Over the next half day, Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling visited several large pharmacies in the city, but unfortunately, none of them had any high-grade, century-old medicinal herbs. They were told that they would have to wait some time before new stock was available.
But Lu Ming clearly didn't have that kind of time to wait.
"Senior sister, just how many alchemists are vying for that ' Netherwater Flame '?" Lu Ming asked helplessly. He seemed to have underestimated the competition for the " Netherwater Flame." This low-grade Spirit Fire had attracted many alchemists in the city, which directly caused all the high-grade spiritual herbs that had been stored for a hundred years to be sold out.
Zhou Fuling thought for a moment and said, "There must be quite a few, but not all alchemists are qualified to compete. At the very least, they need a recommendation from a master Dao of Alchemy."
This threshold is quite high, after all, Dao of Alchemy masters are all extraordinary individuals, and it would be difficult for an alchemist without some background to obtain a recommendation from an Dao of Alchemy master.
"I wonder what the competition format will be?" Lu Ming asked.
Five hundred thousand Heavenly Gold Sand and a hundred-year-old high-grade spiritual medicine are just the tickets. Acquiring these two items does not guarantee that you will be able to obtain the " Netherwater Flame ". After all, there should be some alchemists in the city with strong backgrounds who can achieve these two things.
Therefore, the final ownership of " Netherwater Flame " will inevitably involve some competition.
"Since it's a competition between alchemists, it naturally can't be a battle of supernatural powers, so it can only be a contest of alchemy," Zhou Fuling said.
Lu Ming pondered for a moment. As long as no Dao of Alchemy master intervened in this alchemy competition, he would have a chance. After all, with the " Fire Lotus Pill Furnace," he was a genuine "alchemy prodigy"!
But thinking about these things now seems a bit far-fetched, since he hasn't even secured a ticket to compete for " Netherwater Flame " yet.
However, Lu Ming didn't dwell on it too much. If he really couldn't get his hands on a high-grade, century-old spiritual herb, he could still try one last resort.
So Lu Ming relaxed and stopped going to other pharmacies. Instead, he relaxed and accompanied Zhou Fuling and Lu Mengmeng as they strolled and played around the city. The two little beauties, one big and one small, had a great time.
As dusk approached, Lu Ming escorted the still-unsatisfied Zhou Fuling back to the government office, and then took Lu Mengmeng back to the Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall.
As soon as he arrived at the museum, Zhong Quan came looking for him. "Cousin Lu Ming, Grandpa is looking for you. He wants you to come over."
Lu Ming immediately perked up, telling Lu Mengmeng to go find her parents herself, while he followed Zhong Quan to the main hall, where Zhong Taiyue sat at the head of the table, waiting.
"Grandpa, is there any chance of getting a hundred-year-old high-grade spiritual medicine?" Lu Ming asked eagerly after paying his respects.
Zhong Taiyue gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said, "I don't know what happened, but in the past two days, all the high-grade spiritual herbs that are over a hundred years old in various pharmacies have been taken away. I asked some of the pharmacies that regularly cooperate with our Golden Bell Mystic Gang Hall, and they don't have any in stock either."
Looking at his grandson's expectant gaze, Zhong Taiyue felt somewhat embarrassed. He had originally thought it would be a simple matter, but even he, a local bigwig in the prefecture, had failed to handle it properly, which made him feel somewhat humiliated in front of his grandson.
Lu Ming sighed softly, not too surprised by the result. After all, even with Zhou Fuling's connections and Huo Shanhe's name, he still couldn't get a single high-grade spiritual medicine that was a hundred years old.
"Do you have the high-grade spiritual medicine that's closest to a hundred years old that I mentioned?" Lu Ming asked, settling for second best.
"That's much easier. I sent people to find several pharmacies and bought two high-grade spiritual herbs that are almost a hundred years old, as you requested." Zhong Taiyue nodded quickly, then flicked his sleeve, and a light flashed from his cuff.
Two jade boxes appeared on the table. Zhong Taiyue opened them, revealing two spiritual herbs inside.
One plant bears a crimson fruit, its body engraved with fire patterns, as if burning with flames and radiating intense heat. Another plant has eight leaves, its branches and leaves resembling green snakes, which seem to be slowly twisting, with faint traces of light on them.
"These are Scarlet Pattern Fruit and Eight-Leaf Azure Serpent Grass, both said to be around ninety-nine years old, just one year shy of breaking the century mark," Zhong Taiyue explained.
Lu Ming stepped forward and carefully examined the two so-called ninety-nine-year-old high-grade spiritual herbs. After a moment, he nodded. The medicinal power of these two high-grade spiritual herbs was indeed very strong, so the age must be true.
" A-Ming, can this ninety-nine-year-old high-grade spiritual herb truly meet your requirements? Although there's only a one-year difference between the two, the medicinal power they contain is worlds apart. If you use this to refine a high-grade pill, it's very likely that the lack of medicinal properties will lead to failure."
"If you can wait a while, your grandfather will definitely find a way to get you a high-grade spiritual herb that is a hundred years old." Zhong Taiyue asked with concern. As Nether Spirit Master, although he did not know how to refine pills, he knew some common knowledge about spiritual herbs. After all, in the prefectural city, he often dealt with some Dao of Alchemy masters.
Lu Ming smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's not necessary for now, Grandpa. This ninety-nine-year-old high-grade spiritual herb can barely be used. If it still doesn't work, I'll ask you for help again."
The process of accelerating the ripening of high-grade spiritual herbs is naturally far more complex than just using " Moon Spirit Grass," but if it's simply about replenishing a year's worth of medicinal power, Lu Ming felt that the miraculous Flame of Life should be able to achieve that, right?
With this thought in mind, Lu Ming couldn't wait any longer. He held the jade box containing high-grade spiritual herbs, greeted Zhong Taiyue, and quickly slipped back to his room.
After closing the door, he took out the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit " and placed it in his palm.
Lu Ming took a deep breath, and with a thought, a vibrant green flame slowly rose from his palm. Under his tense gaze, the flame enveloped the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit."
Flames rise, scorching the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit," while the boundless vitality contained within the flames continuously flows into the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit," accelerating its ripening and adding years to its lifespan.
As the Flame of Life continued to burn, Lu Ming vaguely sensed that the flame-like patterns on the surface of the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit " were becoming brighter and brighter. At the same time, the flame patterns were even slowly extending, as if it were growing normally before it separated from its roots.
"It really worked!"
Lu Ming was overjoyed. The Flame of Life was truly miraculous; it could even accelerate the ripening of high-grade spiritual herbs!
However, the only drawback is that the ripening speed is extremely slow. Even though Lu Ming's Primordial Qi is much stronger now than when he ripened the Moon Spirit Grass, after a full hour of his all-out effort, the newly added flame pattern on the " Scarlet Pattern Fruit " has only extended by less than one-tenth.
However, Lu Ming was not disappointed. After all, it was difficult to cross such a stage in terms of age. If it were in the wild, a spiritual herb that had reached ninety-nine years of age would frantically absorb all the surrounding Primordial Qi to support its own growth, and might even entangle and devour other spiritual herbs.
After all, this century-long hurdle is like a tribulation for spiritual herbs. If they can overcome it, they can transform into century-old spiritual herbs. If they cannot overcome it, they will gradually wither due to the lack of Primordial Qi and eventually rot and die.
Therefore, the fact that Lu Ming can now use the " Flame of Life " to help this 99-year-old elixir complete this step is already an extremely incredible thing.
If word gets out, it will surely attract countless covetous eyes.
Lu Ming took out a pill to restore his Primordial Qi, put it in his mouth and swallowed it. Then he continued to tirelessly activate the Flame of Life, continuously calcining and ripening it.
He had originally thought he was destined to never encounter the " Netherwater Flame," but unexpectedly, he saw a glimmer of hope again. Since that was the case, he naturally wouldn't give up easily.
Therefore, Lu Ming tirelessly devoted himself to the calcination.
He only fell asleep exhausted after his Primordial Qi was completely depleted.
The next day, Lu Ming even hid in his room to eat, devoting all his energy to accelerating the ripening of the century-old high-grade spiritual herb.
Until the morning of the third day.
With slightly bloodshot eyes, Lu Ming stared at his palm. Amidst the blazing green flames, a brand-new and complete flame pattern had fully formed on the surface of the " Scarlet Flame Fruit."
The moment it took shape, Lu Ming clearly sensed that the medicinal fragrance emanating from the " Scarlet Flame Fruit " suddenly became richer, and the medicinal power it contained also increased steadily, becoming exceptionally abundant.
Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes gleaming with wild joy as he lay back on the bed, clutching the " Scarlet Flame Fruit " in his hand and admiring it with obvious delight.
"It actually worked!"
Lu Ming was somewhat dazed, his heart filled with excitement.
This Flame of Life is too fierce.
Although the process of ripening the grass was far more difficult than with the previous Moon Spirit Grass, it was ultimately successful.
And now, the ticket to compete for " Netherwater Flame " is finally in hand.