manynovel 557. Change the prescription
557. Change the prescription
As they spoke, the three had already returned to the mountainside area of Misty Mountain. The five reunited, and upon seeing Yao Qingyu, Xiao Yan immediately said, "We successfully obtained the Nine-Section Green Bamboo Heart, and two portions at that."
Upon hearing this, both Yao Qingyu and Wei Jiangyuan showed relaxed expressions. After all, not having to make a deal with Ling Zhuo was naturally the best outcome. Giving all the remaining herbs from the Misty Mountain to Ling Zhuo would have made the final alchemy stage incredibly stressful.
"Let's find a place now and start refining it right away!"
Seeing this, Cao Ying knew the transaction was no longer necessary, and there was no need for her to stay. She proactively cupped her hands to the four people and said, "Since the matter is resolved, Ying'er will take her leave first. See you all at the final alchemy gathering..."
Before Cao Ying could finish speaking, Xiao Yan frowned slightly and said, "Miss Cao Ying, could you please stay and wait a while before leaving?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Ying's eyes showed a hint of disbelief. From beginning to end, she had no intention of harming Xiao Yan and his group, but unexpectedly, in the end, Xiao Yan still wouldn't allow her to leave. Her mind instantly shifted, and she began to speculate about Xiao Yan's true intentions.
A sense of disappointment welled up in her heart. She had thought that Xiao Yan, with his extraordinary talent and willingness to pay any price for Yao Qingyu, would be a different person. But she hadn't expected that he was essentially the same as those men who treated her as a plaything.
Wei Jiangyuan also took the initiative to persuade him, "Old Xiao, isn't that unnecessary? After all, our final opponent is Ling Zhuo..."
Xiao Yan shook his head: "I didn't mean for Miss Cao Ying to stay; I just wanted to leave us a way out if our refining failed."
Hearing this, Wei Jiangyuan frowned even more and said to Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, you don't believe me? If there's only one chance, I'm not absolutely certain, but with two sets of materials, I'm absolutely confident even if it's an eighth-grade pill!"
"Actually, you only have one chance." Xiao Yan shook his head: "Don't forget that according to our design, three of the herbs need to be aged. You need at least one set of materials to feel the changes."
Upon hearing this, Cao Ying instinctively covered her mouth and said, "So you not only plan to refine pills, but you're even preparing to change the original pill formula?"
Xiao Yan nodded. Cao Ying's previous speculations vanished, replaced by disbelief. Both Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan were eighth-grade alchemists, so refining eighth-grade pills was normal for them. But altering the formula increased the difficulty several times over!
After all, each pill formula is the culmination of a pharmacist's hard work, and the refining steps are derived from numerous personal experiences and calculations. These steps are so complex that it is extremely difficult to change them, because alchemy is a delicate art; even a small change will require altering the entire formula.
"This amount of time is far too limited, and you only have materials from that year. This is really too much..."
Wei Jiangyuan explained, "There weren't any radical changes; we just adjusted the proportions of the medications."
"That would be very difficult. Even a highly experienced eighth-grade alchemist cannot guarantee success. Your idea is indeed audacious. In that case, I'm not going to leave."
"I'd like to witness the changes to this pill formula myself." Cao Ying's eyes were filled with curiosity at this moment. After all, changing a pill formula was a very tempting thing for a genius alchemist like Cao Ying.
Firstly, she wanted to see if Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan could successfully refine it; secondly, she wanted to be a witness to or even a participant in this crazy act.
After all, Cao Ying was not exactly a law-abiding person when it came to alchemy.
After everyone agreed, they left Wushan together and found a quiet place nearby to discuss the issue of improving the age of the two auxiliary ingredients, Xinzhudan, which is the main ingredient.
The atmosphere was more enthusiastic than I had imagined, and everyone had their own opinions and perspectives.
Cao Ying, in particular, thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. Within the Cao family, she was undoubtedly a rising star, a genius. In the art of alchemy, she rarely encountered anyone who could truly resonate with her. Most people could only look up to her in awe, but this time was clearly different.
She was mostly relegated to a supporting role, for no other reason than that there were far more capable people leading the discussion this time.
Wei Jiangyuan's ideas about alchemy were incredibly imaginative; many of his ideas, which she considered utter nonsense, sounded remarkably logical in his mouth. As the discussion progressed, Cao Ying gradually realized the difference between herself and Wei Jiangyuan: a difference in perspective and scope.
Cao Ying herself was a genius whom the Pill Tower and the Cao family had poured their hearts and souls into from a young age, possessing a profound foundation in alchemy. Throughout her learning process, Cao Ying was always awestruck by the achievements of her alchemy predecessors. Therefore, she was essentially a good student.
Wei Jiangyuan, however, seemed to lack that reverence for alchemy. He could refine any kind of elixir, and he was willing to follow any path no one had taken before!
This was the overall feeling that Wei Jiangyuan gave Cao Ying—an experience she had never had before. During this revision of the formula, Wei Jiangyuan presided over and spoke for more than half the time.
Xiao Yan is also a rare talent. Unlike Wei Jiangyuan, he doesn't have wildly imaginative ideas or a grand vision. However, Xiao Yan's comprehension ability is the strongest among the four. It seems that he can grasp everyone's thoughts immediately and offer his own opinions.
Such reading ability is also enviable. Cao Ying even suspected that Xiao Yan could successfully master all pill formulas, soul skills, and fighting techniques after reading them, without failing.
Xiao Yan also has an advantage that no one else here possesses: the flame he uses is a genuine exotic fire. The power of the flame gives him a completely different perspective. Sometimes, Xiao Yan subconsciously overlooks certain problems because he seems to have never encountered a problem that he cannot solve without an exotic fire.
Faced with this situation, everyone else, including Wei Jiangyuan, could only be envious. Strange Flames were indeed that rare; otherwise, the Pill Gathering wouldn't have attracted so many powerful alchemists at the same time.
Of course, aside from Cao Ying, everyone else gained something from this discussion. All four had a very solid foundation in alchemy. Behind them were the two giants of the Pill Tower, Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi, Yao Chen, the number one alchemist on the continent in name only, and Shennong the Elder, the true number one alchemist on the continent.