Laughter filled the small room as the old alchemist was wheezing with tears falling from his eyes. Lind slowly collected himself and the woman, his granddaughter apparently, simply holding a closed fist in the air as murder resided in her eyes.
"I have not had fun like that in a century! Ah, that felt so good!" Lind was reminded of the Old Man back in the Frey Clan when messing with Teyla or Teylin. Doting on a grandchild was the norm but having fun with them as they got older seemed to be a common trend as well. "I mean, he is a 17 year old elixir master, he would be quite a catch little Su."
Lind carefully turned his head to the ceiling as the sound of hitting ensued right in front of him. He saw nothing and knew nothing!
"Ow, ow! All right, I will stop being silly!" The old alchemist did not seem really bothered and was smiling widely. The jovial atmosphere suddenly vanished as a serious look came to him. The frail looking hands picked up the red elixir.
"I have been alive for over 500 years and have little time left, but I am glad to see peak grade 1 elixirs in this life." Lind was stunned. World Realms generally could live an average of 500 years but that was predicated on mediocre progress. The oldest World Realm known had not lived past 600. This expert seemed vital but his body indicated his life was near its twilight. "I am Advanced Alchemist Ye. May I know your master's name?"
Lind had come prepared and even confirmed with Younger Twin that it was fine to say so.
"I have no master, I have been blessed with luck to find a partial inheritance that answered many questions. I grew up with my mother as an alchemist but could never make pills. I instead.." Lind outlined most of the truth with the only lie being about the inheritance as the Immortal Will existed to find rare elixir masters to see if they were worthy.
There was nodding from Ye, but Lind noticed a glint at the beginning. Lind suspected the alchemist knew Lind had obfuscated but did not call him out on it. Finally, Lind revealed the unusual reaction when he submitted an elixir to the Alchemy Guild anonymously. A giggle left the old man's body at that point.
"I knew it was you already but that was a stroke of luck. Elixirs are rare enough from Ruins, but to find someone able to make them even at grade 1 is a treasure that Guild would nurture with all their power. It would be a waste!" Lind had expected to negotiate his identity but was stunned when the old man waved the woman over. "I want the information brokers' efforts not to be wasted but do not reveal this boy's details."
That was it, a simple nod and she left. His confusion was clear as the old alchemist grinned at him.
"The truth is, pill makers know nothing about how to nurture an elixir master. Anyone that succeeds in making an elixir consistently usually can hardly make anything after that no matter how many resources are thrown at them." Lind now understood the frustrating books he had found. The elixir masters themselves did not understand how they did what they were doing! It had been the same with him!
"I take it then, you might want these as well." Lind brought out 2 more vials, but these were stand alones. One was a mix of yellow and green swirling in harmony while the other was bright azure. The alchemist nearly whooped like a small boy in excitement as he held up the 2 new elixirs.
"I see, I see, mid grade 2 but still very good!" Lind felt compelled to ask the question burning in his mind based on the reactions he had seen.
"Senior, if I may ask, why are you so excited by such low grade elixirs?" Lind saw a solemn look pass over the wrinkled face, but then he produced pill vials with peak grade 3 power coming off them. Lind was fascinated now, but only in that he had rarely seen such pills. His mother had only been peak mid grade 2 when he left and likely high grade 2 by now if not closing in on the peak.
"Pills are rigid, lad. No matter how skilled I am, no matter how inventive, only certain ingredients can produce a pill. Compatibility of Qi, material, and quality all dictate what I can do, but elixirs are different." Lind felt like he was back with Younger Twin suddenly. It was a pleasant feeling. "Elixirs can be effective between realms far more than pills. Elixirs are not as restrictive because they are more like art than rigid pieces of a puzzle. The lure of elixirs is that what pills cannot achieve, elixirs can easily."
Lind had vastly underestimated what he could do. A rare ability was not all there was to it. He had reveled in what he achieved and wanted to sell his surplus product as it would only gather dust at the current rate. His room had a storage treasure in several of the puzzle boxes had been receiving and kept them safely in there. He was more glad now such things existed.
What cultivator would not want an elixir that could heal and recover Qi where 2 pills were needed? What cultivator would not want an elixir that could harden the whole body rather than 2 to 3 pills to achieve the same effect? What cultivator would not want to procure an elixir made by simple grade herbs that were cheap for Soul Realms and still work in their current realm.
Lind felt a chill down his spine as he realized how vastly had misunderstood what he could do. Lind had assumed elixir masters were rare but he had not realized the effects of elixirs were in such demand. A sudden fear came to him.
"I asked for info on elixirs when I entered the Academy. The request was successfully completed under my name!" Lind was feeling panic but a swift pressure kept him in his chair and snapped him out of it to look into the serious face of Ye.
"Do not worry about it. You are hardly the first and likely far from last to do so. It will be looked into, but guess who owns the flow of information?" Lind calmed but then was confused. He had not paid a single soul stone, yet Old Ye was going this far. His confusion was clear.
"I told you, pill makers cannot help you advance. I am a peak grade 3 alchemist but even making grade 4 pills does not make me a master alchemist. I have to have consistent results and show understanding of grade 4 materials to get that medal." Lind understood at last. The requirements for pill certification were as rigid as the process, but Lind's elixirs were a bit gray.
Grade 1 undulations were easy to confirm, but effects spanned 2 realms. A grade 1 pill would have little to no effect on a Soul Realm, but a grade 1 elixir would retain 70% effectiveness if it was a peak grade 1. How could one be certified as an elixir master?
"I have seen enough promising seeds waste away their potential in cultivation trying to breakthrough as an elixir master. You are on a good path, thus I wish to nurture you in my own way." Lind felt appreciation and damned lucky. Going forward, he had to take better care before taking for granted what he could do.
"What should I do going forward? I plan to keep progressing as much as I can and thus will have elixirs to sell." Lind had come to the Sapphire Auction House because of the certainty of protecting his identity as a seller, but now Lind realized his plan to use the circulation of elixirs to calm down the smaller auction houses interest would not work anymore.
"That is easily resolved, my boy! We may not hold more than one major auction a year in this small Empire, but our other branches rotate through the other powers. A broker can be set up to sell your wares there, but spread it out to every other one to be safe." Lind felt relief and excitement. Part of his bottleneck was resources he was not getting from the Academy.
His contribution points were pathetic and not likely to increase unless an expedition was sent out. Only a massive enterprise like that would not stop him from participating as it was a voluntary basis unless one was a Core Student like Lind. It was mandatory for them to go as assistants to the Elders.
"Now, tell me about these 5 elixirs." Lind saw excitement come over the old man and Lind felt a smile spread on his face as well. It was a strange feeling that a powerful expert and a novice cultivator could share the feeling of bragging about what they make.
"The red elixir is stamina and healing. The violet is Qi replenishment and healing. The clear elixir is for a disease that affects the lungs and breathing in general. It works well in combination with a paste to clear the airways but will expunge the infection." Lind saw a shock flash on the old man's face as he snatched up the clear vial. Lind did not give him time to absorb it as he moved on. "The green and gold elixir helps increase the cultivation of wind and light Qi."
Lind had to pause as the walking stick nearly hit him as the old man whipped up the mid grade 2 vial. Lind had stumbled on this combination and learned it was a difficult but common dual elemental combination in several areas of the continent. They were not very complimentary but worse, the 2 elements slowed elemental tempering as light can disperse wind easily.
"The final vial, as you might expect, helps cultivate water. I have confirmed it can be used even if the dantian has more than one element in it. The other one, however, can only be used by the dual elements involved." Lind had, of course, tried to find a way to help temper his elements. These 3 were his only success thus far and only 1 was useful to Lind in its current form.
Shaking wrinkled hands held both mid tier 2 vials as if they were Sky Realm resources in his hands. Lind realized he once again underestimated the desire for elixirs. Pills could help with cultivation but most of the ones Lind knew of helped clear the mind or comprehend the elements. Most other pills dealt with healing or enhancing techniques. Elemental tempering was impossible with pills at grades 1 to 2 so far as Lind knew, but Grade 3 was hardly known to him.
"Do you have any idea what people will do for these 2 vials alone?!" The old voice broke into a screech and Lind felt his ears hurt as the full power of Diamond Tier came crashing down on them. "Can you make them consistently?" The sharp stare made Lind start to sweat again.
"I can make the water elixir with 60% success rate, but a low grade 2 jumps to 80%. I have confidence to make it better and more often in a few months. The other, however, was an accident." Lind admitted the truth as even Younger Twin had been stunned when Lind made that one. "I have some insights I want to try and have confidence to do it again but I cannot guarantee it."
A swift nod and a gleam was in the eyes of old Ye as he cradled the 2 elixirs.
"You have no idea how precious these could be to World Realms, let alone Soul Realms. A font is far more difficult to temper than a core. You may one day understand why, but just know it is not anywhere near as easy as a core." Lind despaired to hear that, but it was some years off at his current rate of progress. His blood siblings had a better chance of reaching the Stone Tier before Lind even reached the peak of Soul Realm.
"For grade 1, I have a 90% success rate and the clear one is my own creation. I can certify its results as well." Lind saw a contemplative look in Ye's dark eyes. The red and violet were interesting but pills could achieve the result if less efficiently.
"There was an outbreak in the Golden Dynasty of a disease that spread quickly in mortals and some Body Refining Realms. It causes great difficulty in breathing, fevers, and even if a pill can be made it has to be grade 3 at least to do it." Lind recognized the description immediately and nodded vigorously. He also took out a slip of jade that held the full symptoms to look for as well as how to test it against colds.
"I think you need a name to protect yourself, boy. If we simply try to pass these off as discovered items it will work once, but even intermittent sales will draw eyes to find where these come from. Powers you have never heard of will rip open mountains and drain seas to find someone that could make this." Lind felt like his body had been wrung dry of sweat but somehow it was covered once more. "The other 2 grade 1 elixirs, however, are safe to sell on a regular basis."
Lind breathed a sigh of relief but would put thought into the advice he was given. There was no power that would currently cover for him, and even if there were, it would have to be a considerable power. A sudden pair popped into his head, but Lind would have to reach out to them discreetly. Of the 2, one was more well known to Lind, but he was a bit of trouble too.
"I may have ideas, but how will this work? Also, may I participate in the auction?" Lind had been curious and now he settled in for the negotiation of what would finance his future going forward.