.

The travel and procurement time would take about half a day.

In the meantime, Ji Chen stayed in the Pill Pavilion, guiding Li Huayuan on some alchemy problems he encountered.

Finally, at dusk, as the sunset dyed the sky, Wang Ping returned with the herbs.

Two sets, because Ji Chen wasn’t sure if he could refine the Cloud-Breaking Pill successfully in one attempt, so he prepared an extra set.

Of course, this also cost a significant number of spirit stones.

After all, the materials for a Fourth Grade elixir are valuable.

Just these two sets of herbs cost nearly three thousand spirit stones!

This was no small amount, almost equivalent to two months of the Lingyun Sect’s expenses.

In the past, Ji Chen wouldn’t have been able to come up with such stones.

But by selling the imprinted martial techniques through Ji Xiaotian, he had exchanged them for quite a few spirit stones.

Three thousand spirit stones were now nothing to him.