Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World

"How did you all... manage this so quickly?"

Although Lady Xuanhua's test results were not yet out, as a master in the alchemy Dao, Elder Xiong had already made his own judgment and was now putting aside his pride, seeking guidance from Zheng Fa.

"Relying on these."

Zheng Fa's attitude toward him didn't change much. To be honest, he felt that about seventy to eighty percent of the credit for the spirit pill indeed went to Elder Xiong.

Without the detailed elixir recipe drafted by him initially and the hundreds of experimental data they provided, where would Zheng Fa and his team find their ideas and data?

Moreover, there was an element of luck involved in this success.

Not to mention, the art of Water Refining might not be as simple as it seemed.

Solutions are not merely for extraction, distillation, or purification; in terms of chemistry devoid of spiritual energy, many reactions occur in liquids too...

In Zheng Fa's view, alchemy is a characteristic of this world. To develop, one must absorb traditional alchemy talents.

Their biggest advantage now was to summarize and reform.

He handed over the experimental records to Elder Xiong, who was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting Zheng Fa to be so generous, but he said nothing and began to read.

The more he read, the deeper his frown became, as if there was something he couldn't understand.

"Raw materials, environment..."

He muttered to himself, seemingly pondering these terms, and after a long time, suddenly asked:

"Then where is the alchemy secret method?"

"Where is the position of the alchemy secret method?"

"This... where does it place the alchemy I've learned before?"

On his face, there was even some fear.

Zheng Fa looked at Elder Xiong, and Elder Xiong also looked back at him, seemingly seeking an answer.

"There is no secret method."

"...Ah?"

"Alchemy may have technologies that need to be kept secret, but it shouldn't have secret methods whose principles are unknown."

Elder Xiong stood in front of Zheng Fa, looking at this Alliance Hierarch of the Hundred Immortals.

These days, Zheng Fa had always appeared quite accommodating, even to the point of having an overly good temper.

But at this moment, these words made Elder Xiong see clearly the fierceness in Zheng Fa's heart—

He did not vie with others but sought to use a new and terrifying kind of thought to overthrow the entire alchemy system.

The traditional Xuanwei alchemy Dao actually contains techniques not explicitly stated.

The first step requires using certain spells...

The second step requires using other spells...

Spiritual medicines combined with secret methods constitute the most important two parts of alchemy.

But what Zheng Fa wanted was different—

He was more focused on the environment; the experimental report talked about parameters.

What kind of reaction one or several spiritual medicines would have in certain environments.

The alchemy he practiced in the past emphasized knowing what it was.

But what Zheng Fa wanted to pursue was understanding why it was so.

The secret method is just a means to control the environment.

He could even imagine that as long as the environment could be measured more precisely, any spirit pill could be analyzed by Zheng Fa.

There is no secret method, one can create secret methods.

If there is a secret method, it can be improved according to experimental data.

Whether this approach is feasible...

Elder Xiong looked outside the door.

For the first time in his life, he hoped his nose wasn't so sharp.

...

"Sect Leader! Lady Xuanhua said the medicinal properties of this Golden Core are extremely strong!" The disciple reporting hadn't even entered the room and was already shouting, as if sharing a joyous news, "The 'Golden Core Project' team has already begun verifying the yin five elements part of the 'Jiushan Golden Core Method'!"

It succeeded!

Despite everyone's anticipation, the alchemy room was still filled with joy at this moment.

Except for Elder Xiong.

He watched the Jiushan disciples celebrate and then looked at the experimental report in Zheng Fa's hand, his shoulders gradually slumped.

In his heart, crumbling along with it was the alchemy he had devoted his life to studying and researching.

Though it was just the beginning, he could already see Zheng Fa sharpening his knife, seemingly about to cleave his alchemy that had lasted for thousands of years into pieces, severing the future road for these traditional Pill Masters.

"Elder Xiong..."

"Mm."

Hearing Zheng Fa's voice, Elder Xiong responded somewhat confusedly.

"Can you help us?"

"Ah?"

Elder Xiong's eyes moved slightly, and he saw Zheng Fa standing in front of him, smiling, pointing at the pill furnace:

"In my opinion, this spirit pill should still have room for improvement..."

"After all, Elder Xiong, you are a Nascent Soul Pill Master, and your cultivation and skills are above those of my Jiushan disciples."

"...With your assistance, the quality of this spirit pill would likely be elevated to a higher level."

Elder Xiong blinked his eyes, understanding Zheng Fa's meaning in his heart:

Don't panic, you are still valuable, want to learn?

The knot in his heart suddenly loosened:

So, I'm the knife?

Then it's fine!

...

While Zheng Fa and his team were still conducting experiments on Gongkai Island, the mundane affairs of Jiushan Realm were all pressed onto Zhang.

Currently, the most important matter is the establishment of technical alliances.

Or rather, the founding of various guilds.

Among them, the most important are the guilds for Pill Masters, Talisman Masters, Artifact Refiners, and Array Masters.

These are the four most crucial and thriving techniques among the hundred arts of cultivation.

On University Island, the meetings for establishing the four major guilds were held one by one.

As for the Talisman Master Guild, Jiushan Sect's advantage in the talismanic Dao is such that even among the Hundred Immortals Alliance's subpar talents, it compares well with any of the six sects, each having its own merits.

The Talisman Master Guild can be said to be an arena where Jiushan's disciples speak enthusiastically, and other lesser talents applaud eagerly.

As for Array Masters... it is too advanced; the Hundred Immortals Alliance barely has any, and those that do have not arrived.

Speaking of a guild would be self-humiliation, so there simply isn't one.

Due to the lack of participation from the Chongxuan Sect, the Artifact Refiners are actually just barely supported by Lady Xuanhua, along with some Foundation Establishment and Golden Core level sects. They are neither strong nor weak, but without much contention, the charter and such were smoothly passed.

Only for the final Alchemy Master Alliance, there was a major figure—Qingmu Sect.