Free Web NovelChapter 381: Chapter 302: First Draft of the Alchemy Treatise
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Fang Qingyuan was in a remote corner, engrossed in a philosophical text by the All-Knowing Elder.
After a long while, Fang Qingyuan lowered the book and sank into contemplation. He had gained many new perspectives and a great deal of knowledge from it.
Much of what the book said was common knowledge, and some of it was even absurd. After all, the All-Knowing Elder had lived three thousand years ago. Many of the secrets of his era had since become common sense.
Moreover, many of its theories had been tested by time and proven unfeasible. Even so, Fang Qingyuan still benefited greatly from some of the matters recorded within.
For instance, there was the All-Knowing Elder’s theory on the origin of this world’s Cultivators. He proposed in his book that humans had arrived in this world hundreds of thousands of years ago, crossing the Star Realm to settle and prosper here.
Fang Qingyuan was already aware of this part; he had heard it as a child at Tianshan Villa. But the All-Knowing Elder went on to explain that the humans who made the crossing were divided into eight major sects, known as the "Upper Eight Sects." As time passed, only two of the Upper Eight Sects remained: the Qi Yun Sect and the Beast Taming Sect. The other six had either fractured into smaller branches or faded into obscurity.
This was news to Fang Qingyuan. The major sects had always been tight-lipped about such matters, and ordinary disciples were not curious about ancient history. In their eyes, almost anything was more interesting than digging up the past.
After reading this, Fang Qingyuan closed the book, his heart feeling much calmer. ’Hundreds of thousands of years, all condensed into this one volume,’ he thought. ’Such a small book, yet it carries the full weight of history.’
Moved by this realization, Fang Qingyuan felt that it didn’t matter if his progress with pill theory was temporarily stalled. ’I still have many years left to live,’ he mused. ’There’s no need to be in such a rush.’
Having come to this understanding, Fang Qingyuan returned the book to its place, then rose and walked out of the Scripture Pavilion to find Lechuan.
When he arrived at Lechuan’s residence, Lechuan saw that Fang Qingyuan had recovered his usual sharp-witted demeanor and broke into a genuine smile. He said cheerfully:
"Ah, Qingyuan, now this is the spirit a Closed-door Disciple of mine should have! So what if your pill theory is giving you trouble? You’re only ninety-seven. What’s the rush?"
Fang Qingyuan stepped forward and bowed. He then listened dutifully to Lechuan’s mix of guidance and lighthearted complaints. After a moment, once Lechuan had said his piece, he gave Fang Qingyuan an instruction:
"I had called you over to help me with something, but the time for that has passed, so never mind. On another note, the last of the thank-you gifts from the Pill Alliance has finally arrived. You contributed a great deal, so as promised, a share of it is yours. Here, take it."
As Lechuan spoke, he flipped his hand over, producing a bottle of Elixir Pills and tossing it to Fang Qingyuan.
After Fang Qingyuan caught it, Lechuan explained:
"This is the Spring and Autumn Pill, which was refined using the Spring and Autumn Cicada as the main ingredient two years ago. The people from the Pill Alliance claim it takes two years to refine a single furnace, and that’s why it’s only ready now. Who knows if that’s true, but its effects are certainly real. Taking one can increase a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s chance of reaching Core Formation by twenty percent. It’s incredibly rare and precious."
Holding the Elixir Pills, Fang Qingyuan felt a surge of joy. With his progress on pill theory currently stalled, this bottle of pills would make his future path to Core Formation much smoother.
After thanking Lechuan, Fang Qingyuan took the Elixir Pills and hurried back to the Qingyuan Sect, feeling quite pleased. It was almost comical; every time he visited Lechuan at the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, he left loaded with gifts. He never returned empty-handed.
Back at the Qingyuan Sect, his state of mind now stable, Fang Qingyuan summoned Mao Cheng to hear about the sect’s development over the past few years.
He hadn’t wanted to see anyone for the past two years. Mao Cheng had come to report on several occasions, only to be turned away each time.
When Mao Cheng arrived, Fang Qingyuan finally noticed with a start that the Vice Sect Leader’s hair was completely white. He had aged incredibly fast.
By his calculations, Mao Cheng had been the Vice Sect Leader of the Qingyuan Sect for seventeen years. He had already been in his sixties when he joined, which made him eighty-four now. The life expectancy of a Qi Cultivation Cultivator was only a hundred and twenty years, and most didn’t even live that long. Barring illness or accident, they usually passed away naturally before reaching a hundred and ten.
By that measure, Mao Cheng had about twenty good years left. He couldn’t serve as Vice Sect Leader forever; he deserved at least seven or eight years of retirement.
’Looks like it’s time to consider a successor for Mao Cheng,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. ’It’s better to plan ahead than to be caught scrambling at the last minute.’
Mao Cheng, for his part, was also filled with emotion. In his eyes, seventeen years had passed, yet the Sect Leader, Fang Qingyuan, looked exactly as he did back then, as if time had left no mark on him.
Rumor had it that the Sect Leader of the Qingyuan Sect, Fang Qingyuan, possessed a Divine Technique or Talent related to longevity. It seemed those rumors were true.
Fang Qingyuan had never revealed his Divine Technique or Talent to the outside world, so Mao Cheng didn’t know for certain. He was tactful enough not to ask, focusing solely on his duties.
"The Spirit Fields on the mountain have been expanded through years of reclamation, growing from just over four hundred mu to more than six hundred. However, this acreage has already exhausted the sect’s potential. We won’t be able to reclaim any more Spiritual Land in the future.
"The annual income from the Spirit Fields is about ten Top-grade Spirit Stones. The revenue from our shop in Nine Stars Square is seven or eight a year. The caravan led by Yin Bao brings in a bit more, but still only a dozen or so Top-grade Spirit Stones.
"Meanwhile, the sect’s expenses increase annually. We now have close to fifty disciples, plus two new Immortal Seedlings who began their cultivation last year, one from the year before, another from the year before that...
"Maintaining good relations with the neighboring sects is also a considerable expense. Fortunately, the demographics of our Qingyuan Sect are stable, with no major events requiring extravagant spending. Otherwise, we’d have to shell out another huge sum of Spirit Stones."
