Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 120: 120

Elder Wang became anxious when he heard Pavilion Master Liu wanted Ye Qingchen to stay in the Alchemy Pavilion and blurted out, ”Pavilion Master Liu, he’s so young. Is it really appropriate for him to stay in the Alchemy Pavilion?”

It wasn’t that Elder Wang still wanted to target Ye Qingchen; he was simply indebted to Li Zongrui, having accepted a favor from him. Not only had Ye Qingchen successfully passed the Alchemist certification on his watch, but if he now allowed the boy to stay in the Alchemy Pavilion, it would be even harder to explain things to Li Zongrui.

Pavilion Master Liu shot Elder Wang a sidelong glance, scaring him into swallowing the rest of his words.

With a sigh, Pavilion Master Liu said, ”Elder Wang, did you really think I was unaware of what you just did? The only reason I haven’t held you accountable is to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf!”

Hearing Pavilion Master Liu’s icy words, Elder Wang lowered his head in shame, not daring to meet the Pavilion Master’s eyes.

Pavilion Master Liu then turned to Ye Qingchen. ”Ye Qingchen, just a week ago you were an apprentice alchemist. To pass the certification for a second-grade Alchemist in such a short time shows a talent I have rarely seen in my life. I believe that as long as you diligently practice alchemy, your future achievements on the Alchemy Dao will be limitless!”

Ye Qingchen smiled and replied, ”Thank you for the high praise, Pavilion Master Liu. However, alchemy is not my main pursuit, so I won’t be staying in the Alchemy Pavilion permanently. To be honest, I didn’t just come here for the certification. I also have a favor to ask of the Alchemy Pavilion.”

Pavilion Master Liu looked at Ye Qingchen in surprise. He hadn’t expected the young man to refuse his invitation. Most youths his age would be walking on air after hearing such praise from me, wouldn’t they?

Nevertheless, Pavilion Master Liu suppressed his surprise and asked curiously, ”What favor do you need from the Alchemy Pavilion? I still have some say around here.”

Since Pavilion Master Liu was so direct, Ye Qingchen didn’t stand on ceremony either. He handed over the list of medicinal herbs he had already prepared. Ye Qingchen knew that concocting the Heart-Protecting Pill and the vein-protecting pill was extremely difficult, so his list contained enough ingredients for ten full attempts. The sheer length of the list made Pavilion Master Liu furrow his brow.

Ye Qingchen looked at Pavilion Master Liu expectantly. If the Pavilion Master could help, he would be able to resolve the issue with the elixirs much sooner.

Pavilion Master Liu, still frowning, spoke after a moment. ”I have all these herbs here and can provide the full amount you’ve listed. However, you must understand that these are precious materials. Based on a fair exchange, I’m afraid a newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple like you couldn’t possibly afford them. So, how about this? Agree to stay and help out in the Alchemy Pavilion for two months, and I can give you these herbs in advance!”

Ye Qingchen said cautiously, ”I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I’m afraid I can’t start at the Alchemy Pavilion right away. Pavilion Master Liu, could you give me a month? I will come to help after that.”

Pavilion Master Liu nodded almost instantly. ”One month is nothing. Of course, that’s not a problem!”

”That’s wonderful!” Ye Qingchen clenched his fists, his face beaming with excitement. Although he knew that staying for two months would likely mean serving as a hard laborer for the Alchemy Pavilion, it was worth it.

Just as Pavilion Master Liu had said, these herbs were extremely valuable. If he tried to collect them himself, not only would it cost him a fortune, but who knew how long it would take.

Seeing Ye Qingchen agree, Pavilion Master Liu nodded in satisfaction. He then personally handled the paperwork for Ye Qingchen’s second-grade Alchemist certification and gave him a brand-new second-grade Alchemist token. Afterward, Pavilion Master Liu ordered Elder Wang to bring the herbs Ye Qingchen had requested and handed them all over to him.

Seeing Ye Qingchen successfully complete the test, Du Pengcheng smiled with satisfaction. He offered Ye Qingchen a few parting words, received the elixirs he had come for, and then left the Alchemy Pavilion.

”Thank you, Pavilion Master Liu!” After thanking the Pavilion Master, Ye Qingchen happily headed back.

An approving smile appeared on Pavilion Master Liu’s face as he watched Ye Qingchen’s retreating figure. This boy... he has a limitless future. Then, as if recalling something, his smile vanished. He frowned and turned to Elder Wang. ”Elder Wang, what exactly was that about? Why were you making things difficult for a young boy like Ye Qingchen?”

Elder Wang had intended to hide the truth, but upon seeing Pavilion Master Liu’s cold, sharp gaze, he shivered and hurriedly confessed, ”It was an instruction from the Young Sect Master...”

Hearing this, Pavilion Master Liu’s brow furrowed. ”Hmph! Him again. If that Li Zongrui continues to act so capriciously, I fear it will endanger the future of the entire Qingyun Sect...”

Ye Qingchen left the Alchemy Pavilion and went straight back to his small courtyard. After greeting Xiao Xiao, he entered his private chamber and began to concoct the Heart-Protecting Pill and the vein-protecting pill.

Although these two were classified as second-grade Spirit Pills, their crafting difficulty was comparable to that of third-grade Spirit Pills. This presented Ye Qingchen with a new challenge.

After composing himself, Ye Qingchen began his first attempt. He gave it his absolute focus from the start and was meticulously careful with every step, but he inevitably failed at the final Solidifying Pill stage.

But Ye Qingchen wasn’t discouraged. He reviewed the problems that arose during the process and learned from the experience. After adjusting his condition back to its peak, he began his second attempt.

BANG!

With a loud explosion, the second attempt also ended with the furnace exploding. Yet, Ye Qingchen wasn’t disheartened. On the contrary, he felt even more confident, sensing that he was on the very edge of success!

After reviewing his mistakes and readjusting his state to its peak, Ye Qingchen began his third attempt!

「A day later」

Ye Qingchen finally stepped out of the room. He basked in the warm sunshine, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

Looking at the Spirit Pills in his storage ring, Ye Qingchen raised an eyebrow. The difficulty of concocting the Heart-Protecting Pill and the vein-protecting pill had far exceeded his expectations. Even though Pavilion Master Liu had intentionally given him several extra sets of herbs, he had ultimately succeeded in creating only two of each pill.

He had only achieved this much thanks to the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra, the legacy of Pill King Fen Tian, and his own relentless effort. If he had tried to concoct these two Spirit Pills from the very start, he likely would have exhausted all dozen-plus sets of herbs without producing a single one.

This wasn’t a reflection of poor alchemy skills. After all, Ye Qingchen had only been practicing alchemy for two months. For him to be able to concoct the Heart-Protecting Pill and the vein-protecting pill—pills with a difficulty comparable to the third grade—in such a short time was already an unbelievable feat in the eyes of others.

Ye Qingchen sighed. Now that the Spirit Pills were taken care of, his next step was to find a mid-grade, Ice-Attribute Spiritual Artifact.

Having no leads, Ye Qingchen decided to try his luck at the Sect Main Hall. If such a Spiritual Artifact was available there, he just needed to find a way to accumulate enough points to exchange for it.