Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Ancient Spirit Pill, a Bright Future

Cyan Yuan Sect.

Earth Fire Institute.

Yang Chan stared helplessly at the pile of ash that was once his materials.

The Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill was even more difficult to refine than he had anticipated, demanding an even more precise control over the heat.

’If I’d been in White Jade City, watching those people successfully refine the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill would have been a huge help. After all, people like Xu Gaocen were all capable of making it. If it hadn’t been for the problem with the Earth Fire, and then someone getting caught and disrupting the rest of the process, I definitely would have learned something.’

’Although I failed to refine the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill, at least I’ve gained some experience. Next time, I just need to avoid the mistakes I made this time.’

’I can also ask Princess Lan Yue for advice. It would be a waste not to use such a talent.’

Yang Chan wasn’t surprised by his failure. Refining the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill was a whole level above elixirs like the Cyan Spirit Pill, with much stricter requirements for heat control and ingredient combinations.

Besides, he had no one to teach him, so failure was to be expected.

Besides, failure is the mother of success.

Plus, he still had Princess Lan Yue as a tool. He could ask her for guidance later. It would be a terrible waste not to use someone so talented.

’Time to start refining the Ancient Spirit Pill!’

He had learned a few things about refining the Ancient Spirit Pill from Princess Lan Yue, so it wasn’t as if he was completely unprepared.

More importantly, he had prepared a large quantity of materials, so a few failures wouldn’t be a problem. This was a much better situation than with the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill.

After all, he was still missing Ghost Spirit Grass and Fragrant Celestial Flower to try again, and could only wait for news from the Han Family.

In a while, he also planned to get a well-deserved promotion to Intermediate Pharmacist. By then, his authority to acquire medicinal herbs would be higher.

Yang Chan prepared the materials and began his Alchemy once more.

The process of adding ingredients for the Ancient Spirit Pill wasn’t that complicated. He only needed to follow the general sequence. Even if there were some slight deviations in the order, he could still succeed as long as he maintained control. It wasn’t nearly as strict as the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill, where the slightest change in sequence or timing would result in immediate failure.

Yang Chan knew this, but for his first attempt, he still followed the alchemy process Princess Lan Yue had given him. He carefully observed how the Medicinal Properties of the ingredients fused, wanting to understand the secrets within.

Compared to the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill, he had plenty of materials for the Ancient Spirit Pill. Even a few more failures wouldn’t matter much to him. What was important was figuring out its secrets.

...

Yuanqing Courtyard.

’This won’t do. Cultivating the Emperor’s Shocking Book consumes too much energy. If I can’t replenish my supply of elixirs, my future Cultivation will slow to a crawl, and I might not be able to advance at all.’

Princess Lan Yue’s brows were tightly furrowed.

She had asked Yang Chan for a private space within Yuanqing Courtyard. After finishing her usual duties as a maid, she would come here to practice the Emperor’s Shocking Book and the Long Moon Sword Song.

Princess Lan Yue had never given up on her Cultivation; she was just working hard in secret. But her elixirs were being consumed rapidly, and Cultivation Resources didn’t just fall from the sky.

Previously, she was a Commandery Princess of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, the apprentice of the Pharmacist Alliance’s Vice Alliance Leader, and an Intermediate Pharmacist herself. She naturally never lacked Cultivation Resources. Whatever she needed, someone would deliver it. Whatever elixir she wanted to refine, someone would prepare the materials for her.

But that wasn’t possible in the Cyan Yuan Sect. She was still hiding her identity. If she were exposed, her situation would become extremely dire, and it would affect Yang Chan as well.

’It wasn’t that she cared about Yang Chan’s safety. It’s just that she was still afflicted by the Three Flower Insect Divine Pill. If her identity were exposed, she suspected Yang Chan might just hand over her head to the Great Zhou Imperial Family to appease them, using the opportunity to flee himself.’

’Having spent some time with Yang Chan, Princess Lan Yue felt this was a very likely possibility, so she had no choice but to consider his side of things.’

’Now that she was short on Cultivation Resources, she naturally had to turn her attention to Alchemy. It was her strong suit, and by using Yang Chan’s identity, she could legitimately obtain more resources.’

’However, with Yang Chan’s current status as a Basic Level Pharmacist, he should be able to refine some elixirs for the Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens, which would be enough to meet my Cultivation needs for now.’

’It should be sufficient until I break through to the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera.’

’The next time I see Yang Chan, I must bring this up. Otherwise, without the support of these Cultivation Resources, my Iron Bone Tempering process will become even slower.’

’Let alone continuing to cultivate the Emperor’s Shocking Book. My body’s Essence Qi would be completely drained dry.’

Princess Lan Yue thought to herself.

Although she was currently under Yang Chan’s control, she could also gain many benefits through his identity. This was far better than her plan back on the borderlands.

The Cyan Yuan Sect might not be as powerful as the Great Zhou Imperial Family, but hiding within it during these early stages and using the opportunity to improve was an excellent choice.

’The bone-tempering effect of the Long Moon Sword Song is inferior to the External Refining Chapter of the Emperor’s Shocking Book. Unfortunately, I can’t just switch over yet. I still haven’t comprehended the Imperial Extreme Power. It will take more time.’

Princess Lan Yue had read about the External Cultivation in the Emperor’s Shocking Book; it was naturally much better than the Long Moon Sword Song. The tempering process would even be easier to complete.

Since she wanted to raise her Cultivation quickly, she naturally planned to switch to the External Refining Chapter of the Emperor’s Shocking Book. However, just switching was useless. She first needed to practice the book’s Sensing Chapter and comprehend the Imperial Extreme Power.

Princess Lan Yue hadn’t comprehended it yet. The Emperor’s Shocking Book had only been in her possession for a little over three months, which wasn’t a long time. However, she felt she was close. When the time came, she could try switching over directly to speed up her Iron Bone Tempering.

"Xiaoxiang, Pharmacist Yang is back from Alchemy. Come with me to boil some water. Pharmacist Yang will definitely want a bath later, so let’s get it ready first."

As Princess Lan Yue was cultivating, the voice of the maid, Xiaomei, called out, and it wasn’t quiet.

Xiaomei was one of Yang Chan’s maids. She knew this was a training area Yang Chan had specifically set aside for Xiaoxiang, so she didn’t run inside, calling out from the courtyard instead.

In Xiaomei’s mind, Xiaoxiang was the most likely among them to receive Yang Chan’s favor, otherwise he wouldn’t treat her so specially.

After all, Yang Chan had brought Xiaoxiang back personally, given her this place to practice martial arts, and even allowed her to cultivate the Cyan Yuan Sect’s Martial Arts. If she managed to comprehend Power, she might be valued even more by Yang Chan.

Her potential was huge. Therefore, Xiaomei often chatted with Xiaoxiang to build a good relationship. In the future, she might be able to ride on Xiaoxiang’s coattails to reach her dream position and change her own life.

"Alright, I’m coming now."

Princess Lan Yue stopped and replied.

She had adapted to her new identity quickly. Or perhaps it was because these were all tasks she used to order others to do, so she knew the general process.

She had even begun practicing the proper forms of address long before leaving White Jade City. Otherwise, a single slip-up like saying "this Commandery Princess" could easily expose her identity.

While at the Cyan Yuan Sect, on the rare occasion she might start to call herself ’this Commandery Princess,’ she would catch herself at the first word and seamlessly change the subject. Now, she was becoming more and more proficient at it, no longer at risk of exposing herself.

After letting out a breath, Princess Lan Yue walked toward Xiaomei. Her current identity came with many restrictions, but the situation was still much better than she had expected.

At least she wasn’t a fugitive, nor did she have to worry constantly about her safety. As long as Yang Chan hadn’t obtained the most crucial knowledge from her, he certainly wouldn’t harm her. She could use this opportunity to continuously improve.

Once she possessed enough strength, her safety would no longer be an issue.

Princess Lan Yue’s duties in Yuanqing Courtyard were actually not that numerous. With more than ten maids serving Yang Chan alone, the work was divided up and became very light for each person. Plus, the heavy labor didn’t fall to them, so it was quite relaxed.

It was countless times better than being a Servant Disciple of the Cyan Yuan Sect. Even someone like Princess Lan Yue had a considerable amount of time to cultivate each day.

"Xiaoxiang, let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Pharmacist Yang waiting," Xiaomei said, a flash of envy in her eyes as she saw the beads of sweat on Princess Lan Yue’s forehead.

She had also tried to cultivate, but unfortunately, her talent was poor, she had no Cultivation Resources, and her monthly allowance was sent home. On top of that, Cultivation was too difficult to learn, so she had given up.

Among the dozen or so maids in Yuanqing Courtyard, only Princess Lan Yue was still persisting. Xiaomei didn’t know that Princess Lan Yue already had a Cultivation base and simply admired her perseverance.

"Alright."

Hearing this, Princess Lan Yue took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from her brow, and left with Xiaomei.

As one of Yang Chan’s maids, she was naturally familiar with his habits. His daily bath was always a Dragon Bone Medicine Bath, used to temper his physical body.

Although its effects diminished as one’s Cultivation increased, for someone who wasn’t short on money, even a slight effect was not to be missed. Over time, these small accumulations would add up, creating a foundation that ordinary people could only achieve by spending a fortune.

Her ability to reach the External Iron Bone Refining realm at such a young age was due to being piled high with all sorts of resources since childhood. Coupled with her own excellent Talent, she was able to achieve so much.

Those high-status Princes of the Great Zhou Imperial Family enjoyed even more Cultivation Resources. Preparations began for them while they were still in the womb, allowing their accumulation to far surpass that of ordinary people.

In the past, she had also taken various medicinal baths daily, supplemented by elixirs. At the same time, to eliminate the Elixir Poison from the large quantities of elixirs she consumed, she would also take a special Purification Elixir to clear out the accumulated toxins from her body.

Even though she had fallen on hard times, she still prepared for these things. After all, it concerned the upper limit of her Cultivation, so she naturally took it very seriously.

She didn’t want to find herself unable to advance her Cultivation one day because of too much Elixir Poison accumulated in her body. That would be the most ridiculous outcome.

Princess Lan Yue possessed a complete inheritance, including Cultivation Methods for every realm, elixir combination regimens, and self-defense Martial Arts. A large part of this came from her father, a king, who had forced her to memorize it, while another part came from the Vice Alliance Leader of the Pharmacist Alliance, Xu Chuan.

Her current situation wasn’t great, but as long as she was alive, her future was bound to be bright. This was one of the reasons Princess Lan Yue continued to persevere.