Chapter 3211
Chapter 3211 – I Can’t
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Ji Ying had been researching a new Alchemy Technique recently. The most notable part of the technique was the Pill Condensing Technique. According to his explanation, his Pill Condensing Technique was relatively simple compared to other similar techniques, to the point that even an average Alchemist could master it with some practice. Moreover, the Pill Condensing efficiency would be increased by at least 10% or 20% upon mastering the technique.
A 10% or 20% increase was nothing to sneeze at. It might not make much of a difference when refining only a small number of Spirit Pills, but an Alchemist would refine a large amount of Spirit Pills throughout their lifetime, so a 10% or 20% increase in the quantity of condensed pills would result in quite a terrifying amount of wealth.
Since the Pill Condensing Technique was the last part of the process, Ji Ying did not choose to refine a high-grade Spirit Pill; instead, he chose a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill to experiment with.
The early stages of the process were ubiquitous, and even though the process was sophisticated, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The room was shrouded in silence for a while as Ji Ying was focused on his Alchemy. Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang watched the entire process together. In particular, Xia Ning Chang stared unblinkingly at Ji Ying’s movements with her beautiful face revealing a thoughtful expression from time to time.
Ji Ying condensed the medicinal liquid, portrayed the Spirit Arrays, and refined the embryonic Spirit Pills. Soon, it was time for the Pill Condensing process and his expression subsequently became serious, “Brother Yang, please watch carefully.”
Saying so, Ji Ying began forming a set of hand seals while directing subtle waves of his Emperor Qi into the Alchemy Furnace. A fragrant aroma seeped out in an instant. The Pill Condensing process had obviously begun, and a short while later, Ji Ying shouted in a low voice, “Condense!”
He then lifted the lid of the furnace. Following that, several circular Spirit Pills flew out and were guided into a jade bottle Ji Ying had prepared in advance. They rolled around inside the bottle noisily. There were exactly nine Spirit Pills, no more, no less. Nine was the limit. No matter how great the technique of the Alchemist or how high the level of refining, each refinement could only produce nine pills at the most, a law even Wondrous Pill Great Emperor could not break past.
As an Emperor Alchemist, Ji Ying could refine nine Spirit Pills when refining a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill even without using his newly developed Pill Condensing Technique; therefore, the number of pills he refined, even after using his new technique at the end, was still nine.
Even so, Yang Kai could tell that the new technique had its unique points and immediately focused his mind carefully before discussing the process with Ji Ying.
A discussion between Alchemists was not limited to theory only; hands-on experiments were necessary too. Therefore, Yang Kai took out his Alchemy Furnace and some herbs before he began to refine a Spirit Pill. When he arrived at the last Pill Condensing step, he used the techniques developed by Ji Ying to compare the pros and cons first-hand.
Afterwards, they refined Spirit Pill after Spirit Pill in their experiments. Time passed little by little, but Ji Ying was not the slightest bit fatigued. Rather, his eyes shone brighter and he became more energetic the longer they worked. It was the right decision to discuss this matter with Yang Kai after all. Over the next few days, he discovered that his new Pill Condensing Technique still had some flaws and he gradually rectified them with Yang Kai’s mutual input and confirmation, which made him extremely happy.
Five whole days later, the two of them put away their Alchemy Furnaces and walked out of the Pill Room together. Having gained some new insights, Ji Ying was in a jubilant mood and thus ordered his disciples to prepare a banquet to entertain Yang Kai.
This was in line with Yang Kai’s wish so he signalled to Xia Ning Chang with a look. Xia Ning Chang immediately understood his intentions and picked up a bottle of wine to pour them some drinks.
It was several rounds of drinks before Ji Ying slapped his head and said, “Where are my manners! I haven’t even asked for this lady’s name yet!”
While speaking, he turned to glance at Xia Ning Chang with an apologetic expression. Despite noticing that the relationship between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang was a bit unusual, Ji Ying had quickly become fully engrossed in his Alchemy. Aside from Alchemy, the only other thing in his head was Yang Kai, the person he was discussing this matter with, which was still related to Alchemy. He completely neglected Xia Ning Chang the whole time and didn’t even notice that she was serving their drinks by the side until this moment.
“This is my beloved wife, Xia Ning Chang.” Yang Kai smiled slightly and introduced them.
Xia Ning Chang bowed elegantly, “Greetings, Grandmaster Ji Ying!” Her face was slightly flushed as it was the first time Yang Kai had introduced her to an outsider in that manner.
“Madam Yang!?” Ji Ying was startled. [The person who has been pouring me wine is Yang Kai’s Wife!?]
Ji Ying seemed at a loss and hurriedly stood up, “W-What have I done? Please sit down!” [If I had known this Xia Ning Chang was Yang Kai’s wife, I would never have let her do such menial tasks! Isn’t that like slapping Brother Yang’s face!? Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind…]
“I have been disrespectful. Allow me to offer this toast to you as an apology, Madam Yang! Please forgive me for my lack of hospitality!” Ji Ying lifted his wine glass and drank its content down.
“Brother Ji, you are being too serious about this, it’s just a minor matter.” Yang Kai smiled and waved dismissively.
Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai with a bitter smile, “Brother Yang, how could you allow me to make such a fool of myself, bringing your wife here without saying anything and making me look bad? You have to drink three cups of wine as punishment later!”
“It is as you say, Brother Ji.” Yang Kai smiled before continuing, “But, there’s no hurry to start drinking just yet. I actually have something to ask of you, Brother Ji, and it concerns my wife.”
Ji Ying said, “Feel free to speak up whenever you need my help, Brother Yang. I won’t refuse as long as I can help.”
“This matter is definitely something only you can do, Brother Ji.” Yang Kai smiled confidently and pointed to Xia Ning Chang, “It’s like this… Ning Chang has also been practising Alchemy ever since she started cultivating. She loves Alchemy more than fighting and cultivation.”
“Oh? Sister-In-Law is an Alchemist too?” Ji Ying studied Xia Ning Chang seriously but frowned slightly a moment later. As an Emperor Alchemist, he could tell if somebody studied the same field as him with a glance. That was because an Alchemist would have a unique air around them. This was especially true for those who dealt with different fires and herbs all year round; there would definitely be traces that could not be removed completely. Oddly, he could not find any of these traces on Xia Ning Chang at all of her dealing with flames, though he could clearly smell the scent of various pills coming from her, which made him suspicious.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “It’s just that she has just arrived from a Lower Star Field where the conditions were very limited. She also had nobody to teach her about Alchemy, so now that I finally managed to bring her here, I was hoping that she could study the Alchemic Dao from you, Brother Ji.”
Ji Ying replied, “Brother Yang, your achievements in Alchemy are no worse than mine; moreover, you are husband and wife. Would it not be simpler for you to teach her? Why bother going around the sun to reach the moon?”
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “You think too highly of me, Brother Ji. As you know, I don’t have the time to teach her.”
Upon hearing those words, Ji Ying knew that Yang Kai was speaking the truth. He had been in High Heaven Palace for quite a long time now, but even so, he practically never saw Yang Kai around. Yang Kai’s whereabouts were a constant unknown, so how could he have the time to teach others?
Thus, Ji Ying nodded lightly, “If that’s the case, I don’t mind helping. But…” Before Ji Ying could continue his sentence, Yang Kai cut him off and winked at Xia Ning Chang, “Ning Chang, come and greet your Honoured Master!”
Not only was Ji Ying in the Emperor Realm, but he was also an Emperor Alchemist, so he was more than qualified to be Xia Ning Chang’s Master. Even if he and Yang Kai referred to each other as brothers, their relationship would not be affected if Ji Ying simply taught Xia Ning Chang casually.
Ji Ying was a Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, and learned the Alchemic Dao from Wondrous Pill Great Emperor personally, so if Xia Ning Chang could learn from him, she would surely gain greatly from the experience even if it was slight.
However, it was different if Ji Ying took her on as a formal Disciple. That would mean he was obligated to teach her everything he knew without any reservations. Comparing those two options, it was natural that Yang Kai wanted Xia Ning Chang to become Ji Ying’s Disciple. Suffering a small loss in terms of hierarchy was nothing compared to that.
Before coming here, Yang Kai had informed Xia Ning Chang in advance of his plans; hence, she knew what she had to do right now and quickly tried to bow. Before she could speak though, Ji Ying waved his hand and an invisible force supported her to forcefully prevent her from bowing before him.
“Brother Yang…” Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai helplessly. Waving his hand about, he continued, “I can’t. I can’t.”
If he really accepted Xia Ning Chang as a Disciple, then what would become of the relationship between him and Yang Kai? What’s more; he was not just an ordinary Emperor Alchemist, he represented Medicine Pill Valley. It was not possible for him to randomly take in Disciples at will. He had to receive approval from Medicine Pill Valley first.
In addition, he had no intention of accepting more disciples. It was okay to ask him to teach Xia Ning Chang; however, accepting Disciples was an important affair. How could it be done so carelessly? Even if Xia Ning Chang was Yang Kai’s wife, Ji Ying didn’t dare to take her in as a disciple without even knowing her aptitude; otherwise, it would be Medicine Pill Valley’s reputation at risk if things went wrong.
Ji Ying already had several disciples under him, but each one of them was elite among the elites. Over time, each of them was likely to become an Emperor Alchemist.
“Why not? Could it be that you are unwilling, Brother Ji?” Yang kai thought to himself. [I’ve already said so much, so how can I let you escape so easily? You have to take her in as your Disciple. I’ll make you do it even if you don’t want to!]
“It’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just…” Ji Ying was extremely conflicted, “There are rules in place, so I cannot take in Disciples at will. I will need to report this matter to Eldest Senior Brother first.”
Although Medicine Pill Valley was where Wondrous Pill Great Emperor cultivated in retreat, the old man was not in charge of everyday matters. Currently, the person in charge of Medicine Pill Valley was the Eldest Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, the man Ji Ying addressed as ‘Eldest Senior Brother’.
“There are such rules?” Yang Kai was stunned, but at the same time, he knew that Ji Ying would not lie to him. He also understood that various obstacles had appeared in his plan.
“That’s right. Otherwise, I would not refuse this request. Why don’t we do this instead, Brother Yang? I can teach Sister-In-Law Alchemy, but we won’t have the status of Master and Disciple between us.”
Yang Kai was greatly reluctant to accept that offer. [What if he isn’t serious about teaching her? How much can she learn?]
Worried, he tentatively asked, “Does Medicine Pill Valley still accept disciples?”
How could Ji Ying not know what Yang Kai was trying to do? As such, he gave a troubled smile, “The Valley has not taken in any new disciples for the past 500 years. However, Eldest Senior Brother will not refuse if the person has extraordinary aptitude.”
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai became happy and called out, “Ning Chang, demonstrate your skills for Brother Ji.”
Ji Ying stared at Yang Kai in amazement, finding all this rather hard to believe. From what he could see, there were no traces of Xia Ning Chang practising Alchemy; however, Yang Kai seemed to be extremely confident about her skills. Unfortunately, things had already come to this, so Ji Ying could not put a stop to the matter anymore. It was all down to Xia Ning Chang now.
[If her aptitude is even the slightest bit acceptable, I will go back and beg Eldest Senior Brother to accept her into Medicine Pill Valley. I should at least do that for Yang Kai.]
“Then, please excuse me.” Xia Ning Chang said softly before she took out some herbs from her Space Ring. They were all herbs of the Origin King Grade as there were no higher grade herbs in the Star Field. Just this action alone though made Ji Ying’s eyes brighten.