Danger Sense

Qingyuan Sect had dug up quite a bit of useful information from Zhao Ziqing. Though Yang Chan did not know the specifics, seeing the sect rewards before him told him they had been very useful.

Silver, medicine packets, pills, alchemist notes—these were all things Yang Chan needed most, and they had all been sent over as rewards.

Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup, Foundation Strengthening and Qi Nourishing Porridge, and Lantian Jade Refining Pill were the three medicines most needed by those nurturing Jing Power. Even someone with relatively poor talent would still have a strong chance of breaking through to the External Refinement realm if they had abundant medicinal resources.

They were treating Yang Chan as a Formal Disciple nurturing Jing Power, and the rewards had been supplemented accordingly.

Among them, the Lantian Jade Refining Pill was not only useful for nurturing Jing Power; it was also effective for External Refinement. They had given him one bottle, containing ten pills in total.

The alchemist notes were a reward based on his status as an Alchemist Assistant. They were notes recording an alchemist's insights and experiences, immensely helpful to Alchemist Assistants. Though ordinary to Qingyuan Sect's upper ranks, obtaining even one was extremely difficult for Formal Disciples.

As far as Yang Chan knew, neither Shu Yu nor the others possessed alchemist notes.

Besides these rewards, there was one more. It was not a physical object, but a slot.

An alchemist training slot.

Yang Chan had been added as an extra, without taking up one of the original training slots.

Yang Chan had not expected this either. Xu Gaocen had not chosen him, yet the sect had arranged a place for him instead. The twists of fate were truly unpredictable.

None of the sect's rewards were particularly weighty, but every one of them fit his identities as an Alchemist Assistant and a Formal Disciple perfectly. They were all things those two identities urgently needed.

To Yang Chan, the most useful of the rewards from those several missions was still the Lantian Jade Refining Pill. It was a pill that only a mid-grade Pharmacist could refine.

Though it was not an especially profound pill, refining it required an alchemist to reach a certain standard. There were demands regarding the order of the medicinal ingredients, heat control, and more. Without sufficient skill, it simply could not be refined.

With Yang Chan's current abilities, he still could not refine it. To him, however, it was another source through which he could gain Potential Points.

Though there were only ten chances, it was still an exceptionally fine gain.

With the silver awarded by the sect combined with his current monthly allowance, he would not lack money for some time. That was good news for Yang Chan as well.

If life had not forced them to it, no one would enjoy living a miserly, penny-pinching life.

Yang Chan was naturally the same. The reason he budgeted so carefully was simply that he did not have enough silver in hand.

Before the alchemist training began, Yang Chan's life in the Prescription Courtyard had not undergone any earth-shaking changes. Yet over these past few days, the aura around him had changed greatly.

After using up his Potential Points, Yang Chan's Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique had, as he wished, broken through to the Third Order: Mastery realm.

His Lifespan had also, as he wished, surpassed one hundred years.

Living to a hundred was no longer a blessing to him, but a curse. To Yang Chan, that was also a good thing.

Furthermore, Yang Chan's strength, speed, mental reactions, and more had all improved. The most obvious changes were to his senses. If someone was watching him, he could quickly detect it.

If someone looked at him with hostile intentions, that perception would become even sharper. Yang Chan called this Danger Sense.

Though it had not appeared on the panel, Yang Chan knew just how useful this ability was.

His Martial Talent had also risen by four points at once, the greatest increase yet. This meant his Martial Talent was no longer low-grade, but had reached the middle grade.

Within Qingyuan Sect, he now counted as talent worth cultivating, someone with hopes of becoming an Elite Disciple. Though his Martial Cultivation was already at the Elite Disciple level, Yang Chan still felt delighted.

"Panel!"

Yang Chan summoned the panel.

[Name: Yang Chan]

[Lifespan: 16/106]

[Talent: 12]

[Potential Points: 0.5]

[Mastered Professions: Alchemist (Second Order: Entering the Hall 2%)]

[Comprehended Techniques: Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique (Third Order: Mastery 3%), Ox Demon Strength Fist (Second Order: Entering the Hall 43%), Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique (Second Order: Entering the Hall 2%)]

After the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique entered the Third Order: Mastery, Yang Chan had added one Potential Point, yet the increase was only 2%. Calculated according to the initial proficiency, that meant at least five thousand rounds of practicing the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique. Compared with when he had first begun cultivating it, he now also had Silk Coiling Strength, the Quiet Nourishing Technique, and more. Completing one full round of practice took increasingly longer.

This time, the required Potential Points were two and a half times what they had been before—roughly fifty Potential Points. Though the requirement was greater, his speed of acquiring Potential Points was also becoming faster. If he continued accumulating them, he would break through again sooner or later.

For Yang Chan, surpassing a hundred years of Lifespan was only a beginning. He was still far from reaching his small goal and needed to keep working hard.

After raising the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Technique to the Third Order, Yang Chan turned his attention back to the Ox Demon Strength Fist. He would continue raising his Martial Cultivation first, then work on the Turtle Breath Body Nourishing Technique.

The Alchemist Training Office in the Medicine Hall was located within the Prescription Courtyard, in a separate room.

Quite a few medicinal ingredients had been placed inside. Clearly, they planned to explain things using physical examples, which would leave a deeper impression.

A plaque reading "Alchemist Training Office" also hung there, making the place especially eye-catching.

Whether Steward Disciples or Alchemist Assistants, everyone in the Prescription Courtyard could not help but look over a few more times, because this place represented hope.

Many people wished to become part of it, because it meant they were very close to becoming Pharmacists—preparatory Pharmacists, so to speak.

Most of the Pharmacists in the Medicine Hall had become Pharmacists only after undergoing alchemist training.

A small number had taught themselves into success, but such people were few.

Yang Chan had now arrived before the plaque for alchemist training. He had never intended to attend the training, yet he had become part of it.

Li Junhao had racked his brains trying to find a way in, only to end up directly in the Law Enforcement Hall.

The fortunes of life truly were fickle!

Still, for the next eight days, he would not need to take part in prescription-compounding tasks, though his task quota would still be counted for him. It was much like attending meetings, studying, and working—at the very least, it was not bad.

Listening to others explain knowledge related to Pharmacists was more meaningful than searching for herbs, weighing medicinal ingredients, and the like.

Tasks such as finding herbs and weighing ingredients only felt meaningful at first, when he was learning much from them. After doing them for a long time, though, they became routine, and that initial passion was gone.

"Junior Brother Yang Chan, Pharmacist Xu will be short one person for the next eight days. You few will have to work a little harder during this time. Things will return to normal in a few days."

Seeing Yang Chan gazing at the alchemist training plaque, Shu Yu spoke with a smile.

Most people would have taken her tone as a request, but Yang Chan could hear another meaning behind her words. The smugness hidden in her eyes was perfectly clear to him.

Sure enough, only after spending a long time with someone could one see their true face.

Take Shu Yu, for instance. Before the competition for alchemist training, she had never revealed such an expression.