Chapter 4863 — Four Ranks at a Single Leap

In Qing Xuanzi's eyes, Wei Zhao had always been a mystic-rank alchemist whose pills were guaranteed to succeed. Now, after a few pointed remarks that laid bare the smallest details, Wei Zhao seemed even more godlike to him. To pinpoint the crux after watching him refine pills just once—where in the world could one find so brilliant a master?

Having finally discovered the root of his own problem, Qing Xuanzi was beside himself with joy. True, a habit formed since childhood would be hard to break, but once the root of a problem was found, a solution would follow.

After thanking Wei Zhao again and again, Qing Xuanzi went straight into seclusion. Judging by his frantic manner, he would not emerge until the problem was solved.

Emerging from the Qingdan Pavilion, Wei Zhao made another trip to the Hong Clan trading company and had Chai Laoshi send word for Lu Dachang to come collect his Nurturing Essence Pills. As expected, the rogue magnate was most attentive to matters concerning his son, and in less than the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, he appeared before Wei Zhao.

Receiving the Nurturing Essence Pills from Wei Zhao's hands, Lu Dachang beamed instantly and said with profuse gratitude, "Master Lin's pills are guaranteed to succeed—the reputation is well deserved indeed! This little Lu truly cannot thank you enough!"

"Not at all, Senior Lu is too polite. You gave me your Nurturing Essence Magic Gold Grass, so naturally you get your Nurturing Essence Pill—fair and square." Wei Zhao shook his head with a faint smile.

"Heh heh, this little Lu knows the rules well enough. To trade a single stalk of Nurturing Essence Magic Gold Grass for a ready-made Nurturing Essence Pill of top quality—I am absolutely the one getting the better end of the bargain." Before Wei Zhao, Lu Dachang put on not the slightest airs. A Mountain-Opening-stage magnate of such a sort was truly a rare curiosity.

"Ha ha, the feeling is mutual." Wei Zhao had profited far more than the other party. Lu Dachang had received only one Nurturing Essence Pill, while Wei Zhao himself had kept a full nine.

"By the way, Master Lin, are you preparing to take the Road of Giants?" Lu Dachang asked suddenly.

"That's right, that is my plan." Wei Zhao paused for a moment, then nodded. There was no point denying such a thing—anyone could guess it, after all.

"Splendid! Little Little Lu is going to the Road of Giants as well, so we will have to trouble Master Lin to look after him when the time comes." Lu Dachang smiled obsequiously.

"Little Little Lu?" Wei Zhao was taken aback again.

"That's right! This little Lu's son—naturally he is Little Little Lu." Lu Dachang nodded again and again.

"Uh..." Wei Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words. The thought processes of this rogue magnate were truly beyond ordinary comprehension. Seeing the eager look on the man's face, he could only nod. "If the opportunity arises, I will."

"Haha, thank you so much!" Lu Dachang burst into another round of grateful thanks. That a Mountain-Opening-stage magnate would shamelessly curry favor with a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator—surely only he in all the world would do such a thing. And what left others most speechless was the way he did it as though it were perfectly natural, without the slightest awkwardness or pretense—a true eccentric.

After seeing the rogue magnate Lu Dachang off, Wei Zhao returned to the East Sea Pavilion of Morning Star Academy, where Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao were looking for him everywhere.

"Where did you go?" The two women rushed over joyfully the moment they saw Wei Zhao.

"Went to the Hong Clan trading company to help Qing Xuanzi sort out a small problem." Wei Zhao smiled and glossed over it.

"By the way, where are we playing today?" Huang Xiaotao asked. Apart from morning and evening lessons, the three of them were inseparable, playing everywhere together—that had become the main theme of these past days.

"No playing today. The three of us all have serious business to attend to." Wei Zhao smiled mysteriously and led the two women to the room before saying, "I've already finished refining the Nurturing Essence Pills—ten in all. I gave one to Lu Dachang, and I still have nine left."

"Ten?" Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao cried out in unison. They knew the Nurturing Essence Magic Gold Grass was enough for five portions at most—even with guaranteed success, this was too absurd. It had doubled the yield outright!

"Ha ha, all I can say is that our luck was quite good this time." Wei Zhao smiled carelessly, then turned serious. "For the Road of Giants three months from now, all three of us need to take part, so these nine Nurturing Essence Pills are a timely gift—they came at just the right moment."

Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao exchanged glances. Wei Zhao had mentioned this matter back at the auction. Though they believed in his ability, they had not carefully considered the difficulty involved—only that it was surely heaven-defying.

But now, with nine Nurturing Essence Pills all at once, the difficulty had dropped by a huge margin. After all, this was a pill that could raise one's cultivation by a full rank with a single dose.

"I've done the calculations. In theory, only six Nurturing Essence Pills are needed to carry an early Nascent Soul cultivator all the way to the Nascent Soul Great Perfection realm. Even accounting for possible drug resistance, seven should be enough—these are all top quality, so their effects should not be a problem." Wei Zhao explained to the two women.

"Mm hm." The two women nodded repeatedly. On such matters, Wei Zhao was the authority—he was, after all, the expert alchemist.

And in truth, even laymen like Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao had heard that the Nurturing Essence Pill rarely produced the drug resistance common to other pills. In other words, even taken in succession, its effects would not suddenly diminish—otherwise people would not have been so obstinately devoted to it.

"So as long as Xiaotao can condense her Nascent Soul as soon as possible, seven Nurturing Essence Pills will easily carry her to Nascent Soul Great Perfection. It's just that afterward she'll need to consolidate her cultivation properly." Wei Zhao paused, then turned to Wang Xinyan. "As for the remaining two Nurturing Essence Pills, they're for you, Xinyan. Seeing how your aura is stirring all over, you must be close to a breakthrough, aren't you?"

"That's right. If I enter seclusion and push for it properly, I should break through within ten days." Wang Xinyan nodded. She was currently at mid Nascent Soul; after breaking through she would reach the peak of mid Nascent Soul, one step closer to Nascent Soul Great Perfection.

"Perfect, then. Once you break through, take these two Nurturing Essence Pills and you'll rise straight to the peak of late Nascent Soul. After that there will still be nearly three months left—with your sponge physique, you still have a chance to gain another rank!" Wei Zhao could not help sounding excited.

"This..." Wang Xinyan hesitated. "Actually, my master has already arranged special one-on-one training for me, and prepared a whole pile of resources long ago. Even without these Nurturing Essence Pills, I still have a certain chance of reaching Nascent Soul Great Perfection within three months. How about you hold on to them for now?"

To rise four ranks in three months—others would not even dare to imagine such a thing. Never mind the Nascent Soul stage; even at the Foundation Establishment stage it would be impossible. But the sponge physique was just that outrageous. Wang Xinyan had not even fully exploited this gift yet, and her leveling speed was already outrageously fast.