Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-Three: Fake Elixir

“You don’t need to bow yet…” the Zhen Daoist said haughtily. “What you still need to learn is yet to come.”

“Ordinary cultivators cannot detect the tricks hidden in elixirs—the impurities, whether the medicinal properties are sufficient—but those who specialize in this art are different. Thus, beyond the Elixir Assembly, if a respected elixir master is present, transactions can be mediated through tasting and evaluating spirit elixirs.”

Wei Taiping’s face lit up with delight. “Master, you speak of elixir-making as if counting household items—surely you’re an expert. Could you please evaluate a few, and let us open our eyes?”

The Zhen Daoist smiled at Qian Chen. “Friend, do you still wish to trade spirit elixirs for the map? If you can pass my test…” His words trailed off as he turned to look at Wei Taiping.

Wei Taiping, ever perceptive, patted his chest. “Then I’ll take the liberty— I’ll trade you the map of the Nine Truth Great Marsh.”

Qian Chen had no objection. He feared the Zhen Daoist wouldn’t recognize quality, so he had tucked away the Biyuan Cuiling Elixir he originally planned to trade. Such an elixir, refining the foundation and purifying true qi, was still too indirect. This Zhen Daoist sounded credible—but what if he missed it? Switching to the Yiqi Chunyang Elixir, which boosts cultivation… surely he wouldn’t miss that!

The Yiqi Chunyang Elixir was a pure red hue, its medicinal properties gentle, refined from primordial energy, nearly devoid of impurities.

Qian Chen held it in his palm—its appearance was superb: smooth, round, flawless. When his spiritual sense probed it, it felt like sinking into a warm spring, filling him with comfort. He believed such an elixir could never be dismissed.

But the Zhen Daoist took the elixir, studied it for a long while, then suddenly snorted in laughter.

This time, Qian Chen was truly startled. This was the elixir he’d deliberately chosen for its best appearance and simplest medicinal properties. What could possibly go wrong?

The Zhen Daoist said: “The art of elixir-making: ten years tending the fire, three years of rigorous training in visual arts to discern flame colors and master heat control. Then another ten years selecting herbs, studying elixir texts, to learn how to refine simple medicinal herbs. During this time, hundreds of elixir texts are memorized, medicinal properties internalized… you must also open your nasal orifices to detect changes in medicinal properties from the scent rising from the furnace. Finally, open your tongue orifice to taste the deficiencies in fire control within the elixir and adjust accordingly.”

“Only after thirty years can you officially begin refining elixirs.”

“A good batch of elixirs begins with selecting the spirit herbs—taste them with your tongue to sense their depth or shallowness, then measure precisely: one part too little, one part too much, and no matter how well you refine afterward, it’s all waste. Then you must choose the right timing, location, even the furnace itself—all have secrets. Before opening the furnace, you must warm it, consecrate it… the water, the fire—everything has rules.”

“Once the furnace is lit, the heat must adjust precisely with every change in the medicinal properties inside—not the slightest deviation allowed.”

“During this time, maintaining the process requires immense magical power… and at the final moment of opening the furnace, the method of harvesting the elixirs is a secret transmission—these techniques, called Elixir Seals, are the elixir master’s most sacred inheritance. Only inner disciples may glimpse them. Even at the Elixir Assembly, masters conceal their Elixir Seals.”

“And even the method of collecting the elixirs isn’t trivial—the birth dates and body constitution of the child who gathers them matter. Pure Yang elixirs require a pure Yin virgin; Pure Yin elixirs require a pure Yang boy…”

Qian Chen inwardly gasped—was elixir-making really this difficult?

What “visual arts”? What “nasal and tongue orifices”? Isn’t that just the natural result of breaking through to Sensing, when spiritual sense becomes refined? Medicinal properties are just primordial energy—if you can sense energy, you can sense medicinal properties, right?

What? You actually use your eyes to see changes in heat control?

Isn’t that what spiritual sense is for?

And why use your nose to smell the scent to discern changes inside the furnace? Shouldn’t you just observe the aura directly?

Why spend ten years memorizing medicinal properties? Every world in the ten thousand realms has unique species—does that mean you’re stuck refining elixirs in one place? What if you encounter an unfamiliar spirit herb? Why not observe the fundamental nature of medicinal properties directly? All medicinal properties are just primordial energy—their essence never changes!

Qian Chen felt like a physicist using finite element analysis, encountering a master who relied entirely on empirical formulas.

Though he’d struggled through a thick textbook on approximate solutions to boundary value problems in partial differential equations using finite elements, that man who memorized three feet of empirical formulas? Truly awesome.

It was like a normal college student, seeing someone who solved quadratic equations by memorizing the multiplication table, finally achieving success—and feeling both profound pity and a stirring of inspiration.

Such a formidable person—how could one not look up to him in awe?

Even though Qian Chen’s elixir skills were a hundred times stronger than the Zhen Daoist’s, he still felt deep admiration. The crowd in the hall, hearing this arduous elixir art, grew even more reverent. Even Wei Le, the old fox, showed surprise. If this Zhen Daoist truly understood elixir-making, his status was no less than that of a Core Formation Master.

Countless noble families would scramble to befriend him.

Wei Taiping was even more blatant: “Master, knowing such hardship, you must be an Elixir Master. Your evaluation has truly opened our eyes. If you don’t mind, I’d be honored to serve as your disciple.”

The Zhen Daoist did not answer directly, but changed the subject: “Evaluating spirit elixirs also requires the four secrets of ‘Observation, Smell, Weight, and Taste.’”

“To judge the quality of a spirit elixir, first observe its color. Top-grade elixirs have pure, upright hues—not garish, not tainted…”

“The purer the color, the fewer the impurities. If heat is too light, the color fades; if too heavy, it leaves scorch marks. This elixir appears perfectly colored, pure and untainted. With visual arts, I detect not a single impurity…”

Qian Chen listened closely. This Yiqi Chunyang Elixir truly had perfect color and no impurities—why then did the man sneer?

The Zhen Daoist shook his head and smiled: “But the elixir maker probably overdid it. The color is too pure—there’s no trace of medicinal transformation or the fusion of herbs. The elixir came from fire, yet not even a single flame mark remains. Even water-refined elixirs undergo a process of condensation, leaving artificial traces. A skilled master can detect exactly how the elixir formed—the timing, the process.”

“This elixir… appears as if it formed naturally, as if born this way—no trace of condensation whatsoever…”

“This is an elixir made by a master?” The Zhen Daoist sneered.

Qian Chen thought silently: “Because it’s formed from primordial energy, unified in one body. No plant or herb is involved—no need to burn fibers to shape the elixir…”

“Next, smell…” The Zhen Daoist handed the Yiqi Chunyang Elixir to Wei Taiping. “Smell it.”

Wei Taiping cautiously brought his nose close to the elixir, sniffing hard. His face wrinkled in strain, making the attendant boy beside him laugh—but Wei Taiping didn’t feel foolish. He nodded: “I sniffed hard, but I only caught a faint elixir scent—no real medicinal aroma.”

“Yes,” the Zhen Daoist explained. “Scent can identify medicinal properties. This elixir’s properties are fine—tonifies qi and nourishes essence—but such a faint scent indicates shallow medicinal power.”

Wei Taiping also noticed that after smelling the scent, his true qi had slightly improved—though barely perceptible, the effect was extremely weak.

Of course, he couldn’t discern that his true origin had become marginally purer, nor could he distinguish between the stimulation of excitation-enhancing herbs and the gentle, pure replenishment of primordial energy.

Qian Chen couldn’t help asking: “Won’t a strong scent cause the medicinal properties to evaporate?”

“What?” Wei Taiping was stunned someone dared to contradict him—he felt insulted by this challenge to his revered master, and snapped back sharply.

Qian Chen explained kindly: “I mean, the medicinal properties will be lost!”

The Zhen Daoist laughed loudly: “That’s the third mistake…” He pulled a crystal vial from his leopard-skin pouch. Inside was a faintly transparent liquid, like clear water. He shook the vial: “This is Elixir Wax. Elixir masters coat finished elixirs with it to prevent medicinal properties from evaporating with the scent. When evaluating, you must rub off a bit of the wax to smell the aroma…”

“Where’s your wax?”

Qian Chen had no answer—he couldn’t say his elixir-making surpassed this man’s understanding: that he refined elixirs from primordial energy, and after formation, inert primordial energy formed a shell, sealing the pure Yang energy inside. That inert shell was essentially his wax!

The Zhen Daoist’s mind held no concept of primordial energy elixirs. To explain would only make him seem more like a fraud.

“This is a market positioning error! High-end products should target high-end clients like Cui Dan. Why did I come showing off in the low-end market…” Qian Chen sighed inwardly.

The Zhen Daoist finally weighed the Yiqi Chunyang Elixir in his hand and shook his head: “Lastly, don’t you think this elixir is too light?”

“Because it’s just a mass of primordial energy…” Qian Chen had no strength left to argue.

“It weighs only three zhu. Spirit elixirs vary in weight: herb-based elixirs range from one qian to three qian. By observing impurities and weighing, you can determine medicinal potency. Mineral Golden Core elixirs are heavier, ranging from eight qian to three liang. Different elixirs have different densities—weight alone often reveals whether medicinal potency is excessive or impurities are too high.”

“Of course, these details are subtle and context-dependent—but no spirit elixir in any school is this light!”

“I suspect this is just a shell!” the Zhen Daoist sneered.

Qian Chen inwardly sighed: “You’re right! It really is just a shell…”

The Zhen Daoist tossed the elixir back to Qian Chen: “Thus, through observation, smell, and weight—this elixir isn’t worthy of my detailed tasting. Skip the final step. This elixir is bottom-grade: few impurities, but medicinal power is extremely shallow. It’s not the worst—‘poison elixir’—but better than ‘waste elixir.’ Still, it’s a ‘fake elixir’… not worth the Great Marsh map.”

The Zhen Daoist stared coldly at Qian Chen. At this moment, Qian Chen reflected inwardly: “When did I offend this Zhen Daoist? I’ve never even met him before!”

“He seems to harbor ill will toward me… should I just draw my sword and kill him right here?”