Nine Astra Skies

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"Yes, Master!" Li Xu went out of the alchemy room to get ready.

Ye Chen also prepared the pots and pans, and so on. He was even ready to stew the fish in this alchemy room! Although using the Purple-gold Divine Fish for a fish soup was somewhat wasteful, it did not matter. The main thing was to quickly improve his strength. With more strength, he would be sure to obtain worldly spirit artifacts that were even better than the Purple-gold Divine Fish!

After a moment, through his Astral Body, Ye Chen detected that seven presences had arrived outside the alchemy room, lying low. It was the seven Earthly Venerable Rank fighters - three of whom were top Earthly Venerable Ones who were on par with Master Apothecary Xuanyi!

Three top Earthly Venerable Ones were still a force to be reckoned with, even against a beginner Heavenly Venerable fighter!

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu got busy as they looked up information regarding the Purple-gold Divine Fish from a huge pile of books. First, they had to study and process all of this information, then gather all the herbs before they could begin refining and producing the pills.

Seeing that Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu were hard at work, Ye Chen also busied himself. He located some scallions, cassia bark, fennel, and other ingredients. With all the fishes they had caught today, he could practically rustle up a feast. All pots and pans were ready. Regardless of everything else, it was rather convenient to light a fire in this alchemy room.

Seeing that Ye Chen had gathered a big pile of cookware and was ready to start a fire, Master Apothecary Xuanyi could not help asking, "Ye Chen, are you going to cook and eat the remaining two portions of the Purple-gold Divine Fish?"

"Of course, I am. This fish looks like it'd be quite tasty. In a moment, I'll invite Master and Senior Brother Li to join me." Ye Chen was still holding a ladle as he smiled.

Using this Purple-gold Divine Fish to make fish soup was an extravagant waste of natural resources. It was common for an item's effectiveness to increase many times over after it was refined into a pill. Master Apothecary Xuanyi shook his head and sighed.

"Master, do you think it's a shame?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Indeed. This fish is a precious material for alchemy. Using its flesh to refine and produce one batch of pills will cause an Apothecary to reach another level in their alchemy." Master Apothecary Xuanyi was not concerned about material wealth but he was extremely obsessed with alchemy.

"Master, you're not seeing something. This fish is indeed precious material for alchemy but it's also delicious food that can satisfy one's appetite. If you look at it clearly, it's merely a few chunks of fish flesh. If you can look beyond its utility, naturally, you won't care whether it's precious material for alchemy or anything else." Ye Chen laughed. Lately, he had gained much understanding through his Attainment Level on the Dao.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi stared at Ye Chen, stunned. After a long time, he nodded. "I understand now." Ye Chen was still young but he was more perceptive than Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

Ye Chen picked up the ladle and the spatula, and started to cook. Little Wingsy stared impatiently from one side, drooling.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi turned his gaze away from Ye Chen and looked toward Li Xu beside him. With a faint smile, Master Apothecary Xuanyi said, "I was too attached. This young man has astonishing insights and an easygoing manner. He'll shine brightly in the path of martial arts and is sure to surpass Mingwu."

From Master Apothecary Xuanyi's perspective, someone like Great Emperor Mingwu who could become a top Heavenly Venerable One at forty-plus years old was already a genius with decent talent, even if one considered the entire Great Eastern Continent. However, Ye Chen would not base his own goals on Great Emperor Mingwu. His goal was to become a super powerhouse like Tantai Ling!

Li Xu listened and smiled. Back when he had given Ye Chen the test and noticed the life-like drawings of dragons on the table, he had already guessed as much.

"Little Wingsy, your appetite is too big. I'm guessing that this fish won't be enough for just you. Later, you'd better leave some space in your belly. The rest wants some as well," Ye Chen said, seeing that this chowhound was rather silent.

"Uh-huh, I understand." Little Wingsy immediately nodded wildly, appearing to be well-behaved.

"Eat more of the mutton leg first and fill up yourself before anything else." Ye Chen was worried that this chowhound would not be able to control himself later. Even so, Ye Chen knew that even if Little Wingsy was filled up with mutton legs, he could still stuff down ten pots of fish soup.

Little Wingsy nodded and obediently went to one side, voraciously gnawing at a mutton leg. In just a moment, ten or so muttons legs had been devoured.

Little Wingsy's appetite had caused Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu to feel flabbergasted. They now understood why Little Wingsy had such natural, divine power. It turned out that he could eat so much.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu frantically looked through the cupboards for supplementary herbs, searching for a few dozen varieties.

"Li Xu, what else is missing?" Master Apothecary Xuanyi tore his eyes away from the alchemy book and asked Li Xu.

"Master, we're still missing a lot, around a few dozens. For instance, Flareful Sky Herb, Soul-ceasing Herb, and so on – these varieties are extremely rare. To locate them, I'm afraid we'll need a few days," Li Xu said, distressed.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi frowned slightly. "No, we don't have much time. See if there are any replacement herbs."

While Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu were conversing, Ye Chen passed by with a knife in his hand, and asked, "Master, Senior Brother Li, what's going on? Is there a problem?"

"There are a few herbs which we don't have here, so we'll have to go out to look for them. Now, we're seeing if there are any suitable replacements." Li Xu flipped through the book. "These varieties are relatively rare herbs. To find them, I'm guessing we'll have to go to the auctions of the Central Empire to purchase them."

"What herbs? Tell me," Ye Chen said.

"For instance, Flareful Sky Herb. I'm afraid we won't be able to find this herb for sale in the Xiwu Empire." Master Apothecary Xuanyi sighed at one side. "I'm considering the herb's properties to see if I can find a replacement."

"Flareful Sky Herb?" Ye Chen's consciousness entered the armguard's space. Soon, a few red stalks of medicinal herbs appeared in his palm. He looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi. "Master, is this it?"

Master Apothecary Xuanyi stared at Ye Chen's palm and his eyes lit up. He asked in wonder, "How did you get them?"

"I looked through my Heaven-Earth Pouch and indeed I have them." Ye Chen chuckled and passed these stalks of Flareful Sky Herb to Master Apothecary Xuanyi.

"Two stalks are enough. Keep the rest with you," Master Apothecary Xuanyi said and took two stalks of Flareful Sky Herb. The value of this Flareful Sky Herb was considerable though of course, it still could not compare to the Purple-gold Divine Fish.

"And the Soul-ceasing Herb." Li Xu looked through the alchemy book and said, "This type of medicinal herb can be replaced by the Soulheart Herb which is only slightly different."

"Soul-ceasing Herb – is this it?" A few stalks of medicinal herbs which were pitch-black appeared in Ye Chen's right hand.

When they saw the herbs in Ye Chen's hand, Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu stared at Ye Chen incredulously. The Flareful Sky Herb and Soul-ceasing Herb were both extremely rare. Xuan Pavilion had collected thousands of varieties of medicinal herbs but did not have these two types. As it happened, Ye Chen had them. It would be nothing much if he just happened to have one type but he had two. This was the question - was Ye Chen walking around with a treasure trove?

When Ye Chen noticed the expressions of Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu, he scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "It's just luck that I happened to have both of these herbs."

"Two stalks of these are enough too," Master Apothecary Xuanyi said and took the Soul-ceasing Herb.

"Eagleleaf Herb."

"I have it."

"Jadeflower Herb."

"I have it too."

"Red Yang Herb."

"Cough, cough, I have it as well…" Ye Chen spoke somewhat embarrassedly. In the space of his armguard, all of these herbs were there. Moreover, there was a huge pile of them. Conversely, the owner of the armguard had not collected any of those herbs that were less precious.

By now, Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu were speechless. As long as it was a material required to refine and produce the Purple-gold Divine Fish, Ye Chen had it. Although they were curious as to how many types of herbs Ye Chen had with him, they did not ask. Prying into other people's secrets was never a good thing.

In a moment, all the herbs were assembled. Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu began to deal with the fish and herbs. Refining and producing medicinal pills was a complicated process. Creating the herb mixture alone would take up dozens of hours. Thereafter, refining and producing the pills would take a few consecutive weeks.

Fortunately, they did not have to watch the refining furnace at all times. Provided that the heat control was appropriate, doing other things in the meantime was acceptable.

Ordinary alchemy methods would take a longer time whereas ancient alchemy methods could greatly reduce the required time. Initially, Ye Chen had wanted to prepare some of the fish to refine in the armguard's space. However, he changed his mind after some thought. Ye Chen was nothing more than a dabbling Apothecary and was probably not even comparable to a Beginner Apothecary. He was unable to refine and produce any high ranking medicinal pills. Instead, he could save some of the fish. When Ye Chen was more accomplished in ancient alchemy methods, he could then refine and produce the medicinal pills.

After two hours, Ye Chen's all-fish feast was ready. There was fish head soup made from the Purple-gold Divine Fish, braised Golden-armored Fish, stir-fried Red-winged Tadpole Fish, and so on. He had even made a pot of clear soup, in which the sliced fish could be dipped. There were more than ten dishes.

"The meal's ready. Master, Senior Brother Li, take a break and enjoy the all-fish feast I've prepared!" To prevent the gluttonous Little Wingsy from polishing off everything, Ye Chen placed the dishes into the armguard's space after he had made them. He only moved them out after everything was ready.

On the square table, more than ten dishes were set out. They smelled, looked, and tasted delicious, causing everyone to salivate.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu smelled the aroma from a distance, hesitated, and walked over.

"Master, Senior Brother Li, come and have a taste. If you miss out, you might not get to enjoy an all-fish feast like this in the future." Ye Chen laughed.

Little Tanuki leaped onto the table corner by Ye Chen's side, picked up a Red-winged Tadpole Fish, and started eating.

Ye Chen ladled out a huge bowl of Purple-gold Divine Fish soup for each person and started eating too. Little Wingsy was already unable to restrain himself. His head was lowered as he devoured the Golden-armored Fish he had caught. The bones of the fish were not removed. These fishes were World Spirit Creatures and their bones were very sharp and solid. Even Little Wingsy had to be careful not to be pierced by the bones as he carefully ate the fish. The fish were too tasty. In addition to Ye Chen's culinary skills, it was a worldly delicacy. Little Wingsy nearly swallowed his own tongue.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu exchanged a rueful smile. This all-fish feast – why, it was difficult to estimate its value based on just the Purple-gold Divine Fish fish head soup alone. Almost two catties of fish meat had been used for the braised Golden-armored Fish, and the rest such as the Red-winged Tadpole Fish, the Rainbow Fish, and the Gray-winged Tadpole Fish had used up nearly three or four catties as well. Goodness, even the royal family of the Central Empire would be reluctant to consume an all-fish feast like this.