49: Sequence 10
Zhang Sheng did not expect the first batch of qi gathering pills to be a success.
Continue!
The second batch of qi gathering pills came out of the furnace.
"Skill: Alchemy (qi gathering pill) (Proficient: 8/100)"
Although he could not deliberately refine Low Grade Medicinal Pills by adding extra Materials like he did with spirit food pills, refining a batch every half hour meant his skill progress was still increasing rapidly.
In the third batch, Zhang Sheng refined 9 First-Tier Medium Grade qi gathering pills. By the afternoon, Zhang Sheng's Alchemy level had reached Proficient, allowing him to refine high-grade qi gathering pills.
His Alchemy time was also cut in half; he could produce a batch in 15 minutes.
Even for the high-grade qi gathering pills, Zhang Sheng did not consider consuming them; instead, he decided to list all the refined qi gathering pills for sale.
Last time, because he lacked sales experience, he had only sold a single First-Tier Low Grade spirit food pill for 50 spirit beads. Thinking back, it was a massive loss; after all, it was still a First-Tier Medicinal Pill.
This time, Zhang Sheng listed the First-Tier Low Grade qi gathering pills for 100 spirit beads each; the First-Tier Medium Grade qi gathering pills for 200 spirit beads each, and the First-Tier high-grade qi gathering pills for 1000 spirit beads each.
Take it or leave it; regardless, his shop was the only one selling qi gathering pills on Myriad Treasures Net, and Zhang Sheng even felt he was selling them a bit too cheaply.
Thanks to previous large spirit bead transactions, Zhang Sheng already had a personal shop gifted by Myriad Treasures Net, allowing him to list items for sale directly, though previously they had to be sent to the school warehouse for verification.
Myriad Treasures Net would deduct a one-percent transaction fee and a one-percent personal income tax from the trades.
Zhang Sheng did not realize that this action had directly alarmed the Deans of the War God Academy and the Spiritual Plant College.
"Is this the high-grade qi gathering pill that Zhang Sheng intends to sell?" Dean Yan asked, holding the Medicinal Pill that Ma Chengming had handed him.
"Dean, it is indeed the Medicinal Pill sent over by Zhang Sheng! I have already used a Low Grade qi gathering pill, and the medicinal effect is the same as the ones Zhao Xue previously refined!" Ma Chengming said excitedly.
"Good! Very good! This means Zhang Sheng's Talent is definitely capable of refining High Grade Medicinal Pills! Quick, hurry and buy up all the pills Zhang Sheng has listed!" Yan Xueli said hurriedly.
"Rest assured, Dean. As soon as he listed them, I used my administrative privileges to buy all of his Medicinal Pills."
"Good!"
At this moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open!
"Old Yan, is what you said true?" Hou Wu walked quickly to the desk.
"Look at this Medicinal Pill!"
Hou Wu took the Medicinal Pill handed to him by Yan Xueli.
"The medicinal power is pure, warm and smooth like jade; it really is a high-grade qi gathering pill!"
"Dean Yan, it seems we need to have a serious talk with him!"
"Dean Hou, in order to refine high-grade qi gathering pills for the other eight, Zhao Xue has neglected her own Cultivate. It is too difficult to rely on her alone. If Zhang Sheng joins and they refine qi gathering pills together, Song Xian will be able to reach a higher Realm sooner!"
"But the Nine Extremes Spirit Gathering Array is only enough for nine people to Cultivate. If we let Zhang Sheng join the Sequence Members, how should we arrange his benefits?"
"Dean Hou, I have already thought of a solution for this. I just contacted Zhao Xue. Because she has to refine Medicinal Pills, she spends most of her time not Cultivating in the Spirit Gathering Array. Zhao Xue is willing to split half of her time each day for Zhang Sheng to use, so they can take turns using the Spirit Gathering Array and taking turns refining Medicinal Pills."
"That is indeed a good solution! Now it just depends on Zhang Sheng's side!"
...
In the Alchemy room, Zhang Sheng's Smart Terminal on his wrist vibrated.
He had clearly set it to Do Not Disturb mode!
As his ability to refine qi gathering pills reached the Proficient level, Zhang Sheng could refine a batch in 15 minutes. After finishing the batch he was working on, Zhang Sheng saw that it was a message from Dean Yan of the Spiritual Plant College.
He hurried to Dean Yan's office, only to find Dean Hou Wu of the War God Academy there as well.
"Hello Dean Yan! Hello Dean Hou! Sorry, I was refining a batch of Medicinal Pills just now and was delayed a bit," Zhang Sheng said respectfully.
"It's alright, Zhang Sheng. We asked you to come today because Dean Hou and I have an important matter to discuss with you!" Dean Yan said solemnly.
...
Join the Sequence Members? The Spirit Gathering Array?
Yan Xueli told Zhang Sheng everything about the training plan for the Sequence Members and the benefits of the Nine Extremes Spirit Gathering Array.
Only then did Zhang Sheng realize that the Sequence Members existed; they were the true elite being trained by the First Cultivation University of Huaxia.
"Dean Hou, Dean Yan, student Zhang Sheng is willing to join the Sequence Members. However, it is impossible for me to help other Sequence Members refine qi gathering pills all the time, so I have one condition!" Zhang Sheng said neither servile nor overbearing.
He certainly did not want to join the Sequence Members only to become a tool for Alchemy.
"Oh? Tell me about it," said Hou Wu.
"Dean Yan's arrangement is that Zhao Xue and I each use it for twelve hours a day. My suggestion is that for every 12 hours I use the Spirit Gathering Array, I will provide 9 high-grade qi gathering pills. As for how to distribute these 9 pills, that will be up to Dean Hou to arrange!"
"You brat!" Hou Wu smiled.
"9 pills is a bit too few. Even if it is a High Grade Medicinal Pill, one can only accelerate the circulation for 10 small circulations. How about 18? It cannot be any fewer; this is the Spirit Gathering Array, after all!"
"Deal! 18 pills it is!"
Zhang Sheng had originally thought he would need to provide more; 9 pills was just room for Dean Hou to bargain.
18 high-grade qi gathering pills took only half an hour to make; trading them for 12 hours of use in the Spirit Gathering Array was a huge profit!
With this, Zhang Sheng became the tenth Sequence Member in the Huaxia Sequence plan.
Under the guidance of Dean Hou Wu, Zhang Sheng arrived at the cultivation hall deep underground.
The circular platform in the center was likely the Formation Plate, and surrounding the Formation Plate were dense spirit beads, supplying spiritual power to the Spirit Gathering Array.
And the destination of the spiritual power was the nine men and women sitting around it.
Zhang Sheng could feel immense spiritual power from all of them, and one of them was Song Xian, who had wielded the giant sword in the live stream.
The rich spiritual power on his body was like a scorching fire in Zhang Sheng's Spiritual Eye Technique, which even the other eight combined could not match.
Besides Song Xian, Zhang Sheng also saw a familiar figure.
"It seems her name is Leng Qinghe. I didn't expect her to be a Sequence Member too. Her entire temperament has become much colder; perhaps the death of that uncle was too heavy a burden for her."
With Hou Wu's arrival, everyone who was Cultivating stood up together.
"Everyone, today you will welcome a new partner, Sequence Member Ten: Zhang Sheng, who, like Zhao Xue, is capable of refining top-tier Medicinal Pills!"
"Zhang Sheng, my name is Song Xian, Sequence Member One. On behalf of the Huaxia Sequence Members, I welcome you!" Song Xian said, applauding.
"Lu Zhuo, Sequence Member Two. Zhang Sheng, we have met before; I knew you would definitely join us."
The person speaking was the one who accompanied Dean Yan to test Zhang Sheng's Awakening Rank last time, still wearing glasses, looking like a refined scoundrel.
"Lin Yidong, Sequence Member Three." Lin Yidong's expression was stiff, his social anxiety attributes maxed out.
"Lin Jin, Sequence Member Four, skilled in using a spear."
"I am Sequence Member Five, my name is Wang Yu. I saw you staring at our beautiful Leng Qinghe just now; it wouldn't be love at first sight, would it?" A handsome boy walked toward Zhang Sheng.
But in the blink of an eye, his figure changed drastically, turning into the appearance of Leng Qinghe, and he said playfully: "Student Zhang Sheng, how is it? Do I look good!"
"Wang Yu!" the real Leng Qinghe said angrily!
"Do I look good or not?" The voice was exceptionally sweet and cute.
Zhang Sheng looked at the playful "Leng Qinghe" in front of him, then looked at the other angry Leng Qinghe, and couldn't help but frown.
"Wang Yu, stop messing around! Change back immediately!" Dean Hou said helplessly.