Alchemy was an exceedingly rigorous craft. A mature Alchemist often had to begin by learning to identify medicinal herbs, accumulating knowledge over years or even decades, and feeling out the path to success through repeated failures. Only then might they be able to refine Spiritual Pills.
For a sect to cultivate a qualified Alchemist, it likewise needed to make enormous investments in the early stages. Small sects and minor clans simply lacked the resources and foundation to train Alchemists of their own, because the expenses incurred during the accumulation of alchemical experience alone were beyond what they could bear.
There were actually quite a few Medical Cultivators in the Nine Provinces. Every one of them was proficient in medicinal principles and knew how to heal others more effectively. But not every Medical Cultivator could refine pills. Those capable of alchemy accounted for only a small fraction of the total, not even ten percent. And even among that ten percent, their alchemical skill varied greatly and could not be lumped together.
Yet there was such a miraculous treasure in this world. Even someone ignorant of medicinal principles could, so long as they grasped its rules, refine Treasure Pills that would leave even the most brilliant Alchemists eating dust!
The Pill Gourd!
Lu Ye decided to call this Treasure Gourd, obtained from the Primordial Realm, the Pill Gourd. The name perfectly matched its nature.
He did not really understand why the Pill Gourd possessed such miraculous abilities, but since it was an affiliated treasure of a Congenital Supreme Treasure, it was not unreasonable for it to possess peculiarities beyond ordinary comprehension. Just as the Sword Gourd could devour treasures and generate Sword Qi, that was simply the Sword Gourd's innate ability. Its user did not need to understand the underlying principles, only