Chapter 1421: Chapter 529: You Shen Rite
"Ah, Zhong Guan, you’ve grown wiser now, speaking quite humbly. Not bad, not bad."
The Eternal Life Sect Leader praised.
Zhong Guan chuckled awkwardly, "Mr. Nayan serves as a lesson. His corpse is still floating above the Heavenly Dome of Jing Country. I dare not follow his path."
"Moving forward, sharpen your insight, handle matters efficiently. If I benefit, you won’t be left out. Here."
The Eternal Life Sect Leader flicked his hand, tossing out a "Joyful Longevity Pill."
Upon seeing the Joyful Longevity Pill, Zhong Guan immediately knew, without even needing to think, that this elixir was from the batch refined by Zhou Xuan.
This is nearly an eighth-grade elixir. In his previous role overseeing Zhong Le, how many "Dan Coupons" would he earn in a month—none could compare to an elixir of this level.
"Oh, thank you for your generosity, Sect Leader." Zhong Guan hastily caught the elixir, his smile growing wider.
"Alright, I have things to attend to." The Eternal Life Sect Leader, now expansive and wealthy, lifted a lantern and headed towards the "Dan Identification Department."
"Sect Leader, take care."
The Eternal Life Sect Leader waved his hand dismissively, not sparing a glance at Zhong Guan.
...
Inside the "Dan Identification Department," the Heavenly Fire Clansmen appeared extremely odd,
everyone working there wore wide robes with large sleeves, their faces drooping with substantial fleshy nodules.
The nodules were petal-like, some with seven petals, others five. Whenever they felt anger, frustration, or excitement—in short, any heightened emotion—the fleshy petals would stand upright, making their heads resemble floral crowns.
The Eternal Life Sect Leader knew that these people of the Dan Identification Department had their life-bound creatures as "Insect Grass," a fusion of fungus and insect.
In the Heavenly Dome, they were referred to as "Grass Slaves."
The name "Grass Slave" sounded lowly, but they possessed a unique ability to discern worldly wonders, especially elixirs.
In the Heavenly Dome, elixir grades aren’t casually claimed;
Even the master among Grass Slaves, when grading an elixir, must offer detailed justifications.
Elixirs have their pharmacological principles, and these Grass Slaves, through their innate gifts, could meticulously interpret these principles within the elixirs.
To speak of the Heavenly Fire Clan, they comprise various bugs, and the Grass Slaves aren’t pure-blood Insect Clan, thus their status in the Heavenly Dome wasn’t particularly high.
Therefore, when the Eternal Life Sect Leader entered the "Dan Identification Department," those busy Grass Slaves had to stop their tasks and respectfully greet him as "Sect Leader."
The Eternal Life Sect Leader remained aloof; he came to speak with the master among them, uninterested in ordinary Grass Slaves.
He walked straight into the depths of the Dan Identification Department, reaching a hut at the end before gently knocking on the door.
"Who is it?"
Master Sikong Yu paused his paperwork and asked.
"Eternal Life Sect Leader."
"Oh, oh..." Sikong Yu quickly stood up, approached the door, gently opened it, and cupped his hands, bowing with a smile, "Sect Leader, your visit caught me unprepared."
The Eternal Life Sect Leader found Sikong Yu’s nine-petal nodules amusingly ridiculous. Fearing a breach of etiquette, he forced himself to avert his gaze from the nodules to avoid bursting into laughter.
Looking at the hut’s roof, he spoke to Sikong Yu, "Master Sikong, I came to inquire about the grading of an elixir. Do you know what grade Master Zhou’s Joyful Longevity Pills achieved?"
"Master Zhou’s brilliance is unmatched; most of his Joyful Longevity Pills are eleventh-grade elixirs, but this particular batch has been set as eighth-grade."
"Oh?!" The Eternal Life Sect Leader felt a surge of excitement, as if something stored suddenly appreciated in value, eagerly asking,
"Really? The Palace Master reviewed them, considering the elixir to be near eighth grade, yet still short of the Standard Eighth Rank. How did you conclude a higher grade?"
Sikong Yu obviously knew the Sect Leader wasn’t there to provoke—after all, it was well-known now throughout Changsheng Palace that the Eternal Life Sect Leader was favored by Zhou Xuan, Master Zhou.
The higher Master Zhou’s elixir grade, the happier he should be. By the unspoken rules—he profits from those elixirs, holding Joyful Longevity Pills himself.
Since it wasn’t a provocation, Sikong Yu was more than willing to discuss this elixir in detail.
He poured a cup of the bubbling hot tea from the table for the Sect Leader, first boasting a bit, "Sect Leader, you know we Grass Slaves possess a sole natural gift—appraising the elixir’s potency."
"With two identical elixirs, one graded ninth, the other eighth—such distinctions aren’t made on a whim."
Sikong Yu casually picked up a draft paper from the table, smiling as he said, "The rationale for grading is all written here."
"Is it? Let me see." The Sect Leader reached out.
Sikong Yu promptly retracted his hand, grinning slyly, "Matters on paper are official business; best to avoid suspicion..."
"Avoid suspicion?"
The Sect Leader pulled out another Joyful Longevity Pill, placing it forcefully on the table.
Sikong Yu took a quick glance, immediately concealing it with his sleeve. When he withdrew his hand, the elixir had disappeared into his pocket.
He promptly presented the document, saying, "This humble servant’s skills are limited; I request your correction, Sect Leader."
"Hmph, avoiding suspicion when there’s no elixir, seeking correction when there is—you, Sikong Yu, indeed have shrewd insight."
After playfully chiding, the Sect Leader looked at the document. After a few glances, he slapped it back onto the table, "This is your Heavenly Fire Clan’s script—I can’t understand it."
"Shall I explain it to you, Sect Leader?" Sikong Yu eagerly offered.
