Btth: The Rise of Qingshan

Mangba heard this and was a little disappointed, his palm-sized hands scratching his bald head, muttering to himself, "Gathering herbs is really like robbing money, if only I had known, I would have sent the little rascal at home to the Thousand Medicine House as an apprentice."

Of course, this was just talk. A qualified physician's apprentice wasn't that easy to come by. Even for trainee apprentices, the elimination rate was terrifying. Those who didn't study seriously and had no talent would be brushed off in the first round.

Besides, the White Orchid Fruit was only discovered by Yan Qingshan because of his amazing observation skills. Even Xiao Yi Xian only recognized it after Yan Qingshan pointed it out. If it were an ordinary trainee apprentice, even if Yan Qingshan pointed at the white flowers, he might not be able to find it.

Yan Qingshan glanced around with the corner of his eye, then turned to Mangba and asked, "By the way, Uncle Mangba, what did you want to see me about?"

Mangba slapped his head and pushed Yang Wu, who was beside him, forward, "It's not me who's looking for you, it's Yang Wu, here to thank you."

Yang Wu was the mercenary whose life Yan Qingshan had just saved. He carefully handed a polished white crystal core to Yan Qingshan, cautiously as if afraid of being rejected,

"Brother Qingshan, thank you again for saving me, this is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it!"

"It's nothing, we're all in the same team, helping each other is what we should do, so don't mention any thanks."

Yan Qingshan waved his hand to indicate it was nothing, and shook his head, "You should take back this Red Ice Snake monster core, it's not easy for you to come out here, no need for this. If you really want to thank me, then protect the safety of our herb gathering team next.

Also, I'd like to ask you to try to find some wood attribute magical beasts for me, first-rank wood attribute magic cores, they're useful to me."

"Alright! You kid..."

Yang Wu was about to say something, but Mangba patted him on the shoulder and interrupted, pointing at Yan Qingshan and then at Xiao Yi Xian, smiling as he took Yang Wu away.

"Yan, Brother Yan!"

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes were a little evasive, Yan Qingshan smiled and withdrew his slightly heated gaze, whispering to draw the two closer again, the girl was no longer nervous, and laughter and joy continued.

Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian found a few ordinary herbs by the cliff, then turned to join the others, but no one noticed that Yan Qingshan's eyes were extremely deep and unfathomable as he left.

…

At the north entrance of Qingshan Town, a fully loaded carriage, guarded by more than a hundred people, arrived at the Thousand Medicine House. After settling the mercenaries' pay, the herb gathering team took the carriage of herbs into the Thousand Medicine House.

Yan Qingshan took Xiao Yi Xian to store the collected herbs, and after receiving a decent reward, he quickly returned to his small house, eager to immerse his mind into his thoughts.

"Beep… Beep… Beep..."

Yan Qingshan faintly heard some prompt sounds in his ears, his face showing excitement and tension, countless streams of information intertwined in his mind, among which several messages were showing various progress.

Foundation Elixir: Purple Bluegrass, two five-year-old Bone Washing Flower, 1 first-order wood attribute monster core... 99.9%

Qi Gathering Pill: Four 50-year-old Ink Leaf Lotus, two Snake Venom Fruits, a 20-year-old Spirit Gathering Grass, and a second-rank water attribute magic core... 60%

Blood Clotting pill: One stalk of Blood Clotting Grass, One Lively Fruit, two Poppy Flowers... 80%

Blood Lotus Pill: Blood Lotus Essence, Ice Spirit Blazing Grass, fourth-rank water attribute monster core... progress... 20%

Three Lines Green Spirit Pill: Green Flame Grass, Black Black Sky Flax... 11%

Energy Recovery Pill: Red Spiritual Recovery Fruit…3%

Ground Spirit Pill: Flame Core ‎Ganoderma, Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit, Green Wood Celestial Vine, sixth-rank water attribute magic core... 0.1%

Yan Qingshan concentrated and waited for the final moment to arrive, his heart filled with tension and anticipation. If this succeeded, it would prove that his idea was correct, and he would have the first capital to rise in the Dou Qi Continent.

In order to rise, Yan Qingshan naturally thought about and designed a plan to strengthen himself. With his strong memory, he managed to find several complete pill formulas from the plots of novels he had read, and used Dawn to carry out the deduction work.

Dawn's computing mechanism is based on his cognitive database. As long as he had experienced the specific effects of the herbs and entered them into the complete data, it was possible to analyze the complete pill formula through big data deduction and screening.

That's right, it's the complete pill formula. The real pill formula not only records the ratio of herbs, but also the processing methods and fine steps. Even with these, alchemists often make mistakes, and Yan Qingshan only knows the ratio of herbs, trying directly would definitely lead to a complete loss.

Fortunately, he still had Dawn. Dawn couldn't conduct scientific research to break through difficulties, but after collecting enough data, it could carry out infinite deduction. Theoretically, it could deduce all feasible plans and effects.

Yan Qingshan still remembered the effects and some rough steps of these pill formulas. With some processes and final effects, the difficulty and progress of deduction would be much lower, and the possibility of getting results would be much greater.

Of course, for some precious herbs, Yan Qingshan couldn't find the materials at all now. He couldn't collect data if he couldn't contact them. Relying only on the simple records in the herbal encyclopedia, he couldn't start the deduction at all.

Also, his brain was limited, so he could only prioritize the work. The first two pill formulas were what he needed most urgently at the moment, so the resolution was the highest. The most important Foundation Elixir had entered the resolution countdown.

Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

As the numbers after zero point one percent continued to pulsate, the progress of the Foundation Elixir pill formula finally reached one hundred percent. With a large amount of information exploding in his mind, the smile on the corner of Yan Qingshan's mouth became even more exaggerated, stretching like something.

Foundation Elixir: Three Purple Bluegrass, two five-year-old Bone Washing Flower, 1 first-order wood attribute monster core.

Preparation method: Crush and stir three Purple Bluegrass with Dou Qi to extract the original liquid, add Bone Washing Flower for extreme stirring and soaking, crush the wood attribute monster core and integrate it into the medicinal liquid at a super high speed of more than 1500 revolutions…

The pill formula analyzed by Yan Qingshan was naturally different from the original pill formula. It wasn't that he couldn't deduce the original pill formula steps, but his current conditions didn't allow him to use such methods to make pills.

Yao Lao was an eighth-grade peak alchemist, of course it was easy for him to make Foundation Elixir.

But what conditions did Yan Qingshan have? Of course it was impossible for him to use that method. The powder he made with this plan had more complicated steps and effects far less than the Foundation Elixir, but it was the best he could do under the current conditions.

However, he wasn't discouraged. How precious were things that could assist in Dou Qi cultivation? To be honest, he had still made a big profit.

…

Five months later, in the Magical Beast Mountains near the end of the year, snowflakes fluttered down, the silver-clad mountain peaks greeted the biting cold wind, and in the silent forest, there were almost no traces of people or beasts.

In the backyard of the Thousand Medicine House, the originally lively hall was much quieter, and the Thousand Medicine House would also have a holiday during the New Year.

Most of the apprentices would go home, only those like Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian, who had no family, would stay in the Thousand Medicine House, at least they knew a few people here.

In the courtyard where Yan Qingshan lived, a figure sat cross-legged in the bath, time passed, and it was still the same young man.

In half a year of cultivation, although the young man often went out, he spent more time in the house than outside. Because he rarely saw the sun and often soaked in water, his skin was unusually fair. His appearance was not handsome, but he looked very clean and beautiful, with a bit of otherworldly temperament.

"Hoo~su~hoo~su..."

Yan Qingshan circulated Dou Qi, the water in the bathtub rippled slightly, and between the overflowing brilliance, strands of energy were absorbed into his body with his breathing, containing and strengthening his own aura.

The light green liquid constantly changed, visibly thinning and fading, while Yan Qingshan's Dou Qi was constantly growing stronger and flourishing. At a certain moment, it finally reached its peak, approaching a bottleneck, and he finally slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally... ninth stage Dou Disciple."

Yan Qingshan slowly exhaled a turbid breath, the slightly dark impurities extending nearly three feet like a Qi arrow. After finishing his cultivation, he felt a wave of lightness in his body, and the Dou Qi within him reached its peak.

Reaching the peak of the ninth stage Dou Disciple in half a year, Yan Qingshan's cultivation speed was terrifying, but it was still far from those true cheats.

"Ninth stage Dou Disciple peak, so next is..."

Yan Qingshan walked into the room and took out a jade-sealed bottle from a locked cabinet. This bottle, which looked like warm jade, was not true jade but a high-quality wood called Azure Jade Tree, most suitable for storing powders.

"A month should be enough. Please don't fail; if I lose this time, I don't know how long it will take to find another set of materials!"

Yan Qingshan brought it to his ear and carefully shook the wooden bottle, his eyes filled with tension.

"Qi Gathering pill requires four 50-year-old Inkleaf Lotus, two Snake Venom Fruits, one 20-year-old Spirit Gathering Grass, and one second-rank water-attribute monster core.

It also requires a qualified third-grade alchemist to refine it carefully. It is one of the most difficult third-grade pills, capable of assisting the ninth stage Dou Qi to break through to Dou Practitioner.

The material cost alone for these things exceeds 50,000 gold coins, and with the alchemist, it is naturally beyond my means. Fortunately, except for the water-attribute magic core, I found the other things in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

According to Dawn's deduction, this should be the most suitable preparation plan for my current conditions. The month-long storage should be enough to disperse the most difficult-to-process water-attribute magic core. The resulting medicinal liquid, though not as effective as the real Qi Gathering pill, should have the effect of the Qi Gathering Pill before pill formation.

This is already very good for me; it's better than directly attempting the breakthrough without any assistance, right!"

Yan Qingshan opened the sealed medicine bottle with a heart full of trepidation. A refreshing fragrance wafted out, and just a slight whiff of it made his Dou Qi surge with renewed vigor. Looking at the green-blue liquid inside the bottle, viscous like honey yet crystalline like glass.

After breaking the seal, he dared not hesitate any longer, directly bringing it to his mouth and swallowing it in large gulps. The medicinal concoction he prepared was no match for pills; once the seal was broken, its medicinal properties would dissipate, making it impossible to preserve for long.

Therefore, he could only consume it immediately after confirming its success and then attempt to break through to become a Dou Practitioner. As for whether he could succeed, he could only rely on the heavens to grant him favor.

Having drained the medicinal concoction, Yan Qingshan tremblingly discarded the wooden bottle, then returned to the somewhat chilly bath, sitting cross-legged, and began his breakthrough to become a one-star Dou Practitioner.