399: Chapter 399: The Test of dicinal Herb Pairing 399: Chapter 399: The Test of dicinal Herb Pairing An elixir could increase the value of several dicinal herbs by several tis, even up to tens of tis; thus, learning alchemy ant that the dicinal fields here would be more precious than gold and silver mines.
Upon reaching the alchemy room, Peach Blossom Valley Venerable pushed the door open and entered.
At that mont, Lin Yifan followed closely behind, stepping through the doorway into the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable’s alchemy room.
Upon entering, he saw a large pill furnace standing right in the center of the room.
The pill furnace was bronze in color, with a smooth surface engraved with a myriad of animal figures, vivid and lifelike; upon closer observation, one would discover that flowing light and brilliant colors adorned the furnace, rendering it exceptionally beautiful.
Besides, the animal figures on it seed as real as living beings, with distinctive features showing scenes of phoenixes soaring and dragons roaring, creating an air of extraordinary wonder.
“Even more vivid than the figures on that wooden box, it seems that this pill furnace must be a peerless treasure,” Lin Yifan murmured to himself.
The wooden box with the shape of animal teeth in black jade that he had brought back from Snake Island was already a fine piece; he had not expected to see sothing even more exquisite than the box today, truly an eye-opener.
The spacious alchemy room, besides the pill furnace, also housed tall and large dicinal cabinets on each side.
Each drawer of the dicinal cabinets contained a different type of dicinal herb, and each drawer was labeled very neatly.
The materials on the dicinal cabinets were organized by the grade of the herbs, with the rarest materials placed in the topmost drawers; on the other hand, the cheaper and more common ones were stored in the lowest drawers.
This arrangent was made with one purpose in mind—to facilitate easy access.
Besides the dicinal cabinets, there were bookshelves on both sides of the alchemy room, holding various ancient books that looked plain and simple, not as glossy and attractive as modern books, and carried a sense of age.
The alchemy room contained not only the pill furnace, dicinal cabinets, and bookshelves, but other items as well; among them was one very special feature that was invisible to the naked eye: fragrance.
In addition to the scent of dicine, the room was also filled with a comforting, soothing aroma that eased fatigue.
From the mont Lin Yifan entered the alchemy room, he was attracted by this fragrance; however, after observing for a long ti, he could not locate anything in the room that emitted this scent.
“Sniff, sniff!”
“Strange!
How can there be none?” Lin Yifan wondered.
Then, as he passed a wooden pillar, he slled a strong fragrance; driven by curiosity, he approached and sniffed the pillar, discovering that it was indeed the source of the comforting and soothing fragrance of the room.
“Could it be that this building is made entirely of Yung Wood Fragrance?” he thought, shocked.
Because Yung Wood Fragrance is a precious dicinal material known for its fatigue-relieving and comforting properties.
In the market, a gram of Yung Wood Fragrance sells for ten thousand yuan, more expensive than gold.
If such a large building were made entirely from Yung Wood Fragrance, then its total value must be at least in the hundreds of billions.
Hundreds of billions, tsk tsk, that is more expensive than any luxury mansion!
Lin Yifan now realized that Peach Blossom Valley Venerable was an outright tycoon, appearing earthly but extrely wealthy in reality.
“With alchemy at my disposal, everything will co knocking on my door, and there’s no need to cling to these vain things,” Lin Yifan cautioned himself.
Greed for montary wealth cannot bring glory and riches; only by mastering true skills can one amass wealth continuously.
After bringing Lin Yifan to the Alchemy Room, the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable began the test.
The first challenge was ant to test Lin Yifan’s mory.
However, since Lin Yifan could rember even advanced Martial Arts at a glance, he believed this challenge would not stump him; thus, he skipped it directly.
The second challenge was to test Lin Yifan’s capability to combine dicinal herbs.
A good alchemist must be familiar with the combinations of various herbs to innovate and refine new elixirs while also avoiding mistakes during their creation.
“What herb should be added to Schizonepeta, Saposhnikovia, Notopterygium, Pubescent Angelica, and Szechuan lovage to refine an elixir that dispels wind-cold and removes dampness?” the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable asked.
“Bupleurum, Qianhu, Platycodon, Aurantium, Poria, and Licorice,” Lin Yifan answered.
“What herb should be added to Saposhnikovia, Forsythia, Red Peony, Scrophularia, Trichosanthes, and White Mulberry to refine an elixir that clears heat, detoxifies, reduces inflammation, and relieves pain?” the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable continued asking.
“Honeysuckle, Astragalus, Burdock, Belamcanda, Platycodon, Licorice, Schizonepeta,” Lin Yifan answered.
“Stemona, Aurantium, Clematis, Reed Root, Ophiopogon, Purple Perilla Vine, Cassia Seed, Cordyceps, Water Lotus, Houttuynia, Dragon Fruit.
From these twelve herbs, if you were to choose five to combine and refine a treatnt elixir, which would you pick?” the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable asked.
“Clematis, Purple Perilla Vine, Cordyceps, Water Lotus, Dragon Fruit,” Lin Yifan answered.
“Why?” the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable further inquired.
“Clematis relieves pain; Purple Perilla Vine enables wounds to heal swiftly; Cordyceps has a miraculous scarring effect; Water Lotus promotes bodily growth; Dragon Fruit cools and secures the blood.
Therefore, combining these five herbs can refine a novel treatnt elixir,” Lin Yifan answered.
(This is purely fictional.
Do not take it seriously.)
Among the treatnt elixirs he knew, none were made from these five herbs; thus, he guessed that the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable wanted to test his ability to adapt on the spot and his flexibility in mixing various herbs; consequently, he had to co up with a combination on the spot.
Among the twelve herbs, there were many distracting ingredients, and he wasn’t sure if it were these five; hence, he was still sowhat nervous.
“Well done, well done, completely correct,” the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable said, stroking his beard in appreciation.
Lin Yifan’s performance greatly satisfied him; it was important to note that many of his naturally talented disciples got this question wrong; thus, Lin Yifan had surpassed ordinary people and was an exceptional alchemist.
Subsequently, he continued to test Lin Yifan’s capability in combining dicinal herbs.
An hour later, all the questions were asked, and Lin Yifan answered each one correctly, passing with perfect scores.
At that mont, Lin Yifan finally took a deep breath of relief.
The challenges posed by Peach Blossom Valley Venerable were extrely tricky, with several questions making him ponder for a long ti, unable to find the answers.
In the end, he had to take a different approach, seeking herb combinations that other normal alchemists wouldn’t notice or use, in order to pass.
Now, he felt increasingly that the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable was like the dicine Saint, Bright True Master.
“It seems learning his skills is indeed not so easy; a single misstep can lead to total failure,” Lin Yifan reflected, now keenly alert; as the upcoming challenges would be even more difficult.
The third challenge tested Lin Yifan’s ability to control the heat.
An exceptional alchemist must be adept at controlling various degrees of heat; only by doing so can he refine perfect elixirs.
Otherwise, he could end up refining poor quality products, or might even fail to produce any elixir.
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