Confidence Restored
They obtained a thousand-year-old spirit medicine and a secret Medical School; the emperor used fire to extract the medicine and then created the elixir.
If Sima Tan in the Alchemy Chamber, Zhang Xuezhou thought the general account should be like this.
The pill is Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill, a top-grade elixir that shimmers with a white glow like a precious pearl.
Eighteen flawless Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill were placed in the very center, surrounded by grayish-white pills.
The former is a top-grade elixir, while the latter is a worthless elixir that doesn't even qualify for a grade.
Similar to Zhang Xuezhou's previous speculation, the subtle effect of Tai Sui seems to have transferred the efficacy of the elixirs in the surrounding area, thus guiding quantitative change towards qualitative change.
It's a bit of a pity that 182 of the Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill were wasted, but top-grade pills can achieve things that regular pills cannot.
"Is this also a top-grade elixir?"
The new emperor, whose medicine had just been prepared, was slightly taken aback.
Many Alchemist in the Office of the Inner Clerk would boast for half a year if they obtained a single high-grade pill, and if it was a top-grade pill, they would treat it as a treasure to guard the entire court.
Zhang Xuezhou's top-grade pills seem to come out in large quantities all at once, like a sow giving birth.
Stimulated by the Supreme Qi and Blood Fortune Pill, he couldn't sleep most of the night. When the new emperor saw the Supreme Pill again, his heart inexplicably calmed down.
His tone was surprised when he asked the question, but the uncontrollable urge to jump up and down was gone.
"Yes, I'll take eight this time, and you take ten," Zhang Xuezhou said happily.
"Oh oh!"
The pills have a negotiated ratio, and the new emperor doesn't mind this distribution. He's not a petty landlord who exploits and bleeds people out of their wealth, and he doesn't insist on keeping all the benefits in his own hands.
In reality, from the county seat to the prefecture and then to Chang'an City, a portion of the tax revenue was retained by the local government at each stage of the process, while the imperial court received the last portion.
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. Zhang Xuezhou has contributed manpower, effort, medicine, and Pill Formula, so he will not be shortchanged in his share.
"What great use is this top-grade elixir?" the new emperor asked.
"It can be used to practice skills and also to prolong life," Zhang Xuezhou said happily.
"Isn't that the same function as what was said before?" the new emperor asked doubtfully.
"Stronger!"
How strong is it?
The new emperor's question left Zhang Xuezhou speechless.
This was also the first time he had ever seen a top-grade Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill. He only knew that the pills required during the Nine Revolutions Qi Uniting Technique were of high quality, but Zhang Xuezhou had no idea about the effects of a top-grade pill. This was not a pill that could be taken casually.
"I'll give it a try tomorrow," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I'm counting on this kind of elixir to keep me alive!"
"Would you like to take a few more?"
The new emperor thought for a moment and realized that there were no important officials around him who needed to save their lives.
If he were to give away top-grade pills to someone to save their life, he might as well keep them for himself and wait for demand, or simply let Zhang Xuezhou live longer.
"That should be enough for me!"
Zhang Xuezhou thought about how he had previously refined some of the top-grade Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill and felt that he had enough elixirs for practicing the Nine Revolutions Qi Uniting Technique.
The effects of this elixir will be known to anyone who uses it when needed, and Zhang Xuezhou doesn't gain any advantage from it.
He waved his hand, indicating that he was content with what he had received.
"We'll open three more furnaces in a bit. If there are any new top-grade pills, I'll prepare a few more then," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"Alright!"
The new emperor nodded.
He was genuinely curious about how many top-grade pills could be produced, since a total of thirty top-grade pills had been produced in the past few days, which was almost the output that the Office of the Inner Clerk could produce in ten years.
But after spending four hours busy in the Alchemy Chamber, he never saw the Supreme Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill again.
Zhang Xuezhou's skill level in the subsequent three batches of pills was normal, resulting in one batch of medium-grade pills, one batch of low-grade pills, and one batch of unusable pills.
Even the new emperor felt a pang of heartache at the extravagance of these medicinal herbs.
"Still refining pills?"
"I'm a little reluctant to continue, but it would be a waste not to use all these herbs for soaking!"
"No waste!"
Zhang Xuezhou pondered the imbalance of his luck after producing a top-grade pill, and he really didn't think much about continuing to refine them.
He needs to rest for a while, or perhaps make another trip to the Mount Li Palace, to calm himself down.
However, the new emperor's fortune may also be unbalanced, making him no longer suitable for refining elixirs.
In other words, even if he continues to work hard, the result may not be very good.
He felt a little regretful, but the new emperor didn't feel any regret at all.
"The effects of purple Ganoderma lucidum are greatly reduced after soaking in water, but Polygonatum sibiricum has a skin, and the flesh inside is as firm as a rock, so the effect of soaking in water is less significant. We can dry any leftovers," the new emperor suggested. "Although the effects will be weakened considerably, it's better than rushing to refine the elixir and wasting it. I heard that the Office of the Inner Clerk is handling Polygonatum sibiricum, which is difficult to mix with other medicines, in this way!"
"Then let's cut this batch up and dry it too," Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement.
"You've been refining pills without sleep for days on end. Even if your body can handle it, you shouldn't push yourself like this," the new emperor sighed. "We'll be spending a long time together in the future, so we still need to pay attention to rest!"
Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou's attempt to seize him and cut off the Huangjing (Polygonatum odoratum), the new emperor sighed repeatedly and tried to dissuade him.
Zhang Xuezhou could endure it, but he truly couldn't.
These past few days, he's been venturing into the secret realm, enduring the anxieties of gaining and losing elixirs, and even helping Zhang Xuezhou refine several batches of pills. If he were to do the work of cutting up Solomon's Seal, the new emperor felt he would need Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill to prolong his life.
"I'll go out and call some people to do the work," the new emperor said. "Don't carry everything on your shoulders. Simple, repetitive tasks can be delegated to others!"
"Too!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded and lowered his hand that had been holding the new emperor back to work.
Watching the new emperor flee as if his life depended on it, and then go out of the palace to greet the Imperial Guards, a stark contrast to his excited and eager demeanor when he arrived, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but shake his head.
Looking at the mountain of waste medicine residue piled up at the outlet of the Alchemy Chamber, and the many waste pills dumped Alchemy Chamber, he suddenly lost the desire to stay in the Alchemy Chamber any longer.
The new emperor left the Alchemy Chamber and stepped out of the main hall, and he immediately followed behind.
"... After cutting the medicinal herbs, they need to be dried in the sun, then steamed once, dried again, and steamed again. This process should be repeated three times to ensure that the medicinal properties are fully extracted, so that they can exert their best effect when used!"
"Yes, Commander Liu!"
Among the Imperial Guards summoned by the new emperor were several deputy commanders. After some arrangements were made, even the deputy commanders had to personally cut the medicinal herbs.
"Are we going back that way?"
"Alright!"
Zhang Xuezhou pointed, and the new emperor nodded.
He had been refining elixirs since morning until afternoon, when the sun was already setting in the west.
If one were to ride back to Chang'an at full speed, it would inevitably involve traveling at night, and once darkness fell, one would not even be able to return to the imperial palace.
However, getting to the Weiyang Palace using the Imperial Shuttle wouldn't be too difficult. As long as the route was pointed out and a safe landing was achieved, the new emperor felt that the palace was right in front of him.
The only drawback is that the new emperor lacks the ability to control the vehicle, while Zhang Xuezhou is currently the only expert in the court who can control two vehicles simultaneously. The fact that Zhang Xuezhou is unable to be in two places at once causes various inconveniences for the new emperor.
Thinking of Zhang Xuezhou's rare rest and continuous pill refining for several days, the new emperor's emotions vanished without a trace.
He was just a little disappointed that there were so few capable and trusted officials like Zhang Xuezhou.
But as soon as he thought about the thousands of Qi and Blood Fortune Pill he possessed, including top-grade and superior -Qi and Blood Fortune Pill, he felt a surge of confidence.
Even as an emperor, the new emperor had never privately possessed such a large quantity of pills; the pills he could use were always under strict control.
This was an extremely unexpected gain; if he hadn't been short of Demon Core, he could have had even more.
Many Imperial Guards who are close to the new emperor will benefit. Combined with the boost from the secret realm of Shanglin Garden, this could potentially create hundreds of soldiers who have reached the Divine Ability Realm. The group's strength could very well rival or even surpass that of the Imperial Palace Imperial Guard Corps.
This kind of competition is not the new emperor's goal. More importantly, these people come from the Southern Army and the Northern Army. When they return, they will become the backbone or even the high-ranking through military exercises and other means, so that he can truly control the court's elite army.