NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 5 - Elder Wants to Take Disciples!
Chapter 5: Triggering Opportunity, Elder Wants to Take Disciples!
It couldn’t be immediately implemented once the decision to seek support was made. Gu Liuyun’s primary task was to complete the introductory tasks, marking his official entry as a disciple. When it came to tasks like harvesting purple leaf grass, to put it simply, it was an easy task that anyone with hands could handle. Especially after learning from the elder deacon that there were purple leaf grasses in the bamboo grove near the branch hall, Gu Liuyun wasted no time and collected 20 purple leaf grasses in less than a short time.
Following the advice of the elder deacon, he then headed towards the medicine hall of the branch hall. The medicine hall was an essential part of every branch hall of the Divine Palace, responsible for providing elixirs to the sect and facilitating external trade.
Thirty percent of the Divine Palace’s annual income in spirit stones came from elixir trading, emphasizing the high importance of the medicine hall within the Divine Palace. Gu Liuyun arrived at the medicine hall’s entrance and courteously greeted a disciple in medicine hall attire who was on duty at the door.
“Senior brother, I’m here to turn in the task for the purple leaf grass.”
The medicine hall disciple glanced at him, nodded slightly, and said, “Go inside. Elder Wu is in the alchemy room on the right. Just hand over the purple leaf grass to him.”
Gu Liuyun saluted again and entered the medicine hall via the right corridor. A moment later, he reached a room with a bamboo sign reading “Pill Room,” with a subtle scent of pills wafting inside.
Arriving at the door, Gu Liuyun spotted a thin elderly man wearing the medicine hall’s elder robe, preparing to start alchemy. If it were any other player, they might have directly submitted the task. However, Gu Liuyun didn’t. Seeing the fire had been lit, he silently stood in front of the door.
Alchemists need peace and concentration when starting the alchemy process to avoid disruptions. If they were interrupted right after starting the process, it might not lead to significant losses, but it would greatly affect their mood.
Gu Liuyun knew the ways of alchemy from his previous life, so he understood these matters well. The alchemist, Elder Wu, didn’t pay any attention to him. He continued muttering to himself while carefully adding medicinal ingredients into the furnace.
“Two bell flowers…two red ginsengs…a piece of red cedar root…”
Gu Liuyun waited quietly, and he waited for almost half an hour. As time passed, the scent of the herbs inside the alchemy furnace grew stronger, and Elder Wu’s eyes brightened.
“It’s done…it’s done…”
But just then, there was a sudden “pop” sound from the alchemy furnace, and the medicinal fragrance vanished. A burnt odour filled the alchemy room.
Elder Wu’s expression faltered, and he sighed in frustration, saying, “Another failure. I wonder where I went wrong…”
Gu Liuyun observed the entire alchemical process and immediately recognized it as the Explosive Blood Pill developed by the Divine Palace in his previous life. The Explosive Blood Pill was an essential elixir for physical cultivation in his previous life.
Gu Liuyun, an experienced physical cultivator, knew exactly where Elder Wu had gone wrong. He carefully chose his words and softly remarked, “While the twenty-year-old red cedar roots have excellent wood properties, their water retention is lacking.”
After speaking those words, he fell silent. Upon hearing this, Elder Wu seemed to grasp the problem and his eyes brightened. He promptly resumed the alchemical process. After a little over half an hour, the fragrance of the medicine wafted from the furnace once more, lingering until Elder Wu completed the process.
“Clang!”
Elder Wu lifted the lid, revealing a perfectly round, red pill that spun into his hand. He chuckled, “Red cedar roots lose their water-retaining properties every five years, and I forgot about that.”
He then turned to Gu Liuyun, who stood calmly by his side, radiating an exceptional aura of charm. He couldn’t help but express his admiration.
[Ding! Elder Wu Simiao from the Medicine Hall holds you in high regard. Favorability +10!]
Gu Liuyun felt a sense of satisfaction. His advice had significantly aided Elder Wu Simiao. Thanks to his high charisma, favorability had increased instantly.
He approached and respectfully bowed, saying, “I pay my respects to Elder Wu. I am Gu Liuyun, here to submit my introductory task.”
“Introductory task?” Elder Wu questioned.
Elder Wu gave him a thorough examination and was amazed and asked, “You have no discernible cultivation, yet you accurately determined the age of the red cedar roots solely through perception?”
Gu Liuyun scratched his head and replied, “That’s correct.”
Elder Wu was greatly intrigued. He took out a spirit stone and crushed it, causing the spiritual energy to disperse. What happened next left Elder Wu in awe. The scattered spiritual energy slowly converged around Gu Liuyun and gradually dissipated after a moment.
“High-quality spiritual resources! It’s high-quality spiritual resources!” Elder Wu exclaimed.
Gu Liuyun couldn’t help but smile. Elder Wu used a simple method to assess spiritual resources roughly. It allowed a rough estimate of an individual’s spiritual resources but couldn’t provide precise values.
Whether in Dharma cultivation or alchemy, spiritual resources played a crucial role.
A disciple with high-quality spiritual resources could be nurtured as a closed disciple!
With the way Elder Wu looked at Gu Liuyun, it was as if he had found a rare gem.
“Are you willing to become my disciple and learn the path of alchemy?” Elder Wu asked.