Chapter 1947, Slander
Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Before he started performing Alchemy, Yang Kai made sure to inquire a little bit about the Star Boundary’s Alchemy standards in the shopping district from the Blue Feather Sect disciples he had met.
He found that the Star Boundary’s Alchemic Dao was extremely advanced, on a different level entirely to the Star Field.
Among other things, Pill Condensing was common in the Star Boundary, with an average Alchemist able to condense at least two or three pills from a single set of ingredients, unlike in the Star Field where one was the standard.
The reason for this was that Pill Condensing Arts and Techniques were widely publicised in the Star Boundary and any qualified Alchemist was qualified to study them.
However, there was an upper limit to the number of pills which could ultimately be condensed from a single furnace of materials.
The furnace of Origin Grade Mid-Rank Vibrant Monarch Spirit Pills Yang Kai was currently refining was not difficult for him to successfully complete, and if he went all out, there was even a good chance to produce a few pills that formed Pill Veins.
This Spirit Pill consumed seventeen different raw materials and was not too difficult to refine, but even the greatest of Alchemist would only be able to produce nine pills during the final Pill Condensing.
Nine was the limit for this furnace of Vibrant Monarch Spirit Pills. This would be true even if it was an Emperor Grade Alchemist taking action.
Different Spirit Pills with different pill recipes had different upper limits to the number of pills which could be condensed.
If one wants to condense the maximum number of Origin King Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pills from a single furnace, they would need to at least be a Dao Source Grade Alchemist.
As for Yang Kai, his current limit was six!
While performing Alchemy this past month, Yang Kai had also constantly been familiarizing himself with the Pill Condensing Technique he had obtained from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, causing his skills to improve noticeably.
In less than an hour, the Vibrant Monarch Spirit Pills, which were able to quickly restore the Source Qi of an Origin King, were completed with a total of six pills being condensed!
Yang Kai stuffed three of them into his Space Ring before tossing the remaining three into a jade bottle he had prepared.
The Spirit Pills in the jade bottle were for the client, as three were enough to meet that person’s needs. As for the extra Spirit Pills, Yang Kai pocketed them.
This way, over the past month, Yang Kai had not only gained many Source Crystals, but also a variety of Spirit Pills for various purposes. If he were to sell out all his stock, it would definitely earn him a small fortune.
Unfortunately, he could only refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills at the moment, as no one would provide him with Dao Source Grade materials to practice with. Otherwise, Yang Kai would have liked to try his hand to see if he had reached that level.
Sealing the jade bottle, Yang Kai casually played with it for a moment as he felt it really was easy for Alchemists to earn resources.
Just when he was about to go out and meet with Liu Xian Yun outside to complete the transaction though, Liu Xian Yun’s soft shout rang in his ears, followed by a loud clattering sound.
Yang Kai’s face sank as he quickly got up and rushed out of the shop.
When he arrived outside, Yang Kai scanned his eyes around only to see Liu Xian Yun standing nearby with an ugly expression on her face. The signboard, which had originally been placed in front of her, had been thrown to the ground and stomped on by a cultivator wearing a Blue Feather Sect uniform, turning it into bits and pieces of broken wood.
Outside the shop, all the cultivators who had been waiting in line for Alchemy frowned one by one and spread out to observe from a distance.
Seeing Yang Kai appear, Liu Xian Yun seemed to have found a backer and ran towards him quickly.
“What happened?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
He had been occupying this spot with Liu Xian Yun for almost a month now and had not provoked anyone as far as he could remember, so he couldn’t figure out why someone had come today and smashed his signboard.
“They said there was a problem with the pill you refined,” Liu Xian Yun came up to Yang Kai and said in a low voice.
“What kind of problem?” Yang Kai raised his brow and scanned the opposite side.
“They didn’t make it clear and just began smashing things when they arrived,” Liu Xian Yun grit her teeth as a trace of confusion flashed across her face while she stared aggrievedly at the signboard which was being stepped on by the cultivator in front of her.
Because Yang Kai was generously giving her thirty percent of the profits from their cooperation, even though she could not help him in Alchemy, Liu Xian Yun had been doing her best to fulfil her own role, especially when it came to taking care of this signboard.
From the design of the signboard to each and every character which was written on it, she had meticulously created every detail. Every night, after she took down the signboard, she would wipe it down carefully to ensure it was not the least bit dirty before carefully storing it in her Space Ring.
She felt this was the least she could do to help Yang Kai.
But now, the signboard filled with her painstaking effort and care had been smashed, causing Liu Xian Yun to feel extremely dissatisfied.
“They didn’t say what was wrong and just began smashing things?” Yang Kai raised his brows while coldly snorting to himself, realizing that even though he had done his best not to stand out this past month, he had obviously caught someone’s eye or perhaps cut into someone else’s profits. Otherwise, how could such a scene have happened?
“Are you the Alchemist here?” On the opposite side, the cultivator who was stepping on the signboard looked at Yang Kai arrogantly, with a cold smile on his face as he asked in a pointed manner.
“Indeed. Dare I ask how this Senior Brother is called?” Yang Kai looked at the other party indifferently.
“Chu Fei, a disciple under Protector Zhu!”
Yang Kai brow rose, knowing that the Protector Zhu that was mentioned was Zhu Jun Shan, one of the Protectors of Blue Feather Sect. This man had the same cultivation as Bian Yu Qing, Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and was not someone Yang Kai could currently challenge.
The four Protectors did not have a harmonious relationship with one another, and if it weren’t for the Sect Master suppressing the conflicts, it was likely that the Blue Feather Sect would have already fallen into chaos. However, it was also precisely because of this that the lower disciples did not have peaceful relationships.
In this Sect, there were many private and public disputes between the lower disciple factions, with fights often causing injuries or even disabilities.
When Yang Kai heard that the other party was a disciple under Protector Zhu, he knew that this person was here to make trouble.
“So it is Senior Brother Chu, dare I ask why Senior Brother has broken Junior Brother’s signboard?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“Don’t play dumb in front of this Chu. Are you seriously trying to say you don’t know what you did wrong?” Chu Fei coldly snorted as he said in a stern tone.
Yang Kai, however, just shook his head and said, “Junior Brother only entered the Sect a month ago and does not recall offending Senior Brother Chu in any way, so I hope Senior Brother can clarify his actions today!”
Chu Fei chuckled, nodded, and said, “Of course, since you’ve said as much, then Senior Brother will make you understand!”
Saying so, he waved his hand and shouted, “Bring him!”
Immediately, a couple of cultivators came out from behind Chu Fei carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher was a man who looked extremely miserable. His aura was fluctuating chaotically while his eyes were bulged and bloodshot. He was also spouting some cruel and miserable cries randomly from his mouth.
Even as he lay on the stretcher, this man was clearly struggling, but his body was bound by the barrier so that he was unable to move.
“Cultivation Dissonance! He’s experienced Cultivation Dissonance!” The onlookers exclaimed.
The situation of this cultivator lying on a stretcher was obviously the result of dissonance in his cultivation, most likely caused by something going wrong in his secluded cultivation and sending his strength running wild. If his condition was not treated promptly, he would likely degenerate into a cripple.
However, Cultivation Dissonance was extremely difficult to resolve; only if a master with far greater strength and ability took action could this situation be remedied.
This was a situation all cultivators feared encountering as once they did, it could very well lead to their destruction.
“Junior Brother, do you recognize this person?” Chu Fei asked Yang Kai coldly as he pointed to the man lying on the stretcher.
Yang Kai cast him a glance before nodding slightly, “I have an impression of him. If I recall correctly, he came to ask for Alchemy five days ago.”
As soon as this remark came out, Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face turned pale.
She was no fool and vaguely guessed what was about to happen, so she couldn’t help looking at Yang Kai worriedly.
“So Junior Brother admits it,” Chu Fei sneered. “Junior Brother Jiang here is a talented man and reached the Second-Order Origin King at a young age. His future was simply boundless and was praised by Protector Zhu over and over again as one of the rising stars of our Blue Feather Sect.”
“And?” Yang Kai looked at Chu Fei indifferently.
Chu Fei’s face became cold as he said grimly, “But he was ruined by your hands! Junior Brother, what do you have to say?”
“Senior Brother surely jests,” Yang Kai chuckled and said. “This Senior Brother Jiang is clearly experiencing Cultivation Dissonance, how is that my fault?”
“You still refuse to admit fault? How could a dissonance in his cultivation have occurred if he had not taken that Spirit Pill you refined? You just said yourself that he obtained a pill from your hands five days ago!” Chu Fei shouted sharply.
Hearing what Chu Fei said, the faces of the onlookers suddenly changed; after all, they were all waiting here for Alchemy services from Yang Kai. If the Spirit Pills refined by Yang Kai really had problems, how could they dare seek him out?
Instantly, they began to feel a little grateful. Fortunately, Chu Fei had come at this time, otherwise, they might have ended up like Junior Brother Jiang.
“While it’s true he came to ask for pills from me five days ago, that doesn’t mean his Cultivation Dissonance has anything to do with me. Perhaps his own foundation was unstable, or he recklessly tried to achieve something beyond his means. Cultivation Dissonance can be caused by many things. Isn’t Senior Brother slandering me without any evidence unjustified?” Yang Kai looked at Chu Fei coldly.
The other party was just a Third-Order Origin King, so Yang Kai had no reason to fear him at all. The only thing that worried Yang Kai was whether someone was pulling the strings behind this Chu Fei.
It was impossible for Chu Fei to come and seek trouble with him for no reason. Regarding Spirit Pills, several other Alchemists and shops provided Alchemy services in this shopping district, but each of these establishments was managed by Blue Feather Sect directly and had no relationship with the several Protectors.
“Senior Brother isn’t slandering you. Junior Brother Jiang came to ask for pills five days ago, then after returning entered retreat right away to cultivate. As a result, he suddenly experienced dissonance in his cultivation a few days later. Now, he has become like this. Do not say that this is just a coincidence. Protector Zhu said that Junior Brother Jiang’s talent was first class, so how could his foundation possibly be unstable? Apart from a problem with your Spirit Pills, there is no other explanation!”
“That’s right! Senior Brother Jiang looked so happy after he received those pills that day, even bragging he had picked up a great bargain. I tried to persuade him to find someone to verify the quality of those pills first but he was too anxious to enter retreat. As it turns out, they really were cheap quality goods! I never could have imagined Senior Brother Jiang would encounter such a serious problem only a few days into his retreat!” A Blue Feather Sect disciple who had been with Chu Fei chimed in suddenly.