There are a few who can refine Three Dan Stripe Nine-Mark Elixirs even in Cauldron Haven, but none of them are people whom Starspire Apothecary could afford to invite, let alone come here on their own.
"You must be a Third-Rank Immortal Alchemist, right?" Elder Hugh finally put down the pill in his hand, looking at Joe Di with eager eyes. Joe Di didn't seem that old, yet he could refine Three Dan Stripe Elixirs. In Elder Hugh's view, an alchemist with such potential would eventually develop his own Dao of Pills and refine true Nine-Mark Elixirs.
To refine a Nine-Mark Elixir, the prerequisite is to form your own Dao of Pills.
Every Third-Rank Immortal Alchemist has their own Dao of Pills, otherwise they can't refine Dan Stripe Elixirs. However, most alchemists inherit their Dao from their master, not forming their own. Such alchemists usually follow established routines—even those with strong comprehension can refine Dan Stripe Elixirs, but to refine a Nine-Mark Elixir is nearly impossible.
Only by forming your own Dao of Pills do you have a chance to refine a Nine-Mark Elixir.
Joe Di pondered briefly before nodding, saying, "I can indeed refine Fourth-Tier Elixirs, though my success rate isn't particularly high."
Joe Di still couldn't refine Fourth-Tier Elixirs, but he didn't think he was incapable. He had already formed his own Dao of Pills and possessed a large stock of fourth- and fifth-tier spirit herbs. Refining Fourth-Tier Elixirs was only a matter of time.
By claiming he could refine Fourth-Tier Elixirs, he gained a huge advantage for the upcoming recruitment—at the very least, he would be in a much more favorable position.
"Good, good..." Elder Hugh repeated the word twice, then turned his gaze toward Holly Chance.
Holly Chance also clenched her fists. She hadn't expected to recruit such a legendary figure, bringing a Fourth-Tier Immortal Alchemist to Starspire Apothecary. She understood why Elder Hugh looked at her—he was signaling that the next task was hers.
Elder Hugh was only responsible for assessing Joe Di's Dao of Pills, while she was the one to negotiate his employment terms.
"Alchemist Joe, would you be able to refine a batch of Fourth-Tier Elixirs?" Holly Chance asked cautiously.
Joe Di shook his head. "Not at the moment. Once I've settled down, I can do it. I've only just arrived at Cauldron Haven."
Holly Chance didn't doubt Joe Di's words. Any alchemist who could refine a Three Dan Stripe Nine-Mark Elixir was basically a Fourth-Tier Immortal Alchemist. What Joe Di meant was that he couldn't focus on alchemy just yet.
"Alchemist Joe, may I invite you next door for a detailed discussion?" Holly Chance's tone became even more courteous.
Joe Di understood that it was time to discuss terms, so he stood up. "Of course, Steward Holly, please lead the way."
"Alchemist Joe, your Dao of Pills far surpasses mine. I underestimated you before—that was my mistake." Elder Hugh took the initiative to apologize to Joe Di.
He had once been a Fourth-Tier Immortal Alchemist, but his Dao of Pills had been destroyed. He still knew how difficult it was to reach that level.
"You are too kind, Elder Hugh." Joe Di didn't take such matters to heart. For him, surviving in Cauldron Haven was the most important thing. Next, he needed to earn a large amount of Immortal Crystals here to buy Trueglass Elixir.
Holly Chance led Joe Di to the reception room next door and personally poured him a cup of Starspire Immortal Tea, saying, "This is Starspire Apothecary's Starspire Immortal Tea, Fellow Daoist Joe. Please taste it and give us your opinion."
Starspire Immortal Tea is different from ordinary mundane tea leaves. It is made from the tender leaves of Starspire Tea Trees, combined with a dozen or even hundreds of types of spirit herbs. The quality of Starspire Immortal Tea mainly depends on the quality of the tea leaves and the grade of the added spirit herbs.
The older and higher-grade the Starspire Tea Tree, the better the tender leaves, and the more expensive they are. The more precious the added spirit herbs, the more expensive the Starspire Immortal Tea, as these herbs contain richer spiritual energy, which greatly benefits cultivation after drinking.
Thus, the color of Starspire Immortal Tea varies from place to place, mainly because each recipe is different.
The Starspire Immortal Tea from Starspire Apothecary has a faint reddish hue and smells exceptionally rich and mellow.
Joe Di picked up the teacup and took a sip. A surge of rich spiritual energy filled his throat, and he immediately felt his cultivation loosen slightly—this was truly excellent tea.
"Excellent tea," Joe Di said instinctively.
"Alchemist Di, your Dao of Pills far surpasses mine. I underestimated you before—that was my mistake." Elder Hui took the initiative to apologize to Di Jiu.
Holly Chance smiled, "This was brought from the headquarters of Starspire Apothecary, and supplies are limited. Next time I go to headquarters, I'll bring more and share some with Alchemist Joe. Even at Starspire Apothecary, we rarely sell this Starspire Immortal Tea. Whenever we hold an auction, many come just for this Starspire Immortal Tea."
Joe Di was moved. This Starspire Immortal Tea was excellent, but it had one flaw—it lacked a sense of tranquility and serenity. Its only advantage was the extremely rich spiritual energy, making it ideal for cultivation.
But what is tea for? It's for leisure, a way to elevate one's mood, a pursuit of ultimate calmness—this was Joe Di's definition of drinking tea.
If he could develop a type of Starspire Immortal Tea imbued with a sense of tranquility and serenity, even containing a hint of Dao resonance, wouldn't it sell like hotcakes?
Tranquility is simplicity, purity, and essence.
Given that, the Starspire Immortal Tea he refined absolutely shouldn't include other spirit herbs—just the tender leaves of Starspire Tea Trees. That would require the highest-grade Starspire Tea Tree.
As long as he obtained the finest Starspire Tea Tree, he could harvest its tender leaves and, relying on his understanding of Foundational Laws, refine a top-tier pure Starspire Immortal Tea.
Such Starspire Immortal Tea would not only aid cultivation but also calm the mind completely, dispelling restlessness and stabilizing the foundation during aggressive cultivation.
"Alchemist Joe..." Seeing Joe Di lost in thought after taking a sip of tea, Holly Chance quickly called out to remind him.
Joe Di snapped back to attention and apologized, "I was just thinking about something and got distracted. Please forgive me, Steward Holly."
If an ordinary Immortal Lord cultivator dared to space out in front of her—a mid-stage Da Luo Immortal steward—Holly Chance would have slapped them already.
But Joe Di was the alchemist she urgently needed to recruit, so how could she act that way? Holly Chance quickly smiled and said, "I do this all the time too. It's very common."
Joe Di took the opportunity to say, "I just tasted the Starspire Immortal Tea, and it truly is excellent. Steward Holly, next time you go to headquarters, could you help me gather a few branches from this Starspire Tea Tree?"
If he could develop a type of immortal spirit tea imbued with a sense of tranquility and serenity, even containing a hint of Dao resonance, wouldn't it sell like hotcakes?
Tranquility is simplicity, purity, and essence.
Given that, the immortal spirit tea he refined absolutely shouldn't include other immortal herbs—just the tender leaves of immortal tea trees. That would require the highest-grade immortal tea tree.
As long as he obtained the finest immortal tea tree, he could harvest its tender leaves and, relying on his understanding of fundamental laws, refine a top-tier pure immortal spirit tea.
Such immortal spirit tea would not only aid cultivation but also calm the mind completely, dispelling restlessness and stabilizing the foundation during aggressive cultivation.
"Alchemist Di..." Seeing Di Jiu lost in thought after taking a sip of tea, Huo Qianqian quickly called out to remind him.
Di Jiu snapped back to attention and apologized, "I was just thinking about something and got distracted. Please forgive me, Steward Huo."
If an ordinary Immortal Lord cultivator dared to space out in front of her—a mid-stage Da Luo Immortal steward—Huo Qianqian would have slapped them already.
But Di Jiu was the alchemist she urgently needed to recruit, so how could she act that way? Huo Qianqian quickly smiled and said, "I do this all the time too. It's very common."
Di Jiu took the opportunity to say, "I just tasted the Star Immortal Spirit Tea, and it truly is excellent. Steward Huo, next time you go to headquarters, could you help me gather a few branches from this immortal tea tree?"