Chapter 193: Chapter 193: The Status of the Pharmacist Alliance, Alternative Participation

He could guess some of Gu An’s intentions for sending Gu Shitong to him. Gu An wanted to win him over and strengthen their relationship. This was a very common practice.

The relationships within the Cyan Yuan Sect were not as simple as they appeared. Connections were formed between members, some even through marriage alliances. It was easy to see that these were relationships built on mutual benefit.

Gu Shitong and her peers were exactly such people—products of marriage alliances between key figures in the Sect. After demonstrating their talent in Martial Arts Cultivation and becoming Official Disciples of the Cyan Yuan Sect, they would then become candidates for the next round of alliances.

In the eyes of many, Yang Chan was a very desirable catch. His ability to refine the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill meant he would never lack Cultivation Resources. Moreover, he had the potential to become an Advanced Pharmacist and was already a Martial Arts Inner Master. This naturally made him a pillar of the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Take Han Bingyu, for example. She had made many advances toward him, essentially offering herself up on a silver platter. If he had accepted her, she would have had a legitimate reason to move into his courtyard.

Shu Yu, the one who had previously shown him the ropes of being a Pharmacist’s Assistant, was the same. She hadn’t been accepted into Xu Gaocen’s courtyard, but the signs were there.

As an Intermediate Pharmacist, Xu Gaocen naturally had even more people trying to curry favor with him. Within the Cyan Yuan Sect, he was considered a strong candidate to become an Advanced Pharmacist. His talent in Alchemy was outstanding; he could already refine the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill, which put him a cut above other Intermediate Pharmacists like Gao Yuanlong and Di Qiu.

The reason I say “candidate” is twofold. First, Xu Gaocen has yet to refine the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. Second, his Cultivation is still at the External Iron Bone Refining stage; he hasn’t broken through to the Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens.

If his Cultivation fails to reach the Inner Master realm, then at his current age, Xu Gaocen has at most another twenty-odd years to live. That might not seem like a short time, but it’s common for an alchemist to get stuck on a problem for decades without a breakthrough.

Gao Yuanlong and Di Qiu were stuck on the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill, unable to refine it successfully. Not everyone was like Yang Chan, who seemed to face no bottlenecks at all.

Being able to continuously analyze the process of refining various Elixirs and find the path to success is heavily dependent on talent.

Talent is even more crucial for a Pharmacist than for a Martial Arts Cultivator, especially when it comes to Alchemy. Without it, one will inevitably hit a wall and find it impossible to advance further.

The reason Gao Yuanlong, Di Qiu, and the others were causing a stir was that they were unable to improve. They pinned all their hopes on the Pharmacist Exchange Conference, seeing it as their last chance for a breakthrough.

However, Elder Hua’s words effortlessly resolved the matter, forcing them to accept reality.

It wasn’t that the two Advanced Pharmacists hadn’t given these Intermediate Pharmacists opportunities. It was simply that their talent had taken them as far as they could go. Further improvement would be next to impossible.

People are naturally prone to leisure and pleasure, and matters of the flesh are an unavoidable part of that.

The other Pharmacists showed little reaction to Zhao Yi’s words, but Yang Chan had a bad feeling. Before leaving for White Jade City, he had resolved to keep a low profile. ’Avoid the pleasure quarters, avoid places of gossip and conflict, and just stay within the Pharmacist Alliance. Don’t get tangled up in any trouble.’

’Once I enter White Jade City, I’ll just keep my head down. I’ll maintain that until I’m back in the Cyan Yuan Sect.’

But now, based on what Zhao Yi was saying, it seemed he might be forced to go to exactly the kind of troublesome place he wanted to avoid.

“So, has there been any trouble over jealous rivalries?”

Yang Chan raised an eyebrow, asking thoughtfully.

’I need to confirm a few things before I can make the right decision. White Jade City is unfamiliar territory, but I know for a fact that it’s full of powerful experts and tangled political forces. That’s more than enough reason to be on my guard.’

Being in a strange place put Yang Chan on edge.

“Of course there is. But most of that involves rivalries between the pedantic scholars and powerful aristocrats of White Jade City. Very few people in the city dare to provoke anyone from the Pharmacist Alliance.”

“The Pharmacist Alliance was formed by a coalition of Advanced Pharmacists and figures at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level. It has deep ties to the Imperial Family. Many members even hold official titles in the imperial court. Even though they’re only honorary positions, no one dares to cross them. They represent a massive interest group.”

“Most people in White Jade City who need Elixirs refined have to go through the Pharmacist Alliance.”

“Elder Yan and Elder Hua are both members of the Pharmacist Alliance, and Honorary Elders at that. Their status is quite high. Only a fool with a death wish would dare to provoke them.”

Zhao Yi puffed out his chest as he said this, a look of pride on his face.

The pride wasn’t for himself, but as a Pharmacist of the Cyan Yuan Sect, he naturally shared in it.

“I see. In that case, does our Sect Leader also hold a position in the court?”

A sudden thought occurred to Yang Chan, and he asked.

He’d heard rumors that Sect Leader Liu Xuan had ties to the Great Zhou Imperial Family, but he never knew the details. Hearing about these honorary court positions made him think of it.

“You must have heard those rumors too, right? I don’t know the specifics myself. Within the Cyan Yuan Sect, I imagine only those at the Elder Level would know the truth.”

Zhao Yi shook his head. Certain rumors circulated within the Cyan Yuan Sect, but there was no way to know if they were true. Still, the fact that they circulated at all meant there was likely some truth to them.

He wasn’t going to dwell on what he couldn’t find out. After all, if he was meant to know something, he would be able to learn about it. If he couldn’t, it meant he wasn’t qualified. Zhao Yi understood this principle very well.

“Pharmacist Yang, since you’re going to White Jade City for the Pharmacist Exchange Conference, you should definitely visit the Twelfth Floor. You have to see the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties for yourself. When you get back, you have to tell me all about them. I’m so curious what they’re really like.”

Zhao Yi steered the conversation back, clearly still very interested in the topic. His eyes shone with anticipation.

’This behavior from Zhao Yi reminded Yang Chan of a certain word: simp.’

’He’s simping for women he’s never even seen. If he offered me some silver coins to go look for him, that would be even funnier.’

’The thought that Zhao Yi would probably pay for a mere description, just to feel involved, made Yang Chan’s expression grow even more peculiar.’

’Better not to dwell on such things, or people might get the wrong idea.’

“What kind of women could they be? You have plenty in your own courtyard, Pharmacist Zhao. They all look the same. There’s nothing special about them. At most, there might be some differences in their clothing or disposition.”

Yang Chan had lived through the internet age. He had seen every kind of beauty imaginable, especially the kind enhanced with filters that erased every possible flaw. This had given him a high resistance to beautiful women.

After all, he hadn’t practiced his Beauty Nurturing Technique for nothing. His willpower in these matters was formidable. Even if a woman were delivered right to his doorstep, he could cast her aside for the sake of his goals, even subjecting her to numerous tests. Such was Yang Chan’s resolve.

As someone with such experience, he was naturally rational about these things, always choosing to prioritize his own interests.

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