Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 1341: Chapter 863: Demon Essence Pill (2)

"When you have time, take her to see Yang Zhenshan more often. If Liu Yue reaches Foundation Establishment, she will need Yang Zhenshan to protect her!" Yue E said.

"Yes!" Yue Qing had no objection to this. Doing so was not only for Liu Yue’s safety during Foundation Establishment but also to foster more ties and affection between Yang Zhenshan and the Illusion Moon Sect.

The favor of protection might not compare to the bond between master and disciple, but it’s not far off. If someone needs to act as a guardian during the Foundation Establishment process, it’s akin to a lifesaving grace.

Having a favor creates feelings.

When favors accumulate, the bonds naturally deepen.

Both Yue E and Yue Qing wanted to deepen their ties with Yang Zhenshan and strengthen the cooperation between the Illusion Moon Sect and the Yang family.

Perhaps Yue E’s previous statement that the Yang family was the most important ally of the Illusion Moon Sect seemed somewhat exaggerated, but in the future, the Yang family might really become the most important ally of the Illusion Moon Sect.

...

Yang Family Town.

Nowadays, Yang Family Town is bustling and vibrant, no less than the previous Lian Family Town, perhaps even surpassing it.

Back then, Lian Family Town was merely a residential area for the Lian family, whereas now, Yang Family Town is a Martial Cultivator workshop, hosting many people from affiliated families.

These affiliated families have a completely different attitude towards the Yang and Lian families; they prefer the Yang family more.

The reason is simple. The Yang family manages its affiliated families very loosely, leasing spirit fields to them and allowing them to open shops in Yang Family Town.

As long as they follow the Yang family’s rules and pay tributes on time, the Yang family won’t interfere in their affairs.

Currently, Yang Family Town is lively, with countless people discussing Yang Zhenshan’s performance at the Xuanqing Sect’s gate.

Most of them are from the Yang family’s affiliated families and feel a shared pride in the Yang family’s strength.

Many look at the patrolling guards with reverence. Previously, although they didn’t dare challenge the Yang family, there wasn’t much respect or fear—after all, the Yang family used to rank low among the twelve families, about the same level as the Lu family.

But now things are different. Yang Zhenshan dared to stand up to the Xuanqing Sect, proving that the Yang family’s strength is not afraid of the Xuanqing Sect.

However, these changes haven’t had much impact on the Yang family. They continue with their business as usual, and even Yang Xiangheng and others are only slightly surprised, without it affecting their work.

In the Yang family’s main hall, Yang Xiangheng brought Yun Xiao and Yun Xi to the council hall.

Yang Zhenshan had been waiting at the council hall’s entrance for the two, greeting them warmly as they arrived, "Greetings, fellow cultivators!"

At the Xuanqing Sect’s gate, he could act coldly—even showing a frosty face to Yun Xiao—but here, he couldn’t afford to neglect Yun Xiao and Yun Xi.

Because he stood against the Xuanqing Sect earlier, showing some anger was fine, but now he was welcoming guests and couldn’t be too indifferent.

"Haha, Yang!" Yun Xiao didn’t mind Yang Zhenshan’s change in attitude and greeted him with a smile.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Zhenshan led the two into the council hall.

Inside, refreshments and spirit fruits had been prepared. The three took their seats and exchanged more polite words, such as "I’ve long admired you" and the like.

The atmosphere was harmonious, without any signs of hostility.

As for Wang Qiutang and the Wang family, none of the three mentioned them.

Yun Xiao and Yun Xi had escorted Wang Qiutang here, and now that Wang Qiutang had been detained by the Yang family, the matter was considered settled.

After some casual conversation, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but bring up the real reason for their visit.

"I heard that Yang is skilled in alchemy?"

Their visit wasn’t just about escorting Wang Qiutang; their real goal was because Yang Zhenshan was an Alchemist.

In the realm of cultivation, pill and artifact crafting, talisman arrays, and alchemy are among the most prestigious skills.

Among them, the status of an Alchemist is considered the highest because every Immortal Cultivator relies on elixirs.

The prestige of a Second-rank Alchemist far surpasses that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Whether in the Sea of Spirit or the Qingli Dynasty, or in the White Cloud Immortal City, a Second-rank Alchemist is a highly sought-after figure.

Yang Zhenshan is a genuine Second-rank Alchemist, having proven his skills with the Illusion God Pill.

Therefore, Yun Xiao and Yun Xi treated Yang Zhenshan with particular respect.

"Haha, I’m just somewhat knowledgeable in it, nothing worth mentioning!" Yang Zhenshan modestly replied.

"Haha, Yang, please don’t be too modest; if you are, I may feel embarrassed to speak!" Yun Xiao laughed.

Yang Zhenshan chuckled silently, realizing that another business opportunity had arrived.

An Alchemist’s most common business is, of course, refining pills for others.

Over the years, he had refined elixirs for others, including Yue Ming, Jing Shui, Xuanzhen, the Illusion Moon Sect, and others.

However, his reputation wasn’t widespread, and compared to well-known Alchemists, he didn’t have many business commissions through alchemy techniques.

If it were a renowned Alchemist, their door would be bustling with people seeking help in refining elixirs.

Yang Zhenshan’s name hadn’t spread in the Sea of Spirit, so naturally, there weren’t many seeking him out.

"Yang, are you familiar with the Demon Essence Pill?" Yun Xiao asked in a low voice.

Yang Zhenshan squinted slightly, his expression becoming serious, "Of course, I’m familiar!"

The so-called Demon Essence Pill is an elixir refined from a Demon Core. This type of elixir doesn’t have a specific grade; its grade depends on the grade of the Demon Core used in refining.

The Demon Core is the core of a demon beast. A demon beast differs from a Mutant Beast, as Mutant Beasts don’t practice cultivation methods, so they don’t have cores.

Demon beasts have cultivation methods, allowing them to cultivate cores, similar to how Immortal Cultivators cultivate Golden Cores.

However, it’s difficult for Immortal Cultivators to condense a Golden Core, requiring them to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment before attempting it, whereas demon beasts need to condense a demon core once they can cultivate.

Thus, demon cores are at least Second-Order.

Why aren’t there First-order demon cores?

Because a First-order demon beast is a Mutant Beast, and when a Mutant Beast refines a demon core through cultivation, it becomes a Second-Order demon beast, hence no First-order demon cores exist.

The Demon Essence Pill uses a demon core as the main ingredient, refining the essence within to create an elixir. Consuming it provides a substantial amount of pure spiritual power to enhance cultivation, and a Third-order Demon Essence Pill can even be used to condense a Golden Core, akin to how Foundation Establishment Pills are used.

However, the Demon Essence Pill doesn’t have a fixed elixir recipe. An Alchemist needs to adjust the recipe based on the demon core’s attributes and grade when refining.

Every demon core is different, so there isn’t a fixed recipe for the Demon Essence Pill.

Therefore, refining a Demon Essence Pill tests an Alchemist’s understanding of pharmacology and greatly tests the Alchemist’s alchemy skills.

When refining other elixirs, you can make mistakes, study and summarize your experiences, and eventually craft a quality product through understanding the recipe.

But with the Demon Essence Pill, you don’t have the luxury of trial and error. Once a batch is ruined, the demon core is wasted, and with a new core, you have to re-adjust the recipe and perhaps even change alchemy techniques.

Thus, refining a Demon Essence Pill is exceedingly difficult, and very few Second-rank Alchemists can do it.

Yang Zhenshan had studied the Demon Essence Pill, obtaining some ancient experience and texts on its refinement from an Ancient Relic Array, but he hadn’t truly attempted it.

The main reason was he didn’t possess any demon cores. The Sea of Spirit lacked demon cultivation methods, hence no demon beasts.

The Yunxiao Mountain Range had demon beasts, but they were under protection, not easily hunted.

In the Qingli Dynasty, demon cores occasionally appeared for sale, but they were scarce and quickly taken by the six Immortal Cultivation Families of the Qingli Dynasty.

Yang Zhenshan never had the chance to purchase a demon core.

"Do you have confidence in refining it?" Yun Xiao asked, hopeful.

Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment and shook his head, "I haven’t refined a Demon Essence Pill before, only learned some refining techniques and methods about it."

"I see!" Yun Xiao and Yun Xi exchanged a glance, not overly disappointed.

It was understandable that Yang Zhenshan couldn’t refine a Demon Essence Pill.

As mentioned earlier, Second-rank Alchemists skilled in refining Demon Essence Pills are extremely rare. They don’t exist in the Sea of Spirit, the Qingli Dynasty, nor at Nether Prison Sect. In the Yunxiao Mountain Range area, only in White Cloud Immortal City would there be such an Alchemist, and even there, not many such skilled Second-rank Alchemists exist.