The Invincible Supreme Medical God-Chapter 875 - 485: First Attempt (Part 2)
The old ones, though sufficient for consideration at the alchemist level, lacked potency. No high-ranking family would purchase these low-grade pastes, but many civilian families could save for years to buy them for the most talented member of their family.
The pastes he made at the beginning were of very low quality. They could be considered successful, but barely. His control over temperature and flame was coarse, and even more so his ability to combine the ingredients.
Yan Xiaobao had been sitting in his room for three days, refining the paste after the emulsification. When he finally exhausted all his red orchids, he retrieved two flames from the crucible.
Having lost focus on the cauldron and looking around, Yan Xiaobao was surprised to see the jade bottles filled his room. Even the bed had bottles stacked on top of each other.
Now it took only five minutes to make the Devouring Paste from red orchid, which he would often concoct over three days. The quantity of paste he made was naturally an incredible number.
With a light wave, Yan Xiaobao stored each jade bottle into his Cosmic Box, then stood up. The moment he rose dizziness hit him, and he almost collapsed again, but he took a firm step forward and managed to balance himself once more.
"Remarkable!" Yan Xiaobao exclaimed to Lan Feng. "No wonder alchemists become so powerful! After merely three days of refining, has my strength increased by so much?’
Yan Xiaobao was truly shocked. He knew he had been constantly using his energy and that his body had naturally opened up any pores. This allowed the body to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and refine it greedily at the fastest pace. Yan Xiaobao truly benefited greatly from the experience. This was a refining speed he had never experienced before a battle or intense training.
"Not bad at all," Lan Feng agreed. "At first, when you suddenly decided to focus on crafting, I was a bit hesitant, but not only have you acquired a very useful skill, but you have also increased your strength rapidly. This is absolutely beneficial for us. Make sure you take part in the exam tomorrow; we need you to obtain more formulas. Unfortunately, I cannot continue to support your rapid rise alone.
Yan Xiaobao was fully aware that what Lan Feng said was correct. He had gained a lot of inner energy, but he also knew most of it was gained at the beginning when he struggled to perfect the materials and thus couldn’t create perfect paste. He wasted some of the herbal medicine’s energy because he didn’t perfectly combine them at first, but over time, he became more adept at refining and combining pastes. Unfortunately, after such a long period of training, he had exhausted his stockpile of red orchids and Spirit Grass.
"Well, I know a place where you can buy anything." Yan Xiaobao said with a smile. "Let’s head back to the Black Market Auction House." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Standing up, Yan Xiaobao did just that, heading to the Black Market Auction House. As always, when he was spotted, many servants rushed into the building to inform Ma Gang and the Clan Leader of his arrival. One reason Ma Gang had attained such a high position was partly due to his relationship with Yan Xiaobao. Yan Xiaobao had done a lot for them, consistently providing many opportunities and amazing items for them.
"Welcome, Master Hui Clan." a servant said very humbly, and even the guards bowed in salute to Yan Xiaobao as he entered the auction house. Everyone who appeared in the hall, whether buying or selling items, couldn’t help but stare at this impressive young man as he walked with steady steps, a gentle expression on his face.
As he nodded to the servant, Yan Xiaobao completely ignored the many people. He followed her into the building’s inner area, heading toward Ma Kong’s office.
"You seldom visit my office, but you’ve been here twice in the past week. I can’t help but be curious about what might bring you here today." Ma Kong looked at Yan Xiaobao, pouring a fine wine for his friend, and smiled.
"I’m here because I want to trade some things. I believe you will find them interesting." Yan Xiaobao smiled, and with a light wave, the entire table between Yan Xiaobao and Ma Kong filled with jade bottles.
"What is this?" gazing at all the small bottles, Ma Kong was stunned. He was utterly unable to guess what they contained. "Please check for yourself," Yan Xiaobao said with a smile, not waiting for Ma Kong who picked up a bottle and opened it. Smelling the medicinal fragrance wafting from the bottle, Ma Kong’s eyes, filled with uncertainty, suddenly brimmed with astonishment.
"This... this is Devouring Paste of red orchids? And so much of it! When did you become an alchemist?" Ma Kong exclaimed in shock, yet he remained as sharp as before. He knew that an apprentice alchemist had made these pastes, and even if he and the Royal Academy combined, they wouldn’t be able to acquire such a large quantity, as the Royal Academy of Muchuan City had nearly purchased all low-grade medicines available there.
"I’ve recently started dabbling in alchemy." Yan Xiaobao said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I don’t have many formulas to practice. Therefore, I thought your family might be interested in trading for these pastes, which would be more beneficial for me, much like the formulas."
Hearing this, Ma Kong couldn’t help but laugh. If Yan Xiaobao came asking for a formula, they would gladly give them to him. Getting support from another alchemist was great, and if the alchemist was Yan Xiaobao, even better! Having an alchemist join their auction house usually meant they shelled out a lot of money, but now he wanted to repay them with his private collection of "red orchids’ Devouring Paste". If the Clan Leader were present, he’d be dancing with joy.
"I’ll find some pill and paste formulas for you. I take it you want the easiest pill formulas to make? Although you are considered an alchemist when you can create pastes like this, the Alchemist Association won’t recognize you as one until you manage to produce an actual pill."
"You understand my situation very well," Yan Xiaobao praised, as Ma Gang just gave a bitter smile. "Please excuse me for a while, I need to get some suitable formulas." he said as he stood up, leaving Yan Xiaobao alone in the office.
"Nephew Kong!" a loud voice made Ma Kong halt immediately. "Ma Kong greets the Clan Leader," he said with a short bow before straightening up again.
"I heard Yan Xiaobao came?" the Clan Leader asked curiously. "Could he have come here for assistance?"
"No." Ma Kong shook his head, with a somewhat dejected expression. "If he came for help, I would feel better, but he wants to trade. He has a thousand bottles of red orchids’ Devouring Paste of good quality. He hopes to exchange them for formulas to easily concoct pills."
Hearing these words, the Clan Leader’s eyes widened in shock. His face turned pale, then beet red in an instant. "A thousand bottles of red orchids’ Devouring Paste? I’ve never heard of anyone doing business with us like Yan Xiaobao! Crafting items demands he has Metal Affinity, and medicinal paste needs fire and wood. He’s a mystery, yet he brings us astonishing wealth. Find a copy of every formula we have in stock and give them to him. Although the price exceeds what he’s paying, winning his favor would be great. Not only is he a genius in combat, but he’s also a great spiritual blacksmith, and now it seems he’s an apprentice alchemist as well. We absolutely cannot offend him."
The Clan Leader’s words were very straightforward. Stay on Yan Xiaobao’s good side, treat him as if he were their Ancestor. Even though Yan Xiaobao didn’t have enough money to gain a full copy of all their formulas, the Clan Leader was willing to cover the difference. He wanted to ensure the Ma Family had a solid relationship with Yan Xiaobao.
"I apologize for taking so long," Ma Kong said as he re-entered the office opening the door. "These are copies of all formulas our Ma Family currently possesses. Respect them, and do not teach them to outsiders.
"All of them?" Yan Xiaobao replied, taken aback. "Why would you give me something so valuable? These pastes are not worth that much."
"It’s a gesture of goodwill from the Clan Leader. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. We greatly value your assistance." Ma Kong said with a smile. Though conversation was unnecessary at this point between the two, Ma Kong still wanted to express gratitude to Yan Xiaobao.
"In that case, I’d be happy to accept them," Yan Xiaobao said delightedly. He couldn’t wait to examine the many pill and paste formulas he received, but he needed to wait until he got home. "As long as you’re part of the Ma Family, I’ll do my utmost to protect and assist them. Not that I need protection." Yan Xiaobao said solemnly before he stood up, "I might come again soon, but I need to go home to prepare for tomorrow’s alchemy exam. Hopefully, I can pass it." Yan Xiaobao said with a smile as he turned and left the office.
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