Xu Chuan's eyes flashed with brilliance. The so-called deterrent power of the Dan Hall was exactly what the Xu family currently needed.
In the future, with a clan protection grand array inside that could block Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the Dan Hall's deterrent power outside to make people think thrice before acting, as long as his family didn't cause trouble or encounter natural disasters or man-made calamities, they could develop smoothly for a long time.
As for spirit stones, if Xu Chuan really put in full effort to refine pills, as long as there were sufficient materials, seven or eight hundred spirit stones per month would be considered few.
Seeing Xu Chuan deep in thought, Zhou Sen also advised, "For rogue cultivators, joining the Dan Hall is indeed most appropriate. Even if Fellow Daoist Sansu wants to establish a Qi Refining clan in the future, you can protect the clan during your lifetime."
Xu Chuan showed a moved expression and looked at Yun Zhongzi, "Senior, if this humble one agrees, will there be another assessment?"
Yun Zhongzi smiled faintly, "As chief, this old man has the authority to recommend Dan Hall elders. Being able to refine Jade Sprout Pills, and producing middle-grade pills with only twelve sets of materials, is sufficient to serve as a Dan Hall elder.
With your current pill Dao attainment, you're sufficient to rank in the top five."
"Then I thank Senior Yun Zhongzi for his regard. This humble one is willing to enter the Dan Hall." Xu Chuan bowed respectfully with clasped fists.
"If that's the case, in two days, you can depart with this old man to the imperial city. Even if you're unwilling to stay long in the Dan Hall, you must still register and leave a life lamp in the hall."
Xu Chuan said the cave mansion still had matters to attend to, and in two days he would come to the prince's manor to find Yun Zhongzi.
Yun Zhongzi let Xu Chuan go on his own.
"Why is father suddenly going to the imperial city?" Hearing Xu Chuan's words, Xu Mingxian was immediately shocked.
"Fate has brought this opportunity. Father has entered the imperial city's Dan Hall. Behind the Dan Hall is the Great Wei imperial family. Our Xu family can now be considered to have a great background.
Going to the imperial city next, father will research pill Dao in the Dan Hall until you completely repair the Four Symbols Heaven Force Array, then we'll return to Dongxi."
"Yes, father." Backed by the Great Wei imperial family, Xu Mingxian also suddenly felt the future was bright.
…
Two days later.
In front of Prince Yong's manor gate.
"Who is this?" Yun Zhongzi looked at Xu Mingxian curiously.
"This humble one is Yunming. Greetings to Dan Hall Senior Yun Zhongzi." Xu Mingxian immediately clasped his fists respectfully.
Xu Chuan also immediately explained, "He and I are sworn brothers through life and death. This time he's also going to the imperial city with me. I wonder if Senior Yun Zhongzi can bring him along?"
Yun Zhongzi stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Naturally no problem."
He waved his hand over his storage bag. A blue stream of light shot out, suspended in mid-air, it was actually a flying vessel.
He leaped up first, then said to Xu Chuan and his companion, "Both of you come up."
Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian likewise leaped up.
"Your Highness, we take our leave."
Prince Yong clasped his fists toward Yun Zhongzi on the flying vessel to signal farewell.
The next instant, the flying vessel shot out like an arrow released from a bow toward the eastern horizon, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
One day later, Great Wei's imperial city appeared beneath the several people.
Yun Zhongzi piloted the flying vessel straight into the imperial city. Suddenly, a semi-transparent yellow light curtain appeared ahead. He waved his sleeve robe, and a blue light shot out.
The semi-transparent yellow light curtain immediately dissolved, revealing a large opening for the flying vessel to pass through.
After passing through, Xu Chuan looked back and saw that the light curtain had already closed and become invisible.
Probably not many people in all of Great Wei could pass directly through the city protection grand array like Yun Zhongzi.
Others had to honestly land and enter through the city gates, after which they could sword-fly.
The entire imperial city was very large. If one truly walked, it would take quite a bit of time.
Shortly after, the flying vessel stopped in front of a great hall in the southern area of the imperial city.
This hall had three levels with triple flying eaves, precisely like a black bird about to spread its wings in flight. From the eave corners hung gold-plated pill-shaped wind chimes. When a breeze passed, the chime sounds were clear and melodious, as if medicinal fragrance flowed with them.
Blue-gray glazed tiles layered upon each other. Under sunlight, they emitted a warm, lustrous glow. Where the bracket sets intersected, exquisitely carved scenes from immortal tales like Divine Farmer tasting a hundred herbs and Laozi refining pills could be seen.
"Young Friend Yunming, non-Dan Hall members cannot enter the Dan Hall. Wait here. After handling Fellow Daoist Sansu' hall entry matters, you can temporarily stay in the cave mansion arranged by the Dan Hall with him."
Xu Mingxian bowed with clasped hands, "Thank you, Senior Yun Zhongzi."
Xu Chuan followed Yun Zhongzi into the Dan Hall.
On the bottom level's pill rooms, the doors stood wide open. Dozens of apprentices busily came and went, mostly youths in their teens or twenties. The youngest was only around ten years old.
"The Dan Hall's first level is where apprentices research and refine pills. There's a corresponding library, and quite a few pill rooms. Each pill room's pill furnace is a low-grade magical artifact."
"The second level is where the elders reside. The third level is where this old man refines pills and meditates in seclusion."
"Each elder upon initial entry receives a middle-grade magical artifact pill furnace. However, all who can enter the Dan Hall are true pill Dao masters. After a few years, they'll have the ability to replace it with a superior-grade magical artifact pill furnace themselves."
"As an elder, Fellow Daoist Sansu can peruse all books on the first and second levels. As for the third level, you need to apply with this old man."
Yun Zhongzi summoned all the elders currently in the Dan Hall, seven people total, introduced Xu Chuan to them, then presided over Xu Chuan's hall entry ceremony, bestowing a jade plaque, ceremonial robe, pill furnace, and finally lighting the life lamp.
It was similar to the sect entry ceremony Xu Chuan had imagined.
"Steward Chen, arrange a cave mansion and pill room for Elder Sansu. This old man has matters to attend to and will leave first."
The Chen-surnamed steward hurriedly bowed with clasped hands to Yun Zhongzi, "I respectfully obey the chief's command. I will properly arrange everything to the Thirteenth Elder's satisfaction."
Yun Zhongzi nodded slightly, then went to the Dan Hall's third level.
Steward Chen led Xu Chuan to the second level, speaking as they walked, "The first eleven pill rooms all have owners. Thirteenth Elder, I'll arrange the twelfth pill room for you. Is that acceptable?"
Xu Chuan walked around this pill room and nodded satisfactorily, "This room will do."
Steward Chen smiled broadly, "Then keep this jade talisman safe. It can open the restrictions of pill room number twelve. If you plan to travel outside for an extended period, remember to tell me."
Xu Chuan nodded slightly.
Afterward, he selected a nearby courtyard as his lodging.
There were a large number of courtyards nearby, all guarded by restrictions, belonging to the Dan Hall and serving as residences for elders and apprentices.
Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxian settled down here.
Nearby was a marketplace where spirit herb shops occupied the majority. Pill shops were rare, and after some inquiries, he learned they all had intricate connections with several Dan Hall elders.
Around the Dan Hall marketplace, there were also quite a few rogue cultivators who knew pill refining techniques. They would hunt demon beasts for materials on one hand to earn cave mansion rental fees, while researching pill Dao on the other.
They only hoped to pass the Dan Hall assessment held once every five years and become a Dan Hall elder.
For them, this was equivalent to ascending to heaven in one step.
…
Night fell, and myriad stars adorned the night sky.
Xu Chuan's courtyard.
"Father, only now does Yunnu understand the status of Dan Hall elders. So many pill refiners seek it but cannot obtain it."
Seeing Xu Mingxian's grinning appearance, "This old man will accept your flattery for now. Whether it's pill Dao, array Dao, magical artifact Dao, or talisman Dao, reaching a certain level, one is equally revered by ten thousand people.
Even the lofty Foundation Establishment cultivators may personally visit seeking audience."
Xu Mingxian knew Xu Chuan was urging him on and nodded, "Father, rest assured. Yunnu will continue researching array Dao and won't disappoint you."
"By the way, keep all these spirit stones. If you want something, go wander the marketplace yourself. Father probably won't need them temporarily in the Dan Hall."
Xu Chuan gave all the spirit stones in his storage bag to Xu Mingxian, who didn't say much and accepted them all.
"Speaking of the Dan Hall, why do Dan Hall elders only get five spirit stones per month? When I was a guest elder at the Zhou family, father's monthly salary was three times that." Xu Mingxian asked in confusion.
Xu Chuan shook his head with a smile, "The Dan Hall absorbs elders mainly to protect powerless pill Dao rogue cultivators. Senior Yun Zhongzi once said that with my pill Dao level, one or two months would be sufficient to complete a full year's Dan Hall tasks.
For the remaining time, I estimate the elders all refine pills for themselves or collaborate with others to profit.
A pill refining master not afraid of being targeted, refining pills without any concerns, that profit will be very considerable.
All who enter the Dan Hall come for its protective power, or rather, for the Great Wei imperial family's protection."
"Then can father be completely unconcerned from now on?" Xu Mingxian was somewhat excited, his eyes flashing with brilliance.
"Appropriately displaying part of my level is fine. Father came to the Dan Hall not only wanting its protection but also to further study pill Dao.
If I can absorb the Dan Hall's pill Dao accumulation, then I'm confident in leaving behind a pill Dao lineage for our Xu family. In the future, clan members studying pill Dao won't need to depend on others."
Hearing this, Xu Mingxian's heart immediately surged with infinite admiration. He himself also wanted to align with him and leave behind an array Dao inheritance for the Xu family.
The next day. Xu Chuan went to the Dan Hall and learned of his tasks: 250 pills each of Qi Recovery Pills, Essence Recovery Pills, Qi Cultivation Pills, and Qi Gathering Pills.
These all required middle-grade pills.
If he refined superior-grade pills, one counted as four middle-grade pills. Lower-grade pills weren't counted.
In other words, if all were superior-grade pills, he only needed to refine 250 pills.
Xu Chuan secretly calculated. If he spent nearly eight shichen per day refining pills, he could refine ten batches. Each batch at most produced nine pills, at minimum six.
Currently, low-grade pills or pill refining failures rarely occurred.
By this calculation, in just over a month, he could complete the Dan Hall's full year's tasks and receive sixty base spirit stones. As for performance spirit stones, forget about that.
He always felt somewhat uncomfortable in his heart, as if recalling some distant unpleasant memory.
Yun Zhongzi had said he could complete a full year's tasks in two to three months based on seeing the Jade Sprout Pill's pill production rate but how could he know that was only half of Xu Chuan's strength?
And switching to Qi Cultivation Pills and other first-grade pills he knew by heart, two to three months was probably only thirty to forty percent of his pill Dao ability.
Xu Chuan immediately had the idea of keeping seventy percent, but then abandoned it in a flash.
"Taking thirty to forty percent, occasionally practicing some low-grade pills—this way is proper."
These withheld pills, Xu Chuan didn't plan to sell but would consume them himself, with extras left for other family members.
Four types of pills, fifty sets of materials for each type.
For each type of pill, Xu Chuan could store away six or seven bottles of middle-grade pills and two or three bottles of superior-grade pills.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, two months passed.
Xu Chuan kept a low profile in the Dan Hall, doing nothing but refining pills and cultivating.
Now he had completed the Dan Hall's tasks and received sixty base spirit stones from Steward Chen.
Afterward, he read pill Dao classics on the first and second levels daily, becoming a 'pill fanatic' in the eyes of apprentices and other elders.
At night during the xu hour, Xu Chuan would enter meditation to cultivate.
Each time until dawn.
Occasionally when apprentices sought instruction, he would give some guidance.
Later on, even elders discussed pill Dao with him, conversing very happily.
Among the other elders, Third Elder Daoist Yunding was most compatible with him, a rogue cultivator background who kept to himself, wholeheartedly pursuing pill Dao and Foundation Establishment.
"Fellow Daoist Yunding, I feel like I've fallen into some kind of bottleneck. My pill Dao techniques seem difficult to improve. I wonder if you have any solutions?"
Daoist Yunding wore the Dan Hall's standard ceremonial robe and had a thin build.
Hearing this, he stroked his frosted beard and smiled warmly, "Pill dao is like cultivation, naturally one encounters bottlenecks. Either break through realms, or advance pill refining-related abilities further, such as fire control techniques, medicinal property mastery, pill condensation, and pill collection hand seals."
Xu Chuan seemed thoughtful.
He had always refined pills smoothly, relying on his top-tier mastery of medicinal properties.
As for his fire control techniques and pill condensation and collection hand seals, they were all mediocre.
"This humble one comes from a rogue cultivator background without such inheritances. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yunding can tell me where to find these?"
Daoist Yunding was slightly stunned, then burst into loud laughter, "It seems Fellow Daoist hasn't been to the third level yet."
"What do you mean?"
"The first and second level libraries mostly collect various pill Dao classics and some ordinary pill formulas. We elders can view them at no cost. However, fire control techniques and the like all have costs and are recorded on the third level."
"So that's how it is." Xu Chuan truly didn't know these things before, having only refined pills and researched pill Dao classics.
Daoist Yunding continued, "If you have abundant spirit stones, you can request from the chief the Nine Flames Formula and the Jade Liquid Restoration Formula. These two are the most top-tier pill Dao-related inheritances in the Dan Hall.
Admittedly, the higher the technique, the more difficult the cultivation.
This old man also cultivates these two. Although the Jade Liquid Restoration Formula has reached great accomplishment, the Nine Flames Formula has only reached entry level."
"Please trouble Fellow Daoist to introduce them." Xu Chuan cupped his hands to ask for instruction.
Daoist Yunding looked at Xu Chuan and waved his hand with a smile, "You and I are both Dan Hall elders. No need to be so polite. The Jade Liquid Restoration Formula contains complete extraction, pill condensation, and pill collection hand seals. Cultivating to great accomplishment can improve pill quality by ten to twenty percent.
As for the Nine Flames Formula, it's not only an astonishing fire control technique but also a divine sense manipulation method. It's divided into three flames, six flames, and nine flames—three levels. Great accomplishment allows controlling nine strands of divine sense effortlessly with perfect consistency.
A simple example: controlling magical artifacts. Ordinary cultivators can at most control one or two. Any more and flaws appear when facing enemies.
But if the Nine Flames Formula is cultivated to great accomplishment, one can easily control multiple techniques and wield multiple magical artifacts, easily gaining the upper hand against enemies."
"If it's so miraculous, why does the Dan Hall open it to us?"
Xu Chuan's eyes flashed. Hearing this, he was also moved.
"This technique isn't free, it requires one hundred spirit stones to copy, and still needs the chief's consent. The cultivation difficulty is even more astonishing. I've only achieved four thoughts as one."
Daoist Yunding sighed, "I've heard even the chief only stopped at six flames, only achieving six thoughts as one."
"The Nine Flames Formula is very difficult to master through ordinary hard practice. Three flames is considered entry level. We pill refiners who refine pills all day can basically achieve it. But each additional thought, wanting to control it freely and maintain perfect consistency, the difficulty almost multiplies."
Whether one has comprehension, I don't know.
However, ordinary pill refiners find hard cultivation useless because they don't have a fate talent like my [Heaven Rewards Diligence].
With this, it's sufficient to make up for insufficient comprehension.
"If the Nine Flames Formula is cultivated to great accomplishment, could I reach the transformation state of condensing nine pills in one batch, each pill superior-grade?!"
Xu Chuan cupped his hands toward Daoist Yunding, "Thank you for Fellow Daoist Yunding's guidance. I'll go find the chief shortly to inquire."