The Medicine Hall's Medicine Preparation Institute.
Yang Chan had delivered medicine here before, but he had never entered the inner courtyard.
The inner courtyard was heavily guarded. Rows of disciples stood watch around the Medicine Preparation Hall, as this was where the Cyan Yuan Sect stored the majority of its medicinal herbs.
All the various medicinal packets required by the entire Cyan Yuan Sect came from the Medicine Preparation Institute, where they were prepared by Pharmacists.
A Pharmacist's job was to combine various herbs based on their Medicinal Properties and Medicinal Qi to maximize their effects and prevent conflicting reactions. Because of this, Pharmacists held a relatively high status within the Cyan Yuan Sect.
The Pharmacists in the Cyan Yuan Sect were divided into three ranks: Basic Level, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Xu Gaocen was an Intermediate Pharmacist, a piece of information Yang Chan had learned through later inquiries.
The ranking system for Pharmacists was simple. Basic Level Pharmacists could prepare medicines needed by Official Disciples, including things like the Qi Nourishing Soup.
Intermediate Pharmacists could prepare medicines required for External Refining and could also perform Alchemy to create some Basic Level Elixirs.
Advanced Pharmacists could refine High-Level Elixirs needed by Inner Refining Experts. Their skills in medicine, prescription, and other areas were exceptionally outstanding, and achieving this rank was extremely difficult.
What Yang Chan knew was just the basics; even the people he'd asked didn't know the full details. Still, it was enough for him to see the path forward as a Pharmacist.
In the entire Cyan Yuan Sect, there were only two Advanced Pharmacists and ten Intermediate Pharmacists, Xu Gaocen being one of them. Yang Chan had gotten lucky; Xu Gaocen's previous Pharmacist's Assistant had just left, creating a vacancy.
Otherwise, new assistants would typically only be assigned to Basic Level Pharmacists.
While making his inquiries, Yang Chan overheard people talking about him. They didn't use his name, but mentioned that Pharmacist Xu Gaocen had taken on a new Pharmacist's Assistant after the Medicine Hall assessment, which greatly disappointed several others who had hoped for the position.
Some were even trying to find out who he was, but Yang Chan kept a low profile. He had no intention of showing off. When you get a good thing, it's best to reap the benefits in silence.
Since Xu Gaocen was an Intermediate Pharmacist, it meant he would definitely be preparing herbs for External Refining and even performing Alchemy. By assisting him, Yang Chan could also gain some benefits.
He might be able to obtain some of those External Refining medicines or Elixirs—not by stealing, but as a gift from the Pharmacist. Of course, this was only a possibility.
However, the Qi Nourishing Soup was a tangible benefit he was certain to receive, which already made the position well worth it.
Working alongside Xu Gaocen, one could only say the future looked promising. Even if he didn't receive any External Refining medicines, he could still watch his master prepare herbs and perform Alchemy, gaining valuable knowledge. This in itself was a huge advantage for Yang Chan.
Although Yang Chan's Ox Demon's Mighty Fist hadn't reached 100% mastery, it could be considered at the Great Success stage. Once he reached full Perfection, he would need to begin External Refining. After tempering his body to achieve Copper Skin, he could be promoted to an Elite Disciple. Of course, he could also choose to lie low in the Medicine Hall and become a Pharmacist.
By then, Yang Chan would have even more options.
Inside the Medicine Hall's Medicine Preparation Institute, the first things that met Yang Chan's eyes were countless medicinal herbs, a thick wave of Medicinal Qi, and a great number of busy people.
Inside the Medicine Preparation Institute, within its numerous herb storage rooms, were densely packed shelves filled with a vast quantity of ingredients. From what Yang Chan could see in front of him alone, there were at least a thousand different types, and the total number was surely far greater.
On these shelves were various engraved labels identifying the herbs they held. The sheer volume of herbs piled here astonished Yang Chan, especially because there were a dozen more rooms just like this one. He had never imagined the Medicine Preparation Institute held so many ingredients.
Compared to this vast quantity, the herbs he had seen being dried during his tasks as a Servant Disciple were just a tiny fraction. The Medicine Hall must have other channels for acquiring dried herbs. After these ingredients were prepared, they would be sent to various parts of the Cyan Yuan Sect for distribution and use.
Yang Chan wasn't sure how long this supply would last, but he guessed it wouldn't be very long. A considerable amount was restocked daily, yet the shelves throughout the Medicine Preparation Institute were never full, which meant they were being consumed just as quickly.
The Official Disciples of the Cyan Yuan Sect went through a batch of herbs every three days. The consumption rate for Elite Disciples, Elders, and others was naturally even higher.
Mission rewards, disciple assessment rewards, and so on all drew from these Cultivation Resources.
There were also Servant Disciples inside the Medicine Preparation Institute. These ones looked older, and Yang Chan had never seen them before. He figured they must be Servant Disciples exclusive to the institute, allowed to remain here only by meeting special conditions.
Yang Chan had heard that if certain conditions were met, one could remain in the Cyan Yuan Sect even after failing to comprehend Power within the three-year limit. However, he didn't know what those conditions were, nor did he need to.
These Servant Disciples were only responsible for following instructions and placing the herbs on the shelves, box after box, in great quantities.
Many of these herbs could not be found within the Cyan Yuan Sect's grounds, but grew deep in old mountain forests, in dark and damp places, or on sheer cliffs.
Harvesting these herbs was no simple task. It was time-consuming, laborious, and could even be deadly.
On those cliffs, a single misstep could lead to a fatal fall. During the harvesting process, one might even encounter venomous snakes or ferocious beasts—all of which were extremely dangerous.
His predecessor had managed to find a Centennial Ginseng on the territory of a white-browed, slant-eyed great tiger. He had risked his life, sneaking into its domain while the beast was out hunting, just to pick that single stalk of Centennial Ginseng.
The entire process was, without a doubt, a gamble with his life. His predecessor had won that gamble, but many who tried were not so fortunate.
The rare herbs in the Cyan Yuan Sect that required special growing conditions must have also been harvested by people risking their lives.
'Be mindful of danger even in times of peace. I must always remember that.'
Yang Chan silently reminded himself as he looked at the herbs.
He continued forward and saw that a Pharmacist had already entered and taken a seat at a main station. Once the Pharmacist was settled, several Pharmacist's Assistants appeared at his side and quickly arranged the commonly used herbs. As the Pharmacist called out names, they swiftly retrieved the required ingredients, placing them on the table one by one. They then weighed the herbs according to the Pharmacist's instructions, placed them on pieces of kraft paper, and presented them to him.
The Pharmacist picked up several types of herbs, smelled them, and inspected them before making his selections. In a moment, a packet of medicine was ready.
Yang Chan's eyesight was excellent, so he could tell that the prepared packet contained the ingredients for Qi Nourishing Soup. He recognized the materials required for it, though he didn't know the specific ratios.
Let alone preparing the medicine according to the specific Medicinal Properties of each herb—that required a certain level of experience.
Yang Chan could either spend time learning this skill, or he could use his Potential Points to upgrade his Pharmacist profession to Tier Two, Entering the Hall. Then he would be able to do these things as well.
A Pharmacist preparing medicine was far more effective than simply following a fixed ratio. Because he had an intimate understanding of the Medicinal Properties of the herbs he was combining, he could naturally create a packet with the best possible efficacy, yielding results far superior to any proportionally mixed concoction.