Chapter 56: What?

From looking at the disciple's expression, something like this was the norm to them. At least, this is how it appeared to be for Chen Tu.

At the same time, the deal is likely driven by the collective power of Worldly Treasures Pavilion and Blood Refining Grotto.

After all, who wouldn't take this opportunity to earn back the money inside the disciple's pocket? Even if they don't, the others and outsiders would. And by looking at a different perspective, wasn't this within their calculation?

On one side, the grotto was distributing the salary, while on another, the Worldly Treasures Pavilion was earning them back by organizing monthly sales. Through this cycle, they could restrict the money and resources from flowing out of the Blood Refining Grotto.

Regardless of opinion, Chen Tu's only concern is collecting enough material for the Pill Formula in his hand. As he was still too insignificant in the eyes of upper-level experts, it was pointless for him to worry.

After studying the market for a while, Chen Tu decided to put his thirty Spiritual Coins as investment capital and purchase ingredients like Five-Colored Spiritual Grains and Hundred-Year Mountain Yam.

These two were the main ingredients to refine the Grain Pellet, a part of the four entry-level Pill Formulas. One could be devoid of hunger for the whole day after consuming a pellet. Of course, this recipe has multiple variations available in the market. Still, Chen Tu prefers this because the one in his hand was said to taste better.

But he had to make a few preparations before starting.

This naturally leads Chen Tu to the Training Hall. This facility is a core area for the disciples to conduct their self-training, from alchemy to blacksmithing and martial arts. As long there's a demand, a private room would be available.

Needless to say, one has to pay a small fee to use these rooms. Their charges usually depend on the room quality and type they requested. The cost usually varies from one to five Contribution Tokens for a maximum of six hours of usage.

Of course, the cost was applied to deter time wasters from occupying the available rooms for no solid reason. And with over ten thousand disciples alone in the Outer Grotto, the number of rooms available is truly limited.

Using close to an hour back and forth, Chen Tu arrived outside the building with the necessary items in a backpack. He naturally had to queue in a line until his turn was here. Since he was no longer illiterate, Chen Tu could use the waiting time to read what was written along the queue.

From a glance, Chen Tu noticed six training room types to choose from. They're the Martial Room, Physique Room, Obstacle Room, Alchemy Room, Smelting Room, and Refinement Room.

Needless to say, each room had its specialty. And from a certain viewpoint, half of the rooms were cultivation related, and the rest were profession related.

After ten minutes of queuing, it was finally Chen Tu's turn to choose a counter. He made his way over to the sign for Alchemy Room and made his request.

"What tier level, and for how long?" asked the worker. He doesn't need to ask for the room type as it was already divided properly before Chen Tu came here.

"Lower-Tier Room, six hours, please." Chen Tu replied. He selected the room that comes with basic necessities but nothing extraordinary. After all, Chen Tu was trying to refine a few Grain Pellets. He has no reason to request a Middle or Upper Tier room.

"The usage fee of the room is one Contribution Token. In case you need anything to be replenished, just ring the bell near the door." the worker wrote down Chen Tu's information and collected the payment from him. In return, he gave Chen Tu some advice and a wooden token.

On the token was an Array circle that works as the entrance key. A number [12] was also written with special ink, making the wooden piece look mysterious.

"Thank you." Chen Tu cupped his fists together before leaving. Since the room number is clearly stated on this wooden token, he had nothing else to be concerned with except making his way through the corridor.

The number twelve door was automatically unlocked when Chen Tu pushed from the outside. Upon entry, he was greeted by a few pieces of equipment and furniture inside the room. On the side, a small cauldron was provided along with medicinal bottles, charcoal, water, and flint to start the flame.

The design of the room was quite meticulous. While it can keep the heat from escaping, it was also well-ventilated to prevent the room from burning the charcoal too intensely. And without further ado, Chen Tu started by inspecting the equipment before arranging them to his convenience.

The Book of Basics and four pieces of Pill Formula were also placed on the table for self-revision. And after the preparation was complete, Chen Tu sat in a relaxing posture and composed himself.

After all, this was his first pill refinement. He naturally had to be in his optimal condition to increase the success rate.

It took Chen Tu a while to calm his mind. As he felt prepared, the flint started a fire for the charcoal. He then went through the Pill Formula and ingredients as the final inspection. Only when he was truly convinced that Chen Tu placed the burning charcoal into the fireplace.

Since this cauldron is merely a third of the one that belonged to the elder, there's no need for a bucket full of burning charcoal. This also means the speed this pot fires up is much faster. And as soon as he was ready, Chen Tu placed the first ingredient inside.

The Five-Colored Spiritual Grains went inside confidently. As written in the Pill Formula, an intense flame had to be used to burn off the impurities coating the grain before moving on to another step.

But out of all his expectations, it took five seconds for the grains inside the cauldron to get burned. A bunch of burnt, crispy rice came back in reply to Chen Tu's reckless attempt.

(W-W-W-What?)