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Chapter 267 The Myriad Phenomena of the Universe, Trouble for the Miao People (5K)

It's the 22nd floor...

If it weren't for the Hunyuan Wuliang Gong protecting him, the Vajra Iron Shirt technique would be the one he had cultivated to the highest level.

After a brief moment of reflection, Su Chen stopped thinking about it and focused on improving his cultivation technique.

Nine hours passed quickly, and the Vajra Iron Shirt naturally reached the twenty-second level.

Su Chen, who was just feeling deeply moved, was overjoyed when he saw the changes on the panel.

"The next level is the limit!"

The long-absent term "limit" now appears before me like a naked, stunning woman, radiating endless charm.

He finally reached the ultimate condition for the Vajra Iron Shirt technique.

"The Map of All Things in the Universe?"

Most of the conditions for cultivating the Vajra Iron Shirt technique to its limit are easily met.

Only this "Myriad Manifestations Diagram" was something Su Chen had never heard of before.

"Besides the Myriad Intents Technique, we're going to add another Myriad Manifestations Map. I just hope this thing won't be as hard to find as the Myriad Intents Technique."

Su Chen quickly accepted the terms.

Compared to these conditions, he was still more looking forward to the martial art that would result from the fusion of Vajra Iron Shirt and Boundless Primordial Chaos Skill.

After calming himself down, Su Chen continued to bury himself in refining the Meridian Opening Pill.

These one hundred Meridian Opening Pills were obtained purely through repeated use; there wasn't much skill involved.

Su Chen only chose this cost-insensitive method to improve the Nine Revolutions Fire Technique and make it easier to refine pills.

We will not do that going forward; instead, we will focus on improving quality.

With the help of the Four-Turn Separation Fire, Su Chen didn't need to worry too much about the quality of the Meridian Opening Pills; they were at least of medium quality.

The fourth level of the Fire Transformation has added a new function: when the pill is formed, it can be tempered to improve its quality.

For low-quality pills, the effects of fire are significant, as it can directly upgrade them to medium-quality pills.

Therefore, even if Su Chen accidentally refined a low-grade pill, it would be tempered into a medium-grade pill by the Li Fire.

Of course, for high-grade and superior-grade pills, the effect of tempering them away from fire is not so obvious.

However, this is a significant help to Su Chen at present, as it can save him a lot of trouble.

Three months passed quietly, and before he knew it, Su Chen had become a second-grade alchemist with two and a half years of experience in alchemy.

This speed wasn't very fast, but it wasn't slow either. At least in Miao Kuo's opinion, Su Chen still possessed extremely high talent in alchemy.

This day.

In the lobby.

"Manager Miao, take a look for yourself. These are the pills your pharmacy sent to refine for us. Not only are they ineffective and substandard, but their attitude is also extremely poor. Is this how you treat your big and long-term customers?" a middle-aged man in a blue robe said with dissatisfaction.

He's here to hold us accountable, and his attitude is very tough: "If you don't give us a satisfactory explanation today, I think the cooperation between the Miao family and our Xiao family will end here. Our Xiao family will probably not be able to enjoy the Miao family's alchemists and pills!"

"Steward Xiao, please calm down." Miao Qian frowned and picked up the pills that Steward Xiao had brought.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that the quality of the pills was not particularly good, but it wasn't bad either.

Even a high-grade Qi-opening pill presents an extremely high challenge for a third-grade alchemist.

Moreover, most of the pills the other party took out were high-grade Meridian Opening Pills.

This annoyed her.

In order not to lose the Xiao family as a customer, the Miao family has tried its best to meet their requests.

The alchemists sent out may not be the best third-grade alchemists in Tiandan City in terms of skill, but their level is definitely not bad, and their attitude is also serious.

Unexpectedly, the Xiao family raised their requirements at the last minute, saying they only wanted the highest grade of the Meridian Opening Pill.

Superior-grade pills, regardless of their grade, are not easy to refine.

Moreover, the Xiao family needs a large quantity.

If they hadn't been so generous with their money, Miao Qian would have already turned on them and sent them back to where they came from.

"Butler Xiao, we didn't think this through. How about this?"

Consider these Meridian Opening Pills as our apology. In addition, we will give your family an extra thousand superior Meridian Opening Pills.

As for these alchemists, we will recall some of them and then send better alchemists to refine the Meridian Opening Pills for your household. What do you think?

Miao Qian put down the pills, quickly came up with an idea, and said calmly.

Hearing such sincere words, Butler Xiao pondered for a moment and then agreed: "Alright, Mr. Miao is very straightforward. It's settled then. However, Mr. Miao must remember that this batch of pills has a time limit. If it is overdue, the Miao family will have to pay ten times the penalty for breach of contract."

After saying that, Butler Xiao gracefully left with the pills.

Miao Qian sat alone in the lobby, lost in thought, a conflicted look on her face.

To refine superior Meridian Opening Pills in every batch, one needs a third-grade alchemist with rich experience.

Although the Miao family has many alchemists, including qualified third-grade alchemists, it is still not enough to meet the Xiao family's requirements.

Unless a fourth-grade alchemist is sent.

However, it would be a waste for a fourth-grade alchemist to refine such a pill.

While having a fourth-grade alchemist work can certainly improve the quality of the Meridian Opening Pill, the price is also higher than that of a third-grade Meridian Opening Pill.

Although the Xiao family offered a large reward this time, the quantity was also large, requiring at least three fourth-grade alchemists to refine the Meridian Opening Pills.

As a result, the Miao people's expenses increased significantly, and overall, they were unable to make ends meet.

This put Miao Qian in a difficult position.

After much deliberation, Miao Qian finally decided to ask a fourth-grade alchemist for help.

In any case, completing transactions diligently is the foundation of the Miao people's survival, and they cannot abandon transactions because of an imbalance between income and expenditure.

Besides, she didn't want to lose such a big client as the Xiao family.

"Let's go and have a detailed talk with Father first."

Having come up with an idea, Miao Qian decided to ask Miao Kuo for advice.

Miao Kuo, as a fifth-grade alchemist, may not know much about alchemists, but in terms of prestige, she is far superior to her.

To get a fourth-grade alchemist to help, one needs to rely on Miao Kuo's status and position.

"You want to find a fourth-grade alchemist to refine the Meridian Opening Pill?" Miao Kuo was somewhat surprised when he learned this.

Is it a waste of talent to have a fourth-grade alchemist refine the Meridian Opening Pill?
Unlike other pills, the Opening Meridian Pill's sole purpose of opening the Xuan Meridian limits its market share.

Aside from third-grade alchemists, fourth-grade alchemists wouldn't even consider them.

The time it takes to refine ten Meridian Opening Pills is enough for them to refine ten more profitable pills.

Miao Qian knew what Miao Kuo was thinking, so she told him about the current situation of the Miao family.

Upon learning this, Miao Kuo laughed and said, "So the Xiao family only wants a superior-grade Qi Opening Pill. Wait a minute."

After saying that, Miao Kuo went into the room, took out a Meridian Opening Pill, handed it to Miao Qian, and said, "How about this one?"

Miao Qian recognized the quality of the pill at a glance: "It has a bright color, is full in shape, and has a lingering aura. It is of superior quality!"

“These are pills refined by Xiang Shaolong,” Miao Kuo said.

"Xiang Shaolong?" A young man's image flashed through Miao Qian's mind.

Over the past two years, she has become quite familiar with this young man, knowing that he is temporarily staying at the Miao family's residence and learning alchemy from Miao Kuo.

I never expected that the other party could actually refine the Meridian Opening Pill.

"What is his success rate in achieving the pill?" Miao Qian asked, slightly surprised.

Miao Kuo shook his head: "I don't know either, but he can now refine superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills. If you need them, I can ask him for you. By the way, how many superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills do you need?"

"One hundred thousand!" Miao Qian said a number.

She paused, then added, "If Xiang Shaolong has a high success rate in producing pills, we can let him try. The medicinal herbs will be free, and he can even make a 10% profit."

Miao Kuo nodded, telling Miao Qian to wait there while he went to find Su Chen.

Half an hour later, Miao Kuo returned and told him, "He agreed, but on one condition: he must stay at the Miao residence to refine the Meridian Opening Pill."

“No problem.” Miao Qian didn’t care about that, but asked, “How many superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills can he refine within a month?”

"Around ten thousand," Miao Kuo replied.

Miao Qian was shocked upon hearing this. Ten thousand superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills—didn't that mean every batch of them contained superior-grade pills?

To reach this level in less than three years, Su Chen's talent was even greater than she had imagined.

“That means we still need 90,000 more,” Miao Qian said after a moment’s thought.

Upon hearing this, Miao Kuo shook his head, took out a large sack, and said, "There are 40,000 superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills here."

Miao Qian saw the burlap sack when Miao Kuo brought it back, but she didn't pay attention to it at the time.

The moment he opened it, a strong aroma of medicinal pills immediately wafted out.

Miao Qian scanned the area with her primordial spirit and discovered that, as Miao Kuo had said, there were as many as 40,000 superior-grade meridian-opening pills.

"These were all refined by Xiang Shaolong?" Miao Qian's pretty face was moved.

I was surprised by the sheer number of pills, and even more surprised that someone would store them in sacks.

It's important to know that the medicinal effects of pills gradually diminish over time, so many pills need to be preserved. Storing them in sacks like this, it probably won't be long before the effects of the 40,000 pills dissipate.

As an alchemist, Su Chen couldn't possibly be unaware of these things, yet he still did it, leaving Miao Qian speechless.

That's incredibly careless!

Miao Kuo also had a complicated expression; he saw things more deeply than Miao Qian.

It's not that Su Chen isn't worried about the loss of medicinal properties, but rather that there's no need to worry.

These elixirs are made using the Nine-Turn Separation Fire, which has the function of sealing off the medicinal effects.

Even if you put it in a sack, or leave it in the open for a while, the medicinal effect will not be lost.

Unlike Miao Qian, he didn't care about the quantity of pills or that they were packed in sacks.

Instead, Su Chen had quietly learned the Nine Revolutions Fire Technique and even reached the fourth level.

Even with his extensive experience, he had to admit that such a cultivation speed was exceptional!

He had practiced the Nine Revolutions Fire Technique, so he knew how difficult it was. Although the first three revolutions were relatively simple, they still required several years of practice.

Su Chen completed his cultivation in less than two years, and directly reached the fourth stage.

More importantly, he cultivated in his spare time while refining pills. Wouldn't it be faster if he devoted himself to cultivation wholeheartedly?

At this moment, Miao Kuo admitted that he was tempted and wanted to take Su Chen as his disciple.

But when he thought of Su Chen's strength, he gave up on the plan.

“Take all these pills back with you. Just give him his share of Spirit Essence Pills later. As for the remaining 50,000 pills, you'll have to figure out how to get them yourself,” Miao Kuo said.

Miao Qian nodded absentmindedly. Fifty thousand superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills would be enough to save her a lot of money.

It might not even be necessary to hire a fourth-grade alchemist.

She pursed her red lips and said softly, "Thank him for me."

After saying that, he picked up the sack without a care for his image and walked away.

Su Chen was unaware that he had unwittingly solved a significant problem for the Miao family.

At this moment, he was considering the next step in refining elixirs.

He was supposed to give up refining new pills using the Meridian Opening Pill these past few days, but Miao Kuo's appearance disrupted his plans.

"I can finish 10,000 superior-grade Meridian Opening Pills in about 20 days, so there's no need to rush. Let's buy the formula for the Yuan-Enhancing Pill first."

The Enhancing Essence Pill is a fourth-grade pill required for advancing to the fifth stage of the Nine Revolutions Fire Technique; it belongs to the enhancement category.

However, at this point, Su Chen no longer needed to care too much about the grade and type of the pills.

Unlike mainstream alchemists, he only refines the pills required by the panel.

A first-grade alchemist only needs to refine one type of first-grade pill, two types for second-grade, three types for third-grade, and so on.

Since Su Chen only refines one or two types of pills at each grade, it is impossible to determine their true grade.

Of course, he doesn't care either.

"The Zengyuan Pill is a fourth-grade pill, and the formula isn't cheap!"

Su Chen naturally didn't need to worry too much about this issue.

Not long after, Miao Qian delivered the profits she had earned from the previous 40,000 Qi Opening Pills to Su Chen.

Su Chen went from being penniless to becoming a small-time millionaire overnight, and he no longer lacked the money to buy pill formulas.

However, it might not be so easy to buy a pill formula of the same quality as the one Miao Kuo provided.

After thinking it over, Su Chen finally decided to seek guidance from Miao Kuo.

Miao Kuo was extremely surprised to learn that Su Chen planned to start refining the Yuan-Boosting Pill again. He couldn't understand why Su Chen was in such a hurry to succeed.

After his attempts to persuade Su Chen failed, Miao Kuo finally agreed to pass on his experience in refining the Zengyuan Pill.

With Miao Kuo's guidance, Su Chen's experience with the Zengyuan Pill increased like a rocket.

After studying under Miao Kuo for a full month, Su Chen finally transitioned from theory to practice, gradually verifying what he had learned.

Failure, failure, and more failure...

Starting with the Zengyuan Pill, failure became the norm.

Su Chen, who was originally wealthy, not only failed to experience the joy of success in just two months, but also spent most of his savings.

He could only enjoy the fragrance of success from the Meridian Opening Pill, while simultaneously studying the Yuan-Enhancing Pill and refining the Meridian Opening Pill.

This situation lasted for four months before Su Chen finally succeeded in refining a batch of Enhancing Essence Pills.

Moreover, the effect was remarkable, producing five Yuan-Enhancing Pills in one batch, with varying qualities.

Once success is unleashed, it pours out like a flood.

Su Chen was like that; after his first successful refining, he succeeded more and more times.

In less than seven days, Su Chen refined one hundred Yuan-Boosting Pills.

The Nine Revolutions Fire Technique has naturally been upgraded to the fifth revolution, making its enhancement to the quality of pills even more potent.

Furthermore, Su Chen discovered that when he used the Primordial Chaos Power and the Blazing Fire together to refine pills, the number of pills successfully produced increased significantly.

For example, with the Meridian Opening Pill, even the best alchemist can only refine a maximum of ten pills, but Su Chen can refine twelve or even fifteen.

After fulfilling the panel's requirements, Su Chen began refining the next round of pills.

The next one to be refined is the Yuan Shi Pill!
Unlike other elixirs, the records of the Yuan Shi Dan formula in Tian Dan City are much more detailed.

Whether in Tiandan City or Shengyuan Kingdom, Yuan Shi Dan is an expensive elixir. Many alchemists specialize in refining Yuan Shi Dan to earn money from the cost of medicinal materials. As a result, the method of refining Yuan Shi Dan has long been popular in the city.

He didn't need to seek advice from Miao Kuo; as long as he spent money, there were plenty of alchemists' experience summaries on the market.

Su Chen adopted the same method as before: first refine the Meridian Opening Pill to earn money, and then buy the recipe for the Yuan Shi Pill.

Half a month later, Su Chen bought a very detailed recipe for the Yuan Shi Dan.

Learn, learn, keep learning...

After a month of study, Su Chen had initially constructed a framework in his mind.

The fourth-grade Yuan Shi Dan is quite difficult to refine. Not to mention the more than 500 kinds of medicinal materials, the steps alone are extremely complicated.

Most importantly, it actually requires the alchemist to infuse it with the power of Yuan energy.

There is an unspoken barrier to refining Yuan Shi Pills: those who are not alchemists at the Shi Realm level simply cannot refine them.

Unless a martial artist at the Power Realm is willing to contribute their Yuan Power to help the alchemist refine pills.

However, very few people actually do this.

Numerous restrictions have led to a shortage of Yuan Shi Dan even within Tian Dan City.

Su Chen doesn't need to worry too much about the power of Yuan energy. The biggest obstacle in his path is skill and experience.

After that, Su Chen devoted himself to studying the Yuan Shi Pill.

After studying it for more than half a year, I still don't have many clues.

"Now I finally understand why there are Yuan Shi Dan recipes on the market with such detailed notes, yet the market still can't keep up with the demand. The difficulty of refining them is exponentially greater than that of other pills!"

After failing for more than half a year, Su Chen couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

Fortunately, he remained calm and, after complaining a few times, continued refining the product.

Thanks to the replenishment of the Meridian Opening Pill, otherwise he would not have been able to sustain himself for more than half a year.

In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

Before he knew it, Su Chen had been staying at the Miao residence for almost five years.

Even he himself did not expect that he would spend so much time refining pills.

Fortunately, good news followed.

After nearly a year of study and practice, he finally succeeded in refining his first batch of Yuan Shi Dan.

"Although there was only one, and it was of medium quality, it was still the first step towards success."

However, unlike the Zengyuan Pill, this step did not lead to a successful breakthrough, but instead faded into obscurity.

This made Su Chen realize that his previous success might have been accidental.

He continued to delve into the alchemy process, refining each step, and finally, a month later, he successfully refined the second batch of Yuan Shi Dan.

There are five in total, ranging in quality from medium to high.

This wasn't a coincidence; we found the key.

After finding the trick, refining the Yuan Shi Dan became much smoother.

Moreover, it wasn't just smooth sailing.

Because others can only use a few types of elemental energy to refine pills, while he can use countless types.

Once one type is used up, another type is used, making it virtually inexhaustible. There's no need to worry about the power of the Yuan energy.

This greatly increased his speed in refining Yuan Shi Dan.

In just two days, the conditions on the panel were met, and one hundred Yuan Shi Pills were refined.

"Sixth transformation already, soon to be the seventh, then the eighth, the ninth, and so on, the future is promising!"

(End of this chapter)