"Big brother!"
Just as he was pondering, Gongyi Tianheng heard a teenager's crisp voice, which was packed full of joy. His heart stirred slightly, and the expression on his face already softened without him knowing it. He looked over: "Ah Zuo, what are the results?"
A teenager with flushed cheeks and a head of messy hair quickly scampered out. In his clasped hands was a jade bowl. With loud footsteps, he arrived in front of Tianheng.
Gu Zuo panted a couple short breaths and handed over the jade bowl: "Big brother, take a look. I actually refined some pills…"
Tianheng took the jade bowl and lowered his head to look. Sure enough, there were two brown medicinal pills inside. The pill fragrance and qi energy were quite refreshing. With one sniff, he could sense his own realm loosen a bit.
Could it be possible that the flesh of his Tiandu Body really could have the same kind of capabilities as other Xiantian martial artists? However, he quickly discovered that the expression on his little pharmacist's face was slightly crumpled.
Tianheng asked: "Ah Zuo, is there something wrong?"
Gu Zuo nodded his head in embarra.s.sment: "The color's wrong…"
He thought about it and said, "Originally, if the medicinal ingredients were not in good condition, especially for such an exacting medicinal pill, it would be impossible to make it. Yet, I produced the pill, and the product grade also isn't bad. Only, if it was really the Xiantian Pill, it should be violet. This brownish color is really too far from violet.
He continued: "But if it isn't the Xiantian Pill, then what would this medicinal pill, which was refined using the exact same procedures, be?"
As a result, this was just too strange. It left him unaware of what should be done.
Gongyi Tianheng observed this pill, and sunk into contemplation.
This was, indeed, a bit troublesome.
The emergence of each kind of unknown medicinal pill always needed people to test it on to know the following effects. Dragon One and Dragon Two were loyal and devoted. If they were made to test it, they certainly wouldn't hesitate in the slightest. However, it was precisely because they were loyal that they couldn't be made to test it lightly.
It would be better to…
His mind already had a notion, but now wasn't the time to implement it.
He'd wait until after returning from West Mountain to bring it up.
After he finished deciding, Tianheng smiled and said: "Ah Zuo, put these medicinal pills in a jade bottle. First, we'll properly a.s.semble a test group. We can discuss it again when it's time to test it."
Gu Zuo heard this, and knew his big brother had a plan in mind, so he didn't take this matter to heart any longer. In any case, he would know at that time.
Moreover…
He didn't know why, perhaps it was a pharmacist's intuition, but the scent of this pill seemed correct. However faint it was, it still made him feel it had some kind of furtive smell to it.
Thinking about this, Gu Zuo silently sighed in his heart again.
If his foundations were st.u.r.dy enough and if his skill level was just a bit higher, after making the pill, he should've been able to judge the pill's true function by smelling the medicinal fragrance.
Right now, he was still far behind.
Afterwards, Gu Zuo recalled that newly obtained item book. Although he already told his big brother about the new mission's arrival, there still wasn't enough time to study it.
Thus, he said: "Big brother, the item book definitely has something to do with the mission. I'll go study the Paradox Pills a bit."
Gongyi Tianheng heard what he said, and softly pat his head: "Ah Zuo also shouldn't work too hard."
Gu Zuo subconsciously showed a smile: "Rest a.s.sured, big brother."
The next day, Gu Zuo followed Gongyi Tianheng and departed to the base of West Mountain. His mind was still thinking about the matter of studying the Paradox Pills yesterday.
How to say…
The character 囧 was indescribable.
He carefully read it. The Paradox Pills could roughly be divided into three kinds: The Poison Pill, the Soul Pill, and the Trick Pill.
As the name implied, the Poison Pill was very easy to comprehend. It was a medicinal pill that carried poison. It could be used to harm someone or save someone by counteracting another poison. One would have to leave it up to fate.
After that was the Soul Pill. This thing was scary.
The soul of a living being was needed as material for this pill. To be speak simply, one would first refine a blank pill. After a pharmacist's protectors or followers got rid of a living creature, they could extract the other's soul on the spot. Then, they'd refine it into the blank pill and turn it into a Soul Pill. In the future, if they fought with someone, they could activate the pill and consume its medicinal power to fight their opponent. This was also considered a method of self-defense. As a result, the Soul Pill was actually known as the "Battle Soul Pill".
Finally, the Trick Pill. To be frank, it was comprised of strange, unorthodox medicinal pills.
To give an example, there was a pill that seemed exactly like the Revitalization Pill. Its scent was indistinguishable, but once someone was ready to heal themselves, the outcome was that they would burst out in uncontrollable laughter until they died laughing… This was one type of Trick Pill called the Laughing Spring Pill. It was a good thing to trap people with.
To give another example, there was a pill that was a very complicated to refine. Once activated, a scary suppressive pressure would be immediately released. It would make a person think an incredible powerhouse was present, intimidating the other person into turning around and fleeing… In actuality, this was just strength in outward appearances. There was only the pressure and nothing else. It was particularly used to scare people. This was another kind of Trick Pill.
There were very, very many kinds of things like this.
Therefore, Gu Zuo just felt shocked and helpless.
Truly, the world was big and full of extraordinary things. Who could say that pharmacists didn't have any methods of self-defense? Let alone his psychic power, just the three types of Paradox Pills were death pits that would be paid with one's life. So long as he had sufficient quant.i.ties, he'd have more than enough to spare after defending himself.
Of course, while knowing this, Gu Zuo also told Gongyi Tianheng.
After Tianheng showed a subtle expression, he only instructed Gu Zuo to select a couple Paradox Pills to study, and to give him the list of the required medicinal herbs. That was all.
Gu Zuo clearly understood that this big brother of his was really interested in the Paradox Pills.
A group of four unwittingly arrived at the foot of West Mountain.
Their arrival wasn't late, but Cang Yu and the others arrived even earlier. There was a grandiose group of nearly twenty people.
After seeing Tianheng, Cang Yu stepped forward: "Brother Tianheng."
Tianheng said apologetically: "Are we late?"
Cang Yu smiled: "No, West Mountain hasn't opened yet. We still need to wait for a bit."
Tianheng nodded his head, and faced forwards to gaze at the mountain.
West Mountain was situated in the outer sect. And it was one of the two iconically tall mountains of the outer sect.
The entire sect occupied a mountain range; there were four mountains that most represented the cardinal directions. West Mountain and North Mountain were in the outer sect. While East Mountain and South Mountain were in the inner sect.
In the outer sect, West Mountain had Earth Ghosts appear. How couldn't they be rooted out early on?
At this time, Gu Zuo looked around and saw a tall stone tablet with a yellow announcement posted on it.
It should be the mission's Yellow Notice.
When Gu Zuo saw that it still wasn't time, he went over to carefully give it a read.
Dragon Two, who was always following behind him, also started walking and shadowed him closely.
The number of people in front of the Yellow Notice wasn't few. Gu Zuo gathered his psychic power into his eyes and his sight was very clear. Rather than milling around the others, he could read it from outside the crowd.
Sure enough, it was just as Cang Yu had said. It explained the Earth Ghost's characteristics, the rewards one could obtain after completing the mission, the need to bringing a certified pharmacist, and so on. Additionally, it clearly stated the mission time.
As Cang Yu said, the mission time was seven days. However, what the Yellow Notice explained was a little different.
West Mountain would open today. For all disciples who entered to complete the mission, they needed to return within seven days. If not, then they wouldn't be able to come out when West Mountain closed on the seventh day.
And after seven days when West Mountain closed, Immortal realm powerhouses would fully use their skills outside to eradicate the Earth Ghosts all at once. If one were still on West Mountain at that time, once they were swept up by the remaining power, they would die within West Mountain. Then, one could only consider themselves unlucky.
However, this made no difference.
In any case, it was fine so long as they remembered that they must return within seven days.
After he finished reading, Gu Zuo returned to Gongyi Tianheng's side.
At this moment, there were more and more people around. There were many outer sect disciples with their own subordinate nominal disciples rushing over. The more people there were, the more Ghost Nuclei one could obtain. As for who the Ghost Nuclei were ultimately divided amongst to exchange for a.s.sessment points, that was up to each outer sect disciple's discretion.
The time was still early. First, Cang Yu and Gongyi Tianheng explained the ground rules.
Their group of people would keep watch and help each other. After entering West Mountain, they wouldn't move separately. The Ghost Nuclei from the Earth Ghosts one killed would be taken into one's own possession, but only if they killed the Earth Ghost. The two pharmacists would help to collect the Ghost Nuclei, but they couldn't favor one and discriminate against another. If one cooperated to kill an Earth Ghost, the Ghost Nuclei would be given to the one who dealt the killing blow. If someone was trapped by Earth Ghosts, then everyone else who still had strength needed to lend a hand.
With these kinds of rules in place, there was still a degree of freedom. So long as everyone didn't think about hindering each other or consider how many advantages one could obtain, they'd smoothly enter West Mountain without much trouble.
Naturally, the many martial artists didn't have any objections.
Even more outer sect disciples had rushed over.
Gu Zuo could see that, compared to those who previously arrived, these outer sect disciples were… There were many to be seen who made rigorous schemes and had deep insight. They came late, but each of them all appeared incomparably valiant. Even their subordinate nominal disciples looked like seasoned veterans.
Cang Yu's party were refined, young powerhouses with extraordinary temperaments. The people brought along were also aristocratic descendants. However, their temperaments seemed inferior to those who had that kind of look from experiencing many of life's vicissitudes and those unfl.u.s.tered movements from being confident in one's own strength.
Gu Zuo immediately understood.
These outer sect disciples should be the outer sect's veteran disciples!
Although they were all perfect Houtian stage nines and they hadn't advanced to Xiantian, their strengths…
Were nevertheless ones that were hard to predict!
T/N: Retroactively changing Divination Pill to Paradox Pills.
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