As the sun beat down vertically on Luocheng, the Honglou Auction House finally opened its doors amidst countless gazes of anticipation. Several attendants stacked wooden crates one after another just inside the main entrance.
The contents of the crates could only be the Compendium of Materia Medica, without a doubt. The formation, which had been barely maintained, dissolved instantly as the crowd could no longer restrain themselves and surged forward. In an instant, the area outside the auction house became a crush of bodies, packed shoulder to shoulder, the air filled with a cacophony of shouts and curses, descending into chaos.
“Silence!”
The voice exploded outside the auction house like thunder, a vast aura pressing down everywhere.
Heavenly Spirit Realm!
Those still shoving and jostling shuddered to their core, looking up toward the second floor of the auction house in astonishment. They hadn't expected a Heavenly Spirit Realm powerhouse to be holding court inside.
In a flash, the noisy throng became eerily still.
“Everyone, if you wish to purchase the pharmacopoeia, you must queue up properly!” a Honglou attendant shouted loudly from within the room. However, his words clearly had little effect. The area outside the main gate was now densely packed with figures. People looked at each other, none willing to move their feet first.
“Whoosh!”
Just then, it seemed as if a gale roared out from within the auction house, pushing the crowd involuntarily back nearly a hundred meters. In mere moments, the area in front of the auction house became spacious again, the congested mass of people transformed into an unusually ‘slender’ line.
The figures within the line turned out to be the Spirit Masters who had arrived early to queue. Seeing this scene, those lingering behind finally extinguished any thoughts of cutting in line and obediently waited at the very back.
In the room on the second floor of the auction house, Huayou shook his head helplessly. “This Nie Kong, he slips away without a trace, yet leaves us here to look after things for him.”
“It will be over soon anyway; helping out for a bit is no trouble.”
Youli, standing beside him, smiled faintly. She and Huayou, along with other high-grade Apothecaries who had visited the Spirit Manor, had all received a complimentary copy of the Compendium of Materia Medica a quarter of an hour ago.
“I can’t believe Nie Kong actually managed it,” Huazhan murmured with infinite feeling, flipping through the thick volume in his hands. “Over fifteen thousand types of First-Rank herbs, more than eight thousand types of Second-Rank herbs, over four thousand types of Third-Rank herbs, two thousand five hundred types of Fourth-Rank herbs… one hundred and thirty-three types of Eighth-Rank herbs, thirty-six types of Ninth-Rank herbs—nearly forty thousand types of herbs in total… Every single herb recorded in this Compendium, Nie Kong has re-tasted, confirmed its pharmacology and properties, and supplemented the deficiencies…”
Youli sighed softly. “If it were up to us, it might take a century to complete. And Nie Kong’s treatise on the fundamentals of alchemy—it truly pierces to the core and opens the mind… Concepts like ‘Monarch, Minister, Assistant, Envoy’ are completely unheard of; I wonder how he conceived of them?”
“And these Ten Great Marvels…”
Huazhan opened to the first volume of the second section of the Compendium of Materia Medica. After just one glance, he exclaimed in surprise, “The Fluttering Jade Butterfly is only ranked third?”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Youli couldn't help but look surprised. She also turned to that section, only to see that in the list of the Ten Great Marvels on the first page, an herb named ‘Violet Haze Spirit Incense’ ranked first, followed by ‘Nostalgia Bloom,’ with the ‘Fluttering Jade Butterfly’ only in third place, and the ‘Dust Green Moon Illusion Heart Orchid’ fourth.
Huayou raised his white eyebrows slightly. “The Nostalgia Bloom should be that Flower Spirit named Taiyan who accompanies Nie Kong. Although the Elder doesn't know the pharmacology of her true form, being able to cultivate her power to the strength of a Spirit God, placing her ahead of the ‘Fluttering Jade Butterfly’ is well-deserved. I wonder what kind of herb the ‘Violet Haze Spirit Incense’ is, that it ranks first? Could it be even more potent than the ‘Nostalgia Bloom,’ which possesses Spirit God power?”
“…”
Youli remained silent, instead quickly flipping through the volume. She discovered that the marvels following the ‘Fluttering Jade Butterfly’ had detailed introductions, but for the ‘Violet Haze Spirit Incense’ and the ‘Nostalgia Bloom,’ there were no further words beyond their names regarding their origins, pharmacology, or properties.
Huayou quickly noticed this as well, and the two exchanged looks of mutual bewilderment…
“So many medicinal formulas!”
About a quarter of an hour later, within the imperial palace of the Cheng Kingdom, Cheng Feixing’s chest was filled with overwhelming shock. As soon as the announcement for the pharmacopoeia’s sale went out yesterday, he had immediately sent men to queue. After just receiving the Compendium of Materia Medica, Cheng Feixing’s first action was to flip to the index in the pharmacopoeia’s third section—it was entirely filled with names of various Spirit Medicines.
There were over five hundred types of First-Rank Spirit Medicines, three hundred and twenty types of Second-Rank, two hundred and forty types of Third-Rank…
“Red Float Pill!”
Upon seeing these three characters in the Sixth-Rank Spirit Medicine index, Cheng Feixing’s pupils contracted sharply. This was a Spirit Medicine secretly held by the Cheng Imperial Family. He swiftly located the corresponding volume to check the formula for the ‘Red Float Pill,’ only to see that none of the thirteen listed ingredients were incorrect.
What relieved Cheng Feixing slightly was that the dosages for two ingredients and the order of introduction for three ingredients did not match the formula that existed only in his mind.
It seemed his family’s formula had not been completely deciphered.
But when he saw the notes beneath the formula, his expression suddenly turned grim. The notes had actually written out the original formula for the ‘Red Float Pill,’ and moreover, they clearly and logically explained why the dosages were adjusted and why the order of introduction was changed.
It turned out that the decoded formula wasn’t wrong; it was that the original formula for the Red Float Pill was not perfectly optimal.
“This Nie Kong!”
Cheng Feixing sighed with a wry smile. When he first heard that the Compendium of Materia Medica recorded the formulas for all known Spirit Medicines on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, he hadn't fully believed it, but now he had no choice but to accept it. After a long pause, Cheng Feixing continued his perusal.
Thirty-three types of Seventh-Rank Spirit Medicines, nineteen types of Eighth-Rank!
Seeing the index of higher-ranked Spirit Medicines toward the end, Cheng Feixing finally felt a sense of balance.
The Immortal Slaying Sect’s ‘Nine Refinements Divine Incense,’ the Heaven and Earth Sect’s ‘Amber Golden Melon,’ the Moluo Holy Mountain’s ‘Heavenly Vault Sacred Water,’ the Spirit God Hall’s ‘Thunder Bone Powder,’ the Langya Sect’s ‘Sea Heart Divine Dew,’ the Spirit Guard City’s ‘Nirvana of Fire,’ Changchun Mountain’s ‘Purple Stamen Everlasting Elixir,’ the Shatu Imperial Family’s ‘Snow Velvet Pill’—
These were all secret medicines treasured by the major sects. Even Cheng Feixing had only heard of them, never seen the actual items, yet their formulas were all included in the Compendium of Materia Medica. This meant that in the future, any Apothecary with the capability could refine them.
“And four types of Ninth-Rank Spirit Medicines!”
Flipping to the end, Cheng Feixing couldn't help but gasp, sucking in a sharp breath. “This Nie Kong, he actually published the formula for the ‘As You Wish Fire Lotus’? Isn’t he afraid of others learning it?” The thought flashed through his mind, and then Cheng Feixing broke into a self-mocking laugh. In the current Heavenly Spirit Continent, perhaps only Nie Kong possessed the ability to refine Ninth-Rank Spirit Medicines; what did it matter if he made the formulas public?
Nearly half an hour later, Cheng Feixing closed the first volume of the Compendium of Materia Medica. Gazing at the vividly lifelike portrait of Nie Kong on the cover, he sighed softly, “Compendium of Materia Medica… Compendium of Materia Medica… This Compendium of Materia Medica is truly the sole sacred canon of the Dao of Alchemy on the Heavenly Spirit Continent! Nie Kong, perhaps before long, not only will all Apothecaries regard you as the ‘God of Alchemy,’ but the vast majority of Spirit Masters will also hold you in their hearts…”