Chapter 247 - 189: The True Inheritance’s Request, the Black Turtle’s Opportunity
Chapter 247: Chapter 189: The True Inheritance’s Request, the Black Turtle’s Opportunity
One followed the other, and they soon arrived inside a side hall.
"Alchemist Lin, Bai Zhenchuan is inside. Please forgive me, but this is as far as I can guide you. I cannot enter."
The Yellow Robe Cultivator stopped at the entrance to the side hall. After gesturing for Lin Changheng to enter, he explained with an apologetic smile.
"Yes! I’ll be taking my leave now!"
When he saw Lin Changheng give a slight nod, the man looked as if he’d been granted a pardon. He quickly announced his departure and fled in a hurry, afraid that staying even a second longer would put his life in danger.
Ignoring the Yellow Robe Cultivator, Lin Changheng stood at the entrance, his gaze already turning toward the hall’s interior.
The hall’s furnishings were simple and grand. Landscape screens hung on the four walls, and the floor was paved with dark cyan Profound Jade Bricks.
A slender Female Cultivator with her back to the entrance stood before a table. Her fair hand was raised, flipping through something.
She wore a snow-cyan, floor-length dress tied at the waist with a silver-threaded sash, accentuating her slender, bamboo-like figure.
Her jet-black hair was loosely held up by a single Cyan Jade Hairpin, a few stray strands falling along her neck and swaying slightly with her movements.
Other than her, there was no one else.
’This woman must be Bai Zhenchuan.’
The thought crossed Lin Changheng’s mind.
Just then, as if sensing the gaze from behind her, the Female Cultivator’s hands paused, and she slowly turned around.
An exceptionally beautiful face entered his vision.
Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like a Cold Pool. Her lips were pale, but a hint of crimson at the corners of her eyes, like a rosy dawn on snow, added a touch of vibrancy to her features.
"Since you’ve arrived, Mr. Lin, why not come in and talk?" Bai Hengwan said. Her voice was like an icy spring striking jade, devoid of joy or anger.
"One who enters uninvited is a thief. I had to wait for the host to extend an invitation before I could come in."
Lin Changheng smiled faintly and stepped inside, stopping halfway to maintain a certain distance from the woman. "I was wondering, for what reason did Bai Zhenchuan have someone wait for me outside the Celestial Pavilion?"
Bai Hengwan gave a slight bow. "I had sent someone to invite Alchemist Lin for a discussion, but I never imagined that he would simply wait outside your room to save himself the trouble."
"My subordinate’s actions were indeed abrupt. The fault is mine for not giving clearer instructions. I must apologize to you, Alchemist Lin. Please forgive me."
"Hm?"
Lin Changheng was taken aback. ’I had only mentioned it as a subtle way to express my dissatisfaction, yet she apologized so readily?’
One had to understand that this Female Cultivator’s status in the Floating Immortal City was akin to that of a princess—or even a crown princess—in a mortal empire’s Imperial Palace. Her position was one of unspeakable nobility.
’And now, she was bowing over a single sentence from me?’
’After all, when people are at the bottom, they can endure any hardship and bow to anyone. But once they’ve climbed to a high branch and their status has soared, they’re not the same person anymore. Heh, their backs suddenly become too stiff to bend; they get very rigid indeed.’
Lin Changheng suddenly felt that this Bai Hengwan was no simple character. ’With such a Heart Nature, coupled with her talent and Spirit Root, her future is truly limitless.’
’If possible, befriending her would only be beneficial.’
Lin Changheng stepped aside to avoid the Female Cultivator’s bow and smiled. "Bai Zhenchuan, there is no need for such formality. I was only joking just now."
Bai Hengwan shook her head slightly and got down to business. "I invited Alchemist Lin here today because I’ve long heard your name spreading throughout the Immortal City, and your Skills in the Alchemy Dao are praised by all. I had a feeling that this matter could not be resolved without your involvement."
"That is merely the empty praise of the many Fellow Daoists in the Immortal City. You shouldn’t take it to heart, Bai Zhenchuan."
Lin Changheng shook his head, not falling for the flattery. Keeping a clear head, he asked, "What matter is it that you wish for me to be involved in, Bai Zhenchuan?"
"Modifying a Pill Formula."
Bai Hengwan’s lips parted slightly as she uttered four words.
"Modifying a Pill Formula? What do you mean? Perhaps you could explain in more detail, Bai Zhenchuan."
Lin Changheng’s brow furrowed slightly. He had a keen sense that this was going to be troublesome.
"It’s like this. My master once obtained a Pill Formula from a Secret Realm. It’s an auxiliary formula that helps Tier One Spirit Beasts break through to Tier Two. We suspect it’s an inheritance from ancient times, but several of the main and supplementary ingredients are now extinct and impossible to find."
"Therefore, I would like to invite you, Alchemist Lin, along with two other Tier Two Alchemists of outstanding skill, to help substitute the lost ingredients with currently available Medicinal Materials. Based on those substitutions, you would then adjust the Pill Formula’s Refining Technique to make it viable today."
Bai Hengwan’s explanation was very detailed, and Lin Changheng understood at once.
’A Pill Formula that helps a Tier One Spirit Beast break through to Tier Two... At first, that sounds ordinary. At most, it’s just for a Tier Two Elixir. Why would a True Inheritance disciple of the Immortal City personally ask for help, even humbling herself to do so?’
But thinking about it from a different angle led him to a different conclusion.
All he had to do was draw a parallel to Human Race Cultivators to realize...
’Isn’t this basically the Spirit Beast Realm’s Foundation Establishment Pill?!’
When he thought of it that way, it was no wonder a True Inheritance disciple of the Immortal City had been mobilized. This might even be at the behest of the Lord of the Immortal City himself, a Late Stage Core Formation master!
The reason he, Lin Changheng, had been invited was precisely because of his profound expertise with the Foundation Establishment Pill, an experience they could draw from.
Otherwise, with the Immortal City’s resources and prestige, inviting three Tier Two Middle or Upper Grade Alchemists wouldn’t have been a problem at all.
"I’m afraid that won’t be easy..."
After this realization, Lin Changheng fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"We are naturally aware of that. That’s precisely why we have invited three Pill Masters who have a mastery of pharmacology and extremely high success rates in Alchemy to assist with this matter."
"If you succeed, we will have a generous reward for you."
"But even if you don’t succeed, you will still be compensated. Furthermore, all three of you will become honored guests of our Immortal City and be granted a Floating Life Order. This will give you great convenience and status, including significant discounts at all shops directly owned by the Immortal City."
Bai Hengwan’s explanation was meticulous.
A glint appeared in Lin Changheng’s eyes. He had considered two possibilities, and it turned out to be the second one: this was official business, not a personal request.