(Sorry, I’m not feeling well, so I took a break over the weekend.)

Chapter 345 [Get Luckier]

The Fierce Beast Race indeed has a tradition of rewarding warriors who have contributed to the tribe with Divine Tree Juice.

For instance, that girl from the Fierce Beast Race with the Wooden Bowl, she has Divine Tree Juice.

However, any Divine Tree Juice given as a gift is, without exception, diluted!

——Of course, that silly girl with the Wooden Bowl, after receiving it, diluted it again by herself.

Undiluted Divine Tree Juice, in the Domain Realm, has scarcely circulated!

Because it’s barely been seen outside!

Chen Yan and Gu Jinjia worked together to acquire the Divine Tree from the mountains of the Fierce Beast Race, and this happened not too long ago.

So, when Chen Yan nodded, admitting that the Divine Tree Juice in his hands should be undiluted essence...

Shi Lu almost popped his eyes out on the spot.

Then, Shi Lu asked Chen Yan a question: How did you "use" this Divine Tree Juice before?

Chen Yan didn’t hide anything and honestly confessed:

Just drank it!

At first, it felt too strong, so I diluted it with alcohol to mix a certain dilution ratio, and then... drank it, consuming a little each time...

After getting this answer...

Chen Yan clearly felt that Shi Lu, the first Alchemist of the Black Wood Tribe, potentially even the first Alchemist of the Ghost Race—considering that the Demon Race has never excelled in alchemy, this fat old man is likely the first Alchemist in the Southern Border!

In short, the old man’s gaze towards me, became strange!

Let’s put it this way, Chen Yan felt that if it weren’t for him being brought by the East Sea and explicitly told to Shi Lu, requiring him to serve me under the orders of the ancestors...

The old man’s gaze seemed eager to jump over and strangle me directly!!

The reason he didn’t act wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but... because the ancestral orders exist!

·

Shi Lu’s face flushed, breathing extremely rapidly, glaring at Chen Yan fiercely, glaring for a full minute!

Then, he took a deep breath, suppressing his voice, speaking slowly: "You know, the most wasteful person I’ve ever met in my life was when I was young, learning in my sect.

My teacher’s own son, at that time, got drunk and mistook an eight-hundred-year medicinal Dragon Heart Grass for a common Butterfly Pattern Grass, taking it to concoct a Blood Replenishing Pill for feeding pet beasts.

On that occasion, my teacher, who had a son in his old age and loved him dearly, spoiled his son intolerably, personally took a stick and broke his son’s two legs!"

The fat old man Shi Lu shook his head, his voice gritty: "That incident changed my fate. Originally, my teacher intended to concoct a great medicine, planning to let his son be his alchemy assistant.

But after breaking his son’s legs, he had no choice but to let me fill the vacancy and become his assistant. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

As a result, I became an Inner Sect Disciple and received the true teachings from the teacher—in the past, although the teacher appreciated my talent, he always disliked that I was from the Ghost Race, an outsider, always reluctant to teach me anything real, only using me as a handy Outer Disciple, a free laborer.

Therefore, that incident was the turning point of my life as well as the most absurd example of wasting good things I have encountered!"

Chen Yan broke out in a cold sweat: "Do you mean..."

"Compared to you, my teacher’s son can practically be considered a model of thrift!"

Chen Yan: "..."

Shi Lu spoke coldly, then without hesitation, demanded in the most unkind tone:

"Hand over all your Divine Tree Juice! Not a single drop should be left; give it all to me! I will refine the most suitable elixir for you!!

Such an excellent item in your hands for even another hour, I believe Heavenly Dao is blind!"

·

Chen Yan didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately taking out all his stored Divine Tree Juice.

Shi Lu is absolutely trustworthy, this fat old man is second to none as an Alchemist in the Ghost Race, he’s utterly loyal to the Ghost Race, and even more devout to the elder of the Ghost Race, his own grandmother!

The day before the East Sea left, he had told Chen Yan about Shi Lu and Golden Saber’s background.

This master Shi Lu was a rare alchemical genius within the Ghost Race from a young age, born with a very keen affinity and recognition ability for various spiritual plants.

The Ghost Race’s own alchemy techniques differ greatly from the mainstream alchemy techniques of the Domain Realm, mainly because the Ghost Race’s territory is confined to the mountains of the Southern Border, where the plant species are numerous, but many differ from the common spiritual medicines elsewhere in the Domain Realm, thus the types, cultivation, medicinal properties, and pharmaceutical methods all differ significantly from external alchemy techniques.

Mr. Shi Lu had already made a name for himself within the Ghost Race when he was young, yet he wasn’t the type of person with a narrow vision. He keenly realized that although the Ghost Race’s own medicine path was unique, it was also severely limited, being self-contained yet stagnating.

Thus, Shi Lu abandoned the privileged treatment as a young genius within the Ghost Race, chose anonymity, and set off to travel the Domain Realm to study the mainstream alchemy techniques worldwide. He successively served under several sects or families specializing in elixir techniques, working as an apprentice cultivating spiritual medicines, and as a hired lower-level alchemist.

After more than ten years of going back and forth, ultimately due to his outstanding talent and unique insights into cultivating spiritual plants, he moved an alchemy master, was taken under their wing, and spent eight years under their tutelage, finally shining through, and eventually becoming one of that master’s Inner Sect Disciples, receiving true teachings.