After spending the whole night practicing on his breathing exercises, Wei Ren's control over his qi improved significantly. Shockingly he didn't feel tired at all. His body had now become stronger because of the elemental qi inside his body. He felt he could run a thousand miles without breaking a sweat.
He didn't try to create another meridian. The whole process of absorbing pills and making a new meridian is very tiring. The whole night he spent meditating was to regain his mental fortitude.
Surprisingly, he felt hungry. He pulled a pot and some pieces of meat out of his void ring. He used some pieces of wood he found outside to start a fire to make a meat soup. He threw some spice leaves that were growing outside his cave.
After finishing the whole pot he went down the mountain. A giant blue rock blocked the entrance to an immortal cave. This was Mei Rong's immortal cave. She had told him to come here in the morning.
He gently touched the blue rock and sent a wisp of his elemental qi into the rock. This way he could notify her. His immortal cave had a similar feature.
Few seconds later the rock moved aside. Mei Rong was standing at the entrance looking more beautiful than a fairy. Her hair black hair was still wet. It looked like she had just taken a bath. Her face was red like a cherry. She wore the sect's uniform. A white robe with a green serpent on it. Wei Ren stared at her blankly.
"So beautiful…" He whispered unconsciously.
"Hehe." Mei Rong laughed with a hand on her lips. She must have heard his words.
"Are you ready to explore the sect, Junior brother Li?" She asked and walked out of her cave. With a wave of her hand she closed the entrance.
The two of them walked down the Green Python Peak. He feared that she would bring him down the mountain on her flying sword just like before. He didn't want to experience another 'breakthrough'.
But luckily their destination was nearby. So they just walked.
"This is the Elders' Garden. There is one sect elder always stationed here at this mountain to guard the disciples and also administer the day to day tasks. We need to get some of your sect artifacts like your serpent robe, a sect medallion, a beginner level iron cauldron and some basic level alchemy scrolls." She explained to him the reason for their visit to this Elder.
She walked up to the gate of the garden. Two of the disciples guarding the gates bowed with respect when they saw Mei Rong. Apparently she has some prestige in this sect. She talked to the two disciples about their visit. They immediately allowed them to pass.
The Elder's Garden was exactly how he had imagined. Medicinal plants were everywhere. A small wooden hut was in the middle of this garden. Plant farming on mountains is difficult due to the slanting terrain, so portions of the mountains are levelled for proper irrigation. The sect didn't try to level the entire mountain because some plants only grow on the slanting mountain terrain, under bushes and rocks.
Mei Rong knocked on the hut's door twice.
"Who dares to disturb this old man? Do you want to die?" A grumpy voice entered their ears.
Wei Ren expected to see a frail old man. But the man who walked out was in his forties. His voice was that of an old man but his appearance was so young.
"Disciple Mei Rong greets Elder Qian." Mei Rong said in her sweet voice.
Seeing that it was Mei Rong, Elder Qian's angry face changed into a beaming smile.
"Oh it's you, Mei Rong. How is Grand Healer Lu Sheng? It has been a long time since I met him. I really miss the Purple leaf tea that he grows in his gardens."
"Master has gone looking for some medicinal plants. He will be back in a few days." She explained.
Elder Qian looked at Wei Ren with a strange face.
"Elder Qian, this is Junior brother Li. Master just accepted him as his newest disciple. He has great talent for alchemy. We are here to collect his sect medallion and the other things." Mei Rong immediately resolved confusion.
"Disciple Feng Li greets Elder Qian." Wei Ren immediately bowed and said respectfully.
"Great talent for alchemy? He hasn't even reached the first stage of Qi Streams." Elder Qian saw through him with a single glance and looked at him with suspicion.
"Elder Brother Jian himself observed the Celestial Star Essence Test of Junior brother Li. His cultivation base is bound to get stronger in some time." Mei Rong said to save Wei Ren from unnecessary trouble.
"Really? Well if that's the case, I can't really say anything. New disciples are issued a single white robe, first volume of Plant Genesis, first volume of Anatomy and Potions, one iron cauldron, a low grade jade spoon and a thousand jade slips." Elder Qian listed all these things and stopped to look at Wei Ren.
He waved his hand and all the things he had just listed, piled up on the ground. Especially the thousand jade slips. They were the most eye-catching. Why would he need so many jade slips?
"Start studying Plant Genesis and Anatomy. Make sure your master isn't disappointed when he sees you for the first time." Elder Qian said with a stern face. He looked at Mei Rong, smiled and bid farewell.
"Perverted old fart." Wei Ren thought in his heart. He saw the look in Elder Qian's eyes. He felt like Elder Qian had touched his property. He didn't quite understand what he was feeling. Was it jealousy?
He collected all the things into his void ring. Since there was nothing else to do they decided to go back.
"Elder Sister Rong, Why did Elder Qian give me so many jade slips?" This puzzled him. He asked her on the way to the Green Python Peak.
"Ha, Junior Brother Li is new to this. Alchemists keep a lot of notes. The two books Elder Qian gave you are very important. Especially the Plant Genesis. He gave you the first volume of Plant Genesis. In total there are nine. Just like nine tiers of alchemist. Tier one alchemists only need to study the first volume. The jade slips are for recording your findings. This is the best way to learn. Making your own notes helps you while concocting pills and other experiments. The second book he gave you is Anatomy and Potions. It is for those learning to become Healers. I don't think you know this but there is another class of cultivators."
"Another class?" She was right. He didn't know about this.
"Cultivators who belong to this class are very rare. Even in our Serpent Valley Sect there are less than a hundred people who belong to this class. This class is called Genesis Masters. Those who are both Healers and Alchemists are called Genesis Masters. Very few are able to master both these legendary skills. Our master is also a Genesis Master. But his skill in healing is much better than alchemy, so he got the title of Grand Healer Lu Sheng." Mei Rong explained while playing with her hair.
Wei Ren nodded with realization.
"So, I just need to study the first volume of Plant Genesis to become a Tier One Alchemist?" He asked with a smile.
"Hehe...it's not so simple? The real proof of becoming a Tier One Alchemist is to concoct a Tier One pill. There are many in Serpent Valley Sect who have memorized the entire first volume of Plant Genesis, but they still can't concoct a pill. All they can make is a Pill Potion. A Pill potion is a basically pill in liquid form. Its effect is significantly less than a solidified pill, but it still has some uses. Pill Potions are generally cheaper than actual pills. Not every cultivator can afford pills so many people decide to buy Pill Potions."
"I understand. How often does master teach about alchemy and healing?" He asked.
"I don't think Junior Brother Li yet understands much about Alchemy and Healing. Both are respected professions. Being good at even one of them takes years of practice and dedication. Take our Master for example. He is a Tier Five Healer, but his Alchemy skills are at Tier Four. In the whole Blue Rose Kingdom, the number of Tier Four Alchemists can be counted on one hand. This is because alchemy is a self taught art. We spend hours studying plants, pill formulas. We go to Master only when we stumble across a problem we can't solve at all. Master teaches about intricate details of alchemy. But one can only understand these details after spending several years practicing on their own. But this does not mean you can't ask him anything. He is very gentle and kind. So if you have any questions you can ask him any time." By the time she finished they reached her immortal cave.
Wei Ren was reluctant to say goodbye for some reason. He wanted to continue talking to her. He looked at her and a shy smile appeared in his head.
"If Junior Brother Li has any questions about alchemy, you can come ask me for guidance. I am just like Master, Very gentle." When she said the last two words her voice had a hint of seduction.
Wei Ren's ears almost melted when he heard this.
"Is she trying to seduce me?" He screamed in his heart.
"I won't disturb Elder Sister Rong anymore." He bowed and immediately left.
Watching him run away so shyly made her chuckle while covering her face.
"Junior brother Li is very interesting." She whispered and entered her immortal cave.
Back in his immortal cave, Wei Ren examined the things he had just received.
The iron cauldron didn't look impressive at all. Two books he had just received were actually giant encyclopedias about plants and human anatomy. The robe he got was a simple, white, alchemist's robe. This meant he was a beginner level alchemist. Tier One Alchemists have a single green serpent on their robe while Tier One Healers have a golden serpent.
He remembered that Li Jian's robe only had one green serpent. The elder they had just met had two green serpents. This meant he was a Tier Two alchemist.
He had nothing better to do than to wait for Grand Healer Lu Sheng's arrival. So, he decided to study the first volume of Plant Genesis.
The number of medicinal plants that have been identified are uncountable. The first volume of plant genesis only had the description of about five percent of the total plants. Each page of Plant Genesis was embedded with a hundred thumb sized jade slips and there were more than a thousand pages. Using thin and small jade slips was the only way to store this much information.
Wei Ren touched the first jade slip and inserted his qi. A single flower appeared in his mind. It was a beautiful yellow tulip with brown stamens. The description of the flower also appeared in his head.
"Mesmerizing…" This was all he could say.
The lifelike flower in his head was like a hallucination. Wei Ren pulled a Jade slip from his void ring and started engraving his research just like Mei Rong had told him.
Plant Genesis in left hand and the jade slip in his right. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the whole process. It was like dreaming about flowers. This book must have a small formation inside it. Otherwise displaying images in a person's mind is not easy. The special jade slips in the Plant Genesis are specially made for this whole captivating experience. This made learning much easier.
"The Brown Stamen Tulip. It has five petals. It reproduces both sexually and asexually. Most commonly found in wild marshes and along rivers with saline water. Seven hundred Pill Potions require this flower. Each petal can be used to make a strong intoxication tea. Stem of the flower can be used as a key ingredient to make a mild poison…"
He kept recording all the things he read. Soon he started making his own discoveries. His keen sense of observation allowed him to read between the lines. The flower had hundreds of uses that weren't listed in the description. This puzzled him. Based on the properties of the flower he could deduce many other uses. So why weren't these uses listed? Suddenly he remembered Mei Rong's words. She said that alchemists make their own notes while studying Plant Genesis. If the Plant Genesis were to keep a record of all the uses, then even thousand volumes would not be enough to cover all the medicinal plants and ingredients. So, the alchemists belonging to higher Tiers decided to give the Plant Genesis a unique structure. It stored all the major uses. As for the minor uses and other details they decided to omit them. A reader can deduce these uses on his own. Only someone with a strong mental fortitude can accomplish something like this.
Three days later.
Wei Ren sat in the same posture. A mountain of jade slips had appeared by his side. His eyes had sunken deep. His brown hair were so disheveled that he looked like a porcupine.
"I need more jade slips." He said and fell unconscious.
In just three days he used up all his jade slips!
The constant use of Plant Genesis exhausted his spirit. But a strange change happened inside him. The elemental Qi that he kept tightly bound inside his body to prevent his scary aura from leaking out, spread into his body. The three qi meridians went crazy and absorbed Elemental Qi from the atmosphere. Elemental Qi of the entire Green Python Peak started to churn. Every disciple on the peak realized that something was wrong.
Mei Rong ran out of her cave. The Elemental Qi was so chaotic that she couldn't even sense its direction anymore. She couldn't sense that the qi was churning towards Wei Ren's immortal cave. She sped up on her flying sword toward Li Jian's immortal cave. He might know something. Little did she know that this was all caused by her new Junior Brother Li!
Boundless grey qi entered Wei Ren's body. It mixed into his pure elemental qi. If he were conscious he would have immediately stopped this turn of events. Because impure Qi can render his cultivation base useless!