Colorful Cloud Pharmaceuticals

Back home,

Jiang Ding checked the time. It was nine o'clock—not too late.

There were several courier services within the Immortal Sect, including Cloud Express, Speedy Express, and Banyan Express, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Without question, Banyan Express was the most reliable. Its prices were affordable and its security was high; even official Immortal Sect archives used it.

Jiang Ding opened the Spirit Group app and selected Harmony Pharmacy, which had the highest star rating. For the alchemy method, he chose anonymous pill refining—Bone-Tempering and Inner Qi realm replenishing and nourishing pills. For payment, he chose to pay with part of the medicinal ingredients, and for delivery, he chose Banyan Express.

With anonymous pill refining, not even the merchant knew the customer's information. Still, no one should get any bad ideas—the Central Array-Spirit Computer could inspect it at will.

Moreover, the Immortal Sect's immortal-path industry was highly developed and competition was fierce. Even for pills used by ordinary people, one could easily hire an alchemist to refine them. The cost was low, and quality was guaranteed.

"Chirp chirp!"

More than twenty minutes later, a kingfisher slightly larger than the previous one landed on the windowsill. It glanced at the wooden box in Jiang Ding's hand, then somehow took out a thumb-sized plastic bag and blew it up until it was the size of a computer monitor. It nudged its pointed beak toward him.

Jiang Ding understood. He opened the wooden box and let it see what was inside, then flipped through all the hidden compartments—

This was a security inspection. The kingfisher carried security inspection spells, and the inspection process would also be uploaded to the Central Array-Spirit Computer as evidence in case of future disputes.

"Chirp chirp!"

The kingfisher flapped its wings, signaling him to put the wooden box into the plastic bag. Then it hooked the bag with its claws and flew away.

Jiang Ding felt at ease.

Very, very few people dared to rob or steal from Banyan Express. Even if it was stolen or robbed, compensation would be provided afterward.

According to Harmony Pharmacy's customer service, the pills would be refined and delivered back within three days.

"What's this?"

Jiang Ding was about to put away his phone and practice his swordsmanship when he noticed an unread message on the library icon.

'Shao Chengkang, a Level One researcher at Colorful Cloud Pharmaceuticals Group, has reviewed the plant specimen information for "Purple Spirit Grass" that you submitted and wishes to communicate with you.'

Colorful Cloud Pharmaceuticals!

Jiang Ding was delighted.

This was a major company from neighboring Colorful Cloud Province. It was well known even throughout the entire Immortal Sect. The White Cloud Meridian-Nourishing Pill, one of the spiritual medicines used for Foundation Establishment, had been invented and popularized by this company, which held patents for every generation and version of the White Cloud Meridian-Nourishing Pill.

Purple Spirit Grass was a new plant discovered by Jiang Ding. It came with a patent term three times the lifespan at the time of discovery. For ordinary people, that was generally calculated as one hundred years, meaning a three-hundred-year patent.

That was quite something.

For ordinary people, it was manageable, but for Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, patent terms exceeded a thousand years—enough to support several generations.

Therefore, whether families or companies, they were fanatical about all kinds of patented inventions.

During that time, any individual or organization that used Purple Spirit Grass or its unique active ingredients had to pay Jiang Ding the appropriate patent fees.

There was already an established standard for the fees. For mortal-grade medicinal herbs, each unit required a payment of 0.1 mortal currency, or 0.001 spirit currency, depending on whether the product using the patent was a spiritual item or an ordinary item.

"Not easy. I've uploaded nearly five hundred new plant species, and one of them can finally be used." Jiang Ding sighed.

He selected accept communication—anonymously.

The other side replied quickly. Major companies had staff on duty around the clock.

"Hello, sir. I am Guan Xin, a Level One researcher at Colorful Cloud Pharmaceuticals. Our company requires some live Purple Spirit Grass plants. Would you be able to provide them? Our company will pay the corresponding fee."

Jiang Ding was slightly disappointed. He had thought they were here to discuss patent licensing.

Such large companies often bought out the patent rights for a product. Though that meant losing out somewhat in the long run, it could bring in a large sum of money in a short time.

"Yes. How much can you offer?"

There was no need to hesitate over something like this.

If it were elsewhere, Jiang Ding would not have dared agree. Once he sent them over, they would surely take them for free, and there would be no getting them back. But in the Immortal Sect, he did not need to worry about such things.

"Thirty plants for three thousand yuan. How does that sound?"

"Fine. I can deliver them within seven days. Leave an address."

Jiang Ding did not dare haggle. They were clearly still in the research stage and had not even decided whether they would use Purple Spirit Grass. How could he create obstacles out of thin air at the very beginning?

The final class that afternoon was mathematics.

"Students, the Sharp Metal Formation is one of the five fundamental formations. It can gather metal-element attributes and enhance sharpness. Its principle is actually quite simple, much like adding a metal blade to a wooden handle. The key lies in using a formation to gather metal-element spiritual power..."

"It is often used in weapons through micro-engraving techniques..."

The final class that afternoon was mathematics. Their teacher, Wang Lan, was a stern middle-aged woman.

Below the podium, Jiang Ding listened with difficulty, feeling as though his head was about to explode. Then he suddenly froze and rapidly flipped through several pages of his book.

Why does this look so familiar? Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword!?

He abruptly realized that certain key points of the Sharp Metal Formation were astonishingly similar to the Hundred-Step Flying Sword technique. When the two were combined, the math problems that had once been impossible to understand and could only be memorized by rote suddenly made sense.

"Now begin the practical exercise. Please draw a Sharp Metal Formation on talisman paper."

Hearing this, Jiang Ding and the others carefully opened their spiritual ink, picked up their talisman brushes, and spread out their talisman paper—these were all spiritual materials. They were limited to three sheets of talisman paper, while the spiritual ink and talisman brushes could only be used during class.

Even though the Immortal Sect's immortal-path industry was highly developed, and the needed items could be made with only a small amount of spiritual materials, the combined daily consumption of high school students everywhere was still an enormous sum.

Jiang Ding glanced to his left. Li Junhao wore a solemn expression. He had even brought a magnifying glass and first practiced with ordinary white paper and ink. Before long, he had drawn a densely packed Sharp Metal Formation diagram.

Though he was merely an ordinary person at the Flesh-Refining realm, if energy were fed into it, the formation diagram could truly emit a faint golden light before destroying itself.

Jiang Ding had to admit that he was impressed by that.

Most people, including Jiang Ding himself, many Inner Qi realm martial artists, and even some Qi Refining immortal cultivators, could draw formation diagrams that looked complete but were actually nothing more than decorative imitations, utterly unusable.

On a ten-point question, getting two points would already mean the teacher was being kind.

Jiang Ding had originally intended to learn from Li Junhao and practice on ordinary paper first. But the longer he looked, the more his hand itched. In the end, he simply raised his brush and began to draw, starting from the central formation base and extending outward in the shape of the Eight Trigrams.

Countless realizations surfaced in his heart: the scenes of his years of sword practice, the image of him alone with a sword charging at a band of mountain bandits and scattering them, the core technique of the first-layer talisman sword of Divine Firmament Hundred-Step Flying Sword...

He drew faster and faster. Countless dense, hair-thin formation lines were inscribed across the paper. Only the final stroke remained before the complete formation diagram would be finished.

This last stroke involved the soul and one's aura. He had never learned it; he could not manage it even through imitation.

The hand holding the talisman brush stiffened. It trembled for a long time, but he was ultimately unable to bring it down.

"The center, hooked talisman stroke."

Wang Lan's voice suddenly rang out, carrying an inscrutable force. Jiang Ding involuntarily followed her instruction and brought the brush down heavily.

In an instant, the ordinary talisman paper before him generated a powerful pull. Something within his mind seemed to surge forth wildly and pour into it.

"Pain..."

Jiang Ding's face turned pale. His brain felt as though it were splitting apart, wracked by unceasing agony, as if an iron nail were being driven into his mind again and again. It took him a long time to recover.

When he focused his eyes, a faint hazy glow seemed to cover the talisman paper before him, and he sensed a weak connection with it.

"Where did you see this formation diagram?"

Anger appeared on Wang Lan's face. "How many times have I told you not to look at material beyond the curriculum? Not to look at it! If I hadn't been watching over you today, do you know that you could have suffered brain death?"

Jiang Ding stood and lowered his head. "Teacher, I was wrong."

But he did not regret it much. His aptitude was poor and his family circumstances were ordinary. If he wanted to set foot on the immortal path, then he had to be aggressive where aggression was needed.

Wang Lan seemed to see something in him, and the anger on her face intensified. With a sweep of her sleeve, she said,

"I will truthfully inform your guardian."