Upon entering the factory, the first thing that caught Zhao Yuan's eye was a large medicinal ingredient mixer. In front of it, a long row of large sacks was neatly arranged. All the medicinal ingredients inside had been ground into a fine powder. Small signs were stuck into the sacks, each bearing the name of an ingredient.
Zhao Yuan glanced over and saw that the ingredients weren't just for making Soul-Stabilizing Incense, but also for Bone Refining Pills and Blood Circulation Soup. 'It makes sense,' he thought. 'These are the same ingredients I always buy from Fang Yi. Since he doesn't know the exact formula for Soul-Stabilizing Incense, his only option was to get all of them.'
'This is for the best. There's even less risk of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense formula getting out now.'
Zhao Yuan turned and closed the large factory door.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Fang Yi seeing him mix the medicineāfrom so far away, even someone with perfect vision couldn't possibly make out which ingredients he was using or their exact amounts. He was just trying to avoid scaring Fang Yi and the others when he opened his Storage Ring.
Outside the factory, seeing Zhao Yuan close the main door, Fang Yi didn't just stand there foolishly. He clapped Zheng Qiang on the shoulder and said, "The wind is biting out here. Come on, let's go sit in your office for a while."
As Zheng Qiang led Fang Yi to the office building, he couldn't help but ask, "Boss, who exactly is this guy? I thought this factory was all yours. How did he suddenly become the majority shareholder?"
"What, you think I got a bad deal?" Fang Yi chuckled smugly. "Let me tell you, getting him to become the majority shareholder is a blessing from the Fang Family ancestors! You've heard of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, right?"
"I know, of course I know." Zheng Qiang nodded eagerly. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry, after all; how could he not have heard of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense that had recently taken Rongcheng City by storm and was selling like crazy? Besides, his own boss was its distributor.
Fang Yi glanced around, then lowered his voice. "The Soul-Stabilizing Incense... it's from Zhao Yuan!"
Zheng Qiang was a sharp man and understood immediately. "So our factory is partnering with him to produce Soul-Stabilizing Incense? And right now, he's preparing the ingredients for it?"
"Exactly!" Fang Yi nodded, already fantasizing about the bright future. "Zheng, my man, just keep up the good work! Now that we're on board with Zhao Yuan, this factory is bound to get bigger and stronger. It might even become a world-renowned corporation! As long as you do your job well, I guarantee that when the factory expands, you'll still be its director!"
"Thank you, Boss!" Zheng Qiang said hurriedly. An image of himself as the imposing director of a world-class pharmaceutical factory flashed through his mind, and a grin stretched across his face, so wide it nearly split his cheeks.
While Fang Yi and Zheng Qiang went into the office to enjoy the air conditioning, Zhao Yuan, back in the factory, accessed his Storage Ring Space. He stored all the ingredients for the Bone Refining Pills and Blood Circulation Soup, leaving out only what he needed for the Soul-Stabilizing Incense.
Next, Zhao Yuan picked up the large burlap sacks one by one, pouring the powdered ingredients into the mixer.
Each burlap sack weighed over a hundred pounds, but that was no problem for Zhao Yuan. He lifted one in each hand with complete ease.
After pouring in the correct proportions of each ingredient, Zhao Yuan switched on the mixer. Amid a deep RUMBLE, the powders were quickly and thoroughly blended.
Now that the ingredients were mixed, Zhao Yuan didn't need to worry about the rest; the factory workers would take it from here.
He stored the few remaining ingredients in his Storage Ring Space, then turned his attention to the other side of the factory floor.
There sat the ingredients Fang Yi had purchased for him, the ones needed to create the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
Zhao Yuan walked over, taking the ingredients out of their sacks one by one to inspect them. He nodded in satisfaction.
Fang Yi was as reliable as ever. All the ingredients met his standards, and a few were even higher quality than he had requested.
It was still early, and the factory's equipment was far more comprehensive than what he had in his rented apartment, so Zhao Yuan decided to make a batch of Marrow Cleansing Pills right then and there.
He started the factory's pulverizer and fed the ingredients for the Marrow Cleansing Pill into it in the correct proportions, grinding them to a fine powder.
Thanks to his experience making Bone Refining Pills, crafting the Marrow Cleansing Pills was a familiar and easy process for Zhao Yuan.
Soon, perfectly rolled pills, bound with honey, began to take shape in his hands.
When he made Bone Refining Pills in the past, this step would have required several days of air-drying in the shade, waiting for the moisture to evaporate before they were complete. Here, however, it wasn't so complicated. The factory had a low-temperature dehydrator designed for medicinal ingredients, which could quickly dry the pills without diminishing their efficacy.
Zhao Yuan placed the damp pills into the low-temperature dehydrator, and in just a few moments, they were perfectly dry. He looked at the brownish-red pills in his hand, his heart pounding with excitement.
'The Marrow Cleansing Pills are finally done!'
'With this and the Marrow Washing Technique, I can undergo Marrow Cleansing and Bone Cutting, shatter the shackles of the Muscle Strengthening Realm, and break through to the next stage of Body Refiningāthe Marrow Cleansing Realm!'
A fragrant, medicinal scent wafted from the Marrow Cleansing Pills, tempting Zhao Yuan to take one immediately and test its effects.
Before taking a Marrow Cleansing Pill, however, Zhao Yuan remembered to call Fang Yi. He was worried that if cultivating the Marrow Washing Technique took too long, Fang Yi might get concerned and barge in, which would be disastrous for his cultivation.
The call was answered after only a couple of rings.
Before Zhao Yuan could say a word, Fang Yi asked eagerly, "Brother Zhao, is the Soul-Stabilizing Incense mix ready?"
"It's ready," Zhao Yuan replied. "I'm planning to use your facility to experiment with a few new formulas. It might take a while, so I'm calling to let you know so you don't worry. Also, while I'm working, no one is to enter the factory without my express permission, no matter who it is."
"No problem! I'll give the order right away. Anyone who dares to enter the factory without permission gets fired!" Fang Yi agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Besides his hopes for mass-producing Soul-Stabilizing Incense, Fang Yi was now eager for Zhao Yuan to develop more new medicines to expand their brand and conquer new markets. He was certain that with the brand power of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, any new product would be a guaranteed success.
After hanging up, Zhao Yuan swallowed a Marrow Cleansing Pill and activated the Marrow Washing Technique.
As the Marrow Cleansing Pill went down, a current of heat rapidly spread from his stomach, engulfing his entire body. He felt as if he were in a scorching hot sauna. Every pore on his body seemed to burst open at once, and thick beads of sweat began to pour out.
Looking closer, he saw that the sweat was, shockingly, red!
It was the viscous red of blood!