Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Dual-Body Longevity Pill, The Flower Blooms in an Instant

After hearing what Han Baiyan from the Han Family Commerce Association said, Yang Chan found that the situation with the three-hundred-year-old Fragrant Celestial Flower was much as he had anticipated. Of course, this was likely only part of the story, and the full details were probably more complex. Still, since he was already in Yun City, he had to make the trip and try to get it. If that failed, he would consider other plans.

Although he had never refined the Zhao Family’s Longevity Two Body Pill, he could certainly attempt it. The difficulty of refining this elixir was comparable to the Lantian Jade Refining Pill and didn’t require Earth Fire. For Yang Chan, it wasn’t a difficult task.

The primary difficulty in refining the Longevity Two Body Pill lay with the Instant Flower. The refining had to happen at the exact moment the flower bloomed, so perfectly grasping the timing was crucial.

"Thank you for the information, Steward Han."

Yang Chan clasped his fist in thanks. This detailed information was more than enough and would save him a significant amount of time.

Now aware of the situation, Yang Chan wasted no time and headed straight for the Zhong Family estate. Han Baiyan had already prepared the directions for him, and since the route was simple, he could go there directly.

The Zhong Family estate was also near Yun City’s main street. As one of the city’s old, established families, they naturally owned a significant amount of land within its walls.

The family compound was vast and easily recognizable. Yang Chan reached the Zhong Family estate in no time. After stating the purpose of his visit, he was invited inside.

Once inside, Yang Chan stated his identity and the reason for his visit. Before long, the Zhong Family Patriarch personally brought out the three-hundred-year-old Fragrant Celestial Flower and offered it to him as a gift.

This was clearly an expression of goodwill, an attempt to use the opportunity to build a relationship with Yang Chan.

A Pharmacist from the Cyan Yuan Sect was certainly worth the cost of befriending, and giving away a three-hundred-year-old Fragrant Celestial Flower was a small price to pay.

Take the Han Family, for example, one of the eight great merchant families of Qing State. Weren’t they also going out of their way to help him, all to close the distance between them? This result was well within Yang Chan’s expectations.

Once he learned of the relationship between the Zhong and Han families, he understood why the Han Family’s previous attempts had failed.

Of course, Yang Chan had no intention of accepting it for free. ’Nothing is ever truly free.’

In the end, Yang Chan offered three First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pills in exchange. He had initially offered Cyan Spirit Pills, but since the Zhong Family had no Inner Masters, he opted for the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pills, which aid in the breakthrough to the Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens.

It made little difference to Yang Chan, so he completed the exchange.

He left the Zhong Family estate with the three-hundred-year-old Fragrant Celestial Flower he needed. One objective was complete.

Next, Yang Chan proceeded to the Zhao Family estate. Following the same script as before, he was quickly invited inside.

The Zhao Family had, of course, tried to invite Pharmacists from the Cyan Yuan Sect to refine the Longevity Two Body Pill. However, it was evident that no one had been willing to make the trip to Yun City.

They either considered the reward too small or lacked the skill to refine the pill.

Intermediate Pharmacists couldn’t be bothered with the Zhao Family’s reward, so the trip wasn’t worth their time. Most Basic Level Pharmacists were incapable of refining the pill, and the few who could were focused on advancing to the rank of Intermediate Pharmacist.

Take Yang Chan himself. He had initially dismissed the opportunity. If not for the unexpected situation with the Silver State Secret Realm, he would never have gotten involved, let alone traveled all the way to Yun City.

The Zhao Family was therefore stuck in a difficult predicament. In truth, if they could have obtained a Lifespan Extension Pill, which grants ten years of life, they wouldn’t have needed the Longevity Two Body Pill at all, as its effects were superior. However, the Lifespan Extension Pill was far more difficult to refine and incredibly expensive.

The competition for it was also much fiercer. It wasn’t that the Zhao Family hadn’t tried to obtain one; they simply never stood a chance. The people vying for Lifespan Extension Pills were the old ancestors of wealthy and powerful factions, and the Zhao Family was completely out of their league.

With Yang Chan’s arrival, he was naturally treated as a guest of honor. As the Zhao Family Patriarch spoke with him, he subtly probed Yang Chan’s Alchemy Ability. Upon learning that Yang Chan could even refine Cyan Spirit Pills, he was overjoyed and readily agreed to the task, even increasing the reward by twenty percent.

He also promised that if Yang Chan successfully refined elixirs from both sets of ingredients, one of the finished pills would be his to keep.

The Zhao Family possessed two Instant Flower plants, both unbloomed. They had been using special techniques to suppress their flowering, waiting for a Pharmacist capable of the alchemy to arrive.

If Yang Chan hadn’t appeared, they would have lost control of the flowers in a matter of days, and their Old Ancestor would have had to give up all hope. Now that Yang Chan was here, he was viewed as a savior.

Yang Chan’s identity as a Pharmacist from the Cyan Yuan Sect was worthy of the Zhao Family’s respect in its own right, let alone at such a critical juncture.

The Zhao Family offered to let Yang Chan rest and get into peak condition, but he refused. After receiving the ingredients and the formula for the Longevity Two Body Pill from them, he immediately began contemplating the refining process.

’The difficulty isn’t high. It might even be simpler than refining the Lantian Jade Refining Pill. The only reason people say they’re equally difficult is because of the timing issue with the Instant Flower. Once that’s handled, the rest is easy to solve.’

’Since it doesn’t require Earth Fire, as long as I control the temperature well, the chance of error is even lower.’

Naturally, Yang Chan had no intention of wasting time here.

The Zhao Family had already prepared all the ingredients for the Longevity Two Body Pill. They handed everything over to Yang Chan, explained how to induce the Instant Flower to bloom, and then everyone left the room.

Generally, Pharmacists perform alchemy alone. This serves to protect their personal techniques and prevent any hidden methods from being observed.

Public alchemy, like what was seen at the Pharmacist Assembly, was quite rare. Even in that setting, many participants deliberately held back, with some even making intentionally misleading movements.

Yang Chan was well aware of these deceptions; he had noticed them before. He simply observed without getting worked up about it. In fact, he found it more useful to try and discern the true refining techniques from others even as they deliberately held back. He considered it a form of training for himself.

’The Instant Flower... it blooms in a flash. Then, the blossom is refined, melted by high heat into a medicinal liquid, and integrated into the mixture...’

Yang Chan began the refining process methodically, adding the ingredients one by one. He controlled the temperature using a special Cloud Charcoal. This particular charcoal, native to Yun City, was made from the wood of the Cloud Tree. It could sustain a burn for a long time and also ignited extremely quickly.

As Yang Chan concentrated on his work, the medicinal liquid in the pill furnace gradually fused. The process went even more smoothly than he had expected. The refining difficulty really was much lower than he thought.

Before long, the fragrance of a forming pill—the Pill Fragrance—began to fill the room. At this sign, Yang Chan’s focus sharpened. This was the most critical stage. He had to perfectly manage the fluctuations in heat, or the concoction would turn to char.

As Yang Chan controlled the temperature, he removed pieces of Cloud Charcoal one by one. Soon after, one Longevity Two Body Pill was successfully refined.

For this type of elixir, only the purest essence of the ingredients was used. After the medicinal liquids fused, only a single pill would form, which was why its value was so high.

With the first pill a success, he repeated the process for the second batch. It went exceptionally smoothly. However, after successfully refining the second pill and putting it away, Yang Chan deliberately left behind the dregs of a failed attempt in the pill furnace.