Pill Hall often held exchange meetings for Alchemists to share materials and experiences. Wang Hong occasionally attended these gatherings.
On this particular day, it was time for the Alchemist exchange meeting again. Wang Hong entered the grand hall where dozens of Alchemists were already seated.
Wang Hong greeted everyone and casually found a seat.
"Junior Brother Wang, how come you have time to attend the exchange meeting today? Aren't you busy with Alchemy?" Tang Wan'er happened to be sitting right next to Wang Hong, and she leaned over to ask.
They both passed the assessment on the same day and even had a bet back then. Wang Hong had once lost to her and had to give her a few bottles of Jade Bee Emperor Nectar.
So, they were quite familiar with each other, and they greeted each other every time they met.
"I'm not doing Alchemy today, Tang Senior Sister. Why do you ask?" Wang Hong was a bit puzzled by Tang Wan'er's question about Alchemy.
"Hehe! You've gained a nickname recently, maybe you don't know yet. Do you know how everyone refers to you behind your back?" Tang Wan'er said with a mischievous smile.
Wang Hong was completely puzzled. He had been focused on studying formations recently and hadn't paid much attention to other things, so he had no idea when he had acquired a nickname.
Every time, he simultaneously refined thirty sets of materials and could produce over three hundred Pills, with a Pill Success Rate of slightly over sixty percent. No one would have expected him to have this kind of skill in Pill refinement, as it was rare for Alchemists to refine multiple batches of Pills at once.
"You're making me laugh. Lately, I've had some insights into Alchemy and wanted to refine more Pills to improve my Alchemy skills," Wang Hong explained with a smile.
"Did you hear the news, or are you pretending not to know?" Tang Wan'er asked mysteriously through Divine Sense Message Transmission.
"What news?" Wang Hong asked in confusion.
"The Alchemy Competition! Do you really not know, or are you pretending?" Tang Wan'er felt that Wang Hong was acting oblivious, despite clearly putting effort into his Alchemy practice.
"Tang Senior Sister, I really didn't know. I just returned from Azure Void City not long ago," Wang Hong said honestly.
"Alright, I'll fill you in. It's no secret anyway, and the announcement might even come today. Pill Hall is going to host an Alchemy Competition soon, and they'll select a group of outstanding Alchemists to receive guidance from Master Mei. Moreover, it's been ten years since the last secret realm opened. The winners this time will likely get a chance to participate in the refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills," Tang Wan'er revealed, her connections in Pill Hall providing her with valuable information. She also mentioned that historically, Alchemists who performed well in the Pill Hall Competition received special attention from the sect. Based on Qingxu Sect's past experiences, those who excelled in the Alchemy Competition had a higher chance of reaching Golden Core stage and becoming Tier Three Alchemists.
Wang Hong kept this matter in mind, and he was indeed quite interested. While he had an abundance of cultivation resources, he didn't possess any Spiritual Objects for forming a Golden Core, not to mention that he hadn't heard any news about it.
As Wang Hong and Tang Wan'er chatted through Message Transmission, more Alchemists trickled into the hall. They initially exchanged Alchemy experiences and engaged in casual conversations, sometimes veering off-topic.
After all, these exchange meetings happened every month, so there was no shortage of experiences to share. Though casual chatting wouldn't directly improve their Alchemy skills, over time, it could help foster connections and spread some minor insider information.
Wang Hong figured that his nickname, "Alchemy Maniac," must have originated from these idle conversations.
Once the casual discussions were over, the meeting moved on to the next stage – item exchange. The focus was on exchanging various Alchemy materials, but some other items were also traded.
First, everyone displayed the items they were willing to trade on the tables. For larger items, they used Magical Arts to create illusions of the objects, hovering them in front of the cultivators.
Wang Hong took out two 600-year-old Spiritual Herbs from his Storage Bag, along with a few pieces of second-tier spirit fruit, a bottle of second-tier Spirit Wine, and a bottle of Spirit Bee Royal Jelly.
As soon as his items were revealed, they attracted the attention of many. Even though Wang Hong didn't have a large quantity of items for trade, everything he offered was rare and precious.
The nearby Tang Wan'er messaged him, "Junior Brother Wang, you sure have quite the collection!"
Tang Wan'er had some support from her family, so she had slightly more cultivation resources than the average person. However, the treasures she could trade were relatively few. She had only brought a few 200-300-year-old Spiritual Herbs and some Pills she had refined herself.
Once everyone had displayed their trade items, the exchange began, starting with a cultivator at the far east side of the hall.
This cultivator stood up, surveyed the room, and then said, "I'd like to exchange for Spirit Bee Royal Jelly. You can choose from the items on my table."
As he spoke, his eyes kept shifting towards Wang Hong's table. In the entire hall, only Wang Hong had a bottle of Spirit Bee Royal Jelly displayed.
Wang Hong glanced at the materials on the cultivator's table, most of which were Spiritual Herbs that didn't catch his eye.
After waiting for a while with no response, the cultivator had no choice but to sit back down in disappointment.
"I'd like to exchange for Spirit Bee Royal Jelly, White Crystal Fruit, Qianxue Grass, and Flame Blossom," another cultivator stood up and stated what he wanted to trade. He was a bit smarter, as he not only included Wang Hong's items in his offer but also added some extra options in case Wang Hong declined.
However, Wang Hong still didn't find any of his trade items appealing. He managed to complete some trades with other cultivators, though.
Finally, it was Wang Hong's turn to make a trade, and everyone was curious about what he needed.
"I'd like to exchange for second-tier or higher refining tool materials, or some branches of second-tier or third-tier spirit wood. You can choose from the items on my table," Wang Hong announced. He needed a substantial amount of refining tool materials, and relying solely on Xu Lun's purchases was too slow.
"Junior Brother Wang, I happen to have a piece of Elemental Iron Mother. Would you like to exchange it for second-tier Spirit Wine?" A red-faced cultivator stood up and was the first to propose a trade, seemingly afraid of someone else taking the opportunity.
Wang Hong agreed to the trade immediately, and they exchanged their items on the spot.
Three more cultivators approached Wang Hong with refining tool materials and traded them for Spirit Bee Royal Jelly, spirit fruit, and a 600-year-old Spiritual Herb, respectively.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]