251: Chapter 216_2 251: Chapter 216_2 But she did not know how powerful Jiang Tang’s spiritual power was.
If it were her, could she also do as well?
Hua Xian’er harbored this question, and furthermore, she wished to have Jiang Tang personally guide her.
“Jiang Tang, may I practice alchemy in front of you?
If there’s anything I do wrong, could you please teach me?”
Upon hearing Hua Xian’er’s words, Hua Sheng felt that while a master can lead one to the door, the practice depended on the individual; yet, she too wished to receive personal instruction from Jiang Tang, and so she also made a request:
“My cousin is right, Jiang Tang, could you please impart some guidance while we practice alchemy?”
The Family Head of the Medicine Sect and the Elders believed that with such bright descendants possessing such strong eagerness to learn, they certainly were not afraid of not being able to learn, even if they could see all the steps clearly.
Without Jiang Tang’s explanations, they feared that their descendants might not learn well; if Jiang Tang himself could teach them verbally, that would surely be better than mere demonstration.
These elder veterans, upon meeting Jiang Tang, found their previous self-confidence had disappeared.
“Hua Xian’er, Hua Sheng, I also happened to learn from a book I read by chance.
If I were to teach you personally, it might not be conveyed well, but I can certainly teach you according to the text of the book.
Whether you can master it well, that will depend on your abilities.”
Jiang Tang said so, and both Hua Xian’er and Hua Sheng nodded, then they took out their Alchemy Furnaces from their respective persons.
In this place without a source of fire, they could only substitute with Spirit Fire Talismans.
Not daring to ask Jiang Tang to lend them the Xuanming Spiritual Fire, as such a powerful flame had already contracted a master and might not heed them, they could not command the flame and were even less likely to concoct good pills.
Jiang Tang watched as Hua Sheng and Hua Xian’er took out their Alchemy Furnaces and began to prepare their herbs, intending to concoct pills, albeit only ordinary ones.
This did not affect his willingness to impart his experience, verbally instructing them based on his own learned knowledge, which he had comprehended earnestly – experience that was even more useful than what was written in the books.
Hua Sheng, while listening to Jiang Tang’s teachings, recalled the alchemy techniques she had just observed – from the method of adding Spirit Grass into the Pill Furnace to the techniques employed, feeling that they were much faster than the techniques she had previously used on her own.
During the alchemy process, some previous difficult problems had been resolved.
Moreover, at the final stage of pill formation, it was already impressive in the past when she could produce two high-quality Pills from a batch, but now, influenced by the techniques and experience she had learned:
Her alchemy skill improved, and her pill-concoction success rate even strengthened, resulting in the emergence of five high-grade pills – even the ordinary Spirit Supplement Pills produced five high-grade pills.
When the pills were successfully concocted, and Hua Sheng opened the Alchemy Furnace, she found it strange that whereas in the past, pills were collected into bottles, and would rest quietly inside the Alchemy Furnace:
This time, as soon as she opened the Alchemy Furnace, the Spirit Supplement Pills seemed to be alive, flying out of the Alchemy Furnace, so she hastily used a prepared jade bottle to draw them in and capped it tight.
The fact that Hua Sheng could concoct five high-grade Spirit Supplement Pills in one go surprised her father, the Family Head of the Medicine Sect, and the Elders.
With the younger generation improving their alchemy techniques, the onlooking elders also felt they could do better, and given their seasoned alchemy experience, it was possible that they could outperform the younger generation, and do so more quickly.
Having watched just now, they had firmly committed the experience to memory, it was just that currently, out of respect for the younger ones present, they refrained from showing off their skills as well.
Hua Xian’er’s alchemy skills were not as proficient as Hua Sheng’s, nor was she as quick, yet she stored in her mind the experience passed down by Jiang Tang.
She was aware that her cousin beside her had already concocted the pills and demonstrated fine performance.
Only during this attempt did she truly feel the Spirit Herb Medicine within the Pill Furnace condense into pills.
She was concocting the Beauty Preserving Elixir, a favorite of the women in the Cultivation World.
With only one batch of herbs, herbs she had searched long and hard to find, she had constantly hesitated to attempt the concoction, fearing she would mess it up.
Lacking confidence in her alchemy skills and often ending up with failed pills, she would consider it lucky to have one successful batch of high-grade pills out of ten.
More often, they would be of inferior or mediocre quality.
Her alchemy endeavors had been fraught with too many failures.
Sometimes, she even caused the Pill Furnace to explode; this was in part due to her inadequate natural alchemy talent, and in part due to insufficient experience.
With Jiang Tang here to share his alchemy experience, Hua Xian’er’s heart leapt with joy, seizing the opportunity to properly concoct the Beauty Preserving Elixir.
Hua Xian’er was confident in her appearance, yet upon encountering Jiang Tang, she felt inferior as a woman, for even a man’s skin seemed to surpass her own in quality.
With thoughts of concocting Beauty Preserving Elixirs to maintain her youth, a secret every girl harbors, she yearned to be the best and most beautiful in the eyes of her beloved.
When the Pills within the Alchemy Furnace were completed, she opened the Pill Furnace and was surprised and overjoyed to see not just one Beauty Preserving Elixir but three high-grade ones.
She took a jade bottle from her Storage Bag and placed the three elixirs together.
“Beauty Preserving Elixir…”
Among the watching women, someone uttered these three words, swallowing the rest of their thoughts.
Hearing the voice of another woman, Hua Xian’er lifted her head and glanced at the women smugly.
Her innate talent for Alchemy spared her the expense of having to purchase Beauty Preserving Elixirs like they did.
This was perhaps one of the many advantages for those skilled in Alchemy; desired resources could be concocted personally.
Much better than the common folk who struggled to obtain a single Pill, buying others’ concoctions that weren’t necessarily of good quality, often containing many impurities.
Some would even harm rather than benefit the body when consumed, and there were those who would sell fake medicines.
The eight women behind her, faced with Hua Xian’er’s smug smile, felt a deep sense of gloom, yet they had their own pride as daughters of great families.
They had their own Alchemists and didn’t need to purchase Pills from outsiders.
Besides, they had plenty of money and resources at their disposal.
As for not knowing Alchemy, they had other skills.
The girls entertained their own thoughts, reasoning that they could compensate for their shortcomings without needing to know how to concoct Pills themselves, after all, wasn’t there a moving treasury right in front of them?
With Jiang Tang, the supreme Alchemist in attendance, what did Hua Xian’er’s high-grade concoctions amount to?
If they could captivate Jiang Tang’s heart, wealth and Pills would never be in short supply.
“Jiang Tang, you’ve already spent quite a bit of time teaching them, isn’t it time you visited our family?”
Zhang Nianjiao, having drawn the second lot, was provoked by Hua Xian’er’s smug smile and hoped to sway Jiang Tang towards her family soon.
Upon hearing Zhang Nianjiao’s words, Jiang Tang gave a respectful bow to the Medicine Sect Family Head and said,
“I have imposed for some time.
Does Family Head Hua have any further instructions?”
The Medicine Sect Family Head, feeling anxious about losing Jiang Tang to another suitor but maintaining a smile, took out a Storage Bag and spoke,
“With Jiang’s capabilities, Hua would like to offer these herbs in exchange for some of Jiang’s supreme elixirs and also invite Jiang to become our Alchemy Hall’s Honorary Hall Master, to instruct our disciples whenever possible.”
“Alright, I will visit again when I’m free.
I agree to the exchange of Pills you mentioned, and here are both the supreme elixirs I’ve recently created and those from before.
I accept the position of your Honorary Hall Master.”
Jiang Tang handed his Storage Bag to the Hua Family Head and also accepted the Hua Family’s Storage Bag.
“Jiang Tang, please stay a while longer.
I have many questions to ask for your guidance,” Hua Sheng pleaded, consumed with a fervent passion for Alchemy, having improved his skills today but desiring even more to become a supreme alchemist like Jiang Tang.
“Hua Sheng, your Alchemy Skill is already quite impressive.
Practice concocting more frequently, and you’ll overcome your shortcomings and enhance your skills.
You see, I still need to visit their families now,” Jiang Tang said to Hua Sheng with a smile, his eyes devoid of arrogance or disdain.
Hua Sheng’s character was decent enough, and Jiang Tang was willing to befriend him.
“Jiang Tang, I want to follow you wherever you go,” Hua Xian’er longed to keep Jiang Tang within her own family to teach their members Alchemy techniques, but she knew such a desire was merely wishful thinking and unattainable.
Jiang Tang was someone many desired to win over.
His ambitions lay elsewhere; he was a man looking to achieve great things, and she greatly wished to accompany such a person on a further-reaching journey.
“Well…
all right then!
If you don’t mind the gossip and are not afraid of long journeys, which might include encountering danger, then follow along,” Jiang Tang conceded, unable to refuse a beautiful woman’s request.
After all, who would reject the company of such beauty?