326: Improve alchemy skills

The scene shifted, and several days passed quietly.

Mu Chen was safely refining the medicinal power of the yuan-shaping creation pill in the secret chamber; his aura grew stronger day by day, and the broken meridians in his body were being reshaped, healed, and even becoming tougher and wider at an astonishing speed under the nourishment of the vast medicinal power.

His complete recovery was only a matter of time.

Outside the Xiao Family, however, the area had completely erupted due to the earth-shattering Pill Lightning that had occurred a few days prior!

Major forces within a thousand-mile radius had already confirmed a piece of news through various channels that left them incomparably shocked.

The Xiao Family had truly invited an Alchemy Grandmaster capable of refining seventh grade high-tier medicinal pills!

Moreover, this Grandmaster was surprisingly young!

Immediately, the area outside the Xiao Family's mountain gate was bustling with traffic and gathering guests.

Forces that were normally friendly, hostile, or neutral toward the Xiao Family all dispatched important figures, bearing generous gifts, to pay a visit.

The Xiao Family's originally spacious reception hall was practically packed these past few days.

Seated calmly in the main seat of the hall was Jiang Donghua, dressed in a blue robe.

He did not deliberately release his aura, but the composed demeanor naturally settled after experiencing life-and-death battles and refining high-tier medicinal pills, along with those eyes as deep as the starry sky, gave him an inherent, intimidating Grandmaster presence.

He didn't need to say much; merely sitting there was enough to make anyone dare not underestimate him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhen, the Xiao Family Ancestor, personally sat in a slightly lower position beside Jiang Donghua, wearing an appropriate smile, acting like a dutiful steward as he introduced the visiting figures to Jiang Donghua, while skillfully maintaining order within the hall.

"Master Jiang, this is the City Lord of Black City, Senior Shi Meng."

"Master Jiang, this is the Sect Master of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, Senior Yun Feiyang."

"And this is..."

Every force leader or representative who was introduced immediately stood up, bowed respectfully to Jiang Donghua, spoke in humble tones, and wore fawning smiles.

The gifts they presented were invariably priceless rare medicinal herbs, ores, or strange artifacts.

"I have long admired Master Jiang's distinguished presence, and meeting him today is truly the fortune of three lifetimes!"

"This meager gift is merely a small token of respect; we hope the Master will accept it!"

"If the Master has free time, we welcome him to be a guest in my Black City; my City Lord's Mansion will surely roll out the red carpet!"

Inside the hall, the atmosphere appeared lively and harmonious, but underneath, turbulent currents surged.

Everyone's eyes were intentionally or unintentionally focused on Jiang Donghua, attempting to decipher more information from his calm, unruffled expression.

Their hearts were filled with countless questions and conjectures.

Who exactly was this incredibly young Master Jiang? Who was his mentor?

What was his relationship with the Xiao Family?

Was it a temporary collaboration, or was there a deeper connection?

Why did he come to this relatively remote edge of the Northern Region?

Would he stay here permanently? Or establish a Pill Pavilion?

The answer to every question could directly influence the future power structure of this region!

Especially seeing Xiao Zhen, the Xiao Family Ancestor and a dignified Peak Dou Zong expert, sitting respectfully beside Jiang Donghua like a junior, his words and actions filled with awe, made everyone's hearts tremble.

This undoubtedly showed that Master Jiang's strength and status were far superior to Xiao Zhen's!

"The Xiao Family truly stumbled upon immense luck this time!"

Many people thought this with a mix of envy and jealousy.

Being able to establish a relationship with a Seventh-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster meant the rise of the Xiao Family was practically a certainty!

Their main purpose for coming now was to gain familiarity and see if they could also forge a connection.

Even if they only received a casual promise from Master Jiang, or could ask him to refine a pill just once, that would be a monumental opportunity!

Therefore, although the hall was filled with toasts and laughter, undercurrents were surging, and everyone harbored ulterior motives, observing and probing cautiously.

Jiang Donghua took all of this in and understood clearly.

He did not expose them, merely nodding occasionally or giving simple one or two-sentence responses, maintaining a detached silence for most of the time.

This mysterious and unfathomable demeanor made everyone feel he was even more profound, ensuring they dared not slight him in the slightest.

After dealing with days of continuous visits in the Xiao Family hall, Jiang Donghua began to feel a little bored.

These superficial social engagements held little meaning for him.

He was preoccupied with two important matters: first, quickly improving his mastery of alchemy, and second, gathering information about Red Silk and his master, Mo Xuan.

Therefore, he had an in-depth private discussion with the Xiao Family Ancestor, Xiao Zhen, and reached a series of clear agreements.

The core content of the agreement was simple: Jiang Donghua would temporarily reside in the Xiao Family as an honored guest Alchemy Grandmaster.

The Xiao Family, in turn, needed to spare no effort in gathering two types of information for him: first, detailed intelligence and clues regarding the whereabouts of Red Silk and the Hong Family; and second, searching for any trace of his elusive master, Mo Xuan, in the Northern Region of Central State.

In return, Jiang Donghua promised that he could refine medicinal pills for the Xiao Family, as well as for surrounding forces introduced by the Xiao Family that met his conditions!

Naturally, the rules were clearly established.

Self-Provided Materials: Those seeking pills must prepare all the necessary medicinal materials for the required pill themselves, and must prepare at least three sets to guard against refinement failure.

Compensation: Besides the medicinal materials, the seekers must also pay additional compensation based on the pill's grade and refinement difficulty.

This compensation could be gold coins, magic cores, rare materials, or other items specified by Jiang Donghua.

Withstand Pill Lightning: The emergence of seventh-grade pills inevitably attracts Pill Lightning.

The seeker must be responsible for resisting the Pill Lightning; Jiang Donghua is only responsible for refining the pill, not for defending against the lightning tribulation.

If the refinement fails due to the Pill Lightning, the material loss shall be borne by the seeker.

This agreement was truly a win-win situation for Jiang Donghua.

Firstly, he could leverage the continuous requests for refinement to practice extensively, rapidly improving his proficiency and success rate in refining seventh-grade pills, thereby laying a solid foundation for his future attempt at eighth-grade pills.

Secondly, he handed the tedious task of intelligence gathering over to the local power, the Xiao Family, allowing himself to focus on improving his strength.

Thirdly, he could use this to accumulate wealth and resources in preparation for future actions.

Xiao Zhen was naturally overjoyed and readily agreed!

For the Xiao Family, this agreement was like a windfall from heaven!

Not only could they greatly boost the family's prestige and influence using Jiang Donghua's name, but they could also gain favors and benefits from various forces during the introduction process, and, most importantly, prioritize their own demand for high-tier medicinal pills!

As soon as the Xiao Family released the agreement, it instantly caused a huge sensation among the forces within a thousand-mile radius!

"What? Master Jiang is willing to refine pills?!"

"Provide materials? Pay compensation? Withstand the Pill Lightning yourself? These terms... are extremely fair!"

"Quick, quick, quick! Immediately take inventory of the treasury! Find all the medicinal materials we have hidden away! This opportunity is rare!"

"Normally, trying to ask a Seventh-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster to refine a pill is simply wishful thinking! We couldn't even find a way in! Now the opportunity is right before us; we absolutely cannot miss it!"

All the forces erupted!

A Seventh-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster was an existence that was sought but rarely found for forces residing in this remote area!

Now that such a Master was willing to open his furnace and refine pills, even if the conditions were somewhat strict, it was enough to drive them mad!

In an instant, the Xiao Family's mountain gate was nearly overrun by representatives from various forces seeking pills.

Xiao Zhen was incredibly busy, but his face was constantly beaming with excitement; he strictly controlled the process, prioritizing the introduction of forces that had better relations with the Xiao Family or paid a sufficiently high price.

As for Jiang Donghua, he returned once again to the open-air alchemy platform on the back mountain.

Sets of precious medicinal materials were delivered.

He entered a state of frantic pill refinement.

Refining, collecting pills, resting, and refining again... Through repeated practical operations, his understanding of various seventh-grade Pill Formulas deepened, and his control over flames and the application of Soul Power became increasingly proficient.

Although there were occasional failures, the success rate was steadily increasing.

The sky frequently saw thunder clouds gathering, with bursts of Pill Lightning, prompting experts from all sides to stand ready and jointly resist the lightning, which became a unique spectacle on the Xiao Family's back mountain.

The name of Jiang Donghua, this mysterious and young Master Jiang, quickly spread throughout wider regions with every successfully refined seventh-grade pill.

The Xiao Family, riding this wave of momentum, saw its influence and prestige rapidly expand like a snowball, clearly establishing itself as the emerging overlord of this region.

During breaks between refining pills and cultivating, Jiang Donghua would also inquire with Xiao Zhen about the progress of the information gathering.

However, there were currently no groundbreaking clues regarding either the whereabouts of Red Silk or the trail of his master, Mo Xuan.

The Northern Region of Central State was simply too vast, and the information was complicated; searching for two people who were deliberately hiding or had suffered misfortune was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Jiang Donghua was not discouraged; he knew deeply that this matter could not be rushed.

Currently, improving his own strength and alchemy skills, and accumulating resources and fame, was the highest priority.