NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 304: Milking The Alchemist
"Elder Long, what is this tea made of?" Feng Fan asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. If he had enough of it, he might be able to break through to the Dao Seeking realm in less than ten years!
But Long Liu didn't answer right away. Instead, she posed a question of her own.
"Feng Fan, do you believe you can reach tier 9 in Array Dao within ten years?"
To anyone else, her question might have sounded absurd—insane, even. According to all known records, no one had ever attained tier 9 Array Mastery without first stepping into the Immortal Realm. It was widely accepted that only Immortal Ascension cultivators could even hope to grasp tier 9 arrays, and once someone reached that realm, the laws of the world would forcibly expel them into the Immortal Realm within days.
But could common sense be applied to Feng Fan?
This little bastard had already achieved tier 8 in Array Dao while still at the Nascent Soul realm. If anyone could defy convention, challenge the heavens, and attain tier 9 mastery while still bound to the mortal world, it would be Feng Fan.
Feng Fan's expression grew serious, but excitement still flickered in his eyes. "Elder Long, if I can break through to the Dao Seeking realm, I'm confident in attaining tier 9 Array Master level!"
He didn't straight forwarded answered her question, but Long Liu understood the implications. She gracefully took another sip from the tea before continuing.
"Good. Take it," she threw a space ring in Feng Fan's direction. He caught it and placed into his own space ring. "Return in ten years, if you need anything else, tell me. Whether we can win or not this probation may depend on you."
Long Liu sipped her tea calmly as Feng Fan took his leave. With the help of the Suppression Relic, he returned to the White Crow Sect alongside Huang Xue, Su Xiaoli, and Xue Qiang.
"Ladies, I'll be participating in the challenge for a seat in the Intergalactic Council ten years from now," Feng Fan said, his tone calm. "So I'll be entering seclusion. I won't have much time until then."
Xue Qiang was the first to approach him. She tiptoed and kissed him gently on the lips. "I'll come visit you from time to time," she said with a playful smile before heading toward her abode. Su Xiaoli and Huang Xue gave him their farewells as well.
Feng Fan entered his quarters. Inside, he checked the contents of the space ring Long Liu had given him. Just as he suspected, Long Liu had left him not only a mountain of high-grade qi stones, but also a generous supply of the same herbs used to brew the soul-nourishing tea he had tasted earlier.
'If these herbs are already this effective in their raw form… what if I could refine them into pills? Would they be even more potent?' he mused, his thoughts drifting to Tan Wei, the finest alchemist he knew. Even if Tan Wei didn't recognize the herbs, wasn't there still the god-tier alchemist sealed inside his pendant? Surely, he would know.
Feng Fan left his quarters in a hurry, flying straight toward the Fourth Peak, where the alchemists resided. He landed in front of Tan Wei's abode and knocked on the door. To his surprise, Tan Wei wasn't alone; sitting comfortably and sipping tea was Bai Tao, a familiar face.
Bai Tao, the nice young master from the Bai family of Cloudveil City—and secretly gay—looked as refined and carefree as ever. Feng Fan's eyes flicked from Tan Wei to Bai Tao, wondering if his friend had devoured his protagonist in private. Not that it mattered.
"Brother Feng," Tan Wei greeted with a warm smile. "It's rare to see you here. Come in!"
Feng Fan didn't stand on ceremony. "Greetings, Brother Tan, Brother Bai," he said, stepping inside and joining Bai Tao at the table.
"Brother Feng!" Bai Tao beamed. "It's been far too long. Who would've guessed you'd grow so powerful in such a short time?"
The last time they met, Bai Tao had been two minor realms ahead of Feng Fan. Now, he could only look up to both Tan Wei and Feng Fan in terms of cultivation. His own talent was far from exceptional.
The only reason Bai Tao had advanced to the peak of the Golden Core Formation realm so quickly was because Tan Wei had been feeding him pills like candy. But when compared to Tan Wei, who was already on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Severing realm; and Feng Fan, who had already achieved that milestone, Bai Tao's progress felt almost insignificant.
"Brother Tan," Feng Fan began, "I'll get straight to the point. Our planet will face a challenge we must win in ten years."
He quickly explained what he knew about the Intergalactic Council. Both Tan Wei and Bai Tao were stunned. They had barely survived a calamity against the Shen Empire, yet another crisis loomed on the horizon.
"That's why I need to break through to the Dao Seeking realm as soon as possible," Feng Fan said. "Brother Tan… can you refine pills using the herbs Elder Long gave me? The ones that nourish and heal the soul?"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation. It was finally time to reap the benefits of the alchemist he'd been carefully nurturing like a rare spiritual herb in his personal garden.
Tan Wei smiled at Feng Fan's request. After hearing the full story, he had already guessed what Feng Fan would ask. His alchemy skills had advanced by leaps and bounds since their last meeting. His Alchemy Dao was now no less impressive than Feng Fan's Array Dao.
"Brother Feng, leave it to me," Tan Wei said confidently. "Over the next ten years, I'll feed you so many pills that just looking at one will make you want to vomit!"
His words were clearly meant to inspire confidence, though his choice of phrasing left something to be desired.
Still, Feng Fan chuckled and nodded. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear."