Beast Tide

"Today's batch of pills is rather large. Help me prepare all of these."

The moment Jiang Lu entered the alchemy room, she heard Huang Mei's instructions.

She nodded, but the pills produced by Medicine King Pavilion each day were always fixed in quantity. Why had the amount suddenly increased today?

Her expression was far too obvious. Seeing her hesitate, Huang Mei asked:

"Do you have any questions?"

Jiang Lu nodded.

"It's normal that you don't know this news, especially since you're new here."

Jiang Lu's identity was no secret among them. Everyone in Medicine King Pavilion had an open background. When Jiang Lu's talent had been revealed that day, everyone had gone to investigate.

It was perfectly normal for one seeking the Dao from the Mortal Realm to know nothing of the Immortal Cultivation Realm. Besides, her arrival at Medicine King Pavilion had truly been due to luck. Who could have imagined that a cultivator from the Mortal Realm would have a keener perception of spirit plants than so many cultivators?

"You know there is a dense forest outside West River City, right? Deep within that forest lies another forest. The time for the demon beasts to riot is almost here. During this period, demon beasts will flood into the dense forest in great numbers. Whether cultivators go there to fight, seek opportunities, or simply temper themselves, pills are indispensable."

Jiang Lu suddenly understood. So that was it.

She immediately went to sort the spirit plants according to Huang Mei's requirements. Several of them were spirit plants used to refine third-grade pills.

Within Medicine King Pavilion, alchemists who had refined pills for over two years and maintained a pill formation rate above ninety percent were given two opportunities each month to attempt pills of a higher grade.

If they successfully refined five kinds of pills of the corresponding grade ten times in a row, their new alchemy rank would be recognized by default, and they would become higher-ranked alchemists.

This was an unspoken rule acknowledged throughout the Immortal Cultivation Realm. However, like artifact refiners and formation masters, alchemists still needed to undergo an assessment.

Within the Crimson Wasteland Spirit Domain, the three upper sects, the various great clans, and Medicine King Pavilion all possessed assessment qualifications. Those who passed the assessment received a rank token.

The assessment fee was not high. The beginner level required only ten low-grade spirit stones, the intermediate level ten middle-grade spirit stones, and the advanced level ten high-grade spirit stones.

If one had not even taken the assessment, no one would be convinced by the things they refined.

Huang Mei had begun attempting to refine third-grade pills last month, but every attempt had ended in failure.

It seemed that she would continue trying this month.

Every grade of pill required different methods of refinement. One needed to master the order in which the spirit plants were added, but more importantly, one needed sufficient cultivation and spiritual power to support the process.

Otherwise, failure would usually come at the step of condensing the pill.

Jiang Lu's hands never stopped moving. As her thoughts turned, she looked at Huang Mei, who was seriously refining pills. She wondered whether Senior Sister Huang Mei could break through and become a third-grade alchemist.

Though second-grade and third-grade alchemists were both collectively called beginner alchemists, crossing that gap was still exceedingly difficult.

Looking at the pills in her space, Jiang Lu nodded in satisfaction. She was now a first-grade alchemist herself. According to her previous plan, she could begin learning sword techniques!

And...

A Beast Tide?

If possible, she could go and explore it herself.

"Junior Sister Lu, are you going to resist the Beast Tide?"

Huang Mei suddenly asked. After all, most of the demon beasts that came here were first-grade or second-grade, with third-grade being the most they would encounter. There were quite a few Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in West River City now, so they would certainly go.

Quite a few ordinary cultivators would go to pick up the leftovers. Calling it getting rich overnight would not be an exaggeration.

Jiang Lu nodded. "Senior Sister Huang Mei, if I have the chance, I'm naturally willing to go."

"Of course you have the chance. You don't know yet? Medicine King Pavilion organizes disciples to go every time. If you have the intention, you might as well go sign up."

Jiang Lu truly had not known about this. After nodding and asking for a few more details, she immediately headed over.

Although she was Senior Sister Huang Mei's exclusive spirit plant cultivator, she was still free to participate in such training expeditions.

The place Jiang Lu went to register was the City Lord's Manor. The Beast Tide carried a high degree of danger, so local powers would generally organize people to go.

Whether one became cannon fodder or the backbone of the force depended entirely on a faction's conscience and capability.

West River City had a long history. The fact that the City Lord tested Spiritual Roots for free showed that this City Lord was not a person of great evil. That little selfishness was insignificant before truly major matters of right and wrong.

When she arrived at the City Lord's Manor, Jiang Lu found the place packed shoulder to shoulder. At a glance, there were even more people than the disciples who had gone to the secret realm before.

Besides Qi Refinement cultivators, there were also Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. This was her first time encountering so many Foundation Establishment experts in West River City.

There were far more than she had imagined.

After registering and receiving her identity token, she squeezed out with the crowd. Only after leaving the line did she let out a breath.

There really were so many people!

Although they had come to register, there was still a distinction between those belonging to factions and those who did not.

Private action was forbidden during the Beast Tide. Everyone who registered had to obey command, which offered the highest level of safety.

If one went alone or formed a team independently, there was no need to register. Likewise, the various factions would not provide assistance.

Jiang Lu belonged to Medicine King Pavilion's team. Many disciples from Medicine King Pavilion had registered, more than enough to form a team. Their strongest member would serve as captain. She did not know that person, but she would meet them on the day they gathered.

The smaller factions, meanwhile, would combine several factions into one team and follow orders.

The captains of each team would contact one another and divide the resources. The teams would hand over a fixed portion of their gains to the City Lord's Manor, while the remaining resources could be divided among themselves.

That way, each team would discuss matters in advance before setting out, so that no one would drag the team down halfway through the training expedition.

Jiang Lu returned to her room and took out her pill furnace to continue refining pills.

She now knew how to refine more than a dozen kinds of pills, and every batch produced ten top-grade pills.

Now, she needed to refine more Essence-Stabilizing Pills and Qi-Replenishing Pills.

Perhaps it was because of her spiritual energy, or perhaps for some other reason, but although the pills she refined were top-grade like Senior Sister Huang Mei's, they were plumper and more effective.

Other than lacking the pill patterns of supreme-grade pills, calling them supreme-grade pills would not be undeserved.

She had read quite a few pill formulas and cultivation arts in the Scripture Pavilion. Once she returned from the training expedition, she could try refining second-grade pills.

As for taking the rank assessment, there was no rush. The Immortal Cultivation Realm allowed one to directly test for an alchemist's rank without having to advance one grade at a time.

She did not need to make a living by selling pills now, so there was no hurry. Everything could wait until she returned from cultivation.

At present, she had merely learned many cultivation arts and had never had the chance to use them in actual combat. This training expedition was precisely an opportunity to test her cultivation.

Several days later...

After organizing everything she needed and placing it into her storage pouch, she followed the other disciples out to the city gate.

Because the Beast Tide did not come all at once but attacked in several waves, the teams from the various factions were likewise divided into several batches.

As one of the top powers, Medicine King Pavilion was sent in the first wave. There was not much difference in the strength of the demon beasts in each wave, and Qi Refinement disciples could handle them completely.