Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Ancient Style

The art of completing a fragmented pill formula was not unheard of.

But it required a cultivator to possess superb Alchemy Skills, as well as sufficient experience and intellect.

As it happened, Bai Mo possessed all of these qualities.

"However, a completed pill formula is bound to have some discrepancies with the original. You three must be aware of this."

The three strangely-built brothers were ecstatic. How could they care about such details? They just nodded again and again.

"We understand, we understand."

As they spoke, the men brought up Kunwu True Monarch, full of praise for the seventh Mad God on the mountain.

"That great cultivator from the Demon Dao is truly profound. The sheer number of his techniques and the extent of his strength are simply beyond expectation."

"Even with seventy percent of his abilities gone, he’s still incredibly effective."

They spoke of a disciple who, while traveling, called upon Kunwu True Monarch for aid. They described the techniques he unleashed, which could shake one’s very soul and transform into a myriad of beasts.

"The price is just too steep. Each time you summon him, you must later offer up the Heart’s Blood of five different rare and exotic beasts."

"And if the beasts aren’t of a quality he deems worthy, the True Monarch will reject the offering."

Heaven only knows how rare an exotic beast deemed worthy by a Nascent Soul Cultivator must be.

Even if one could gather them, it would be a ruinously expensive affair.

"In any case, I’m afraid the three of us could never afford that."

Although the three brothers said as much, they still offered a very high price when they settled on the payment with Bai Mo.

Eight hundred Spirit Stones.

The deposit alone was three hundred. This was a major commission.

"My brothers, you jest. It’s not as if the three of you need to summon Kunwu True Monarch, is it?"

As he spoke, Bai Mo wrote the order on a bamboo tally, also noting down the names of the three men.

The one with the unusually long arms was named Yuan Chu, the one with short limbs was Gong Gui, and the one bursting with muscle was called Xiong Xin.

After arranging to meet again in half a month, Bai Mo saw the three men off.

An Caiwei sidled up to him, clicking her tongue in admiration.

"You talk a big game. Are you really that confident?"

Bai Mo nodded.

"One has to try. This Pill Formula has a certain ancient flair to it that I find fascinating."

"What do you mean?" An Caiwei asked, curious.

Although he couldn’t be certain of the Pill Formula’s effects, Bai Mo could sense the creator’s original intent.

"The original intent of this pill was to grant a cultivator an additional ability—either a form of Magic, or some kind of unknown talent."

"Impossible!"

An Caiwei’s eyes went wide, and she blurted out:

"If such a Pill truly exists, then what’s the point of us painstakingly cultivating and studying our arts?"

Bai Mo gave her a strange look.

"The process of developing a pill is a form of cultivation in itself. Besides, the ingredients for Pills are hard to come by; their rarity justifies the ability one gains from nothing."

An Caiwei didn’t know how to argue back. She felt she could never win a debate with him, so she just asked hesitantly:

"Do you have ingredients like that?"

"The ingredients required for the three brothers’ Pill are actually rather common."

Bai Mo explained, "That was the original purpose behind ancient Alchemy Skills."

"You’d consume one and gain an ability like breathing underwater or flying. Stronger versions could even directly bestow one of the Divine Techniques."

"But the process of alchemy is always fraught with difficulties, be it with the ingredients or the techniques."

"After generations of simplifications and downgrades, what has been passed down to this day is what you and I see now."

An Caiwei reluctantly accepted his explanation.

"So if this Pill Formula has an ’ancient flair,’ as you say, what kind of ability are those three strange brothers hoping to gain?"

"Can a Pill Formula from the time of Divine Dao Mountain’s founders really have that kind of power?"

Bai Mo smiled and slotted the bamboo tally into a bamboo tube.

He then spread out a sheet of paper and wrote down the ingredients he required.

"You’re misunderstanding again, Senior Sister. A Pill that could grant even the most trivial ability out of thin air is not something I can refine."

"That would be a feat of creation itself."

He handed the list of ingredients to An Caiwei. As she looked over the many items, she found most of them to be completely unfamiliar.

"Then what is this Pill Formula for? Why are the ingredients so strange?"

Bai Mo looked at her baffled expression and said:

"An uncommon approach naturally calls for uncommon ingredients."

"Based on my conjectures, this Pill should allow them to gain one of their Dharma Protector’s abilities while they are borrowing its power."

When disciples from Divine Dao Mountain traveled, they didn’t necessarily have to summon their patron Dharma Protector to borrow its power, as Bai Mo had.

Bai Mo only did so because he didn’t know the proper techniques.

A true disciple of the Divine Daoist Lineage could directly infuse their body with the unique power of their Dharma Protector, a process similar to channeling or spirit possession.

That was the true foundation of their power.

"From what I’ve seen, the brothers’ peculiar physiques are either the result of innate talent or were cultivated from a young age."

"They most likely spend years borrowing power from their patron deities, using it as the foundation of their own strength."

"If this Pill is a success, these three will become top figures among the outer disciples. Do you believe me, Senior Sister?"

Whether An Caiwei believed him or not, she now understood the importance of this pill to them.

And so, without a moment’s delay, she headed for Beast Taming Peak.

The list of ingredients included large quantities of Demon Beast essence blood and various other body parts.

Within the sect, only Beast Taming Peak was likely to have everything in stock at once.

Bai Mo was left alone in the valley. After a long period of contemplation, he returned to his thatched cottage and transcribed the Pill Formula from memory.

He filled in the missing sections by borrowing from other Pill Formulas with similar pharmacological properties, then slowly began to ponder and refine his work.

It was a task so demanding that even Bai Mo felt the strain.

Pausing to rest his brush, Bai Mo casually added a name for the pill.

The Minor Creation Golden Core!

’Heh, what a pretentious name...’

...

Yuan Chu and the other two returned to Divine Dao Mountain.

Divine Dao Mountain rarely saw outsiders and was usually very quiet.

The patron deities had varied personalities and numerous taboos, so the disciples generally refrained from making loud noises.

A disciple in black robes hurried over.

"Brother Yuan, Brother Gong, where have you been?"

"I’ve been looking for you for ages."

The three were in high spirits and replied with a smile:

"We went to see that junior brother, Bai Mo. The one who brought us Kunwu True Monarch."

"He’s an excellent person! He can complete the Pill Formula for the Minor Creation Golden Core. The matter is finally settled!"

The approaching disciple stopped in his tracks, an astonished look on his face.

"You found someone to refine it?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, Liu Danzi from Pill Peak sent someone over. He said he’s at a bottleneck in his own practice and is willing to study the Pill Formula and attempt to refine the pill for you."

The disciple in black said honestly:

"He wants to use it to achieve a breakthrough, but the price for the alchemy is still one thousand Spirit Stones, and he also wants Brother Gong’s Spirit Turtle Ointment."

"And regardless of success or failure, he’ll be charging a five-hundred-Spirit-Stone fee for the cost of materials..."

Gong Gui’s face darkened upon hearing this.

"That damn Liu Danzi! I was polite to him before because I thought he might actually succeed in refining the Pill."

"But now he’s getting completely out of hand!"

Yuan Chu and Xiong Xin nodded. They had always been unhappy with Liu Danzi’s demands, which was why the negotiations had dragged on for so long.

The two of them sneered.

"Lowering his price by a whole five hundred Spirit Stones... poor him! What a sacrifice!"

Gong Gui waved his hand dismissively.

"Tell his man to go back!"

"We’ve made extensive inquiries. No matter how you look at it, Junior Brother Bai’s character and skill are both far superior to Liu Danzi’s!"

"Besides, we’ve heard that since Junior Brother Bai started his practice, he has never once made a mistake. It’s utterly astounding..."

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