Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Chapter 275 Special Identity

Mo Yuming excitedly sealed the pill in a bottle to prevent its efficacy from being lost. Without a comparison, Mo Yuming still couldn't determine if the pill had reached the legendary Heavenly Profound Pill level. Heavenly Profound Pills were extremely rare and practically impossible to obtain, even if one wanted to buy them. Even if the Jingzhou Alchemist Association had a small stock, it was considered a prized possession and kept within the association, never to be sold.

Of all the people Mo Yuming knew, only Ji Xianlin had ever obtained a Heavenly Profound Pill, but he wasn't an alchemist, so his understanding of pills was extremely limited. Although he highly praised the pills Mo Yuming had refined using his new method, he couldn't determine their quality.

"Although the Alchemist Association does not sell Heavenly Profound Pills, it should sell Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills. Wouldn't it be clear if we bought a Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pill and compared them?"

Ji Xianlin reminded him.

"That's right! How come I didn't think of that? As long as my pills are more effective than the pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills and have few toxic side effects, wouldn't that prove it!"

Mo Yuming immediately ran towards the Alchemist Association.

Do you have any pseudo-Heavenly Profound level Spirit Gathering Pills?

Mo Yuming arrived at the Alchemist Association. Since he was already a member, he went directly to Master Yu, who was instructing a female disciple in alchemy. This disciple was about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and curvaceous—a stunning beauty. Even more remarkable was that she was already a beginner-level Earth-rank Xuan Gong master in her teens, and her alchemy techniques and skills were also quite impressive. Her talent was truly extraordinary. Mo Yuming was astonished upon seeing her.

"The pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills are all refined by those old men at the Alchemist Headquarters. The number distributed to each branch each year is not very large. Moreover, the Spirit Gathering Pill is used in large quantities, so even if the association has stock, the quantity will not be large, and the price is relatively high. We will have to ask Manager Tang to find out which specific pills are in stock."

Moreover, even pseudo-Heavenly Pills are divided into three grades: high, medium, and low, with price differences several times over. If you're considering buying one, I advise you to buy the high-grade Earthly Profound Pill. Although the amount of toxicity it retains is somewhat different from that of a pseudo-Heavenly Pill, it's not significant and is generally within a tolerable range. Drinking two bottles of Cleansing Elixir will eliminate the potential harm. Furthermore, its efficacy is not inferior to a low-grade pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pill. It's much more cost-effective overall.

Master Yu explained carefully.

"Is there much difference in efficacy between a high-grade Earth Profound Pill and a low-grade pseudo-Heaven Profound Pill?" Mo Yuming asked, puzzled.

Logically speaking, the difference between Earth Rank and Heaven Rank should be at least several times to more than ten times. For example, the cultivation ability of a beginner Heaven Rank Xuan Gong master is at least much higher than that of a peak Earth Rank master, and even two or three peak Earth Rank masters cannot compare to him.

Knowing that Mo Yuming would ask this question, Master Yu explained:

"Originally, Earth Profound-grade pills, like Heaven Profound-grade pills, only had three grades: upper, middle, and lower. Normal upper-grade Earth Profound pills couldn't compare to lower-grade Heaven Profound pills. As for this Advanced Earth Profound Pill, it's because its pill toxin content didn't reach the pseudo-Heaven Profound level, but its medicinal effects far exceeded those of the Earth Profound level. So, for the sake of convenience in classifying quality, everyone created an Advanced Earth Profound Pill."

Actually, it was those old men who were concerned about saving face. They were the ones who refined these high-grade Earth Profound Pills, but due to some reason, something went wrong, and the remaining toxicity level didn't meet the standard, so they had to sell them as downgraded pills. These inside stories are already an open secret within the pill-making world; they just haven't been made public.

"How are pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills classified? What level must one reach to be considered a Heavenly Profound-grade pill?" Mo Yuming asked again.

"If we disregard the effects of pill poisoning, all pills are actually divided into ten grades. Just like the cultivation of profound techniques, grades one to three are primary pills, grades four to six are intermediate pills, grades seven to nine are advanced pills, and so on. Pills above grade ten are saint-level pills or god-level pills, but those are legendary heaven-defying pills. Even grade eight and nine pills are very difficult to find, let alone grade ten and above."

If we consider the erysipelas content, pills with less than 50% erysipelas are classified as Heavenly Profound level, less than 10% as Earthly Profound level, less than 15% as Human Profound level, and more than 15% as useless pills. This is because pills with more than 15% erysipelas have no practical value; consuming such pills will not only fail to treat the condition but will also worsen it. If the erysipelas can be controlled within 15%, any remaining erysipelas can generally be removed later by drinking a cleansing elixir.

Although the Cleansing Elixir isn't very expensive, its efficacy is rather ordinary. The residual poison from a single Human Profound-grade pill requires at least a month to completely clear, while the poison from a Di Profound-grade pill requires at least ten days. The poison from a pseudo-Heaven Profound-grade pill is generally cleared within three days. One bottle of Cleansing Elixir provides approximately three days' worth of poison, so even the poison from a low-grade pseudo-Heaven Profound pill only requires one bottle.

"Then why is it that only Heavenly Profound Pills are called Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills? Why aren't Earthly or Human-grade pills called that?" Mo Yuming was very puzzled. Since Earthly-grade pills also contain pill toxins, why aren't these Earthly-grade pills containing pill toxins called Pseudo-Earthly Profound Pills?

"The reason why Heavenly Profound-grade pills are called Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills is because there are Heavenly Profound Pills without the pill toxin. These pills without the pill toxin are found in domain tombs or some ruins. Everyone calls these pills without the pill toxin Heavenly Profound Pills. We use their efficacy as the standard to evaluate the efficacy of our pills. However, the alchemists of the Heavenly Profound Continent cannot refine pills with the same efficacy and without the pill toxin, so they are different from these pills. Therefore, any pill that contains the pill toxin but has an efficacy similar to that of Heavenly Profound-grade pills is called a Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pill."

Since there are no comparable pills for Earth-level pills, there is no question of authenticity.

"Has no one ever discovered a true elixir of the Earth Profound level? Are the elixirs in those domain tombs or ruins all made from extremely precious herbs? Where in this world do so many precious medicinal materials come from!"

"Based on the age and rarity of the herbs, pills made from herbs less than ten years old are generally classified as Human Profound grade, while those made from herbs aged ten to a hundred years are classified as Earth Profound grade. Only pills made from herbs all aged over a hundred years are classified as Heaven Profound grade. However, some legendary alchemists possess unimaginable alchemy skills, capable of using the most common herbs to create pills that transcend the essence of the herbs themselves. Therefore, the classification of pills is relative; the quality of a pill cannot be determined by a simple grade, but rather by its effects."

Therefore, the reason most people are willing to buy pills from the Alchemist Association is because the association's pills are appraised by its appraisers before being sold, and are classified into grades according to their actual medicinal effects. Every pill sold is guaranteed, and there is no fraud.

After the conversation, Mo Yuming learned a great deal, finally understanding the chaos in the classification of elixirs and the predicament of the Alchemist Association. Because the problem of elixir toxicity had not been resolved, and the presence of elixir toxicity directly affected the efficacy of elixirs, even elixirs made from the most precious herbs could not achieve the desired effects.

Although elixirs are necessities for all cultivators, this deficiency has prevented them from achieving their due status. This is a helpless situation for the Alchemist Association, which is undoubtedly far less popular than the Weapon Refiner Association.

Another bigger problem is that novice alchemists simply can't make money. Alchemists who can't refine Human Profound-level pills can hardly support themselves by alchemy. Most novice alchemists need to cultivate for at least three to five years before they can barely refine Human Profound-level pills. Learning alchemy is an expensive profession, so many people with potential are unwilling to learn alchemy, leading to the increasingly embarrassing situation of having no successors in alchemy.

As a result, the membership requirements of the Alchemist Association are very low. Someone like Mo Yuming only needs the ability to refine basic medicinal liquids and identify herbs to pass the Alchemist Association's certification and become a member. Therefore, many junior alchemists in the Alchemist Association cannot refine pills and can only perform basic identification and extraction of medicinal liquids.

The lack of skilled alchemists has led to the Alchemist Association's distorted development, with increasing polarization. Good pills are becoming increasingly expensive, while inferior ones are ignored.

"Is Young Master Mo here to buy pills?"

Just as Mo Yuming was chatting with Master Yu Dan, a hot and curvaceous young woman walked over. This was none other than Manager Tang, whom Mo Yuming had met once before. She was still wearing a tight red dress, and with her increasingly slender and alluring eyes, delicate eyebrows, slender nose, sexy red lips, and fair skin, she made all the men who passed by feel hot and breathless.

"Miss Tang, I'd like to buy a pseudo-Heavenly Profound-grade Spirit Gathering Pill. Do you have any in stock?"

"We just received a batch of pills at headquarters recently. We have some Pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pills in stock, but Spirit Gathering Pills are selling like hotcakes. They were sold out in just two days after they arrived," Tang Yuxin said with a smile.

"Are Spirit Gathering Pills really that sought after?" Mo Yuming asked, puzzled.

"This is mainly due to the properties of the Spirit Gathering Pill. It can restore a martial artist's spiritual power in a very short time, especially the pseudo-Heavenly Profound level Spirit Gathering Pill. Taking one can quickly restore ninety percent of a peak Earth Rank expert's power. Moreover, its toxic side effects are very low, and can be eliminated by drinking a Cleansing Elixir afterwards. Therefore, most martial artists will keep at least one Spirit Gathering Pill on hand for emergencies. Some martial artists with ample funds will even keep several."

Therefore, besides the Healing Essence Pill, the Spirit Gathering Pill is the most popular elixir; it's basically sold out within two days of arriving in stock.

Seeing Mo Yuming's somewhat disappointed expression, Tang Yuxin immediately said:

"If Young Master Mo is in urgent need, I have a privately prepared pill that I can give to you in case of emergency. Anyway, all the pills allocated by the association will pass through my hands. The next batch of pills will be allocated in less than ten days, and I will prepare one then."

"Thank you very much, Miss Tang! How much is this pill? I'll pay you right now!" Mo Yuming didn't refuse and readily accepted her favor.

"This is a gift from me to you, young master. There's no need to pay for it!" Tang Yuxin declined.

“How can that be? Miss Tang has already done me a huge favor by giving me her spare pills. How can I not accept payment? Mo Yuming cannot accept this.”

"Since Young Master Mo insists, then let's go with the association's member price. The member price for a pseudo-Heavenly Profound Spirit Gathering Pill is ten gold coins. Young Master Mo, just give me ten gold coins!" Tang Yuxin no longer refused.

"Thank you very much, Miss Tang!" Mo Yuming took the wooden box containing the pills, paid for the medicine, and then got up to take his leave.

"My name is Tang Yuxin. Mr. Mo, you can just call me Yuxin when you come to the association in the future. It sounds a bit too formal."

"Alright then, see you another day, Sister Yuxin and Mr. Yu!"

Mo Yuming was eager to find out, so he left in a hurry.

"Miss Tang's pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pill seems to have been refined by Elder Fei! That's the highest-grade Spirit Gathering Pill in the association. How could Miss Tang give it to that kid for the price of an ordinary pseudo-Heavenly Profound Pill?"

After Mo Yuming left, Master Yu asked.

"Elder Fei's pills are rare, but not uncommon. It's worthwhile to give him this favor. Elder Yu, haven't you noticed anything special about this young man?"

Tang Yuxin said slyly.

"This kid does have some amazing talent. He might become a big shot in the future. But there are other geniuses like him. For example, our Xiaoyun is only fifteen years old and has already reached the third level of the Earth Profound Realm with dual metal and wood elements. Moreover, she is already at the peak of the second level of alchemy. It won't be long before she breaks through to the third level. In terms of talent, she is definitely no worse than him."

"Xiaoyun is good, and I don't think Xiaoyun's talent is worse than his, but did Old Yu really not notice his special qualities?"

"I don't see it. Does Miss know something?"

"Jingzhou has now been taken away from Zhenglan by the Great Xia Kingdom. Old Yu should know this!"

“That is indeed the case, but what does this conflict between countries have to do with him?” Master Yu was confused by Tang Yuxin.

"Does Mr. Yu still remember the first time we met him?"

"Of course I remember. That time he traded the Ultimate Fire Maple Fruit for a bunch of useless low-level pill formulas, so I have a very deep impression of him. But what's so special about that? Miss, stop being so mysterious and just tell me!" Master Yu said impatiently.

"Hehe, according to my investigation, your batch of prescription notes has been used as teaching materials by the academies established by the Great Xia Empire. The Great Xia Empire has established two middle schools in Zhongyuan County and Shangyuan County, and those prescriptions are one of the teaching materials. Those elementary notes have been placed in several primary schools in Jian'an County, Luoxia County, Qianheng County, Linxiang County and other counties for teaching purposes."

Furthermore, during the recent battle between Da Xia and Zheng Lan, some people witnessed him fighting alongside those Heavenly Rank elders, and his combat strength was no less than that of a beginner Heavenly Rank expert. Moreover, he's currently residing in the City Lord's Mansion alongside the Heavenly Rank Level 4 expert who is stationed in Jingzhou. Don't you think his identity is somewhat special?