Chapter 318: Zhenhen Wan and the Star Disk

As the magma gradually cooled, the heat wave within the cave had already subsided...

The black cauldrons, which had originally been scorched bright red, also returned to their original color.

It was at this moment that Pan Yong walked over cautiously. Wearing thick cowhide gloves, he removed the four cauldron lids one by one. Immediately, a medicinal fragrance wafted over; within that rich fragrance, there was a faint trace of coolness, and upon smelling it, everyone felt their spirits lift.

Duan Rong walked a few steps slowly and looked intently into one of the black cauldrons.

He saw that the bottom of the pitch-black cauldron was coated with a thick layer of medicinal paste, and within that black paste, there were streaks of purple patterns.

"This Zhenhen Wan is truly worthy of being a True Qi Realm Fourth Layer pill. This medicinal fragrance is truly intoxicating..." Yin Cong stood in front of a cauldron, took a deep breath, and said with a dazed look in his eyes.

"That's enough, we still have work to do!" Pan Yong said coldly. He glanced at Duan Rong. "Duan Rong, come over here and partner with me."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong walked to Pan Yong's side.

Yin Cong glanced at Duan Rong's back, a flash of displeasure appearing in his eyes.

Pan Yong handed a dry wooden basin to Duan Rong and said, "Hold this well; I will dig out the medicinal paste."

Wearing his gloves, Pan Yong took a small wooden spoon, bent down, and dug a spoonful of medicinal paste out of the black cauldron, placing it into the wooden basin Duan Rong was holding.

The two of them dug out the medicinal paste from two black cauldrons, enough to fill nearly half a wooden basin.

Carrying the wooden basin, Duan Rong followed Pan Yong to an open space.

Pan Yong took out a bamboo tube; the bamboo tube was only slightly thicker than a thumb, and it had a wooden handle fitted inside.

Pan Yong removed the wooden handle, used a small wooden spoon to stuff the medicinal paste into the bamboo tube, and then, after inserting the wooden handle back into the bamboo tube, pressed down with force.

Following Pan Yong's action, a pill only the size of a small fingernail rolled out from a small hole at the bottom of the bamboo tube and fell into another wooden basin.

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong and said, "Brush on the oil."

Only then did Duan Rong understand; he took a small brush dipped in oil and brushed a layer of oil onto the surface of the pill.

Duan Rong was a bit clumsy at first, but before long, his oil-brushing speed became faster and faster.

Duan Rong freed up his hands, so he began to brush the oil while simultaneously bottling the pills from earlier.

The two of them gradually became more in sync. The medicinal paste in the wooden basin slowly reached the bottom, and by Duan Rong's side, there were already over twenty porcelain bottles, each containing twenty pills.

The two of them finished processing all the medicinal paste. Pan Yong counted them; there were exactly twenty-five porcelain bottles.

Pan Yong smiled and said, "The quantity is just right. Very smooth!"

He turned his head and saw that Chen Hu and Yin Cong were still busy over there.

Pan Yong took a small cloth bag and packed all twenty-five porcelain bottles into it. Looking at Duan Rong, he said, "Let's go, it's getting late, let's head back first."

Duan Rong gave a hum of agreement, preparing to leave with Pan Yong.

Chen Hu glanced at this side and glared at Yin Cong with an annoyed look.

This was Duan Rong's first time participating in medicine refining, and by partnering with Pan Yong, the speed of pill formation had already surpassed their side. Chen Hu knew very well that his own speed was definitely not slower than Pan Yong's; clearly, Yin Cong was holding him back.

Pan Yong tied the small cloth bag to his waist, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Duan Rong, tomorrow I am going to the Medicine Pavilion to deliver medicine; you come with me. I will take you to the Guanglu Courtyard on the way to collect your Star Disk."

"Star Disk?!" Duan Rong was completely confused. He did not know what a Star Disk was for.

Just as Duan Rong was about to ask Pan Yong, Yin Cong, not far away, suddenly chimed in, muttering, "Senior Brother is so biased! Back then, I had been here for over a month before you took me to collect a Star Disk. Duan Rong has only been here for two days, and you're already taking him to collect one."

Upon hearing this, Pan Yong snorted coldly, did not respond, and simply flicked his sleeves and left.

Seeing the atmosphere, Duan Rong found it inconvenient to ask further, so he followed behind Pan Yong and also left.

The next day at the hour of the dragon, Pan Yong, Yin Cong, and Duan Rong walked out from the main gate of the Guanglu Courtyard.

Pan Yong and Yin Cong both had small cloth bags tied to their waists; they were both going to the Medicine Pavilion to deliver medicine.

Duan Rong walked slowly behind the two of them, looking at the palm-sized iron disk in his hand with flickering eyes.

The disk was heavy, and the clockwork inside was intricate.

There was a circular hole on the back of the disk, while the front displayed the number ninety-five; those characters were inlaid and rolling, driven by complex clockwork.

Along the edge of the front of the disk, there was also a ring-shaped groove, and six small holes were evenly distributed within the groove.

Pan Yong said, "Everyone's Star Disk is custom-made, and the clockwork is different. The 'ninety-five' on the disk face represents that your Sect Contribution Point is ninety-five. Generally, when a Registered Disciple enters, the initial contribution points are eighty-five; because we are with Master Shang, our initial points are ten higher."

"Don't look down on these ten contribution points. When you take on tasks at the Guanglu Courtyard, many tasks don't even give ten contribution points!"

"Guanglu Courtyard? Taking on tasks?" Duan Rong looked at Pan Yong with a surprised expression.

Pan Yong raised his finger and pointed at the bulletin board on the plaza in front of the Guanglu Courtyard, saying, "There... the tasks posted on that bulletin board... are generally for recruiting Registered Disciples..."

"Registered Disciples can only be considered the bottom layer within the Sect. The cultivation resources exchanged with eighty-some contribution points a year are not enough. Many fellow disciples are barely scraping by by taking on tasks at the Guanglu Courtyard..."

Duan Rong stood in front of the bulletin board at his side and looked at the recruitment notices at the very top.

Sure enough, he saw:

Repairing palaces, five days for eight contribution points.

Copper mining, five days for eight contribution points.

Duan Rong's eyes scanned quickly, and his brows immediately knitted together.

Why are they all recruiting manual laborers?

Duan Rong suddenly scanned a notice posted at the very bottom of the bulletin board; the contribution points for that task were actually as high as sixty.

Duan Rong looked closely and saw it written: Recruiting two Registered Disciples to assist in setting nets to capture one Origin Beast cub within the space-distorted canyon jungle. Note: This task has a certain degree of danger; please consider carefully.

"Space-distorted? Origin Beast cub?" Duan Rong's eyes flickered as he quickly pondered the meaning of these words.

Just then, Duan Rong saw that Pan Yong and Yin Cong had already reached the corner ahead, so he immediately followed quickly.

As Yin Cong walked, his eyes were rolling around...

Pan Yong was actually explaining things to Duan Rong so patiently; this was not his temperament at all!

"What is this kid's background?" Yin Cong couldn't help but glance at Duan Rong behind him from the corner of his eye.

The three of them crossed the iron chains between the valleys and arrived at another mountain peak; this mountain peak was where the Medicine Pavilion was located.

Calling it a Medicine Pavilion, upon closer inspection, it was just a piece of simple and dilapidated architecture.

The three of them walked to the entrance of the Medicine Pavilion. Duan Rong pondered for a while, but still couldn't help asking, "Senior Brother Pan, while we are by Master Shang's side, are there any other channels to get cheaper pills?"

The reason Duan Rong wanted to ask was that he was preparing to get some pills while at the Medicine Pavilion.

Because for his cultivation, it was exactly the time he needed pills.

If there were other channels, he would not have to be a sucker at the Medicine Pavilion.

Pan Yong heard this, but gave an awkward smile and said, "That, there isn't. Cultivation pills still have to be exchanged for with Contribution Points at the Medicine Pavilion."

As the three of them spoke, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Medicine Pavilion.

They showed their Sect Cloud Token to the person guarding the gate, then walked into the Medicine Pavilion.

Pan Yong stood before the plaza of the Medicine Pavilion, looked at Duan Rong and said, "Disciple Duan Rong, you can wander around and get familiar with the environment. Yin Cong and I are going to the warehouse to hand over the refined pills."

After Pan Yong finished speaking, he walked off to one side.

Yin Cong deliberately lagged behind a few steps, and at Duan Rong's side, said, "None of us have any, we can only exchange for them from the Medicine Pavilion. Only he has them, because Master Shang gives them to him privately."

As Yin Cong spoke, he winked at Duan Rong and pointed to a row of buildings not far away, saying, "Registered Disciples go over there to exchange for medicine."

After Yin Cong finished speaking, he immediately hurried off to catch up with Pan Yong.

Duan Rong looked at Yin Cong's back, pondering the truth in his words. "We don't have any, only he has them."

Duan Rong thought for a while, then turned and walked toward the row of buildings Yin Cong had pointed out.

That was a row of low buildings situated in a corner, totaling three rooms, hanging three signs: Pill, Medicinal Herb, Wound Medicine.

Duan Rong's expression shifted, and he pushed open the door for Pill.

Two hours later, Duan Rong walked out of the room with the Medicinal Herb sign with a dark face.

In his hand, he clutched a brown Porcelain Bottle; this was what he had exchanged for in the Pill room using twenty Contribution Points: twenty Zhengyang Pills.

Duan Rong glanced at the Wound Medicine room next door and did not go in again.

These Zhengyang Pills were merely the most ordinary pills, yet it actually took twenty Contribution Points to exchange for one bottle.

If a Registered Disciple does not take on tasks at the Guanglu Courtyard, they simply cannot support their own cultivation!

Duan Rong suddenly thought that Fan Yuanhai and Zhu Qunxiang were only at the True Qi Realm First Stage and Second Stage.

It is evident that for these three years as Registered Disciples, it is impossible for them to focus on cultivation; these people spend more of their time doing odd jobs for the Sect!

Duan Rong suddenly felt that this was somewhat similar to military service in his previous life.

Only those who can be promoted to Outer Sect Disciple can stay and be considered people of the Sect.

As for the rest, after three years, they are merely sent out of the Sect and scattered into the world.

Although they passed the Talent Selection Assembly and were chosen as Registered Disciples, in the eyes of the people in their hometown of Xiangu County, they are carp leaping over the dragon gate, the heaven's pride, but in the Sect, they are still just the lowest layer of dust.

Duan Rong walked to the entrance of the Medicine Pavilion; he had stayed inside for as long as two hours. Pan Yong and Yin Cong must have already left; they were only going to the warehouse to hand over medicine.

Duan Rong stood there and frowned.

The path of wanting to refine medicine himself was clearly not yet ripe; in order not to let his cultivation progress be hindered, he could not avoid coming to the Medicine Pavilion to exchange for pills.

Then, earning Contribution Points was the top priority.

Duan Rong suddenly remembered that task which rewarded sixty Contribution Points.

Sixty points would be three bottles of Zhengyang Pills!

"... two Registered Disciples... set up a net to assist in capturing... Origin Beast cubs..."

Duan Rong still remembered several important pieces of information from that task at this moment.

"I wonder how Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan are doing? I can find them to team up and take on this task. If two people go together, there can be mutual support."

Although there were old-timers like Pan Yong, Yin Cong, and Chen Hu, Duan Rong hadn't considered joining them at all.

For one, they might not be willing to take him along. For another, Duan Rong didn't trust them.

At this moment, having nothing to do, and with the day still early, Duan Rong decided to go see Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan.

Duan Rong slid back across the iron chain from that mountain peak of the Medicine Pavilion to the cliffside of the Lower Courtyard, walked along the edge of the cliff, and arrived once again at the two iron chains where Ximen Kankan and Xiao Yu had slid into the thick fog.

Duan Rong stood at the edge of the cliff, hesitated slightly, but still slid toward the iron chain on Ximen Kankan's side first.

Duan Rong slid down from the iron chain, took a leap, and landed halfway up a mountain peak.

As soon as Duan Rong landed, he heard faint sounds of blacksmithing coming from afar, clanging and clattering...

Duan Rong followed the mountain path toward where the sound was coming from, and before long, arrived in front of a row of caves surrounded by a wooden fence.

At the entrance of that wooden fence sat an old man with gray hair, who was dozing off there.

Duan Rong gave the old man a nudge, handed over his Sect Cloud Token, and said he was looking for the newly arrived Registered Disciple, Ximen Kankan.

The old man smiled, glanced at Duan Rong's Sect Cloud Token, and said, "That little fatty? Go ahead."

Duan Rong stepped inside the wooden fence; from the old man's manner, he felt that Ximen Kankan had already become quite famous here.

And it had only been two days.

Duan Rong looked at the row of caves before him, feeling a moment of daze.

The old man shouted from behind him, "Newcomer, he's in the third cave on the east side."

Duan Rong turned his head to nod and thank the old man, then hurried toward the third cave on the east side.

Duan Rong was at the cave entrance when he saw that deep inside the cave, it was bright with fire, and the clanging sounds of blacksmithing were a chaotic mess.

Duan Rong walked in, and just as he reached the area illuminated by the firelight, he saw several figures surrounding a furnace, holding large iron hammers and smashing away at iron blocks that had been burned red.

Among them, a chubby figure, with his butt stuck out, was smashing the hardest...

Duan Rong smiled, walked over, and kicked that butt.

Duan Rong didn't use too much force; Ximen Kankan only trembled, then steadied his stance.

"Who dares to ambush me?"

Ximen Kankan turned his head and saw Duan Rong's face, illuminated red by the firelight, smiling at him.

"Duan Rong!"

"Kankan!"

Duan Rong looked at Ximen Kankan, who was covered in sweat and had a face full of soot, and his eyes instantly turned red.

This chubby, fair-skinned fellow had been roasted until his skin was red in just two days.

Ximen Kankan tossed the large iron hammer in his hand aside, grabbed Duan Rong's arm, and walked outside. "Let's go, let's go out and talk."

Ximen Kankan pulled Duan Rong out of the cave, and the two sat on a rock not far from the cave entrance, where Ximen Kankan washed his face with clear water.

Duan Rong looked at Ximen Kankan and said, "Kankan, how have these two days been?"

Ximen Kankan laughed and said, "Not bad. Blacksmithing is quite fun. If only Tao Rong were here, he might be able to give me some pointers. His family runs a Weapon Shop."

Although Ximen Kankan's tone was relaxed, Duan Rong still caught a hint of grievance in the depths of his eyes.

Duan Rong patted Ximen Kankan on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, Kankan. If we can just make it through these three years, we'll become Outer Sect Disciples."

Ximen Kankan gave a bitter smile and said, "You sure know how to paint a pretty picture."

Ximen Kankan perhaps realized that Duan Rong had seen through him, so he stopped hiding it, let his head droop dejectedly, and said, "I'm not skilled enough yet. In a month or two, once I'm skilled, I'll be able to be like the old-timers—work for one day and rest for three. It will be easy then."

Hearing Ximen Kankan's words, Duan Rong knew that taking on tasks together with him was completely out of the question for now. Ximen Kankan was currently barely managing to finish the work in the Weapon Shop.

If Ximen Kankan was like this, he wondered if Xiao Yu could handle it.

Duan Rong's expression suddenly shifted, and he looked at Ximen Kankan, asking, "Kankan, do you all recycle old weapons here?"

Ximen Kankan said, "Yes. They are piled up in that cave over there. Discarded old weapons can be melted down and reforged..."

"Let's go, take me to see." Duan Rong suddenly became interested and stood up.

If there were enough old weapons, then his ability to use the Devouring Artifact Spirit would have a place to be put to use.

(End of chapter)