Chapter 56: Refining Poison Dragon Powder
Although Su Yan’s request was sudden, Gao Zheng didn’t find anything strange about it.
After all, in his view, Junior Brother Su was talented in appearance with good talent, and would sooner or later leave that mountain industry to live in the city.
Finding a place to settle now was just the first step.
He pondered for a moment and said, “Junior Brother, leave it to me. Today I’ll send a few real estate agents to find you a good place to live.”
Gao Zheng was a Blood Moving Realm martial artist, a prominent figure in the city, and such matters were truly effortless for him.
By the time Su Yan went to greet Master Bai Changlin and consult on cultivation progress, Gao Zheng had already arranged everything.
The residence he arranged was not in a wealthy household area, but on a street next to Hou Miao Lane, adjacent to the outer city, convenient for coming and going, and also handy for visiting Hou Miao Lane.
The real estate agent brought Su Yan to the courtyard, a two-entrance courtyard. The front large courtyard was paved with blue bricks, flat and spacious, with only two lush big trees in the corner.
One was an osmanthus tree, the other an old banyan tree, facing each other from afar, shading most of the courtyard.
This was a good place for practicing martial arts, spacious and convenient for movement.
Further inside was the small courtyard, with rockery and flowing water, along with many flowers and plants, giving it a somewhat secluded feel.
The real estate agent said, “Young Master Su, the inner courtyard is the main residence, with a total of three rooms. The outer courtyard has several side rooms for servants to live in.”
“This place will do.”
Su Yan had low requirements and just glanced once. Since the neighboring areas had few residents, this was a good place to settle.
“How much per month?”
As soon as Su Yan asked the price, the real estate agent waved his hands hurriedly and said, “Master Gao has already paid a full year’s silver money. We dare not take Young Master Su’s money.”
Seeing the real estate agent like this, Su Yan knew he wouldn’t accept more money.
Even if he changed places, Senior Brother Gao’s money would definitely not be taken back.
After sending the real estate agent away, the keys were also handed over to Su Yan by the agent.
“Senior Brother Gao is pulling me in like this. It’s not just because of his friendly nature; there must be struggles within the Golden Ape Martial Arts School as well.”
Gao Zheng was indeed a good person, treating others fairly at least, but that didn’t mean there were no struggles in the Golden Ape Martial Arts School.
To become a true disciple required competition, to take charge of different industries and positions required competition. Without competing, how could one accumulate resources for practicing martial arts?
Su Yan carefully inspected the inside and outside of the courtyard and found nothing unusual.
He slightly arranged his things, then went out to buy over a hundred catties of charcoal and other supplies, preparing them like for a new home.
At night, the streets and alleys were quiet, except for the bustling areas in the city with alcohol, meat, smoke, and willows; many places had already put out their lights.
Su Yan had prepared for a long time and now began to act.
He first lit the charcoal fire, then took out the medicine furnace from the cave and placed it on the fire pile to preheat.
This medicine furnace might not compare to Xu Zhongdao’s, but judging by the material and feel, it was no ordinary item.
“Refining Poison Dragon Powder isn’t difficult. Better to practice with it; even if some medicinal herbs are wasted, it doesn’t matter.”
Su Yan was rich and powerful at this time, originally planning to mix randomly and temporarily refine some poison pills as feed.
But now, with a better choice, it was better to start with Poison Dragon Powder to stimulate fiercer medicinal properties, refining all into this medicine to aid his cultivation.
Not just him; the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect could also absorb poisonous creatures with this Poison Dragon Powder to strengthen their physical bodies and origin.
He laid out the medicinal herbs together, sorting them by category, just like when Xu Zhongdao had him refine medicine that day.
Poison Dragon Powder was at most a first-order low-grade pill, beginner-level stuff, mainly about formulation.
Su Yan prepared like this just to be cautious.
With everything ready and the medicine furnace heated up, he immediately followed the prescription and tossed the herbs in.
First was a small segment of Primordial Snake Poison Stem as the main ingredient. The scorching furnace quickly burned it, gradually drying out its moisture.
After about a few minutes, the surface of the Primordial Snake Poison Stem cracked, emitting a fishy fragrance, with snake-scale-like patterns appearing on the root stem surface.
Su Yan immediately added another medicinal herb, from which a large amount of juice seeped out and was instantly absorbed by the Primordial Snake Poison Stem.
Time passed bit by bit as he added over ten kinds of medicinal herbs one after another, fusing them mutually and constantly precipitating more impurities under furnace fire control.
Finally, around midnight, the fragrance gradually calmed, and Su Yan removed the medicine furnace.
“Success. Though there are some flaws, no major mistakes.”
【Basic Alchemy 10/100 (Beginner)）】
Just one refining session greatly increased proficiency. Su Yan’s heart was full of joy.
“Continue.”
He ground the remaining herb dregs into powder, bottled it in a porcelain bottle, then immediately placed the furnace over the charcoal fire and continued refining medicine.
With a martial artist’s physique and unusually tough temperament, staying up all night was effortless for him.
He stayed up all night, refining most of the stolen medicines into Poison Dragon Powder.
At first a bit unfamiliar, later one furnace could produce several portions, gradually becoming proficient.
Basic Alchemy went from Beginner to 1/200 Minor Accomplishment overnight, and his achievement was the twenty bottles of Poison Dragon Powder in front of him.
“Primordial Snake Poison Stem is used up. If I can’t find more, I’ll have to modify the formula with other core spirit herbs.”
Su Yan felt a bit regretful. Primordial Snake Poison Stem was also a spirit herb, in other words, one of the treasure plants in the mountain hunters’ terms.
Making a big fuss could naturally gather it, but at this critical juncture, seeking it out would let Pang Tianfeng catch the scent.
“Cultivate first. Twenty bottles are enough for a while.”
Su Yan took out one bottle, carefully kneading it into pills, totaling ten, fingernail-sized, entirely ink-green in color.
“Sand sand sand”
With a thought, the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect that had been guarding all night crawled over.
He tossed out two Poison Dragon Powder-made poison pills, which the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect each swallowed.
【Yin Water Centipede 40/400 (Mature Stage)）】
【Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect 190/200 (Growth Stage)】
The two insect tamers curled up, digesting the medicinal potency, as if falling asleep.
Watching their changes, Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly.
“The same pill has different effects. The stronger the strength, the weaker the potency. Later, I’ll need stronger pills.”
While the two poisonous insects digested the medicinal potency, Su Yan also moved a large wooden tub into the courtyard, poured in hot water, then dumped in a whole bottle of Poison Dragon Powder.
In just three breaths, the boiling hot water turned ink-green, like paint.
Let alone ordinary people, even general martial artists entering would likely be poisoned and injured for some time.
“Quenching the body with poison to form the golden body. This technique is indeed ferocious.”
Without hesitation, Su Yan stripped off his clothes and stepped in boldly.
Without stance training, he closed his eyes tightly, surging qi and blood combined with special breathing rhythm, circulating the Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique.
Stance training was just a simplification; the complete set of breathing method, qi and blood movement, and meridians operation method was the essence of the technique.
Stance training was merely a method from simple to complex.
As Su Yan cultivated like this, the poison corroding his skin also turned into fine ink-green threads along his flesh, blood, and meridians, gradually spreading throughout his body.
Myriad pains came, like a layer of fire burning, a layer of knife scraping, plus eighty thousand ants gnawing from inside out ceaselessly.
The pain of poison erosion was unimaginable. Su Yan kept his eyes tightly closed, beansized sweat rolling into the large wooden tub, mixing with the medicinal bath.
After an hour like this, the poison gradually cleared, patterns on Su Yan’s body faded, subtly turning into shallow scale-like designs hidden under the physical body’s skin membrane.
【Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique 1/100 (Beginner)】
【Skin Refining Realm: Skin Refining 200/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Golden Ape Jade Body Skill 60/100（Beginner）】
Su Yan’s eyes flashed with sharp light, his expression full of confidence: “Skin membrane and physical body greatly advanced. One medicinal bath has this effect. With insect yuan added, within seven days I will surely break through muscle and bone.”
