Speaking up to here, Gu Zuo vigorously nodded his head: “Big brother, it’s said that the Prodigy Monument will start in half a year. At that moment, big brother will be twenty-four years old, so you’ll be just in time for it.”
With regards to those who didn’t meet the age requirements, one could only say that they weren’t lucky enough — However, there was no use worrying about this. In any case, the Central Continent had countless opportunities. Even if they couldn’t make it for the Prodigy Monument, there were other chances elsewhere.
Gongyi Tianheng faintly nodded his head: “What Ah Zuo says is correct. Within this half a year, I need to be thoroughly prepared.”
The corners of Gu Zuo’s mouth pulled into grin. His smiling expression was especially brilliant.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Tianheng’s mid Atomic Realm was already consolidated. Normally, besides practicing martial arts, he guided and nurtured the Tianlong Guards in batches. Although the days seemed ordinary, everything went smoothly.
Nevertheless, Gu Zuo was still refining medicine, refining medicine, and refining more medicine. Because he was currently a peak Immortal Realm, with regards to profound-level pills, he was basically able to refine them all. He only had some trouble with the ones suited for the Royal Realm. There were many times when he was either incapable of refining flawless pills or he had to sacrifice the number of successful pills to obtain a flawless product grade.
At this time, two people suddenly arrived in a group.
Among them, one person was wearing scholarly robes. The qi emissions across his body were reserved, and spirited lights gathered within his eyes. He had the appearance of a modest gentleman. However, if someone really viewed him as a gentleman, then that was a very big mistake. As the eldest senior brother under the Blood Transformation Palace Master, how could he have sat in this position and gained the deference of his junior brothers and sisters if he didn’t have any methods? Currently, he was already a high Noble Realm.
The one who arrived with the eldest senior brother, He Zizhang, was a woman who was as tender and beautiful as a flower. However, one couldn’t focus on her dainty, pleasant, and jewel-like figure. In reality, her disposition was overbearing and extremely intense. She was the fifth senior sister, Huai Tianhe. Originally, she was a peak Ascendant Realm martial artist, but at this moment, she had reached the low Celestial Realm. The qi emissions across her entire body were quite steady.
Upon seeing these two people, Gu Zuo’s mind couldn’t help moving.
Their qi emissions…contained something that shared some resemblance.
Shortly thereafter, Gu Zuo reacted. He knew what this similarity was — The quintessence of the source sand. In other words, the qi emissions of source power. When he refined the Realm Breaking Pills before, it wasn’t known how long he spent studying and interacting with the source sand. Naturally, he couldn’t have been more familiar with it. Now, it looked like these two seniors of big brother had both taken the Realm Breaking Pill.
After He Zizhang and Huai Tianhe arrived, they nodded their heads and gestured toward Gu Zuo: “Pharmacist Gu.”
They also already knew that this young teenager who stayed by their junior brother’s side had a phenomenal level of mastery on the path of medicine refinement. Not to mention anything else, just the Realm Breaking Pill was a rare and miraculous pill among the profound-level medicinal pills! How could anyone underestimate a pharmacist who could come up with this pill?
Naturally, even though their strengths far surpassed that of Gu Zuo, they treated him with even more respect.
Gu Zuo smiled at these two people: “Senior Sect Brother He, Senior Sect Sister Huai. Please follow me. Big brother has been waiting for some time.”
When the second manager came to report, his big brother was at a critical juncture in practicing a school of martial skills. As a result, he arrived to welcome them on Tianheng’s behalf.
Not long after, the two were led to the mountain peak.
After all, they were his family’s senior brother and sister. The number of people also wasn’t very high. With regards to their private visit, he received these guests in a private location to show sincerity.
He Zizhang and Huai Tianhe also didn’t stand on ceremony. After seeing Tianheng seated in meditation on a sheet of stone on the ground, they said with a smile: “Youngest junior brother, we trust that you’ve been well since we last met.”
Tianheng stood up to greet them, and smiled back: “Eldest senior brother, fifth senior sister. You two have the time to come over today?”
Huai Tianhe said: “What’s this? Does our youngest junior brother not want to welcome us?”
Tianheng continued to smile: “How can that be? I’m only overwhelmed by this favor from my superiors.”
He Zizhang broke into laughter: “Youngest junior brother is too funny.”
After these fellow disciples shared a few light-hearted words, Tianheng guided them to sit at a stone table on the side.
Gu Zuo also took a seat next to Tianheng.
Upon seeing this, Huai Tianhe and He Zizhang only felt that this youngest junior brother and his personal pharmacist shared a profound friendship and extraordinary tacit understanding. They also felt that coming over this time was certainly the right decision.
He Zizhang said: “Youngest junior brother is right about one thing. As the saying goes, one doesn’t visit a temple without a cause. We came this time with a piece of information to tell youngest junior brother…and Pharmacist Gu.”
Tianheng raised an eyebrow: “Oh?”
Gu Zuo was a little curious.
He had met the Blood Transformation Palace Master several times, and viewed the palace master as a respected elder. However, he didn’t have any friendly relations with these fellow disciples of big brother.
Even if it was the Realm Breaking Pill, that was mainly for the sake of maintaining big brother’s connections.
He Zizhang didn’t keep them in suspense, and directly said: “Have youngest junior brother and Pharmacist Gu ever heard of the Pill King Conference?”
Gu Zuo stared blankly, and shook his head: “I haven’t heard of it.”
Tianheng slightly pondered: “It seems…that I have a bit of an impression.”
Gu Zuo was astonished as he looked at Tianheng.
The corner of Tianheng’s lips curled up into a grin.
Gu Zuo’s heart warmed. All of a sudden, he somewhat understood.
He had been wholeheartedly occupied with refining medicinal pills for big brother’s forces, and flawlessly taking care of big brother’s body. As a martial artist, big brother actually knew something about pharmacists that he didn’t know. Wasn’t it obvious what this was for?
Gu Zuo devoted himself to big brother, and the other party did the same.
Huai Tianhe watched as the pair looked at each other’s faces with faintly moving gazes. She seemed to think of something. However, she quickly suppressed this notion, and didn’t deliberately mention it.
Meanwhile, He Zizhang didn’t think about it too much. As a good eldest senior brother, what he currently needed to do was to clear his junior brother’s confusion: “Youngest junior brother should know that earth-level pharmacists are called pill kings, heaven-level pharmacists are called pill emperors, and sage-level pharmacists are called pill sages. Nowadays, pill sages have already passed into legends, and pill emperors are considered the pinnacle. These pill emperors are rarely seen, and hide themselves all year round. Normally, whenever there’s a grand assembly to discuss the path of pill refinement, these meetings are presided over by pill kings.”
— Among the large organizations, this was basically classified as general knowledge.
Tianheng slightly nodded his head: “It really is like this.”
Gu Zuo also followed along, and nodded.
He was still very clear about these matters.
He Zizhang gave a modest smile: “Pill King Conferences are one type of Pill Path Grand Assembly. It’s just that these Pill King Conferences aren’t the same as most Pill Path Grand Assemblies. They have certain rules.”
Now, Gu Zuo gained some understanding. In fact, although these two fellow disciples were talking with big brother, the one they wanted to pass this information onto was actually himself.
Hence, he just said: “I’d like to hear the details.”
He Zizhang plainly said: “Below the pill kings, there are three acknowledged ranks. If the pharmacists of these three ranks want to break through, it isn’t that difficult. However, if a profound-level pharmacist wants to reach the earth level, this bottleneck is choked with many people. In order to protect the succession of pharmacists on the Central Continent, and to ensure that powerhouses at the Cosmic Realm and above have enough medicinal pills to utilize, the training of earth-level pharmacists is also indispensable.
“Therefore, in the beginning, it was only set up by some pill kings for the guidance of younger generations. But now, it has gradually become…”
To put it simply, after a profound-level pharmacist became an earth-level pharmacist, if they had genuine ability, then they ought to hold a Pill King Conference! By sharing one’s experiences to the younger generations, everyone would have even more opportunities to become pill kings!
…Stuff like that.
But in fact, many pill kings didn’t want to pass on their experiences to outsiders. However, those pinnacle powerhouses on the martial path brought with them a certain amount of pressure — It wasn’t like they were being forced to disseminate their unique schools of thought and ultimate knowledge. They were just being asked to pass on their experiences. Did they dare to widen their hearts even a little bit? With everything concealed and hidden away, if the preceding pill kings perished and there were no succeeding pill kings to follow them, what were the powerhouses at the Cosmic Realm and above supposed to do?
The pill kings also had their own discussions.
While they could pass along their experiences, could comprehensions be transferred to just anyone? Subjects that were too profound couldn’t be understood by those who possessed insufficient comprehensions. On the contrary, those things would negatively affect the listener. Perhaps, they might go down the wrong path and get stuck, unable to come back out? Furthermore, martial artists picked good seedlings to teach. They couldn’t demand the pharmacists to educate everyone regardless of one’s background.
When all was said and done, powerhouses on the path of martial arts still needed the pill kings, so they didn’t dare make too many requests. Thus, they said that it would be fine so long as the pill kings taught others. The pharmacists couldn’t be too strict about the selection of candidates. While they wouldn’t have to teach everyone, they also couldn’t focus solely on their own descendants.
…Later on, after the compromises of many sides, the Pill King Conference became like this.
First of all, they didn’t make requirements based on age or rank. What they required was that all pharmacists who participated in the Pill King Conferences had to have improved at least one type of medicinal prescription or even created a prescription of their own.
That’s right. If all medicinal prescriptions remained exactly the same, it meant that there was no innovative spirit. The kind of person who always refined medicine by the book was basically brain-dead! It would be pointless for such a person to listen to the Pill King Conferences! It was because the lecture of experiences required that these insights were absorbed and transformed into one’s own knowledge. Once this kind of soulless pharmacist finished listening, they would act according to what the pill king said. However, a pill king’s experiences wouldn’t necessarily suit a brain-dead pharmacist one hundred percent. They might even refine away their own intelligence!
The pill kings really didn’t want this type of person.
As such, the pill kings couldn’t be coerced into playing along. Listening to their experiences couldn’t be for free. In addition, veteran pill kings researched medicinal pills, and didn’t have that much free time. As a result, the pill kings who had just broken through would hold the conferences and give lectures. This was also conveniently considered a form of congratulations for becoming a pill king, and everyone who came had to give them presents.
Yet, there was another problem in this. Although the experience of breaking through was still fresh in the minds of these new pill kings, they wouldn’t necessarily go unchallenged during the lecture. If their foundations still weren’t that stable and they were stumped by the questions of younger generations, wouldn’t they lose face? Moreover, before a pill king passed on their experiences, there would be many listening younger generations. Wouldn’t the pill king have to be skilled? However, a pill king who had just broken through wouldn’t necessarily be ready.
Hence, after another round of compromises, it changed into this.
For any new pill kings who dared to hold a Pill King Conference, all visitors had to bring congratulatory gifts. And if any new pill kings felt that they couldn’t hold a conference, they were obligated to hold a conference in the future, regardless of whether they became a veteran pill king or successful pill emperor! At that time, the younger generations didn’t need to bring gifts, and could do as they wished.
With these conditions, the pill kings also worked hard. Later on, the Pill King Conference not only became a grand assembly for passing along one’s experiences, it was also a place for pill kings to put their strength on display.
At the same time, during these grand assemblies, pill kings would also set up some segments. It was a common practice for younger disciples to discuss the path of pill refinement and put their medicine refining skills to the test.
He Zizhang said: “Pharmacist Gu is already a profound-level pharmacist, and has the ability to create his own pill prescriptions. In the future, he will certainly break through to become a pill king. Now that there’s this opportunity, it’s better to go and listen to those lectures to make some preparations for your own breakthrough.”
Gu Zuo’s interest was piqued: “In that case, is this time’s Pill King Conference being held by a new pill king or a veteran pill king?”
He Zizhang replied: “It’s a pill king who has just broken through. It’s said that this pill king is very young, too.”
Meanwhile, Huai Tianhe followed up, and said: “However, this person didn’t have much of a reputation before breaking through. Once this breakthrough occurred, many people who were previously above this pharmacist were unwilling to concede.”
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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