Chapter 9: The Beginning of Alchemy

Chapter 9: The Beginning of Alchemy

In the back mountains of the Xiao family estate, a slender figure cloaked in a pale blue hue moved like a ghost among the rugged mountain paths, occasionally pausing briefly at certain spots.

“Purple Leaf Orchid and Bone-cleansing Herb… I didn’t expect so many medicinal herbs to remain untouched in the Xiao family’s back mountains. It must be because they are too young, so they were left alone. But this isn’t a problem for me—I’m not afraid of young herbs, only of not having the seeds,” murmured Xiao Se softly as he gazed at the few plants before him.

Since Xiao Yu had left for Canaan Academy, Xiao Se had thrown himself once again into his cultivation with unwavering focus.

By day, he practiced combat techniques and footwork outside the stone chamber in the cave; by night, he honed his battle Qi inside the chamber, placing the Sky-grasping Vase beneath the chamber’s ventilated opening to absorb moonlight, condensing the green liquid within.

His daily routine was simple and disciplined.

Using his Misty Smoke Step technique, Xiao Se carefully dug up every herb he encountered, transplanting them into a secluded valley he had discovered.

Above the valley, clouds swirled in mist, making it impossible to see the bottom from the mountaintop. The only path into the valley was a narrow cliff trail, barely wide enough for one person. Below the cliff lay a bottomless abyss, perilous and steep. Xiao Se had cleverly camouflaged this entrance with branches and loose stones to ensure no one could find it.

After gathering all the herbs in the area, Xiao Se entered the small valley.

Looking over the flourishing herb garden that nearly filled the entire valley, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

All of this had been prepared for his study of alchemy.

It had taken him over half a month to collect such a vast array of herbs, then with the green liquid condensed inside the Sky-grasping Vase, he accelerated the seedlings’ growth from mere sprouts to decades, even over a hundred years old.

Xiao Se had considered buying herbs from the market directly, but his pockets were shallow, and the remaining gold coins had to be reserved for purchasing a first-grade magic core later to refine second-grade pills. Thus, he had no choice but to rely on himself.

This also served as a perfect test of the Sky-grasping Vase’s effectiveness.

After skillfully harvesting all the mature herbs and sorting them, Xiao Se returned to the stone chamber in the cave. Impatiently, he took off the storage ring hanging around his neck, infused a trace of battle Qi into it. Dark blue light surged forth, and a half-meter-tall medicinal cauldron, dark red in color, materialized within the chamber.

The cauldron had two mouths with fire vents inside, and a special hollow on the lid designed for adding medicinal ingredients during alchemy.

This was one of the few items left behind in the storage ring of the Pill Emperor Arhat Song—a seemingly ordinary double-mouthed cauldron, yet it was the very first gift his master had given him upon apprenticeship. Arhat Song had preserved it carefully, even in death, never parting with it.

It perfectly solved Xiao Se’s urgent need.

“Now I can begin attempting alchemy. But to be safe, I’ll first try converting my battle Qi into flames.”

At present, Xiao Se only possessed the alchemist memories of Arhat Song but had never practiced them himself.

It was like guarding a vast treasury that was locked tight—the key was himself, requiring a combination of strength, talent, and alchemical experience to unlock it fully.

Only then could he fully exploit this treasure trove.

Determined, Xiao Se followed the memories of Pill Emperor Arhat Song. Raising his right hand, he lightly touched the fire vent on the side of the cauldron. Pale yellow battle Qi gushed along his right arm, flowing into the cauldron’s interior.

A moment later, a muffled "puff" sound came as the pale yellow battle Qi entered the cauldron and swiftly transformed into a flickering, burning pale yellow flame.

“So easily transformed into fire? It seems my talent isn’t bad after all.”

A hint of joy appeared on Xiao Se’s calm face after successfully producing flames—a promising start. Next, he needed to sense the faint wood attribute within his body.

Closing his eyes slowly, he quieted his mind and released his powerful soul perception, sweeping back and forth inside his body, searching for that faint trace of wood energy.

One minute passed, then two, then five minutes, yet Xiao Se still found no sign of the wood attribute.

Still, he showed no impatience. Without a battle Qi test orb for assistance, he relied on the system’s personal panel, which clearly displayed his battle Qi attribute as fire mixed with a trace of wood. Therefore, it must be there; it was just difficult to find the wood energy for the first time.

Finally, at the eighth minute, Xiao Se located the faint wood energy within him.

“Found it at last. Now to infuse this wood energy into the cauldron to temper the wildness of the flames.”

Exhaling slowly, Xiao Se extended the ring finger of his left hand and lightly tapped the opposing fire vent of the cauldron. A faint green stream of energy flowed from his finger, gently entering the cauldron.

The next instant, the once tumultuous pale yellow flames inside the cauldron suddenly calmed, becoming incredibly gentle without any of their previous ferocity.

“Success,” Xiao Se’s eyes brightened noticeably.

The first-grade pill: Hemostasis Powder.

Required ingredients: Hemostasis Herb, Qi-nourishing Fruit...

Recalling the custom formula of Pill Emperor Arhat Song, Xiao Se’s soul perception penetrated the cauldron as he struggled to control the gentle flames within.

A faint glow flashed in his storage ring, and a pale red Hemostasis Herb appeared in his hand. Flicking it precisely, the herb landed into the special opening on top of the cauldron reserved for adding ingredients.

On the first attempt, before Xiao Se could adjust the flame, the herb immediately emitted a burnt odor and turned to char, expelled through a special vent at the bottom of the cauldron.

“The temperature is still too high.”

On the second attempt, it was a bit better, but the herb soon turned to char again and was ejected.

“No, still too hot.”

The third attempt followed.

Ten minutes later.

After consuming ten Hemostasis Herbs, Xiao Se finally found the temperature point at which the herb could withstand the flames.

The eleventh herb thrown into the cauldron released a small cluster of pale white powder from the roasted juices in its leaves. The essence of the Hemostasis Herb was successfully extracted.

Xiao Se let out a heavy sigh, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. With cultivation at only the lower Yellow rank, nearly a third of his battle Qi had been consumed.

After all, the alchemical memories of Pill Emperor Arhat Song were just memories—what seemed simple in theory was incredibly difficult in practice. He had reached the pinnacle of Battle Emperor, his soul power as strong as a sixth-grade alchemist, and immense alchemical experience.

Xiao Se, however, only possessed his sixth-grade alchemist memories, with soul perception and cultivation far weaker, and almost no practical experience.

“Well, I’ll keep trying. Compared to others who grovel and beg for alchemy instruction, I’m already quite fortunate. There are still auxiliary pills needed for the Devouring Beast Fire... Sigh, I’ll take it slow,” he murmured softly, beginning to refine the remaining two herbs.

(End of Chapter)