Alchemy Inheritance

Since that day when a Foundation Establishment Cultivator came to visit, Wang Yu had taken on the role of a gate attendant. From time to time, friends from Tantai Chan's circle would come looking for her.

Most were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, or some juniors in the Qi Refining Stage.

More importantly, Tantai Chan was a Second-Tier Middle-Grade Alchemist. Her skills were exquisite and her connections extensive, and through her, Wang Yu had come to know quite a few people in this circle.

Though none of them took him seriously, if he needed something in the future, he at least knew some people and could find a way to build connections.

Information was a relatively scarce resource in an environment shaped by society.

Moreover, as producers within the Demonic Path, their status was vaguely a cut above the rest. Naturally, more covetous gazes fell upon them as well; those with ample wealth could hardly avoid being targeted.

The ninety-fifth day of Wang Yu's Outer Sect life.

"Night Concealment Spell!"

As a high-grade spell, it corresponded to the Qi Refining Late Stage. Once cultivated to perfection, it could even evade the Divine Sense of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The Night Concealment Spell had two effects.

It concealed one's realm, hid one's aura, and made one breathe in rhythm with nature!

The latter was its primary function, while the former was merely an extension of its concealment ability. When cast at night, its effects rose to an even greater level.

After he cultivated it to perfection, a Black Talisman-like pattern appeared on Wang Yu's chest. It activated when infused with spiritual power. Even when inactive, it made his footsteps soundless, his breathing noiseless, and even the flutter of his robes utterly silent.

Its only flaw was its excessive spiritual power consumption. With his current cultivation, he could maintain it for at most half an incense stick's time. This issue would gradually disappear as his cultivation improved, so it was not a major problem.

[Placement Slot 2: Night Concealment Spell (Perfect)]

"Night Concealment Spell (100/100): Practice twelve two-hour periods a day; mastery in eight years."

This newly emerged description should have indicated an even higher level of placement time. It was five years longer than Ice Sword Technique, so there was no hurry.

With this spell protecting him, Wang Yu's concealment greatly improved. He therefore replaced it with Ice Shield Technique. This was merely a middle-grade spell, and it formed a set with the cultivation method Cold Blood Art; the two complemented one another.

[Placement Slot 2: Ice Shield Technique]

"Ice Shield Technique (12/100): One hundred and forty-four practices a day; mastery in twenty-six days."

Those twelve points of progress were the result of his research over the past Three months. By this standard, trying to comprehend it to perfection himself would likely take a decade.

That was the unreasonable part of the Placement Slot: not only did it practice at every moment, it improved every single time.

The more Wang Yu understood it, the more formidable he found it.

"I can go exchange for an Alchemy Inheritance."

As for [Corpse Demon Secret Art], Wang Yu was still conflicted. Placing this method would inevitably cause all sorts of abnormalities in his body, so he still needed time to consider it.

It would be better to study alchemy first. He had a Cold Blood Pill Formula in hand; if he could refine it, the speed of his cultivation progress would greatly increase. It was worth a gamble.

The Cold Ice Nine Leaf Grass in Tantai Chan's Medicine Garden was the main ingredient for refining Cold Blood Pills. He could discuss purchasing some and slowly gather enough materials for one batch.

After finishing his daily field patrol, Wang Yu finally headed out for Central Halls District.

Scripture Pavilion.

Pill, Artifact, Talisman, Formation were the four most respected fields of cultivation arts. In this regard, the righteous path was somewhat more advanced.

Alchemy also had different schools, divided into the Fire Refining Method and the Water Refining Method.

The Fire Refining Method used the scorching heat of flames to extract the essence of spiritual materials. Following the principle of harmonizing yin and yang, it drew out the portions one needed and thus formed pills. It was fast and effective.

The Water Refining Method used water's gentle, permeating quality to seep deep into spiritual materials, slowly separating the medicinal essences one required before forming pills. It was slow, but its results were excellent, and its pill success rate was exceptionally high.

The pills produced by the two methods had no distinction of superiority or inferiority; the only difference was their speed.

As for pill success rate, nine was the utmost limit.

For one batch of spiritual herbs, the limit of a single furnace of spirit pills was nine pills.

The water method could reliably yield seven to eight pills on average. Yet refining a single furnace of spirit pills often took years; the higher the pill's grade, the longer it took. It could not supply the market on a large scale.

The upper and lower limits of the fire method differed enormously. Poor results yielded only one to three pills per furnace, while better ones could achieve four to six. Only master-level figures could refine nine pills.

Of course—

This was also related to one's proficiency with the pill formula. There were many factors affecting Fire Element Alchemists: Fire Control Hand Seals, Divine Sense strength, alchemy skill, attainments in medicinal theory... etc.

The method suited to Wang Yu was undoubtedly the Fire Refining Method. This was also the path commonly chosen by alchemists. With a large cultivator population and an immense market for low-tier pills, demand far exceeded supply.

Water-method alchemists, meanwhile, were slow but had a high Boutique rate. Their market was high-end, mostly involving customized services; one job was enough to live off for three years.

Wang Yu slowly walked along the bookshelves of the Scripture Pavilion.

"Fire Cauldron Alchemy, Pearl Spit Alchemy, Human Pill Technique, Nine Refinements Alchemy, Flame Pill Technique..."

After looking through them all, Wang Yu was not particularly satisfied.

Either the price was too high, or the descriptions were too one-sided and the inheritance insufficiently complete.

A complete set of alchemy inheritance would inevitably include exclusive pill formulas, along with a set of Fire Control Hand Seals and a Pill Condensation Seal. Only then did it embody its true value.

"Cold Flame Alchemy—"

Wang Yu paused. He took down the introductory Jade Slip and, after examining it, headed for the Technique Transmission Hall in satisfaction. Its price was exactly one thousand Contribution Points.

He chose it because its rare yin-cold attribute fire method suited the path Wang Yu was currently walking. Beyond that, it was also an incomplete Third Tier alchemy inheritance.

Only one exclusive alchemy recipe remained, named [Cold Dragon Pill].

Its effect was: after consuming and refining the pill, one could nurture a Cold Dragon Fire Seed within the body, gaining control over a type of cold flame whose power would rise in tandem with the cultivator's realm.

Such an effect was no less extraordinary than a Core Formation Cultivator's Life-Bound Magic Treasure.

This alchemy recipe alone was exceedingly valuable. Its difficulty in refinement was surely immense—and that was precisely what Wang Yu had taken a liking to.

Moreover, the accompanying Fire Control Hand Seal and Pill Condensation Seal contained only the first-rank portions and were severely incomplete, so the exchange price was merely one thousand Contribution Points.

That level was enough for Wang Yu to use. Besides, the Placement Slot could break through a technique's limits; perhaps it could even complete a crippled art. This time, he could use Cold Flame Alchemy to test it. If it truly could be completed—

he would no longer hesitate to place [Corpse Demon Secret Art] inside.

It would kill several birds with one stone, and it also paired exceptionally well with Cold Blood Art.

By the time he left the Technique Transmission Hall, his most valuable token had already been handed over. From here on, he would have to earn Spirit Stones and Contribution Points himself.

Returning to the Medicine Garden in Evil God Ward, Wang Yu began comprehending Cold Flame Alchemy on his own. His progress was slow, but he kept at it.

On the one hundred and twenty-fifth day of his Outer Sect life, after a full month had passed and he had perfected the Ice Shield Technique, he finally placed the alchemy art into the slot.

[Placement Slot 2: Cold Dragon Alchemy (Crippled Art)]

"Cold Dragon Alchemy (0/100): twelve refinements per day; one year to mastery."

This was the first time Wang Yu had seen a placed item limited to only twelve refinements a day—once every two hours. It would take a full year to reach perfection.