Qiu Daowen sat behind the lectern, staring blankly at the giant white ball on the table.
Was this thing an Qi Induction Pill?
What a joke!
A few disciples who hadn't yet left the hall secretly craned their necks, their faces full of astonishment.
In their minds, although the "ball" before them was the same milky white color as an Qi Induction Pill and just as smooth and round, an Qi Induction Pill was at most the size of a little finger joint. The size was completely wrong.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they might've thought Chen Xian had picked up a round pebble and casually painted it white.
"Martial Uncle, you just said... what is this?"
Qiu Daowen swallowed, his fingertips trembling.
"An Qi Induction Pill."
Chen Xian withdrew his palm and turned the enormous pill in his hand, looking perfectly matter-of-fact. "I made this Qi Induction Pill last night, when I first tried the furnace, following the recipe. Elder Qiu, take a look for me. Is the quality any good?"
The corner of Qiu Daowen's eye twitched. He carefully took the pill-ball from Chen Xian and lightly tapped it with a fingertip, sending his Dao Consciousness inside.
A moment later, his cloudy eyes flew wide open. He cried out, "Its medicinal properties are pure, with no impurities inside, and its spirit-attracting energy is contained without showing itself... Th-this really is a genuine first-grade Qi Induction Pill!"
He stared at Chen Xian as if he were a monster, his thoughts churning like a storm-tossed sea.
The Grand Martial Uncle had tried alchemy for the first time and not only succeeded, but made a pill this huge.
Was that even reasonable?
A pill-ball this big contained all the medicinal liquid from the Origin Spirit Leaf and Bitter Cold Grass. Shouldn't their conflicting medicinal properties have caused an instant explosion and blown up the furnace?
When ordinary disciples first learned alchemy, they couldn't even condense the medicinal liquid without blowing up the furnace three or five times.
But the Grand Martial Uncle hadn't just avoided blowing up the furnace—he'd made a colossal pill that defied all common sense.
"As long as it worked. I was worried I'd spent the whole night for nothing."
Chen Xian nodded, delighted.
It was his first time making a pill. There'd been a few minor problems, but at least he'd managed it!
Qiu Daowen sighed, his voice full of regret. "What a pity."
Chen Xian looked puzzled. "What's a pity?"
Qiu Daowen gazed at the pill-ball in Chen Xian's hand, his voice full of emotion. "Martial Uncle, your talent for the Alchemy Path may even surpass mine."
"If you'd been born sixty years earlier—no, if you'd devoted yourself to alchemy even thirty years earlier, our sect might have had another Alchemy Path giant. But now..."
He shook his head, rose, and took a slightly worn book from the shelf behind him. Its green cover had been rubbed smooth and shiny. He handed it to Chen Xian.
"This is the Essential Guide to Alchemy Basics. It records the techniques and taboos for making most common first- to third-grade pills."
"Since you possess such extraordinary talent, I'll give you this book. It'll be good for you to take a look, even if all you can make in the future are first- and second-grade pills."
Chen Xian's eyes lit up. This was a treasure!
He hurriedly put the guide into his Jade Ring, then looked at the white ball in his hand, troubled. "What should I do with this thing? It's so big. I can't exactly bite into it like a steamed bun, can I? Could I cut it into pieces and eat it bit by bit?"
"Absolutely not!"
Qiu Daowen hurriedly waved his hands. "Once a pill is formed, the medicinal power inside is fused into a perfect whole by the furnace's heat. If you cut it open and break the pill's outer layer, the accumulated medicinal power will pour out in an instant."
"If you cut this pill open, its medicinal power will be completely gone in less than half a quarter of an hour. All that'll be left is a pile of dregs without a shred of spiritual energy."
Chen Xian was speechless. Looking at his Qi Induction Pill, he wondered if the thing was a Dao Qi bomb.
Wouldn't its Dao Qi explode right in his mouth if he took a bite?
But he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. After all, this was his "first creation."
Since he couldn't use it himself, he put it away again, muttering to himself, One day, when I run into some fool who doesn't know what's good for him, I'll beat him to death with this ball.
"Since that's the case, I have no more questions. Thank you for the book, Elder Qiu."
"Martial Uncle, you're too kind."
After bidding farewell to Qiu Daowen, Chen Xian left the lecture hall.
As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted a familiar figure hurrying toward the Pill Hall's medicinal-materials office.
He took a closer look. It was Duan Cui.
"Duan Cui! What are you running for? Where's that kid Jian Shan?" Chen Xian shouted.
Duan Cui came to an abrupt halt. Seeing Chen Xian, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed somewhat awkwardly. "Greetings, Grand Martial Uncle! Oh, Jian Shan's going crazy with work over there!"
"The sect just issued an order. The counterattack on the front lines urgently needs basic pills, so all disciples who are second-grade alchemists or higher have been conscripted to make pills. Jian Shan's been locked in the pill room all night without a wink of sleep. I'm here to get medicinal ingredients for him!"
Chen Xian furrowed his brows. "What, are things that bad on the front lines?"
"Of course."
Duan Cui lowered his voice, his expression grave. "I heard the Blood Demon Sect set a lot of traps while retreating, and plenty of our senior and junior brothers were injured."
"That's why all the Qi Induction Pills and Blood-Generating Pills are being sent there."
"Grand Martial Uncle, we probably won't have anyone to sell candied hawthorns these next few days. You'd better make fewer for now. I need to hurry!"
"Go on. Take a break from selling candied hawthorns for the next few days."
Chen Xian waved him away. He wasn't short of money these days.
Watching Duan Cui hurry off, Chen Xian walked with his hands behind his back and stopped by the Mission Hall on his way.
He poked his head inside and saw the mission hall plastered with densely packed red wooden plaques.
Red meant urgent missions.
Chen Xian glanced over them. Most were urgent missions to collect basic medicinal ingredients such as Origin Spirit Leaves, or to make second- and third-grade healing pills like Spring Return Pills and Blood-Generating Pills.
His heart gave a thump. It seemed the good news Lei Qingyang had mentioned had been bought with the blood of the elders and disciples.
Since I'm carrying the seniority of my position, I can't just watch the younger generation fight for their lives.
After thinking it over for a moment, Chen Xian strode straight toward the mission registration desk.
Behind the counter, the Mission Hall deacon, Liu Yuanbao, was swamped, muttering about how missions were being distributed among the various peaks.
"Deacon Liu, give me an alchemy mission."
Chen Xian tapped the counter.
Without looking up, Liu Yuanbao said, "What grade alchemist are you? Only Pill Peak disciples can accept alchemy missions. If you waste the ingredients, you'll have to pay for them... Oh! Grand Martial Uncle!"
He recognized the visitor and grimaced. "What are you doing, sir? The front lines urgently need Qi Induction Pills, but working with a furnace is no joke."
Chen Xian didn't waste words. He slapped the Essential Guide to Alchemy Basics onto the counter.
He shot Liu Yuanbao a sidelong glance. "Elder Qiu just passed this manual on to me. I already tried a furnace and made pills last night. What, are you afraid I'll cheat you out of the cost of the ingredients?"
Liu Yuanbao froze. He hadn't expected the Grand Martial Uncle to know alchemy.
Could he practice both the sword and alchemy? Incredible!
After hesitating, he rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a mission plaque.
"Then... Grand Martial Uncle, this is a mission to make a hundred Qi Induction Pills. The sect will provide the ingredients free of charge. You have three days, and you'll receive one Contribution Point for each pill you turn in."
"But I'll make this clear upfront: if you waste too many ingredients and turn in nothing, you'll have to pay for them at their original price."
"Fine. I'll complete the mission."
Chen Xian said no more. He took the mission plaque and strolled back with his hands behind his back.
A hundred Qi Induction Pills in three days. No problem.