บท 25: Completing The Preparatory Phase
Glancing derisively at Min Hong Senior Ji let out an indifferent chuckle. With a light stomp, he landed atop his Infernal Wrath Hornet before departing with the young maiden.
"Brother fucking Ji, I definitely won't forget this!" Min Hong furiously cursed beneath his breath.
After releasing his anger, Min Hong calmed himself.
Regardless of the situation, he had at least gained something positive from today. Although the marriage arrangement had been "annulled", he had at the least given Mei Lin a good impression and something to keep her tossing around her bed at night.
The most important thing was that when Mei Lin had left, she had placed the marriage contract carefully within her robes and hadn't immediately torn it apart. That had left him with a great deal of hope.
But at the same time, it gave him a great sense of urgency. How many could withstand the charm of an outstanding woman like Mei Lin?
Moreover, that stupid Senior Ji had just given him an inkling of how quickly his hopes could be dashed, and from his noble aura, it seems that his mother's worries aren't totally unfounded.
Even if he managed to get rid of the Senior Ji, Min Hong was now sure the list of remaining candidates was still very long; to blaze through that list, he needed to quickly raise his strength.
Although he had gained the alchemist association's emblem, from what he could tell of these three's origins, it would most likely take the deterrence of a badge from the alchemist guild for him to stand a chance, and that is asides the fact that the alchemist guild was a neutral power that never participate in any scuffles.
His past few miserable years had raised his wariness, and now, he suspected that someone was possibly using his mother and him to pluck his father's strings.
At this point, his father had refused to return despite all the efforts he and his mother had made to call him home. Most likely, he had full knowledge of the situation Min Hong was pondering on.
Min Hong knew that if he wasn't careful, the longer things stretched out; the more likely an enemy with a status that didn't lose out to his or even surpass it would emerge, and at that time, he and his mother's status would hold less value, and most definitely be faced with great danger.
Upon returning home, Min Hong locked himself in his room and ordered no one was to disturb him.
Taking out the herbs within his spatial ring, Min Hong placed his trusted wok and new cauldron side by side.
Cauldrons were as essential to an alchemist as seals were to beat tamers, and there was a great deal of knowledge and technique involved with them as well.
Despite the abilities of his trusted wok, not only did it waste a great deal of heat, but it also used up a large amount of Min Hong's Soul Flame as well.
This didn't mean he was forsaking it, he simply thought there was no harm in having two; after all, whilst the cauldron was better, it was still huge, heavy and bulky. His wok however, was as portable as the word could get.
So, rather than abandon a smartphone for a tablet, why no have both?
Nevertheless, in terms of quality, the greatest difference was that the wok could barely seal in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, and the last time, if it wasn't for the seal within his soul, he might have had all his efforts go down the drain; just like that.
This was why alchemy was a very tedious and volatile occupation; one's success or failure, profit or loss, were totally dependent on a myriad of things.
With regards to his wok, whenever spiritual qi rushed out, impurities in the atmosphere would replace them, and as such, his output would never be worth his input.
Cauldrons on the other hand, required a skilled artisan to forge, and as such, are much better in such situations.
However, Min Hong had no way around it; a decent cauldron costs at least several hundred thousand gold coins, maybe even millions. Considering the amount of herbs he needed for cultivation and their costs, there was simply no way he could afford one.
As for the cauldron Adept Sun Yi gave him, it was a Peak Grade Common Tier Cauldron; after all, if it was any higher, then Min Hong might not even be able to heat it up in the first place, talk less of refining anything.
With this new cauldron, Min Hong was finally properly equipped. However, before he began, he wanted to do something first.
Since his wok could be improved through the potion absorption process, it was time to find out if the same could happen with a cauldron.
---
With a muffled explosion, the the cauldron shook briefly before calming down. A fine multicolored mixture of essence powder sat quietly within, wafting off a dense, refreshing herb fragrance came, prompting a satisfied smile from Min Hong.
Reaching in he scooped out a little, and the sheer energy he could feel from them widened his smile even further.
"Although their colors aren't perfectly vibrant since they had lost some spirituality, it's still safe to say they are at least middle grade."
This was the first batch of middle grade essence Min Hong had extracted. The quality of any pill or essence was majorly dependent on the Cauldron, Soul Flame, Soul Qi and Spirit Sense; not a single one of them could be lacking.
Min Hong's current Spirit Sense was definitely good enough, and so was his Soul Qi; however, the cauldron was simply too weak. As for his Soul Flame, well, that was even worse.
To use an average common tier cauldron as well as one of the weakest Soul Flame to extract a middle grade herb essence… Well, in the entire alchemy world, perhaps only Min Hong who had fused with a Shrine Protector's soul could do such a thing.
In just a short time, he had extracted twenty batches of herb essences, giving him enough to complete his preparatory phase.
Min Hong had been quietly observing every situation unfolding outside his seclusion. Mu Cheng had been killed, so naturally, he wasn't a threat anymore. The tribe had offered a reward for the capture of whoever had killed him, but the urgency surrounding this case had faded too quickly.
Min Hong sneered; even if they were just putting on an act, they could have at least made it a little more believable. Min Hong wasn't an idiot? A heir to a Grand Family had been killed just like that! Even if he wasn't at the top of the list, it was still a little to brazen to let the matter end that simply.
Despite all this however, Min Hong didn't dare to take action; at least not until he wielded a certain amount of strength. For now, he needed to lay low to keep himself protected.
His father was currently guarding the border and didn't know anything about what was going on here.
Furthermore, according to the rules of the tribe, all protectors guarding the borders were not allowed to have their families leave the central region. It was simply a tactic to ensure that they follow orders, not rebel, or defect to another tribe.
Min Hong knew nothing about his father's situation; all he knew was the intentions he had projected so far; he would not be returning to his side anytime soon.
Their estate used to be extremely rowdy and busy, but as he grew up and his father continued to fight on the border, less and less people would come to visit. Eventually, their estate wouldn't even have friends come over to celebrate any festivities at all.
Over the past few years, the Min household had continuously declined, its position within the tribe falling lower and lower, and now, even he had become the target of his fellow heirs.
However, despite all this, not even the slightest news came from the Border Protector. Min Hong couldn't help but feel a bit resentful to his father, but he was always fiercely reprimanded by his mother whenever he brought it up.
After awakening from his unconscious state a few days ago, Min Hong had finally realized that something was wrong. He had been thinking far too simply about the situation before, and now, as if he had obtained the mental capabilities of a veteran expert, everything had begun to fit in place.
For his father to refuse multiple calls, he naturally had to have his own reasons; It couldn't simply be because of the battle against the invading nomadic tribes.
If he had refused just once or twice, that would have been one thing. But he had refused to answer his multiple times now, causing many of the grand families to feel dissatisfied with him.
There were also people who secretly spread rumors that he was plotting a rebellion, but no matter how wildly these rumors spread, no response came from Min Tian.
Three years ago, the Tribe Leader stopped issuing any further summons to him, but from then on, the days of the Min household became even worse.
First, the Min family's stipend was totally stopped. No income came in any longer, immediately forcing them into poverty. Then, the heirs started to bully Min Hong.
Furthermore, the last time he had been beaten, that old swindler had conned his family of so much money, yet there was no movement from the other Grand Families or even the Tribe Leader's estate, despite their status as one of the Four Grand Families of the tribe.
With that, Min Hong had finally realized that something was up; someone was slowly forcing him and his mother into desperate straits. It was obviously to force Min Tian to surrender, but as for what secrets they needed him to surrender, Min Hong absolutely had no clue.
However, if he was sure of one thing, it was the fact that there was at least one person in the shadows who was conspiring against his father, and he was definitely extremely powerful.
"I can't deal with that now. A hungry wolf will eventually reveal his fangs; what I need to do now is to increase my strength."
After giving Qing a few simple instructions, Min Hong immediately began his final training process. He could feel and tell that he was reaching a bottleneck, so what he needed to do next was pretty simple; forge his body with a higher grade Phoenix Rebirth Potion or Bath.
Over the next week, Min Hong's body became stronger and stronger. The amount of oily tar-like impurities being ejected from his body were growing lighter and lighter, as the metallic sheen on his appearance became even more evident.
This wasn't to say, he was heading toward a perfect body, it simply means the training method and potion quality he was using were finding it more difficult to force out the deeply rooted impurities within every inch of his body.
BOOM!
Upon completing his final routine of the Phoenix Rebirth Phase of the Jade Primal Dragon Body, Min Hong's pores suddenly open wide as they began to absorb spiritual energy of heaven and earth for the first time in his entire life.
They weren't absorbing them for storage, rather, the moment the energy entered into his body, it was being rapidly purified and being instantly converted into Vital Qi.
"Yes, Finally! I have made it!"
Min Hong screamed at the heavens as the cry of a phoenix shrieked through the air; however, this time, there was a certain bass to it, almost like the reverberation that accompanies a roar, albeit very faint.
Min Hong could hear it clearly, however, it wasn't obvious on the outside. Lastly, his complexion now hid a yellowish bronze tinge beneath the metallic sheen, giving him the appearance of a perfectly healthy and fit mortal.
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