Chapter 114: Optimizing the Pill Formula

"Oh, Junior Brother Fang."

Fang Yun had already slowed his pace on Dan Cloud Peak.

Hearing the voice, Fang Yun turned to see Jiang Yan coming down from the upper path at a fork in the road behind him.

"Brother Jiang."

When Jiang Yan got closer, Fang Yun called out.

"What are you up to, Junior Brother?"

"I’m heading to the Dan Cloud Pavilion to turn in a mission."

"Oh, I know. The mission to refine Qi Enhancement Pills." Jiang Yan understood immediately. He’d already heard from Wang Yourong that Fang Yun and Elder Bai had come to an agreement.

Fang Yun shook his head and replied, "No, this time it’s Rejuvenation Pills."

"So it’s Rejuvenation Pills." Speaking of this pill, Jiang Yan seemed to perk up. "Speaking of Rejuvenation Pills, I’ve had a great idea recently."

"Do you want to hear about it, Junior Brother?"

"Uh... well..." Fang Yun recalled the warnings from many others, but looking at Jiang Yan’s eager expression, he finally said, "If Brother Jiang wants to talk about it, I’d be happy to listen."

"Hahaha, I knew you wanted to hear it!" Jiang Yan laughed happily, then put an arm around Fang Yun’s shoulder. "You put it tactfully, but I know what you mean."

Looking at Jiang Yan, Fang Yun could tell he had clearly misunderstood.

"I’ve been studying the Pill Formula for the Rejuvenation Pill for a long time, and I think it can be optimized by adding another supplementary Spirit Medicine."

"What supplementary Spirit Medicine?" Fang Yun asked instinctively.

"Spring Intestine Grass."

Fang Yun was stunned.

Spring Intestine Grass was a Tier One, Lower Grade Spirit Medicine. Thinking about its medicinal properties, Fang Yun couldn’t imagine what use adding it to the Rejuvenation Pill Formula would have.

Seeing Fang Yun’s dazed look, Jiang Yan immediately said, "Junior Brother Fang, let me explain it to you. I’m sure with your talent, you’ll understand in no time. The Spring Intestine Grass can be added during the fifth and twelfth major steps of the refining process..." Jiang Yan began his explanation.

But when Jiang Yan was halfway through, Fang Yun began to understand the purpose of adding Spring Intestine Grass to the Rejuvenation Pill’s formula.

"Brother Jiang, stop," Fang Yun interjected, stopping him from explaining further.

"Is there something you don’t understand, Junior Brother?"

"No." Fang Yun first shook his head, then said, "I understand, but are you sure that adding Spring Intestine Grass *optimizes* the Rejuvenation Pill Formula?"

Adding another supplementary Spirit Medicine meant the difficulty of refining the Rejuvenation Pill would increase.

At first, Fang Yun had assumed that when Jiang Yan talked about adding a Spirit Medicine, it was to significantly increase the Rejuvenation Pill’s efficacy. He now realized he’d been mistaken.

’The senior brothers and sisters were right.’

"Of course, Junior Brother! I am optimizing the Rejuvenation Pill. A normal one can only be taken orally. But my version can be placed by the anus before a battle. Then, when you’re injured, a slight clench will instantly release the pill’s effects."

Jiang Yan made gestures as he spoke.

"..."

For a moment, Fang Yun was at a complete loss for words.

’Who would stick a pill up their ass before a fight?’

Completely speechless, Fang Yun still felt the need to try and correct him.

"Brother Jiang, I have a question."

"Go ahead, Junior Brother. As long as it’s something I know, I’ll explain it to you crystal clear."

"Don’t you think it would be uncomfortable placing it there?"

"If you hadn’t interrupted me and listened to how I process the Spring Intestine Grass during the twelfth major step, you wouldn’t be asking that. After my special refining process, I guarantee you’ll barely feel a thing."

"...Fine. But that doesn’t save much time in a fight, does it? Instead of putting it there, why not just hold the Rejuvenation Pill in your mouth before the battle starts?" Fang Yun asked two questions in a row.

"Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Junior Brother. If you hold it in your mouth, the enemy will see it. But if you place it by your anus, they’ll never find it."

"What’s the point of that?"

"The point is huge! Just think about it, Junior Brother. After the enemy injures you, they’ll see you recover without taking a pill. They’ll assume you have some strange ability, that maybe they can’t kill you. That will make them afraid, and once they’re afraid, won’t you have your chance?"

"Brother Jiang, you’re overthinking it."

"No, no, no, Junior Brother. You’ll understand one day when you use a pill I’ve refined." Jiang Yan patted Fang Yun’s shoulder, looking at him as if he were a child who just didn’t get it yet.

’No, I don’t want to.’

Fang Yun wanted nothing to do with any pill refined by Jiang Yan.

Furthermore, in Fang Yun’s opinion, Jiang Yan’s idea of increasing the refining difficulty for such a pointless effect was completely worthless.

Even if the Pill Formula were changed this way, it would never be passed down.

Pill Formulas that stood the test of time were those that had been optimized over and over. Jiang Yan’s modification was clearly not an optimization.

"Are you also going to the Dan Cloud Pavilion, Brother Jiang?" Fang Yun suddenly asked, changing the subject.

It was impossible to get through to Jiang Yan, and continuing the conversation was just a waste of time.

"Yes, I’m heading to the Dan Cloud Pavilion too, but I’m going to accept a mission."

"Then let’s hurry."

With that, Fang Yun didn’t wait for Jiang Yan to react and quickened his pace toward the Dan Cloud Pavilion.

"Junior Brother, wait for me!" Jiang Yan hurried to catch up.

On the first floor of the Dan Cloud Pavilion, Wang Yourong was on duty.

When the two walked over, before Fang Yun could even speak, Wang Yourong asked, "Junior Brother Fang, why are you with this guy?"

"Hey now, Junior Sister Wang, I’m not ’this guy.’ Please call me Brother Jiang," Jiang Yan corrected her.

"Senior Sister Wang, we just happened to run into each other on the path."

"Mmm, you should address me like your Junior Brother does." Jiang Yan nodded, then motioned for Wang Yourong to call him by the correct title just once.

Wang Yourong ignored him.

Her gaze remained on Fang Yun.

"I see. Your luck with who you run into today seems a bit off, Junior Brother."

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Yan asked, but then he thought about how Wang Yourong usually treated him and said magnanimously, "Forget it. As your senior brother, I won’t hold it against you."

Fang Yun didn’t dare comment on the strange relationship between these two.

His priority now was to turn in his mission for refining Rejuvenation Pills.

"Senior Sister Wang, these are the five batches of Rejuvenation Pills I refined." Fang Yun placed five porcelain vials on the counter, along with the corresponding mission slip.

Wang Yourong looked at Fang Yun’s mission slip first.

If it were any other disciple turning in a mission, she would have directly inspected the pills in the vials.

The mission rewards for other disciples were all standardized for each level.

Fang Yun’s might be different, so she needed to pay closer attention.

"It’s the same."

Wang Yourong muttered to herself before quickly beginning to inspect the pills in the vials.

First, she had to confirm that the pills in each vial were from the same batch, and then she had to check the pills’ grade.

Before long, Wang Yourong had her results.