ushernet Chapter 171 The Grand Plan of Alchemy
Chapter 171 The Grand Plan of Alchemy
Chapter 171 The Grand Plan of Alchemy
What a wonderful old man! At his age, he still managed to argue with the dean on my behalf, and in the end, he even wanted to take me on as his personal disciple. With such a mentor, I'm sure I won't suffer any losses in the future.
Xiao Chong readily accepted Master Xu's suggestion. As for the dean, in Xiao Chong's eyes now he was nothing more than a miserly tightwad.
Judging from Master Xu's words, he and the dean had already reached a consensus to reward him. This was to motivate him to improve his cultivation and bring honor to Qingfeng Academy.
But if you want the horse to run but refuse to feed it, that's going too far. Given the Dean's behavior, Xiao Chong could only express his utter contempt in his heart, though outwardly he still had to show respect.
Master Xu was overjoyed to have a son late in life—or rather, a very promising disciple—and didn't want to dwell on the Dean's hypocrisy. He grabbed Xiao Chong and excitedly bid farewell to the Dean.
The two arrived at Master Xu's residence. Master Xu didn't care whether Xiao Chong could understand or not, nor did he ask for his opinion. He went straight to the study, took out a thick stack of books, piled them on the table, and said, "Xiao Chong, now that we have a master-disciple relationship, I should give you a little something as a gift."
"Are these all the books?" Xiao Chong asked tentatively.
He felt that giving books as a gift was beneath his dignity as a teacher. Even if you didn't give him some precious stones, gold or jewels would have been better. With so many books, how long would it take to read them all? He couldn't go without food.
Master Xu clearly misunderstood Xiao Chong's meaning, thinking that Xiao Chong thought there were too few books. He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said, "These are all I have. These are what I have accumulated over most of my life. Some of them are theories that I have researched myself, mostly about formations. They are rarely circulated outside."
Of course, if you feel it's not enough, I can shamelessly smuggle some more from other teachers; I certainly won't disappoint you.
"No need, this is enough for me to study for a long time." Xiao Chong quickly declined Master Xu's offer.
"Then take it back and look at it first. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come here to find me anytime."
Master Xu's martial arts skills were not high, and he was also old. In addition, the dean's office was not close to his residence, so he seemed a little tired.
"Thank you, teacher. I will go back and study them carefully." Xiao Chong bowed and waved his hand to put all the books on the table into the Purple Cloud Cauldron before taking his leave.
"What kind of skill did he just show? Spatial laws? Impossible, it must be a spatial treasure he got from somewhere. Or maybe I'm seeing things. Sigh, I'm getting old, I'm not as good as I used to be."
After Xiao Chong left, Master Xu suddenly recalled the other man's behavior when he collected the books, and his heart skipped a beat. After a long while, he shook his head vigorously, trying to banish this unreliable thought from his mind.
To be honest, Xiao Chong was quite satisfied with his new teacher. Although the other party's martial arts skills were not high, his dedication to research in other fields was truly worthy of respect.
Of course, that's not the most important thing. What's important is that the other party is willing to protect you, which is very rare.
Back home, Xiao Chong opened the books that Master Xu had given him and quickly flipped through them.
After reviewing the materials, he discovered that his new teacher was truly an extraordinary individual. Apart from his relatively low level of martial arts skills, he was proficient in almost every other skill, making him a genuinely multi-talented master.
There's nothing he can't do, from alchemy and weapon crafting to talisman drawing and array formation, especially array formations, which he is exceptionally proficient in.
Most of these books are related to formations, and many of the theories were developed by Master Xu himself. Although most of them have not been verified, they are quite mature in terms of theory alone.
At least for someone like Xiao Chong, who only had a rudimentary understanding of formations in his previous life, its value is still considerable.
There was relatively less discussion on other aspects, especially alchemy, which Xiao Chong found unappealing. After all, Xiao Chong possessed a copy of the "Dan Jing" (Classic of Alchemy) obtained from Lü Daka.
What is Lü Daka's background? He comes from a legitimate Taoist lineage!
What is most important in the Taoist tradition? It's alchemy, of course!
How did I come into this world? Wasn't it because I spied on the old Taoist priest at Ziyun Temple refining elixirs?
It's clear I have a special connection with alchemy!
The reason I didn't delve into alchemy before was because I was too eager to improve my martial arts cultivation and didn't have the time. More importantly, I simply didn't have the necessary resources.
You have to understand, alchemy is an incredibly expensive business. Aside from using the Purple Cloud Cauldron as the alchemy furnace, everything else—such as various medicinal herbs, minerals, elixir, and plants—costs money, and each one is extremely expensive.
But things are different now. Although most of the spirit stones obtained from the trip to the Southern Wilderness have been used up for school, we have just swindled another 100,000 from Ma Lusheng, which can be used to purchase various materials.
Moreover, alchemy is a major undertaking; it can not only be used to improve his and Fatty's cultivation, but also to generate greater profits through auctions. Tell me, which of Lü Daka's alchemy formulas isn't a masterpiece among masterpieces?
In his excitement, Xiao Chong quickly gathered everyone together and assigned them tasks. The task of collecting and purchasing items naturally fell to Fatty and Yin Feng, while Qing Meng was to negotiate the prices. Given Qing Meng's obsession with money and his stingy nature, he was sure to save a considerable amount of money.
Long Wu was thrilled that his boss recognized his ambition. He excitedly ran up to Xiao Chong and asked, "Boss, will I be the one to sell the pills after they're finished?"
Xiao Chong looked at Long Wu with ill intent and shook his head, saying, "No, how can a dignified Crown Prince go out and show his face in public so casually? There are more important things waiting for you to do."
Looking into Xiao Chong's eyes, Long Wu had a vague sense of unease: "What do you want me to do?"
"Start a fire!" Xiao Chong said with a broad smile.
"What? Start a fire?" Long Wu's mood instantly plummeted.
"Yes, it's about starting a fire!"
Xiao Chong's smile became even more friendly as he said, "You promised me before that you could handle the alchemy. Therefore, you will not only be responsible for tending the fire, but also for adding the medicine, refining the elixir, opening the furnace, collecting the pills, and a whole series of other tasks."
"But it would be too much for the Crown Prince to do such a lousy job as tending a fire. If word got out, wouldn't that be a bit much?" Long Wu was clearly unwilling to accept the important task assigned to him.
Do you want to back out?
"Of course... I wouldn't dare." Long Wu was about to refuse again when he suddenly remembered the ecstasy of the divine forbidden technique, and immediately agreed in fright.
"That's good." Xiao Chong nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing the boss turn to leave, Long Wu asked timidly, "Someone else is doing all this, so what are you going to do?"
"After the pills are refined, I can either keep them for my own use or sell them for money; that's my business."
After saying this, Xiao Chong summoned the Purple Cloud Cauldron from within his body, casually handed it to Long Wu, and turned to leave the house.
He still has many things to do, such as the Trial Tower, where he hasn't cleared two more levels yet. How can he give up halfway?
As for whether Long Wu would abscond with his treasures, there's no need to worry. His life is in my hands, so I'm not afraid he can cause any trouble. Besides, as long as I have a thought, the Purple Cloud Cauldron will naturally retract into my body.