The Alchemy Lecture
The cleanup after the battle proceeded at a startling pace. This was because there was not a single ordinary person present—every last one of them was a cultivator.
Each individual handled the work of heavy machinery or more when clearing debris, all while maintaining excellent mobility and the ability to treat the injured. Trivial tasks like cleaning were finished with nothing more than a wave of the hand.
In a world swarming with people like this, it’s no wonder civilization stagnates.
Han Yujin hadn’t given it any particular deep thought, yet the realization came to him naturally.
If one could accomplish most tasks that felt difficult in modern Earth society simply by cultivating their personal abilities, who would bother toiling away to develop technology for the masses, distribute it, and build infrastructure?
It would be far more rewarding and beneficial to spend that time training, achieving the same capabilities, and extending one’s lifespan, wouldn’t it?
Moreover, it was only natural for those with superior abilities to rule. Who could possibly reform the social structure against that iron law of nature?
Even if some eccentric tried, the chances were extremely high that they would be obstructed by stronger individuals, have their gains stolen, or be suppressed outright.
In a world like this, the only fields of civilization that could develop would be those related to cultivation.
And that didn’t seem like much of a problem.
Earth might be more comfortable to live in, but when it came to raw combat power for survival, it could not even be compared to the cultivation world.
Perhaps Earth itself is the very model of a castle built on sand.
By comparison, Earth’s history was quite short next to this cultivation world. Who knew what changes might occur after thousands or tens of thousands of years had passed?
While entertaining these thoughts, Han Yujin moved busily both to avoid drawing attention and to gauge the atmosphere of Heaven Origin City.
While the other cultivators were bloodshot-eyed, frantically looting valuables such as spirit stones from the corpses of their fallen comrades, he was frantic to gather every scrap of information he could.
“They say the central restriction is completely down.”
“Then what about my contribution points?”
“They told me exchanges for spirit pills or technique manuals will be impossible for at least a week.”
“Damn it, I was going to trade for an Ascension Pill…!”
Many were grumbling in exactly this way. Han Yujin immediately guessed the nature of this so-called central restriction.
It appeared to function as a kind of central information processing system. He wasn’t certain whether it had defensive roles as well, but it was clearly a vital mechanism that verified each cultivator’s identity and contributions in order to operate the reward system.
Only after examining the jade plaque hanging at his waist more closely did he realize it was not a simple token but a type of dharma artifact.
That was close.
He tried activating it in various ways, but as expected, the central restriction being down meant there was no response at all. The jade plaque was merely a terminal; on its own, it clearly could not exert any effect.
As Han Yujin verified his hypothesis once more with his transcendent comprehension, a nearby conversation suddenly made his eyes sharpen with interest.
“I heard there’s an open lecture on array techniques?”
“Ah, that news. They say not only array techniques but all four refinement arts will be opened.”
“Compensation for the suspended contribution point exchanges, I suppose?”
“Most likely.”
“Is there anything on dharma techniques?”
“I’m not sure about that…”
The refinement arts referred to the four disciplines considered the pinnacles of cultivation techniques: array techniques, pill refinement, artifact crafting, and talisman creation.
This is my chance!
At a time when verifying identity and contributions had become difficult, open lectures on the refinement arts were being offered to everyone. It was so perfectly timed that he almost wondered if it was truly acceptable to receive such an easy opportunity.
Yet thinking about it another way, nothing could have aligned better with his own desires. It seemed his awakening ability had performed its role perfectly.
I wonder how helpful it will actually be?
Possessing transcendent comprehension, he suspected it might prove less useful than expected, but there would surely be things worth learning. Even acquiring a single new dharma text would be an absolute gain.
With his heart pounding, Han Yujin continued helping organize the battlefield. Naturally, he never stopped eavesdropping on the surrounding cultivators’ conversations or observing the situation.
It felt as though he would be visiting this world many times in the future.
Han Yujin chose a suitably secluded location and safely passed the night.
He had worried that identity-related problems might arise, but with the central restriction disabled, the entire city of Heaven Origin was in a state of chaos. No one paid him any attention.
When dawn arrived.
Just as the rumors claimed, the open lectures on the refinement arts began. Since all four were personally conducted by Core Formation cultivators, they were unlikely to be of poor quality.
The only issue was that the lectures were held almost simultaneously. Every cultivator interested in attending had to choose only one.
Is that only natural…?
All four were notorious for being among the most difficult even among cultivation techniques. With barely enough time to train as it was, who would have the excess lifespan to learn all four? It would already be overwhelming to merely skim the surface of one.
Perhaps even Han Yujin would ultimately have to select one and focus on it intensively.
For that reason, after some deliberation, he ultimately chose pill refinement and headed toward the western plaza where that lecture was being held.
He selected pill refinement because it was the scholarly discipline most closely tied to his own cultivation. Additionally, among the information he had gathered the previous day, there had been a rumor that this particular pill refinement lecture would be highly practical, which drew his interest.
The scale of Heaven Origin City was so vast it seemed as if giants had built it. To reach the western plaza, he had to unleash his wind-riding technique at full power and run for a considerable time.
Along the way, he witnessed quite a few Dharma Soul stage cultivators flying by stepping on clouds or flying swords. Han Yujin suddenly found his own situation on Earth—being treated as a reserve A-rank hunter—rather comical.
By the time he reached the western plaza, a substantial crowd had already gathered. And as if the timing were perfect, he saw someone ascending the platform prepared on one side.
When he activated his spiritual eye technique, he saw it was a very young and beautiful woman. Her aura was so lofty that the term “immortal” could not have suited her better.
Get a grip, Han Yujin. That’s a Core Formation monster.
As he thought this, a pleasant, clear voice gently resonated throughout the plaza. It was not loud, yet it was a strange sound that everyone could hear—clearly a dharma technique.
Strictly speaking, the one giving and bestowing the lecture was this Core Formation female cultivator, but the greeting carried the mindset that if one was going to lecture, the greatest number of people possible should listen.
With those concise words, the lecture began immediately. When she announced that today she would go over the basics of pill refinement, Han Yujin felt rather pleased.
Having read every book related to pill refinement obtained from the Five Elements Sect ruins at least once, the content lectured by the Core Formation cultivator on the platform was not entirely unfamiliar.
Moreover, true to her realm, she used the empty air like a massive blackboard—no, far more diversely and usefully than any ordinary blackboard—and conducted the lecture.
It was as if she were presenting extremely meticulously crafted visual materials.
Thanks to this, Han Yujin’s comprehension encountered no obstacles. Furthermore, he was able to obtain far more detailed and accurate knowledge than he could have from simply reading books.
The thought that it might not be helpful had been pure delusion. In this very moment, he realized with vivid clarity that his transcendent comprehension was by no means perfect.
It was not imperfect in its capacity to comprehend, but rather that there were far more aspects that could not be grasped simply by understanding what was placed before his eyes than he had imagined.
To give an example, it was similar to understanding a mathematical formula.
Even if one could accurately calculate a formula according to its symbols, if one did not know why the formula existed, how it had been derived, or in what situations it could be creatively applied, one could not be said to have truly mastered it.
So this is why a master is important.
In the long history of the cultivation world, there must have been many geniuses whose comprehension rivaled or surpassed his own. Yet none of those geniuses would have dared walk the path of cultivation through self-study alone.
He became utterly absorbed in the lecture.
She had clearly stated that today she would simply go over the basics, yet a great deal of knowledge that hardly felt basic at all was being presented.
It did not seem that a Core Formation cultivator was unskilled at teaching; rather, the refinement arts were so difficult that explanations of this level were apparently considered foundational.
And from his impression, the content of this lecture seemed far superior to the pill refinement knowledge he had obtained from the Five Elements Sect ruins.
This truly is an incredible opportunity.
He almost felt ecstasy.
It was true that his transcendent comprehension was not perfect, but when it came to understanding the information presented before him, the term “transcendent” was no exaggeration. Thus, despite the lecture’s difficulty, he was able to keep up without falling behind in the slightest.
On the other hand, many of the Initiation stage cultivators present could not do the same.
From a certain point onward, most had glazed eyes and blank expressions. It was obvious that none of the lecture was entering their ears and that all sorts of random thoughts were running wild inside their heads.
They seemed to have believed the rumor that this lecture would be highly practical.
Or perhaps it means that without understanding content at this level, one cannot learn any practical techniques at all.
Considering that the characteristic of pill refinement was that its products were consumed to enjoy their benefits, a solid foundation was certainly necessary to eliminate the risk of harming oneself.
Han Yujin shook his head slightly to dispel such thoughts and focused even more intently on the lecture.
It was the fourth day since the lecture had begun.
Fortunately, Han Yujin was able to continue spending time in Heaven Origin City without any problems. He did not know how the situation would change once the central restriction was restored in a few more days, but for now it was very peaceful.
However, the situation with the pill refinement lecture was far from peaceful.
The large crowd from the first day had vanished somewhere; less than a quarter of the original number remained, which seemed to slightly discourage the Core Formation female cultivator giving the lecture.
The greeting about how their large attendance on the first day had done her reputation credit might now feel rather embarrassing.
On the other hand, although Han Yujin had not checked personally, he heard that the talisman creation lecture was growing more popular by the day and was extremely well-attended.
That was only natural. The material costs were low, there was little risk of serious harm to the cultivator even if the product failed, and the successful results could be used practically.
That was also why talisman creation had been counted among the refinement arts in the first place.
Regardless, today as well the Core Formation female immortal ascended the platform for the pill refinement lecture. Unlike the first day, Han Yujin was able to sit close to the platform.
It was a topic that immediately caught his interest.
Recovery spirit pills went beyond simply restoring the body’s condition; they could also partially restore the soul’s state, thereby increasing combat endurance.
At that moment, suddenly.
The Core Formation female immortal’s gaze turned directly toward Han Yujin, who sat close to the platform. It was not a casual glance made while lecturing, but one clearly filled with interest.
Only then did Han Yujin realize that he was the only Initiation stage cultivator present in this pill refinement lecture plaza.