What herb could possibly grow for that long? Over ten thousand years, natural disasters, human calamities, the shifting of seas into fields—any unexpected event could have wiped the herb from the face of the world. It was virtually impossible to find such a thing.
Other rare herbs, on the other hand, though immensely valuable, were not difficult to track down. The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was, above all, a commercial enterprise. As long as he delegated the task to Harika and the others, Yang Kai was confident the remaining ingredients could be gathered in short order.
A ten-thousand-year Soul-Gathering Spirit Blossom, however, left Yang Kai utterly at a loss in an instant.
"There are plenty of women in this world, kid. You're still young with plenty of life ahead of you—you'll cross paths with remarkable women sooner or later. Sometimes you just have to let go… Hmm, letting go is its own kind of happiness." Zong Ao sighed with emotion, as though something had stirred within him.
"I have to save her!" Yang Kai shook his head, his expression resolute. "Senior, is there really no other way to resolve her crisis?"
Zong Ao studied him deeply, his face gradually turning grave. After a long pause, he spoke. "There is one other pill that might work, and its ingredients aren't hard to find. The pill itself isn't terribly high-grade, either."
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He pressed eagerly, his voice low: "Please, Senior, point me in the right direction!"
"Fine. Seeing how devoted you are, I'll give you one more piece of advice." Zong Ao sighed and continued at a leisurely pace. "But I still wouldn't get your hopes up too high."
"Please, go on."
"The Separating Fire Pill!" Zong Ao enunciated each syllable.
"The Separating Fire Pill?" Yang Kai's brows knitted as he turned the name over in his mind. After a moment, surprise flickered across his gaze. "A Saint King grade, lower-tier Separating Fire Pill?"
"Precisely. The Separating Fire Pill is indeed a Saint King grade, lower-tier pill." Zong Ao nodded lightly.
Yang Kai looked puzzled. "Senior, I don't quite understand. The Separating Fire Pill isn't a particularly high-grade pill—how could it possibly resolve my lady's crisis?"
He truly didn't understand. The first method Zong Ao had proposed involved refining a Void King grade pill. The second method called for a Saint King grade pill. The gap between the two was as vast as the distance between clouds and mud.
Zong Ao let out a strange chuckle and bared his teeth. "You think I'm talking about an ordinary Separating Fire Pill? I'm referring to one that has developed a Pill Cloud!"
A thunderclap of realization struck Yang Kai's mind.
"Since you're an alchemist yourself, you should know that when a pill develops Pill Veins and then a Pill Cloud, its efficacy increases exponentially. That's precisely why pills bearing Pill Veins or Pill Clouds are worth so much more. A Saint King grade, lower-tier Separating Fire Pill—if it manifests Pill Veins, its potency would be roughly equivalent to a Saint King grade, upper-tier pill. And if it manifests a Pill Cloud, even if it falls short of a Void King grade pill, it wouldn't be far off."
"I understand now." A brilliant gleam returned to Yang Kai's eyes, and his spirits were instantly restored.
Zong Ao observed his reaction and sneered. "But do you think a Separating Fire Pill with a Pill Cloud is easy to refine? This could be even harder than finding a ten-thousand-year Soul-Gathering Spirit Blossom. I'll say it again, kid—give up now and stop wasting your effort."
He wasn't saying this to crush Yang Kai's enthusiasm; he was simply offering an objective assessment.
Even the most顶尖 alchemists in the entire Heng Luo Star Region might not be able to produce a Pill Cloud in a Separating Fire Pill.
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "How will I know if it can be done unless I try?"
Zong Ao quickly interjected: "Don't you go getting any ideas about me, kid. There's no way I'm refining a Separating Fire Pill for you. We have no prior relationship, and I'm not confident enough to guarantee I could produce a Saint King grade pill with a Pill Cloud."
"I wasn't planning to ask you to refine it." Yang Kai smiled faintly.
"Oh? You already have someone in mind?" Zong Ao raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Do tell—who would you have refine it? I'll give you my assessment of whether they have the skill!"
He didn't believe anyone on Rainwater Planet surpassed him in alchemy. When it came to pill-refining, he was the undisputed master.
"I'll refine it myself!"
"You—yourself?!" Zong Ao's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod.
Zong Ao stared at him as though seeing him for the first time, looking him up and down for a long while before speaking with a peculiar expression. "If you want to play at being foolish, I won't stop you—that's your business. Hmm, but if you really can refine a Separating Fire Pill with a Pill Cloud… I'll call you Grandpa!"
He flatly did not believe Yang Kai possessed the ability to do so.
Yang Kai was merely a small-time warrior at the two-layered Entry to Saint realm. Even if he was an alchemist with some natural talent and aptitude, at best he'd spent twenty years in the craft.
A saint grade, upper-tier pill was his absolute limit—that was Zong Ao's verdict.
If he couldn't even produce a Saint King grade pill, how could he possibly manifest the ultimate Pill Cloud?
Zong Ao dismissed it as the brash talk of a hot-blooded youth.
Yang Kai's eyes, however, lit up. He smiled an odd smile. "Senior, I wouldn't dare accept such a title… Since you have so little faith in me, how about we make a bet?"
"A bet?" Zong Ao narrowed his eyes and gave a snort. "Fine—name your terms, and I'll take you up on it!"
"If I manage to refine a Separating Fire Pill with a Pill Cloud, I won't ask for anything unreasonable. Just give me half of that Mysterious Yin Sunflower Water." Yang Kai fixed Zong Ao with a burning gaze.