952 Pharmacis

"Research assistant mission, published by Mentor Han Yunfeng. Long-term recruiting low-level Mystic assistants. Requirements: read 'Mineral and Plants Glossary, Edition 20077', proficient with Flame Control Technique! Those willing can come for an interview. The reward will be discussed in person!"

'Mineral and Plants Glossary'? Fang Yuan searched and found that it was an introductory book. Furthermore, there were thousands of them!

As the galaxy was vast and boundless, new species were being discovered all the time.

Unfortunately… there are only pictorial descriptions. Without seeing it in person, there's no way to trigger resonance and determine the needs of the Heaven Devouring Mystic Technique, Fang Yuan thought regretfully. He then checked out the comments below the mission.

…

"Scam! The most that we learn now is the flora and fauna edition for Planet East Dragon. Who would try to remember those of the entire galaxy? Even seniors must find it impossible, right? There are no credits either!"

"Although the Flame Control Technique isn't expensive, it's standalone. There are no continuations. Who would waste their energy on learning that?"

"The poster above me is a fool! The Flame Control Technique was a must for low-level ancient alchemists. I am from the pharmacy department and have trained in the technique. I remembered the glossary and went for the interview with Mentor Han Yunfeng, but his requirements for the Flame Control Technique are too high. The mentor only accepts masters of the technique… I didn't make the cut."

"What a big revelation!"

"Mysterious senior passing by, just smiling…"

"That Mentor Han Yunfeng is known to be stingy. The credits awarded are extremely few. He didn't impart any dao arts or spiritual techniques either."

"Wow! The poster above me is really brave. You're not afraid of a teacher giving you trouble!"

"It's all right. I'm anonymous…"

…

"It looks like the requirements are high, but the rewards aren't much. He's received a lot of negative feedback."

Fang Yuan browsed again and found that the price of the Flame Control Technique was at a low thirty credits. As for the 'Mineral and Plants Glossary, Edition 20077', it was a public resource that he could read without paying. He made his decision immediately.

"Almost all the other missions have a cultivation level requirement, and there aren't many that are suitable for beginners. This one didn't mention a specific cultivation level requirement, so let's give it a try!"

He searched and found out that although the Flame Control Technique was a standalone technique incapable of further progression, its reviews among the low-level pharmacy students were very solid. He nodded and made the exchange.

"So pharmacy is the ancient alchemy equivalent? I've seen some drugs and tools on sale on the school website… If I learn this, I could make some money…"

Fang Yuan received the information, and the Arcane Smart-Brain immediately formed the psyche model, mastering the spiritual technique.

The interaction between his smart-brain and his True Spirit produced a fundamental change, the fusion of terrifying calculative power and supreme intellect. He absorbed the information in the Mineral and Plant Glossary at an incredible pace while walking along the road.

By the time he arrived at Han Yunfeng's door in the teachers' housing area, he had memorized thousands of books.

This mentor stayed near the core of the zone, and it was visibly different from Lü Songyang's corner house near the periphery. It was a three-story courtyard house with a garden.

Fang Yuan walked up to a lion carving on the main door and talked into it, "Teacher Han Yunfeng? I am Student Lin Meng, here for the research assistant mission!"

The lion's eyes flashed red. Fang Yuan was prepared and immediately strengthened his Breath Holding Technique. A man's gentle voice emerged, and the main door opened.

"Come in yourself. I'm in the living room!"

Fang Yuan entered with large strides. Walking through the pebble walkway in the colorful garden, he arrived in the living room.

"Please take a seat!"

The traditionally decorated living room was full of dark wood furniture that gave off a thick and extremely refreshing herbal scent.

A young man wearing traditional clothes with hair reaching his waist was sitting cross-legged on an almond-yellow cattail hassock in the center of the living room and looking at a pill furnace in front of him.

It was a real pill furnace! It was bronze with three legs and two handles. Patterns of ancient beasts covered its surface, and flames were burning underneath.

Fang Yuan found it hard to take his eyes off of it. This kind of pill furnace must be an antique? It should really be given to a cultivation museum. The pharmacy students now synthesize all their drugs in the lab directly. With a smart-brain monitoring, they can calibrate proportions with extreme precision!

"Your name is Lin Meng? And you're a first-year?"

Han Yunfeng used his spiritual will to look up Lin Meng's information and frowned.

Of course, he did not see through Fang Yuan's disguise.

In fact, Fang Yuan's Breath Holding Technique (Modified) was only capable of dealing with this kind of initial inspection.

After all, the teachers did not have mental disorders. Scanning someone with their spiritual will on the first meaning was the norm, but constantly monitoring someone with it would be psychotic.

As long as he made it through the initial inspection, he could use the normal Breath Holding Technique in the future without any problem.

I'm also lucky… This Han Yunfeng seems to be at a similar cultivation level as Lü Songyang, both below ten!

Level ten was equivalent to ancient cultivation's Golden Core stage. By then, the Breath Holding Technique's grade would be too low, and it would be easy to spot something amiss.

Fang Yuan soon labeled Han Yunfeng. A researcher ill-versed in external affairs, but his status is higher than Lü Songyang…

"Although I'm a first-year, you didn't specify any cultivation level requirements on your mission. It appears that this mission doesn't put too much emphasis on cultivation level either. I've also memorized the Mineral and Plant Glossary, and I have some experience with the Flame Control Technique."

"Oh? Is that so."

Han Yunfeng was a bit skeptical. He hit the pill furnace with a Dharmic formulation.

Rumble!

The pill furnace rumbled, and an opening appeared. Vapor that looked like rosy clouds rose from the opening, carrying a strong medicinal scent.

Three different colored pills flew out and landed in his hands. "Then tell me… what were the ingredients used in these pills?"

His expression showed that he was waiting for Fang Yuan to make a fool of himself.

Fang Yuan's eyes flashed, and he answered straightforwardly, "The pills' vapor looks like clouds. This is formed after Fire Cloud Sand has risen, so Fire Cloud Sand is one of the ingredients. The medicinal scent has the smell of roses mixed with musk. This is caused by the Whirling Flower Powder… I don't know about the other materials!"

He had intentionally not revealed everything.

"Good! Very good!" Han Yunfeng was slightly excited. "To think that you know even these kinds of transformations in nature. It looks like you weren't boasting about memorizing the glossary. To be able to determine two ingredients, you have very solid fundamentals. The remaining ingredients are Golden Bodhi, Yellow Cloud Beast's blood, and Black Water Mystic Crystal!"

"Understood, Teacher!"

"You have no problems with recognizing materials, so let's check your practical skills now…"

Han Yunfeng stood up from his cattail hassock. "Come and try this bronze cauldron. I've spent a great deal to make this cauldron according to ancient methods!"

"Okay!" Fang Yuan sat down on the cattail hassock cross-legged and skillfully activated a technique.

"Flame Control Technique? Your execution is extremely smooth. Good! Very good!" Han Yunfeng's eyes glowed upon seeing just that.

As expected, the ancient cultivation cauldron is too rigid. Controlling it is ten times harder than executing the technique alone!

Fang Yuan silently made a move, and his hand seals moved at lightning speed. "Rise!"

Whoosh!

The flame that was about to die out suddenly grew tall, as though it had devoured some sort of fuel.

Strands of smoke licked the bottom of the cauldron before dividing and dancing around the cauldron like little flame snakes.

Suddenly, all the flame snakes amalgamated into a single body and turned green. The flame that was originally red suddenly turned green.

"Pure green cauldron fire? Good! Great!"

Han Yunfeng stopped Fang Yuan. "To be able to control the Flame Control Technique to the extent of producing pure green flames, not even many third-year and fourth-year pharmacy students could accomplish that. Hard work won't get you there, but talent will! Have you self-studied this information? How about choosing the pharmacy department?"

"Teacher!" Fang Yuan rolled his eyes in his mind. "Can we discuss the reward for this mission?"

"Oh! Right, right…" Han Yunfeng patted his forehead. "As you can see, I am researching the ancient ways of alchemy. I hope to compare it with the modern methods of making drugs and write a paper… As such, I need an assistant to watch over the cauldron fire!"

"I see!"

Fang Yuan nodded. He understood that the other party required someone to play the role of an ancient alchemy boy.

Of course, he would need to know how to deal with small accidents by himself.

"However, hasn't ancient alchemy died out already?" Fang Yuan voiced his thoughts.

"Yes, many ancient cultivation techniques have been proven to have low efficiency. A long time has passed… Modern pharmacy leaves the handling of the cauldron entirely to the smart-brain, and it can determine the exact effects. The success rate of making pills is at ninety percent. All we have to do is to infuse spiritual power and use spiritual will to harmonize the drug according to the smart-brain."

The Scientific Cultivation Method had proved that a cultivator's spiritual power and spiritual will were the catalysts necessary to synthesize pills. They were irreplaceable and indispensable.

Without this step, the smart-brain would have long industrialized making drugs and pills.

As such, for pharmacy students, the most amount of practice went into controlling their spiritual power and spiritual will, and cooperating with the smart-brain to produce high-quality pills.

"The pharmaceutical industry is far beyond being comparable to the ancient ways. As long as there is enough spiritual energy and spiritual will, cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage can produce Foundation Building and Nascent Soul level pills. People can even jointly concoct pills. In theory, with smart-brain's assistance, as long as there are enough low-level cultivators, they could achieve Essence Soul or even Soul Transformation level alchemy techniques… Of course, this hasn't been realized!"

Han Yunfeng said frankly, "But the way I see it, there must be some merits to the ancient alchemy methods. For example, some top-tier drugs can only be produced by high-level pharmacist cultivators because they must be infused with Aural Dao! To put it another way, natural methods… are like… high-tier brain development drugs!"

"I see!"

Fang Yuan nodded. It appears that top-tier drugs are precious not only because of the ingredients, but also the difficulty in making them. Even the smart-brain can't do it. Only top-grade pharmacists can, but with a low success rate.