"Elixir medicines are amazing, aren't they?" Chen Xia said with a smile to Zhang DaoMing.
For a while, there was no reply.
Zhang DaoMing's aged face showed a look of dismay as he stared blankly at the Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet in Chen Xia's hand. After half a long while, he hoarsely opened his mouth, "I don't know why, now that you've successfully refined it, I kind of don't want to live anymore."
Zhang DaoMing felt like the alchemy he had cultivated over thousands of years had gone to the dogs, and was not worth a penny compared to Chen Xia's skills, though his skills were still worth a penny.
It was nothing for Chen Xia to refine the elixir, and lightly and casually refine it at that.
Zhang DaoMing was not a petty man. He would not be jealous of a genius.
But could you at least refine it a little more normally? What's with using a spatula to stir-fry it?
You should at least use some techniques.
He sighed, and stopped thinking about this frustrating matter. Think of the good things - at least the elixir was successfully refined. It was the Middle Grade Elixir Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet, one level higher than the Lower Grade Elixir Great Fog Ice Pellet.
This kind of Middle Grade Elixir was also a hot commodity in the outside world, probably worth around 50,000 to 60,000 Spirit Stones. The fluctuation of 10,000 or so was based on judging the quality.
Zhang DaoMing looked closely at the Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet again, first looking at its color, then smelling its fragrance, and finally observing its elixir patterns.
These were the three steps to observe an elixir, and the simplest way to see an elixir's quality.
Zhang DaoMing followed the steps to inspect it.
The color was perfect. This Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet had a pure blue pellet color with a hint of mist, almost indistinguishable from real ice carvings.
Next was the aroma. A clear scent with a trace of cold air entered his nostrils.
This was double perfect quality already. It could be sold for 60,000 Spirit Stones at a high price, and many powerful factions would scramble to buy it.
If the last step, the elixir pattern, could also reach perfect quality, then it would be a truly perfect grade elixir that could reach a price of 68,000 Spirit Stones!
Zhang DaoMing was increasingly nervous at this point, held his breath and calmed his mind, afraid of contaminating this elixir. His eyes carefully observed it.
Faintly visible ice and snow flakes were falling around the edges of the elixir, as if it was snowing all around.
Grand imagery!
Zhang DaoMing's face was blank. If earlier he only wanted to die a little, now he wanted to die quite a bit.
He was not a petty man. Even if Chen Xia used a spatula to refine the Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet, Zhang DaoMing could still accept it.
You can refine it well, but you can't refine it this well!
What would the alchemists of Blue Sky Sword Sea think?
"Who did you learn alchemy from?" Zhang DaoMing really couldn't stand it any longer. Even knowing that asking about someone's origins was taboo, he still asked.
"Self-taught." Chen Xia casually smiled.
"Impossible!" Zhang DaoMing flatly denied it, feeling that wasn't firm enough, and added, "Absolutely impossible!"
It wasn't that being self-taught was impossible. There were self-taught grandmasters of alchemy under heaven.
But Chen Xia was so young!
At most just over two thousand years old.
Yet he had refined Upper Grade Elixirs like Observing the Profound Elixir, Middle Grade Elixirs like Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet, and had used a spatula to stir-fry them!
When Zhang DaoMing was two thousand years old, he was still researching how to combine Lower Grade Spirit Medicines together.
If you said that no expert was secretly teaching Chen Xia, Zhang DaoMing wouldn't believe it.
He looked at Chen Xia expectantly, hoping to hear the answer he wanted from Chen Xia's mouth, best of all that a Grandmaster of Alchemy was secretly guiding him.
That would make Zhang DaoMing feel a little better.
But he didn't get what he was waiting for.
Chen Xia just shook his head and casually said, "Actually there's nothing much to it, purely relying on the grace of heaven to eat. And I can only refine elixirs like this once every five or six years."
Actually there's nothing much to it.
These simple six words deeply hurt Zhang DaoMing's heart. He shakily stood up, seemingly aged by hundreds of years, and hoarsely said to Chen Xia:
"I will auction off this Supreme Profound Ice Spirit Pellet. It can probably sell for 68,000 Spirit Stones. After deducting the material costs and what you owe me, you can take 5,000 Spirit Stones yourself."
Chen Xia nodded, feeling this was reasonable. The material costs of elixirs took up most of it anyway, and the alchemist took a small processing fee.
Mainly because elixirs were not something without any market value. There were still quite a few alchemy masters in the galaxies, including two in Blue Sky Sword Sea, though they were rarely seen.
If it was a Great Elixir, the processing fee would be split 50-50 with material costs.
Because Great Elixirs were hard to obtain and even harder to refine.
Imperial Elixirs were even more so. If Imperial Elixirs could be bought now, Blue Sky Sword Sea would sell everything they had to buy a single one.
"You can leave now and just leave the elixir behind. After I sell it, I'll deliver the Spirit Stones to you," Zhang DaoMing waved his hand.
"Okay," Chen Xia didn't say much. He could see that Zhang DaoMing was not in a good mood.
"Oh right, take this alchemy furnace away too," Zhang DaoMing added.
"You're not refining anymore?" Chen Xia was puzzled.
"Refining my ass," Zhang DaoMing shook his head. "If you don't take it away, I'll refine myself next!"
"Alright," Chen Xia didn't say much about taking away the freely obtained alchemy furnace. He picked it up and left.
"Also these," Zhang DaoMing said, throwing Chen Xia all the alchemy books and tools.
"You're also throwing away Wang Yangzi's books? Weren't you a big fan of his?" Chen Xia curiously asked.
"Wang can piss off. I'm not refining anymore," Zhang DaoMing waved his hand dismissively. He pulled out a book from under the bed and started reading from the beginning.
Chen Xia glanced at the title - How to Cultivate the Sword.
Sure enough, he was switching from civil to martial pursuits.
Chen Xia didn't say much more. After all, Zhang DaoMing was already so old, with only a few good years left. As long as he was happy.
Chen Xia had arrived empty-handed and was leaving fully loaded, carrying the alchemy furnace and many books and tools inside. From a distance, it looked like he was a junk collector.
Along the way, many outer disciples looked at him curiously, as if wondering if he had ransacked some alchemist's cave dwelling.
"Who's that guy? Why haven't we seen him before?" an outer disciple asked.
"Don't know, probably a new outer disciple. Looks like he's carrying an alchemy furnace, could he be an alchemist?" another guessed.
"If he's an alchemist, then he really is uncommon. Are there even many alchemists among this batch of outer disciples?"
The outer disciples continued discussing.
Chen Xia ignored them and continued forward carrying the alchemy furnace.
"Chen Xia!" A girl's voice called out, followed by brisk footsteps. Liu Qing, dressed in a pure white dress, hurried over with a smiling expression and curiously asked,
"Why are you carrying this alchemy furnace?"
Chen Xia set down the furnace, "A friend gave it to me. I can sell it to you cheap if you want."
"Haha, then you really would be a junk dealer," Liu Qing laughed.
Luckily Zhang DaoMing didn't hear this, otherwise it would have been a huge blow.
Liu Qing looked Chen Xia up and down again, grinning, "Looks like you're getting by alright. Where is your cave dwelling?"
"It's a bit far, a bit remote," Chen Xia replied.
"Oh," Liu Qing pouted her lips and knitted her slender brows, softly saying,
"Did you know, among the outer disciples there is a cave that no one has lived in. The elders don't allow disciples to live there either, though I don't know why. Maybe it's inauspicious."
"The outer disciples all try to avoid that place when choosing caves, so you have to be careful too."
"Is that so?" Chen Xia frowned. How come he hadn't heard this news before? Could it have happened during his 500 years in prison?
"That's right, that cave is also a bit remote, and outside there is a creepy pavilion. You must be careful if you come across it, who knows what strangeness there could be," Liu Qing pursed her lips and spoke assuredly.
But Chen Xia was silent.
He probably understood, though he didn't explain it to Liu Qing. Instead he shook his head and said,
"I never believe in monsters and spirits. All those inauspicious sayings are fake too."
"Then what do you rely on?" Liu Qing was a bit baffled.
Chen Xia clenched his fist and swung it around two times.
"Scientific cultivation."
"For example, when people are killed, they die."