Chapter 53: Becoming Famous in the Immortal Cultivation World
Li Yu had chosen the Ziyun Peak's villa. The deacon disciple didn't say much. He gave him three jade tokens and said, "This is the jade token for entering the formation at your residence. As long as you carry it with you, you can enter the formation. If three are not enough, you can come here to make more. You only need to pay ten spirit coins for one."
Li Yu played with the jade card in his hand for a few times. There was a mountain mark on the front of the jade card, with the word "Ziyun" written in small characters on it. There was also a number below, sixty-nine, representing the house number.
There were some complicated patterns carved on the back of the jade token. Li Yu guessed that they were array patterns, but he didn't understand array formations and couldn't figure out what they were.
The three jade tokens serve as keys. Usually, only Li Yu and Zhou Zixuan live in the villa, so three should be enough.
After choosing the villa, the deacon disciple took him to another hall. Before entering the hall, Li Yu smelled a strong medicinal fragrance. After entering, he found that this was a huge pharmacy. The whole hall was filled with medicine shelves, and on the shelves were placed all kinds of fresh spiritual herbs and medicines, but the quality was not very high.
The deacon disciple took Li Yu into a stone chamber in the main hall and said to an old man in the stone chamber: "Elder Wu, this is a newly promoted first-grade alchemist. I brought him here to get the herbs."
Elder Wu looked up at Li Yu and said in surprise, "Isn't this the champion of this competition? He was promoted to a first-class alchemist so quickly..."
In the Kunlun alchemist world, Li Yu is well-known to everyone.
After being surprised, the old man asked the deacon disciple, "Have you told him the rules of alchemy?"
The deacon disciple said, "I have already told Senior Brother Li."
Elder Wu looked at Li Yu again and said, "Which one do you choose, refining pills or training disciples?"
On the way here just now, the deacon disciple had already told Li Yu what he needed to do after being promoted to a first-grade alchemist.
As a first-rank alchemist, he receives a high subsidy from the sect every month, and these spirit coins are not obtained for free.
They have to undertake certain alchemy tasks. If they fail to complete the tasks for many times, their status as first-grade alchemists will be downgraded and their high subsidies will be cancelled.
There are two main types of first-grade alchemists in the sect.
One type needs to bring disciples, like Elder Han. Because they have other things to do, they need to refine fewer pills every month.
The other type is purely engaged in alchemy. Compared with Elder Han, although there are no trivial matters to bother them, the monthly alchemy task is more onerous.
For Li Yu, the more arduous the alchemy task, the more commission he would get, so he had already thought about it and said, "I choose alchemy."
Elder Wu nodded and continued, "If you only refine pills, a first-grade alchemist must refine at least 100 first-grade pills for the sect every month, and the sect will subsidize 1,000 spirit coins. If you refine a maximum of 500 pills, the sect will subsidize 5,000 spirit coins. Of course, you can also choose 200, 300, 400... The specific amount is up to you."
Li Yu made elixirs, the more the better.
He didn't think much about it and said, "I choose five hundred."
Elder Wu glanced at him and said, "Think carefully. If you refine 500 pills every month, you won't have much time to practice. If you can't , you won't get the 5,000 spirit coins."
Refining pills is extremely laborious. An average first-grade alchemist would feel exhausted after refining two or three batches in a row, and would need at least a day's rest before he could continue refining.
Alchemists also need to practice. Unless they are very short of spirit coins, most people will choose the lowest tier, which is 100 spirit coins per month.
He chose five hundred pills, and during this month, he had to spend at least five or six hours every day refining the pills, leaving him no time for practice.
Li Yu didn't rely on his own practice, so he said, "I have thought it through."
Elder Wu stopped trying to persuade him and said to the deacon disciple, "In that case, take him to get the herbs."
After watching the two of them leave, he shook his head and sighed, "After all, he is young and energetic. When I was his age, I could refine five furnaces at a time. Now I can only refine one furnace, and I feel a little overwhelmed..."
Not long after, Li Yu came out of the hall.
The task he received was the highest level, which was to refine 500 first-grade pills for the sect every month. Theoretically, one portion of material could produce at most ten pills, so to make 500 pills, at least 50 portions of material were needed.
But there will definitely be losses when a normal person makes pills. Producing ten pills from three portions of materials is already very good, and this is also the sect’s minimum requirement for alchemists.
Therefore, Li Yu collected 150 copies of the materials here.
Among them, fifty are used to refine pills for the sect, and the remaining one hundred are Li Yu's own. With one hundred bottles of first-grade pills and the subsidy from the sect, he can earn at least 50,000 spirit coins a month.
If there were no purchase limit on Tongmai Pills, he could buy fifty pills a month, and in just over half a year, he would be able to complete the cultivation of all five spiritual veins.
It was a pity that he could only buy three pills a month through normal channels. If there were more good things like the Apprentice Competition, it would be better. There would be no limit on the number of Tongmai Pills awarded, and he could get them on the spot, so he wouldn't have to buy three pills every month...
After leaving Lingyun Peak, Li Yu came to Danding Peak to pack up.
In fact, there was nothing much to pack, just a few pieces of clothes. He put all other important items in the space ring. Li Yu came back mainly to say goodbye to everyone.
When Elder Han saw Li Yu, he was surprised and exclaimed, "You passed the test so quickly?"
Li Yu smiled and said, "Thank you, Elder Han, for the books."
Han Tiancheng shook his head and said, "Your talent is still good. If you can become an alchemist by reading books, then everyone in the world of immortal cultivation will be an alchemist..."
Seeing that Li Yu was wearing the same clothes as himself, which symbolized a first-level alchemist, Han Tiancheng couldn't help but sigh.
It took him more than twenty years to go from an apprentice of alchemy to a first-grade alchemist. Only after he had built his foundation could he successfully refine first-grade pills. Now, another hundred years have passed, and he is still a first-grade alchemist. He has taken the exam to become a second-grade alchemist several times, but each time ended in failure.
It only took Li Yu half a year to learn alchemy from the beginner level to become a first-class alchemist, which made him feel confused for a while.
Han Tiancheng said: " You should be moving away, where did you choose the villa?"
Li Yu said: "Purple Cloud Peak."
Han Tiancheng was a little surprised and said, "Why did you choose that place? The people living there are all old guys..."
In the world of immortal cultivation, old guys are different from each other. For example, Elder Han looks to be in his fifties or sixties, but he is actually over a hundred years old. Elder Sun looks to be in his seventies or eighties, but he is actually close to two hundred and fifty years old. In the eyes of the former, the latter is naturally an old guy different from them.
Li Yu smiled and said, "I like a quieter environment..."
The two chatted for a few more sentences, and Li Yu said goodbye to Elder Han, and then said goodbye to Senior Brother Zhao and several other familiar senior brothers and sisters. Senior Brother Zhao and the others looked at him with envy.
There seems to be only one test difference between an alchemy apprentice and a first-class alchemist, but in fact there is a world of difference between them.
The first-grade alchemist had a better salary than the average foundation-building elder. He didn't have to worry about cultivation, nor did he have to do dangerous tasks. He would just make elixirs in the sect on weekdays. In addition to exchanging spiritual coins for cultivation, he could also have a lot of spiritual coins left over. It was the most enviable profession in Kunlun...
At the gate of Li Yu's courtyard, Wu Tong looked at him with some emotion and said, "You're leaving now..."
As neighbors, Li Yu smiled and said, "If you want to refine any elixirs in the future, you can come to Ziyun Peak to find me. I will charge you a few less spirit coins."
Wu Tong took out a book from his arms and said, "I'll give you this book. I just spent a lot of money to buy this new edition. It has a lot of updated content. You and Junior Sister Jiang are both on the list this time. I haven't had time to share it with you yet, and you're leaving..."
Li Yu was stunned for a moment. Jiang Li had a Heavenly Spiritual Vein, so it was fine for him to be on the Tianjiao list, but what kind of list was he on? Li Yu looked at Wu Tong and asked uncertainly, "Me?"
Wu Tong patted his shoulder and said, "What's with that expression on your face? Do you think the Kunlun Sect's alchemy apprentice competition is some insignificant little competition? This is Kunlun. The winner of the annual competition is also very popular in other sects. Although you are not on the list of geniuses, you are on the list of extraordinary people. If you don't believe me, just look for yourself..."
Li Yu took the book, turned to the last page, and sure enough, he saw his name on it.
Not only a name, but also a portrait.
Li Yu, male, 18 years old, Kunlun Sect’s alchemy genius, entered the realm of heaven and man in the new alchemy apprentice competition, defeated Dan Yangzi, Changchun Zhenren and other two fourth-grade alchemists’ direct disciples, and won the championship. According to reliable information, he has a very close relationship with Kunlun Sect’s Xuan Zhen Patriarch’s disciple, Tian Lingmai genius Jiang Li...
Li Yu looked at his portrait. He didn't know who painted it, but it was so vivid and at least made him look 90% handsome.
He couldn't help but feel curious and asked Wu Tongdao, "Who compiled this book?"
Wu Tong smiled and said, "One person can't compile such a book. This is the largest independent cultivation organization in the world of immortal cultivation, Xiaoyao Sect. It collects information from disciples of various major sects. It is generally updated once a year. It is not only popular in our righteous way, but also in the demonic way and the Central Dynasty. There are also many people buying it. I didn't expect that they really included you in it. Li Yu, you are going to be famous now..."
Li Yu's eyes widened: "This thing is also sold in the magic sect?"
Wu Tongdao: "Of course, Xiaoyao Sect is the largest independent cultivator organization. Its sphere of influence covers both the righteous and evil sects, the Central Dynasty, and even the Western Buddhist Kingdom. Only the Southern Border Demon Court does not have their people..."
In Li Yu's heart, he had already cursed those people from Xiaoyao Sect.
Why don’t you cultivate yourself to be an immortal and write a book instead!
He could only comfort himself in his heart that the enchantress might not even read such boring things, or maybe she was forgetful and had forgotten that she had arranged an undercover agent in Baiyun Temple...
