Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

　　Alex got busy with life. For the next 2 months, he focused his time on gardening and poison making.

　　Ruoran had given him a small area of the garden to do in it as he pleased. So, Alex had been growing some special plants that would one day give True rank ingredients for Alchemy.

　　Aside from that, he was continuously making pills for the Royal family, but there was less and less need for it.

　　Shen Jing had visited less and less as it was time for him to leave, and Alex’s cultivation was getting slower once again because of it. 

　　Thanks to his yang-filled body, his Alchemy was regressing as well. By now, he was only making 2 or 3 Immortal rank pills a day because of how hard it was for him to maintain his body.

　　Most of the time, even with his Heat and Heat conduction Dao, it was getting hard to exactly set the temperature of the flame straight. 

　　His yang energy would always fluctuate, and so he couldn’t even adapt to it to increase the temperature just as.

　　He was afraid that soon he wouldn’t be able to make Immortal rank pills despite his recipes.

　　Treasures with Yin and Yang were just hard to get by, so Alex didn’t have many options even in the capital. Not even Shen Jing had Yin treasures. Although, Shen Jing never really had anything.

　　He never took any flying boats, or weapons, or armors, or anything of his own and always relied on his body and cultivation.

　　Alex felt a little weird that a strong person like Shen Jing had nothing with him, but he figured it was just the way Shen Jing liked to live.

　　The princess did mention something about a snowy area in the eastern mountains way in the east towards the ocean where he could find some Yin treasures.

　　She had said that really great Yin treasures came from there. Alex wanted to go there, but the princess also let him know how treacherous the place was.

　　Apparently, it was so cold there that even breathing became hard due to the air condensing on the floor. 

　　Only those with a really strong cultivation base like the people in the Saint realm went there. But even then, they had to be extra prepared.

　　Alex decided to check that place out right after he left the capital. 

　　He didn’t want Yin treasures. He wanted to fix his condition. Yin treasures were just a temporary remedy, but not the actual solution to his situation.

　　He wished there was a tree like the one that evolved his body but of the Yin variety. That would certainly help him a lot.

　　Alex continued his day normally until one day there was a knock on the door.

　　Alex opened the door and found Shurin standing outside.

　　”Hey, Shurin. I haven’t seen you in a while,” Alex said. After Alex returned back and secluded himself in the palace for the majority of the days, Shurin was sent back to do whatever she wanted.

　　She would only be called from time to time when Alex needed to buy some ingredients.

　　”The princess is asking you to visit her in the garden. There are some guests she wants to introduce you to,” Shurin said.

　　”Oh, what guests?” Alex asked.

　　Shurin shook her head. “I don’t recognize them, sorry,” she said.

　　Alex nodded and walked along with her. When he reached the garden, Alex saw quite a few tables lined up that usually weren’t in the garden. 

　　There were quite a few princes and princesses sitting there, talking with a lot of different people he hadn’t seen before.

　　Although, that was not necessarily true. After a few seconds, he did see a girl that he recognized.

　　’Xue Meirong,’ he thought to himself when he saw her. This was a girl he had only seen once in the Demon realm as he had with all the others when she stood around the House of the Undying.

　　She was wearing the same robe back then as right now, a robe with green and pink, giving off an impression of a blossomed lotus.

　　That would make sense as she was part of the Falling Lotus sect. Next to her was a relatively old man with a similar robe, but his cultivation base left Alex stunned as he was in the Saint realm. Quite high at that too.

　　He had a suspicion as to who that was, but he didn’t dare guess it right now.

　　”You’re here,” The princess said and beckoned him.

　　”You did call for me,” Alex said as he sat down next to her on the empty seat. “What’s going on? Some sort of event?” 

　　”Yes,” the princess said. “I want you to meet these people.”

　　The princess introduced him to every single person there, and Alex greeted them all respectfully. Just as he had expected, the man by Xue Meirong was Xue Mufan, the Saint rank alchemist most well known in the empire aside from the Zhou family’s Zhou Zirong.

　　”And this is one of the empire’s current best young generation members, Xue Meirong,” Princess Xumei said.

　　”Greetings, sister Meirong,” Alex said.

　　”And finally, this is Yu Ming, our temporary Royal Alchemist,” the princess introduced himself to the others. “The person who you will be replacing.’

　　Alex’s ears perked up. “Replacing?” he asked softly to the princess. 

　　”Of course,” the princes said. “You didn’t think we wouldn’t prepare until you left, did you?” 

　　Alex gave a rueful smile and shook his head. 

　　”Anyway, these are your replacements, and I would like to ask you to help us choose from them,” the princess said.

　　”Including senior Xue?” Alex asked with a bit of surprise.

　　”Haha, no. Senior Xue came here with his daughter. He isn’t looking to replace you,” the princess said.

　　”Young man, what rank of Alchemist are you?” Xue Mufan suddenly asked.

　　”I am a True Heaven alchemist, senior,” Alex said and brought out his True Heaven badge.

　　”And you look so young,” the man said with a bit of surprise in his eyes. “Are you even 30?” 

　　”No,” Alex shook his head.

　　”Wow, then you will be able to take part in 3 different Alchemy competitions before you aren’t allowed to. I see a great life ahead of you, young man,” Xue Mufan said. 

　　”Thank you, senior,” Alex said.

　　”Senior Xue, my father is looking for you. Shurin, show senior to the Palace hall,” Xumei ordered Shurin who was nearby.

　　Xue Mufan gave a smile and left, not before looking towards his daughter and giving her an encouraging look.

　　Alex looked back at the group and was now confused as to what to do. He had always been the one being tested and had never given others some test.

　　He thought for a few seconds and brought out a talisman. The talisman recorded one of his improved pills, but the pill was one of the more common pills that already had a good enough recipe.

　　He handed it to the princess and told her to get it replicated a bunch for the test.

　　Without hesitation, the princess ordered someone to do it immediately. At the same time, Alex had her bring 5 sets of ingredients for the same recipe per examinee.

　　Then, he started speaking to the group.

　　”The test is simple. I have a recipe in my hand for the Disciple Ascendance pill. I’m sure you guys are all familiar with the pill and its recipe, but this one is an improved version that should be able to help you all a lot.”

　　”In a few minutes, you will all be given 5 sets of ingredients. Whoever can make the best pill in an hour wins,” Alex said.

　　”So simple?” the princess asked. 

　　”This should be enough,” Alex said.

　　Soon the ingredients were here and everyone was handed the recipe as well. Some of the people said they didn’t need the recipe as they already knew the recipe by heart after making it hundreds of times.

　　Alex didn’t bother explaining and let them do what they wanted to do.

　　”You have 20 minutes to read the recipe and learn it as well as prepare. After that, you will have one hour to make the pills,” Alex said.

　　”There are Alchemy rooms over there, and you will make your pills there. If you want, you can go ahead right now and save yourself 20 minutes.”