Nangong Zheng lived up to expectations, persuading the Dragon Ascending Holy Sect and Wu Yuanqing to join the wager.
Ye Ziyang of the Grandmaster Mansion immediately came forward as well, declaring that they would advance and retreat together with the imperial family, sharing both fortune and misfortune. He sent Cheng Nan to accept the challenge.
The Grandmaster Mansion couldn't afford to miss out on the Ancestral Hall, so it chose to advance and retreat with the imperial family, keeping its options open.
Ye Ziyang's request was within Liu Chengfeng's plans, and Empress of Qiuchi approved it.
"Ye Ziyang can't be trusted. Be careful of him."
That was Empress of Qiuchi's warning to Liu Chengfeng.
"Why didn't you kill him before?"
Liu Chengfeng was curious.
"We need people right now. A grandmaster-level faction needs at least three Great Dao Divine Treasury experts to defend its Spirit Vein."
The most basic requirement for a grandmaster-level faction was to possess a main Spirit Vein. It took three powerful Great Dao Divine Treasury experts to guard one.
"Everyone has someone backing them. Who backs the imperial family?"
"The imperial family hasn't been in contact with its backer for a very long time."
As she spoke, Empress of Qiuchi looked at Liu Chengfeng.
"It's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send one out."
Liu Chengfeng understood. Take the Stone Lion outside the city gate: did Qiuchi Kingdom even know that such an existence was sitting right beneath its nose?
"The time has been set. You should learn alchemy."
Empress of Qiuchi began ordering Liu Chengfeng around, telling him to hurry up and learn alchemy. There was no time to lose.
Alchemy wasn't the imperial family's strong suit.
Most of the alchemists in Qiuchi Kingdom came from the Cheng Clan. Cheng Nan was the strongest alchemist in the kingdom, a Second Refinement mid-grade alchemist.
Even so, the imperial family still had alchemy manuals in its collection. They sent them to Liu Chengfeng, along with the medicinal ingredients and Spirit Stove he needed to learn alchemy.
Alchemy was all about controlling the heat, refining ingredients, drawing pills, and other such techniques.
Every school of alchemy had its own method for controlling fire and its own technique for drawing pills. Each differed from the others.
Alchemy was an extremely complicated and precise process. Even the slightest difference in heat, the timing of a pill's formation, the speed of drawing it... all of it required meticulous attention.
In such a complicated process, one had to be precise down to the last detail. Otherwise, the alchemy would fail and the medicinal ingredients would go to waste.
That was why every school of alchemy had its own secret methods and unique techniques for controlling the heat, forming pills, drawing them, and so on.
No matter how different each school's alchemy was, all paths ultimately led to the same destination. A good alchemy method was one that could produce pills and improve the success rate.
Knowing Liu Chengfeng's talent, Empress of Qiuchi sent him all of the alchemy manuals in the imperial family's collection.
The imperial family might not be good at alchemy, but it still had quite a few manuals, even if the collection was patchy and incomplete.
Liu Chengfeng received the alchemy manuals, committed them to memory, then tossed them to the Celestial Body.
He activated the Celestial Body, which gave off a radiant glow. The Heavenly Mound revolved, blending all the alchemy techniques together, rearranging and reweaving them.
At last, the Heavenly Mound slammed down hard on the alchemy techniques. With a bang, it fused them all, discarding the dross and retaining the essence, innovating and filling in the gaps, and simplifying the complicated.
A brand-new alchemy technique appeared in his mind. Refined and innovated by the Celestial Body, it was undoubtedly the best alchemy technique in the Green Meng Realm.
Even Nangong Zheng would have been left gasping in admiration if he saw it.
Whether one was refining pills or forging weapons, a Spirit Stove was an indispensable treasure.
A Spirit Stove was a treasure born alongside a Spirit Vein. It needed millions of years to mature underground within the vein.
Spirit Stoves were nourished by spiritual energy and grew by absorbing earthfire.
Every Spirit Stove contained its own unique stove flame, allowing it to connect with a Spirit Vein and draw on earthfire when refining pills or forging swords.
The flame inside a Spirit Stove determined its grade. Different grades had different flames.
Spirit Stoves were divided into First, Second, Third, and Fourth Refinement, and there were even legends of Five-Refinement stoves.
A First Refinement flame was red, a Second Refinement flame orange, a Third Refinement flame purple, and a Fourth Refinement flame silver.
The legendary Five-Refinement Spirit Stove had a golden-yellow flame.
To control a Spirit Stove and command its flame, one had to nourish and refine it with blood energy.
The strength of one's blood energy was determined by the Blood Sea.
A Blood Sea ten li wide could control a First Refinement Spirit Stove; one twenty li wide could control a Second Refinement Spirit Stove; one thirty li wide could control a Third Refinement Spirit Stove...
A First Refinement flame could refine medicinal ingredients a hundred years old.
A Second Refinement flame could refine medicinal ingredients a thousand years old.
A Third Refinement flame could refine medicinal ingredients ten thousand years old.
As a result, the grade of Blood Medicine or Mountain Pill an alchemist could refine was often determined by their Blood Sea and Spirit Stove.
A Spirit Stove could be bought, but one could only improve their Blood Sea through their own cultivation.
The size of a Blood Sea was determined by one's true blood from ferocious beasts and the cultivation method of the Blood Sea Divine Treasury.
For alchemists and swordsmiths, true blood from ferocious beasts and a Blood Sea Divine Treasury cultivation method were extremely important.
Liu Chengfeng had a Blood Sea twenty li wide, so Empress of Qiuchi directly sent him a Second Refinement Spirit Stove, intending for him to become a Second Refinement alchemist.
After merging and innovating the alchemy techniques, Liu Chengfeng immediately began practicing, day and night.
With the best alchemy technique, his cultivation advanced as if he had grown wings.
There was a fire vein underground in the imperial palace, allowing Liu Chengfeng's Spirit Stove to draw in earthfire.
The Spirit Stove was shaped like a cauldron or furnace, rooted in the earth and connected to the fire vein.
With a low shout, Liu Chengfeng circulated the Mad Kui Heart Method. His Blood Sea churned, and blood energy surged.
He circulated his blood energy to control the Spirit Stove.
Blood energy flowed into the stove and set its flame in motion. With a whoosh, orange flames surged up and began heating the cauldron.
Liu Chengfeng tossed in the medicinal ingredients he had prepared.
Since he was only beginning to learn alchemy, Liu Chengfeng practiced with ingredients that were a hundred years old.
The first batch he refined was Blood Medicine, with Dragon Blood Vine as the main ingredient and other medicinal ingredients as support.
Dragon Blood Vine was the cheapest of the main ingredients, so an alchemist's first batch was usually Blood Medicine, not Mountain Pills or Guidance Powder.
Liu Chengfeng added the ingredients one by one, circulating his blood energy to control the stove flame and refine each one.
The entire process required painstaking care. Controlling the heat, adjusting the stove flame, refining and blending the ingredients... all of it demanded meticulous attention.
The flame flickered and swallowed the ingredients, melting and refining each into medicinal liquid.
Then Liu Chengfeng increased the heat, boiling the liquid down over a high flame.
As the medicinal liquid took shape, it turned into powder.
"Draw!"
Liu Chengfeng shouted, drawing out the pill and gathering the medicine as he controlled the stove flame, tossing the powder into the air.
But the flame was off by the slightest amount. With a whoosh, he used too much force and burned the newly formed powder.
The stench of scorched medicine filled the entire palace hall.
"Damn, I failed."
Liu Chengfeng gave a wry smile, but wasn't discouraged.
Drawing the pill was also key to success or failure.
The success rate was an alchemist's core measure. The higher their success rate, the higher their grade.
The higher an alchemist's grade, the greater their standing.
After all, each failed batch came at a steep cost.
An alchemist with a success rate of one or two out of ten was considered low-grade; three or four out of ten, mid-grade.
Five or six out of ten meant high-grade.
Seven or eight out of ten meant top-grade.
A hundred percent success rate meant they were a born alchemist.
Nangong Zheng was a Third Refinement high-grade alchemist. When refining ten-thousand-year-old Blood Medicine or Mountain Pills, his success rate was five or six out of ten.
When refining thousand-year-old Blood Medicine or Mountain Pills, his success rate rose to seven or eight out of ten.
With hundred-year-old Blood Medicine or Mountain Pills, Nangong Zheng had a hundred percent success rate.
That meant he could mass-produce First Refinement Blood Medicine and Mountain Pills, and do so quickly.
That was why the higher an alchemist's grade and the better their skill, the more respected they were.
A Third Refinement born alchemist would be a veritable money-printing machine.
A Third Refinement Blood Medicine made with ingredients five thousand years old could sell for a million spirit stones.
A Third Refinement Mountain Pill made with ingredients five thousand years old could sell for three million spirit stones.
"Open!"
After the first batch of Blood Medicine failed, Liu Chengfeng wasn't discouraged. He opened the Sky Eye in his mind and set the Heavenly Mound turning.
He controlled the Spirit Stove and commanded its flame, tossing the ingredients in one by one.
The Sky Eye observed the changes, while the Heavenly Mound corrected his technique.
Liu Chengfeng simply had the Celestial Body teach him alchemy.
The Celestial Body was helpless. It wasn't an alchemist, let alone a teacher, yet Liu Chengfeng was forcing it to teach him.
With the Sky Eye observing each change and the Heavenly Mound correcting his technique, Liu Chengfeng found alchemy effortless.
Whether he was controlling the heat or adjusting how the ingredients were refined, everything was precise, without the slightest error.
"Up!"
When he smelled the fragrance of the medicine, the powder was ready. Liu Chengfeng shouted, tossing it into the air and drawing the pill.
The Blood Medicine wafted with fragrance, still warm from the stove. He had successfully refined a batch.
"That's it!"
Liu Chengfeng was overjoyed. This method worked, so he redoubled his efforts, starting another batch and continuing his alchemy.
With the Celestial Body's help, Liu Chengfeng corrected his technique again and again, honing his skills as he controlled the stove and its flame, refining ingredients into powder.
He refined batch after batch. As Liu Chengfeng's technique grew more and more practiced, his success rate climbed higher and higher.
In a short time, his success rate for First Refinement Blood Medicine reached a hundred percent.
After First Refinement, he moved on to Second Refinement and began refining Second Refinement Mountain Pills.
Liu Chengfeng's alchemy grew better and better, and refining Second Refinement Mountain Pills became just as effortless.
His success rate went from one or two out of ten to a hundred percent after only five batches.
If Nangong Zheng had seen Liu Chengfeng practice alchemy like this with his own eyes, he would have been so shocked he'd be left speechless. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years monster.
Nangong Zheng would even have cried out, begging to teach him alchemy!
"Alchemy really is a wonderful thing."
Liu Chengfeng became addicted to alchemy, heaping praise on it.
In the past, refining Second Refinement Mountain Pills had been so difficult for him. He'd begged everyone he could think of for help.
Now, he refined Second Refinement Mountain Pills as easily as stir-frying soybeans. They crackled and popped, and a whole batch was done in a flash.
"If I keep refining, won't I get rich?"
Liu Chengfeng couldn't help daydreaming, feeling pleased with himself.
"I'm out of medicinal ingredients for you to refine."
Empress of Qiuchi gave him a cold look.
She was nearly numb to Liu Chengfeng's talent.
In fact, watching Liu Chengfeng refine pills as casually as if he were stir-frying vegetables had left her speechless with shock.
"How about it, isn't your husband a treasure trove of potential?"
Liu Chengfeng looked at Empress of Qiuchi, growing smug.
Empress of Qiuchi's gaze was as sharp as a knife, but she fell silent. What else could a man with talent like his be but a treasure trove?
"Find a way to strengthen your Blood Sea, and you'll surely reach Third Refinement. If you become a Third Refinement born alchemist, even the Divine Dynasty will be scrambling to invite you."
A Third Refinement born alchemist was something else—a sure-fire money-printing machine.
Even an Ancient Kingdom couldn't afford to support an alchemist like that.
"Once I get the Crow Nest Heart Method, I'll see if it works. But I'll also need to strengthen my true blood. I need ten or twenty thousand years' worth of true blood from ferocious beasts."
Liu Chengfeng thought the plan was workable. Even if he didn't join a Divine Dynasty, if he became a Third Refinement born alchemist, he'd make money until his hands went soft.
"Sounds good."
Empress of Qiuchi supported him.
"The time for the wager is almost up. Get ready to honor it."
"All right. You still haven't gotten rid of the poison?"
Liu Chengfeng looked at Empress of Qiuchi.
Empress of Qiuchi's face was icy, and she said nothing.
"Or... want me to give it a try?"
Liu Chengfeng rubbed his chin.
"You?"
Empress of Qiuchi wasn't quite sure.
"Don't forget, I'm an amazing alchemist now. You might not be able to control Separation Fire, but I might be able to."
Liu Chengfeng's words made Empress of Qiuchi hesitate.
"Let's talk about it after you defeat the Nangong Clan and the Dragon Ascending Holy Sect."
Empress of Qiuchi considered whether Liu Chengfeng's suggestion might work.
"You're stalling for time. Is it to remove the poison? What about the Dragon Ascending Holy Sect, Ye Ziyang, and Wu Yuanqing?"
"Waiting for someone."
Empress of Qiuchi gave him her answer.
"The Dragon Ascending Holy Sect's leader?"
"Yes, Dragon Ascending Holy Slash, Feng Wanli."
Empress of Qiuchi's expression grew solemn.
"Is he really going to become a Demigod?"
Liu Chengfeng's heart jolted.
"We need time!"
Empress of Qiuchi looked solemn, and Liu Chengfeng was no less so.
If a Demigod came into being, it would hang over their heads like a sword.
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