Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Fragile as Paper, a Martial Saint Moves Earth Fire

Wine is a poison that pierces the gut; lust, a blade that scrapes the bones.

There was a great deal of truth to this saying.

When Yang Chan rose to practice his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill, Xiaoyu’Er was still asleep, her face pale. Having received Yang Chan’s generous ’repayment,’ she was utterly drained of strength.

The Bone-Scraping Saber had stripped her of her energy and drive. She was still slumbering languidly, with no intention of getting up.

Yang Chan wasn’t surprised. After absorbing a mouthful of Purple Qi, he continued with his planned upgrades. If he ever had an extra point to spare, he would allocate it to his Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill. This allowed his energy to recover swiftly, leaving him brimming with vitality.

An ordinary person like Xiaoyu’Er was as fragile as paper before Yang Chan; they were not on the same level at all.

After finishing his Cultivation, Yang Chan went to get something to eat. Today’s Pharmacist Exchange Conference would involve Alchemy—a competition among the Pharmacists who had come to White Jade City.

This contest wasn’t a battle of Combat Power, but a competition of Alchemy Ability. Whoever refined the highest-level Elixir with the best effects would rank higher.

The Sect of the person who took first place would be rewarded with numerous Cultivation Resources from the Pharmacist Alliance. These resources were coveted even by experts at the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera stage, as they were all excellent materials for advancing one’s Cultivation.

The rewards for the other ranks would decrease in value, but the Cultivation Resources were still nothing to scoff at.

The Cyan Yuan Sect had sent both Yang Chan and Xu Gaocen this time. For the alchemy competition, they were counting on Xu Gaocen’s Alchemy Ability. As for Yang Chan, he was simply expected to perform as usual, absorb useful knowledge from the Pharmacist Exchange Conference, and advance to Intermediate Pharmacist as soon as possible.

Having one more young Intermediate Pharmacist would be a great benefit to the Cyan Yuan Sect, especially one with a decent Alchemy Ability. Such a person was even more worthy of nurturing.

What Elder Hua, Hua Yongnian, had told Gao Yuanlong and the others about having high hopes for Yang Chan wasn’t just empty talk; he was genuinely optimistic. Elder Hua and Elder Yan had discussed it and agreed that Yang Chan was worth nurturing.

This was why they had both agreed to let Yang Chan come to White Jade City.

Yang Chan didn’t wait long. Soon, Elder Yan and Xu Gaocen emerged from their rooms. He noticed Elder Yan’s legs buckle for a moment as he approached, a truly rare sight for an Inner Master.

The physique of an Inner Master was incredibly strong; something like one’s legs giving out should be virtually impossible.

Yang Chan could only think, ’The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He has to admit he’s getting old.’

’After all, who knows how many people there were, but it must have been at least two.’

Xu Gaocen, for his part, had dark circles under his eyes, but he still appeared to be in high spirits. Aside from occasionally rubbing his lower back, there was nothing particularly unusual about him.

In contrast, Yang Chan seemed perfectly normal. He followed behind the two with a steady gait, leading the people from the Cyan Yuan Sect toward the Pharmacist Alliance.

The escorting disciples could not enter the Pharmacist Alliance, but they waited outside. This was a sign of respect for Elder Yan, as well as a statement of the Cyan Yuan Sect’s position.

Yang Chan followed them inside. This time, the location wasn’t the sacrificial site from before, but a large courtyard filled with a scorching aura. Yang Chan was very familiar with this heat—it was Earth Fire.

Yang Chan had been shocked when he first learned that the Pharmacist Alliance in White Jade City possessed Earth Fire. To build a headquarters on top of it was truly audacious.

If the Earth Fire were to erupt, the Pharmacist Alliance would be instantly annihilated, and even White Jade City itself would suffer devastating losses.

However, once he learned the origin of the Earth Fire, he no longer had such thoughts.

The Pharmacist Alliance’s Earth Fire had been relocated here with the help of a Martial Saint from the Imperial Family. They also had an Array Master set up a Magic Array, which ultimately confined the Earth Fire to this small courtyard, rather than the entire Pharmacist Alliance headquarters.

Such a feat was truly breathtaking.

This had happened several hundred years ago. Its authenticity was confirmed not only by the records in the Pharmacist Alliance’s books but also by the very existence of the Earth Fire itself, which served as the best proof.

As for that Martial Saint from the Imperial Family, it was unknown whether he was still alive. An expert of that caliber was a true National Guardian Level existence and the key reason other Imperial Dynasties remained wary.

The vengeance of a living Martial Saint could not be taken lightly. They were beings capable of destroying cities and sundering mountains. An entire city couldn’t withstand such an expert for long. If you had no way to kill an existence of that level, you would be a fool to offend them.

A long time had passed since then. Even with a Martial Saint’s lifespan, he might not still be alive. This was one of the reasons for the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s current instability; some were probing to confirm whether the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty still had a Martial Saint.

Yang Chan’s group wasn’t the first to arrive, but somewhere in the middle of the pack. The only source of discomfort was the group next to them: the Celestial Sword Sect from Yu State. Their Advanced Pharmacist, Luo Zhenming, stood right beside Elder Yan. If the Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance, Lu Qianfan, hadn’t been speaking about the alchemy competition, the two of them would have already started arguing.

The two men truly had a terrible relationship, and the relations between their Sects were just as bad. If an opportunity to destroy the other ever arose, the Cyan Yuan Sect would certainly not let it pass.

Their silence now was a sign of immense restraint.

As Lu Qianfan, the Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance, spoke, Yang Chan began to understand the day’s proceedings. All the visiting Pharmacists would have to refine Elixirs, starting with the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill. The difficulty would increase in stages, with the competition concluding and the rankings decided after a total of four days.

Of the remaining three days, one would be for observing an Advanced Pharmacist’s Alchemy, one for observing a Top Level Pharmacist’s Alchemy, and the final day would be for announcing the rewards. After that, the triennial Pharmacist Exchange Conference would conclude.

This schedule had been maintained for many years and was unlikely to change under normal circumstances.

After Lu Qianfan, the Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance, finished speaking, he had people lead Yang Chan and the others to the location of the Earth Fire—that very same courtyard.

Inside a series of rooms that were open on both ends lay the true Earth Fire, controlled by a special Array. Yang Chan also spotted the flame-control valve that the expert Pharmacist had mentioned the day before. This was the key to refining even higher-level elixirs.

The Cyan Yuan Sect had one as well, but Yang Chan had never been there because the room was located much deeper, and the flame was rather difficult to control. Thus, he had never experienced it before. He found this method of refining novel and naturally wanted to give it a try.

In the Pharmacist Alliance’s courtyard, one didn’t have to endure such scorching temperatures, making the refining process much more manageable.

The Pharmacist Alliance had already prepared the materials for refining the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill. Each person received two sets. Anyone who failed to refine the pill twice would be automatically eliminated, meaning they would spend the next few days simply observing the others perform Alchemy.

’This might be humiliating for others, but for me, it’s actually a pretty good option,’ Yang Chan thought. ’I can’t be too obvious about it, though, and I definitely can’t be the first one out.’

’It would be best to make it to the second day and then fail. That would be perfectly reasonable.’