Chapter 202: 187 Test Part 1

The next day.

Celestial Treasure Palace, Dan Hall.

Busy with smoke and fire, inside the fire room of the Dan Hall.

Zhang Qingzhi brought some food and gift items he had purchased and lightly knocked open a heavy iron-wrapped wooden door in the corner of the fire room.

The fire room is one of the major subdivisions of the Dan Hall and also one of the most important departments.

Zhang Qingzhi carried his items and slowly entered the room.

The room was not large, and inside, shelves were stacked with various stones and wood items.

In the corner, there were neatly stacked boxes of various fuels.

At the center of the room, beside a simple table and chair set, lay a stout man with a full beard.

This man wore a robe covered in soot, with patches of smoke-blackened areas everywhere, and his hair and beard seemed long untended—disheveled and graying.

“Senior Brother Yuan?” Zhang Qingzhi softly called twice, knowing that if he just let the man sleep, he might not wake until afternoon.

So he had to speak up to awaken him.

After waiting for a little while, the man moved slightly, slowly raised his head, and looked at him bleary-eyed.

“Xiaozhi? Why is it you again?”

He looked somewhat helpless.

“Senior Brother, this time… I…” Zhang Qingzhi’s words were interrupted by the other party.

“Alright, alright, I know what you mean. I don’t mind adding one more person here. But you keep coming back…” Senior Brother Yuan looked at him helplessly, truly wondering what to say.

In the Celestial Treasure Palace, Junior Brother Zhang in front of him was known for being easygoing, which was good, but the problem is his childhood companion… that daughter of Palace Master Lin…

Of course, he could think what he wanted, but when Zhang Qingzhi earnestly asked him face-to-face, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Okay, okay, I know it’s never good news when you come looking for me. Give it to me; who is it this time?” Senior Brother Yuan extended his hand, impatiently.

“Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother.” Zhang Qingzhi knew he was always troubling Senior Brother, but the money he had intended to repay had been borrowed by Xiaohao.

Five thousand taels… Such an amount was far more than the previous instances, and if it was just a regular position, it wouldn’t be fair to Senior Brother Zhang Ying.

He handed over Zhang Ying’s record booklet and also passed the items he was carrying to him.

Senior Brother Yuan didn’t refuse; he knew this junior brother was poor and couldn’t buy anything worthwhile.

He simply picked up the booklet and started to read while casually tearing open the food bag, taking out some snacks.

“Let me be clear; even if I squeeze you in, you can only train under an ordinary alchemist. There’s no way you’ll start off with good food and drink served to you.”

“Of course,” Zhang Qingzhi nodded knowingly.

“As long as you understand. So, I… hmm? What’s this?!”

Senior Brother Yuan suddenly paused, picking up a pill box from the bag. His expression changed.

The pill box was entirely pale red, with hollow eight-trigram patterns on the surface, surrounded by a circle of silver threads.

It looked simple yet exquisite.

“Is this… an upper-grade Front Bell Pill!?” Senior Brother Yuan’s eyes widened, his face showing a trace of shock.

Upper-grade pill…!

Throughout the Dan Hall, only the Pill Master and a few other department leaders could produce upper-grade pills.

Moreover, the cost is extremely high, the success rate is low, and very few pills are formed.

In a year’s time, the Celestial Treasure Palace’s Dan Hall can produce only a two-digit number of upper-grade pills at most.

Among these, they must first be allocated to the royal family Spirit People and prominent aristocrats, and only a scant few are left to be distributed to the elite upper echelons within the sect.

Just one upper-grade Front Bell Pill is a life-saving treasure at a critical moment!

Such a pill would be absolutely impossible to sell in anyone’s hands!

“Xiaozhi… What is this…!?” Senior Brother Yuan felt his mouth go dry. He looked up at Zhang Qingzhi.

“Do you know this is upper-grade?!” he asked solemnly.

“It’s fine; I have more of these. It’s not good to always trouble Senior Brother Yuan.” Zhang Qingzhi smiled earnestly.

“You….” Senior Brother Yuan probably understood his meaning.

Looking at the name on the record booklet, he sighed.

“Alright then, you want him to join the inner hall, right?”

The inner hall quota was very precious; since Zhang Qingzhi had offered an upper-grade pill, he had to show him some respect.

“Exactly, I’m counting on Senior Brother Yuan,” Zhang Qingzhi clasped his fists in thanks.

“Sigh….” Senior Brother Yuan nodded, waved his hand, indicating he could leave.

Even though the inner hall quota was precious, as the second in command of the Dan Hall’s fire room, he had this power.

It’s just… Zhang Qingzhi probably had to give up his treasured pills due to the money problems of Miss Lin Qianhe…

These kinds of things…

Others had tried persuading Zhang Qingzhi, but he…

Sighing again, Senior Brother Yuan no longer dealt with these trivial matters. In times like these, everyone seeking their own fortune was already not bad.

*

*

*

Zhang Rongfang stayed in the residence area for five more days.

Finally, he received a message from the Dan Hall’s fire room, instructing him to report there the next morning and find Alchemist Daoist Qingyou.

Receiving the message from the Dao attendant, he immediately understood that the five thousand taels played a role.

Even though Zhang Qingzhi didn’t seem like someone who valued money.

But regardless, the matter was settled.

Zhang Rongfang breathed a sigh of relief.

He tidied up his belongings and robes in his room.

The next day, early in the morning, he got up early and practiced with other Daoists in the small courtyard in front of his door.

He practiced the Spirit Gathering Talisman, and just looking at the moves, he was already gradually getting the hang of it.

After all, he was an expert who had broken limits on other sixth-grade talismanic skills, and once he started, he was much faster in mastering it than the average person.

After the exercises were over, at precisely nine in the morning, Zhang Rongfang was ready and arrived at the location of the Celestial Treasure Palace’s Dan Hall post.

The entire Dan Hall is located on the far left side of the Celestial Treasure Palace, on a high slope.

It is a standalone building complex isolated from other Dao palaces. Plus, being on high ground and upwind.

All the smoke and fumes drift away without affecting the surrounding palace residence areas.

In the morning, Zhang Rongfang followed several Dao servants carrying water buckets to the front of the Pill Hall gate.

At the gate, he told the gatekeeper Dao servant his name and the person he was looking for.

The Dao servant naturally led him to the very back, into a huge earthen structure resembling a circular volcano crater.

“This is the Fire Gathering Basin, the most important place in the entire Pill Hall. All the alchemists who need to concoct pills, come here to fetch fire, burn fire.

Even the alchemists from Zhenyi Sect sometimes come here to borrow fire.”

The Dao servant explained simply.

“The Daoist Qingyou you are looking for is the resident pill master of fire hole number 134. You can just follow the metal plaques outside the door holes, searching one by one.”

Zhang Rongfang nodded understandingly.

“Thank you, Junior Brother,” he casually slipped a piece of silver to the other party.

The latter’s expression instantly softened considerably.

“Senior Brother, please be aware, if the alchemists are concocting pills, sudden disturbances from outsiders can cause them to react with thunderous anger.

If the plaque outside the fire hole has been flipped to the back, it means they are concocting pills. Please wait patiently.”

True to the saying, you get what you pay for.

He hadn’t said this when money hadn’t been given, but now Zhang Rongfang smiled, nodded understandingly.

“Thank you!”

The Dao servant left with the money, his mood greatly improved.

Actually, anyone who can enter the Pill Hall wouldn’t lack this small amount of money. The key is attitude.

Giving money represents how good the other party’s attitude of gratitude is.

Once the Dao servant left, Zhang Rongfang observed for a while at the entrance of the Fire Gathering Basin.

Several Daoists wearing black robes hurriedly stepped in and out, taking Dao children and Dao servants with them.

These Daoists all had silver plaques engraved with the character for pill hanging on them.

He himself had just gotten a plaque from the Dao servant earlier, it was black.

Engraved with the character for child.

This was the identity plaque for a Dao child.

After watching for a while, Zhang Rongfang followed the flow of people, entering the Fire Gathering Basin.

Descending along the spiral stone staircase, he quickly reached the second level.

Looking down from above, the Fire Gathering Basin is a huge dirt pit.

The edges of the pit have been tidily trimmed, building a series of varying sized pill-concocting stone caves.

From a distance, it looks like a huge hollow ring, with each hollow being a stone cave.

In front of one of the stone cave doors, Zhang Rongfang stood still, looking down at the number plaque hanging outside the door.

White characters on a black background, number 134, not flipped over.

Meaning not concocting pills.

’Thank goodness.’

Looking at the wooden door in front of him, Zhang Rongfang reached out, gently knocked.

Knock knock knock.

No response.

He waited a moment, then reached out to knock again.

This time, someone replied.

“The door’s unlocked, come in.”

Zhang Rongfang lightly pushed open the wooden door.

Unexpectedly, though the wooden door looked heavy, it opened without a sound, clearly well-made and well-maintained.

Inside the stone cave, a wave of heat greeted him as the door opened.

A long-bearded Daoist in a black robe, hair tied in a Dao topknot, was intently watching the burning pill furnace ahead.

The pill furnace was entirely dark red, its surface etched with chaotic patterns of pine and crane, with character and flower motifs.

But many patterns were smoked black, not clearly visible.

At the top of the pill furnace, there were two long ears, one connected to a flue in the wall, the other covered, seemingly for adding ingredients.

Inside the cave, besides the Daoist, there was a red-haired woman, blue-eyed, white-skinned, wearing a pure blue Dao child’s robe, concentrating on pounding medicine with a pestle.

“Could I ask if you are Daoist Qingyou?” Zhang Rongfang clasped his fists in a salute. “Disciple Zhang Ying, reporting to the Pill Hall.”

“Are you at the Golden Core Stage now?” The only Daoist wearing a pill master’s robe, naturally Daoist Qingyou, asked casually without turning his head.

“Yes, disciple has been in the Golden Core Stage for over a month now,” Zhang Rongfang answered earnestly.

“Alright, since you’re here, come in, observe more, ask less, after it’s over, you can learn from Chui Xi.

As a Dao child of the Pill Hall, especially an inner hall Dao child, the things required aren’t something just anyone can do.”

Daoist Qingyou turned back to look at Zhang Rongfang.

“…”

Then, he was stunned looking at the 195 cm tall Zhang Rongfang.

The huge shadow cast by the firelight onto him, his face, appeared shaky and distorted.

“Daoist? Is there a problem?” Zhang Rongfang asked, unaware, flexing his biceps.

“…” What the hell, I wanted a Dao child!

A Dao child!!

Daoist Qingyou was speechless, looking at Zhang Rongfang with a weathered face, and his height towering over him by at least a head.

And those big muscles….

A Dao child should have a child topknot!!

Looking at Zhang Rongfang, his mind automatically imagined him with a child topknot haircut….

A shiver of discomfort welled up in his heart.

Suddenly, Qingyou felt disappointed.

Though he already knew, the position of a Dao child beside an alchemist, wasn’t decided by the alchemist himself, but filled by connections from various sources for learning and gilding.

But now…

Even such a Dao ’child’ could be squeezed in…

Do those two landlords have their brains messed up, or is it a common sense problem??

As a middle-upper tier alchemist in the Pill Hall, he actually encountered such an exaggerated situation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep