My Master Knows It All

64: Chapter 60 Heretical Golden Core_1 64: Chapter 60 Heretical Golden Core_1 “You two…” Cao Zhen saw that Gu Chengyu seemed willing to help him and quickly understood that the Elder in charge of the ground wanted to repay a favor.

He directly addressed them, “Do you know how to perform alchemy?”

Do you know how to perform alchemy?

Gu Chengyu’s old face turned red.

If anyone else had asked him that, he would have slapped them until their parents and master couldn’t recognize them, if only to justify his own alchemical skills!

But faced with such a sudden question from Cao Zhen, Gu Chengyu was quite conflicted.

To say he knew how?

Gu Chengyu really didn’t have the audacity to admit it in front of the other party.

To say he didn’t know how?

In the entire Hundred Peaks Sect, there were very few as skilled in alchemy as he was.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been made the Elder in charge of the ground at the Hidden Dragon Observatory of the Five-Element Pill Ground.

“I’ve learned a bit.” Gai Su’e reacted quickly, noticing Gu Chengyu stumbling over his words unsure how to respond.

He immediately grasped the difficulty the other was facing and hastily took over the answer.

“Good!

Having learned a bit is enough!” Cao Zhen clapped his hands and said, “You two want to repay a favor, right?”

Gu Chengyu didn’t expect Cao Zhen to be so straightforward and was stunned for a moment.

He nodded his head in response.

“I see we have a few unused pill furnaces here.

I’d like to use them,” Cao Zhen said, pointing to several furnaces.

“But my alchemy skills have reached their limit.

If you could help me watch the pill furnaces, could I refine a few more batches?”

To refine more?

Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but persuade him: “Why bother?

The Hidden Dragon Observatory is right here.

The Peak Master can come and perform alchemy anytime.

I can help the Peak Master watch the furnaces.

Instead of that, why not take this time to cultivate using the spiritual ground of the Hidden Dragon Observatory.

Though Situ Fengzhan is strong, he also has his weaknesses.

I could help the Peak Master with some targeted cultivation…”

“Opportunities to fleece somebody don’t come by every time,” Cao Zhen shook his head and said, “It might happen that before I leave the Hidden Dragon Observatory, the rule of the Five-Element Pill Ground that allows free material use for alchemy could change.

I’ll make the most of it while it still hasn’t.”

Gu Chengyu smiled bitterly and shook his head repeatedly, sighing inwardly.

After all, Four Treasures Peak was just one of the lesser peaks, its vision and scope were far from comparable to a place like the Hidden Dragon Observatory that held a broader perspective.

Even if your alchemical skills are strong, how much pill medicine can you consume by refining for a month here?

Do you think this is just some minor Four Treasures Peak?

This is the Hidden Dragon Observatory of the Hundred Peaks Sect!

Although you did use a significant amount of medicinal ingredients today, just one message via paper crane from me…

Forget about tomorrow, today!

The Hundred Peaks Sect could refill all the ingredients here today!

Cao Zhen could understand Gu Chengyu’s confident expression; the Hidden Dragon Observatory of the Hundred Peaks Sect was no ordinary place.

But the pills he was about to refine were not ordinary either.

Once these pills were refined, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Sect Leader wielding a sword to chase him around the Hundred Peaks Sect and cut him down.

If it weren’t for the rules of the Hidden Dragon Observatory, Cao Zhen wouldn’t have dared to attempt refining a pill that he might only have a chance to craft much, much later.

“Then I’ll trouble the two of you…” Cao Zhen bowed to them with a clasped fist and said, “Let me tell you about the alchemy technique required for my pill…”

Four hours…

Gu Chengyu took a full four hours to learn the pill prescription, and that was just to learn what Cao Zhen had taught him.

As for fully understanding and absorbing it, that was not something he could achieve in such a short amount of time.

If it hadn’t been for the various praises he’d heard within the sect, Gu Chengyu would have begun to doubt whether he had any talent for alchemy at all; just to learn a pill prescription and it took him four hours?

Was this the disparity between them in the field of the Alchemy Dao?

Gu Chengyu began to manage the pill furnace with doubt clouding his life.

It took Gai Su’e a whole eight hours to learn, and this lengthy learning process nearly drove him to the brink.

Was he still that respected Alchemy Master who was held in high esteem wherever he went?

Cao Zhen had no time to soothe their fragile pride, as he turned and began frantically searching for various medicinal herbs.

At this moment, Cao Zhen felt a trace of gratitude for Situ Fengzhan, who had come to cause trouble earlier.

If it weren’t for him, Cao Zhen might not have remembered that he needed to refine this particular thing.

One by one, boxes full of medicinal herbs on the wall were opened, and then those precious ingredients that not even Cao Zhen could afford even if he spent all his wealth, arrived in batches at the pill furnace.

After Gu Chengyu applied the alchemy technique and adjusted the flames for the Dragon Tiger Pill, he turned to Cao Zhen, hoping to get some affirmation from the Peak Master of Four Treasures Peak.

But instead, he saw the vast number of medicinal ingredients being plundered.

“This…” Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but cry out in disbelief, “Peak Master Cao…”

“They are all materials used for alchemy.” Cao Zhen, sensing Gu Chengyu’s shock, hurriedly said, “Doesn’t our Hidden Dragon Observatory have a rule that alchemists can use these materials for free?”

“That’s true, but…” Gu Chengyu, with an awkward and unsightly expression, said, “You still can’t waste them.”

“Rest assured, rest assured, there is no waste.” Cao Zhen, hearing that the concern was not about the quantity used but rather the fear of waste, naturally breathed a sigh of relief and replied easily, while his hands didn’t stop moving, continuing to add various medicinal herbs.

At this time, Gai Su’e secretly transmitted a message to the now speechless Gu Chengyu: “Elder Gu, have you forgotten Peak Master Cao’s alchemy abilities?”

Gu Chengyu transmitted back to Gai Su’e in the same secretive manner: “Little Gai!

Although I am not as good at alchemy as Cao Zhen, I still understand the basic theories…

Using medicinal ingredients in alchemy is never a case of the more the better.

Although Peak Master Cao’s Alchemy Dao is superior to mine, his current actions clearly show he is experimenting with various ingredients!

How can he waste such valuable ingredients on experiments to create new pills?”

Before Gu Chengyu finished speaking, Cao Zhen had already thrown the first batch of medicinal herbs into the roaring flames of the Pill Furnace.

Heartache!

Gu Chengyu felt a sharp pain in his heart and also started to understand why Cao Zhen would say that the rules would change; using so many ingredients to experiment with making new pills would certainly be banned by the Hundred Peaks Sect in the future, after all, even mountains of gold and silver couldn’t withstand such squandering.

Cao Zhen didn’t bother to look at Gu Chengyu.

Since crossing into this world, he had discovered that the world of immortal cultivation was actually not so different from the secular world: in the world of mortals, those with money and power were superior, while those without were relegated to the lowest tiers of life.

The same was true in the world of immortal cultivation—in the presence of strong fists, profound cultivation, and peerless divine skills, one was also superior!

Those with low cultivation were similarly not held in high regard, and at most, people would call you ‘Peak Master’ within allowed rules out of respectful fear but not dare to overstep.

So be it!

Why waste any more words?

While Hidden Dragon Observatory had so many abundant resources, he could also cultivate the external Alchemy Dao from Zhang Daoling’s immortal cultivation theories, pursuing a cultivation path combining both internal and external cultivation.

The inner core was completed through cultivation, while the external pill was made through alchemizing materials.

In the future, as he reached different realms, he would enhance different levels of alchemy to strengthen the external pill, using it to aid the inner core, which in turn would affect the external pill.

In some ways, the external pill could also be considered a treasure!

Only, it was not a purely genuine treasure, as it was still a mobile auxiliary pill assisting with cultivation.

Cao Zhen’s creation of a thousand types of spiritual medicine in one go was him following Zhang Daoling’s Alchemy Dao, which emphasized a thousand medicines for the Golden Core and ten thousand for the primordial spirit.

Even with the Five Immortal Bridges complemented by the Dragon Tiger Pill, they might only reach the Core Formation Stage; advancing to the Golden Core Stage would likely be impossible.

But how profound was Situ Fengzhan’s cultivation really?

Cao Zhen couldn’t see through the latter’s level, but he presumed he wouldn’t exceed the Golden Core Stage.

If he did, well…

then let the opponent experience the power of a self-destructing Heretical Golden Core during a fight.

Thousands of spiritual medicines, entering the Pill Furnace in different batches at different times, filled the furnace with endless raging medicinal qi, as if the spiritual medicine might explode and destroy the furnace and injure people at any second.

Gu Chengyu, while managing the Pill Furnace entrusted by Cao Zhen, was ready at all moments to exert all his mana.

If the new Pill Furnace Cao Zhen was controlling exploded, he would be able to save the other’s life instantly.

After all, an explosion resulting from these thousands of spiritual medicines could turn the Five-Element Pill Ground into ruins, a feat not impossible to achieve.

Gu Chengyu had thought it through: once the furnace exploded, if he saved the person, he would be seen as a lifesaver.

The past favors would then be repaid in full, not to mention Cao Zhen might even owe him one.

Afterwards, he feared both the Observatory head and the Sect Leader would assign blame!

When that time comes, if he steps forward to shield Cao Zhen, assuming responsibility for the wrath of the Observatory head and the True Person Sect Leader, then the Four Treasures Peak Master would owe him a great debt.

In the future, be it consulting on pill prescriptions or alchemy techniques, or asking for help with alchemy, he wouldn’t have to pay any fees!

Wouldn’t that be splendid?

Cao Zhen executed one arcane Alchemy Technique after another, and the boiling point that almost caused the furnace to explode was gradually brought under control.

Thousands of boiling medicinal qi threads began to fall into a regular pattern.

Is that even possible?

Gu Chengyu’s eyes were about to pop out in astonishment.

The Five-Element Pill Ground, which had just become lively due to the boiling medicinal qi, settled back to its usual calm with the qi becoming regular, with only the sound of the flames burning.

Gu Chengyu occasionally stole glances at Cao Zhen and inwardly sighed with relief, glad that the other had no idea what he had been thinking earlier…

otherwise, it would’ve been utterly embarrassing!

Cao Zhen’s entire focus was on the refinement of the “All-creatures Pill”…