119: Different rewards from Chuan Gong Tang (7000 words chapter

Thinking about Li Xinghe and Liu Jian's affairs along the way, Mo Fan soon arrived at the Outer Sect Pill Dao Hall.

After making some inquiries, he found the person in charge of the pill room and directly stated his purpose:

"I am proficient in refining low-grade Medicinal Pills and would like to take on pill refining missions."

Generally speaking, there are two ways to make money through Alchemy:

1. Purchase Materials to refine pills and sell them yourself.

2. Go to the Pill Dao Hall to accept Alchemy commissions; the Materials are provided by the Alchemy Hall, and the refined pills are bought back by the Alchemy Hall, earning a commission.

Mo Fan thought about it carefully.

With the first method, although the refined pills can be sold for a relatively high price...

...collecting Materials and selling them both require a lot of time.

With the second method, although the refined pills aren't as valuable, the advantage is that there's no need to collect Materials or sell them yourself, saving a lot of time.

As long as the refining speed is fast enough, the second method can earn more than the first in the same amount of time.

Mo Fan had calculated it carefully; the second method was more suitable for him.

He had great talent, high Comprehension Ability, fast refining speed, and a high success rate, allowing him to earn a significant commission in a day.

Furthermore, the buyback price offered by the Pill Dao Hall was quite fair and not much lower than the market price. It followed a high-volume, low-margin model, which was perfect for a "multitasking monster" like Mo Fan.

Of course, this was also a way for the academy to support its "Alchemists."

Mo Fan estimated that if he bought the Materials himself, it would waste a lot of time and wouldn't be worth the effort.

Even so, it was better to just accept commissions from the Alchemy Hall.

With his current strength, excluding time for sleeping and eating, he could refine six batches of Grade One pills a day.

Calculating based on the common yield of six pills per batch, he could earn about 30 Spirit Stones a day. Refining like crazy for a month would yield 900 Spirit Stones!

900 Spirit Stones! Two months of refining would almost equal the price of a fire spirit fruit!

The speed at which an Alchemist makes money is truly ridiculous!

If he chose to refine Grade Two pills, he could only produce one batch a day, also yielding six pills.

According to the price given by the Alchemy Hall, one batch of Grade Two pills was worth about 20 Spirit Stones.

One batch a day meant thirty batches a month, for a net profit of 600!

As for Grade Three pills, the refining process was somewhat complex and took relatively more time; it would take Mo Fan about ten days to refine one batch.

According to the price given by the Alchemy Hall, the price for a batch of Grade Three pills was around 100 Spirit Stones.

One batch every ten days meant three batches a month, earning a total of 300 Spirit Stones!

Yes, a careful calculation revealed that refining Grade One pills was actually more profitable.

Of course, this was based on Mo Fan's current skill level and the calculated success rate for various pills.

If it were Li Xinghe, it would naturally be most cost-effective to refine Grade Three pills directly.

After all, although Mo Fan was proficient in refining low-grade pills...

...his speed for Grade Two and Grade Three wasn't as fast as Grade One, and his success rate wasn't 100% like it was for Grade One.

This situation was partly due to the short time he had been studying the Pill Dao.

Secondly, it was also related to his cultivation level.

In short, this plan was the most suitable for Mo Fan.

For someone else, the situation would naturally be different.

Especially for those Disciples whose skills weren't proficient enough and whose success rates were too low.

Alchemy would not only fail to make money but would actually lead to losses.

"You want to take on Alchemy missions?" The pill room Manager looked at the unfamiliar face before him with a strange expression.

"Yes, I want to take on Alchemy missions. Do you have any needs lately?" Mo Fan said with a smile.

"There's always a demand. After all, Yuxu Academy's Medicinal Pills sell well globally; demand exceeds supply, so no matter how many we have, it's never enough."

The Manager smiled, took a serious look at Mo Fan, and reminded him:

"You can take on missions, but I have to warn you first."

"If the refining fails, you have to pay the full cost of the Materials yourself. If the success rate is too low, you won't just fail to make money; you might even lose money."

Since he was a new face, he likely heard that Alchemy was profitable and had studied the Pill Dao informally for a few years, wanting to start practicing and dreaming of getting rich overnight.

Liu Ye felt it was better to give a warning to avoid a situation where he lost money and had nowhere to cry.

"I am confident in my skills," Mo Fan said seriously.

"In that case, follow me. We need to sign a contract first."

Saying this, the Manager Liu Ye walked toward a nearby room.

Mo Fan followed.

"For the payment method, do you want merit points or Spirit Stones? Of course, if you prefer cash, that's fine too."

The Manager took out a custom contract and asked Mo Fan with a smile.

"Spirit Stones. Just pay in Spirit Stones."

As if suddenly thinking of something, Mo Fan added at the end:

"If I don't produce any pills, or if the pills produced aren't enough to cover the material costs, can I pay with cash or merit points?"

"Of course," the Manager nodded.

"Then I'm relieved," Mo Fan smiled.

"You're quite practical, thinking about losses before you even start refining."

Manager Liu Ye also laughed, finding the young man before him quite interesting.

Scribble, scribble, scribble. The Manager wrote on the contract and handed it to Mo Fan:

"Take a look at the contract. If there are no issues, just sign it."

"Of course, if there are problems, you can raise them; some of the terms are negotiable."

Mo Fan quickly scanned the contract and asked directly, "Is the commission ratio negotiable?"

Hearing this, the Manager teased:

"If you were a relatively famous Alchemist, the commission ratio could be appropriately increased by ten or twenty percent for you."

Mo Fan laughed awkwardly. "Uh, forget I asked."

After glancing over the contents of the contract and finding no issues, Mo Fan quickly signed his name.

The contract was in duplicate.

Mo Fan kept one copy.

The Pill Dao Hall kept the other.

After stamping it with the official seal, the Manager reminded Mo Fan of some details in depth before finally leading him to the warehouse.

"Are you sure you want to purchase Materials for only Grade One Qi-Replenishing Pills? And 50 sets all at once?"

Looking at Mo Fan's shopping list, the Manager's face darkened slightly.

To say this guy lacked self-awareness, he did indeed choose Grade One pills, showing a clear understanding of his own level.

But to say he had self-awareness, he wanted to order fifty sets on his first try.

A normal person wouldn't be able to finish refining fifty sets of Qi-Replenishing Pill Materials in one or two months; some Materials would probably expire by then... Was this guy joking?

"Uh, is 50 sets not allowed?" Mo Fan frowned slightly.

50 sets were only about ten days' worth by his estimation.

After all, running back and forth all the time was a waste of time.

It was better to get more Materials at once.

The Manager shook his head and said:

"It's not that it's not allowed, but if you take so many Materials at once, you need to pay a deposit."

"How much?" Mo Fan asked curiously.

"Although the Pill Dao Hall isn't afraid of you running off with the Materials, the proper procedures must still be followed. For 50 sets of Materials, you need to pay 80 Spirit Stones as a deposit."

"Of course, it will be refunded to you later, or directly applied to the rewards for the recycled pills."

"80 Spirit Stones?" Mo Fan thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

"Alright, 80 it is."

He still had 100 spare Spirit Stones on hand.

Taking out 80 wasn't a big deal.

Seeing Mo Fan agree, the Manager nodded and said:

"Since you insist, I won't say anything more."

"By the way, do you need to rent an Alchemy Room?"

"Our Pill Dao Hall's Alchemy Rooms have a beautiful environment and include all kinds of Alchemy equipment. It's only 6 Spirit Stones a month."

"Of course, if your production of Spirit Stones reaches a certain amount, the rent can be waived."

"How much production is needed for the rent to be waived?" Sensing a key point, Mo Fan asked directly.

"For an average Alchemist, someone like you refining only Qi-Replenishing Pills would need to produce ten batches a month to have the rent waived."

"To be honest, that's quite a large amount."

With ten batches a month, the Pill Dao Hall would make a net profit of several dozen Spirit Stones, so waiving a little rent was naturally nothing.

"Alright, I'll rent one then." Mo Fan nodded with a smile.

This was already within his budget.

After all, he didn't have any Alchemy equipment.

Buying new Alchemy equipment would be another large expense.

Getting things for free is the way to go; since the Pill Dao Hall had it and could even waive the deposit, why buy his own?

"Alright, let me check the available Alchemy Rooms for you."

"Oh, perfect. Alchemy Room 038 just became available yesterday."

"This one faces the sun and has great lighting; usually, you have to pay extra to rent it. Seeing as you're buying so many Materials at once, how about I rent it to you for 6 Spirit Stones a month?"

"That works, thank you." Mo Fan nodded with a smile.

A few Spirit Stones didn't matter; they would be returned in the end anyway.

"Good, then I'll arrange for someone to deliver the Materials to Alchemy Room 038. Here is the key; you can head over now."

...After five minutes, Mo Fan found Alchemy Room 038.

The environment was indeed good—bright and spacious, with a large floor-to-ceiling window offering a direct view toward Sunset Glow Peak and Rising Sun Peak.

This way, he could see the wonders of Yuxu Academy both morning and night.

"Not bad. Facing Rising Sun Peak directly, the morning purple Qi might be more abundant, and the speed of cultivating the Golden Body Art might even increase."

Mo Fan smiled and carefully examined the so-called Alchemy Room.

The equipment was indeed complete.

Drying tables, refrigerators, grinders, extractors, distillers, centrifuges, super heaters, various crucibles engraved with rune markings, temperature-controlled boxes, bottles and jars of all sizes, traditional pill furnaces—everything was there.

Mo Fan had learned how to use various instruments from Li Xinghe's books.

What he lacked was practical experience.

Of course, for a true Genius, operational experience was something that came naturally.

He could basically master it just by glancing at the manuals.

After carefully reading the operating instructions for the various machines and visualizing their use in his mind, Mo Fan waited patiently.

Before long, staff from the Pill Dao Hall walked in pushing a large cart loaded with bags, packages, bottles, and jars of all sizes.

"Are you Junior Brother Mo?"

"That's me," Mo Fan replied.

"Here are your fifty sets of Materials for refining Qi-Replenishing Pills. Please check them to see if anything is missing," the staff member said politely.

"Alright, let me see." Mo Fan checked them carefully against the list.

"Good, nothing is missing. Thank you for your hard work," Mo Fan said with a smile.

"That's good. Since there are no errors, we'll head back now."

"By the way, Junior Brother, if you encounter any trouble during the Alchemy process, you can come to the Pill Dao Hall service center and consult with the two of us brothers."

"Thank you. Take care, Senior Brothers." Mo Fan politely cupped his hands and saw them out.

"You're too polite, Junior Brother. No need to see us out; hurry back to your Alchemy." The two staff members were somewhat flustered.

This was a big shot who ordered fifty sets of Materials at once!

Either he was incredibly rich...

...or he was incredibly confident in his Alchemy skills.

Either way, he was someone worth befriending and leaving a good impression on.

Who knows, such a good connection might come in handy one day.

"Alright then, I won't see you out. Safe travels, Senior Brothers." Mo Fan waved and bid farewell to the two staff members.

He turned back to the Alchemy Room and unloaded the various Materials, refrigerating what needed to be cold, sun-drying what needed the sun, and air-drying what needed air.

By the time everything was handled, it was already late morning.

Mo Fan went home to get some food and grabbed some daily necessities.

This was going to be a long-drawn-out battle.

He decided to live in the Alchemy Room for the next month and not come out until he had earned enough Spirit Stones!

However, just as Mo Fan finished eating, he received a call from Grandpa Qin.

"Mo Fan, I have good news for you. Your instructional videos passed; both the Vajra Fist and the Innate Art passed!"

Grandpa Qin's voice was a bit excited. He clearly hadn't expected that someone like Mo Fan, who had only studied the Vajra Fist and the Innate Art for two months...

...would actually have his instructional videos pass the review and be selected as the instructional videos for this year.

What was even more ridiculous was that both were selected at the same time!

He was simply not human!

You should know that besides Mo Fan, the others selected were individuals who had worked deeply on a certain Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill for over a decade, or even twenty or thirty years; it was their livelihood.

Furthermore, most of the selected Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills were actually recorded by Inner Sect Disciples.

Only a very small portion were recorded by Outer Sect Disciples themselves.

After all, entering the Inner Sect allows one to learn the more profound chapters of the corresponding Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills.

After comprehending more profound chapters and seeing higher peaks, teaching relatively simple chapters naturally becomes more effortless.

Therefore, the task of recording Cultivation Technique teaching videos for the Scripture Hall is generally completed by Inner Sect Disciples.

Mo Fan, on the other hand, was chosen after learning for only two months!

Such Comprehension Ability and teaching quality were terrifying!

"It passed?" Mo Fan was delighted. "Doesn't that mean I can collect my reward?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I contacted you for this very reason. If you have time, come to the Scripture Hall as soon as possible to finalize the reward scheme."

"Reward scheme?" Mo Fan wondered.

"Yes, the reward scheme. We'll talk about the specifics when we meet. When will you have time?"

After thinking for a moment, Mo Fan replied immediately, "I have time now. How about I head over there right away?"

Alchemy wasn't urgent at this moment.

He would go see what was happening at the Scripture Hall first.

Maybe he could collect a large batch of Spirit Stones.

"Good, then come over quickly. This old man will wait for you."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

Hanging up the phone, Mo Fan pushed open the door and headed straight for the Scripture Hall.

Before long, Mo Fan arrived at the Scripture Hall and saw Grandpa Qin.

As soon as Grandpa Qin saw Mo Fan appear, he immediately became excited again.

"Holy crap! You kid are amazing! You actually got chosen! Your teaching video is truly incredible! Who knows how many Geniuses you've defeated!"

"It's alright, I just put my heart into it during the recording. I was leaving early and returning late those two days, almost living in the Scripture Hall," Mo Fan said modestly with a smile.

"You still don't realize how outstanding you are." Grandpa Qin shook his head and said no more.

Of those who dared to record videos, which one wasn't a top-tier Genius?

Only a greenhorn like Mo Fan would dare to come and record a teaching video after only learning for two months.

Of course, at that time, Grandpa Qin had only given him the opportunity because he saw his amazing Comprehension Ability.

He hadn't expected that the Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill recorded by this kid would actually be chosen!

Regardless.

Being able to stand out from so many Geniuses showed just how outstanding Mo Fan was.

"About the reward..."

Seeing Grandpa Qin staring at him without mentioning the reward, Mo Fan couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Oh right, the reward!"

Grandpa Qin slapped his head and said quickly:

"It's like this. There are two modes for the reward. One is a direct buyout by the Scripture Hall with merit points."

"The second is to sign a Profit-Sharing Agreement. In the future, however many merit points your teaching video earns, you will be given a share after a fifty-fifty split with the Scripture Hall."

"I see..." Mo Fan was thoughtful.

He hadn't expected there to be a profit-sharing mode.

He had thought that after the teaching video was chosen, they would just give him some merit points and be done with it.

But on second thought, he could understand.

After all, exchanging for a Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill required quite a lot of merit points.

And if the Martial Skill was popular, or if the teaching video was particularly well-received, the number of people exchanging for it would not be small.

This way, the Scripture Hall could obtain a large amount of merit points.

If there were only a buyout option and the teaching video became a hit, it would inevitably be somewhat unfair to the video recorder.

This would be somewhat detrimental to improving the quality of the teaching video recordings.

If they couldn't get much benefit, those Disciples with deep insights into the Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill wouldn't waste time recording.

If there were no profit-sharing mode.

Those Genius Inner Sect Disciples wouldn't bother coming to the Outer Sect to record teaching videos for such a small reward.

Only high returns could make those Genius Disciples compete with each other, leading to better and better quality teaching videos.

Thinking of this, Mo Fan looked at Grandpa Qin and asked the key question: "How many Spirit Stones for the buyout? And what are the specifics of the profit-sharing?"

After pondering for a moment, Grandpa Qin organized his words and said unhurriedly:

"For a buyout, since Vajra Fist and Innate Art are first-class Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills, each is worth 600 Spirit Stones, so 1,200 Spirit Stones for both."

Hearing this, Mo Fan was stunned.

This meant that as long as he signed the Buyout Agreement now, he could immediately obtain 1,200 Spirit Stones.

1,200 Spirit Stones was not a small amount; it was enough for an ordinary Utility Disciple to work for 1,200 months.

But Mo Fan was no longer that simple Utility Disciple he once was.

Having seen the world, he wasn't blinded or unsettled by these 1,200 Spirit Stones.

He took a slight breath and asked, "Then how exactly is the profit-sharing calculated?"

Grandpa Qin smiled and continued:

"The profit-sharing is simple. The exchange prices for Innate Art and Vajra Fist are the same; both require 24,000 merit points, which translates to 240 Spirit Stones."

Mo Fan nodded.

After all, they were first-class Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills, so a higher price was justifiable.

Actually, this was already a fair price.

Ordinary Outer Sect Disciples could also exchange for first-class Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills if they saved up for a longer time.

Of course, the premise was that they could comprehend them.

Pausing for a moment, Grandpa Qin continued:

"If a Disciple exchanges for your recorded Innate Art or Vajra Fist teaching video."

"Then according to the agreement, you can get half of the merit points, which is 12,000 merit points, equivalent to 120 Spirit Stones."

"Of course, those like you who use free permissions to exchange for Cultivation Techniques or Martial Skills don't count."

"The profit-sharing rewards are accumulated and settled once a month, on the 1st of every month."

"At that time, you can choose merit points."

"You can also request our Scripture Hall to pay you directly in Spirit Stones."

"Of course, a mix is also fine, depending on your own needs."

After speaking, Grandpa Qin looked at Mo Fan with a smile, as if saying: Start dreaming, young man!

"If one person learns from my teaching video, I can earn 120 Spirit Stones?"

"If a hundred people learn it, wouldn't I earn 12,000 Spirit Stones?"

Holy crap, 12,000 Spirit Stones!

This is truly making a fortune!

Mo Fan had never even dreamed of so many Spirit Stones!

"Wake up, what are you thinking? How could a hundred people possibly learn your Innate Art and Vajra Fist?"

Grandpa Qin ruthlessly pulled Mo Fan back to reality from his fantasy.

"Uh, is it impossible?" Mo Fan was puzzled.

"Of course it's impossible. Both Innate Art and Vajra Fist are first-class Martial Skills."

Grandpa Qin stared. He decided to shatter Mo Fan's fantasy and said quickly:

"The Comprehension Ability of Outer Sect Disciples is just so-so. How many people can comprehend a first-class Martial Skill?"

"Forget a hundred people; even ten would be difficult!"

Hearing this, Mo Fan immediately said:

"Ten people are enough. Ten for each, that's twenty people in total. I can get 2,400 Spirit Stones, much more than the buyout."

Hearing this, Grandpa Qin rolled his eyes and explained patiently:

"You're thinking too highly of it. In reality, the teaching video authorization period is only one year, and it will be re-evaluated after a year."

"According to statistics, last year, including your free one, only 8 Disciples in total chose Innate Art and Vajra Fist."

Hearing this, Mo Fan was stunned:

"Only 8 people including my free one? Doesn't that mean I can only earn 740 Spirit Stones?"

"That's right, you can only earn 740 Spirit Stones."

"Alas, such is reality. In the Outer Sect, it's actually harder to make money from teaching videos of high-end Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills."

"Because they are expensive and difficult to learn, too few people meet the requirements."

"On the contrary, teaching videos for those low-to-mid-end Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills sell like hotcakes. Those who choose profit-sharing can earn a lot of Spirit Stones in a year."

Grandpa Qin shook his head and said earnestly: "Mo Fan, as someone who has been through it, I suggest you choose the buyout. At least you can get 1,200 Spirit Stones all at once."

"1,200 Spirit Stones is a lot, enough for you to Cultivate recklessly for a year or two."

Mo Fan: "..."

Heh, a year or two?

A mere 1,200 Spirit Stones is barely enough for one attribute point allocation... Mo Fan looked at the sky speechlessly.

I'm really a spendthrift... Taking a deep breath, Mo Fan immediately made a decision: "I still want to choose profit-sharing."

"Uh—" Grandpa Qin was stunned and only came to his senses after a long while.

So after everything I said, it was all for nothing?

But since this kid insisted, he couldn't say more.

"Fine, which method to choose is entirely up to you. If you've made up your mind, just sign here."

As he spoke, Grandpa Qin took out an agreement.

Mo Fan glanced at it briefly, and after finding no issues, he picked up a pen to sign.

Seeing this, Grandpa Qin hurriedly said, "Won't you reconsider? After all, it's not a small amount."

Mo Fan shook his head and signed directly.

Even if this year was the same as last year, with only eight or nine people exchanging for Vajra Fist and Innate Art, he could still earn seven or eight hundred Spirit Stones.

It wasn't too far from the 1,200 Spirit Stones of the buyout.

In that case, why not take a gamble?

What if the number of people learning Vajra Fist and Innate Art suddenly increased this year?

He wouldn't lose much anyway.

After being able to earn Spirit Stones through Alchemy, Mo Fan didn't care about these few hundred Spirit Stones anymore.

With a few strokes, Mo Fan neatly wrote down his name.

The agreement was in duplicate.

As soon as the signature was completed, a burst of brilliant light erupted, and rune markings appeared faintly on the surface.

In fact, various written agreements of the Yuxu Academy were inscribed with special rune markings.

These runes mirrored the Mountain Protection Magic Array.

If someone used secret methods to change or destroy anything, they would suffer a backlash from the Mountain Protection Magic Array.

After signing the agreement, Mo Fan left the Scripture Hall with his copy.

He went home to get some luggage and then came straight to the Alchemy Room.

"Start secluded Alchemy to make a fortune!"

...This seclusion.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these twenty days, Mo Fan replenished his stock once and practiced Alchemy day and night.

Except for occasionally taking the time to go to the Sword Pavilion to check on Xu Jing, he stayed in the Alchemy Room practicing Alchemy.

What was gratifying was that his success rate indeed reached 100%.

Over the twenty days, he didn't make a single mistake. Every furnace successfully produced Medicinal Pills, and the quality was very good.

During this period, Mo Yingying came twice. Seeing Mo Fan absorbed in Alchemy and not talking to her, she left contentedly without disturbing him.

The last time she came, she seemed to suddenly think of something and couldn't help but feel puzzled:

"When did Dad learn Alchemy? In my memory, he has never practiced it."

"Because of my arrival, the development trajectory of this timeline is indeed a bit different... Just in case, I should see if I need to prepare some backup plans—"

Finally, Mo Yingying left the Outer Sect Pill Dao Hall with a heavy expression.

And through these twenty days of hard work, Mo Fan had also accumulated 600 Spirit Stones.

Furthermore, the deposit and rent money were all refunded.

When delivering the goods, Mo Fan almost scared the Manager to death.

Every single portion of Materials had been successfully refined into Medicinal Pills!

He had never seen such a ridiculously high success rate in all his years!

Is this really a newbie?

This is something only an Alchemist of middle-rank or above could achieve, right?

...Looking at the 600 Spirit Stones in his hand, Mo Fan pondered slowly:

"Twenty days of high-intensity Alchemy is a bit much to handle; my nerves have been constantly taut... I need to relax for two days, or something will go wrong."

Taking a heavy breath, Mo Fan stretched and decided to rest for two days.

"Phew, it seems Alchemy is not an easy job either."

"Counting the remaining attribute points from before, plus these 600 Spirit Stones, it's enough for one attribute point allocation."

Thinking of this, Mo Fan glanced at the Brocade Pouch tossed on the table and cast an Appraisal Technique on it.

[Discovered Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 600, can be absorbed and converted into attribute points. Absorb?]

(PS: The word count for this big chapter is a bit high. I got carried away while writing and couldn't stop... Subscriptions are calculated based on word count, so it doesn't matter how long it is. I'm just worried some readers might not like long chapters. Let's do a quick poll: those who like long chapters, type 1; those who don't, type 2—this part just happens to exceed the word count limit, so it's free of charge.)