Chapter 149: Mo Shouchen

The veteran alchemist was named Mo Shouchen. Although his cultivation realm was not exceptionally high, he was considered a senior member of the Minghuan Chamber of Commerce and thus held a modest amount of influence within it.

Mo Shouchen looked Chen Mu up and down, furrowed his brows, and said, "I am Mo Shouchen, the chamber's alchemist. You are the young man who has come here to learn alchemy? Since your focus is primarily on cultivation, why bother pursuing the Dao of Alchemy? Half-hearted efforts will lead to mastery in neither; you will neither succeed in your cultivation nor excel in alchemy. Besides, you are a rogue cultivator. If you weren't, you surely wouldn't have come to this chamber to study alchemy. Do not try to tell me you came out of admiration for Elder Huang Ru's alchemy skills. A figure of her standing is someone even I rarely get to see a few times, let alone ask for guidance on alchemy."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Mo. I am Chen Mu. My cultivation schedule is arranged quite reasonably, and there is no such thing as being half-hearted, otherwise I would not have reached the Yuandan Realm," Chen Mu replied politely, offering a modest bow. Although the other's attitude was not particularly warm, his words clearly stemmed from good intentions, so Chen Mu did not lose his manners.

Seeing that Chen Mu remained neither servile nor overbearing, Mo Shouchen found the young man rather interesting. Usually, other practitioners in the Yuandan Realm addressed him as "Lord," "Master," or "Senior," yet this young man simply referred to him as the ordinary "Alchemist Mo."

Yet Chen Mu's attitude showed neither arrogance nor rudeness; his etiquette was entirely unblemished, leaving Mo Shouchen strangely devoid of any displeasure.

Consequently, Mo Shouchen grew curious: what gave Chen Mu the composure to address him so casually as "Alchemist Mo" despite the vast gap in their realms? This Chen Mu had indeed piqued Mo Shouchen's interest, and very few individuals in the Yuandan Realm could manage to do so.

However, this merely aroused Mo Shouchen's curiosity in terms of words and demeanor. To truly catch his attention with alchemical talent, Chen Mu would have to demonstrate genuine capability.

Yet this was no difficult task for Chen Mu. Although his knowledge of pharmacology and medicinal herbs was somewhat limited, his exceptional fire-control abilities—coupled with a smattering of Rou'er's supreme alchemical techniques—meant he was entirely confident of achieving a stellar result in the test.

Mo Shouchen pondered for a moment, looking into Chen Mu's resolute eyes, and said, "Very well, follow me. I have heard a bit about your situation—they say your time spent studying pharmacology and herbs has been very short, yet you have mastered exceptional methods for refining medicinal materials? Pharmacology requires memorization and comprehension, and herbs require rote memorization of their characteristics and appearances, which is not too difficult for us cultivators. Fire control, however, relies entirely on talent. Testing fire control and the fusion of medicinal properties to form pills are indeed two crucial preliminary elements in determining whether one can become an alchemist, but that only makes one an ordinary alchemist. True talent in alchemy involves many aspects: talent in pharmacology, talent in fire control, adaptability in unpredictable situations, meticulous observation skills, and extraordinary courage in the face of uncertain factors. All these are important benchmarks for assessing whether you truly possess the potential to become an outstanding alchemist. However, considering that you have only grazed the surface of alchemy, effectively standing at the very threshold, we will test solely your fire control as you suggested. If your fire control proves truly exceptional, we will allow you to study alchemy within the chamber. But if your progress remains sluggish after a certain period, do not blame us for expelling you from the chamber. After all, we only invest in those with potential. Rest assured, once you win the chamber's favor, you will be able to join us soon, and you will no longer have to live the life of a rogue cultivator."

As Chen Mu walked alongside Mo Shouchen, he found the latter's words entirely sensible. Assessing an alchemist's talent truly involved numerous factors; fire control, pharmacology, adaptability, attentiveness, luck, and courage were all vital.

Thus, relying solely on a test of fire control could only prove whether Chen Mu possessed the basic qualification to become an alchemist; it could not fully measure his potential to become an exceptional one.

Nevertheless, Chen Mu remained noncommittal about Mo Shouchen's suggestion to join the Minghuan Chamber of Commerce and leave behind the life of a rogue cultivator. Escaping the life of a rogue was certain, but he had no intention whatsoever of joining this particular chamber.

What Chen Mu wished to join was one of the four supreme sects, excluding the Brahma Star Sect. After all, he had parted on bad terms with the Brahma Star Sect; if they were to take an interest in him, he would likely end up a prisoner rather than a disciple, given that he had slain several of their disciples.

Although he had no designs on the Minghuan Chamber of Commerce, if he could come here under the guise of studying to secure cultivation resources, he would certainly repay the chamber handsomely should things succeed. After all, if he failed to gather enough cultivation resources within the next three months to advance his realm, participating in the entrance trials of the four supreme sects of the Misty Immortal Mountain would carry far too many risks.

Therefore, if he passed the fire-control test and was taken in by the Minghuan Chamber of Commerce, and later managed to enter one of the other three supreme sects, Chen Mu would find ways to maintain close ties with the chamber, helping them hitch their wagon to a supreme faction.

Mo Shouchen never expected that his decision to permit and test Chen Mu today would plant a favorable seed for the Minghuan Chamber of Commerce. Although the chamber was renowned within the Azure Firmament Continent, it still fell short of entering the circle of the supreme factions.

If they could genuinely forge ties with one of the four supreme sects, they would strike it rich. With such backing, they could undoubtedly squeeze into the circle of major factions and reap profits from every direction.

Mo Shouchen led Chen Mu to an alchemy chamber. Just as he was about to open the door for Chen Mu to enter and begin the test as soon as possible, a raspy old voice called out to him.

"Old Ghost Mo, why aren't you studying your *Meng Pharmacology Canon* instead of coming to the alchemy rooms? Could it be you've had another epiphany and wish to try refining a batch of pills?" A bearded, unkempt old man greeted Mo Shouchen. Clearly, he was immensely surprised to see Mo Shouchen here, and his tone suggested they were as close as brothers.

"Old Thing Xiang Ming, can't I come just because you can? I ran into a Yuandan Realm junior today who wants to learn alchemy in our chamber. Though he has already reached the Yuandan Realm, his knowledge of alchemy is merely superficial, and I am about to test his fire control. That young lady behind you must be your disciple, the one named Yao Juanjuan, is she not? I see her cultivation has already reached the early Yuandan Realm. Hm, not bad, not bad at all—reaching the Yuandan Realm at twenty-five makes her quite a fine sapling. Old Ghost Xiang, do you have business here?" Hearing Xiang Ming call him "Old Ghost Mo," Mo Shouchen immediately bristled with his beard flying and eyes wide.

Yao Juanjuan, standing behind Xiang Ming, politely bowed to Mo Shouchen and said, "Juanjuan pays her respects to Senior Mo, and thanks you for the compliment. We have come to the alchemy rooms today to refine a tier-three pill, preparing for the lower-tier senior alchemist certification from the Alchemist Association."

Mo Shouchen was enlightened. So Yao Juanjuan could not yet refine tier-three pills and was merely attempting to do so today.

Once she could skillfully refine tier-three pills, Yao Juanjuan would be eligible to participate in the Alchemist Association's certification for lower-tier senior alchemists.

The ranks of alchemists in the Azure Firmament Continent were divided into three major grades, with three minor grades within each major grade. Those capable of refining tier-three pills and below were lower-tier alchemists; those capable of refining tier-four to tier-six pills were middle-tier alchemists; and those capable of refining tier-seven to tier-nine pills were upper-tier alchemists.

As for the three minor realms, each major grade was subdivided into early, middle, and late stages, with each minor stage representing a single tier. This was the classification system among alchemists in the Azure Firmament Continent.

Though Yao Juanjuan was very respectful toward Mo Shouchen, she never once cast a direct glance at Chen Mu. She was exceptionally prideful; after all, she had formed her Yuandan at the age of twenty-five. While she had not achieved the completion of a hundred meridians during the Meridian Realm, she had nevertheless opened ninety-four meridians, laying a remarkably solid foundation of primordial energy.

Although Yao Juanjuan did not look at Chen Mu, she could sense that he was a cultivator with the appearance of a youth. Yet where in the Azure Firmament Continent was there a youthful practitioner in the Yuandan Realm? She was therefore certain that Chen Mu was merely using some secret technique to maintain a youthful appearance. Such posturing and deceitful behavior were beneath her, and given her temperament, she couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

Chen Mu cared not a whit about Yao Juanjuan's disdain, as he was entirely unacquainted with these people. He simply wanted to proceed with the test as quickly as possible, so he stood quietly, waiting for Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming to finish chatting.

Hearing that Mo Shouchen was actually personally testing a junior, Xiang Ming felt a twinge of surprise. Mo Shouchen never concerned himself with juniors, and he didn't even take disciples of his own.

Consequently, Xiang Ming began to observe Chen Mu, looking him over thoroughly. Seeing Xiang Ming size him up, Chen Mu smiled and returned the courtesy with a slight bow.

Xiang Ming felt a hint of curiosity. Chen Mu showed not the slightest sign of constraint before the two seniors, remaining calm, relaxed, and entirely at ease.

After all, the boy lacked someone like Yao Juanjuan to guide him as an elder present; even Yao Juanjuan herself had remained utterly deferential during her first month of apprenticeship, terrified that her words or actions might be improper.

Yet this Chen Mu possessed a genuine bearing and extraordinary disposition. This composure alone made Xiang Ming view him in a new light. However, beginning to relearn the Dao of Alchemy only after reaching the Yuandan Realm—while not too late—clearly indicated that he had previously poured all his heart into cultivation.

Wasn't such a mid-stream change in cultivation path a bit too fickle? One had to realize that human energy was limited; choosing the Dao of Alchemy meant his cultivation would inevitably suffer some neglect.

Inevitably, alchemy would become his primary focus and cultivation his secondary pursuit. Although pills could help him catch up to or even surpass ordinary cultivators in terms of speed, spellcasting and combat were bound to be his weak points—barring spells belonging to the fire-control lineage, of course.

Moreover, a faint aura of fierce combat lingered around Chen Mu, making it clear he was a high-intensity combat cultivator who focused primarily on martial practice. For such a cultivator to step into the Dao of Alchemy on top of everything else would surely divide his focus, leading to a shortage of energy that could ultimately ruin both paths.

In truth, this was precisely what worried Mo Shouchen. After all, reaching the Yuandan Realm as a rogue cultivator already spoke volumes about the hardships Chen Mu had endured along the way.

Yet the situation they described applied only to ordinary cultivators. Chen Mu was far from ordinary; not only could he divide his focus into two, but he could split it into many directions simultaneously.

Not only did Chen Mu wish to concurrently cultivate the Dao of Alchemy and elevate his Qi cultivation, but he also practiced two entirely different cultivation systems simultaneously: body-refinement to achieve divinity, and the bloodline cultivation method of the demon race.

At the same time, Chen Mu constantly maintained the operation of the *Soul Refining Scripture* he had obtained from the demon race's trial grounds in the Yuanyao Continent—which was precisely why his soul was so formidable. One could say Chen Mu was channeling his energy across five distinct directions for continuous advancement.

And his rate of cultivation was by no means slower than anyone else's—though that was largely because his growth speed was too astonishing to fathom.