Year 130.
Chen Xia has gained some understanding of alchemy.
Now he is able to use lower grade spiritual medicine materials to refine lower grade elixirs.
There are no surprises.
But this represents that Chen Xia can already grasp the specifics of elixir refinement, what materials to use to refine what elixirs, and also knows how these elixirs are refined.
If the previous Chen Xia was an outsider to alchemy, then now he has truly stepped past the threshold.
Next, most alchemists would follow convention after entering the door, continuing to hone their skills to reach the level of entering the hall.
But Chen Xia is different. After entering the door, he started thinking about ascension.
His thinking is this: Since he can now refine lower grade elixirs, then taking it a step further, using middle grade spiritual medicine materials to refine middle grade elixirs, should also be reasonable, right?
This makes sense, right?
That's what he thinks, but in fact the results prove that he is thinking too optimistically.
The middle grade elixirs did not get refined, they were still top-level lower grade elixirs.
Zhang DaoMing observed a few times, appearing calm on the surface but shocked on the inside. But seeing Chen Xia looking unsatisfied, he became confused and asked:
"Still not satisfied?"
"Mm." Chen Xia nods and explains: "I thought I would be able to refine middle grade elixirs, but they are still lower grade elixirs. This is a bit unexpected."
"Screw your expectations!" Zhang DaoMing can't help but starts cursing. Pointing at the lower grade elixir in the cauldron, he says:
"You bastard, using lower grade spiritual medicine materials to refine lower grade elixirs yet you are not satisfied?!
You still want middle grade elixirs?!"
His brows furrow deeply, his tone becomes indignant, "I'll be damned, how can there be such a greedy cultivator in this world. If I were the Heavenly Dao, I would want to slap you twice on the mouth."
"Son of a bitch!"
Zhang DaoMing curses resentfully at the end, full of unwillingness.
He had put great effort into researching alchemy for a lifetime, but still only reached the level of a top grade spiritual medicine master, unable to even refine lower grade elixirs using elixir materials.
Yet this bastard Chen Xia goes and refines lower grade elixirs right in front of his face using lower grade spiritual medicine materials, and then says "It does not meet my expectations, I thought I could refine middle grade elixirs."
How can those words come out of someone's mouth?!
Zhang DaoMing's expression is still resentful, prepared to continue scolding.
Chen Xia suddenly says, "The refined lower grade elixirs are all yours, the middle grade elixirs will be yours too."
Zhang DaoMing is probably stunned again for a moment, then the resentful expression quickly disappears, turning instead into an approving smile as he nods and says:
"It's rare to see young people like you who can be so strict with yourself, keep working hard."
Chen Xia nods, "I will keep improving."
However, he still did not refine any middle grade elixirs. He feels like something is missing.
What is it?
Chen Xia feels it is still fortune.
Although he had added all the points accumulated over the past hundred plus years into fortune, it is still not enough, insufficient to allow the lower grade spiritual medicines to advance to middle grade elixirs.
This will require some more time of accumulation. Chen Xia is not in a hurry either, he tries refining again every ten years. There are already over ten lower grade elixirs accumulated in his residence.
Added together, it is considerable wealth.
His residence can now be considered an elixir treasure vault. The previous two hundred spiritual medicines have not been sold or used yet. With another ten lower grade elixirs added, there must be several hundred thousand spirit stones worth.
Although there are many elixirs, Chen Xia does not pay much attention or manage them.
Zhang DaoMing occasionally takes a lower grade spiritual medicine out to exchange for spirit stones, to buy some cultivation books and wine.
But Chen Xia really cannot understand these cultivation books.
Things like "Sword Spirit Training Process", "On How Flying Swords Should Be Anthropomorphized", "Uncle Zhang at the Door"...
He feels they are not good books.
Chen Xia casually flips through them for a bit, then feels they are not interesting at all, worse than alchemy.
As for the elixirs taken out by Zhang DaoMing to exchange for spirit stones, Chen Xia would make up for them afterwards, specifically refining two more for Zhang DaoMing to conveniently take out and sell next time.
Yet Zhang DaoMing is also quite odd, never selling the same elixir twice, he would take out a different elixir to sell each time.
In his words, "You refine so many anyway, do as you wish."
At his age, he probably also wants to pretend to be aloof.
Chen Xia expresses understanding and does not manage it much.
And Zhang DaoMing's reputation has gradually become known in the surroundings. Everyone knows this short old man has all kinds of elixirs on him, even some exceptionally rare top grade spiritual medicines that he can take out.
But they are not easy to buy. This little old man is very shrewd, the selling price is often about ten percent higher than the market price.
But there is no other way, because they are so hard to find on the market. Ten percent more is ten percent more.
That is the benefit of having what is valuable yet unavailable on the market.
Zhang DaoMing does not use these spirit stones either, storing them in a storage pouch, usually hidden quite well.
Chen Xia also does not know where it is, and has not asked. He is responsible for refining elixirs, replenishing whatever elixirs are lacking. Sometimes Zhang DaoMing would even ask him to customize elixirs.
Chen Xia refines them, but Zhang DaoMing does not take them out to sell, just placing them inside the residence. He even explains to Chen Xia:
"These are extremely precious top grade spiritual medicines. I have not seen them twice even in Blue Sky Sword Sea, nor seen anyone else refine them. Keeping them here as decorations is truly excellent."
There are twenty such elixirs used as decorations, all extremely rare top grade spiritual medicines.
The main reason is the medicine materials are hard to find. In addition, the techniques are quite difficult and requirements high.
Called top grade spiritual medicines, but their difficulty is actually close to lower grade elixirs.
They belong to the kind that people capable of refining them do not want to, while people who want to refine them cannot.
These kinds of elixirs are generally used by specific cultivators. For example, the scale nourishing medicine specially used by the dragon race is a top grade spiritual medicine specifically for nourishing reverse scales.
Normally there are few alchemists who would refine it, only alchemists raised by the dragon race would.
And some cultivators who cultivate dragon techniques but are not of the dragon race would be extremely in need of this kind of elixir.
Chen Xia is now specialized in refining these kinds of elixirs. For him to refine them is simply too easy. He does not need to go through effort to find the materials, anyway the elixirs will upgrade themselves, the difficulty for him is basically non-existent.
With his alchemy speed, there are probably few alchemist grandmasters in the myriad worlds of the universe, past and present, who could compare to him.
Maybe even alchemist grandmasters would be a level beneath him.
These two hundred and fifty elixirs on the wall:
One hundred and thirty lower grade spiritual medicines, sixty middle grade spiritual medicines, thirty top grade spiritual medicines, twenty extremely rare top grade spiritual medicines, and finally, ten lower grade elixirs as the finale.
Total value close to one million spirit stones.
Rounded up, that is equal to the lives of three at the Empty Vessel stage, which converts to the lives of three emperor-level geniuses at the Overturning Seas stage.
And all of this was refined by Chen Xia within one hundred and fifty years.
This is not the horror of an alchemist.
The only horror is Chen Xia.
The most horrifying alchemist in the myriad worlds throughout history is about to rise to prominence!