Alchemy Faction, Li Hong's estate.
"Master, something terrible has happened!"
Watching Chu Liang rush over in a panic, Li Hong frowned. "Why are you so flustered? Where is the composure befitting a Pill Master?"
"Speak. What exactly happened?"
Chu Liang took a deep breath and steadied his breathing before saying, "Master, do you still remember Lu Chuan, whom I mentioned to you?"
"Lu Chuan?"
Li Hong thought for a moment, then said, "The genius you spoke of? What about him?"
"Master, I misjudged him."
Chu Liang said excitedly, "What genius? Lu Chuan is clearly a peerless, once-in-an-age prodigy!"
"Is it really as exaggerated as you say?" Li Hong looked skeptical.
"Master, your disciple dares ask: how long would it take you now to learn ten First-grade Potion Recipes?"
Seeing Li Hong's doubts, Chu Liang changed his approach.
"Ten First-grade Recipes?"
Li Hong stroked his beard and smiled. "With my current attainments, so long as they are not ancient secret recipes, I can learn them all within a week."
Chu Liang nodded. He knew his master fairly well.
Saying a week was already being modest.
With Li Hong's realm as a seventh-rank Pill Master, learning ten First-grade Recipes would probably take only three or four days.
"Master, do you know how long Lu Chuan took to learn ten First-grade Potion Recipes?" Chu Liang asked again.
"Lu Chuan?"
Li Hong studied Chu Liang. It seemed Lu Chuan's aptitude had exceeded his expectations; otherwise, Chu Liang would never have asked such a question.
Since that was the case, he might as well make a bold guess.
"One month?"
Under normal circumstances, even a fourth-rank Pill Master might not be able to learn ten First-grade Potion Recipes within a month.
But since Chu Liang praised him so highly, Lu Chuan must possess something extraordinary.
One month should be about right.
To his surprise, Chu Liang shook his head. "Master, Lu Chuan learned ten First-grade Potion Recipes within a week."
"What?"
Li Hong's face filled with shock. "What kind of joke is this? Lu Chuan is only first-rank. How could he possibly learn ten Potion Recipes in a single week?"
"Your disciple did not believe it either." Chu Liang smiled bitterly. "But I witnessed it with my own eyes. There was absolutely no deception."
"If that were not the case, your disciple would not be this flustered."
"Hiss!"
Li Hong sucked in a cold breath. "There is actually such a monstrous genius in this world?"
Li Hong knew Chu Liang would never deceive him over such a matter.
In other words, Lu Chuan truly had learned ten First-grade Potion Recipes within a week.
Such a monster far exceeded Li Hong's imagination!
Not to mention the geniuses Li Hong had seen—even Li Hong himself, when he had been first-rank, could not compare to Lu Chuan.
No, it should be said that he could not even see Lu Chuan's taillights.
At that thought, Li Hong slapped himself across the face.
Heavens, what on earth had he missed out on?!
"Master, now is not the time for self-reproach."
Seeing Li Hong's regret, Chu Liang hurriedly persuaded him. "The urgent task is to snatch Lu Chuan away from the Combat Department."
"Do not let a precious jade be buried in the dust!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
Li Hong nodded repeatedly. "If such a genius remains in the Combat Department, at most he will become a sixth-rank or even seventh-rank Pill Master in the future."
"But if he is in our hands, this old man is confident that I can raise him into a Ninth Rank Pill Master!"
"Even becoming a Pill Master above the Ninth Rank is not impossible!"
"I'll go find Lin Lei right now!"
With that, Li Hong charged out of the estate.
"Master, speak more politely."
"Ah, forget it! I'd better go with you!"
Chu Liang hurried after him.
Before long, the two figures vanished from sight.
A dispute between the Alchemy Faction and the Combat Department quietly began at that moment.
Yet Lu Chuan, the source of the conflict, was leisurely strolling through the trading district.
"This time, I'm going to spend properly. At the very least, I'll simplify both the Grand Profound Art and the Yellow Spirit Potion!"
Looking at the balance of over six thousand Academic Credits on his identity card, Lu Chuan's confidence was overflowing.
Simplifying the Grand Profound Art required thirteen thousand Simplification Points.
Simplifying the Yellow Spirit Potion required twelve hundred Simplification Points.
Together, that was only fourteen thousand two hundred Simplification Points. Converted roughly into Academic Credits, it was just over four hundred credits.
Pocket change!
After a shopping spree, Lu Chuan spent a total of 430 Academic Credits and exchanged them for 14,312 Simplification Points.
Host: Lu Chuan Techniques: Evergreen Spirit Art (Profound Mastery), Sky Swallowing Art 1/1000 (Mastery) Realm: Fifth-Rank Martial Artist (943,803/1,000,000) Martial Arts: Eight Trigrams Swimming Dragon Palm 1067/(Perfection) Alchemy: Hidden. Click to view. Simplification Points:
Looking at the Simplification Points on the panel, Lu Chuan did not waste any words and began simplifying them directly.
Simplifying Grand Profound Art... Simplification successful!
Grand Profound Art—Breathe air (limited to 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.)
Yellow Spirit Potion—Eat yellow fruit!
Lu Chuan was not surprised that the Yellow Spirit Potion required eating yellow fruit. After all, both had "yellow" in their names.
But why did the Grand Profound Art require breathing?
And why was it restricted to five to seven in the morning?
"In certain legends, when the sun first rises, the world is filled with primordial purple qi. Daoist sages of old could absorb that primordial purple qi to cultivate."
"But those are basically records from legends of immortals and gods."
"Could it be that this world has immortals?"
At that thought, Lu Chuan's back turned cold, and a great terror surged into his heart, as though some terrifying existence had fixed its gaze upon him.
"Huff!"
"Don't think about it. Don't think about it!"
He shook his head and buried that terrifying thought deep within his heart.
A technique that can be fused has been detected. Fuse it for free?
Note: The Grand Profound Art is a special technique. Fusion will not consume Simplification Points, and its simplification will be retained.
"A special technique?"
Lu Chuan became even more certain of his earlier judgment.
This world probably really did have...
No.
He could not think about it anymore!
"Fuse."
Fusion in progress... Fusion successful!
Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the high-grade technique—Profound Azure Spirit Art!
Profound Azure Spirit Art 1634/(Perfection)
"It actually went straight to Perfection!"
Lu Chuan's eyes lit up. All the hardship he had endured while grinding the Evergreen Spirit Art to Profound Mastery had not been in vain. The rewards were indeed generous!
Not only had it granted a trait that could assist cultivation, but after fusing the techniques, it had directly raised the new technique's proficiency to the realm of Perfection!
That certainly saved him trouble.
"Once I get back, I have to test the power of the Perfection-grade Profound Azure Spirit Art!" Lu Chuan said excitedly.
Though he said that, Lu Chuan was not in a hurry to return. Instead, he planned to buy more spirit crystals.
The Profound Azure Spirit Art was excellent, but with the Sky Swallowing Art as an artificial cheat, any normal person would know which to choose.
No, that was not right.
Normal people could only choose one technique. They did not have this problem.
But for Lu Chuan, the choice was not difficult.
The Sky Swallowing Art would definitely be the main one, while the Profound Azure Spirit Art would serve as support.
Before he ran out of Academic Credits, he could only set aside the Profound Azure Spirit Art for the time being.
Before you continue