Alchemist Association Branch

When he opened the medicine case, a puff of white smoke burst out from within.

At the sight, Chen Wu's heart leaped with joy as he looked toward the bottom of the medicine tray.

There, ten Origin-Restoring Pills, white as jade, lay quietly in place.

Each one was round and lustrous, fragrant with pill aroma, with a faint, delicate pattern barely visible within.

Chen Wu knew this was called a "spirit pattern," also known as a "pill pattern," a mark possessed only by top-grade pills.

As mentioned before, pills, like martial arts realms, were likewise divided into nine grades.

As an entry-level pill for beginners, the Qi-Accumulating Pill barely ranked among the ninth-grade pills. At most, it could be refined with a single pill pattern, signifying that its medicinal potency had reached its utmost limit—a state of perfection.

Eighth-grade pills had two spirit patterns, seventh-grade pills had three...

By the same reasoning, first-grade pills had nine patterns, hence the name "Nine-Turn Golden Pill."

The higher a pill's grade, the lower the odds of refining it to top-grade quality.

Even for the simplest Qi-Accumulating Pill, achieving such top-grade quality required an eighth-grade alchemy veteran who had immersed himself in the craft for many years.

At the level of the "Nine-Turn Golden Pill," one needed only successfully refine one batch to be crowned a "Pill Saint."

In the world today, only eight people qualified to be called Pill Saints, and the Republic held four of them.

According to rumors, if an ordinary person consumed a "Nine-Turn Golden Pill," not only could they prolong their life, they could also break through the limits of their natural talent.

It was said that the Governor of Liao Province had consumed a "Nine-Turn Golden Pill" gifted by a Pill Saint who owed his ancestors a favor when he was young. That was how he had reached the peak of the fourth-grade martial artist realm.

That Chen Wu had refined top-grade pills on only his second attempt proved that the deductive ability of his three souls was viable in the path of alchemy.

With that, he could proceed to the next step of his plan.

However, the most important thing now was to refine all the medicinal ingredients he had bought into pills.

Afterward, he would take them to the Alchemist Association to exchange them for money.

The Alchemist Association was an official organization related to the hundred arts of martial arts.

Organizations of a similar nature included the Music Dao Master Association, the Spirit Plant Master Association, and others.

Such associations handled "qualification assessments," "career development," "purchasing and selling pills," and other functions.

Relevant talents would also have records kept at the association, linked to the national information database for convenient state access.

For Chen Wu to sell his pills, he actually needed to go to one of the stations established by the association at local street offices.

These stations only opened on the state-designated pill purchase days: the first and fifteenth of every month.

Moreover, going to the Alchemist Association would make Chen Wu's next plan more convenient.

Knowing when to hide one's abilities was a sign of wisdom, but sometimes one also needed to reveal their talent at the right moment in order to gain more opportunities.

Under the precise control of his three souls and with the assistance of his secondary body, Zhu Wu, Chen Wu spent less than two hours refining ten batches of Qi-Accumulating Pills, ten batches of Golden Spring-Nourishing Pills, and the remaining eight batches of Origin-Restoring Pills.

Each batch contained ten pills. Every single one bore a pill pattern and was of top-grade quality.

He then placed the pills into the complimentary bottles separately and labeled each bottle.

Taking out a medicine box, he arranged the bottles neatly inside.

Carrying the medicine box, Chen Wu left the residential complex, hailed a taxi, and told the driver to take him to the Alchemist Association.

Seeing that Chen Wu was young and carrying a medicine case, the driver guessed he was a beginner and asked, "Kid, you study alchemy too?"

Chen Wu nodded and admitted, "Yeah. My schoolteacher taught us the pill formulas. I tried refining some at home a few times and luckily made a few pills of decent quality, so I wanted to exchange them for money and broaden my horizons while I was at it."

The driver, who looked to be in his thirties, was quite talkative. He said to Chen Wu, "Martial arts competition is fierce these days. Having more than one path is always better than standing on one leg. Come to think of it, my son is an alchemist too."

(Cultivating martial arts could prolong one's life, which was why he looked young.)

"He got his ninth-grade alchemist certificate just last month. Don't underestimate him just because he's still a university student and has only just entered the martial arts grades—he can already earn money on his own. I hear one of the professors from his school's alchemy department has taken a liking to him and plans to accept him as a graduate student after he graduates."

The driver looked immensely proud when speaking of his son.

Chen Wu congratulated him. "Then congratulations, sir."

Before coming here, Chen Wu had specifically looked into the alchemist certificate the driver mentioned. This type of certificate was a qualification issued by the state to alchemists. It had nine grades, all of which required passing an examination.

Only after obtaining a ninth-grade alchemist certificate could an alchemist be considered to have formally stepped onto the path of alchemy.

According to information published on the alchemist official website, the exam required one to select any one of three officially certified ninth-grade pills—the Qi-Concentrating Pill, the Marrow-Refining Pill, and the Spirit-Nourishing Pill—and refine one batch of medium-grade pills before the examiners. They then had to refine one batch of low-grade pills for each of the other two types.

Only those who completed both requirements could pass the examination and receive the certificate.

After obtaining the qualification certificate, one could apply to the Alchemist Association for new pill formulas, obtain the corresponding medicinal ingredients, and refine high-quality pills.

As Chen Wu chatted idly with the driver, the taxi arrived at its destination.

"Sir, how much?"

"Ten yuan."

"Mm, I scanned it."

"Alright, take care."

Chen Wu got out of the car and saw a five-story building before him.

On a brown granite stele beside the building were several gilded seal-script characters: "Cool Province Golden City Branch of the Alchemist Association."

In the square before the building stood a massive pill furnace roughly three meters high. The fire within burned without cease year-round, and flames would occasionally lash out from its mouth.

Jincheng in June was still fairly cool.

Yet even standing more than twenty meters from the furnace, Chen Wu could still sense a trace of scorching heat, proving that the flames inside were no ordinary fire.

The Alchemist Association was the largest association on the Red Continent, with its headquarters in the capital.

The one Chen Wu had come to was the city branch established in Golden City. Above it was the Cool Province branch, while below it were the branches in the various districts, counties, and towns.

The branch had five floors. The first through third floors were comprehensive service areas open to beginners, handling pill purchases and sales, pill formula instruction, qualification applications, qualification examinations, task postings, and more.

To enter the fourth floor and above, one needed an alchemist qualification certificate.

Chen Wu's former self had only passed by this place and looked at it from afar. He had never entered.

Only after coming inside did he understand how greatly the state valued the path of alchemy. No wonder some called it the foremost of the hundred arts of martial arts.

After consulting a clerk at the service counter, Chen Wu followed her instructions to the first door on the left side of the hall.

After entering, he saw that although there were more than ten counters here, the vast majority were closed, with only two windows open.

It was not that no one was inside. Rather, the staff were busy inspecting the pills collected by the local street offices.