Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Visiting Again

"Old Alchemist Shang lost!"

The news spread like wildfire through the Pill Master circles, shocking quite a few people.

"Old Alchemist Shang of the Yuan Ding Commerce Association lost!"

Some were stunned, while others breathed a sigh of relief.

When this old senior first started practicing alchemy, most of them hadn’t even been born yet.

Compared to him, they were truly nothing.

"The younger generation is truly formidable."

Amidst such praise, Bai Mo visited a few more Pill Masters before suddenly stopping.

After a day passed with no new updates, people began to speculate.

Someone went to his inn to inquire and learned that he had already checked out of his room.

The two sedan chair carriers had also been paid their wages. In between looking for new jobs, they could often be found in the inn, telling stories to anyone who would listen.

Many of the Pill Masters who had been waiting anxiously felt both relieved and a little regretful.

"It’s truly a shame we couldn’t exchange pointers with a Pill Master like him!"

Their disciples, however, did not feel the same.

’If our masters don’t lose face, it’s always better for business.’

...

Bai Mo had now arrived at a branch of the Pill Pavilion.

The grand hall was quiet and sparsely populated, with only a few apprentices occasionally walking past.

Bai Mo once again saw the two Pill Masters he knew, Alchemist Lu and Alchemist Kuang.

The two old men were still diligently watching over the Pill Pavilion.

When Bai Mo had first completed his Pill Master certification, it was these two who had received him.

They had a deep impression of Bai Mo, and now, upon hearing the news of him seeking out others to debate the Dao and winning, they were overjoyed.

They held Bai Mo in high regard.

"The Alchemy Dao in the city has indeed grown a bit stagnant lately."

Alchemist Lu had a magnificent beard, and stroking it felt quite satisfying.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, your arrival in the city to show those folks what you’re made of was exactly what was needed."

"A bunch of old fossils. They were fine in their youth, but once they became Pill Masters and established their own practices, they lost that drive to delve deeper into their craft."

"It’s only the group of hot-blooded apprentices, dreaming of becoming Pill Masters in Celestial Mountain City, that keeps the spirit of the Alchemy Dao alive."

Bai Mo gave a wry smile and cupped his hands. "You two seniors are too kind."

"Celestial Mountain City is full of Pill Masters. There were many Fellow Daoists I couldn’t find on my trip; I imagine they’ve gone into seclusion to meditate on the Dao."

"To be honest, the reason I came here was to learn about the gateway to the next level."

At these words, both Alchemist Lu and Alchemist Kuang were greatly surprised.

"You’ve already reached that level?"

Bai Mo simply said, "Lately, I’ve had inspirations for new Pills. My deductions show no errors, yet I’m unable to bring them to fruition."

"After much thought, I believe the problem might lie in my techniques and understanding. That’s why I’ve come to ask for guidance."

Alchemist Lu glanced at Alchemist Kuang. The latter gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

As he walked away with a limp, Bai Mo realized that there was something wrong with the man’s leg.

Previously, Bai Mo had just assumed it was due to old age and poor health.

"Senior Kuang’s leg is..."

Alchemist Lu sighed.

"Just the other day, Old Kuang prepared a large quantity of medicinal ingredients to refine a great Pill."

"Something went wrong halfway through. The furnace exploded. His life wasn’t in danger, but we don’t know if his leg can ever be fully healed."

"Never mind that. Come, let’s discuss your matter elsewhere."

The two of them went to a corner of the hall where a stone table and stools were placed. A teapot and other utensils sat on top, lending it an elegant air.

Alchemist Lu pushed the teapot and other items aside and looked Bai Mo up and down once more.

"It was Old Kuang and I who welcomed you into the Pill Pavilion back then. I never imagined you would achieve so much so quickly."

"Come, let me see your pill token."

The pill token was the symbol of a Pill Master’s identity.

Bai Mo still remembered that for a Pill Master to wear this item was, in itself, a process of nurturing the jade.

The pill tokens of seasoned old Pill Masters were beautiful to behold, representing their untold years of accumulation.

Alchemist Lu took Bai Mo’s pill token. After just one glance, a solemn expression appeared on his face.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Bai truly hasn’t been slacking off, practicing alchemy without pause."

As the two were talking, Alchemist Kuang walked over, carrying a stack of books.

"What is it?"

"Old Kuang, take a look at this pill token."

Alchemist Kuang set down all the books he was holding—a stack as tall as Bai Mo’s head—and took the pill token. He broke into a grin the moment he saw it.

"Well now! What a diligent young man!"

"Lighting your furnace so frequently, you must have raked in quite a few Spirit Stones, haven’t you?"

Bai Mo smiled reservedly.

"It’s all to make a living, just to make a living..."

After sharing a few laughs, the three of them turned their attention to the books on the table.

Old Kuang said softly, "This bottleneck... it’s not an easy one to overcome."

"The level of an Alchemy Grandmaster is about achieving the impossible. Pills refined by an ordinary person can have, at most, one hundred percent efficacy. But an Alchemy Grandmaster can achieve one hundred and twenty percent."

"The factors that create this gap are technique, perception, and various other skills. To reach this realm, one needs a vast accumulation of knowledge and massive amounts of experience."

Following Alchemist Kuang’s gesture, Bai Mo opened one of the classic texts.

"That’s what’s written in there."

"When a Pill Master has reached the end of their current path, they will feel an intangible bottleneck. With enough accumulation, they will naturally know how to cross the boundary."

"If you don’t know how, it simply means your accumulation is not yet sufficient."

The book’s explanation was quite esoteric, but Alchemist Lu was taking it very seriously.

"This is all experience passed down by the Pill Pavilion, and it has been verified by other Fellow Daoists."

"It can’t be wrong."

’At least there’s a clear path to follow.’ Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

Alchemist Lu noticed his expression and quickly explained,

"Fellow Daoist Bai, don’t underestimate this step of accumulation. To put it bluntly, countless people have wasted half their lives on this very matter."

Alchemist Lu pointed to himself and Alchemist Kuang.

"Look at us. The two of us have been at our current level for who knows how long. We’ve studied painstakingly, yet we’ve never been able to break through..."

"This is why there isn’t a single Alchemy Grandmaster in the entire Celestial Mountain City region."

Bai Mo was taken aback.

"Not one?"

"Not one," Alchemist Kuang said with a nod.

"Perhaps there were in the past, but they’ve long since returned to the earth. Who knows how many years have gone by."

Bai Mo quickly glanced through the books they had brought. They were all about Alchemy Grandmasters.

The Alchemy Dao was fair to all Cultivators; the realm of Grandmaster alone barred ninety-nine percent of them from entry.

The path of alchemy was already difficult. To now require such an immense accumulation on top of that seemed overly harsh.

But if one could succeed and step into this realm, they would be revered by all who followed the Alchemy Dao within a ten-thousand-li domain. This was no empty boast.

As for those not fated to reach the Grandmaster realm, they could still live comfortably in the Cultivation Realm just by virtue of their status as a Pill Master.

There was really no need to force it, as the goal was simply too ethereal.

The three of them talked for a long time, until the sky grew dark.

Alchemist Lu laughed heartily.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, do you have a place to stay?"

"Why don’t you forget about going back tonight? Just stay here for the night, and we can talk by candlelight!"

Bai Mo had no reason to refuse.

"Then I’ll do as you say."

Alchemist Lu called over his apprentice and had him prepare some simple food.

And so, the three of them did not leave. They lit the candles and began a long, heartfelt conversation.

Alchemists Lu and Kuang were truly worthy of their status as seasoned seniors. They spoke with an effortless ease, as if there were no problem difficult enough to trouble them.

A sense of admiration rose in Bai Mo’s heart.

But when he thought about how even two individuals such as these had been unable to break through to the Alchemy Grandmaster realm, a chill ran down his spine.

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