"Ding! The Mystic Skill Soul-Devouring Token has detected a unique mystic skill manual containing a book soul." "Would you like to activate its soul-devouring power and convert the book soul power of this mortal-grade, mid-tier mystic skill, Flame Tiger Fist, into experience for one of the host's skills?" "Special notice: the basic Mystic Skill Soul-Devouring Token can only devour the book souls of mortal-grade mystic skills."
Bu Wuchen nodded emphatically. "Begin."
"Ding! Book soul devoured. Randomly selecting a skill for experience transfer..."
"Huh? It can only pick one at random?"
Bu Wuchen inwardly lamented the pity, then smiled self-mockingly. I really am greedy!
A moment later-
"Ding! Book soul experience transfer target selected: Special profession: alchemist." "Ding! Congratulations to the host on advancing to Mortal Realm Second Stage alchemist;" "Ding! Congratulations to the host on advancing to Mortal Realm Third Stage alchemist;" "Ding! Congratulations to the host on advancing to Mortal Realm Fourth Stage alchemist!" "As a Mortal Realm Fourth Stage alchemist, with the system's assistance, the host's success rate in refining Mortal Rank, Low Grade mystic pills is as high as one hundred percent;" "The success rate for refining Mortal Rank Middle Grade mystic pills can also reach thirty percent."
Bu Wuchen was utterly dumbstruck. "Th-this... this feels way too damn good!"
Although the "system beginner's gift pack" had previously made Bu Wuchen an "all-round special profession master" outright,
his realm in each special profession had remained at the barely introductory "Mortal Realm First Stage."
Now, a single [Mystic Skill Soul-Devouring Token] had raised his alchemy straight to "Mortal Realm Fourth Stage"!
"Hehe, with this 'one hundred percent success rate in refining Mortal Rank, Low Grade mystic pills,' I've practically got a sure road to riches!"
Bu Wuchen licked his lips excitedly.
After all, even a Mortal Rank, Low Grade mystic pill sold for three to five hundred gold!
Even after deducting material costs, the mystic alchemist's expenditure on nourishing his soul and strength, the share paid to shops and distribution channels, and so on...
each successfully refined mystic pill would bring a guaranteed profit of one or two hundred gold coins!
"Other mystic alchemists in the same realm as me still have to worry about their success rate;"
"They have to factor in things like the cost of materials wasted on failures. Once they take everything into account, their profits shrink considerably."
"But I'm different!"
Bu Wuchen looked smug. "As long as my realm is high enough, refining pills of the corresponding grade will practically succeed every single time!"
"That's just how absurd it is! Wahahahaha..."
Just then, Wan Xiaoyao tapped lightly on the door. "Young Master, it's getting late. It's time for this servant to attend to your bath."
"All right, come in."
Night fell, and the bright moon slowly rose.
Having just enjoyed a comfortable bath with Wan Xiaoyao attending him, Bu Wuchen had already lost his initial excitement.
He had discovered that, despite possessing Mortal Realm Fourth Stage alchemy skills, he had yet to learn a single pill formula!
A "pill formula" for alchemy was like a prescription for dispensing medicine.
Without a formula, even if his alchemy skills could reach the gods, he couldn't just concoct things wildly from imagination, could he?
Besides, apart from pill formulas, he also needed a cauldron, pill fire, medicinal ingredients, and other things for refining pills.
How was he supposed to get all that?
Bu Wuchen hadn't the slightest clue.
Seeing her young master's expression shift between sunshine and clouds, Wan Xiaoyao's heart tightened. She asked with concern, "Young Master, you've only just recovered from a serious illness. Would you like to rest properly for a few days before returning to school?"
"No need. This young master isn't that delicate."
"Hm? Right, Blood Dragon City Academy!"
Bu Wuchen's eyes suddenly lit up. "Doesn't Blood Dragon City Academy's Pill Hall have pill formulas, cauldrons, medicinal ingredients, and everything else ready to use?"
According to the memories of the former eldest young master of the Bu Lineage, the "Mystic Qi academies" in the Great Liang Kingdom's cities and towns not only taught methods of cultivating Mystic Qi, but also had a special department called the "Pill Hall."
Every year, each city and town selected young people with considerable aptitude and some talent for "alchemy," specially admitting them to the "Pill Hall" to train as "alchemist apprentices."
That was right-merely "apprentices."
Only after the exceptionally gifted among those apprentices had accumulated sufficient foundational knowledge in class and caught the eye of an alchemy instructor who accepted them as disciples would they receive hands-on instruction in alchemy in the true sense.
Thus, among the successive classes of students specially admitted to the "Pill Hall," fewer than one in ten thousand ultimately grew into actual "alchemists"!
That was especially true in this middling-sized border city.
Yet now, Bu Wuchen had already become a mystic alchemist without a teacher;
and he had started at Mortal Realm Fourth Stage...
"Wahahahaha! Yao'er, you really are my little lucky star! Mwah~"
In his excitement, the youth stood straight up in the bathtub.
Turning around, he cupped Yao'er's smooth, delicate cheeks in both hands and planted a smacking kiss on her!
"Ah!"
"Y-young Master, y-you, you..."
Not only had Wan Xiaoyao suddenly been "ambushed" with a kiss, she had also, also seen her young master's...
It was simply mortifying!
"Th-this servant won't disturb your rest any longer, Young Master~"
Hastily leaving those words behind, the maid Xiaoyao fled like a wisp of smoke, her face red.
At this hour, the academy had already shut its doors.
Bu Wuchen decided to suppress his excitement for now and have a good, full night's sleep;
tomorrow, he would enter the "Pill Hall" in grand style as a "genius."
"Hehehe, students and teachers of Blood Dragon City Academy, get your screams and applause ready to welcome the grand arrival of this 'alchemy prodigy'!"
The next morning.
In a private room of a brothel tavern in the royal capital of the Great Liang Kingdom.
"All right, all of you, leave us."
At this instruction, the rather pretty flock of songbirds withdrew, putting on a show of reluctance.
Another young man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks complained, still wanting more, "Aw, I was just getting into it! Big Brother, why did you have to spoil the fun?"
This pointed-mouthed, monkey-cheeked fellow was none other than one of the culprits who had poisoned Bu Wuchen: Bu Dingyun.
The "Big Brother" he addressed was his own elder brother, Bu Dingfeng.
Bu Dingfeng frowned slightly. "Until I receive definite news of Bu Wuchen's death, there's always a stone weighing on my heart. How could I be in the mood to play?"
"Oh, you can't rush this sort of thing~"
Bu Dingyun laughed it off. "That lord already said there's no antidote for this poison anyway;"
"And no symptoms of poisoning can be diagnosed in its victim."
"In a hundred days at most, he'll be dead without a doubt!"
"Once Bu Wuchen dies, that old bastard Bu Huazheng will have no successor;"
"Before long, Father will hold all the lineage's power in his hands!"
Bu Dingyun said excitedly, "Then we brothers won't have to live under someone else's roof anymore;"
"With one turn, we'll become the Bu Lineage's eldest and second young masters, rightfully enjoying the highest-quality cultivation resources in the entire great general's estate!"
Hearing this, Bu Dingfeng's tightly knitted brows finally relaxed somewhat. "Mm. Let's hope so!"
Meanwhile, in Blood Dragon City on Great Liang's frontier.
The "man certain to die" whom the brothers Dingfeng and Dingyun were discussing was now striding, head held high, into Blood Dragon City Academy's most unusual department-
The Pill Hall!