Without Friend of Women, One Less Risk
Only at Foundation Establishment could he confront the flock of fire crows head-on.
In other words, he couldn't do it now. But what about later?
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You bought the fire crows' location after all.]
[You examined the Jade Slip. It contained a brief route and a line of small print.]
["Black-Feather Fire Crows. A Spirit Awakening Stage Demon Beast is suspected to be holding down the fort."]
[A Spirit Awakening Stage Demon Beast is comparable to a human cultivator from Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[At Spirit Awakening Stage Perfection, it would be equivalent to Foundation Establishment Perfection, the same strength as Han Changqing.]
[You confirmed once again that you were a case of a transmigrator failing to pick up a bargain.]
[You returned to your cave abode, where a disciple was waiting for you.]
[When he saw you return, he immediately came forward.]
["Junior Brother Lu, the elder has summoned you to the side hall."]
[You straightened your robes and followed the disciple to the side hall.]
[Workplace People-Pleaser activated.]
[Along the way, the disciple couldn't resist asking you for advice on alchemy. You maintained your previous persona, and with just one sentence, sent him into deep thought for a long while.]
[When you reached the entrance to the side hall, the disciple offered a seemingly casual reminder.]
["Junior Brother Lu, the elder is in a fairly good mood today."]
[You understood the meaning behind his words and cupped your hands to him.]
[You entered the side hall alone, only to find two people inside, seated to the left and right.]
[They were Qi Cangshu, an elder of the Alchemy Hall, and an unfamiliar woman.]
When Lu Ping saw this, he felt a baffling sense of relief.
He hadn't equipped "Friend of Women."
One less uncontrollable risk.
[Three jade bottles sat on the table between the two of them.]
[One bottle wasn't sealed tightly, and a faint sweet fragrance drifted from it.]
[The woman saw you enter and was the first to speak.]
["Lu Ping, Elder Qi and I have both examined the Qi-Replenishing Pills you refined. Though you made adjustments, their quality was quite good."]
["You're an exceptionally gifted talent in the Dao of Alchemy."]
["So we called you here today to try refining something else."]
[The woman did all the talking, while the Alchemy Hall elder sat silently to one side.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Agree to the trial and first see what she wants you to refine.]
[B: Politely decline, saying your cultivation is shallow and you wouldn't dare meddle with an unfamiliar Pill Formula.]
[C: First ask whether she's an Advanced Class instructor, and demand a refund of half your tuition while you're at it.]
Lu Ping stared at the first two options, his finger coming to a halt.
The situation was a little strange.
The Alchemy Hall elder was present, yet said nothing.
This woman was someone who stood at least on equal footing with the elder.
Option A carried risks, but he had Traits, so there might still be room to turn things around.
The risks of option B, on the other hand, would come due immediately.
When your boss brings a superior into a meeting room and asks if you can take on a job, and you say on the spot that you're not up to it, the next step is usually to replace you and look into why you aren't up to it while they're at it.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You stepped forward half a pace and said respectfully,]
["Please guide me, Senior Sister."]
[The woman glanced at you, seeming a little taken aback, then gave a soft chuckle.]
[She seemed fairly satisfied with the form of address.]
[Elder Qi's expression, on the other hand, seemed to change slightly, though it returned to normal at once.]
[Workplace People-Pleaser activated.]
[She didn't make things difficult for you, instead opening the first jade bottle.]
[A dark green pill rolled onto a porcelain dish, and the sweet fragrance grew stronger.]
[Your nostrils itched slightly.]
[Heavy Tomato User activated.]
[You recognized the pill. It was a Spirit-Urging Pill.]
[It was what Liu Cheng had made you take in the Ascension Hall during your last simulation.]
[But the one before you was cruder than the Spirit-Urging Pills you remembered.]
[Its medicinal properties were harsh, it contained many impurities, and more Soul Bewildering Incense had been used.]
[If a Body Tempering Realm martial artist swallowed one, they would turn straight into a brilliant cloud of bloody mist and then fill the Ascension Hall's formation eye.]
[So the Greenwood Sect had already begun developing Spirit-Urging Pills at this point in time.]
[The experimental version Liu Cheng obtained in the last simulation was already the result of later work.]
[The ones on the table now were clearly earlier versions.]
[The woman opened the second jade bottle.]
[The second pill was darker, with fine cracks covering its surface.]
[You smelled a pungent scent.]
[Heavy Tomato User continued to take effect.]
[You confirmed that the second version's medicinal power was fiercer.]
[If taken with the same intensity of infusion as in the Ascension Hall, perhaps half a person out of ten would survive.]
[The woman opened the third jade bottle.]
[The third pill was grayish, its sweet fragrance much fainter and its medicinal properties weaker.]
[But one of its supplementary ingredients had been processed very cleverly, allowing it to delay the eruption of medicinal power.]
[The woman wasn't in a hurry. She waited until you'd seen enough before speaking.]
["What did you see?"]
[The Alchemy Hall elder finally raised his eyes as well.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Tell the truth and point out the problems with each of the three pills.]
[B: Play dumb and say only that your eyes are untrained and you can't see clearly.]
[C: Suggest renaming them Happy Ascension Pills, saying they could be packaged to sell for more.]
The Alchemy Hall elder had already taken notice of him on the day of the examination.
This woman and the elder had also studied his pills together.
Choosing B now wouldn't necessarily conceal his abilities, and might instead offend his direct superior in the Alchemy Hall. The loss wouldn't be worth the gain.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You pondered for a moment, seemingly working hard to analyze the pills' medicinal properties.]
[In truth, you had Artisan Spirit, and analyzing pills of this sort was hardly difficult for you. Besides, you had taken two in your last simulation.]
[In the entire Greenwood Sect, if you ranked second in your understanding of Spirit-Urging Pills, no one could claim first.]
[You bowed to the two of them before speaking,]
["Senior Sister, Elder, please consider my assessment. This disciple believes the first bottle's medicinal properties are impure, and the Soul Bewildering Incense is too strong."]
["After it's taken, the mind is thrown into chaos first, and only then does it assault the Spirit Aperture."]
["If it's taken in a place where the Spiritual Qi is too concentrated, the user is extremely likely to explode and die."]
[The woman's gaze flickered, but she said nothing.]
[You continued, listing the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining two bottles one by one.]
[After hearing you out, the woman frowned slightly.]
["You think only the third bottle can be used?"]
[You shook your head.]
["Relatively speaking, the approach behind the third bottle is correct. But its medicinal properties are too dispersed to force open the Spirit Aperture, so it can't serve the purpose of urging the spirit."]
[The woman exchanged a glance with the Alchemy Hall elder, then spoke,]
["An Alchemy Chamber, medicinal ingredients, earthfire—whatever the Alchemy Hall can provide, you may have."]
["You have ten days to produce a batch."]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Accept the task and use the opportunity to gain access to the Spirit-Urging Pill Formula.]
[B: Knock both of them out with a handful of poison, then flee the Greenwood Sect.]
[C: Say ten days isn't enough unless you're provided with coffee and a private workstation. Most importantly, this beauty must wear a maid outfit and black stockings every day and attend to you.]