Chapter 270

  Enduring Eternity (II)

  We were finally leaving this damned place.

  ... but little changed, truth be told, as we still had to navigate the exact same situation, just without the threat of being attacked. We were down to the last few lanterns, and the corpses were still there--something we were reminded of when Xing Feng started screaming at the top of his lungs.

  The boy passed out from the fear and shock and was now being lugged about by Wan Lan, who was occasionally sending bursts of Qi into him to keep him asleep.

  The poor thing has had enough trauma.

  Six-Flower Pill, according to Lao Shun, wasn't a secret, ancient alchemical recipe of any sort; rather, it was something that even common beggars could get their hands on.

  The reason why it was so precious, however, was twofold: one, it was extremely difficult to concoct and required one to be at least a Soul-Grand alchemist, and two, two of the ingredients for it were tentatively considered extinct.

  There were still instances of them being found, but the method to rear them was gone, and they could not be found anywhere in nature. One of those ingredients, Plume of the White Sparrow, was also used for concocting a World-Shedding Pill, one of the most sought-after pills, as it all but guarantees a breakthrough into the Shedding Mortality Realm.

  And, from the implications, it sounded like the 'big' one, as it were, since those who break through into it can live upwards of 30,000 years, while the realm before it, the True God Realm, allows for 'only' around 9,000 years of life.

  ... yeah.

  Only.

  The bastard actually used the word only.

  Thanks to him, though, I've gotten a clearer picture of realms beyond the Void Transformation. It went Inner World, then a Demigod, then a Sovereign, Immortal Foundations, True God Realm, and Shedding Mortality Realm.

  Per Lao Shun, the Grandmaster of the Alchemy Tower actually went a step further and reached Nirvana Realm, the first prerequisite of the so-called Ascension, which is, well, ascending into the higher plane, likely the one where Long Tao was originally killed.

  The expanded knowledge only made my head hurt that much, as it meant we needed to start speeding through these realms a bit quicker, truth be told.

  ... I mean, I am being greedy, considering that the old alchemist is over 500 years old yet is 'only' at the Inner World Realm, but, shit, I don't want to spend literal thousands of years in mediocrity!

  Which brought me back to my system.

  I needed to actually start creating some fundamental arts to serve not just me but all my future disciples. I just barely squeaked by with the kids here, namely because most of them already had their own methods, but Xing Feng... doesn't really have one. Neither do I.

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  The system's upgraded to 400 points, and I'm just shy of 700, which means I'm due for creating a proper cultivation method to carry me at least to the Void Transformation Realm, if not further.

  The question is... what kind? Do I just make something uber-generic?

  ... yeah, probably. Situations like Light or Wan Lan or even Dai Xiu shouldn't be the norm, I don't think, whereas they have very specific requirements due to their bloodline or physique.

  There was also Long Tao; part of me was, selfishly, hoping he'd offer a method or two, since he likely had a library of them in his head, but he never did. Honestly, I don't think it's because he doesn't want to--I genuinely believe it's because he really doesn't know any. At least any that the kids could use right now.

  So, that leaves me.

  I hadn't touched the system since Rayce's little toy, and I noticed I'd been using it a lot less recently--though, in fairness, that's because getting points has been a literal nightmare.

  Hmm?

  Wait.

  The quest!

  Didn't I complete the quest?!

  Let's see, let's see...

  [... Creation Points: 3,699]

  HOLY SHIT!

  WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME KNOW, YOU DAMN SYSTEM?!

  There was something else... aah, here it is! The three 'Flawless Foundation Pills'.

  [Flawless Foundation Pill: fixes major flaws of one's foundation, turning it perfect]

  [--special quest generated]

  Hmm? What's this now?

  [Host may use the 3 pills as the currency to instead purchase 'Flawless Foundation Pill Recipe'. Note: despite miraculous effects, the pill is not impossible to concoct even within Host's current circumstances]

  Hm.

  Hmm.

  Hmmmmmmm.

  I looked over at Lao Shun, who must have felt my gaze, and tilted his head, as though asking, 'What?'. Should I sack three pills on the chance we might make an infinite number of them?

  ... honestly, yeah.

  While three pills are great, I've got way more than three Disciples. And then there's me--though my body's purified, and I achieved a very special Core and whatnot, the truth is that the flaws obtained during the previous owner's life are still very much here.

  So, I accepted the 'special quest'.

  The three marble-sized and cream-colored pills disappeared from my spatial ring, and in their stead was now a string of words and letters in my head.

  I whipped out a parchment and some ink, jotted them down, and turned toward Lao Shun again.

  "Hey," I called out.

  "What?"

  "Umm, do you think you can concoct this?" I recognized precisely two ingredients off the list of seven, so I'm already quite doubtful about the system's claims, but hey... hope dies last.

  "What is it?" The man took the parchment and looked over it with disinterest until a bit deeper, when his expression began to wildly distort. "T-t-this... this is... F-Flawless Foundation Pill Recipe?"

  "Yes. I mean, without the stutters, but yes."

  "Where did you get this?!!"

  "Can you concoct it or not?" Please, please, please--nobody ask me where I get my things. That's a surefire way to have me lobotomized faster than I can say, 'We tried that back in my world; it doesn't work!'.

  "C-can... I mean, yes, of course I can! A couple of these ingredients will be a bit tricky, but I actually have precisely two batches of all of them. I don't think I can succeed in two batches... but if we get lucky at the Moon Market and purchase a few extra, then yes, of course I can! Haah, seriously. My heart nearly stopped!"

  "Mr. Alchemist, what is the Flawless Foundation Pill?" Rayce asked rather politely, as everyone else turned to listen in, too.

  "It's precisely as its name suggests--a pill that fixes all flaws in one's Foundation. Unless you're born into a Divine Family or to an Emperor or an Empress who can ensure perfection every step of the way, all of us, naturally, form flaws as we cultivate, especially during breakthroughs. Ordinarily, if they're not too massive, it doesn't change much; but having a perfect Foundation also means that you can practice certain Arts or Methods that are otherwise impossible, or even more simply, your dantian becomes practically impossible to destroy externally."

  "Oooh!"

  "Forget it. I must succeed in making at least one batch!" he said. "Once we exit the forest, we'll find a nice quiet place, and I will concoct one batch even if I have to die!"

  ... oh.

  I think I just awoke something in him that I should have probably let slumber...

  Oh uh.