042 You Will Become a Bronze Alchemist

"Copper-Rank Pharmacist..." Zhang He's heart skipped a beat. He already had a clear understanding of the Pharmacist Association's promotion system. His own promotion to Iron-Rank Pharmacist had largely been a matter of serendipity; it was only because of that incident in Mengyin City that he had been given the opportunity.

To become a regular pharmacist, one needed to earn five hundred contribution points from the Pharmacist Association. Under normal circumstances, the reward for completing a single task within the Association was only ten points, or twenty at most if one was lucky. A wandering pharmacist joining the Association would have to complete nearly forty or fifty tasks! A single task took at least three to four days, and if it were more involved, it could take half a month or even longer.

Becoming an Iron-Rank Pharmacist required five thousand contribution points! This meant that to reach that rank, one had to put in significantly more effort. Of course, because regular pharmacists could accept higher-level tasks within the Association, the rewards were also greater.

To advance from an Iron-Rank Pharmacist to a Copper-Rank Pharmacist, one needed fifty thousand contribution points!

Advancing from Copper-Rank to Silver-Rank required five hundred thousand contribution points!

Advancing from Silver-Rank to Gold-Rank required five million contribution points! Not to mention the highest-tier Ace Pharmacists; in short, the higher one climbed, the more difficult it became.

Zhang He fell silent. Becoming a Copper-Rank Pharmacist in a short period of time was simply too difficult!

"Is there any way for me to earn a large amount of contribution points in a short time?" Zhang He asked, unwilling to give up. Where there is a will, there is a way; he shouldn't just throw in the towel so easily.

"Earn a large amount of contribution points in a short time?" Master Lu gave a bitter laugh. "In the Pharmacist Association, not everyone has your good fortune to quickly accumulate a massive amount of points during such a high-impact event. If you want to become a Copper-Rank Pharmacist, you must take on tasks step by step."

Seeing the disappointment on Zhang He's face, Master Lu smiled wryly. "Sigh, if you needed a few leaves, I could help you with that. But since you need the roots, I'm afraid I'm powerless to assist."

Zhang He smiled bitterly. To take the roots would be like digging into the heads of all the high-level pharmacists; if he didn't rely on his own strength, others certainly wouldn't be convinced. If Master Lu were to do it, others would surely harbor resentment toward him.

"Don't be discouraged. You are an Iron-Rank Pharmacist now, so the tasks you can accept are of a relatively high level. As long as you work hard and complete a few more, I believe you will be able to reach Copper-Rank soon enough," Master Lu comforted him.

"What kind of tasks here pay the most in contribution points?" Zhang He asked helplessly. If it truly came to this, he would have to complete tasks while simultaneously trying to search for the item himself.

"The most profitable tasks are, of course, refining pills that help people break through their cultivation realms. However, these tasks are also the hardest to secure, because the cost of completing each one is quite high. Of course, risk and reward go hand in hand—whoever takes them on earns the most contribution points," Master Lu said after some thought.

"Pills that help people break through realms?" Zhang He's eyes lit up. "How many contribution points do they generally pay?"

"It depends on the level. If it's helping someone reach the Skin Tempering Realm, you can usually earn a hundred points. Reaching the Bone Refining Realm gets you about three hundred; reaching the Marrow Refining Realm gets you about eight hundred; and for the True Qi Seed stage, you earn even more—at least two thousand points. The higher the realm, the higher the points," Master Lu explained. He paused, noticing Zhang He's excited expression, and hesitated. "Are you really thinking of taking these tasks? I must warn you, these are thankless jobs, as those who post them are usually either incredibly wealthy or highly influential."

Those who posted requests for cultivation breakthroughs were usually people who had consumed many spirit pills and elixirs but still saw no hope of breaking through. Think about it: if they had already taken so many precious medicines and still couldn't advance, they must have some physical defect. Even if they came to the Pharmacist Association, these pharmacists weren't gods—how could they easily help them break through?

Zhang He, however, was incredibly excited. Helping people break through? This was exactly his specialty! He had studied the Myriad Poison True Scripture and grasped the essence of using poison, and his primary goal had been to help himself improve his own cultivation. Whether it was himself, Fatty Tang, or Wang Dachui, all had verified the miraculous effects of his series of pills!

Even people with mediocre talent like Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui could reach the True Qi Seed realm in just one month. Zhang He certainly had confidence in himself!

Most importantly, helping people improve their cultivation was something that could be mass-produced! As long as he gave the modified Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi to those below the True Qi Seed realm, he believed they would develop a massive amount of Qi sensation in a short time—it would be hard for them not to improve!

"Very well, I'll take all the tasks for helping people improve their cultivation, as long as they are below the True Martial Realm!" Zhang He declared on the spot.

If it were to reach the True Martial Realm, Zhang He would need to refine a massive amount of...

"What?" Master Lu was shocked, looking at Zhang He as if he were a monster. "Are you serious?"

"Of course! It just so happens that among the prescriptions my teacher passed down to me, there are several that can help people improve their cultivation." Zhang He nodded.

Seeing Zhang He's demeanor, Master Lu knew he was serious and not just spouting nonsense. His eyes lit up. "If that's truly the case, I believe you won't even need half a year to earn a massive amount of contribution points. However, seeing how confident you are, I actually have another idea that could allow you to earn enough points in even less time. After all, you seem to be in a great hurry for that Qushen Redwood Fruit, and there is another medicinal ingredient you are quite anxious about as well, right?"

Master Lu, like an old fox, began to lure him in.

Zhang He narrowed his eyes at Master Lu, staring until the man gave an awkward laugh, before he slowly spoke. "I wonder what good idea Master Lu has?"

Now that Zhang He held the advantage, and Master Lu seemed to have a request of him, Zhang He naturally had to play it cool. Besides, in Zhang He's estimation, as long as there were enough tasks, he could earn the fifty thousand points in just one month—why would he need half a year?

"If you let the Pharmacist Association act as an agent for your cultivation-enhancing pills, you won't have to wait for the long completion times of individual tasks; you could earn a massive amount of points in a very short time. Fame and fortune both—why not? Furthermore, I will send your request for that other medicinal ingredient to the main headquarters. I'm sure that ingredient will also require a large amount of contribution points. If you have enough points, everything becomes easy, doesn't it?"

Master Lu revealed his fox tail, but Zhang He felt a stir in his heart. Because he was right!

Master Lu sipped his tea while watching Zhang He, observing his reaction. He appeared calm on the surface, but he was incredibly nervous inside. If Zhang He's pills could truly improve a person's cultivation in a short time, their value would be immeasurable. If the Luowang Prefecture Pharmacist Association could handle the sales of these pills, just as they had handled the Five Poison Beads for the Wang Family Pharmacy, it would bring unimaginable benefits to the Luowang Prefecture branch, and he himself would receive a handsome reward!

Master Lu was very tempted.

Zhang He understood Master Lu's intentions. The man had his eyes on his Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi. It was just like when Wang Pengyu had the foresight to recognize talent and seized the opportunity of the Five Poison Beads at the critical moment!

However, what Master Lu wanted this time was vastly different from the Five Poison Beads! The Corpse Poison Beetle was a temporary outbreak that would subside after a while. But whether in Luowang Prefecture, the Western Chu Kingdom, or the entire continent, there were countless people cultivating!

As long as there were people cultivating, the demand for cultivation-enhancing pills would never end! If the Pharmacist Association could establish such a reputation, their influence across the entire continent would skyrocket.

Thinking of this, Zhang He felt confident.

"This type of cultivation-enhancing potion is extremely precious. However, if the Pharmacist Association can show sincerity, letting the Association act as an agent is not out of the question." Zhang He remained composed; at this moment, he was a merchant. Merchants sought profit, and Zhang He intended to secure the greatest possible benefit for himself!

"What a little fox!" Master Lu laughed bitterly. He had anticipated that Zhang He wouldn't agree easily.

"I cannot give you a definitive answer on the specifics right now. I need to discuss this with the other managers of the Pharmacist Association to determine what kind of compensation we can offer. Do you have any of this potion on you? We need to evaluate it first to determine its final value," Master Lu said.

Zhang He reached into his robes, fumbling around for show, while secretly pulling a white porcelain bottle from his Universe Bag. Inside was a weakened version of the Ten-Perfect Dominant Qi liquid.

Master Lu's heart raced as he took it and tucked it away with extreme care.

"By the way, I'll write a list of medicinal ingredients. You can send it out at the same time and see if you can help me find them all." Zhang He had a thought—since he was already utilizing the massive power of the Pharmacist Association, why not go all the way?

Master Lu brought him paper, and Zhang He picked up a brush, quickly sketching on the page. In just a few moments, vivid, lifelike images leaped onto the paper!

"Impressive artistry! Even I must admit I am no match for this skill!" Master Lu watched Zhang He's hand dance across the paper like a dragon in flight, and seeing the vivid images appear, he couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

He couldn't help but be curious about Zhang He's teacher—what kind of person could raise such a disciple!

Zhang He handed all the drawn images of the herbs to Master Lu. He wasn't worried about Master Lu figuring out the formula for the Mind-Clearing Pill and trying to replicate it. The refining process for the Mind-Clearing Pill was incredibly complex and required the strictest adherence to steps and precise measurements; the slightest carelessness would result in waste, or even a deadly poison.

"I will give you an answer within three days. If you have no urgent business, you may stay here for now. I will have someone arrange your lodging. If you feel bored, you can also take a walk around the city," Master Lu told Zhang He.

"That works. I'll go for a stroll," Zhang He thought for a moment and nodded. He remembered that Lian Yunbi's birthday was coming up soon, and he should buy her a gift. He also needed to bring something back for his mother and little sister.