Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 650-651

 

AST 650 – The Gale Pellet, The Demonic Beast Advancing Pellet

 

 

Qing Shui was in disbelief that the Alchemist Sect of the Seven Stars would come to provide a.s.sistance at this crucial moment. This was a completely unexpected comfort for him. But, he was still unsure about the number of people from the Alchemist Sect, who were coming to aid him. The extent of their abilities and strengths was unknown to his as well.

 

 

Yuan Su noticed Qing Shui's expression, so she quickly said: "Even though the cultivation in the Alchemist Sect is not as outstanding as you might think, the best thing we can provide are the medicinal pills. This time, we came to help not only with some medicinal pills, but also a few uncles from our clan."

 

 

"Oh, I don't have many friends like you, Miss Yuan. Even at a time like this, you are willing to give me a hand. You are the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for." Qing Shui smiled.

 

 

Qing Shui had actually thought that the Alchemist Sect was planning to overthrow the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect a long time ago. The ideas of refining medicines and refining poisons were in contrast with each other, as they were two very different concepts. Back then, when Qing Shui saw Yuan Su taking out a Pure Jade Pellet prescription, he already had a feeling that the Alchemist Sect and the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect were in mutual conflict.

 

 

Of course, Qing Shui was just jumping to conclusions based on a piece of a prescription at that time. It was a normal thing for the Alchemist Sect to produce antidotes and remedies on a daily basis, but Qing Shui had a feeling, that both sects co-existing within the Seven Stars would hardly get along with each other peacefully. Logically speaking, they were destined to be each other's enemies as one aimed to create poison, while the other strived to cure it.

 

 

"Don't say that. I'll be embarra.s.sed. Ah, right. This is the Spiritual Soul Powder. It acts as an antidote, and it's quite effective too." Yuan Su took out a silk sachet and pa.s.sed it to Qing Shui.

 

 

"Oh, thank you. Right, what do you think about the effect of this antidote compared to the Pure Jade Pellet?" Qing Shui asked as he thanked Yuan Su after receiving the sachet.

 

 

"The Pure Jade Pellet is better of course." Yuan Su’s eyes widened as she replied to Qing Shui.

 

 

"Oh, also, I have refined some medicinal pills from the recipes you gave me last time. I got lucky, so I kept some of them for you." Qing Shui took out three types of medicinal pills he had saved for Yuan Su previously and displayed them on the stone table.

 

 

"You really managed to do it?!" This was the second time Yuan Su lost her composure in front of him. However, she quickly recovered from her shocked expression and showed him an embarra.s.sed smile.

 

 

"Why don't you take a look at them? I think, with your capabilities, you can easily tell whether they are authentic." Qing Shui chuckled.

 

 

"Ah, I didn't mean it that way. I was just surprised, that's all. Qing Shui, you are really one of the best alchemists I have ever known. How do you do it at such a young age?" Yuan Su quickly explained as if she had offended him somehow.

 

 

"You are quite exceptional as well. Think a bit more highly of yourself. Perhaps by doing so, you will understand what kind of person I am." Qing Shui's casual reply was somewhat correct, but not entirely. Yuan Su was born a genius – she was a natural-born talent. Qing Shui, on the other hand, became adept at alchemy due to many circ.u.mstances and factors.

 

 

"For someone like me, who is doing research on medicinal recipes, while I can't refine even a single medicinal pill using them, to think that way, would be quite inappropriate. You don't know how painful it is being unable to do so, especially with the alchemical recipes I have worked so hard on for the past few years. I found many alchemists during those times, but none of them were able to refine any of my alchemical recipes successfully. When you couldn't find anyone, who would truly succeed in refining them, you would be as mad as I am, while thinking that these recipes were utterly useless." The words coming out of Yuan Su's mouth were full of bitterness and helplessness.

 

 

"Well, that's normal. Nothing will ever go well indefinitely. There are always obstacles waiting for you on every path, and there is always something, that will make you feel like you aren't good enough. Human nature will always be driven by one's conscience. So, in the same situation, some people will be happy, while others sad." Qing Shui had profound feelings about these things as he had already experienced them numerous times in his life.

 

 

"Eh, you are still quite young. It seems like you have been through a fair share of troubles yourself." Yuan Su smiled. The conversation between them became relaxed and casual.

 

 

"I am not young anymore. But I did experience quite a lot of things in the past, especially during the moments when my life hung in the balance. Also, making important decisions during crucial situations can prove very difficult. It took someone's death for me to realize, that those years of unhappiness were in truth the happier moments of my life." Qing Shui had indeed encountered numerous deadly situations in his life. He was lucky to have escaped unscathed more than once, so at this stage in life, he had gained numerous insights, which helped him understand things more thoroughly.

 

 

Yuan Su observed Qing Shui's expression and she noticed, that he looked quite handsome, when he was deep in his thoughts. Realizing how she observed him, she quickly s.h.i.+fted her eyes away from Qing Shui onto the medicinal pills on the table.

 

 

"Initially I thought I could support you through the medicinal pills, but it looks like these Pure Jade Pellets that you had refined will be enough to boost your chances of winning to about 30 percent." Yuan Su smiled and pushed the Pure Jade Pellets towards Qing Shui.

 

 

"What's this about?" Qing Shui looked at Yuan Su in confusion.

 

 

"You will need a lot of these antidotes if you want to fight with the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. Basically, you have to eat one pellet every fifteen minutes for the effect to endure. Give me the extras when you plan on refining more in the future." Yuan Su smiled as she revealed one of the key points to winning against the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

 

 

Qing Shui thought about it for a while, then took back half of the Pure Jade Pellets. After all, the Di Clan had many members, who needed precautionary measures against the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

 

 

"Is it true that this Meridians Clearing Pellet is ineffective for me?" Yuan Su had never doubted Qing Shui's medical abilities after she saw how capable he was, but the Meridians Clearing Pellet was essentially useless to her, which was a disheartening revelation.

 

 

"You can try it for yourself right now. I am here, so you don't have to worry so much." Qing Shui gave her a pleasant smile. It was better to let her sink into reality rather than telling her that it was ineffective for a millionth time.

 

 

Yuan Su was a lady of her own judgment, so she turned to Qing Shui and gave him a nod. Then she took one Meridians Clearing Pellet and swallowed it. Yuan Su could tell by the fresh fragrance of the medicinal pill that this was indeed the Meridians Clearing Pellet, which she had been yearning for all her life.

 

 

A sudden wave of cool air began to rise up inside her body, but it was unfortunate that none of her meridians were cleared, nor the blockages in a few points of her meridians were dissolved. Slowly, the wave of cool air had become hot, causing her face to turn red. The lines on her forehead were beginning to look like a series of crescent moons stacked on top of each other.

 

 

Qing Shui extended his arms and tapped on the 'central pillar' in the middle of the spine twice to ease her pain. Her meridians were mostly blocked, so she had to depend on some of the acupoints to relieve her pain instantaneously.

 

 

"Thank you!" Yuan Su smiled as she thanked Qing Shui. However, she couldn't hide the disappointment in her expression. After all, it was one of her lifelong dreams to have her meridians cleared completely, but now that hope had been shattered by the cruel reality.

 

 

"We don't have much time left. How about this, after the fight is over, we will talk about your treatment, given that I'm still alive at that point." Qing Shui gave a suggestion to Yuan Su after seeing how dejected she was.

 

 

"Nothing will happen to you. Everyone will be fine."

 

 

"If that's the case, then I am certain that I can cure your condition."

 

 

"Really?"

 

 

"It's not guaranteed that I will succeed, but it is highly possible. However, there's also a chance that you will choose not to go through the treatment. Well, let's talk about this later. Think about it in the meantime. But for now, we have to think of ways to win this Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death!"

 

 

"Okay!" Yuan Su had faith, that Qing Shui would be able to treat her condition. She was relieved after overcoming the unpleasant experience from just a moment ago.

 

 

Yuan Su proceeded to take out other medicinal pills for Qing Shui. Most of them could increase the user's strength, albeit temporarily, by a hundred countries per pellet.

 

 

This type of medicinal pill was considered decent, and most importantly, only those with the strength of 1000 countries and above were allowed to consume these medicinal pellets. For those with that kind of strength, it would mean an extra ten percent boost to their overall power&h.e.l.lip;.

 

 

It would be pointless for someone, who had become exceedingly powerful to consume medicinal pills meant for lower realm cultivators. For example, before Qing Shui had a breakthrough to Martial Saint, he was able to reap huge benefits from the Small Revitalizing Pellet and the unG.o.dly Great Revitalizing Pellet. But after he entered the realm of Martial Saints, these pellets became quite obsolete. So, for the Martial Saints to further boost their strength, they would need to consume medicinal pills of the Royal Grade and above.

 

 

The Alchemist Sect of the Seven Stars Country was not known to be adept in the refinement of medicinal pills, that can boost the strength of the user, but they were famous for the development of various antidotes and remedies, that cured wounds and injuries. Otherwise, they would already have joined the circle of outstanding alchemists long ago.

 

 

"Miss Yuan, I was wondering whether you still have some more alchemical recipes on you. It would be ideal if you have the ones, that boost the strength of the user." Qing Shui was hesitating to ask Yuan Su at first, but he decided to do it anyway.

 

 

Since she had come all the way to meet him, Qing Shui wasn't sure if she brought any alchemical recipes with her. He was also curious about the number of people, who attempted the refinement of the impractical alchemical recipes, that she developed throughout her career.

 

 

"Yes, I did. I planned to give you some alchemical recipes during our meeting this time. But, we only have about three days left, so I am not sure whether you have any time to spare on refining them. I also brought the necessary herbs and whatnot, but I am missing a few important ingredients that are necessary for one of the alchemical recipes here. At the time, I didn't know where to look for them."

 

 

Yuan Su took out some alchemical recipes and a few brocade boxes and placed them on top of the stone table. Each brocade box was imprinted with a label stating the names of the herbs stored inside.

 

 

On one side of the table were three alchemical recipes, that intrigued Qing Shui very much. He was quite excited to read the recipes, so he looked at Yuan Su as a gesture to ask for her permission. She glanced back at him and gave an approving nod.

 

 

The Gale Pellet!

 

 

Qing Shui proceeded in reading the ingredients required for the Gale Pellet recipe. Most of the required ingredients were herbs beyond 1000 years of age, but nothing too peculiar. However, the recipe required a remarkable amount of ingredients.
When refining medicinal pills, the bigger variety of ingredients was used, the higher the chance of failure during the procedure became.

 

 

Qing Shui s.h.i.+fted his focus on the effects listed on the bottom-most page.

 

 

It was quite decent actually. This pellet had the ability to double the speed of the user within the span of fifteen minutes!

 

 

The effect of the pellet could be described as explosive. If the pellet was consumed during a battle, it would change the outcome of the fight immediately. The sudden increase of speed to double of the initial maximum was a terrifying concept.

 

 

He felt the need to refine this recipe immediately despite the absence of the strength-boosting effect. However, the sudden gain of speed was more than enough to catch Qing Shui's attention, albeit temporarily, it was still considered quite perverted. Qing Shui was also unsure whether the Gale Pellet would be able to overpower the Agility-Enhancing Fruit. Although it would be useless to consume the Agility-Enhancing Fruit right now, it could still boost his speed to about fifty percent temporarily. Both have similar effects, so he thought it would be ideal if the effects of the two different items could stack together, creating an unG.o.dly combination.

 

 

Qing Shui then s.h.i.+fted his gaze on the second alchemy recipe that caught his attention. The name of the recipe was quite common.

 

 

The Demonic Beast Advancing Pellet!

 

 

One look at the name of the recipe and Qing Shui was able to tell what kind of effect he could expect from the medicinal pill. However, he had a feeling that this pellet would be different from the conventional advancing pellets he normally fed to his demonic beasts.

 

 

Qing Shui noticed that the recipe required medical herbs that were at least 3000 years old. Moreover, a few of the ingredients could only be acquired from demonic beasts of the Martial Saint grade. It would also be very expensive to retrieve these ingredients due to the extremely high value of the 3000-year old medical herbs.

 

 

Effect: Ten percent chance of upgrading the grade of the current cultivation realm of the demonic beast. The upgrade is limited within its cultivation realm only!

 

 

Qing Shui studied the effect of the Demonic Beast Advancing Pellet carefully. From his understanding, the pellet would be able to upgrade a Grade One Martial King to a Grade Two Martial King, and a Grade One Martial Saint to a Grade Two Martial Saint. However, it would be impossible to upgrade a demonic beast from the Martial King realm to the Martial Saint realm because the effect could only be effective within the demonic beast's current cultivation realm.

 

 

Initially, he thought about his Fire Bird when he saw the recipe because it hadn't gone through another breakthrough for a very long time. Qing Shui was beginning to feel anxious for his Peak Martial King Fire Bird due to its weakness in battle. The Fire Bird would be instantly annihilated if it was to face another demonic beast with the strength of a Grade Five Martial Saint and above.

 

 

AST 651 – Prescription for the Heaven defying Fate Pill, Diamond Gigantic Elephant using the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet

 

 

Qing Shui was slightly worried the success rate was only 10%. It was extremely low. In spite of that, he still planned to attempt refining it. He wondered what the limitations and restrictions to the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet were.

 

 

Qing Shui saw that there were enough medicinal herbs to refine three sets of Demon Beast Advancing Pellets. He just did not know if there would be only one or multiple pills if he was successful. However, there was an unspoken rule in alchemy that the higher the grade of the medicinal pill, the lesser the amount produced when succeeding.

 

 

Qing Shui was quite satisfied with this prescription. After all, all his demonic beasts were Mutated Beasts of Heaven and Earth, and there was definitely room for them to grow. Although the success rate was only 10%, Qing Shui still decided to gamble on it.

 

 

He finally placed his gaze on the last prescription and the following words appeared before him.

 

 

Fate Pill!

 

 

Qing Shui knew that it would be amazing just by looking at the name. When he saw the medicinal herbs in the prescription, Qing Shui was astonished. This was the oldest medicinal herbs he had ever required.

 

 

The youngest ones were also at about 3000 Year, with requirements for most of them to be at 5000 Year. Qing Shui even saw that it required the Flower of Life, Peach of Immortality and ingredients from high level Martial Saint Grade Demonic Beasts. They were all very valuable items, and most importantly, there were the words 'Mysterious Fruit'.

 

 

Qing Shui put down the prescription and once again looked at the box on the table. He saw that there were no “Flower of Life” and “Peach of Immortality”. There were no high level Martial Saint level demonic beasts either.

 

 

“I can’t get all the ingredients listed in this prescription yet. I can get the ingredients from demonic beasts if I were to pay a price for them, but it’s almost impossible to buy or trade for the 'Flower of Life' and 'Peach of Immortality'. I thought of looking for them in those dangerous mountainous terrains or ancient forests, but it’s far too dangerous. Therefore, this prescription is pretty much of little use. The reason I’ve brought it here today is to see if there’s any way of replacing them with other ingredients. If we were able to find replacements, if successfully refined, even if the effects of the pills were lowered, it should still be pretty good.” Yuan Su said, slightly embarra.s.sed.

 

 

Qing Shui smiled and nodded, but thought to himself gleefully as he had both the 'Flower of Life' and 'Peach of Immortality'. As for the ingredients from high level demonic beasts, there’s the Red Jiao. Qing Shui felt that even the heavens seemed to be helping him.

 

 

He took a look at the medicinal effects. With such precious ingredients, this Fate Pill would definitely be able to change a person’s fate, allowing one to have rapid improvements and stand at the very top.

 

 

Effect: Cultivators below Martial Saint would be able to increase their strength to one to three countries. Cultivators above Martial Saint level would be able to have their strength increased to 500 countries or more, depending on their individual potential.

 

 

Prerequisite: Must be at least a Xiantian cultivator!

 

 

Restrictions: Only one could be taken in a lifetime!

 

 

In this moment, Qing Shui was truly astonished. If the effects were really as written, then this Fate Pill was truly heaven defying. It allowed a Xiantian cultivator to immediately reach Peak Martial King level, having his life changed completely.

 

 

This medicinal pill depended on the individual’s potential to determine the effects, but even the weakest Xiantian cultivator would be able to reach Peak Martial King. However, at this point in time, Qing Shui still focused mainly on himself.

 

 

This was because, if a Martial Saint Grade cultivator were to take it, depending on the person’s potential, he could reach a strength of 500 countries. Qing Shui have no doubt over his potential. If he could succeed in refining this, Qing Shui would be able to reach at least Grade Four Martial Saint &h.e.l.lip;

 

 

Shaking his head, Qing Shui force himself not to think of it too much. Otherwise, if he were to fail, the blow would be too heavy. Even now, Qing Shui could feel that his blood was starting to boil.

 

 

Qing Shui knew that it was primarily because he was at a crucial point that he especially wished for his prowess to be increased. This medicinal pill was extremely heaven defying but the ingredients were too hard to find. Even for Qing Shui who had a Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, it would take him at least two years before he could gather enough ingredients to make a single attempt. Not many people could be like Qing Shui, to be able to utilise multiple times of his body’s powers. Of course, it would be different for people with Divine Artifacts, but there weren't many who had.

 

 

Therefore, this Fate Pill was a heaven defying divine pill to those suited to take it. It was sufficiently powerful to be able to allow ordinary Martial Saint grade cultivators to increase their strength to 500 countries, bringing them from Grade Five to Grade Six Martial Saint level. It was not that easy to rise from Grade Five to Grade Six Martial Saint level. Each grade at the Martial Saint level had many people unable to progress to the next grade.

 

 

Qing Shui gave it some thought. Even if he were to let everyone in Qing Clan take one, it would still take him decades. To have more than ten or twenty members improve to Peak Martial King cultivators or Martial Saint level cultivators over that years was a feat unheard of in the World of the Nine Continents.

 

 

With a wave of his hand, Qing Shui kept the medicinal herbs and prescriptions in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He then turned to Yuan Su and said, “Is it convenient to share what cultivation level those uncles of yours are at?”

 

 

“One of them is at Grade Eight Martial Saint, should be about the same as Uncle Di Xuan’s level. The other two uncles can also reach Uncle Di Xuan’s level under the enhancements of medicinal pills.” Yuan Su felt a little helpless when she said this.

 

 

Qing Shui knew what she was thinking. After all, there was too much of a gap between their cultivation level and their opponents'. However, the Alchemist Sect should be able to sense that the Di Clan had strong external support. After all, an expert like Old Demon Ba had already died in the Di Clan.

 

 

Although there were still a gap in their abilities, Qing Shui was still especially happy. Earlier, Qing Shui knew that at least two, at max five could take part in the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death. Qing Shui was originally worried about sending five of them since not many of them were at Grade Eight Martial Saint level&h.e.l.lip;

 

 

Now, there should be enough of them and Qing Shui felt more at ease. He could only think of refining the prescriptions he had successfully. As long as he could reach the cultivation level that matched theirs, he would be able to deal with them in ease. As long as an expert of that level did not appear.

 

 

Just then, Di Chen and Di Qing walked over. Yuan Su waved and greeted them.

 

 

“Sister Yuan Su, are you guys done with your discussion?” Di Qing smiled, the four of them sat around the stone table.

 

 

Qing Shui was surrounded by three ladies of unparalleled beauty. The dream that he had in his previous life was now fulfilled. However, out of the three, Di Chen was the only one he loved.

 

 

“Qing Shui, do you think we’ll die this time around?” Di Qing turned to asked Qing Shui, her tone was so casual that it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

 

 

“Why, are you already sick of living?” Qing Shui asked as he looked at Di Qing, feeling puzzled.

 

 

“I don’t want to see that terrifying scene.” Di Qing was not agitated by Qing Shui’s words. She merely spoke with a hint of worry.

 

 

“Don’t worry, trust me, nothing will happen.” Qing Shui looked at Di Qing. This was her home. If anything were to happen, she would be very much aggrieved.

 

 

Di Chen’s expression also appeared slightly perturbed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have tried to advise Qing Shui to leave previously. She did not think that the Di Clan would be able to resolve this situation properly, but there was nothing they could do to avoid it.

 

 

“Really? You’re not lying to me?”

 

 

When people are at their frailest moments, even a single word of consolation would be able to let them feel at peace. If Qing Shui were to say something else altogether, it was likely that she would breakdown. After all, Qing Shui’s strength played a huge part in this.

 

 

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”

 

 

&h.e.l.lip;

 

 

At night, Qing Shui could not wait and entered the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He then cultivated his Ancient Strengthening Technique to calm himself down before he started studying the prescriptions.

 

 

Qing Shui started with the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet. He repeated looked over each type of medicinal herb listed in the prescription, then a.n.a.lyzed their medicinal properties.

 

 

After taking some time to study and to understand their medicinal properties, he remembered the different points of information such as which were easier to fuse, what properties they had after fusing, as well as which remaining medicinal herbs they would fuse better with. Qing Shui’s memory was pretty strong now and could be said that he would be remember things with just one look. In fact, those who were at Martial Saint and higher would all have exceptional memory and would be able to remember things with a few looks, even if not with the first. It was because those who could raise up to the Martial Saint level were all considered the cream of the crop.

 

 

After making his preparations, Qing Shui started to refine the medicine. This time around, he was extra careful. It may be because there was a shortage of the medicinal herbs, or because the medicinal pill this time around was more valuable or more important.

 

 

He activated his Spiritual Sense!

 

 

He released his aura as a habit. Qing Shui felt that this would increase the success rate of his alchemy as well as increase the quality of the product.

 

 

Everything progressed smoothly, just as Qing Shui imagined. However, before he succeeded, Qing Shui did not dare let his guard down.

 

 

This time around, Qing Shui did not wish to fail in refining the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet. After all, there was only a 10% success rate after a demonic beast had taken this Demon Beast Advancing Pellet. Therefore, one additional pill meant one additional hope.

 

 

The Golden Flint Iron Cauldron started to give out a gurgling sound. Qing Shui calmly used the primordial flames to heat up the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron, ready to change the degree of the heat and proceed with the fusing of the medicinal herbs.

 

 

Suddenly, a bright grey-colored glow exploded from Qing Shui’s Primordial Flames. Just then, a clear sound rang out from the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron.

 

 

Ding!

 

 

Qing Shui’s Primordial Flames lowered down gradually until they finally disappeared. Qing Shui let out a long exhale. He had succeeded on his first attempt of the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet and it was considered to be a good start.

 

 

About one hour later, Qing Shui gradually opened the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron and noticed the two Demon Beast Advancing Pellets in it. They were the size of a baby’s fist and were a crimson red, exuding a fragrance. There was a faint red glow around it, giving it an additional mysterious feel.

 

 

Qing Shui then gathered his focus to finish up with the other two batches, getting six Demon Beast Advancing Pellets in total. Qing Shui was very satisfied, but he was started to worry a little.

 

 

A ten percent success rate&h.e.l.lip; It was likely that all six of them would go to waste&h.e.l.lip;

 

 

Gritting his teeth, Qing Shui called for his Diamond Gigantic Elephant. The Fire Bird could not eat it and as it was at Peak Martial King level, so there’s no use for it to take this. The Thunderous Beast was still in its growth stage and it was still young, therefore the pills could only be used by the Diamond Gigantic Elephant. Moreover, if the Diamond Gigantic Elephant could advance in level, Qing Shui would also benefit greatly. It was killing two birds with one stone.

 

 

The Diamond Gigantic Elephant swallowed the first Demon Beast Advancing Pellet. Qing Shui watched as it savoured it. He looked in antic.i.p.ation at the Diamond Gigantic Elephant, waiting for that moment of excitement.

 

 

In this moment, Qing Shui felt very conflicted. He hope that time would pa.s.s faster, but yet hope that it would go more slowly. To speak the truth, he was afraid that the Demon Beast Advancing Pellet had no effect.

 

 

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