Chapter 313 Test

A moment later, Xuan Danzi took Shen Wen and left the Pill Tower.

The two headed north, passing through layers of spatial barriers before finally stopping in front of a towering mountain range.

The Shennong Mountain Range.

This was the secluded place where Old Man Shennong lived.

As soon as they landed, Shen Wen smelled a pungent medicinal fragrance. The scent was crisp and mellow; with just one breath, he felt refreshed, and the Dou Qi in his body even circulated slightly faster.

He looked up and saw several bamboo houses scattered in a mountain hollow in the distance. They were very simple, no different from the dwellings of ordinary mountain folk.

However, the surroundings of the bamboo houses presented a completely different scene.

Everywhere he looked, there were rare medicinal Materials that would cause Alchemists in the outside world to fight to the death.

Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Nine-Leaf Spirit Reishi, Dragon Blood Ganoderma, Seven-Colored Jade Reishi... the main Materials for refining Eighth Grade Pills grew here in patches like common weeds.

As for the Materials for refining seventh-grade pills, they were even more densely packed, covering the entire hillside.

Looking at this scene, a thought suddenly flashed through Shen Wen's mind.

If that girl Zi Yan came here, she would probably be so enchanted that she'd want to strip the entire hillside bare.

Xuan Danzi led him through the medicinal field to the front of a bamboo house.

Inside, an old man dressed in ordinary hemp clothes had his back to them, head bowed as he processed medicinal Materials in his hands.

The old man had a thin frame, his long grey-white hair was loosely draped, and he leaned on a walking stick.

The material of that walking stick was unknown; it looked as if it were woven from countless medicinal herbs. Over a dozen jade bottles of various sizes hung from it, swaying gently with his movements and making a crisp tinkling sound.

Old Man Shennong.

Shen Wen's heart steadied.

This was the Grade 9 Profound Pill Grandmaster, a Six-Star Dou Sheng, and the owner of the fifth-ranked flame on the strange fire ranking list, the Living Spirit Flame.

Old Man Shennong didn't even turn his head, as if he had known they were coming long ago, and simply said, "You've arrived?"

He paused, his hands not stopping, but he suddenly turned around, his gaze falling upon Shen Wen.

That gaze seemed cloudy, yet it felt as if it could penetrate through everything, leaving one with nowhere to hide.

"Come, process this medicinal material."

Old Man Shennong handed the pale-gold herb in his hand toward Shen Wen.

It was a medicinal material Shen Wen had never seen before. Its shape was peculiar, and a faint golden light flowed between its leaf veins, exuding an indescribable spirituality.

Shen Wen did not hesitate and stepped forward to take the herb.

Xuan Danzi watched from the side without speaking.

Old Man Shennong didn't speak again either, simply watching quietly to see how this young man would handle it.

Shen Wen looked down at the herb in his hand, and after just a moment, he began to move.

His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation.

Fallen Heart Flame surged from his fingertips, perfectly enveloping the base of the herb and slowly spreading upward. Meanwhile, his other hand gently rolled the leaves, sensing the flow of medicinal power within.

Sorting, cleaning, stripping, roasting... every step was as precise as if he had performed it thousands of times before.

A flash of surprise crossed Old Man Shennong's eyes.

He had originally thought this young man would at least need to think for a moment or ask about the herb's origin and characteristics.

After all, this was a unique herb he had painstakingly cultivated; it had never appeared in the outside world, and it wouldn't be recorded in any Pill Formula.

But Shen Wen was good; he got straight to work, and he did it quite impressively.

What surprised him even more was that Shen Wen's handling of the delicate parts was extremely accurate. He knew exactly what temperature would destroy the medicinal properties and what techniques would lose the essence, as if he were already intimately familiar with this herb.

Old Man Shennong couldn't help but turn to look at Xuan Danzi, his eyes filled with a bit of questioning.

Xuan Danzi's youthful face only wore a faint smile.

This is only the beginning.

His gaze seemed to say.

Old Man Shennong withdrew his gaze and looked back at Shen Wen.

A moment later, Shen Wen stopped his hands and respectfully handed back the processed herb.

"Senior, it is finished."

Old Man Shennong took the herb, scrutinized it for a moment, and the surprise in his eyes gradually turned into appreciation.

"Not bad."

He spoke, his voice aged yet full of vigor. "This Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng of mine has been cultivated for eight hundred years, and this is the first time I've let an outsider handle it. You, kid, didn't ruin it for me."

Shen Wen cupped his hands and said, "Senior overpraises me."

Old Man Shennong waved his hand, casually set the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng aside, turned around, and sized Shen Wen up.

"The zun ji pill, did you deduce it yourself?"

Shen Wen nodded: "Yes."

Old Man Shennong was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you know what a Medicinal Pill that allows a Dou Zun to increase by one star means?"

Shen Wen said, "It means allowing Dou Zun experts to break through their Bottleneck, and it means allowing the foundation of a faction to skyrocket in a short period of time."

Old Man Shennong nodded: "It's good that you know."

He paused, his gaze becoming deep: "If this thing gets out, the Dou Zuns of the entire Central Plains will look for you like they're crazy. Even those old fellows in seclusion won't be able to sit still."

"Can you withstand it?"

Shen Wen did not answer immediately.

He knew Old Man Shennong was testing him.

The value of the zun ji pill was too great, great enough to make countless people red-eyed with greed. Although he had the Pill Tower backing him and Xuan Danzi's protection, if those truly great powers—like the Ancient Clans—really moved against him, even the Pill Tower wouldn't be able to stop them.

Shen Wen was silent for a moment, then looked up, his gaze calmly meeting Old Man Shennong's.

"I cannot withstand it."

He said frankly, "That is why this Disciple has come to seek Senior's protection."

Hearing this, Old Man Shennong was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

The laughter made the bamboo house tremble slightly, and the jade bottles hanging on the walking stick tinkled loudly.

"Interesting, truly interesting."

Old Man Shennong stopped laughing and looked at Shen Wen, his eyes full of appreciation. "You, kid, are quite honest."

"The zun ji pill was deduced by you, but what about the refining? How many batches have you refined?"

Shen Wen said truthfully, "I've refined a few batches, the success rate is decent."

"Decent?" Old Man Shennong raised an eyebrow. "Then refine a batch for me right now and let me see it with my own eyes."

He paused and added, "Use that same technique you just used to process the medicinal material."

Shen Wen nodded: "I can do that."

He paused and then said, "However, the Materials for the zun ji pill are quite special. It requires Starflower, earth core fire lotus, Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade, Dragon Pith Ganoderma, Nine-Section Green Bamboo... a total of thirty-six main Materials and seventy-two auxiliary Materials."

After hearing this, Old Man Shennong turned to look at Xuan Danzi with a bit of a strange look in his eyes.

"Does this kid think my place is a pharmacy?"

Xuan Danzi smiled and didn't speak.

Old Man Shennong snorted and waved his hand.

The next moment, countless medicinal Materials appeared out of thin air, landing neatly on the open ground in front of the bamboo house.

Starflower, earth core fire lotus, Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade, Dragon Pith Ganoderma, Nine-Section Green Bamboo... not one of the thirty-six main Materials was missing.

The seventy-two auxiliary Materials were categorized, and the quality of each one was more than a grade higher than those Shen Wen had used before.

Shen Wen's eyelids twitched.

Any one of these medicinal Materials taken outside would be enough for ordinary Alchemists to fight over.

Here at Old Man Shennong's, it was as if they cost nothing.