Chapter 27: The Xu Family Pill Shop

"Let us conduct the assessment."

"Very well. Please follow me."

Having reached an agreement, the elegantly dressed young master did not linger, but Wang Yu grew even more curious.

"How long has the senior been following Deacon Xu? And how should I address you?"

"My surname is Zhu. You may simply call me Elder Zhu. As for following Deacon Xu, it has only been a few days. The Xu Family Pill Shop is just opening; I have some reputation within the shopkeeper circles and was invited to manage the shop on their behalf."

"I see."

Every industry has its own circles, and being eloquent is a talent in itself. It was normal to have a circle of shopkeepers, though hiring someone to manage a shop on behalf of others seemed somewhat unconventional.

Elder Zhu led Wang Yu to the backyard and pointed to a room. "Inside is a first-grade Earth Fire Chamber. The medicinal ingredients have been prepared. I will wait by the door while you refine the pills, young brother."

"Understood."

Wang Yu was confident and naturally unafraid of a minor assessment. Two months had passed since then, and not only had he pushed two basic pill formulas to the Perfection stage, but

[Slot 2: Cold Dragon Alchemy Technique (Fragmented)]

[Cold Dragon Alchemy Technique (35/100): Twelve practices a day, mastery in eight months.]

Reaching this stage of alchemy could be considered "Minor Success." Combined with pill formulas he had fully comprehended, there was no reason for him to fail. Therefore, even though it was his first time performing it, he felt exceptionally proficient.

Alchemy is divided into four steps

Extraction, Fusion, Condensation, and Tempering!

The so-called [Extraction] is the most well-known step: removing impurities and refining the essence. Impurities are often misunderstood as being toxic or harmful, but that is not the case. Most spiritual herbs are aggregations of the essence of heaven and earth, brimming with spiritual vitality and containing almost no impurities; they are the purest of spiritual substances.

Extraction involves following the pill formula to remove certain medicinal properties that do not meet the requirements, as well as removing earthy smells and the influence of terrestrial energy absorbed by roots during growth. Depending on the growing environment, the parts that need to be removed vary, making it a specialized field of study.

Anything other than the medicinal properties required by the formula is considered an impurity. That is true extraction!

The second step, [Fusion], means fusing the medicinal properties of various herbs. This requires a profound understanding of pharmacology and a mastery of the principles and sequence of formula combinations; a single mistake will increase the difficulty of pill formation.

Medicinal properties, pharmacology, and methods of processing herbs are enough to keep an ordinary person studying for twenty or thirty years. Fire control techniques also play a crucial role in this step, serving as the core of the fire-refining method.

The third step is [Condensation]. Using a condensation seal as the primary method, the medicinal liquid is condensed into pill form. This step emphasizes skill and cultivation, requiring spiritual sense for regulation and spiritual power for integration.

Thus, the young master's skepticism of Wang Yu was not without reason. The cultivation level Wang Yu displayed was only the third layer of Qi Refinement, and his spiritual sense could not even leave his body—how could he talk of regulating the fine details of alchemy!

The fourth step is [Tempering]. After successful condensation, the pill must be refined slowly over a gentle fire to ensure the medicinal properties are completely unified under the integration of spiritual power. Only then can it be called a success.

If any hazards are left from the previous steps, it will lead to cracks in the pill or a conflict of medicinal properties, resulting in a wasted pill. It requires a philosophy of being slow yet orderly, and steady yet swift!

Refining a batch of Replenishment Pills takes only a quarter of an hour—thirty minutes. They are primarily refined using Five Essence Grass and Spirit Grain, supplemented by common first-grade spiritual items such as Spirit Spring Water, Imperishable Root, Long Fragrance Fruit, and Honey Liquid.

Before the Cold Dragon Alchemy Technique could refine a [Cold Dragon Pill] to condense a "Cold Flame Seed," it was merely an ordinary alchemy technique with nothing special about it. Consequently, Wang Yu's refining was also quite ordinary.

Half an hour later, a batch of Replenishment Pills was completed. Five pills were produced, all of medium grade. Because his fire control skills were not yet refined, the success rate was affected. In truth, a thorough understanding of the formula can improve the quality of the pills. Of course, the profundity of the alchemy technique also affects both quality and success rate; it is a comprehensive factor.

In short, Wang Yu's mind understood it, but his hands were slow. This would gradually change as his alchemy skills improved. Immediately after, the second batch was Spirit Recovery Pills.

They were completed without incident: six pills in total, two of high grade and four of medium grade. The situation was slightly better.

Looking at the two bottles of spiritual pills in his hands, Wang Yu skimmed off one Replenishment Pill and two high-grade Spirit Recovery Pills, delivering only four of each. A bit of reasonable "wastage" was necessary—otherwise, how would he make a fortune?

Even so, when he pushed the door open to present the pills to Elder Zhu for inspection, he received words of immense praise.

"Excellent skill. It is not impossible for you to refine high-grade spiritual pills in the future. This is the employment contract for the Xu Family Pill Shop, certified by the sect. If you agree, you can sign it immediately."

Wang Yu took it and inspected it, instantly shocked by the earnings of an alchemist. As expected of a rare production-type profession, one could make big money.

The price offered by the Xu Family Pill Shop was two hundred spirit stones per month. It seemed low, but he had worked at the Tantai Medicinal Garden for half a year and only earned two hundred contribution points. While the latter was more precious, this was a monthly income; half a year would equal 1,200 spirit stones, which could be considered a high salary. It was enough to buy two high-grade Cold Blood Pills.

There were requirements for the alchemy: ten batches per day, half being Replenishment Pills and half being Spirit Recovery Pills. The failure rate must not exceed 20%, and the yield per batch must be no less than three pills.

With two and a half hours of refining time, plus the time needed for recovery in between, the daily workload would be about five hours, occupying almost the entire day. Calculating it this way, he suddenly felt a sense of exploitation.

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu spoke: "Elder Zhu, there is no problem with this contract, but the duration needs to be changed to one year. Ten years is too long."

"That can be negotiated," Elder Zhu said with a smile, inviting Wang Yu to a side lounge, his words concise. "The shop needs to make money, so we will also provide you with some pill formulas for free. In other words, we have a duty to cultivate you. Alchemist Xu will occasionally give you pointers, saving you a great deal of time."

Wang Yu still shook his head. "Ten years is too long. I will only sign for one year."

"Eight years."

"One year."

"Six years."

"One year."

Seeing that Wang Yu was unyielding, Elder Zhu continued, "Offering high compensation is about looking at long-term benefits. The shop does not make money on this aspect; in fact, we lose money to cultivate you. If you want to reduce the time, your monthly income must also be reduced."

Faced with such familiar sales tactics, Wang Yu almost had a stress response. He took a deep breath before asking, "By how much?"

"One hundred."

"Farewell!"

Wang Yu refused to budge, adopting an attitude of "then I'm leaving." Elder Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, fine, fine. One year it is. No reduction in benefits, but you will not receive the shop's cultivation resources."

"Deal."

After modifying the contract terms, Wang Yu checked them repeatedly before signing and pressing his thumbprint. The document was made in triplicate: one for him, one for the shop, and one for the Sect's Law Enforcement Hall.

Working at the Xu Family Pill Shop, he could save enough spirit stones to buy a high-grade Cold Blood Pill in at most a month. Once he did that, he wouldn't have to worry about his slow cultivation progress anymore.

"A pleasure doing business with you."

"A pleasure."

After bidding farewell, Wang Yu returned to his ordinary disciple's cave dwelling. In another year or so, his strength would undergo a transformation. On the other hand, he could also consider purchasing a magic tool.