"The Young Sect Leader is up quite early."
Li Huayuan walked into the courtyard, looking around, and finally his gaze fixed on Ji Chen, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
Because Li Huayuan could immediately tell Ji Chen's current cultivation was actually at the first layer of the Vein Condensation Realm.
This made him instantly surprised.
In his mind, this playboy Young Sect Leader was always indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, neglecting proper pursuits, still at the eighth layer of Qi Refining Realm at eighteen, he was simply a waste among wastes.
However, what he saw today was totally different from what he understood about Ji Chen.
Eighteen years old, first layer of Vein Condensation Realm cultivation, not particularly strong, but at least not inferior to others of his age.
There's something fishy!
Li Huayuan thought to himself like this and didn't waste words, he got straight to the point and took out the wasted pill he saw last night in the Pill Pavilion, showing it to Ji Chen, "Does the Young Sect Leader recognize this pill?"
"I don't recognize it."
Ji Chen shook his head without a moment's hesitation, denying it quite straightforwardly.
In fact, he recognized this elixir at a glance; it was the wasted pill he made in the Pill Pavilion yesterday.
Thinking back, he indeed seemed to have forgotten to take this wasted pill with him when he left yesterday, leaving it in the Pill Pavilion.
"Why is the Young Sect Leader denying it?"
Li Huayuan chuckled, "Except for you, no one else visited the Pill Pavilion yesterday, and Wang Ping also said you fiddled around in there for half a day, this pill..."
"Was made by you, wasn't it?"
As soon as he said this, Wang Ping, who had come along with him, was immediately startled.
He thought Elder Li was here at the Drunken Ink Residence today to hold Ji Chen accountable for trespassing the Pill Pavilion yesterday.
But never expected Elder Li would have such an astonishing statement.
What are you joking about?
Even though it's just a wasted pill, it's definitely not something a normal person could mess around and create.
It requires a lot of accumulated knowledge in alchemy to achieve that.
It's like asking someone who knows nothing about sword techniques to create a swordsmanship martial technique, and he really ended up with a half-finished martial technique.
Just thinking about such a thing feels impossible!
"Did you come looking for me just for this?"
Ji Chen decided not to pretend. Since the other brought this wasted pill, it showed he was quite certain it was his work, denying it would be meaningless.
Hearing the tone of Ji Chen carrying a hint of acknowledgment, Li Huayuan's expression turned serious, "The Young Sect Leader... is also an alchemist?"
This was asking the obvious, for in Li Huayuan's understanding, if he wasn't an alchemist, how could he have made such a wasted pill?
He just found it unbelievable and wanted a direct answer from Ji Chen.
"Sort of; I've casually made some pills before." Ji Chen spoke frankly.
He knew that besides being an honored guest elder of the Lingyun Sect, Li Huayuan also had strong backing behind him.
The Alchemy Master Alliance!
This is a very special force, not only in Chu Kingdom but also in all of the Ten Countries in the Profound Domain, they have considerable influence, and almost no one dares to offend them.
And with Lingyun Sect's current situation, if they could connect with the Alchemy Master Alliance, it would naturally benefit the sect's future development greatly.
Casually made some pills?
Li Huayuan apparently didn't believe Ji Chen's nonsense.
It's almost impossible for someone to become an alchemist without a mentor.
But at this moment, Ji Chen clearly didn't wish to speak the truth, so he couldn't probe too deeply.
In Li Huayuan's view, there must be a true alchemy grandmaster behind Ji Chen, guiding him!
Otherwise, how could Ji Chen be so young and already possess such high alchemy skills?
Judging from this wasted pill alone, Li Huayuan could almost confirm, that the Ji Chen before him, at least possessed Third Grade alchemy strength!
Whether it's martial arts or alchemy, it has always been the master who teaches.
If Ji Chen is truly a Third Grade alchemist, then in front of him, Li Huayuan would also be just a junior.
An eighteen-year-old Third Grade alchemist, just thinking about it feels insane!
It seems those so-called playboy reputations in the past were mere illusions, and there's a secret hidden in this Young Sect Leader that no one knows!
"You didn't come here just for this, did you? If there's anything else, just say it." Ji Chen spoke.
He didn't want to waste too much time since he still had to imprint martial techniques.
"May I ask the Young Sect Leader, your method of refining this pill..."
Li Huayuan finally voiced his doubts. He always felt this wasted pill was unusual, and the technique used during its creation was entirely different from his understanding.
"Just the normal refining process; there isn't any particular technique to speak of." Ji Chen replied.
However, the truth was different; his alchemy technique was indeed different from ordinary alchemists, a technique he had learned from the 'Supreme Scripture.'
The so-called Supreme Scripture is a very special secret technique, dual cultivation of pills and martial arts.
Not only could it accelerate the speed of martial arts cultivation, but it could also temper a person's spiritual power.
The strength of one's spiritual power determines the grade of the elixirs they can refine.
In the Drunken Ink Residence, Ji Chen invited Li Huayuan to sit down.
Now, Li Huayuan had long lost his usual high-and-mighty demeanor, just like a medicine boy with a thirst for knowledge, humbly seeking advice from Ji Chen, inquiring about some alchemy knowledge.
After several exchanges, he became even more shocked.
Because from just a few sentences, he realized Ji Chen's alchemical attainments were far more astonishing than he imagined!
Beside him, Wang Ping was stunned, standing quietly without daring to make a sound.
He never imagined that one day, Elder Li would be so respectful to a young junior, and what did he hear?
Elder Li was actually seeking advice on alchemy from the other person!
Moreover, this person was the well-known playboy Young Sect Leader throughout the entire Chu Kingdom.
Such matters, even in dreams, seem unbelievable.
"I wonder if the Young Sect Leader has heard about the Spirit Transformation Pill..."
In the end, Li Huayuan revealed the matter, hoping to get some help from Ji Chen.
"A Third Grade elixir..."
Ji Chen pondered for a moment, as the current world was different from his previous life, naturally with many different elixirs.
He was hearing about the so-called Spirit Transformation Pill for the first time too.
"If it's not due to insufficient spiritual power, then the issue should lie with the pill formula. If you don't mind, let me take a look at it." He suggested.
A pill formula is extremely precious, not something you can refine any Third Grade elixir just because you have the skill.
Everything hinges on having the pill formula for that specific elixir.
And usually, every pill formula is most treasured by each alchemist, never casually shown to others.
"The problem lies with the pill formula?"
Li Huayuan was taken aback but didn't hesitate, handing over the pill formula to Ji Chen directly.
"Your pill formula..."
Ji Chen merely glanced at it and slightly frowned, "Although I've never refined this elixir, I know the pharmacology, and the main ingredients listed in this pill formula clearly have conflicting properties. 'Blood Spirit Grass' is of extreme Yang nature, while 'Frost Flower' is of Yin nature. To successfully fuse these two materials requires extremely high alchemical attainment, otherwise, even regular Third Grade or Fourth Grade alchemists might not succeed even if they try a hundred times."