Pharmacist Association President

Within the Pharmacist Association of Luowang Prefecture, inside a room radiating a scorching aura, a white-haired old man sat cross-legged in mid-air, wearing a loose, moon-white robe, without the aid of any external objects.

Around his body, faint cyan glows flickered unsteadily. It was evident that he was struggling to stabilize the color of the light, yet the cyan hue remained erratic.

Most eye-catching of all was the golden, shimmering badge on his chest. A Gold-Rank Pharmacist! Throughout the entire Pharmacist Association, those who could possess a gold badge were few and far between—you could count them on two hands!

Suddenly, a crisp ringing sound came from outside, and the cyan glow on the old man's body instantly spiraled out of control. With a muffled grunt, he tumbled from his three-foot-high perch and landed on the floor.

"Damn it! Don't they know not to disturb someone while they're cultivating?" The old man grumbled as he scrambled up. Though he had fallen, he wasn't injured. He quickly stood, straightened his robes, and strode out.

"Lu Tiao, what is the meaning of this!" Upon seeing Lu Tiao outside, the old man couldn't help but say irritably, "Didn't I tell you not to disturb my cultivation unless it was something of great importance?"

"My Lord President, I come to you because there is indeed a matter of great importance. This concerns the future development strategy of the Luowang Prefecture Pharmacist Association; we cannot steer the ship without you at the helm." Lu Tiao quickly offered a conciliatory smile. He understood the President's temper; though the man appeared angry, he wasn't truly incensed.

This old man was actually the President of the Luowang Prefecture Pharmacist Association!

"Oh? What is it?" The President raised an eyebrow. He knew Lu Tiao to be cautious and measured in his actions. For him to speak this way, the matter must truly be significant.

"First, I ask that you personally evaluate the efficacy of this body-tempering agent." Lu Tiao took the vial Zhang He had given him from his robes and handed it to the old man with great care.

"A body-tempering agent?" The President frowned slightly as he took the small vial. "What could be so special about this?"

Ordinary body-tempering liquids were mediocre in effect yet prohibitively expensive. Because refining them was no easy task, requiring many rare medicinal ingredients, most people avoided them. The input simply didn't justify the output; it was essentially a thankless task.

"This agent was refined by an Iron-Rank Pharmacist in our association. The formula he possesses may be vastly different from the ones we hold. That is why I need you to personally evaluate it. If it truly holds great value, our Luowang Prefecture Pharmacist Association will act as the agent for this product."

The old man looked at Lu Tiao in surprise. "You mean to say he refines this himself?" He couldn't help but find it strange; body-tempering agents weren't exactly hot commodities—why would anyone be foolish enough to refine them? His gaze returned to the vial in his hand. If he's desperate for money or contribution points, there are better ways to go about it!

Seeing the expectant look in Lu Tiao's eyes, the old man suppressed his urge to refuse. In his view, there was no future in body-tempering liquids. Many formidable pharmacists had delved into them in the past, but none had achieved significant results. Some were effective but cost-prohibitive, while others were cheap but utterly average.

"Very well, I shall take a look." The old man said flatly. Though he didn't think much of the agent, he was meticulous during the evaluation.

He opened the small white porcelain bottle, and a faint, pungent odor wafted out.

"Hmm? This scent is indeed unique. It is quite different from ordinary body-tempering liquids." Puzzled, the old man used a special transparent needle to extract a sample. Seeing the murky color within the needle, his brow furrowed slightly.

"The liquid is turbid, which will affect its purity and, consequently, its efficacy. How could an Iron-Rank Pharmacist make such a mistake?"

Seeing the murky color, he immediately lost interest in the agent.

Beside him, Lu Tiao felt his heart racing. Because of the Five Poison Beads, he trusted Zhang He, but seeing the President's furrowed brows made his heart sink.

If the President was frowning, it meant he didn't think much of the agent. The President was a veteran; if he didn't value something, it truly wasn't worth much. Lu Tiao suddenly realized that he had been far too rash in coming to the President to demand an evaluation.

He had been so swayed by Zhang He's confident tone that he had immediately concluded the agent was extraordinary, bypassing standard testing procedures. It was truly reckless.

Lu Tiao felt a wave of shame. How could he have made such a mistake?

The old man gently placed the transparent needle against the back of his hand. With a light flick of his finger, the liquid flowed out and dripped onto his skin.

Suddenly, the old man's eyes widened, and he stared in disbelief at the slightly murky drop of liquid on his hand!

The drop seemed to be writhing on his skin.

"Too powerful! To think it could produce such a potent body-tempering effect!" The old man shouted, stunned.

Lu Tiao's eyes widened. What? He was instantly overcome with ecstasy. The President said the agent was incredibly powerful! This meant he hadn't been wrong!

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! It far exceeds my expectations. Among all the body-tempering liquids I have ever seen, this is easily in the top three!" The old man looked excited, as if he had discovered a rare treasure. Indeed, for a pharmacist obsessed with alchemy, encountering a novel agent always brought the joy of finding a gem!

"Lu Tiao, what did you say earlier? Our association intends to act as an agent for this?" The old man looked at Lu Tiao, trembling with excitement. "Have you finalized the deal?"

"Not yet. I told him we had to evaluate it first to determine its true value before we could discuss a partnership," Lu Tiao said, hesitating.

"You must partner with him! This must be settled. If we can secure this, our Luowang Prefecture Pharmacist Association will become famous throughout the entire Canglan Continent! This is a massive opportunity! We must seize it!" The old man's eyes glowed, his face flushed with excitement.

"By the way, what is his name? With such skill, why is he still an Iron-Rank Pharmacist? I think he's more than qualified to be a Silver-Rank!" The old man suddenly asked, puzzled.

Become a Silver-Rank Pharmacist? Lu Tiao was shocked to hear the President say this! One had to know that becoming a Silver-Rank Pharmacist in the association was no easy feat. He had only reached that level because of his contributions to alchemy and, more importantly, his position as a manager, which allowed the headquarters to grant him enough contribution points to advance at his age.

If Zhang He, so young, were to become a Silver-Rank Pharmacist now, it would surely shock everyone!

He answered honestly: "His name is Zhang He, from Mengyin City. He was previously a martial disciple. He studied under a mysterious pharmacist and wasn't part of our association before. When the Corpse Poison Beetle incident broke out in Mengyin City, he produced a pill called the Five Poison Beads, which caught my attention, and that is how I recruited him. He hasn't been an Iron-Rank Pharmacist for very long."

"What kind of pharmacist?" The old man asked, looking confused. "How mysterious? Is that formula also from this mysterious master?"

"Yes. Zhang He said the formula was passed down to him by his teacher," Lu Tiao replied.

"A true master hides his brilliance! The value of this single formula alone is enough to rival the wealth of a nation! To think that mysterious pharmacist could pass it on to his disciple so casually... sigh, it is truly unfathomable." The old man frowned, racking his brain, but he couldn't think of any pharmacist in the Western Chu Kingdom or the Northwest Empire who fit the description.

Could he be from Medicine King Valley? That was impossible! The formulas of Medicine King Valley were guarded with extreme jealousy; how could they be leaked so easily?

The old man was utterly baffled, yet he knew this was a golden opportunity.

"You did well in this matter! Such talent must be discovered early and brought into our fold! This body-tempering agent is of immense value. Hurry and finalize the deal with him."

Lu Tiao nodded. "I will do my best. However, My Lord President, Zhang He has some conditions."

"Conditions are good; I'd be worried if he didn't have any. What are they?" The old man raised an eyebrow, asking with interest.

Lu Tiao handed the drawings Zhang He had made to the old man. "Zhang He needs our association to help him locate these medicinal ingredients to refine his pills."

"Oh?" The old man took the drawings, and his eyes lit up as he saw the vivid illustrations. "Good artistry!"

As he flipped through them, his expression turned strange.

"These ingredients are quite obscure, and their inherent value isn't particularly high. Wait, isn't this our association's 'Qushen Red Fruit Wood'?" The old man asked, surprised, as he reached the second-to-last page. "What kind of pill is he making that requires Qushen Red Fruit Wood?"

The leaves of the Qushen Red Fruit Wood were indeed useful for enhancing a pharmacist's perception. However, in reality, the plant was highly toxic. Even the leaves contained poison; long-term use would cause mental agitation and eventually lead to severe dependency.

Lu Tiao shook his head; he was just as curious.

The old man looked at the final page, his expression turning bizarre. "Six-Petal Soul-Melting Flower?"

The old man had actually recognized the "Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower" on the final page!