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Master of Jade Cauldron
Book 1 Chapter 2 - Elder Tang Wen.

Book 1 Chapter 2 - Elder Tang Wen.

"Xiao Feng, tell me more about your parents and yourself." the elder tried to get more information regarding Long Feng's past and information before they reach the next square of examination.

"Dear Elder, Xiao Feng is born in the year of Rat, the fourth month of the year on fourteen days. My father's name is Li Da Mu (Li Big Wood) and my mother's name is Bai Lan Hua (White orchid). My father passes away when I am five, and so I am growing up together with my mother in this five year."

"Aren't this the first-grade herb, Black Bitter Mint? I remember from the herb Scripture record, if it is placed in places with many wild weeds, the Black Bitter Mint could have their bitterness reduce, improving their taste after refining into the first-grade Cultivation Pellet."

"That’s correct. Could you also tell me about your elemental compatibility ?" the elder praise Long Feng's good sight on spotting the mistakes and dig deeper into Long Feng's special elemental constitution.

"From my mother's explanation, the day I am born is the day of wood and fire on their most compatible period. While for the clear azure colored petals, I am really unsure of what is happening on that." Long Feng answered blankly.

"Elder, is that the tree of Bellflower? This tree is so huge, I guess the number of dried bellflower it releases every month is larger as well. I suppose the carer of this tree must put a large effort in taking care of this tree ?"

"Why don’t you try taking care one of them next time? This Tree of Bellflower could produce a total of 20 dried bellflowers monthly, but if the carer manages to handle it well, sometimes it could produce around 30 to 35." the elder replies.

"Elder, I would never dare to imagine that the pill hall size is actually so huge! We had already walked for at least 30 minutes now, and we are yet to reach the next square."

"This plant…" Long Feng stopped all of sudden.

"What's wrong, Xiao Feng ?" the elder is stunned with the quick turn of the attitude of this youngster.

"I am sorry, honored elder. This plant is the reason why my father left me and my mother all alone five years ago."

"Oh? If you are required to handle it, what would you do ?" the elder test Long Feng again.

"I would shift the Fire Breathing Fruit into each single pot and allows them to grow independently. The soil used must be the rotten compost soil that rich in fire elemental, but impure with many wood elementals within."

"Due to this plant grows upward until its fruit is mature, one must be very careful when trimming the dried bottom leaves, as there might be some leftover saps remain within its middle of the leaf."

"The saps is hard to wash away and easily combustible, added with the danger of causing the Fire Breathing Fruit to react if the juices get close to the fruit itself."

"My father mistakes is instead of using the rotten compost soil, his employer strongly demands that he use the fire lizard soil, where it only contain fire and water elemental within the soil. The Fire Breathing Fruit cannot be forced to grow quickly because the inconsistent growth will cause the fruit pores failed to cover tightly."

"Good, very good. Instead of covering from challenging the plant, you instead came out with a conventional method to finely harvest the fruit, accordingly to your compatibility." the elder can't help but praise Long Feng's knowledge.

"Elder, there is one more thing the Fire Breathing Fruit's sap could do. If the saps are diluted with Mountain spring that is rich with metal elemental, the water could help quickly in growing the Bubble Fruit. By giving a moderate amount of challenge to the fruit, the skin of the fruit could be more durable, thus increasing the quality of the fruit when harvested." Long Feng continued.

"What a good seedling. Xiao Feng, follow this old man to the third examination square." the elder praised him once again, before walking towards another exit.

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"Elder, what about my second test ?" Long Feng quickly ask about his results.

"You passed it with flying colors. The walkway we are going through all this while is the second test square. We purposely reposition a few herbs to allow the participant to notice the problem, and came out with some method to solve the problem and see how knowledgeable the student is." the elder explained.

"But let me tell you first, the final test, might be the most challenging for you. Forming a pill is not an easy matter, let alone refining it. This test will examine your cultivation strength and also how skillful are you in controlling your Qi to shape and mold each pill." the elder explained the difficulties of the next and also final test.

"If you really pass this test, try to consider becoming my apprentice. The other elders all called me as Elder Tang Wen. If you really came in as my apprentice, I will teach you all the cultivation technique I know, as I believe you could have a good future prospect, based on your attitude and your innate talent."

"Here we are. The last test will be conducted altogether, so you could have your time to rest and practice a little before start." elder Tang Wen excuse himself, and return to the side of other elders to discuss something privately.

About thirty minutes later, the potential participants quickly gathered between Long Feng, and a few of them even tried to befriend with him due to his special Sky Element compatibility.

"Greetings, brother Feng. I am Gou Yu, from the southern Gou household. I am the youngest of the five children, but instead of following my older siblings into the martial hall, I chose to join the pill hall instead, as I believe my talent lies here." Gou Yu approached Long Feng and starts a conversation.

"Greetings, brother Yu, I am Long Feng, just call me Xiao Feng. I am the only child in my family, I have no special background and staying with my only family member, my mother in the outskirt of the city." Long Feng replied both of them exchange a handshake.

In a short moment, a total of 42 students gathered in the square, and along with the number, a total of 42 examiners is arranged within the square to attend each participant, while overseen by a total of 5 elders from the inner division.

"Participants! To reach this final stage of your enrollment exam, you may be proud of yourself to make it this far. Even if you failed to pass this final test, you would still be offered a chance of joining the pill hall sub-division, and slowly learn the basic before you are tested for the qualification after six months."

"On this stage, you will be assigned with one senior from the outer division, to form a pill."

"The pill you will be assigned to form for this exam is the First Grade Cultivation Pellet, and your ingredient this time would be the Black Bitter Mint and Green Blood Lizard. You will be given 1 hour to produce as much Cultivation Pellet as you could, and your point will be accumulated into a total based on the number of the successfully formed pill."

"Additional points will be given accordingly, depending on the edible pill and also the refining quality of the pill."

"But on the same time, remember!"

"Any wastage of the ingredient equals to one point is decreased to your total points, which means if you waste more than you formed, you will fail this exam without a doubt!"

"If you are ready, tell your senior, they will help you to make sure you could try your best to form at least one pill."

"Your exam starts now! You have 1 hour time to do as much as you could!"

Immediately, all 42 participants quickly get close to the ingredient table to met with their respective senior and started to place their qi into the Pill Forming Furnace to extract the ingredient's essence and form it into a round and edible pellet.

It is a basic for a cultivator, especially one that specialized in producing cultivation resources, to have knowledge on how the essence on the resources should be extracted and refined before it is formed into a pill.

The method is not strictly applied all the same to all kind of cultivating pills, but basically, there is a few step one will need to apply during the process, to successfully refine a single pill.

Essence Extraction, or more likely to be known as the first step in the formation of a pill. Be it in boiling, brewing, diluting or gathering, one need to make sure this step is well conducted, to ensure the amount of required essence in the pill reach its minimal requirement.

Essence Cooking, also known as the early process to form a pill. The essence obtained might came in a form of impure, weak or over concentrated condition, which required a good control of fire and cooking procedure, to ensure the essence is well processed before it is formed into a pill.

Essence Mixing is more or less known as an additional step to the formation of a pill. Some essence may come in tougher condition, some may be poisonous, some may create some after effect after consumption, or some might destroy the meridian of a cultivator due to the amount of Qi compact within the pill is too enormous for one to consume. The essence mixing allows one to add or reduce the composition depending on the ingredient is used, to ensure the pill formed is good enough for normal consumption.

Essence Forming is the late process of pill formation. By using the qi within the pill furnace, the essence is thoroughly processed into an edible source, while preserving all the goodness brought by the essence with the qi of the pill master, enclosing it in a strongly formed layer of essence remains.

Lastly, is the Pill Refining, where skilful pill master will take one step ahead, and further refine the essence kept within the pill and strengthen its composition under a closed condition to allow the pill to mature and increase is term of quality, amount of cultivation qi it enclosed within, and also its degree of safety upon consumption.

But this few skills, not only allows a pill master to create a pill that could help in cultivation, but it also allows a pill master to concoct their own combination of pill weaponry, which is an essential weapon the pill master depends on fighting equally with the martial masters, as well the culture masters.

"Senior, junior's name is Long Feng, my number is 444, I hope I won't be a burden to senior during my examination." Long Feng quickly introduce himself as he gets close to his station, and greets the senior stand on the other side.

"Great, shall we begin? Just call me senior Xuan Hao." the senior introduce himself, and start guiding Long Feng in the way he should start.