1013 Pill Studies

Refining pills did not simply mean refining medicine. Instead, it was a convergence and mix between one's body and the pills. It was a process of producing them from start to finish. Every single pill was like the child of the alchemist, and refining a pill was like a woman giving birth to a child. It was a transformation in all aspects, from the body to the head. Furthermore, the process of refining a pill was equivalent to receiving the effects of the pill. Thus, they would come into contact with and make various realizations about their path, allowing their realm to increase very quickly.

Furthermore, the pills that alchemists refined would definitely be most suitable for them. After all, they would use their own spiritual influence to produce it and could use the pill at any time. Thus, the speed of cultivation was not something that other disciplines could compare to.

However, it was a pity that the requirements for natural endowments were very high. Although many elites from the Land were gathered here, only less than 100 people managed to enter the Pill Refinery Hall. Not even 10% of the total number of pupils had managed to enter.

Meanwhile, there were about 500 people in the middle who had achieved second-class spiritual quality and were allocated to the Weapon Refinery Hall.

Refining weapons using one's soul also had similar effects to refining pills. Although the method to comprehend their path was different, the results were still the same. Of course, their comprehension of the path was not as simple and direct as from refining pills. Furthermore, there were not as many suitable elixirs for them to use. Regardless of whether it was in terms of cultivation realm or accumulation and speed of spiritual influence, it was no match to pill refinery. However, in every one or two batches, an expert who was able to form their Gold Core would emerge from the Weapon Refinery Hall, which was much better than the Combat Cultivation Hall. Furthermore, through refining weapons, the artifacts that were produced from their spiritual influence were relatively powerful. Thus, the combat level of the Weapon Refinery Hall was decent. Besides, artifacts had a rather vast market in the divine territory. Not only were they used for combat, it was also the only way for many great powers to collect the belief of other civilizations, by bestowing the civilizations with an artifact as a pathway to collect belief, just like the Nebula Sword and Solomon's Nine-Headed Snake Sword. All these were the products of alchemists.

Meanwhile, the Combat Cultivation Hall was much poorer. There were around 900 people who had a spiritual quality of fourth-grade and below who were swept to the Combat Cultivation Hall. Here, they only did research on combat, and the level of their souls was very low. Thus, there were no requirements in terms of their foundation, such as their spiritual influence and natural endowments. These people were rather lowly in the Heavenly Gates, but this did not mean that they would be lowly once they emerged. After all, they had emerged from the Heavenly Gates and had the identity of Heavenly Gates pupils. Thus, no matter where they went, they would be thought highly of by others. Although they could not be said to have great prospects, even ordinary Void Cores were able to visit various great Factions and powers as a guest. Needless to say, they were set for life and could enjoy various riches.

Of course, it was another story if they were eliminated even in the Combat Cultivation Hall.

The process of being assigned was completed very quickly. From the number of people that were allocated to the Three Great Halls, the difficulty of their cultivation paths and how much attention each Hall was given were obvious. In reality, many people were already aware of where they would be assigned. Who did not know their own abilities? Only a small minority would be dejected and dispirited as they fell short of the Hall they expected by a little. However, there were only very few of them.

"Although the allocation to the Three Halls is complete, those who have joined the Pill Refinery Hall should not be confident, and those who have joined the Combat Cultivation Hall do not have to be dejected." The overall supervisor's voice sounded above them. "The test is not meant to shackle you, and it is simply to help you choose a road that is more suitable for you. However, the results of the test may not be completely accurate. In the previous batch, prodigies have been left out from the test. Thus, from this year onwards, the Three Halls will operate on an audit system. Even if you are in the Combat Cultivation Hall, as long as you are interested and feel that you have the natural endowments, you can listen to the lessons from the Pill Refinery Hall or the Weapon Refinery Hall. It will be the same for the other two Halls.

"Every year, once the points have been tabulated, those who have been eliminated will be replaced by those behind them."

The people downstage were dumbfounded. Many people asked, "Lord Supervisor, how will this work?"

"For example, if five people in the Pill Refinery Hall are eliminated, then the top five scorers in the Combat Cultivation Hall and the Weapon Refinery Hall can request to join the Pill Refinery Hall. Of course, this is on the condition that the applicants have sufficient foundation in refining pills. They will also undergo an individual test, and if they pass the test, they can join. If not, you will not be able to catch up on lessons even if you join and will waste your time instead. This will depend on how much knowledge you accumulate."

There was an uproar as this sounded very good. They had thought that the Heavenly Gates had opened up new doors and prepared many opportunities for the people below. However, in reality, one did not even need to think to realize that asking those from the Weapon Refinery Hall or the Combat Cultivation Hall to catch up with the progress of the Pill Refinery Hall members and achieve the same standards as them in terms of pill studies was not difficult, it was simply impossible.

So what if they could audit? Yes, you could listen to the lessons from the Pill Refinery supervisors, just like the official students, but those in the Pill Refinery Hall would do experiments and refine pills daily. These resources were directly provided by the Pill Refinery Hall. An audit student could not even think about having this opportunity, let alone have a supervisor start a furnace for you. Without doing many experiments, how could you compare your progress to those in the Pill Refinery Hall? Allowing pupils to listen to their lessons simply gave them some hope but was useless in reality. On the contrary, this might cause some to be distracted as they would be studying how to refine pills, causing their grades to go down. In the end, if one was eliminated, they would not be able to cry even if they wanted to…

"Is there any difference regardless of whether this system exists?" Jhonas pouted, but he saw Boss beside him with his eyes lit up. Thus, Jhonas empathized with him. "What a pitiful fellow. Has he been affected to the extent where he cannot differentiate what reality is…?"

The welcome ceremony gradually came to a close amidst an uproar. Jhonas was filled with excitement but had no intention of competing for a place in the Pill Refinery Hall, not just because it was impossible. Even if it was possible, he did not want to. The Weapon Refinery Hall was good as this was the Illusion race's line of work. However, when he considered how Boss had been evaluated to have a grade-4 spiritual influence and had been allocated to the Combat Cultivation Hall, he could only conceal his excitement and did not dare to express it. If Lao Wang misunderstood and thought that Jhonas was putting on airs to mock him, Jhonas would be beaten up. That would truly be unlucky.

"Am I that petty?" Lao Wang had obviously forgotten about how he had glared at Jhonas. "You can be excited over what you should be excited about. Don't suffocate yourself. No matter what, being evaluated to have a second-class spiritual quality is something to be happy about. How about this? What other good stuff do you have? Take them all out. I will help you celebrate it well! Looking at you, do you think that you can hide those fruits? I destroyed them. Tsk tsk tsk, how are you a vegetarian? You are so fat. Do you really not eat meat?"

Jhonas felt suffocated, and his entire face turned red. "Boss, if you hit people, don't hit their face! If you scold people, don't scold them for their fatness!"

"Are you a person? You are not a person." Wang Zhong patted his shoulder. "Don't trample on yourself like that. You are just an innocent and cute little pig. Okay, let's stop fighting about this. I'll prepare a sumptuous dinner for you. Let's eat!"

Jhonas was speechless. To be honest, after interacting with Wang Zhong for two days, the impression that Wang Zhong had left on him was not bad. It was just that he was rather irritating when he spoke, and Jhonas could not beat him with words. Of course, more importantly, Jhonas could not defeat him.

It was not that Lao Wang was miserly, but he felt that he was far too poor with the 1,000 Silver Star Stones in his pocket. No matter whether others would listen to the lessons in the Pill Refinery Hall, Lao Wang had decided to go. In the future, he would definitely do many more experiments and would have more things to spend on. Every penny he could save counted.

The next day was the pill refinery class.

The courses in the Three Great Halls did not occur at the same time. Instead, they alternated.

Once they came to this level, when supervisors taught and passed down their techniques, no matter what aspect they were talking about and how detailed their explanations were, the pupils still had to go back to guess at and revise what they had learned. It was virtually impossible for one to understand once the supervisor had finished teaching. Furthermore, this was to carry out the audit system that the overall supervisor had mentioned in the welcome ceremony.

Thus, the pill refinery classes were on the first day; weapon refinery classes were on the second day, and combat cultivation classes were on the third. Today, everyone in the Pill Refinery Hall had to be present and record their attendance, which would be part of their points. Meanwhile, those from the Weapon Refinery Hall and the Combat Cultivation Hall did not have to come, and their attendance would not be counted in their grades. They could simply sit in. They had been given a chance, but whether they seized the chance was not within the considerations of the higher-ups in the Heavenly Gates.

There was a tall stone platform that was over ten meters tall in front of where the lessons were held. It resembled a furnace. It even had a roof and was 30 feet wide.

Below this furnace-shaped platform was a very large square. In the first half of the square, there would be a cushion made out of bird feathers placed every three to five meters on the ground. These cushions were not ordinary, and there were colorful lights on the surface of the cushion, making them seem alive. One would be able to smell the faint scent from the cushions even from a distance away, making them feel calm and clearing their minds. One could imagine that by sitting on this kind of cushion, they would be able to calm themselves greatly and clear their thoughts even without meditation.

Behind these cushions was an empty space that was separated from the space in front by a yellow piece of silk. There were no cushions or any other items. This was the audit area.

When Wang Zhong and Jhonas arrived, one-third of the cushions in front had been occupied, and there was still a long stream of Pill Refinery Hall pupils coming in. Meanwhile, a crowd squeezed into the audit area.

After all, this was only the first day of lessons. Regardless of whether they aspired to practice pill refinery, everyone wanted to experience the class.

Today, a Heavenly Gates elder was teaching pill studies.

When it came to teaching, elders and supervisors were on completely different levels. For example, even though supervisors were considered teachers, they only assisted in giving lessons, managing pupils, preparing various experimental materials for the pupils, explaining some minor details to them, starting up the furnace, and so on. They simply did odd jobs.

Meanwhile, elders were part of the higher-ups and were almighty lecturers. They were ranked very highly in the Heavenly Gates, and even supervisors had to bow down to them. Core courses, especially the lessons in the Pill Refinery Hall, would have an elder from the Heavenly Gates in charge of explaining and teaching.

"The elders in the Heavenly Gates are all Gold Core experts. However, they all have their own specializations. Who will teach today?"

At that moment, it was only dawn, but the surroundings were filled with chattering noises. When the sky turned brighter, all the pupils from the Pill Refinery Hall were present. Suddenly, they heard a kind voice abruptly sounding from the tall furnace in front. "This is only the beginning of pill studies."

This voice was kind and calm, and influenced its surroundings. The chattering in the surroundings was instantly stamped out, and it became completely silent. Everyone looked up to the top of the tall furnace and saw a skinny old man dressed in robes. No one knew since when he had been sitting there.

His eyebrows and hair were long and white as they fluttered in the wind. There was a very natural aura radiating from his entire body, making others feel that he was like a piece of stone, a gust of wind, or a cloud. There were no impurities on him. He was a master from the Natural race and an elder in the Heavenly Gates, Yimo.

"It's Elder Yimo." Someone in the crowd could not help but mention in a low voice. However, he simply mentioned his name with great respect before stopping. He did not dare to speak and disturb Elder Yimo's teaching.

"Pill studies are all-encompassing. There are many varieties…"

Elder Yimo's voice echoed through the square. Even those who were standing at the furthest border of the square could hear him clearly. Furthermore, not only did his voice reach them, they could also sense the feeling of a refreshing path in the depths of their soul. When they heard him speak, they felt refreshed and comfortable. Not only was their spirit fully focused, their thoughts were also very nimble, as if they had been inspired.

Wang Zhong was surprised and happy. Flipping through books and doing research on ancient texts were simply nothing compared to listening to the teachings of a Gold Core expert. This was just too valuable. He had never expected that on the first day of lessons, the elder would give him such a pleasant surprise the moment he started talking.

Today, he was only talking about general principles and concepts. In reality, almost all the prodigies who were able to enter the Pill Refinery Hall had experienced pill refinery before. Furthermore, many of them had good foundations. Thus, they did not have to listen to this kind of beginner knowledge. However, Elder Yimo's voice was simply too pleasant to their ears. Even though he was simply explaining some general knowledge that they should know, and felt like old knowledge that they already knew, the pupils suddenly had new understandings and new perspectives.

"…There are healing types that focus on healing, repair, removing poison, and so on. There are functional types that can break through disasters, guide the soul, allow one to transform, and so on. Of course, there are others which focus on accumulating spiritual influence, increasing one's realm, protecting one's path, and many more, which will lead to the important path to the Gold Core. There is an old saying: form the Gold Core, simplify your path, live as long as the sun and the moon, and unite the heaven and the earth…"

Everyone offstage almost became insane and drunk when they heard this. When a peak Gold Core expert taught, even a nasal sound from them could bring about boundless inspiration and thoughts to others, let alone when they were talking about knowledge. Wang Zhong was also completely immersed in this. In the past, he had heard about some simple pill and medicinal theories from Uncle Sea, along with several types of pill studies. Although what he had heard was the same as the basics that Elder Yimo was talking about, listening to Uncle Sea felt as if he had just memorized the knowledge blindly. Even if one used their own power of understanding to realize all these, if one did not have a deep enough understanding of pill studies, how much would they be able to comprehend from these simple basics?

However, listening to Elder Yimo was completely different. His words were very natural, and countless thoughts were produced as a result. Every sentence and word he uttered was thought-provoking, as if what he spoke about materialized in front of their eyes. The way he taught activated their sixth sense. For example, even if Elder Yimo said something simple like "pill", with his thick and heavy nasal voice as well as his natural aura, Wang Zhong felt as if he could see a Gold Core rapidly forming in front of him! This allowed everyone to comprehend and sense the process of forming a Gold Core as much as they wanted. Even though they could not completely understand, at least they had an extremely strong visual impression of the Gold Core. This even activated their thoughts, allowing everyone to see through the simple basics of the "Core" on the surface and prompting them to think about more advanced things. This kind of teaching simply made everyone enjoy themselves so much that they could not leave. It was difficult for them to pull away from their intoxication.

He explained the basics of pill studies until late morning, but those who were present did not sense the flow of time. Even those outsiders who knew nothing about pill studies paid full attention. Regardless of whether they understood, listening to such an almighty person teach was a form of enjoyment.

In the divine territory, knowledge was power.

Once he was done explaining the basic principles. Elder Yimo did not immediately disperse the crowd. Instead, he started to talk and laugh cheerily with the new pupils below, allowing them to ask questions to their hearts' content. Obviously, the right to ask questions only belonged to the pupils in the Pill Refinery Hall. Of course, Elder Yimo would also ask questions, but his voice did not resonate like when he was teaching. He simply talked casually to make everyone think.

"What does pill refinery depend on?" Elder Yimo smiled and asked.

"Natural endowments?"

"…Ability… Learning… Diligence… Concentration…"

The pupils all answered at once. Even though they possessed the qualifications to cultivate pills, they wanted to leave some impression on Elder Yimo.

However, Elder Yimo shook his head. His long and white beard fluttered in the sky as he smiled mysteriously. "You need money."

A majority of the pupils all laughed and immediately felt that Elder Yimo was not distant. On the contrary, he felt much closer in this instant, as if he was an amiable elder.

However, Elder Yimo did not intend to make them laugh. "According to you, most of you are children of wealthy parents and do not seem to lack money. However, that is because you have not experienced the core path and have not actually refined pills. When you start your studies in pill refinery, you will understand just how poor you are."

This was not an exaggeration. Anyone would be able to refine ordinary pills, but what about pills that were grade-7 and above? Even the gap between lower-grade-3, semi-grade-7, and upper-grade-3 would involve a great increase in the amount of resources exhausted, in difficulty, and in functions.

For example, the Cloud Mist Faction that Shannali was a part of was called the strongest alchemists in Catanlyke District, but the best pills that they could refine were only grade-5. Putting aside the difficulty of refining pills, just the resources needed to refine pills would take a Faction from a level-6 civilization several months to accumulate before they could refine a furnace of middle-grade pills.