Alchemy Formulas

Nie Li walked over to the wall. It was covered in scraps of paper, each covered with a problem encountered during alchemy. Beside it, the table was lined with horn pens.

Nie Li picked up one of the horn pens.

"Wait!" Hu Yanming hurriedly stopped him. What was Nie Li planning to do?

"What's wrong?" Nie Li asked, looking at Hu Yanming in confusion.

"Are you planning to answer these questions?" Hu Yanming asked tentatively.

"Yeah. Is that not allowed?" Nie Li asked, blinking.

"It's allowed, but..." Hu Yanming wanted to explain that many of the problems on the wall were real issues Alchemy Masters had encountered while making pills. They couldn't be solved just by studying books; you had to make pills yourself. He didn't think Nie Li could answer them.

"Since it's allowed, then there's no problem!" Nie Li said with a bright smile, lifting the horn pen and starting to write.

Nie Li's pen flew across the wall. Whenever he saw a question, he wrote down an answer at once, barely even blinking.

Watching Nie Li answer the questions so quickly, Hu Yanming could only smile wryly. Nie Li was answering them without even trying anything out in practice. He was liable to make a fool of himself. Hu Yanming's gaze fell on one particular question, about balancing medicinal ingredients.

"How should snow grass, nine immortals grass, and gentian be proportioned? According to alchemy theory, combining these three herbs should produce a powerful antidote, but no one has figured out the right proportions!" Hu Yanming murmured.

Nie Li's answer was that no combination would work. Gentian should be replaced with black nightshade, in a ratio of three to one to two.

Black nightshade had medicinal effects similar to gentian. Both were spirit-rich detoxifying herbs, but gentian was potent while black nightshade was comparatively mild. And the proportions were perfect, too.

"Brilliant!" Hu Yanming slapped the table in approval. He couldn't wait to try making it and verify those proportions.

Hu Yanming kept reading. Nie Li's answers were all remarkably ingenious. He didn't know whether they were right, but they were worth testing. Although he couldn't yet confirm that most of them were correct, he could verify a few of them—such as those concerning pill-making. Nie Li's answers were right.

Hu Yanming's gaze toward Nie Li gradually changed, filling with admiration and respect. Even President Gu Yan couldn't solve some of these problems.

Could Nie Li's knowledge surpass even that of an Advanced Alchemy Master? Had he reached the legendary level of a grandmaster?

What kind of freak was this? Nie Li was only thirteen. Did he expect anyone else to go on living?

As a Junior Alchemy Master, Hu Yanming had always been very proud of himself. After all, there were fewer than a hundred Junior Alchemy Masters in the entire Alchemist Association. But now, seeing the astonishing knowledge possessed by someone so young, Hu Yanming felt like slamming his head into the wall.

In a short while, Nie Li had answered a hundred questions. He set down the pen and murmured, "These questions aren't that hard!"

Hu Yanming nearly spat blood at Nie Li's words. These were questions the entire Alchemist Association had accumulated over the years, unable to solve, and Nie Li was saying they weren't hard!

But then Hu Yanming realized that Nie Li's arrival might usher in a whole new era for the Alchemist Association. Just verifying the answers to these questions would be enough to raise the Association's influence to a new level!

While Nie Li was answering the questions, a white-haired old man and a tall, stunningly beautiful woman had come to stand behind him.

At first, Gu Yan and Yang Xin found it somewhat amusing to see Nie Li writing so quickly. These questions were beyond someone his age. But when they looked at what Nie Li had written, no words could describe their shock.

Gu Yan and Yang Xin looked at Nie Li. What kind of freak was he?

Was Nie Li really only thirteen? His face was so young, yet Gu Yan and Yang Xin almost thought he was an old monster who had lived for centuries and rejuvenated himself.

Without decades of study, reaching the level of a Junior Alchemy Master was almost impossible.

Nie Li was only thirteen, yet his understanding of alchemy knowledge had already surpassed that of Junior and Intermediate Alchemy Masters. He was probably no less knowledgeable than Gu Yan, an Advanced Alchemy Master!

Gu Yan's gaze toward Nie Li grew intensely fervent. In recent years, the Alchemist Association's standing had fallen far from what it once was, and in a few more years it might gradually decline even further. Several monster attacks had cost the Association dearly, and many ancient texts had been lost. The pills they produced had also become far less effective. As a result, the Association had been losing members, and many people focused solely on martial arts, with few willing to devote themselves to alchemy.

Gu Yan understood that this was wrong. Pills greatly aided cultivation. If no one made pills in the future, martial arts would gradually decline as well.

The Alchemist Association had long been short on new blood. He hadn't expected it to welcome a freak like Nie Li today. Looking at Nie Li's back, Gu Yan suddenly felt that, starting today, the Alchemist Association might reach a new peak under his leadership!

Yang Xin's beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. Her sensual red lips parted slightly, and her full breasts heaved as she breathed. She could hardly believe that Nie Li had solved, one by one, all those problems that even the Alchemy Masters had been helpless against.

Nie Li suddenly turned and glanced at Gu Yan and Yang Xin.

"President Gu Yan, Director Yang Xin. Nice to meet you!" Nie Li greeted them first.

Gu Yan was a little surprised. He smiled and said, "Young man, you know us?" He looked Nie Li over. Nie Li was quite handsome, and the more Gu Yan looked at him, the more he liked him. Nie Li was practically heaven's chosen child!

"Of course. Anyone who studies alchemy knows the names of President Gu Yan and Director Yang Xin. I remember sending Director Yang a discussion about Purple Mist Grass earlier!" Nie Li said with a slight smile. In his previous life, both Gu Yan and Yang Xin had made great contributions to the City of Brilliance. Gu Yan had died fighting alongside the City Lord, while Yang Xin had died protecting the city's residents as they evacuated. Nie Li had seen the snow mantis pierce her chest with his own eyes. That scene had brought countless people to tears.

"You wrote that paper about Purple Mist Grass?" Yang Xin's beautiful eyes were full of disbelief. That paper had left a deep impression on her. Every one of its more than sixty claims about Purple Mist Grass had since been verified, without a single mistake.

Yang Xin had once wondered who could have written such an article. Even Gu Yan, the president of the Alchemist Association, probably couldn't have studied the properties of a new herb so thoroughly. Could there be a hidden master alchemist in the City of Brilliance? Unfortunately, no one knew where the letter had come from. Yang Xin had sent people to investigate, but they had found no leads.

"You wrote that article?" Gu Yan's hand began to tremble slightly. He had read it, and it had had a far-reaching impact on the development of the Alchemist Association.

"It wasn't me. My master wrote it. He sent me to the Alchemist Association to take the Advanced Alchemy Master examination!" Nie Li said with a faint smile. To avoid seeming too much of a freak, he had casually made up an excuse. Sometimes, borrowing someone else's prestige made things easier.

Gu Yan was slightly taken aback. That made sense. For Nie Li to have achieved so much at such a young age, he must have had a renowned master guiding him. If Nie Li had been taught to be this extraordinary at such a young age, then his master must be an Alchemy Grandmaster, at the very least.

"May I ask who your esteemed master is? We would be honored to pay him a visit," Gu Yan said respectfully.

"My master doesn't like being disturbed by other people!" Nie Li shook his head.

Yang Xin blinked and stared intently at Nie Li, trying to read something in his face, but she failed. Though Nie Li was only thirteen, he was composed and difficult to read.

Gu Yan nodded. "If your esteemed master doesn't wish to show himself, then we'll leave it at that. A renowned master produces an outstanding pupil. Your talent is more than enough to merit the title of Advanced Alchemy Master. I hope I'll have the chance to meet your master someday!" It was perfectly normal for some reclusive experts to have eccentricities.

Whoever that reclusive master was, having him in the City of Brilliance was a tremendous stroke of fortune for the city! Gu Yan would report this to Lord Ye Mo and the City Lord. Befriending such a figure would be tremendously significant! As for granting Nie Li the title of Advanced Alchemy Master, the fact that he had answered questions even Gu Yan couldn't solve was enough to merit it. By granting Nie Li the title now, Gu Yan was also currying favor with the person behind him!

"Director Yang, go get him the documents, badge, and clothes for an Advanced Alchemy Master!" Gu Yan said decisively.

"Yes!" Yang Xin turned to make the arrangements, marveling inwardly. A thirteen-year-old Advanced Alchemy Master was a first in the history of the Alchemist Association!

"Besides getting certified as an Advanced Alchemy Master, I'd also like to discuss a partnership with President Gu Yan!" Nie Li said with a slight smile. He had come prepared.

"A partnership? Please, go ahead!" Gu Yan's heart stirred. Nie Li had come to discuss a partnership; perhaps the person behind him had instructed him to. No matter how mature Nie Li seemed, he was still only thirteen.

"I have five pill formulas here, including the Soul Nurturing Pill, the Soul Condensing Pill, and the Soul Tempering Pill, which increase Soul Power, as well as the Crimson Flame Body Tempering Pill and the Nine Revolutions Pill..." Nie Li said calmly. He didn't believe Gu Yan wouldn't be tempted when he heard the names of these pills.

"What? The Soul Nurturing Pill, Soul Condensing Pill, and Soul Tempering Pill? And the Crimson Flame Body Tempering Pill and Nine Revolutions Pill?" Gu Yan sucked in a sharp breath. Even he, usually so composed, could no longer remain calm.

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