Amidst the constant stream of good news returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan noticed some easily overlooked information: a significant number of Official Disciples were dying or becoming crippled.
On every mission, a few would die, and others would be left with debilitating injuries.
Buried under all the good news, these individuals didn't attract much attention. When it came to missions away from the Sect, most people only cared about the final result.
As for those who died or were maimed, they were easily ignored—not just by figures like Elders and Stewards, but by the other Official Disciples as well.
Or perhaps they knew but didn't care. These weren't just Sect missions; they were opportunities to grow stronger. Piles upon piles of Cultivation Resources naturally stirred one's fighting spirit. To become powerful, some sacrifices were considered worthwhile.
Besides, they reasoned, if they were careful enough, they wouldn't be the ones to die or get injured.
Therefore, when the Sect called for another assembly, many people still fought and scrambled to participate in the missions to besiege the traitorous forces.
Yang Chan, on the other hand, focused on accelerating his progress in the Pharmacist profession.
Through his relentless efforts, his Pharmacist profession finally advanced to Tier Two. He had also perfectly resolved the issue of conflicting Medicinal Properties he'd encountered while preparing the Qi Nourishing Soup.
On his panel, the Pharmacist entry under the "Profession" category had changed to "Tier Two Entry," and the number in his Potential Points column, which had started with a 1, was back to starting with a 0.
'The ancients were right,' he thought. 'Hard work really does pay off.'
A wealth of new information flooded Yang Chan's mind—knowledge related to Pharmacists, medicinal baths, medicinal cuisine, Physicians, and Alchemy. There was a tremendous amount of it.
It took Yang Chan some time to fully absorb all this information.
Still, learning made him happy.
'In the future, I can combine medicinal cuisine and medicinal baths, and add topical applications on top of that. I should be able to get even more Potential Points.'
Yang Chan had tried doubling the dosage of the same medicine before, but the Potential Points he received didn't double. Instead, it was only 1.5 times the original amount. Further increasing the dosage didn't get him to double the points; it only brought him infinitely closer to that two-fold mark.
However, using different medicines, especially with different application methods, had no such diminishing returns; their effects didn't interfere with each other.
That was why Yang Chan was thinking of using various methods to acquire Potential Points.
As for simply increasing the dosage, Yang Chan lamented that he didn't have enough silver coins. He'd need a rich sugar mommy to support him—one who could be gentle, sweet, cool, beautiful, fair-skinned, and fierce.
Inside the Cyan Yuan Sect, Yang Chan hadn't met such a top-tier wealthy patroness. He could only be frugal, maximizing the Potential Points he could get from the silver coins he had on hand.
Once the day came when he no longer had to worry about silver, then he would start doubling dosages without limit.
After reaching Tier Two as a Pharmacist, Yang Chan went to the Medicine Preparation Institute as usual. He checked the ingredients for the Bear Gallbladder Skin-Toughening Ointment and the Jade Essence Skin Refining Powder, mainly to see if any were missing and to check the stock levels.
He wasn't in a hurry to take the Pharmacist assessment. He planned to wait a bit longer. After all, his current abilities were already comparable to a Basic Level Pharmacist in the Medicine Hall, and perhaps even more comprehensive. With the initiative in his hands, he naturally felt more confident.
While inspecting the medicinal ingredients, Yang Chan ran into Li Junhao. The latter gave him a cold glance before leaving, clearly feeling threatened by Yang Chan and no longer bothering to even feign politeness.
'At least someone who wears their thoughts on their sleeve has a clear attitude,' Yang Chan thought. 'It's the ones who smile to your face but stab you in the back that you really need to watch out for.'
Xu Gaocen was, as usual, the last Pharmacist to arrive. After assigning tasks to Yang Chan and the others, he began preparing medicine. Today, however, he didn't leave after he was finished. Instead, he asked a question.
"If you mix one tael of Xue Jian, two taels of Jing Tian, three taels of Vincetoxicum paniculatum, two taels of Zi Xuan, and one tael of Paris, what will be the medicinal effect?"
After asking this question, Xu Gaocen looked at the five Pharmacist's Assistants beside him.
It was a test. Everyone understood.
There was a spot open for Pharmacist training, and as Pharmacist's Assistants, all five of them were qualified to receive it.
Xu Gaocen's question was his way of assessing their individual abilities before making his selection.
Li Junhao, Shu Yu, and the others listened but didn't answer immediately. They were all thinking, considering the various Medicinal Properties involved.
"Li Junhao, you go first,"
Xu Gaocen said, his gaze falling on Li Junhao.
Li Junhao had been with him the longest out of all the Pharmacist's Assistants, so Xu Gaocen naturally had high hopes for him.
"Vincetoxicum paniculatum and Paris are both used to neutralize snake venom. The amount of Vincetoxicum paniculatum is the largest, and it also has the best effect against snake venom. Therefore, I believe Vincetoxicum paniculatum is the main ingredient, and the purpose is to treat snakebites. The other herbs all have heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, making them supplementary ingredients."
"The final decoction would primarily be for neutralizing snake venom, while also having the ability to promote blood circulation."
Li Junhao said after a moment of thought.
Among these herbs, Vincetoxicum paniculatum and Jing Tian were relatively common and had many uses. The other three were used less frequently, but Li Junhao remembered all their Medicinal Properties, which allowed him to deduce this result.
"Shu Yu, you speak as well."
Xu Gaocen's expression didn't change, and he offered no evaluation. He turned to Shu Yu and asked her to speak.
"I believe that all five of these herbs have heat-clearing, detoxifying, and blood-circulating effects. When decocted in these proportions, the final result should primarily promote blood circulation, which would be beneficial for nourishing one's Power."
Shu Yu stated her own idea after hearing the question.
In truth, she was also leaning towards the snake venom antidote explanation. However, Li Junhao had spoken first. If she gave the same answer, even if she was also correct, the spot for the Pharmacist training would certainly not go to her.
Only a different answer, one that showed her own thinking, could make a strong impression. But after she finished speaking, she herself wasn't entirely sure if her answer was correct.
Xu Gaocen proceeded to question the other two assistants. Both had been Pharmacist's Assistants longer than Yang Chan, so they were questioned before him.
In this kind of questioning, the first person to answer usually has the biggest advantage. If they could provide a perfect answer, the others would have no chance.
But if the first person's answer was flawed, then the second and third people would have the greatest advantage, as they could build upon the previous answers and give a more impressive response.
This was the principle of standing on the shoulders of those who came before.
Conversely, the last person was at the biggest disadvantage, because the ones before them would have already given all the likely answers, leaving very little opportunity.
Yang Chan had been through group interviews like this before, so he naturally understood the pros and cons of the answering order.
The opportunity Xu Gaocen was giving was still biased towards those who had followed him the longest.
This was only human nature, and Yang Chan didn't mind.
But after hearing their answers, his expression turned a little strange. They had all given different answers, but none of them had grasped the main point.
'If they had just looked at the weather outside, they might have come up with a different answer.'
"Yang Chan, you speak as well."
After listening to the previous assistants, Xu Gaocen's expression remained unchanged as he posed the question once more.
"It's for relieving summer heat."
"It's too hot today. If you decoct these five herbs in these proportions, the soup would be very effective at reducing summer heat. It's just that it would be rather expensive."
"You'd get better value for your money from a pot of mung bean soup."
Yang Chan spoke, giving a new answer that made the expressions of the other assistants turn strange.