Mangba was somewhat disappointed when he heard this. He scratched his bald head with his palms like a palm leaf fan and muttered to himself, "This herbal medicine picking is really like robbing money. If I had known earlier, I would have sent my son to Wanyaozhai as an apprentice."
Of course, this was just talk. Becoming a qualified medical apprentice wasn't easy. Even for trainee apprentices, the elimination rate was terrifying. Those who didn't study hard and had no talent would be eliminated in the first round.
Furthermore, the white orchid fruit was only discovered by Yan Qingshan's astonishing observation skills. The Little Medical Fairy only recognized it after Yan Qingshan pointed it out. An ordinary trainee apprentice wouldn't have been able to find it even if Yan Qingshan pointed out the white flowers.
Yan Qingshan observed his surroundings with the corner of his eyes again, then turned to Mangba and asked, "By the way, Uncle Mangba, what do you want to talk to me about!"
Mangba slapped his head and pushed Yang Wu beside him out, "It's not me who is looking for you, it's Yang Wu who is here to thank you."
Yang Wu was the mercenary whose life was just saved by Yan Qingshan. He carefully handed a shiny white crystal core to Yan Qingshan, cautiously as if afraid of being rejected, "Brother Qingshan, thank you for saving me too. This is a small respect, please accept it!"
"It's nothing. We are all in the same team, and it's only natural to help each other. Let's not talk about thank you or not."
Yan Qingshan waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing, and shook his head and said, "You should take back the crystal core of the red ice snake. It's not easy for you to come out, there's no need to be like this. If you really want to thank me, then protect the safety of our herb-picking team from now on.
In addition, I would like to ask you to try to help me find some wood-attributed magical beasts. The first-level magic cores of wood-attribute can be of some use to me."
"Alright! You kid..."
Yang Wu was about to say something when Mangba slapped him on the shoulder, interrupting him. Pointing at Yan Qingshan and then at Xiao Yixian, he smiled and left.
"Yan, Brother Yan!"
Xiao Yixian's gaze shifted slightly. Yan Qingshan smiled, retracting a hint of his fiery gaze. He spoke softly, trying to close the gap between them. The girl's nervousness subsided, and she burst into laughter.
Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yixian searched for a few more common herbs near the cliff before rejoining the others. However, no one noticed that Yan Qingshan's eyes were filled with an unfathomable depth as he departed.
...
At the north entrance of Qingshan Town, a fully loaded carriage, guarded by over a hundred people, arrived at the entrance of Wanyaozhai. After paying the mercenaries, the herbalist team entered the storehouse with their load of herbs.
Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yixian stored the collected herbs in the warehouse. After receiving a generous reward, he quickly returned to his cabin, eagerly immersing himself in his thoughts.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
There were faint prompting sounds in Yan Qingshan's ears, with excitement and nervousness on his face. Countless streams of information were intertwined in his mind, and several of them were showing various progress.
: Foundation-building spiritual liquid: purple-leaf orchid grass, two five-year-old bone-cleansing flowers, one first-level wood magic core… 99.9%
Qi Gathering Powder: four 50-year-old black-leaf lotuses, two mature snake saliva fruits, a 20-year-old spirit gathering grass, and a second-level water-attribute magic core… 60%
Blood Clotting Powder: one blood clotting grass, one vitality fruit, two poppy flowers… 80%
Blood Lotus Pill: blood lotus essence, ice spirit flame grass, fourth-level water-attribute magic core… Progress… 20%
Three-striped Green Spirit Pill: Green flame grass, black gastrodia… 11%
Recovery Pill: Red Spirit Recovery Fruit 3%
Earth Spirit Pill: Earth Core Fire Ganoderma, Dragon Beard Ice and Fire Fruit, Green Wood Fairy Vine, sixth-level water-attribute magic core… 0.1%
Yan Qingshan concentrated on waiting for the arrival of the final moment, with incomparable tension and expectation in his heart. If he succeeded this time, it would mean that his idea was correct, and then he would have the first capital to rise in the Douqi Continent.
To achieve his rise, Yan Qingshan naturally devised plans to strengthen himself. Leveraging his formidable memory, he foraged through several complete elixir recipes from novels he'd read, using Dawn to deduce them.
Dawn's calculations were based on his cognitive database. As long as he'd experienced the specific effects of these herbs, entered them into the complete data, and through big data deduction and filtering, it was possible to deduce the complete elixir formula. That's
right, a complete elixir formula. A true elixir formula isn't just a list of ingredient ratios; it also includes processing methods and detailed procedures. Even with these, alchemists often make mistakes. Yan Qingshan, knowing only the ingredient ratios, would have been a complete failure if he'd just tried it head-on.
Fortunately, he still had Dawn. Dawn couldn't solve problems through scientific research, but with enough data, it could perform endless deductions, theoretically deriving any feasible solution and its effects.
Yan Qingshan still remembered the effects and rough steps of these recipes, as well as some of the processes and final results. This made deduction much easier and more efficient, significantly increasing the likelihood of success.
Of course, Yan Qingshan couldn't find some of the precious medicinal herbs right now, nor could he access them or collect data. He couldn't develop any deductions based solely on the brief descriptions in the herbal compendium.
Furthermore, his mind was limited, so he could only prioritize his work. The first two recipes were his most urgent needs, requiring the highest resolution. The most important one, the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid, was already entering its analysis countdown.
Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
As the numbers after 0.1% continued to rhythmically tick, the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid recipe finally reached 100%. As a flood of information exploded in his mind, Yan Qingshan's smile widened, becoming a garbled spectacle.
Foundation-building spiritual liquid: three purple-leaf orchids, two five-year-old bone-cleansing flowers, and one first-level wood magic core.
Preparation method: Use fighting spirit to crush and stir the three purple-leaf orchids to extract the original liquid, add the bone-cleansing flowers and stir and soak them to the extreme, after the wood magic core is crushed, it is integrated into the medicine liquid at an ultra-high speed of more than 1500 revolutions...
The pill formula analyzed by Yan Qingshan is naturally different from the original one. It's not that he can't deduce the steps of the original pill formula, but his current conditions make it impossible for him to use such means to make medicine. Yao Lao is an eighth-grade peak alchemist, so it is of course easy for him to refine a foundation-building spiritual liquid. Pubfuture Ads
But Yan Qingshan's conditions meant it was impossible for him to use that method. The powder he was currently creating required more complex steps, and its effectiveness was far inferior to the Foundation Establishment Elixir. However, it was the best he could achieve under his current circumstances.
He remained undaunted, however. Things that could aid in Dou Qi cultivation were truly precious. Truly, he had struck it rich.
...
Five months later, near the end of the year, snowflakes fluttered down the Magic Beast Mountain Range. The snow-covered peaks blew against the biting cold wind, and the hushed forests were practically devoid of human or animal life.
In the backyard of Wanyaozhai, the once bustling main hall was now quiet. Wanyaozhai would be closed for the New Year.
Most of the apprentices would return home, but those without families, like Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yixian, remained at Wanyaozhai. At least they knew a few people there.
In Yan Qingshan's courtyard, a figure sat cross-legged in the bathing water. Time had flown by, yet he remained the same young man.
During his six months of training, the young man, though he often went out, spent far more time indoors than outdoors. Because he rarely saw sunlight and often soaked in the water, his skin became remarkably fair. While not handsome, he possessed a clean, beautiful appearance, possessing a certain ethereal aura.
"Huff, inhale, inhale..."
Yan Qingshan channeled his Dou Qi, causing the water in the tub to ripple gently. Within the ripples, streams of energy were drawn into his body with his inhalation and exhalation, nourishing and strengthening his own aura.
The pale green water shifted constantly, visibly thinning and fading. Meanwhile, Yan Qingshan's Dou Qi grew stronger and stronger. Finally, it reached its peak, nearing a threshold, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Finally... the ninth stage of Dou Qi."
Yan Qingshan slowly exhaled, a faint, dark aura emanating from it like a bolt of air, extending nearly three feet in the air. After concluding his practice, he felt a sense of relief throughout his body, his Dou Qi reaching its peak.
Reaching the peak of the ninth stage of Dou Qi in half a year, Yan Qingshan's cultivation speed was terrifying, but it was still far behind those real wall-hangers.
"I've reached the peak of the ninth stage of Dou Qi, so the next step is..."
Yan Qingshan walked into the room and took out a sealed jade bottle from a locked cabinet. This bottle, which looked like a warm jade, was not made of real jade, but a kind of high-quality wood called Jasper Tree, which was most suitable for storing powders.
"A month should be enough, but don't fail. If you lose this time, I don't know how long it will take to find the next set of materials!"
Yan Qingshan put it to his ear and shook the wooden bottle carefully, his eyes full of tension. "The Qi Gathering Powder requires four fifty-year-old black leaf lotuses, two mature snake saliva fruits, a twenty-year-old spirit gathering grass, and a water-attributed second-level magic core.
It also requires a qualified fourth-grade alchemist to painstakingly refine it. It is the most difficult of the fourth-grade elixirs and can help the ninth stage of Dou Qi break through to the Dou level.
The material cost of these things alone exceeds fifty thousand gold coins, and it also requires an alchemist, which is naturally not enough. "I can afford it. Fortunately, aside from the Water Magic Core, everything else I found in the Monster Mountain Range.
According to Shuguang's deduction, this should be the most suitable recipe for my current conditions. A month of storage should be enough to dissolve the most difficult Water Magic Core. The resulting concoction won't be as good as a true Qi Gathering Powder, but it should still have the same effect as the Qi Gathering Spirit Fluid before it's formed into a pill.
This is already quite good for me; it's better than just a direct attack without any support!"
With trepidation, Yan Qingshan opened the sealed bottle for a month. A refreshing fragrance filled his nostrils, and just a sniff revitalized his Dou Qi. He gazed at the green-blue liquid within, as thick as honey and as translucent as glass.
After unsealing it, he didn't hesitate and poured it into his mouth, swallowing it in large gulps. The concoction he had prepared was no match for a pill; its medicinal properties would be lost once the seal was broken, making it impossible to preserve for long.
Therefore, he could only take the medicine immediately after confirming its effectiveness and then strive for a Fighter. As for whether he could achieve the status of a Fighter, it all depended on whether God would give him the favor.
After drinking the medicine, Yan Qingshan trembled and dropped the wooden bottle. Then he returned to the somewhat cold bath and sat cross-legged, starting his journey to become a one-star Fighter.