A Hot Commodity

Five bottles of Sun Flame Liquid can be used to submit a mission at the Mission Hall, which can be used to offset a mandatory mission in a future month, even if it is a mission to slay demons and eliminate devils.

This is exactly what Qin Dongcheng needs; after all, he cannot always rely on Dong Hongyan, Ju Xiaojing, and the others for help.

Furthermore, completing the Sun Flame Liquid mission also provides generous sect contribution rewards. If one were to turn around and exchange them for silver, a single bottle could fetch over twenty taels, making the cost-effectiveness simply astonishing.

Seeing Qin Dongcheng come to submit the Sun Flame Liquid mission, the chore disciple was stunned while registering his name and rank, seemingly not expecting that a mere alchemy apprentice could actually refine Sun Flame Liquid.

Qin Dongcheng did not hand in too many, submitting only five bottles, just enough to complete the mandatory mission for the following month.

He would submit more gradually later to avoid being too conspicuous; mastering the refinement of Sun Flame Liquid in just a few dozen days and producing such a large quantity would be too exaggerated.

Even so, once the news that Qin Dongcheng could refine Sun Flame Liquid spread, someone from the Cauldron Hall came to visit immediately to re-evaluate his alchemy skills and list him among the ranks of Official Alchemists.

If someone who could even refine Sun Flame Liquid were still considered an alchemy apprentice, it would be completely unjustifiable.

Qin Dongcheng did not expect the news to spread so quickly. He had only submitted a batch of Sun Flame Liquid in the morning, and by the afternoon, an Official Alchemist from the Cauldron Hall had come in person to conduct an assessment. From this, one could see the Cauldron Hall's demand for Sun Flame Liquid and the importance they placed on alchemists capable of refining it.

Not only that, but this news also spread to more places at an extremely rapid pace.

Qin Dongcheng still underestimated how much everyone valued an Official Alchemist, especially one who could refine Sun Flame Liquid, and this period was precisely when everyone was in urgent need of it.

On the second day, some Official Disciples living in the vicinity came to express their gratitude and congratulate him on becoming an Official Alchemist.

On the third day, even the managers and chore disciples of the Herb Field received the news and came to pay a visit one after another.

Some factions even extended an olive branch, hoping to recruit Qin Dongcheng, offering generous conditions without hesitation, including beauties among them.

However, Qin Dongcheng refused them all, citing his focus on practicing alchemy and expressing his identity as a reclusive cultivator and his neutral stance.

Seeing that Qin Dongcheng was unmoved and his attitude quite firm, people gradually stopped trying to recruit him, but the respect and importance they placed on him climbed several notches.

Many people in the Osmanthus Garden began to greet him, and no one spoke of him being timid or cowardly anymore.

Some who had spoken ill of him before even came specifically to apologize, offering valuable gifts.

Qin Dongcheng accepted all comers to avoid leaving them feeling uneasy, which would be a pity.

Many Inner Sect Disciples also came specifically to befriend him. In his previous life, Qin Dongcheng's current status would be comparable to a wealthy tycoon, and the kind who possessed powerful technical skills at that.

This also caused the other managers in the Herb Field to drop their reserve, requesting that Qin Dongcheng come to pick precious herbs from time to time; they would specifically set them aside for him, waiting for whenever he wished to come and harvest them.

Zhang Jing no longer had the intention of marrying his daughter to Qin Dongcheng; they were now a bit out of his league.

The status of an ordinary Low-level Alchemist and a Low-level Alchemist capable of refining Sun Flame Liquid are vastly different; the latter is almost guaranteed a future position as an Intermediate Alchemist.

Not to mention that Qin Dongcheng is still so young; it is highly probable that he will become an Intermediate Alchemist in the future.

A Low-level Alchemist was already of higher status than the Zhang Family, let alone an Intermediate Alchemist. He was already very satisfied to have even a small connection with Qin Dongcheng.

Even though Qin Dongcheng hid many of his trump cards and his currently exposed cultivation was only at the Mid-stage Body Phase, and his alchemy was just entering the level of a Low-level Alchemist, he was still revered as a genius by those around him.

If he were to expose everything, let alone Inner Sect Disciples, even True Inheritance Disciples would be within his reach.

However, by that time, many things would not be as comfortable as they are now, and he would need to shoulder more responsibilities; slaying demons and eliminating devils would certainly be unavoidable, and targeting by hostile factions would also be inevitable.

It would be impossible to practice with peace of mind as he does now.

It is better to maintain the status quo; exposing a portion of his strength selectively is enough as long as it serves his needs.

A month passed quickly. Dong Hongyan had long since sent the mission items, and this month's mandatory mission was completed, while the next month's was also finished by submitting the Sun Flame Liquid.

Dong Hongyan, Ju Xiaojing, and their group also returned at the end of the month. To Qin Dongcheng's surprise, they even brought him a gift.

"Here, a Green Snake Leather Armor. It's considered a high-quality item among low-level leather armors. Wear it well; it's best if you come with us for next month's demon-slaying mission."

"The situation in Luo Cloud Prefecture is becoming increasingly critical. Once there is a severe shortage of manpower, it's possible that even alchemy apprentices like you will have to go to the battlefield. It's better to make some preparations in advance."

After returning, Dong Hongyan and her group went straight to Qin Dongcheng, giving him the prepared Green Snake Leather Armor and taking the opportunity to warn him.

They did not yet know that in just over a month, Qin Dongcheng had made astonishing progress, thinking he was still the same alchemy apprentice who wasn't even an Official Alchemist.

Regarding the good intentions of Dong Hongyan and the others, Qin Dongcheng hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

After a brief consideration, he took out dozens of bottles of Sun Flame Liquid and handed them to Dong Hongyan and the others: "Big Sister, thank you for your kindness, but I am currently an Official Alchemist. I can avoid the demon-slaying missions by refining Sun Flame Liquid, so there is no need to worry about me."

"These Sun Flame Liquids were refined during this period. I heard that next month's mandatory missions are mostly related to Ghost Spirits, and Sun Flame Liquid happens to counter them. Please take these to use, sisters. If it's not enough, I will refine another batch next month."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group gasped in surprise as they looked at the Sun Flame Liquid in their hands.

"So much Sun Flame Liquid! We were worried when we were on our way back. We heard on the road that next month's mandatory missions are all about killing Ghost Spirits, and we were wondering where to buy a batch of Sun Flame Liquid. We didn't expect Sixth Brother to have so much here."

"Thanks to Sixth Brother, you've solved a big problem for us. Sun Flame Liquid is currently priceless; even if you have money, you can't buy it. The price has soared more than double."

"Sixth Brother is too amazing. In such a short time, you are actually able to refine three types of low-level pills, and even a pill as difficult as Sun Flame Liquid. If you become an Official Alchemist, you basically won't have to worry about going out to slay demons in the future."