Take Jing Yan as a disciple?
It was true that after the Alchemy Ceremony ended, Hu Donghe had indeed planned to take Jing Yan as his disciple. After all, at that time, Jing Yan was only a Sixth-level Alchemist, and the gap between him and Hu Donghe, the Great Alchemist King, was substantial.
However, once Jing Yan provided a piece of Alchemy information that allowed Hu Donghe to soon afterward advance further on the Alchemy Dao and refine Perfect Quality Elixirs, the idea of taking Jing Yan as his disciple was never again entertained.
And over the years, especially a while ago in Donglin City, Hu Donghe had many exchanges with Jing Yan on the Alchemy Dao. Just a few months of interaction had made Hu Donghe unable to resist the desire to take Jing Yan as his master.
Hu Donghe was very clear that Jing Yan’s ability on the Alchemy Dao was now entirely above his own. To refine Ninth-level Elixirs was as easy for Jing Yan as eating and drinking.
Because Hu Donghe’s relationship with Jing Yan had grown closer, Jing Yan had sincerely pointed Hu Donghe in the right direction on the Alchemy Dao and had not deliberately concealed his Alchemy skills. Consequently, Hu Donghe knew that Jing Yan could even refine Ninth-level Elixirs of Perfect Quality.
Knowing this, Hu Donghe felt that if Jing Yan was really willing to take him on, then he would be truly able to set aside his pride and loyally become Jing Yan’s disciple. He had even expressed this wish to Jing Yan but was rejected.
"Third Hall Master, you misunderstand. I’m not qualified to take Jing Yan as a disciple," Hu Donghe said with a wry smile.
"Jing Yan isn’t your disciple?" The Third Hall Master, upon hearing this, immediately felt relieved.
The expressions of the other Hall Masters also returned to normal.
However, they were all somewhat curious as to why Hu Donghe said he was not qualified to take Jing Yan as a disciple; this was obviously a bit peculiar.
"Donghe Great Alchemist King, I recently gathered the ingredients for two batches of Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill. When you have time later, you must help me refine these Elixirs!" The Seventh Hall Master, Leng Hongying, found an opportunity and looked at Hu Donghe with a gleaming gaze.
The Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill was a Ninth-level Elixir and among Ninth-level Elixirs, an extremely rare one.
The ingredients required for this Elixir were incredibly precious. Some of the materials could not be found in the Heavenly Origin Continent, only in Ancient Relics or in places like Despair Abyss.
From this, one could imagine the tremendous value of each batch of Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill ingredients.
When the Seventh Hall Master mentioned she had gathered two batches of the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill’s ingredients, most of the other Hall Masters showed enviable expressions.
The Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill was a rare cultivation Elixir even for Dao Emperor Realm Practitioners. Even Peak Dao Emperor Realm Martial Artists coveted it. The ingredients for this type of Elixir were too hard to find, and Peak Powers of the Emperor Realm would find it difficult to gather a full set.
And the refinement of the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill was also extremely challenging. Ordinary Ninth-level Alchemists, even the top ones possessing Source Power, might have a chance of success. But for the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill, they had almost no chance of succeeding.
Which meant that Dao Emperor Realm Practitioners aiming to obtain Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pills had only one option: to seek Hu Donghe’s assistance.
"Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill?" Hu Donghe repeated.
"Yes! Donghe Great Pill King, I know that refining the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill is very difficult and the failure rate is high. But rest assured, even if both furnaces fail in refining, I am prepared for that," the Seventh Hall Master said in advance, worried Hu Donghe might refuse using difficulty as an excuse.
"Hehe..." Hu Donghe smiled.
"If it had been over ten years ago, I might not have dared to casually assist you, Seventh Hall Master, in refining the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill. But now, I think I can give it a try. Although I am not one hundred percent confident, I do have more than a fifty percent chance of success," Hu Donghe confidently stated.
He was being conservative in his statement.
In fact, he had at least a seventy percent chance of successfully refining the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill. With two sets of ingredients, that meant two attempts; if both failed, his luck would indeed be atrocious.
Upon hearing Hu Donghe’s words, the Seventh Hall Master’s eyes ignited with fervent excitement.
Originally, she thought Hu Donghe only had a twenty to thirty percent chance, but to her surprise, Hu Donghe claimed to have more than fifty percent confidence. Such good news made her heart race uncontrollably.
Consequently, the Holy Master’s proposal today to appoint Jing Yan as the Ten Hall Masters seemed to pale in comparison.
If Hu Donghe could truly help refine a batch of the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill, she would be more than willing to support Jing Yan’s appointment as one of the Ten Hall Masters.
"Great Pill King Donghe, I can’t thank you enough," the Seventh Hall Master sincerely expressed her gratitude.
"No problem at all!" Hu Donghe waved his hand dismissively, "This time, I might stay in the Holy Palace for quite a while, so I’ll have time to help you refine the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill, Seventh Hall Master."
Hearing this, the Seventh Hall Master was even more delighted.
The other Hall Masters also showed expressions of joy. With Hu Donghe in the Holy Palace, it would be easier for them to request his services for pill refinement. Moreover, judging by Hu Donghe’s attitude today, it seemed that he might agree to all their requests if it could help Jing Yan become one of the Ten Hall Masters.
Such an opportunity was rare indeed.
Naturally, this also made it somewhat awkward for them to directly oppose Jing Yan’s appointment as one of the Ten Hall Masters.
It is said that those without desires are steadfast, but now they all clearly needed Hu Donghe, and Hu Donghe was supporting Jing Yan.
Of course, among the nine Hall Masters, not all shared this sentiment. Some were still firmly against Jing Yan’s appointment as one of the Ten Hall Masters, like the Third Hall Master.
"Great Pill King Donghe, I’ll give you the ingredients now," the Seventh Hall Master reacted swiftly, promptly retrieving two sets of materials for the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill and handing them to Hu Donghe.
She knew that there would be quite a few people seeking Hu Donghe’s alchemy skills this time. If she was too slow to act, it would lead to unnecessary complications.
"As for the compensation, you can name your price, Great Pill King Donghe," the Seventh Hall Master added.
Yet Hu Donghe did not rush to accept the Seventh Hall Master’s materials; instead, he gestured with his hand.
"Seventh Hall Master, please just give me one set of materials for now!" Hu Donghe carefully suggested.
The Seventh Hall Master Liu Mei furrowed her brows slightly, looking at Hu Donghe with a hint of confusion.
"Don’t misunderstand, I just feel that although I am somewhat confident in successfully refining the Ten Thousand Spirit Returning to Origin Pill, I’m not absolutely certain. Even with two consecutive attempts, it indeed might result in complete failure. So, I’ll start by refining one batch for you; if it’s successful, we’ll continue. But in case of failure..." Hu Donghe paused here, glancing at Jing Yan sitting beside him.
"Then I’ll have to ask you, Seventh Hall Master, to seek Jing Yan’s help for the refinement." Hu Donghe stopped for a moment before delivering this line.
He dared not casually make promises on behalf of Jing Yan to these Hall Masters.
After all, if Jing Yan didn’t want to help these Hall Masters with their pill refinement, and he stepped in and agreed on Jing Yan’s behalf, that would be utterly inappropriate.