Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

After the Scholar, Divine Monarch Zhi Yuan, presented the Primordial Yang White Ginseng and the Azure Heaven Crystal, the person to his right rose to present their gift.

All of them were renowned figures with a thousand years of Dao Practice, and they were attending Feihong Ancestor’s eight-hundredth birthday banquet. The gifts they offered were bound to be exceptional; at worst, they would simply be a tier below Divine Monarch Zhi Yuan’s.

But Feihong Ancestor didn’t mind, and the others certainly wouldn’t dare to. Even if they grumbled internally, they would never let it show.

After the first few guests had presented their gifts, Bai Fei rose. With a light flick of her sleeve, a Jade Pot appeared in her palm. "Three hundred catties of White Spirit Mountain’s secret-recipe Hundred Flowers Brew. I wish the Ancestor boundless fortune and longevity."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Feihong Ancestor beamed. "The Mountain Master is most thoughtful."

This secret-recipe Hundred Flowers Brew was different from the ordinary kind. It was made using flowers from White Spirit Mountain that were at least a century old. While its flavor might not have surpassed that of ordinary Hundred Flowers Brew, its Spiritual Qi was immeasurably richer.

A young attendant came forward with a tray and carried the Jade Pot away.

In the next moment, all eyes turned to Gu Zhao.

Bai Fei watched with a smile, Ye Yunsheng looked on with great interest, Yun Fei’ang’s gaze was sizing him up, and Mo Zichen appeared slightly nervous.

"Daluo Palace was only recently established and is not yet rich in resources. We have no Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to offer, so I have simply refined a few Elixirs from thousand-year-old ingredients. I wish Feihong Ancestor a life as eternal as the heavens and earth, and a swift Ascension by Riding the Clouds."

Gu Zhao patted the gourd at his waist, and a porcelain vial appeared in his hand. "The Red Centipede Ganoderma Pill. It helps one focus their mind, regulate their qi, and nourish their internal organs, which is highly beneficial to one’s cultivation."

His words immediately drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Their gazes were filled with a mixture of doubt, astonishment, and a touch of envy.

Feihong Ancestor’s eyes brightened. He stroked his beard and chuckled, "Excellent, excellent. My thanks, Gu Palace Master."

Another attendant came before Gu Zhao, holding a tray. He bowed slightly, his expression one of utmost respect.

Gu Zhao placed the vial on the tray and returned to his seat. He then heard Bai Fei’s voice transmitted to him, ’Are your pills really from thousand-year-old ingredients?’

Gu Zhao nodded. ’The primary ingredient is a Centipede Spirit with over fifteen hundred years of Dao Practice, supplemented with two types of eight-hundred-year-old ganoderma and two types of five-hundred-year-old Qinggan. The medicinal efficacy does indeed exceed a thousand years.’

Sensing the stares of the crowd, Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. ’It seems everyone is rather surprised?’

Bai Fei replied, ’Haven’t you noticed? Most of the Spirit Medicines presented earlier were all raw ingredients.’

Gu Zhao was struck by a realization. ’So no one here knows Alchemy?’

’It’s not that they can’t perform Alchemy at all,’ Bai Fei explained. ’Ordinary pills are one thing; you can figure them out through trial and error. But how could anyone dare to experiment with a one-of-a-kind Spirit Plant?’

Bai Fei gave a wry smile. ’One small mistake can cause the medicinal properties to conflict, ruining the pill. The potential loss just isn’t worth the risk. That’s why most people simply consume Spiritual Materials directly. That way, nothing is wasted.’

Gu Zhao nodded in understanding.

The situation Bai Fei described perfectly matched what Daluo Palace had experienced. After conquering various factions, they would always confiscate plenty of Artifact Refining Materials, but almost never any Alchemy Materials.

Since most people weren’t skilled in Alchemy, they just consumed any Spirit Medicine they found. It was a quick way to boost their combat strength. If they held onto it, their power might lag behind others, and if it was eventually taken from them, wouldn’t all their effort have been for someone else’s benefit?

But Daluo Palace was different. Among the many senior Daoists it had recruited, there were several great masters of medicine. Taoist Ming Chong was the most brilliant among them, having developed all sorts of pills, pellets, and powders.

When they used the whiskers from Purple Cloud Monarch’s ginseng form for Alchemy, even Purple Cloud Monarch himself was delighted to collect the finished products. When they held a pill-appreciation conference, friends from all over vied for a chance to attend.

This was why Gu Zhao had been operating under a misconception.

After all, the experts of this world were all proficient in Artifact Refining. In Gu Zhao’s mind, ’Aren’t Alchemy and Artifact Refining the two most basic skills?’

Daluo Palace had also started from scratch, studying Artifact Refining through Taoist Scriptures and Techniques, and researching Alchemy through medicine and pharmacology. Taoist Shen Hao possessed the greatest skill in Artifact Refining, while Taoist Ming Chong had the deepest expertise in Alchemy.

But it now seemed that while everyone was capable of Artifact Refining, Alchemy was a true technical craft that couldn’t be mastered just by having a high cultivation level.

The attendant brought the vial back to the seat of honor. Feihong Ancestor wasn’t so impatient as to inspect it in front of everyone. Yun Fei’ang, sitting across from Gu Zhao, shot him a dissatisfied glance before rising, cupping his fist to Feihong Ancestor, and presenting his own gift.

Yun Fei’ang also presented a Spirit Plant, which was considered a form of hard currency in this world.

...

After all twenty-nine experts had presented their gifts, Feihong Ancestor thanked each one. He then clapped his hands. The Dancing Maidens began to dance gracefully once more, the Musicians struck up a tune, and servants moved about like a flowing river, serving food and alcohol.

"Are you skilled in Alchemy, Gu Palace Master?" Ye Yunsheng asked curiously.

"I am not. An Elder in my palace is the one who is skilled," Gu Zhao said truthfully. He had only ever discussed Artifact Refining with Taoist Shen Hao and had never delved into Alchemy.

Ye Yunsheng asked in surprise, "You have an Elder in your palace performing Alchemy? How much Spirit Medicine must you have wasted to successfully refine a Spirit Pill from thousand-year-old ingredients?"

The corners of Gu Zhao’s lips curved into a smile, but he said nothing.

Artifact Refining was different from Alchemy. If Artifact Refining failed, the materials still existed. With careful separation, many of the Artifact Refining Materials could be salvaged. In fact, many Magical Treasures were forged from a single type of material.

But Alchemy was another matter entirely. If one used multiple types of Spirit Medicine and their properties conflicted, a failure in refinement meant the Spirit Medicines were utterly ruined.

This was acceptable for common herbs, but once a plant’s age reached several hundred years, each one was incredibly valuable. Even an expert with a thousand years of Dao Practice couldn’t bear to waste them.

Every Spirit Medicine had different properties, different pharmacology, and required different combinations. To research a single pill recipe, how much Spirit Medicine would one have to consume?

That was why Ye Yunsheng had been so incredulous.

However, Daluo Palace’s masters of medicine were unique. The Taoist Sect’s philosophy was one of integration with nature. They directly analyzed medicinal properties and pharmacology through the principles of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, then used Five Element combinations to activate the medicinal energies.

As long as their cultivation was sufficient, they didn’t need so-called pill recipes at all. They could concoct and refine pills directly based on the ingredients’ medicinal properties, creating exactly the elixirs they required.

Take the Red Centipede Ganoderma Pill, for example.

The Centipede Spirit was a one-of-a-kind ingredient with a fiery nature. Thus, Taoist Ming Chong had used a water-attribute ganoderma as the base, supplemented by the Wood Attribute Qinggan.

Water nourishes Wood, and Wood fuels Fire, which activated the Red Centipede’s medicinal power. At the same time, Water overcomes Fire, suppressing the centipede’s violent nature.

Therefore, Water served as the foundation, requiring two eight-hundred-year-old ganoderma. Wood was the transitional element, needing only two five-hundred-year-old Qinggan. And while the Red Centipede was the primary ingredient, its violent properties meant that very little of it was actually used.

However, for the pill to take effect, the Red Centipede’s properties had to lead the charge, so to speak—focusing the mind and conditioning one’s qi and blood. Hence the name, Red Centipede Ganoderma Pill.

Seeing Gu Zhao’s silent smile, Ye Yunsheng immediately realized this must be a secret art of Daluo Palace. He had pried too deeply.

Several others nearby came over to speak with him, their words full of enthusiasm, and Gu Zhao replied to each in turn.

Mo Zichen of Jinxing Platform also came over specifically to offer a toast. He made some small talk with Gu Zhao before asking curiously, "After the Nether Fire Sect was destroyed, I took a trip through Jiangnan. I noticed the disciples of Daluo Palace call themselves Daoists. I wonder, why is that?"

The moment Mo Zichen finished speaking, the pupils of Yun Fei’ang, who was sitting across from Gu Zhao, contracted. Though he made no other move, his ears had clearly perked up.