Unrivaled Medicine God, page 29
"Yuan-er, I heard that you had a deathmatch with that brat from the Wan Family whose surname was Fei, right after you returned to the academy? And that you finished him off with your Third Level Essence Qi Realm strength? That is so satisfying! Yii? Y-you . . . already broke through to the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm?"
Just now, Ye Hang did not notice yet. But as he was talking, he discovered that Ye Yuan's aura was much stronger than before he left. Clearly, he already broke through to the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm, so he could not help but be astonished.
"Haha. I was fortunate and broke through two days ago. I also passed through three advancement tests consecutively yesterday. Now, I'm already an Earth Rank student."
Ye Yuan was not showing off, but it was because he knew that his father was in a lousy mood. So he found something to cheer him up. It was clear just how much effort he expended from how worn out Ye Hang looked. Ye Yuan felt his heart ache just by looking at him.
As expected, when Ye Yuan told him that, Ye Hang immediately perked up and exclaimed in delight, "The heavens had opened their eyes! My son really became competent! That brat from the Wan Family only just advanced to become Earth Rank, but my son only used a month to do the same! What a resounding face-smacking difference! Hahaha!"
After a bout of hearty laughter, Ye Hang gradually quietened down. But the joy on his face could not be concealed.
Suddenly recalling something, Ye Hang frowned slightly and asked him, "Yuan-er, it's naturally a good thing for your strength to advance so quickly. But would it affect your future cultivation?"
Ye Hang's worry happened to coincide with Jiang Yunhe's. This concern was not without reason.
Cultivating the Martial Dao always focused on moving along carefully each step of the way. It was cultivation's great taboo to neglect a solid foundation in pursuit of a temporary spurt of progress.
Ye Yuan's advancement was truly too rapid. As a father, he was naturally concerned whether or not his son's foundation was unstable, and if it would affect future cultivation.
"Don't worry, Father. I know what I'm doing. The cultivation law that Master passed on to me is highly mystical. If I didn't fear that my cultivation realm rising too quickly would affect my foundation, it wouldn't be a problem for me to cultivate to the Seventh or Eighth Level Essence Qi Realm right now," Ye Yuan replied indifferently.
After he said that, Ye Hang calmed down even though he was still a little worried.
The Master in Ye Yuan's dream was unfathomable and passed him so many techniques. He most likely would not harm him.
"Then it's alright. Oh right. You just went to the academy a while ago. Why did you return to the capital again? Do you lack cultivation resources?"
The matter of Ye Yuan participating in the alchemist test was only decided yesterday. Ye Hang did not receive the news yet.
"In four days' time, a party from the academy will undergo a group test at the Alchemist Association. I'm here to take part in the alchemist test."
"Alchemist test? Oh. You can refine Heart Inch Fissure. So taking the Alchemist Apprentice test is obviously not an issue. It's just that the alchemist test only has three chances. Yuan-er, your experience is still too little after all. Are you confident?"
The way Ye Hang saw it, Ye Yuan definitely failed countless times before he succeeded in refining the Heart Inch Fissure back then.
Nobody knew him like his father. In the past, Ye Yuan basically never even touched alchemy before. How could one possibly increase the success rate of pill refinement without their technique being tempered through countless practices?
"I trained quite a bit these past few days, so it shouldn't be an issue." Ye Yuan smiled.
"Then that's good. Take these two days to adjust yourself properly to take the test in your best condition." Ye Hang encouraged him.
Ye Yuan naturally nodded and acknowledged those words. Following which, he took the opportunity to ask,"Father, when I just came back, I asked shopkeeper Feng. Are you worrying about the Essence Gathering Pill these past few days, Father?"
When Ye Yuan mentioned this matter, a trace of uneasiness flashed across Ye Hang's face. But it was quickly covered up as he smiled and said, "Yuan-er, you just have to cultivate well in the academy. Don't worry about what's happening at home. Wan Donghai couldn't do anything to your father after so many years. This time around, it's obviously going to be the same."
Ye Yuan let out a sigh and said, "Father, I'm already grown up. This kind of low-level lie won't work on me."
Ye Hang gave an awkward look. "H-haha. Actually . . . this time around . . . it's a little bit problematic."
"Father, Master taught me many areas of alchemy in my dream. There is a type of medicinal pill called Explosive Yuan Pill. The medicinal effects are multiple times of the Essence Qi Pill. It should help you tide over the crisis this time," Ye Yuan said solemnly.
"Multiple times? You are talking about Tier 2 medicinal pills, right? Then it's useless." Ye Hang shook his head. He did not think that there were any Tier 1 medicinal pills with multiple times the medicinal effects of the Essence Qi Pill.
However, Ye Yuan shook his head and said, "Not a Tier 2. It's only a Tier 1 medicinal pill."
"What? A Tier 1 medicinal pill? Multiple times? How is that possible?!" Ye Hang stared wide-eyed at him, with disbelief written all over his face.
Chapter 55. Shocked Inwardly |
Modifying a matured medicinal pill formula to improve its medicinal effects was an extremely difficult thing.
Ye Hang was already a low-rank Alchemist Grandmaster, and even he could not improve the medicinal effects of the Essence Qi Pill. It was clear at a glance just how challenging that was.
As for creating a new Tier 1 medicinal pill with medicinal effects multiple times that of the Essence Qi Pill? That was merely a fantasy. Otherwise, how could the Drunken Star Manor's Essence Gathering Pill possibly give Ye Hang such enormous pressure?
And now, the fantasy really became a reality. Imagine the shock in Ye Hang's heart.
Ever since Ye Hang stepped onto the Alchemy Path, he had never heard of any Tier 1 medicinal pills with medicinal effects multiple times that of the Essence Qi Pill over the past few decades!
But Ye Yuan said that this Explosive Yuan Pill actually had such a miraculous effect!
Ye Hang was extremely conflicted right now. Reason told him that this was entirely a lie. But the person who uttered this lie was his son. So should he believe it or not?
After sucking in a deep breath, Ye Hang gave a pained look and asked, "Yuan-er, you aren't joking with father, right?"
But Ye Yuan just smiled and said, "Why don't you try it to see for yourself, father?"
Ye Hang quickly stood up and dragged Ye Yuan along. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the pill refinement room!"
"Don't be anxious, Father. I still have something to tell you." Ye Yuan did not move.
"Aiya. If there's anything, we can talk about it later. Refining the Explosive Yuan Pill is the top priority." Ye Hang already could hardly wait.
This concerned the survival of the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion. Even though Ye Hang looked calm on the outside, he was actually incomparably anxious on the inside.
The Fragrant Medicine Pavilion was the fruit of his life's labor. No matter how sanguine about it he was, he was not willing to watch the monkeys scatter overnight when the tree falls.
However, Ye Yuan was not anxious at all. Pulling his father back to his seat, he smiled and said, "Explosive Yuan Pill is just a minor thing. I have countless pill formulas that Master passed on to me. What I'm about to say is the crucial thing. Just be a little more patient, Father."
Ye Hang was a little perplexed. "What could be more important than saving the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion? En, En, alright, you talk, I'll listen."
Ye Yuan returned to his seat and said seriously, "There were many miscellaneous things that Master imparted to me in my dreams. But there are two sets of techniques I need to inform you about, Father. The first is called the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art. The other is called the Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation. Father, you can switch to these two cultivation laws. 1 I believe that in the future, the Tranquil Cloud Sect would merely be a small sect to you."
Listening to the names of the two cultivation techniques that Ye Yuan said shocked Ye Hang greatly. This time around, the shock that he felt was even greater than hearing about the Explosive Yuan Pill.
"Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation? Is that a cultivation technique for cultivating soul strength?" A tremor could be heard in Ye Hang's voice. He was apparently very agitated.
Ye Hang did not know what the hell the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art was. But he immediately connected the name Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation to a soul cultivation technique.
It was impossible to use words to describe just how valuable soul cultivation laws were in a place like the State of Qin.
Even if the lowest rank soul cultivation law came into being, it would set off a blood storm. It simply could not be measured using monetary terms.
For martial artists, essence energy cultivation techniques were commonplace. It was just differentiated into whether it was good or bad. But something like soul cultivation technique was so rare that it made one's hair stand on end!
In comparison to essence energy, the soul was more arcane and veiled in mysteries. Wanting to create a set of soul cultivation laws was even harder than reaching the heavens!
Since ancient times, only major powers who had reached an exceedingly high realm in terms of soul cultivation and had an incredibly profound understanding towards the soul could create a soul cultivation technique that belongs to them.
The number of soul cultivation techniques was not even one in one hundred thousand of essence energy cultivation techniques. One could imagine the rarity of it.
However, the preciousness of soul cultivation techniques did not lie on increasing the strength of martial artists. In fact, how powerful a soul was had a very limited impact on the strength of a martial artist.
The prestige of soul cultivation techniques laid in that it could mass-produce alchemists! And what did alchemists mean? It meant endless medicinal pills. It meant that a sect could swiftly raise its strength!
Just imagine, if a sect had a large number of peak level Spirit Condensation Realm martial artists, but these martial artists were unable to break through due to limitations of their talent; at this time, the sect's alchemists obtained a book on soul cultivation laws, and their strength soared, enabling them to refine medicinal pills capable of allowing Spirit Condensation Realm martial artists to break through.
Just how terrifying would something like that be?
Alchemist was an occupation with a very low entry threshold but was extremely difficult to raise further.
The low entry threshold was because One Star Alchemist, commonly called as Alchemy Apprentice, had very low requirements toward soul strength. One could reach it with just the soul strength of an Essence Qi Realm martial artist.
However, there was an enormous threshold from Alchemy Apprentice to Alchemy Master. That was because for Tier 2 medicinal pills onwards, there would be a drastic increase in the soul strength required for the alchemist!
This threshold called soul strength had blocked countless potential alchemists outside its gate.
Every time a martial artist advanced a major cultivation realm, their soul would receive the nourishment from heaven and earth essence energy and experience a substantial growth from there. However, this sort of growth could not catch up to the increase in soul strength requirement for alchemists.
Feng Zhirou had been a high-rank Alchemy Apprentice for a long time and also broke through to the Spirit Condensation Realm long ago. Yet, she still could not become an Alchemy Master. The reason for that was insufficient soul strength.
Now, a set of soul cultivation laws was in front of Ye Hang. How could he not be agitated?
Ye Hang had remained a low-rank Alchemy Grandmaster for many years and was unable to break through all because his soul strength was lacking.
With the Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation, it was only a matter of time for Ye Hang to step into the middle-rank Alchemy Grandmaster!
Ye Yuan was right. That Explosive Yuan Pill and other matters were insignificant when compared to this Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation.
Even if he were beaten by Wan Donghai to the point where he could not retaliate right now, with this set of Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation, it would be as easy as flipping his hand to overturn the Drunken Star Manor in the future.
"That's right. This Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation is precisely a soul cultivation law technique." Ye Yuan gave his father an affirmative look.
'That's excellent! Excellent! Excellent! With this Thousand Augmenting Soul Incantation, Wan Donghai is nothing! Hahaha!"
One could tell just how excited Ye Hang was to say three 'Excellent' consecutively.
After his exhilaration, Ye Hang suddenly felt that something was not quite right. He asked Ye Yuan, "Yuan-er, these two cultivation laws were imparted by that expert. If in the future, he found out that you secretly leaked out his cultivation techniques by imparting them to me privately, wouldn't that make things hard for you? I-I better not learn them. You just tell me the pill formula for the Explosive Yuan Pill, and that would do."
Ye Hang gritted his teeth and rejected Ye Yuan's good intentions. But anyone could see the reluctance in those eyes.
However, Ye Yuan was shaken to his core.
He knew clearly the temptation a soul cultivation law had among alchemists. If one placed the throne, beautiful women, and a soul cultivation technique together, an alchemist would definitely choose the soul cultivation technique!
As an alchemist himself, Ye Yuan was all too clear on this point.
One could say that with a soul cultivation law, fame, status, and beauties would come forth one after another. How could an alchemist be foolish enough to choose the others?
After all, strength was the foundation for alchemists just like martial artists.
But Ye Hang would rather forsake the opportunity to become a high-tier alchemist for his sake. How could this not shock him?
Since reincarnating until now, every little bit that Ye Hang did for him came into his mind, heavily affecting Ye Yuan's heart. Unknowingly, tears started to fall . . .
Chapter 56. Pitiable Wan Yuan |
In both his past and present life, this was the second time Ye Yuan cried.
The first time he cried was when his father, Zhengyang Zi, was killed by that traitor while protecting him.
Even after experiencing life and death samsara, that scene remained equally vivid in his memory.
The pain which was engraved into his bones and heart also pushed the Ye Yuan today to cultivate diligently in hopes that one day, he could slaughter his way back to the Divine Realm and kill that traitor with his own hands.
This was the second time Ye Yuan cried. Even though it was not during a matter of life and death, Ye Hang's selfless fatherly love deeply touched Ye Yuan.
Ye Yuan had only felt this feeling from Zhenyang Zi before. Regardless of whether Ye Hang was his real father or not, that unconditional love for him was true.
Qingyun Zi inherited and was influenced by Ye Yuan's body. So he naturally felt close to Ye Hang.
In addition, Ye Hang's impression on the newly reincarnated Ye Yuan was pretty good. Ye Yuan felt guilty in his heart, so he acknowledged this father.
But deep down inside him, Ye Yuan only treated him like somebody he was close with and did not have that kind of true father-son relationship.
In Ye Yuan's heart, his real father was only Zhengyang Zi. Hence, he did not impart these things to Ye Hang previously.
But now, Ye Yuan approved Ye Hang as his father from the bottom of his heart.
Two lifetimes and both fathers had fatherly love akin to a mountain. It thawed Ye Yuan's heart.
At first, when Ye Yuan took out these two sets of cultivation laws, he was actually still a little hesitant. However, if Ye Hang were 'eaten up' by Wan Donghai, his future cultivation road would become increasingly difficult.
With Wan Donghai's personality, he definitely would not let the weakened Ye Hang off. Ye Yuan was currently still weak, and could not defend himself.
Thinking over and over again, Ye Yuan finally made this decision.
But now, Ye Yuan was wholly assured.
Looking at Ye Yuan's tear-stricken face, Ye Hang was alarmed and quickly asked, "What's wrong, Yuan-er? Did father say something wrong?"
Ye Yuan shook his head and said, "I'm fine. I was just feeling touched. I wasn't sensible in the past and made you worry. In the future, I will definitely become your pride!"
Hearing this, Ye Hang calmed down and was overcome with emotion. "Haha. Silly son. You even learned to become melodramatic. We are father and son. Aren't you treating me like a stranger by saying that? However, Yuan-er, do you know what made me relieved was not because you obtained some peerless expert's inheritance, but because you grew up and became sensible! Men should never look back, but to go forward with indomitable will until they break through this world!"
Ye Yuan was visibly moved when he heard that speech. It was rarely seen for someone like Ye Hang in a tiny mortal country to harbor such ambition.
Ye Yuan knew that Ye Hang's talent was not mediocre. What he lacked were resources.
As long as there were sufficient resources, Ye Hang's future accomplishments definitely would not be small.
Ye Hang was not more than 40 years old this year. He was still considered young on the road of martial arts, so the probability was still relatively huge.
Ye Yuan gave Ye Hang a bow and said, "This child has learned well. However, Father still has to learn these two sets of cultivation laws. There's nothing wrong with it. When that expert imparted these things to me, he didn't say anything about not allowing me to pass it on. So clearly, he left it up to me to decide. Furthermore, I'm not imparting it recklessly. You are my closest kin. I believe that he wouldn't say much if I pass it on to you."
