Chapter Eighty-Seven: No Master?

Since Elder Zhao refined the Earth Essence Pill, the remaining half month was for Liu Pan a time of rare peace and pleasure.

Elder Zhao still refined pills from time to time, paying Liu Pan no real mind at all, and only when it came time to wash the pill cauldron would he remember that there was such a pill boy as Liu Pan.

As for the treatment Elder Zhao gave him, Liu Pan found it quite good. Though Elder Zhao never took the initiative to teach him anything, the dozens of bookshelves in the cellar had laid a solid foundation for him in the theory of water-based pill refinement.

Moreover, whenever Elder Zhao refined pills, Liu Pan never went close to watch, but through the sweep of his spiritual power he could clearly see every step Elder Zhao took in the process, and learned much from it.

As time went on, Liu Pan grew increasingly familiar with Elder Zhao, and this made him notice something very interesting: Elder Zhao had no master.

After observing the types of pills Elder Zhao had refined over the past half month and his rate of success, Liu Pan felt that Elder Zhao’s level in pill refinement should count as that of a junior grand alchemist.

For a junior grand alchemist, an earth-grade pill like the Earth Essence Pill might not be easy to refine, but it ought to be something that could certainly produce a pill.

Yet although Elder Zhao was very relaxed when extracting the medicinal power, he had never once produced a pill before that, and that alone said quite a lot.

What was more, after the Earth Essence Pill, Elder Zhao refined many other pills. What Liu Pan found most strange was that they were all low-grade pills; not to mention spirit-grade pills, there were even ordinary-grade pills among them.

As for low-grade pills, it would have been one thing if he had refined only one or two kinds, but Elder Zhao had deliberately refined many different low-grade pills, and after each successful refinement there was always an inexplicable look on his face. How could Liu Pan not find that strange?

In the end, the reason Liu Pan came to believe Elder Zhao had no master was not only the anomalies Elder Zhao displayed, but also the books on the shelves.

Among those shelves were not only books on water-based pill refinement, but also quite a few on fire-based pill refinement.

At first Liu Pan thought those fire-based texts had been placed there to complement and compare with the water-based ones, so as to improve alchemical skill. But later he realized he was wrong.

Many notes in the books made it clear that someone was absorbing the knowledge of fire-based pill refinement in order to learn water-based pill refinement. And Liu Pan felt that person could be none other than Elder Zhao.

It was only after discovering this that Liu Pan thought things through and guessed at certain answers.

Elder Zhao’s strange temper was not really a strange temper at all; rather, Elder Zhao simply did not know how to teach.

After refining the Earth Essence Pill, Elder Zhao went on to refine most of the low-grade pills once over. Unless there were some special reason, that was obviously impossible. And the only reason Liu Pan could think of was the refinement of the Earth Essence Pill.

Liu Pan did not know what Elder Zhao had realized while refining the Earth Essence Pill, but he could guess that it had affected Elder Zhao’s alchemical path deeply.

Perhaps before this, Elder Zhao had encountered the same kind of problem while refining other pills as he had with the Earth Essence Pill, but because the Earth Essence Pill was more difficult to refine than the others, the issue it exposed was even more obvious, so obvious that Elder Zhao had not even been able to refine a failed pill.

And because there was a problem in his alchemy, that also explained why Elder Zhao had such a bad temper, why he took no disciples and only accepted pill boys, and why even pill boys were not kept for many days.

After all, to know full well that one’s alchemical path had serious flaws and still pass it on to others would be sheer idiocy.

Thus, although Elder Zhao did take in pill boys, he only used them to help wash the pill cauldron. He had never imparted even the slightest alchemical knowledge to anyone else.

In time, under the influence of all these factors, it naturally came to be that others saw Elder Zhao as a man of eccentric temper.

...

Another cauldron of pills was finished. Elder Zhao let out a faint breath, then seemed to think of something. Turning his head, he looked at Liu Pan and walked over.

“Master.” Liu Pan closed the book in his hands and bowed respectfully, though there was a trace of surprise in his eyes. This was the first time Elder Zhao had ever come to him on his own.

“Mm.” Elder Zhao nodded. He seemed about to say something, but then suddenly paused. After a long moment, he said, “What is your name?”

Liu Pan was taken aback, but quickly recovered and replied respectfully, “This disciple is Liu Pan. May I ask if Master has any task to assign me?”

“No.” As he spoke, Elder Zhao’s gaze fell on the book in Liu Pan’s hands. “You have been reading here for quite some time. If you have any doubts, speak them now, and I will answer them for you.”

Liu Pan froze at those words. Elder Zhao’s sudden gentleness was truly a little hard for him to get used to.

By means of his spiritual power, Liu Pan had already read most of the books in this underground chamber.

At first glance, it had been hard to find much of a pattern, and there were many places he could not understand. But as the amount of reading increased, many of the things he had not understood became clear quite naturally.

Even so, Liu Pan’s knowledge was limited, and there were still many points he had failed to grasp. Elder Zhao’s offer to explain them now was a great help to him.

Thus, after he came to his senses, Liu Pan quickly reacted. He searched through his mind and began asking his questions one by one.

For an apprentice like Liu Pan, those questions were hardly difficult for Elder Zhao, a grand alchemist, to answer with his experience and knowledge. Thus, every question Liu Pan raised was ultimately answered.

When the final question had been resolved, Liu Pan bowed respectfully and said, “Many thanks to Master for clearing up this disciple’s doubts.”

Elder Zhao nodded, thought for a moment, then took from his storage ring a token and a white jade porcelain bottle and handed them to Liu Pan. “These are for you.”

“What is this...” Liu Pan asked in confusion.

“The waist token of the pill boy of Cloud Peak, and an Earth Essence Pill,” Elder Zhao said.

Liu Pan stared in astonishment. Before he could ask anything, Elder Zhao continued, “The waist token is not merely a symbol of identity; it also carries certain special privileges. With it on you, many things within the sect will be easier to do. As for the Earth Essence Pill, it is for your breakthrough to the Martial Master realm. If you want to learn pill refinement, it is best to first break through to the Martial Master realm. Though the chances of awakening spiritual power are slim, having divine sense will make things easier.”

After speaking, Elder Zhao looked at Liu Pan once more, then turned and walked back toward the pill cauldron. After only a couple of steps, however, it seemed he remembered something else. He stopped and glanced at the bookshelf.

“There are quite a few books on fire-based pill refinement here. Though reading them can be of some help to water-based pill refinement, remember not to become too obsessed with them. Water-based pill refinement and fire-based pill refinement are fundamentally different. When refining ordinary pills, the key is balance between yin and yang. Water itself carries yin, while fire itself carries yang. This must be kept firmly in mind.”

Liu Pan was stunned by those words. His eyes flickered slightly, and then he bowed respectfully. “Thank you for your instruction, Master.”