Taking on the Alchemy Mission

Qiu Daowen sat behind the lectern, staring blankly at the large white sphere resting on the tabletop.

This thing was a Qi Induction Pill?

You've got to be kidding me!

A few disciples who hadn't yet left the hall craned their necks, faces filled with shock.

In their understanding, while this "sphere" before them was indeed milky white and round like a pearl, just like a Qi Induction Pill, those pills were at most the size of a pinky knuckle. The size was completely off.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, everyone would have thought Chen Xian had just picked up a round river stone and painted it white.

"Uncle-Master, what did you just say this was...?"

Qiu Daowen swallowed hard, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"A Qi Induction Pill."

Chen Xian withdrew his palm, rolling the massive pill in his hand, his face full of matter-of-factness: "This old man opened the furnace for the first time last night and made this Qi Induction Pill according to the recipe. Elder Qiu, take a look for this old man. Is the quality acceptable?"

The corner of Qiu Daowen's eye twitched. He carefully took the pill sphere from Chen Xian's hand, his fingertip lightly tapping it as his Dao Consciousness entered the pill's interior.

A moment later, his murky eyes flew wide open, and he blurted out, "The medicinal properties are pure, no impurities inside, the Qi-inducing energy is contained yet not concealed... This, this really is a genuine first-grade Qi Induction Pill!"

He stared at Chen Xian like he was a monster, his mind in turmoil.

The Grand-Uncle-Master had refined pills for the first time, not only succeeding but producing something this huge.

Did this make any sense?

A pill sphere this big meant all the liquid essence from the Origin Spirit Leaf and Bitter Cold Grass had fused together. Shouldn't the conflicting medicinal properties have exploded the furnace instantly?

When ordinary disciples first learned alchemy, they couldn't even condense the liquid essence without blowing up the furnace three to five times.

But the Grand-Uncle-Master, not only did he not blow up the furnace, he'd produced this astonishing behemoth.

"As long as it works, that's fine. This old man was afraid he'd worked all night for nothing."

Chen Xian nodded, joy in his eyes.

First time refining pills—though there were a few small issues, at least he'd succeeded, right!

Qiu Daowen let out a long sigh, his tone full of regret: "What a pity."

Chen Xian was puzzled: "What's a pity?"

Qiu Daowen's gaze fixed on the pill sphere in Chen Xian's hand, his voice emotional: "Uncle-Master's talent in the Dao of alchemy is probably even above this old man's."

"If you had been born sixty years earlier, no, even thirty years earlier and devoted yourself to the alchemical Dao, our sect might have produced another alchemical giant. But now..."

He shook his head, stood up, and pulled a slightly worn green book from the bookshelf behind him, its cover polished shiny from handling, and handed it to Chen Xian.

"This is the Essential Guide to Alchemy Basics. It records the refining techniques and taboos for most common first- to third-grade pills."

"Since Uncle-Master has such rare talent, I gift this book to you. It's good for you to look over. Even if you can only refine first- and second-grade pills in the future, that's still fine."

Chen Xian's eyes lit up. This was a good find!

He quickly stored the guide into his Jade Ring, then frowned at the white sphere in his hand: "So what do I do with this thing? It's this big. This old man can't just gnaw on it like a steamed bun, can I? Can I cut it up and eat it in pieces?"

"Absolutely not!"

Qiu Daowen waved his hands hastily. "Once a pill is formed, the medicinal power inside has been tempered into a natural whole by the furnace fire. If you cut it open and break the pill's skin, the accumulated medicinal power will instantly pour out."

"If you cut this pill open, within half an incense stick's time, the medicinal power will dissipate. In the end, nothing will remain but a pile of spiritless dregs."

Chen Xian was speechless. He stared at his Qi Induction Pill, thinking, isn't this thing a Dao Qi bomb?

If he took a bite, wouldn't the Dao Qi explode right in his mouth?

But he wasn't willing to just throw it away either—after all, it was his "maiden work."

Since he couldn't use it himself, he simply stored it away again, muttering to himself: When this old man runs into some blind fool one day, he'll smash him to death with this ball.

"In that case, this old man has no other questions. Thank you for the book, Elder Qiu."

"You're welcome, Uncle-Master."

Taking his leave of Qiu Daowen, Chen Xian walked out of the lecture hall.

As soon as he stepped out, he spotted a familiar figure rushing frantically toward the Pill Hall's herb storage.

He took a closer look—it was Duan Cui.

"Duan Cui! What's the rush? Where's that kid Jian Shan?" Chen Xian shouted at the top of his lungs.

Duan Cui stopped abruptly. Seeing it was Chen Xian, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and even his bow was hurried: "Greetings, Grand-Uncle-Master! Ai, Jian Shan's going crazy with work over there!"

"The sect just issued orders—the counterattack front line urgently needs basic pills. All disciples above second-grade alchemist have been conscripted to refine pills. Jian Shan's been locked in the pill room all night without sleep. I'm here to pick up herbs for him!"

Chen Xian frowned: "What, the fighting's that fierce on the front line?"

"Naturally."

Duan Cui lowered his voice, his expression grave. "I heard the Blood Demon Sect set a lot of traps while retreating. Quite a few fellow disciples were injured."

"Right now, every Qi Induction Pill and Blood-Generating Pill is being sent there."

"Grand-Uncle-Master, there won't be anyone to sell candied hawthorns for the next few days. You'd better hold off on making too many. I've got to go!"

"Go on, rest a few days. No need to sell sugarcoated hawthorns."

Chen Xian waved a hand. He wasn't short on money these days.

Watching Duan Cui's hurried retreating figure, Chen Xian clasped his hands behind his back and strolled over to the Mission Hall.

He poked his head in for a look and found the mission hall covered in a dense array of red wooden plaques.

Red represented urgent missions.

Chen Xian swept his gaze across them and noticed that most were about collecting basic medicinal herbs like Origin Spirit Leaves, as well as urgent alchemy tasks for second- and third-grade healing pills—Spring Return Pills and Blood-Generating Pills.

His heart sank. It seemed that behind Lei Qingyang's talk of victory reports were the blood of elders and disciples.

"Since This Old Man carries this seniority, I can't just stand by and watch the younger generation fight to the death."

Chen Xian mused for a moment, then walked straight to the mission registration counter.

Behind the counter, Mission Hall steward Liu Yuanbao was busy as a bee, muttering about task allocations between the peaks.

"Steward Liu, give This Old Man an alchemy mission."

Chen Xian tapped the counter.

Liu Yuanbao didn't look up. "What grade alchemist are you? Alchemy missions can only be taken by Pill Peak disciples. If the herbs are wasted, you'll have to compensate... Aiya! Grandmaster!"

He finally recognized who it was and put on a bitter face. "What are you up to, Elder? The front lines are desperately short of Qi Induction Pills right now, but furnace work is no joke."

Without another word, Chen Xian slapped the Essential Guide to Alchemy Basics onto the counter.

He glanced sideways. "Elder Qiu just passed this manual to me. This Old Man already lit the furnace and refined pills last night. What, afraid I'll welch on the herb costs?"

Liu Yuanbao froze. He hadn't expected the Grandmaster to know alchemy.

Could it be he cultivated both the sword and the pill? Strange!

After hesitating for a long moment, he pulled a mission token from a drawer.

"Well... Grandmaster, this is a mission to refine one hundred Qi Induction Pills. The herbs are provided free by the sect, with a three-day time limit. Each pill delivered earns one Contribution Point."

"But I'll say this upfront: if the herbs are wasted too heavily and nothing is produced, you'll have to pay full price for the materials."

"Fine. This Old Man guarantees completion."

Chen Xian didn't say more. He took the mission token, clasped his hands behind his back, and leisurely headed back.

One hundred Qi Induction Pills in three days—no problem.