MTLNOVEL Chapter 567: Chapter 568: A Tense Situation
Chapter 568: A Tense Situation
Creating a ninth-grade treasure pill recipe is something most alchemists throughout history wouldn't even dare to dream about. Even inventing their own recipes is a difficult task for many. There's an unwritten rule among alchemists that each should exchange their own concoctions during interactions, to avoid awkwardness. However, most end up creating non-graded medicinal powders rather than actual pills. For example, Xiao Yan's first self-made recipe—a medicinal powder form of "Spring Medicine"—wasn't even a proper pill.
If every alchemist could invent their own recipes, considering their numbers through history, there would be millions of recipes. But in reality, including those lost through time, there are probably no more than one hundred thousand recipes in existence. This illustrates the immense difficulty alchemists face in creating their own recipes.
Most inherit wisdom from predecessors, methodically brewing potions from existing recipes. Only a few improve upon these or make derivative creations. Very few can invent new ones; for instance, the medicinal old master spent years developing a second-grade foundational spirit liquid.
Creating a brand new medicinal pill requires not only a vast accumulation of alchemical knowledge and a wealth of medicinal resources but also an unwavering dedication to repeatedly perfect the recipe. This doesn't even account for the potential disasters during the process, such as cauldron explosions and backlash.
The scarcity of high-grade pills underscores the high cost of their trial and error. Often, the creation of a high-grade pill recipe requires generations of alchemists to perfect and finalize.
Above the eighth-grade pills lies an enormous threshold. Even during the golden age of ancient alchemists, when soul realms reached the spirit level, such alchemists were still rare. The rarity of alchemists combined with the formidable conditions for creation means the number of high-grade pill recipes drops sharply from the eighth grade onwards.
Xiao Ze is currently attempting to use the "Ancient Wisdom" talent to create a ninth-grade treasure pill. "Ancient Wisdom" provides negligible enhancement to Xiao Ze's own martial power; in fact, it's almost non-existent. However, its boost to Xiao Ze's perception, aptitude, and other aspects is unmatched. It seems this talent is specifically designed to enhance these areas.
Xiao Ze revisited the Mixed Yuan Nine Pills recipe, his eyes gleaming as numerous insights flickered through his mind. His vast accumulation of alchemical knowledge laid a solid foundation for creating the ninth-grade treasure pill. With the flashes of "Ancient Wisdom," he continuously added layers to this foundation.
As time accumulated, the grand structure named the ninth-grade treasure pill seemed not impossible to construct. After half a day, Xiao Ze took a deep breath, and the constant sparkle in his eyes slowly subsided.
"What a powerful talent; if the Bodhi Tree's spirit had been fully developed, it could have become one of the most versatile beings ever with this talent. According to my previous pace, it would conservatively take decades to create a ninth-grade treasure pill. The reference to the Holy Heart Glass Pill from the hundredfold feedback accelerated this slightly, bringing it down to about a decade. But now, with the boost from 'Ancient Wisdom'... one year! I can definitely create it within a year."
Xiao Ze felt a surge of excitement, marveling at the terrifying enhancement provided by "Ancient Wisdom." Having experienced its power firsthand, Xiao Ze was glad he made the journey to the Wild Ancient Territory; otherwise, he would have missed this incredibly rare dark gold talent.
As the warship approached the boundary of the Central Plains, Xun'er came to the front of the ship, her face showing reluctance as she bid farewell to Xiao Ze.
"Brother Xiao Ze, I've heard from my clan that the situation on the continent is becoming increasingly complex, and even the Alchemy Alliance must be very careful."
"Xun'er, I'm sorry for the promises I made..." Xiao Ze started to apologize but was interrupted by Xun'er placing her delicate finger on his lips.
"Brother Xiao Ze, I don't care about those things. As long as you keep me in your heart, we can choose a lucky day when the situation eases... I'll wait for you."
Blushing, Xun'er was embraced by Xiao Ze, and they held each other tightly before parting.
As Xiao Ze watched Xun'er lead her people back to the Eastern Region until she was out of sight, he waved his hand, and the warship sped towards the Alchemy Tower.
Upon entering the Central Plains, Xiao Ze's brow furrowed. He sensed an increase in activity from the Soul Hall and even detected members hunting alchemists from the Alchemy Tower. Without hesitation, he suppressed them. However, such blatant actions only added to his concerns.
Upon returning to the Alchemy Tower, Xuan Kong Zi briefed him on the recent dramatic shifts in the situation during their absence in the Wild Ancient Territory.
"During your trip to the Wild Ancient Territory, the situation on the continent changed rapidly. A critical turning point was another attack on the Northwest Continent by the Soul Hall, which was repelled by the Alchemy Alliance."
"Although many from the Soul Hall were slain, some escaped. The Soul Hall's actions in the Northwest Continent were thwarted by the Alchemy Alliance."
"Therefore, the Soul Hall has started targeting the Alchemy Alliance more aggressively, forming an alliance with several top forces in the Central Plains called the Soul Alliance, setting the stage for direct confrontations, which are becoming increasingly frequent even in the Central Plains."
Listening to Xuan Kong Zi's summary, Xiao Ze rubbed his forehead with a hint of annoyance, then apologized to Xuan Kong Zi and the other alliance leaders.
"I'm sorry; if it weren't for the Xiao family's situation, I might have been able to delay the Alchemy Alliance's development a bit longer."
"Ha, don't speak like that. Sooner or later, we had to face the Soul Hall. We didn't confront the Soul Hall earlier simply out of fear of their strength," laughed Huo Yun Ancestor, waving his hand dismissively.
After all, he wasn't short-sighted. With the Soul Hall's modus operandi of escalating from killing one to ten, any concession would only lead to greater concessions, leaving them powerless to resist when they finally decided to fight back.
"Now that we are united, we are hardly inferior to the Soul Hall!" Nods of agreement came from the leaders of the various forces present, all understanding this simple truth. The Xiao family's situation was just a catalyst, not the root cause.
Even without the Xiao family's issues, faced with the Soul Hall's increasingly rampant soul hunting, the Alchemy Alliance was bound to fight back!
(End of Chapter)
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