The Terrifying Speed of Advancement

At the entrance of the Pharmacist Association, Zhang He once again encountered the two gatekeepers. Having learned their lesson from the previous encounter, they immediately stood up and bowed humbly the moment they saw him.

Zhang He offered a slight smile and walked inside.

Seeing Zhang He's smile, both gatekeepers secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems Pharmacist Zhang doesn't hold a grudge against us for being disrespectful last time."

"Indeed. Look at that gentle smile of his. If it were any other pharmacist, they would have likely scolded us loudly or told us to pack our bags and get lost."

The two whispered to each other. Zhang He's decision not to hold them accountable left them feeling not only relieved but also filled with gratitude toward him.

"Haha, how was your stroll through the city?" Master Lu asked with a hearty laugh upon seeing Zhang He return. "Did you see many beauties with ample bosoms and wide hips?"

Zhang He chuckled, surprised that Master Lu had such a side to him, capable of saying such things.

"A happy heart makes for a spirited man. Judging by your appearance, Master Lu, it seems you have some wonderful news." Zhang He blinked playfully.

Master Lu smiled faintly. "Indeed, it is a great piece of news. Once you hear it, you'll surely be in high spirits too. Ha!"

Zhang He's eyes widened instantly. From the tone of his voice, he guessed what it was and asked excitedly, "Has the verification been completed?"

"That's right." Master Lu was very satisfied with Zhang He's reaction. He laughed, "Your Body-Tempering Potion has been verified, and its efficacy is extraordinary. The higher-ups have agreed to enter into a partnership with you. However, that is not the biggest piece of good news."

As he spoke, Master Lu placed the diagrams Zhang He had drawn in front of him.

"The herbs you required have all been gathered for you. Is this not the biggest piece of good news?" Master Lu looked at Zhang He with a beaming smile.

"What?" Zhang He was instantly stirred. He was right; this news was indeed the greatest! In his own estimation, finding the Drunken Immortal Peach in such a short time was already quite an achievement. As for the Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower, Zhang He had assumed it would take at least some time, so he hadn't held out much hope.

Now that Master Lu had dropped this news on him, Zhang He felt as if a blessing had fallen from the sky. Beyond his surprise, he couldn't help but marvel at the immense power of the Pharmacist Association; they had managed to procure two of his most essential and elusive ingredients so quickly!

Zhang He suddenly felt that joining the Pharmacist Association had been a truly wise decision.

"Now, we can discuss the terms of our cooperation. The Pharmacist Association thinks very highly of your Body-Tempering Potion and would like to be your exclusive agent. How about this: the potions you brew will be sold solely through our association? Of course, the association will not treat you poorly; whether in contribution points or money, we will offer you significant benefits."

Master Lu looked at Zhang He with confidence. Judging by his reaction to the news about the herbs, he knew Zhang He wouldn't refuse.

Upon hearing Master Lu's request, Zhang He couldn't help but frown. Master Lu's heart skipped a beat.

"What? Is there some difficulty?" Master Lu asked.

"I must say, it is hard to refuse such terms. However, I can only brew a certain amount of Body-Tempering Potion each year; it is not an unlimited supply. Furthermore, I previously reached an agreement with Prince Qu to provide him with a certain quantity for his use. Therefore, I cannot fulfill the requirement of selling exclusively through the Pharmacist Association." Zhang He gave a wry smile.

Hearing this, Master Lu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "So that's all it is. Rest assured, the Pharmacist Association is not unreasonable. Since you have a prior agreement with Prince Qu, we naturally won't force you to terminate it. As long as you agree that, aside from the amount required by Prince Qu, all future potions you brew will be sold only through us, that will suffice. Anyone else seeking the potion must obtain it from the association. Can you guarantee that?"

"If it is for my own people, I don't need to follow this rule, right?" Zhang He asked. "For instance, my family and friends."

Master Lu smiled lightly. "That is naturally no problem. My mention of the association is merely to increase our influence. You may provide them to your friends privately; that does not conflict with the purpose of our agreement. As long as you do not supply other merchant guilds or similar factions, there is no issue at all."

Using the Pharmacist Association to distribute the potion was merely a means to expand their influence and reap the benefits. As long as Zhang He didn't sell the same batch to two different parties, there was no problem.

"Very well, since that is the case, I agree." Zhang He pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Straightforward. Let's sign the agreement then." Master Lu beamed with joy. "Do you know that once you sign this, the Pharmacist Association will immediately grant you a large number of contribution points, allowing you to successfully advance to a Bronze-Rank Pharmacist! Ha, you will definitely be the fastest-advancing pharmacist in the association's history."

Seeing Zhang He's puzzled expression, Master Lu explained, "Currently, the Pharmacist Association has over three thousand Iron-Rank Pharmacists across the entire continent, but only about two hundred Bronze-Rank Pharmacists. The higher the rank, the fewer the pharmacists. Once you possess these contribution points, you can promote to a Bronze-Rank Pharmacist—one of only two hundred in the entire continent! And you are about to become one of them!"

Zhang He couldn't help but ask with interest, "Then how many Silver-Rank and Gold-Rank Pharmacists are there?"

"There are only about sixty Silver-Rank Pharmacists, and only eight Gold-Rank Pharmacists. As for the highest rank, the King-Rank Pharmacist, I fear only the founder of the association holds that title," Master Lu answered casually.

From Master Lu's tone, Zhang He sensed a hint of pride. Master Lu was one of those sixty-odd Silver-Rank Pharmacists!

Within the association, the higher the rank, the greater the authority. And Master Lu was a Silver-Rank Pharmacist!

Zhang He couldn't help but wonder: if he were a Gold-Rank or even a King-Rank Pharmacist, would he be able to freely access the association's resources?

"I wonder if there will ever be a day when I can promote to a King-Rank Pharmacist." Zhang He let out a soft sigh.

"Promoting to a Silver-Rank Pharmacist requires five hundred thousand contribution points! This time, just promoting to Bronze-Rank nearly stumped me. To reach Silver... who knows how long that will take." Zhang He immediately felt his thoughts were somewhat ridiculous. He was looking too far ahead.

Master Lu seemed to see through Zhang He's thoughts and laughed, "Promoting to Silver-Rank is indeed no easy feat, but for you, it doesn't seem to be much of a difficulty. Each batch of these Body-Tempering Potions will bring you at least five hundred contribution points. As long as you can produce one thousand batches a year, you will be able to promote to a Silver-Rank Pharmacist smoothly."

Zhang He snapped back to reality, his eyes lighting up. That's right—one batch of potion could net him five hundred points. He only needed to produce one thousand batches a year to easily earn five hundred thousand points! Because there were so many people in the world craving breakthroughs in their cultivation, the market for the Body-Tempering Potion was vast!

In just one year, he could easily promote to a Silver-Rank Pharmacist!

"At this speed, even promoting to a Gold-Rank Pharmacist wouldn't be difficult! If I work a bit harder and produce a few thousand batches a year, I could reach Gold-Rank in less than three years..."

Zhang He's eyes shone with excitement.

Master Lu had already prepared the contract. Zhang He quickly scanned it; the terms were mutually beneficial. Moreover, what each party needed was different. The association wanted fame, so Zhang He received significant concessions regarding the money and contribution points he required.

Zhang He signed the agreement. Seeing this, Master Lu also breathed a sigh of relief. As Zhang He's sponsor, he would also rise in status and gain corresponding benefits as Zhang He succeeded.

"This is your identity token. From now on, you are a Bronze-Rank Pharmacist." Master Lu took out a prepared box containing the bronze badge for Zhang He. "The herbs you need are also ready. How do you intend to handle them? If you need help, I can arrange for a few pharmacists to assist you."

Zhang He shook his head. "I'll handle it myself. Doesn't the association have dedicated alchemy rooms?"

"That works too. If you need anything, just call for me." A look of disappointment flickered in Master Lu's eyes. He was extremely curious about Zhang He's alchemy techniques. If he could take the opportunity to witness them, that would be ideal. Unfortunately, Zhang He wasn't giving him that chance. Of course, Master Lu couldn't directly make the request, as he knew that alchemy techniques and formulas were often more important than life itself to a pharmacist and could not be easily revealed to outsiders.

There were four alchemy rooms in the Pharmacist Association, named Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. The Jia and Yi rooms were reserved specifically for Bronze-Rank Pharmacists and above, while the Bing and Ding rooms were provided for Iron-Rank Pharmacists and other ordinary pharmacists.

A young pharmacist, acting under Lu Tiao's instructions, brought Zhang He to Alchemical Chamber A. The young pharmacist familiarly flipped a switch on the wall, and the door to Alchemical Chamber A slowly creaked open, immediately releasing a wave of scorching heat.

"Pharmacist Zhang, this is Alchemical Chamber A. If your alchemy session takes a long time, we can bring you meals. You only need to press the bell inside, and we will know. If you have any special requirements, you can also press the bell to summon us." The young pharmacist looked at Zhang He respectfully, his gaze lingering on the Bronze-Rank badge on Zhang He's chest, a flash of envy in his eyes.

"Alright, thank you." Zhang He nodded in satisfaction; the Pharmacist Association was indeed very thorough.

The young pharmacist was instantly overcome with excitement—a Bronze-Rank pharmacist had actually praised him!

"Pharmacist Zhang, if there is nothing else you require, I shall take my leave." The young pharmacist knew the rules and spoke respectfully to Zhang He, but though he spoke, his feet did not move; a flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.

Zhang He did not notice this and merely nodded. The young pharmacist couldn't help but feel a surge of disappointment. Sigh, if only Pharmacist Zhang would let me stay and assist him, how wonderful that would be! He knew that being able to learn a thing or two while watching these Bronze-Rank pharmacists work would be of immense benefit to him.

The young pharmacist realized he was getting ahead of himself, quickly composed his disappointment, and began to retreat.

Thump, thump, thump.

Rapid footsteps echoed from behind, and a middle-aged man dressed in black, with a hooked nose and sallow skin, strode in.

"Quick, open Alchemical Chamber A for me. I need it urgently," the middle-aged man commanded imperiously.