Three years passed after Li Gang got the land in the Capital.
He was a Rank 5 alchemy master, a rare profession in the entirety of the Northern Continent.
The Northern Continent lacks Spiritual Essence, and thus, there are fewer than ten Rank 6 Warriors on this continent. There are around 20-30 Rank 5 Warriors and fewer than a hundred Rank 4 Warriors. The gap between Rank 3 and Rank 4 is huge. This can be understood by the fact that even though there are fewer than a hundred Rank 4 Warriors, there are hundreds of thousands of Rank 3 Warriors in this continent!
With a huge population, the need for alchemists is also great. Thus, someone like Li Gang, who has a Rank 5 alchemy master status, is a blessing for this continent. Is it that there are no other high-level alchemists here?
No, it is possible there are some hidden old masters present somewhere. Who knows where one can find a hidden dragon or crouching tiger? However, this doesn't diminish Li Gang's status. Rank 5 alchemists are already rare even in the Central Continent, not to mention in this Northern Continent!
With a high attainment in alchemy, it was easy for him to create his own reputation. In these three years, Li Gang's fame spread throughout the whole Wei Dynasty. The Wei Dynasty covers a very large area. It is not easy to spread influence in such a short time. Then what boosted his business?
It is well said that 'In the hour of need, the wise turn remedy into riches.'
His pills were top-notch and also reasonably priced. Due to the catastrophe, there were many Warriors suffering from the aftermath. Thus, his alchemy pills became one of the best sellers in the whole dynasty. Li Gang opened his shop of alchemy pills at the very moment the world needed them. His business expanded and his pills became best sellers. Soon, he started recruiting more alchemy talents and taught them methods to refine lower-grade pills. This also shifted his burden in the expansion of his business. With the help of Wu Meng, he had already started recruiting talents before he even established the shop!
His reputation increased to the point that even the king noticed him. He also invited him to his abode to meet him multiple times. However, Li Gang rejected him, saying he was busy.
At this time, Li Gang was within his room, refining a blood-colored soup.
He glanced at the cauldron and murmured inwardly, 'This recipe is no longer useful. I need the blood of a higher-ranked Warrior, but they are very rare, and I am not strong enough.'
In the past few years, Li Gang had been refining a soup called Bloodroot Essence. It uses the blood essence of a Warrior to increase talent. It is a forbidden recipe he found in Lin Fan's memory, and if it becomes known to the outside world, it could even create chaos!
The blood required for the recipe is huge, and just to increase the talent from D grade to C grade may need the sacrifice of millions of people! The quality of blood decides how much the talent will grow—a higher-ranked Warrior's blood is more potent and increases more talent.
Within a person’s blood, there exists a special essence, called Soulbind Ether. Just like its name, it binds the soul to the body. The soul has a special attraction toward this ether, and thus it wears a body. Spiritual Imprint is a special mark on the soul that enhances this attraction, while it also has a trace of Heavenly Dao. This trace provides a certain ability and affinity towards a certain element!
After the catastrophe, Li Gang collected all the corpses he could, especially those of higher rank. He had already massacred billions of people and stored most of those corpses. In the last few years, he had been refining all the blood essence of these corpses and using them as an ingredient for Bloodroot Essence to increase his talent.
If he uses the Wisdom Gauge again, then he can see that his talent has reached A grade. He had already found that the effect of this recipe was decreasing with time. To improve further, he would need large numbers of corpses of Rank 7 and Rank 8 Warriors. Intermediate Warriors' blood essence was no longer useful to him.
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Even though his talent had increased these years, he didn't try cultivating. He had been focusing on his alchemy and formations. He had also been studying war formations deployed by the Wu and Shu dynasties before.
Li Gang drank the soup and then looked at the scroll sideways. It was the scroll of invitation. He murmured inwardly, 'My preparations are complete. I have to meet the king.'
He went to a certain room and looked around. Finally, he chose a pill and carefully put it in a box. It was a Rank 5 Vitality Pill. Vitality pills are very useful for speeding up health recovery, and they also recover spiritual essence to a certain extent. Vitality pills are one of the most popular pills in the alchemy market, however, their value depends on what grade they are.
A few days later, Li Gang visited the royal palace.
The grand gates looked tall and imposing. There were two guards of Rank 3 Warrior cultivation standing there. On seeing Li Gang, they were shocked.
Li Gang's fame had already started spreading one and a half years ago, and since his shop was situated in the capital where the royal palace was built, it was normal that the guards had seen him before.
"M-Master Ren," one of the guards stammered. He straightened himself quickly. "You were..."
Li Gang replied impatiently, "Inform whoever you need to, but quickly—I have business with the king."
The guard exchanged a nervous glance with his companion before he hastily nodded and sprinted off toward the palace interior.
Meanwhile, Li Gang glanced at the door and murmured inwardly, 'What a waste of resources.'
The beautifully decorated doors were completely made of gold, alongside highly precious spiritual materials. He didn't disdain such actions, but still felt some pity.
Such resources could be used to cast quality swords or any spiritual weapons. Using them for mere decoration indeed seemed useless. However, from the righteous people's perspective, everything has importance. If a king does not show his grandiosity, it will be difficult to control the public. For a king, the support of the public is very important. Li Gang understands this, and thus, he only feels pity and doesn't disdain them.
It wasn’t long before a figure appeared from the double doors of the palace. Lord Zhen, the Royal Chamberlain, moved toward Li Gang with quick, calculated steps. His dark green robes were flowing behind him like a shadow. His face had no sign of the sudden rush, but the tightness around his eyes betrayed him.
Lord Zhen greeted him with a deep bow, though his voice carried a note of controlled surprise. ““Master Ren Ying, Your arrival is... most unexpected.”
Li Gang barely acknowledged the gesture. “You are?”
Lord Zhen immediately replied, "I am the Royal Chamberlain. You can call me Lord Zhen."
Li Gang nodded. “I didn’t come for courtesies, Lord Zhen. My time is limited.”
Lord Zhen straightened, clasping his hands together. “Of course. However, as you can imagine, His Majesty’s schedule is—”
Li Gang cut him off, his voice sharp but nonchalant. “I don’t care about his schedule. If he has time for trivial matters, he has time for me.”
Lord Zhen’s lips tightened, but he did not miss a beat. “Naturally, Master Ren. But the king is currently occupied with the council. I will personally ensure you are escorted to an appropriate chamber while His Majesty is informed of your arrival.”
Li Gang nodded.
Lord Zhen asked Li Gang slowly, "Follow me, I will lead you to a chamber."
They walked through the long, twisting halls, with Lord Zhen just ahead, moving carefully. As they passed, people stopped talking and stared, surprised to see the man who had ignored the king’s orders more than once. People whispered behind him, but Li Gang didn’t care. He seemed more annoyed with each step, his hand constantly touching a notebook hidden under his clothes.
As the door shut behind Lord Zhen, Li Gang gave a quiet sigh. He looked around the room, noticing the detailed woodwork, the rich green velvet chairs, and the faint smell of burning pine in the air. He looked at the various items.
He murmured, 'How contradictory is this world. There is a demonic faction, where people enjoy freedom but lack riches, friendships, and familial affections. On the other hand, there is this righteous faction. They live in a society with many trustworthy people, enjoy familial affections, live with riches, but have no freedom. I really wonder, who is happier? Who is more satisfied? The demonic faction, or the righteous faction?'
Li Gang felt more and more pity as he looked at the waste of so many resources.
Li Gang got rid of these thoughts and took out his notebook and started reading. Every time he made mistakes in his alchemy and formations, he would make note of them and meditate on them whenever he had time.
After a calculated wait—long enough for the court to maintain its dignity, but not long enough to push Li Gang too far—Lord Zhen returned. The king had been informed, and Li Gang was summoned.
The door opened with a soft creak, and Lord Zhen stepped inside.
He said with a bow, “Master Ren, His Majesty is ready to see you.”
Li Gang closed his notebook and put it back into his robe as he stood up. Without saying anything, he walked toward the door, and Lord Zhen quickly walked beside him.
'Finally,' Li Gang thought as they walked down the halls toward the throne room. He had waited long enough—now it was time to see how far he could push the king.