Dominator Emperor

Chapter 57: Pharmacist? That’s Just a Hobby (Part 1)

In the end, Elder Sun took Li Qiye’s advice. He stopped feeding it Fire Dragon Grass and instead purchased a Yi River Fire Tree at a high price.

Sure enough, a month later, Elder Sun rushed to Solitary Peak. At that moment, he had completely forgotten his status as an elder. He was as excited as a young man, exclaiming, ”It worked! It really worked! The Blood Qi is flowing smoothly, and the Furnace God’s medicinal properties are even stronger.”

Li Qiye merely smiled at this result. ’When it comes to medicinal properties, Furnace Gods, and the Medicine Dao... if I claimed to be number two, then since time immemorial, no one would dare claim to be number one!’

Li Qiye’s calm demeanor moved Elder Sun. Any other disciple would have been ecstatic to receive such praise from an elder. However, to Li Qiye, such compliments were nothing special.

”Had you practiced the Medicine Dao before joining the Xiyan Ancient Sect?” Elder Sun was truly moved and felt a deep appreciation for such talent. ’At this moment, he thought of the Great Elder. The once-disheartened Great Elder had suddenly become ambitious in recent years, strongly backing Li Qiye. It seems Li Qiye is truly worth nurturing. We underestimated him before. Perhaps for a disciple like him, a Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Fate mean nothing at all!’

Li Qiye just smiled and said, ”I’ve only skimmed a few books on the subject. It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

”Nothing worth mentioning?” Elder Sun was rendered speechless. Li Qiye’s understanding of medicinal properties and his insights into Furnace Gods were completely unique! ’Even I am no match for him!’

Elder Sun couldn’t help but say, ”If your path of cultivation proves difficult, you should consider practicing the Medicine Dao. With your insight into medicinal properties, I have very high hopes for you. You might even become the next Medicine God!”

Elder Sun had extremely high hopes for Li Qiye. In his eyes, even if Li Qiye was useless at regular cultivation, he would be an absolute genius if he chose to walk the path of the Medicine Dao.

’Medicine God?’ Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile as the familiar name was mentioned once again.

Fearing Li Qiye didn’t know who the ”Medicine God” was, Elder Sun hurriedly added, ”The Medicine God can be considered the Primordial Ancestor of all Pharmacists. You could say that he established most of the rules for alchemy. I’ve even heard that he was the one who created the title of Furnace God. During the Desolate Era, he was the one who created a complete and systematic approach to alchemy. His contributions to the Medicine Dao are unparalleled. In fact, he is arguably one of the greatest masters of the Medicine Dao in all of history!”

As Elder Sun spoke of the Medicine God, a smile bloomed on Li Qiye’s face. ’Ah, the Medicine God. I couldn’t be more familiar with him. Those were good memories. That old fellow was truly a genius of the Medicine Dao. No matter how much time had passed, Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, still had to admit that.’

Li Qiye smiled. Elder Sun’s words brought back memories of the Desolate Era, a time worth reminiscing about. In that age, he had led that old fellow deep into the Nine Realms, traversing the great Burial Grounds and Immortal Lands. During that time, they made countless attempts to refine Alchemy Pills and Essence Medicines. They pioneered innumerable Alchemy Techniques. They created Pill Formulas for many wondrous medicines. They even cultivated Soul Grasses others wouldn’t dare to imagine...

It was an era brimming with passion. Those years were about creation, experimentation, and exploring the unknown. In the ages that followed, as the Yin Ya, he had plotted against the heavens and earth countless times, assassinated innumerable titans, and bathed the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands in blood on endless occasions. But few eras were as dear to his memory as that one.

During that time, the focus was on the pursuit of knowledge; days of slaughter and bloodshed were few and far between.

Since time immemorial, both Pharmacists and Cultivators have regarded the Medicine God as the pinnacle of the Medicine Dao. This was not only because his achievements in the Medicine Dao were nearly impossible to surpass, but more importantly, because he established the complete system of the Medicine Dao, laying an immortal foundation for it!

In truth, for all of history, no one knew that the Medicine God had not laid the foundation of the Medicine Dao alone, nor had he established its system by himself. Behind the scenes was a Yin Ya, unknown to the world. For the innovations in the Medicine Dao and the establishment of its system, this unknown Yin Ya deserved enormous credit.

One could even say that without this Yin Ya, there would have been no Medicine God. Of course, this was a secret unknown to later generations.

Thinking of those times, Li Qiye sighed internally. ’If I have any regrets, the greatest would be losing the memory of the world’s most precious medicinal codex. Ever since that memory was erased, I’ve never recovered it. The reason is simple: I never saw that codex again, not even a single fragment.’

Thinking of this, Li Qiye secretly shook his head. ’That old fellow was a real madman. After he became the Medicine God, I, as the Yin Ya, reminded him to find a good apprentice and pass on his legacy. Who would have thought the old coot would go nuts? He passed down plenty of precious Pill Formulas and codexes, but he deliberately left out the one codex coveted throughout the ages!’

’I know that old lunatic did it on purpose! He intentionally refused to pass down this codex!’

While Li Qiye was lost in his memories, his dazed expression led Elder Sun to a misunderstanding. He thought the boy was captivated by the legend of the Medicine God and had been moved by his proposal.

”So, how about it? Switch to the Medicine Dao. If you’re willing, I will teach you everything I know! In the future, you will undoubtedly become the greatest Pharmacist in the history of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. After that, becoming an elder or even the Sect Leader will be a piece of cake.” Elder Sun couldn’t resist tempting Li Qiye, for he saw the boy’s potential.

Any other disciple would have been overjoyed at the prospect of an elder taking them in, eager to kowtow and formalize the master-disciple relationship on the spot. But Li Qiye’s reaction was lukewarm at best.

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”Thank you for your generous offer, Elder, but the Medicine Dao is merely a hobby for me. Something to pass the time.”

Li Qiye’s words left Elder Sun speechless, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Anyone else would have thought Li Qiye was being unbelievably arrogant, but that wasn’t what was on Elder Sun’s mind. What drove him mad was the thought of Li Qiye wasting such incredible talent!

Elder Sun was truly exasperated. He wanted to fly into a rage, but he managed to suppress it. In the end, he put on an amiable expression and said, ”Think about it carefully. If you ever change your mind, you can come find me anytime.”

In response to Elder Sun’s kindness, Li Qiye simply smiled. Seeing his attitude, the elder could only sigh and take his leave.

But Elder Sun hadn’t given up. A few days later, Guardian Mo appeared on Solitary Peak. Upon seeing Li Qiye, he hemmed and hawed, stammering for a long while without managing to say anything of substance.

”Elder Sun sent you to persuade me to take up the Medicine Dao, didn’t he?” Li Qiye said with a knowing smile, cutting through Guardian Mo’s hesitation.

Guardian Mo looked a bit awkward. He gave a dry laugh and said, ”My master did have that intention, but whether you choose to practice it or not is ultimately up to you. No one would dare force you.”

In truth, Guardian Mo was well aware that Li Qiye was a very resolute person. He simply couldn’t turn down his master’s request.

”The Medicine Dao is just a pastime. I’ll think about it when I have the time,” Li Qiye said with a smile.

Guardian Mo was already prepared for this outcome, so he didn’t waste another word trying to persuade Li Qiye and left to report back to his master.

「Three months passed in the blink of an eye.」

The cultivation of the three hundred disciples of Washing Stone Valley no longer required Li Qiye’s constant attention. Meanwhile, his own Dao Practice had reached the Great Perfection level of the Body Tempering Stage within the Yun Body Realm. After reaching this peak, Li Qiye broke through to the third stage of the Yun Body Realm: Baptism!

The Baptism stage was a crucial one for all Cultivators, but it was especially vital for geniuses with an Innate Body or an Emperor Body.

This was because it presented the first opportunity for a Cultivator to forge their physique. Success at the Baptism stage didn’t just depend on cultivation; to properly forge one’s physique, Body Ointment was essential.

Of course, for Cultivators, the principle was simple: the higher the level of the Body Ointment, the better the result of the forging process. However, the cultivation process itself came with various limitations.

For example, for someone with an Innate Body, it was best to choose an Innate Body Ointment for their first forging. First, this made it easier to absorb the ointment’s essence. Second, for the initial forging, an ointment of a corresponding level was more compatible with one’s physique.

In reality, at the Xiyan Ancient Sect, when disciples reached this realm, the vast majority had no choice for their first forging. They could only use an Acquired Body Ointment.

The reason was simple: the Xiyan Ancient Sect had declined and was severely limited financially. The only disciples who could afford to use an Innate Body Ointment were likely the Direct Disciples of the elders.

Li Qiye calculated the timing and figured it was about time for him to forge his physique using a Body Ointment, so he went to see the Great Elder.

In fact, Li Qiye could have forged his physique with a Body Ointment much earlier. He had only delayed it in order to stabilize the Yin Yang Blood Qi within his Life Wheel.

When he met with the Great Elder and explained his purpose, the elder was both surprised and shocked. Staring at Li Qiye, he asked, ”You’ve already reached the Baptism stage of the Yun Body Realm?”

A quick mental calculation told him it had been less than a year since Li Qiye joined the Xiyan Ancient Sect and began to practice cultivation. Yet, he had already reached the Baptism stage of the Yun Body Realm.

Such an accomplishment would make him a genius in any sect. And this was Li Qiye, who possessed a Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Fate. It should have been impossible.

So, when the Great Elder collected himself, he stared at Li Qiye and asked, ”You’re practicing the Moon Vortex Sun Wheel Technique?”