Chapter 8: The Exploding Elixir


    Hiss


    The slight sensation of paining from his left shoulder jolted Jiang Yi, who was deep in thought, back to his senses. He could only force himself not to think too much for the moment and focus on getting his injury healed first.


    He took out a new yellow tablet from the small porcin vase and gulped it down with some water. This was the lowest-grade healing medicine the Jiang family refined and produced themselvesthe Man-tier inferior-level product Yellow Ginseng Elixir.


    Systems rted to martial arts research and development were advanced on Stersky Continent. Elixirs, weaponry, cultivation techniques, and martial arts techniques all had distinct grading levels. All of them were divided from weak to strong and ssified as Man-tier, Earth-tier, or Heaven-tier, with each grade being further divided into three sub-grades of superior, medial, and inferior.


    For instance, the Jiang Water Art practiced by Jiang Yi was ssified as Man-tier superior grade; the highest level martial art technique Phantom Fist that he had learned from the Jiang family was also ssified as Man-tier superior grade.


    As a young master from a branch family, ording to Jiang familyws, Jiang Yi could redeem three Man-tier medial-grade Essence Soul Pills, which could help in his refining training; as well as two Man-tier medial-grade ck Ginseng Elixirs, healing elixirs that could be easily and quickly taken should he injure himself during refining and training.


    Unfortunately, as he had been increasingly disfavoured by the Jiang family over the past two years, not only had his monthly sry been cut again time and time again, even the elixirs had been reced with the lowest of gradesthe human-grade inferior-grade essence force elixir and yellow ginseng elixir. Worse still, the quantity had even been reduced to just one pill.


    The medicinal power of this yellow ginseng elixir was very weakit was refined from the grass ginseng grown in the medicinal ntations in the Western Hillsbined with some medicinal herbs, and only had the effect of improving blood cirction. Jiang Yi had no intention to rely fully on such a low-grade elixirafter taking the pill he immediately started circting the Jiang Water Art technique to begin the healing process.


    Huff.


    After sitting cross-legged for two entire hours, Jiang Yi finally opened his eyes with a look of helplessness. When he was just circting the Jiang Water Art, he had used his inner vision and discovered that three bones on his left shoulder had cracked. This was an injury which, relying on the Jiang Water Art, would take at least a full day and night of meditation to fully heal.


    This is to say nothing about the efficacy of that elixir. The grade of the elixir was too low, its medical efficacy too weak and the speed of its healing effects slowit had already been two hours, yet the medicine had only just prated into the blood and was just slowly making its way to the wound


    Who can say for certain that Jiang Ruhu wonte tomorrow? I think I should start researching that ck essence force for a bit; after all, this inner injury has temporarily been suppressed. I think trying to heal itter would be better


    Jiang Yi pondered for a while and gave up on healing his injuries. He started practicing the nameless cultivation technique instead, to extract some ck essence force.


    Two hourster


    He opened his eyes once again and could feel, in the corner of his dantian, the six strands of ck essence force currently stored there. The more he looked at them, the cuter they seemed. After all, they were his babies, and if not for this ck essence force, there would be much worse things happening today.


    How should I research? This afternoon, Ive already tried it with my fists, legs, elbows, and eyes. How about I try with my ears?


    With that thought, since the ck essence force could improve ones sight, could the same strengthening happen for ones sense of hearing? Right, and the nose. Who knew if ones sense of smell could be strengthened, too?


    If Jiang Yi said hed do it, he would definitely do it!


    Jiang Yi circted a strand of ck essence force andbined it together with some assembled blue essence force, before slowly controlling its movement towards his head. This ck essence force wascking in quantity. If it was notbined with the blue one, he feared that on its own the ck essence force was not enough to produce any effect.


    Eh The medicinal power of this Yellow Ginseng Elixir is starting to take effect and is automatically healing the woundits just too bad that the medicinal efficacy is too weak


    When the merged essence force passed through the meridians near his left chest area, Jiang Yi subconsciously stopped and used his inner vision to observe his wounds.


    He was unprepared for the unexpected change. That ck essence force actually separated from the blue essence force and suddenly merged with the nearby elixir powers


    Eh?


    Jiang Yi felt his body tremble and he shuddered. Evidently, his healing speed had elerated, to the point that the healing speed reached approximately five or six times the original speed. The effects were now on par with Man-tier superior-grade healing elixirs.


    How weird! To think that this ck essence force could actually increase the medicinal power of an elixir


    Jiang Yis heartbeat increased as he focused all his attention on observing his wound. Unfortunately, in some twenty or thirty seconds, the ck essence force waspletely used up and the wound-healing speed likewise slowed down. Even with blue essence force nearby, the increase in healing speed was minimal.


    Jiang Yi immediately summoned a strand of ck essence force, before once again sending it near the wound area, to amalgamate with the medicinal power and speed up the wound-healing process.


    Feeling the broken bones speedily mending together, Jiang Yi felt much euphoria. He waited for the ck essence force to be used uppletely before once again continuing to summon more ck essence force to speed-up the wound-healing process.


    What made him dismal was that his ck essence force was too littlein only a matter of seconds, the six strands of refined ck essence force had beenpletely consumed.


    He used his inner vision to check on his wound and his emotions quickly improved. In such a short amount of time, the wound-recovery speed had already overtaken the amount he had healed through meditation by four to six hours. If at that moment he had enough ck essence force, he estimated that within two and half minutes he would be able to heal his wounds by seventy to eighty percent


    At the moment he did not care about anything else, and immediately sat cross-legged to meditate and circte the nameless cultivation technique to extract more ck essence force. The consumption of this ck essence force was way too fast, and there was never enough to use during critical moments.


    This time he prepared to store extraby not sleeping and instead extracting for eight to ten hours until the sky turned bright. He aimed to extract as much as possible so that he could once and for all get his wounds fully recovered the next morning.


    Yet


    Six hourster, while the sky was still dark, Jiang Yi stopped the extraction process. He opened his eyes, revealing a look of nonprehension and mncholy. Because after extracting ten strands of this ck essence force, no matter how much he circted the nameless cultivation technique, his dantian no longer produced any more ck essence force


    How can this be? This doesnt make sense!


    Jiang Yis face was full of shock. Originally he had thought that when he had increased his ck essence force in the future, he could try to work the essence force in a full-powered attack and see if the power was enormous. If he could confirm that his power had increased greatly, he wanted to slowly change and practice this nameless cultivation technique instead, even if the speed of cultivating ck essence force was much slower than that of the original blue essence force.


    Now he did not need to consider this, as there were only ten strands of ck essence force. This waspletely not enough to even use in an independent attack, nor release any power without merging with blue essence force.


    Ten strands? What can I do with so little?


    Jiang Yi was discontent and once again sat cross-legged to meditate and operate the nameless technique. Yet one short hourter, he had no choice but to open his eyesthe ck essence force in his dantian had not increased by a single strand!


    Hmm Lets see if I can continue extracting after consuming them.


    He muttered to himself for a short moment before collecting a strand of ck essence force to facilitate the healing of the wound. Only after consuming that strand of ck essence force did he hastily sit cross-legged to work on the nameless cultivation technique again.


    The result was that his dantian once again started producing ck essence force; yet once the ten strands of this essence force had been coted, the numbers did not increase again


    What kind of stupid cultivation technique is this? Are the heavens trying to mess with me?


    Jiang Yi was so mncholic that he wanted to vomit blood. When he opened his eyes and used his vision to sweep the room, he realized that the sky outside was already bright and rustling sounds of Xiaonu waking up wereing from the nearby room.


    Forget it, Ill think of a n next time. Its not early anymore. Let me heal my wounds first. I have to go to Field Number Five to take stockter. Hopefully I wont be blocked by Jiang Ruhu and gang


    Jiang Yi remembered the briefing by Chief Rong the day before and did not dare to dy any further. If he did not fix his injuries, even with the ck essence force, his fighting abilities would still be greatly reduced.


    It was just that when he had coted a strand of ck essence force and moved it near the wound area and prepared to merge with the medicinal power, he discovered that, when more than six hours had passed, the medical efficacy had beenpletely consumed. This Yellow Ginseng Elixir had proven itself to be the lowest-grade elixir with a pitifully weak medical efficacy


    No, wait! Since blue essence force can help heal wounds and my ck essence force is so obscenely powerful, surely it can speed up and facilitate my healing process? Why would I ever need to merge it with the elixir medical power?


    Jiang Yi suddenly thought of something and his heart skipped a beat. It was two separate matters altogether between the ck essence force increasing the strength of the medical effects and being able to directly speed up the healing process. If it were thetter, how obscene powerful would that be! In the future, he would no longer have to heal his wounds with the help of healing elixirs


    However!


    What left him perplexed was that, when he circted thebined essence force near his wounds to facilitate healing, he found out that the healing speed was exactly the same as that of the original blue essence force. The speed would not increase no matter what.


    This ck essence force could only increase the medical healing power of elixirs, and not heal wounds on its own.


    Jiang Yi was inwardly anxious. It was no longer earlyshould he dy taking stock in the herb fields, he might get scolded by Chief Rong again. The problem was that, with his unhealed wounds, he did not dare to go to the fields at all, for he was scared of being harassed by Jiang Ruhu and his gang.


    Right, off to the Elixir Room to retrieve an elixir!


    He remembered that the elixir for that month had not been received. He hurriedly got out of bed and absent-mindedly tidied up his robes before heading outside. As he walked, he moved his left shoulder, noticing that, while the conditions of his wound were not as serious as the day before, it was still stinging with pain.


    Young Master, where are you going?


    Upon hearing Jiang Yis footsteps, a small head emerged from the next room. With yellowing fluffy loose hair and a pair of puffy big eyes that still had some tear stains hidden underneath, the face showed a look of unease as she saw Jiang Yi heading out early in the morning.


    Xiaonu, Im just heading out quickly and will be back in a jiffy.


    Jiang Yi casually briefed her with two instructions, asking her to stay at home and not go out; additionally, should someonee to the door, she had to hide in the backyard. He hastily walked in the direction of the Eastern Court to immediately retrieve an elixir and heal his injuries.


    At a fast speed he left the Western Court, Jiang Yi walked in the direction of the South Court, where the Elixir Room was located. As it was already daybreak, the Jiang Residence was getting lively and bustling, but no one concerned themselves with the down-and-out disfavored coteral descendant Jiang Yi.


    After five minutes, Jiang Yi arrived at the Elixir Room. He flinched at the door, cowering as he looked into the room, wondering if the elder of the Elixir Room was there. This man in charge of producing elixirs for the Jiang family, Elder Liu, had a bizarre temperament.


    In the end what left him truly speechless was an old man in the inner part of the room, wearing a long brown robe with disheveled hair like a madman, standing around a cauldron and staring into it with his eyes wide open. As for the Jiang family coteral descendant who was normally in the Elixir Room helping, Jiang Song, he was not in the Elixir Room.


    Elder Liu was famous in the Jiang family for his weird temper, thus Jiang Yi and other Jiang family descendants preferred to avoid him and instead find Jiang Song when they came to collect elixirs, to avoid insulting or angering this weird old man that had an influential position in the family.


    What should I do? Come backter? Jiang Yi muttered to himself, lowering his head.


    However, at that moment, Elder Liu suddenly shouted from inside the room, Jiang Song, what are you doing suspiciously standing outside? Faster! Get in here and temper the mes! Useless boy, all you know how to do is toze around all day.


    Jiang Yi awkwardly scratched his nose, walked out from where he was hiding, and cupped his hands as he greeted, Greetings, Elder Liu. I am not Jiang Song. I, Jiang Yi, am here to retrieve elixirs.


    Retrieve elixirs my ass!


    Elder Lius face turned dark, blew his beard and stared at Jiang Yi as he replied, You useless sons, all of you never ever attend to your daily duties, yet during medicine collection time you guys be so efficiently quick! Elixirs? None!


    Huh.


    Jiang Yis face showed his awkwardnessstanding his ground on the original spot where he was at, neither entering nor leaving.


    What are you still standing here for? Get out! Dont disturb me from refining elixirs This Jiang Song evidently wants to diewhy is he taking so long in the toilet? I even have to temper the mes myself


    Elder Liu stared at Jiang Yi as the single hand he ced on the cauldron walls started glowing with red essence force. However, he shifted his pupils and turned his head towards Jiang Yi as he waved his hand, ordering, You, get over here! Help me temper the mes of this cauldron of elixirs; I am going to check the elixir form.


    Me?


    Jiang Yi was just ready to leave in shame, but upon hearing the elders orders he was immediately stumped for words. He hurriedly gestured his hands and shook his head in the negative, replying, No way, Elder Liu, I dont know how to refine elixirs. I cant do it


    Angered, Elder Liu scowled fiercely and reprimanded, Damn it, this is not difficult at allthis cauldron is almost done anyway! All you need to do is to apply essence force towards this spot; itll be done once the elixir solidifies and takes shape! Hurry up and get yourself over here! If you screw this up, dont ever think of collecting even a single elixir pill from here ever again! Hmph!


    Finishing his scolding, Elder Liu walked with big steps in the direction of a side room. Jiang Yi hesitated for a moment, knowing that he had to grit his teeth and do this task, before sticking both his hands on the cauldron walls and applying blue essence force.


    Yet


    What befuddled Jiang Yi was that the essence force, which he had just been applied to the cauldron, was being absorbed speedily and automatically by the cauldron like a spongewith the absorption at a shocking speed, so fast that the essence force in the meridians in his hands waspletely absorbed in an instant.


    Jiang Yi did not know how to refine elixirs and was naturally scared of ruining the task at hand. As such, he hurriedly and chaotically worked his essence force, using all his might to apply them on the elixir cauldron. In the haste, he identally released two strands of ck essence force, merging them with the blue essence force and applying them straight into the cauldron.


    BANG!


    At the moment when the ck essence force was injected into the cauldron, the entire cauldron released a muffled explosion sound as it shook violently, almost overturning and falling to the ground.


    The elixir exploded?


    From the side room immediately came a furious roar: Damn it! This cauldron contained Man-tier superior-grade Spirit Pills! Im going to kill you, Jiang Yi!