Chapter 465: Tokens
Chapter 465: Tokens
Seeing the serious expression on Duan Wen’s face, Yi Chen firmly nodded and answered, "Yes, Senior Brother, I plan to defeat him and become an Inner Sect Disciple as fast as possible."
Yi Chen made his intentions clear, for there was nothing to hide in the first place.
"Haste makes waste... That’s what I would have suggested to you if it weren’t for Master’s words earlier." Duan Wen stated with a wry smile before asking, "Seriously though, just what did you do during the Pill Apprentice Test that made Master have such a high opinion of you?"
"Well, that..." Yi Chen took a moment to frame his thoughts properly before answering, "I just gave my best in the three exams and ended up winning his favour."
"Three? Weren’t there just two?" Duan Wen asked with a frown evident on his face.
’So, even Elder Tao’s disciple had no idea about this change in the examination pattern...’ Yi Chen realised before explaining the next moment, "Well, the third test was introduced for the first time today all over the..."
Yi Chen patiently explained the contents of the new exam to Duan Wen.
"Seriously? To do something like this out of the blue...the higher-ups really wanted to make you guys suffer." Duan Wen stated, with pity evident on his face, and asked the next moment, "Oh, by the way, which herbs did you get?"
An expression of interest was evident on Duan Wen’s face as he did so.
"Oh, that. There were Night Blossoming Sunlight Flower, Crimson Dew Moss..."
Yi Chen stated the names of the few herbs he had received back then, one after the other.
’This...’ Duan Wen’s expression turned rigid when he heard the names of the mortal herbs, some of which he had never even heard of before.
Gesturing for Yi Chen to stop, he asked with a curious expression the very next moment, "H-How many of them were you able to identify correctly?"
’He must have identified far more than the minimum required to pass. Otherwise, Master wouldn’t have introduced him to me with such high regard...going so far as to make me familiarise him with everything...’ Duan Wen thought to himself while waiting for Yi Chen’s answer.
"Well... I answered all of them correctly." Yi Chen said with an embarrassed smile the very next moment.
"You did what?!" Duan Wen’s eyes widened in disbelief the moment he heard those words.
’Even I, as a High-Grade Pill Apprentice, didn’t know the name of several of those herbs, and you’re telling me that you, who was just an unranked pill refiner a few hours ago, were able to answer all of them??’
Duan Wen was truly finding it all too hard to believe.
"I cleared the test early by answering all of them... That’s also why Elder Tao had brought me out of the hall earlier than the rest..." Yi Chen explained the very next moment.
’It’s really true!’
Duan Wen exclaimed in his mind after linking Yi Chen’s actions to what Elder Tao had said earlier, which all ended up connecting perfectly.
"What about the Second and First Test? What were your results in it?"
Meeting Yi Chen’s eyes, Duan Wen asked the very next moment.
"Well... since we weren’t told the results, I didn’t know how much I scored in the written test, but I did make sure to write everything. As for the second test, I was able to refine a pill with 55% efficacy..." Yi Chen answered, not caring to hide anything, as Duan Wen could easily verify these details with Elder Tao later on if he wanted to
"55 % efficacy?! You... You monster!" Duan Wen finally lost control of himself and exclaimed out loud the very next moment.
’I finally understand why master introduced him to me...’ Duan Wen realised while looking at Yi Chen with a completely different gaze, ’This man... he’s a rare genius!’
Suddenly noticing the heads that had turned in their direction, Duan Wen nodded at them with an embarrassed expression and said, "A-Ah, I apologise for shouting out of the blue..."
With that said, he gestured for Yi Chen to follow him as the two of them soon left the library and were now walking in a large corridor, passing by several doors on both sides.
"So, I presume Master didn’t inform you of anything about the benefits and tasks you’ll be needing to do now that you’ve become a guild member, right?" Duan Wen asked the very next moment.
"Yes... He handed me the guild’s robes and just answered one of the questions that I had about the requirements for becoming a Tier 3 Pill Master before bringing me here," Yi Chen answered the very next moment.
"Tier 3 Pill Master huh..." Duan Wen muttered while momentarily turning his head to look at Yi Chen, who was walking beside him.
’If it’s someone as talented as him...then not just becoming a Pill Master... even becoming a Pill Grand Master is a possibility,’ Duan Wen thought to himself.
"I see..." he responded the next moment and continued, "Then I know exactly where to start from."
With that said, Duan Wen took a circular object out of his storage ring the very next moment. It was a circular object that was made of bronze. It looked like a badge which was almost the size of one’s palm.
The warm metallic brown colour being reflected by the badge naturally drew Yi Chen’s attention the moment Duan Went took it out.
While one side of the badge was completely flat, the other side was skillfully engraved with three cauldrons that were resting on top of an open flame. It was so masterfully made that even the tips of the flames that were embracing the bottom of the three cauldrons were clearly visible.
’This...’
A curious expression instantly formed on Yi Chen’s face the moment he saw the badge, and seeing this expression, Duan Wen didn’t keep Yi Chen waiting and answered the questions brewing in his mind the very next moment.
"This badge you see here is called an Identification Token. Once an individual becomes a Pill Apprentice in our guild, they receive this Bronze Token with a single cauldron engraved onto it, representing their grade.
For example, since you’ve just become a Pill Apprentice, the chances are that you wouldn’t know how to refine more than ten different types of pills..."
’Ten? I only know how to refine one pill, and that’s the Sleeping Crane Pill...’ Yi Chen thought with amusement, realising Duan Wen was overestimating his capabilities, before turning his attention back to the explanation.
"...therefore, you would be considered a Basic Grade Pill Apprentice and will be given a Bronze Token with only a single cauldron engraved on it. As for me," Duan Wen gestured towards the token in his hand and said, "Since I’m already a High-Grade Pill Apprentice, my token has three cauldrons on it."
As Duan Wen said those words, he infused a small portion of his Qi into the token, and the very next moment, a horizontal panel in the shape of a rectangle appeared on top of the token like a hologram. On top of it, a few details were written.
[Name: Duan Wen]
[Rank: High Grade Pill Apprentice]
[Affiliation: White Jade Kingdom Branch]
’Oh!’ Yi Chen couldn’t help but nod in an impressed manner as an expectant glimmer formed in his eyes.
"Then... when will I receive my Bronze token, Senior Brother?" Yi Chen asked the very next moment.
Hearing the question that he had already anticipated, a smirk appeared on Duan Wen’s face as he answered, "Wait for a week; it will be delivered to our sect’s Pill Hall at that time and will be handed to you soon after."
"I see..." Yi Chen nodded his head in understanding.
"However, that’s not all there is to it when it comes to these tokens." Duan Wen flicked the token above his hand, storing it in his storage ring the very next second as he continued, "Once you’ve become a Tier 3 Pill Master, you get a completely new token which is entirely made up of silver.
I’ve seen my master use it a few times, and every time I lay eyes on it, I can’t help but be captivated by its elegance."
"Oh..." Yi Chen responded in a receptive manner after hearing Duan Wen’s words, and with curiosity evident in his eyes, he was about to ask for the details of the Tier 2 and Tier 1 Pill Refiners. However, before he could do that, Duan Wen changed the topic entirely.
"Anyways, now that you’re familiar with tokens, let me brief you on all the benefits you are eligible for at your current level as a Pill Apprentice." Duan Wen stated the very next moment.
"First," He said while flexing his index finger, "You will be able to buy both mortal and spirit herbs from our guild’s stores at a highly discounted rate. It’s the same with cauldrons and other important refining equipment."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Secondly, you’ll be able to freely enter our guild’s spirit garden and even cultivate an herb as per your needs."
With that said, Duan Wen continued his explanation as the number of uncurled fingers in his hand kept increasing with each explanation.