Chapter 311
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Chapter 311: Assessment Standards
“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother.”
Ji Yang expressed his gratitude.
Soon, the flying boat stopped below a cliff.
“Senior Brother, this is Alchemy Peak of our Heaven Demon Sect. We are not allowed to fly up there; let’s walk.”
“Alright!”
The two disembarked the boat and headed up the mountain.
On the way, Ji Yang surveyed the surroundings and saw many Alchemy Rooms. The air was filled with various fragrances of pills and the strong scent of burnt materials, the latter being more pronounced.
From time to time, loud explosions echoed from a distance, indicating that some cauldrons had exploded.
“Does our Heaven Demon Sect have a spiritual herb garden?”
At this moment, Ji Yang asked, acknowledging the change in his identity in a timely manner.
“Of course, we have quite a few! Our Heaven Demon Sect has six peaks, each with its own spiritual herb garden. Especially Alchemy Peak, its garden is vast and has the most spiritual plants, surpassing other sects!”
“However, we don’t have many Alchemists in our Heaven Demon Sect. Although there is a master alchemist, there is a serious gap in the middle levels.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
Ji Yang inquired, puzzled.
“Ah, we are a demonic sect, after all. The competition within the sect is intense. Most disciples prefer to improve their own cultivation levels instead of spending time on the tedious and time-consuming art of alchemy. No one wants to invest too much effort into it.”
“Plus, without talent, one might spend a lifetime as just a low-level or mid-tier alchemist. Why bother? Even at Alchemy Peak, there are many disciples brought in from other places!”
Ji Yang strongly agreed with this perspective.
Indeed, if one lacked talent in the art of alchemy, it was better to focus on cultivating and improving their cultivation level, which could extend their lifespan. After all, low-level cultivators had short lifespans, usually only around a hundred years.
Fortunately, he had a special advantage.
As the two reached the center of the mountain, a figure blocked their path. The young man quickly quickened his pace and respectfully said,
“Deacon Song, I am here under Elder An’s orders to bring this Senior Brother to Alchemy Peak.”
The man called Deacon Song glanced at Ji Yang and then expressionlessly told the young man,
“I know. The Elder has already informed me. You can leave now; this is none of your business!”
“Then I will take my leave!”
The young man didn’t say more and swiftly left.
Seeing this, Ji Yang felt a slight tension. It seemed this Deacon was not very friendly toward him.
At this moment, Ji Yang pondered whether to apply the methods he used in the He Dao Sect here in the Heaven Demon Sect. If someone provoked him, he could retaliate, and if he ended up without spiritual stones, he could be sent to the mining site. That didn’t seem like a bad plan.
Choosing between alchemy and mining was challenging for Ji Yang!
Just as he was deep in thought, Deacon Song suddenly changed from his earlier indifference. His face broke into a smile, and he hurriedly approached Ji Yang, saying,
“You must be Junior Brother Feng! I’ve long heard of you. Elder Guan has already given instructions. Please follow me!”
Ji Yang was momentarily taken aback by the sudden change in Deacon Song’s attitude.
As the young man’s figure disappeared in the distance, Ji Yang seemed to understand something and stopped overthinking, following Deacon Song as they continued forward.
“May I ask which kind of pills Junior Brother Feng is most skilled at crafting?”
Deacon Song asked as they walked.
Ji Yang thought for a moment and then replied,
“The Dropping Dew Pill!”
That was correct; he had crafted this pill the most times and was quite skilled at it. As for other pills, he was not very experienced yet.
Upon hearing about the Dropping Dew Pill, Deacon Song’s smile widened, and he nodded repeatedly:
The Dropping Dew Pill was a high-level pill, and it was very beneficial for his Spirit Transformation Stage. It seemed that Elder Guan remembered him well; otherwise, he wouldn’t have assigned this task to him.
If he befriended Feng Yu now, would he still worry about pills in the future?
Thinking of this, Deacon Song became even more enthusiastic.
“Junior Brother, don’t worry! Our Heaven Demon Sect has the most high-level spiritual plants needed for this kind of pill!”
“By the way, Junior Brother, do you need to set this kind of pill as part of your monthly assessment tasks?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Ji Yang asked, confused.
Deacon Song immediately slapped his forehead:
“I forgot that Junior Brother just entered the sect and doesn’t know the rules of Alchemy Peak!”
“According to the rules of Alchemy Peak, every Alchemist who joins must complete a certain amount of pill assessments each month. The specifics depend on the number of spiritual plants used. In other words, the more spiritual plants you use, the heavier the assessment tasks become!”
“To help many disciples complete their assessments, Alchemy Peak allows disciples to set the pills they are good at as assessment pills. This makes it easier for disciples to complete their tasks.”
“Of course, the quality of the pills set for assessment cannot be too low; otherwise, the peak won’t approve it.”
After hearing Deacon Song’s explanation, Ji Yang understood.
Although the Heaven Demon Sect trained Alchemists, it was not without rewards. If Alchemists wanted enough spiritual plants for crafting, they had to return a corresponding amount of pills.
Ji Yang felt excited upon learning this, as it meant he could request as many spiritual plants as he wanted and gain enough cultivation points from them!
To clarify further, Ji Yang asked again,
“May I ask, what is the ratio of spiritual plants taken to pills for the assessment?”
If every time he used materials to craft the Dropping Dew Pill he had to deliver several pills, then not many could complete the tasks!
“It’s one to one. For every cauldron of pills you craft, you need to contribute one complete pill to the sect! If you cannot do that, you must offer the equivalent in spiritual stones or other compensation to the sect.”
Ji Yang fell silent upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, Deacon Song, noticing Ji Yang’s expression, thought he was shocked by the ratio and quickly added an explanation:
“Indeed, this rule of Alchemy Peak is quite strict, but if you are lucky, you might end up with three pills from one cauldron!”
After saying this, Deacon Song looked a bit embarrassed.
High-level Alchemists were already scarce in the Heaven Demon Sect, and even they couldn’t guarantee success for every cauldron, let alone having three successful pills from one cauldron. Having two successful pills would be quite impressive.
But there was little choice; high-level spiritual plants were not something that grew abundantly. If Alchemists couldn’t produce the corresponding pills to repay the sect, the sect would incur losses.
After staying at Alchemy Peak for many years, he noticed that the number of high-level spiritual plants was almost more than mid-tier ones, simply because not many Alchemists could consistently craft high-level pills.
Most of the Alchemists who could easily craft those pills were usually at the elder level and didn’t want to waste their training time on high-level pills.
Seeing that Ji Yang was still not responding, Deacon Song continued,
“Junior Brother, there’s no need to worry too much. As a new disciple at Alchemy Peak, you have three free supply opportunities for materials. So even if you don’t succeed in crafting a pill in your first month, that’s alright!”
