Chapter 150: Chapter 118: Horse Tramples Flying Swallow_2
"The Sword Soldier Flower is upright with spineless skin. It blooms in December and has a tough texture. Consuming it can temper Inner Qi, giving it an edge. It can also be used in medicine making, serving as an important material for the ’Sharp Qi Pill,’ and as a supplement for Weapon Forging. The stem juice of this Treasure Herb can be used to quench weapons, making them sharper."
"It goes without saying, this Treasure Herb is valuable not just in the Medicine King Hall but also in the Firewood Iron Shop."
However, the first thing Chen Ku paid attention to was the body of the Flower Fox Mink. There was Flame Qi poisoning on its body. He immediately called it back and clearly saw everything the Flower Fox Mink had done in the past half-month: fighting Demons, seeking Treasure Herbs, traversing volcanoes, and eating Volcanic Crows...
[Diagram Master encountered the Ninth Realm Spirit Monster ’Fire Beak Pot’s’ Flame Qi attack and has accumulated First Realm Evil Qi: 1 streak... 2 streaks... 3 streaks... 138 streaks!]
This time, a total of one hundred thirty-eight streaks of First Realm Fire Beak Pot Evil Qi were brought back, which was less than last time. However, it was within the Flower Fox Mink’s tolerance range. This was tantamount to it harboring evil within its body, ensuring both that this Incarnation wouldn’t be killed by the flame poison and that it could bring back the flame poison to transform into Evil Qi. This balance needed to be carefully managed.
Chen Ku didn’t mind the slight difference of ten or so streaks in the quantity of Evil Qi.
After the Evil Qi on the Flower Fox Mink had been refined, the number of Evil Qi streaks on Chen Ku was now:
[Diagram Master: Chen Ku]
[Awakened Diagrams: 3]
[Transformations Cultivated: Flower Fox Mink Transformation (Transform), Zhao Chuanzu Transformation (Shape-Shifted), Ling Transformation (Shape-Shifted), Volcanic Crow Transformation (Shape-Shifted), Fire Beak Pot Transformation (Shape-Shifted), Black Feather Spirit Dove Transformation (Shape-Shifted), Fierce Tiger Transformation (Shape-Shifted)...]
[Variable Evil Qi: Wild Beast Level (13 streaks), Ferocious Beast Level (89 streaks), First Realm Demons Level (142 streaks)]
「...」
Looking at his generous assets of 142 streaks of First Realm Evil Qi, and then at the few transformations cultivated to the Transformation Level, Chen Ku knew his long wait was over.
[Consuming thirty-six streaks of First Realm Fire Beak Pot Evil Qi, infusing into Fire Beak Pot Transformation...]
[Fire Beak Pot Transformation! Transform!]
Suddenly, a red, fiery Qi burst forth from between Chen Ku’s eyebrows, gathering in his hands to form a red Fire Pot. It resembled a teapot, with smoke wafting above it and fire spouting from within.
He looked into the Fire Beak Pot. He could feel that although the Fire Beak Pot was just an ’object,’ much like when he transformed into the Blood Blade, it contained a fragment of his own spirit and thoughts.
This also meant...
Chen Ku’s mouth curved into a smile. He got up, prepared the formula for ten Seven-Blood Pills, opened the Fire Beak Pot’s lid, and placed the ingredients inside. Then, he placed a piece of first-tier Fire Essence beneath the Fire Beak Pot and said, "Please take care of this."
So, under the moonlight shining through the opened skylight, he began to rest.
After a night of passive ’Moon-Eating Submission,’
TOOTLE-TOO! TOOTLE-TOO!
Chen Ku was awakened by the ’fire flute sound’ of the Fire Beak Pot. It was reminiscent of the alarm from a bread machine in his past life signaling that the bread was ready. After getting up and checking, he found the Fire Beak Pot’s spout emitting smoke, its lid boiling and jumping up and down.
With a curious and tentative heart, Chen Ku slowly approached. He reached out his hand and tipped the spout toward his palm. CLINK, CLINK, CLINK. The sound of pills rolling out was heard.
He saw ten fully-formed Seven-Blood Pills pour from the spout into his palm. The efficiency was exactly the same as his own Alchemy. This was because the Fire Beak Pot was a ’Magical Treasure Type Clone’ that emanated from his body.
"Haha! As expected, it’s possible!" Chen Ku was pleased and happy to see his guess successfully verified. He immediately prepared the materials for ten other Pills and, before leaving the house, placed them into the ’Fire Beak Pot.’
Contentedly, he stepped out the door.
It was just as he had anticipated. His Fire Attribute Magical Treasure clone, containing a shard of his intelligence within the pot, merely required some Fire Essence and Pill Materials to be added. By using its innate Fire Control to refine, bake, and forge, its success rate for Pill Formation was even higher than the Alchemy Furnaces at the Medicine King Hall—it was a natural ’Alchemy Furnace.’
Next, he would only need to swap the Fire Essence and collect the Pills every day when going out or before sleeping. The Fire Beak Pot was a machine that could produce twenty Pills for him daily.
With such a pill output speed, it was as if he had a Pill Master working tirelessly at home to concoct Pills. Although it was far from matching the production rate of all the Alchemists at the Medicine King Hall, it was already equivalent to a small workshop.
「On the way.」
He was also thinking, Now that Zhao Chuanzu has lost a shop in the Prefecture City to me and I can transform into him, can I take advantage of their family background and power to find an opportunity to directly sell my Pills in the Prefecture City when my pill production increases in the future?
He was now with the Medicine King Hall, and privately selling Pills in Baojiao County was like competing with the Owner for profits—Baojiao County couldn’t accommodate him. But the Prefecture City was different. The identity of Zhao Chuanzu could serve as a cover under the prestige of the Ancient Elephant Sect.
Now, I’m only producing twenty Pills per day, which is far from enough to open a shop, and they’re only Inner Qi Realm Pills... Let’s save this idea for now. When the time comes and the Fire Beak Pot’s transformation Realm is elevated to the Second or Third Realm, I’ll be able to concoct higher-level Pills. That’s when I’ll go to the Prefecture City and take over that shop belonging to Zhao Chuanzu.
Chen Ku fantasized in his heart, Maybe in the future, when the Transformation Diagram has more entries, I’ll conjure ten Fire Beak Pots a day for Alchemy, directly using Magical Treasures to replace manual work. Eventually, I’ll make it big in the Prefecture City and might even come back to purchase the Medicine King Hall, no problem.
Such idle fantasies filled his mind.
「It was the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.」
Chen Ku was already on holiday and didn’t have to come in, but he came today to help the brothers of the Butcher Court deal with the many Demons sent by the massive migration of beasts.
Entering the Butcher Court, Chen Ku saw many Demons that existed only in the Demons Manual: Wall-Tail Monkeys, Bone Spur Leopards, Mountain Pattern Rabbits, Giant Scorpion Spiders, Horned Birds... Many of the abilities of the Demons here were quite special. For instance, the tail of the Wall-Tail Monkey could detach and regrow like a gecko’s; the Bone Spur Leopard had bone spikes protruding from its back; and the Mountain Pattern Rabbit’s patterns could glow, allowing it to go into a frenzied, red-eyed state.
Chen Ku was dazzled and immediately began to help.
After opening several "blind boxes" in a row by converting the first streak of Evil Qi from a kill... Shape Shifting...
[Diagram Master has slain a Wall-Tail Monkey...]
[Wall-Tail Monkey transformation... Shape Shifting... Monkey Claw (Climbing)]
Unlucky. Discard it...
[Diagram Master has slain a Giant Scorpion Spider...]
[Giant Scorpion Spider transformation... Shape Shifting... Spider Silk Gland (Web Spitting)]
Spitting webs from my belly button? My eyes!
「...」
After several such "blind boxes," he didn’t luck upon any good abilities, so Chen Ku stopped taking chances.
This continued until Workshop Three delivered a Strange Beast said to possess the Bloodline of a Great Demon.
Qin Sheng said, "Junior Brother Chen, this is a ’Swallow-Treading Horse.’ It’s said to have the Bloodline of the ancient Great Demon ’Sky Horse,’ capable of Traveling Two Thousand li in a Day—so swift that it can tread flying swallows underfoot. Therefore, in the Border Army, it is very much favored by Generals. A single horse is worth a fortune. It’s also the most valuable medicinal ingredient today, but its strength is too immense. I’m afraid you’ll have to take care of it personally."
Chen Ku listened to the description of this Swallow-Treading Horse’s speed.
Traveling two thousand li a day, a Sky Horse treading on swallows... this speed... If it could be added to me... Even the abilities of the Divine Walking Guardian, Dai Zong, who could travel eight hundred li in a day, would pale in comparison. I could manage a round trip from the Prefecture City to Baojiao County within a single day!