Chapter 226 225: Learning Alchemy
"It's Senior Brother Yuan Chong!"
"Didn't Senior Brother Yuan Chong already succeed at Alchemy and go to Alchemy Peak? Why is he here again?"
When Yuan Chong arrived on a crane, gasps of surprise immediately erupted.
Yuan Chong, he's a genius of the Medicine Vein!
He's only eighteen, yet he's already succeeded at Alchemy. Such talent was rare even in the Medicine Vein; very few could compare to him.
"Yuan Chong is Master Yuan Lang's nephew. He grew up in the Medicine Vein, so what's so special about him succeeding at Alchemy earlier than others? He was immersed in it from a young age." However, some Alchemy Disciples looked on with disdain. 'If we had grown up in the Medicine Vein, we'd have succeeded at Alchemy long ago.'
Thus, all they felt for Yuan Chong was contempt.
It was an arrogance and jealousy bone-deep.
Yuan Chong rode the crane over and flew to Ling Fei's side.
"Senior Brother Yuan Chong." Ling Fei greeted him with a cupped fist salute.
"Haha, today is Junior Brother Ling's first time learning Alchemy, so I came especially to accompany you," Yuan Chong said with a cupped fist.
Yesterday, Ling Fei had told Yuan Chong that he was going to learn Alchemy.
"In that case, I'll be troubling you, Senior Brother Yuan," Ling Fei said with a smile.
"Don't be so formal. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. Don't stand on ceremony," Yuan Chong laughed.
"I will," Ling Fei replied with a cupped fist.
He was Master Yuan Lang's disciple.
However, he still had to practice these fundamentals on his own.
After all, Master Yuan Lang wouldn't be by his side every day.
Even as his master, Master Yuan Lang had his own affairs to attend to.
Usually, he would still need to rely on his own hard work.
The two then mounted their flying beasts and headed toward the Alchemy Peak ahead.
"Is all this really necessary?" Seeing this, many of the older disciples said indignantly, "He's just a newcomer. For Yuan Chong to come here specifically for him..."
"He probably sees that Ling Fei obtained the Pill King Inheritance and wants to curry favor with him early!" an older disciple next to them said.
"Pill King Inheritance? Let's see him actually refine an Elixir first!"
"Let's go! We'll see how long it takes this Ling Fei to learn Alchemy!"
"Heh, Alchemy? He doesn't have True Fire. To learn Alchemy, he must first control Earth Fire. Hehe, let's see if he can even control Earth Fire!"
"Exactly. If he can't even control Earth Fire, what's the point of talking about Alchemy?" At that, the group of disciples sneered again.
WHOOSH!
Then, most of them mounted their flying beasts and headed for Alchemy Peak.
The Cultivation of the Medicine Vein's disciples wasn't very high. For them, flying on a Magic Sword was far less relaxing than riding a Spiritual Bird.
So, most of them rode Spiritual Birds.
"So Ling Fei actually came to practice Alchemy." Not far away, Wang Haoran also flew over, riding a Profound Eagle.
"Let's see what he's really made of," Mo Jiuyan said coldly.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
One by one, the geniuses headed for Alchemy Peak.
The Golden Eagle flew before Alchemy Peak, and there on the mountainside, they saw a large building shaped like a giant furnace.
This was Alchemy Peak's Alchemy Tower.
The Alchemy Tower had seven floors in total.
Every floor had Alchemy Rooms.
Inside, there were individual Alchemy Rooms as well as Alchemy Halls where masters taught alchemy methods.
Pharmacists of different levels studied in different Alchemy Rooms and Alchemy Halls.
The Golden Eagle circled down, and with a leap, Ling Fei landed at the base of the Alchemy Tower.
After Ling Fei gave it a look, it flew off to a nearby spot.
At times like this, it could go off to cultivate on its own.
"This is our Medicine Vein's Alchemy Tower!" Beside him, after sending his white crane away, Yuan Chong smiled at Ling Fei.
"This Alchemy Tower is certainly impressive!" Ling Fei said with a smile as he looked up at the building before them.
"Come, I'll take you to the Alchemy Room first. My uncle heard you were coming to learn Alchemy, so he's specially come to teach the basic class today," Yuan Chong said with a smile.
Yuan Lang was an Alchemy Master, famous throughout the Medicine Vein, and could be ranked among the top ten.
Generally speaking, he wouldn't come here to teach so readily.
He had made a special trip this time because of Ling Fei.
Led by Yuan Chong, Ling Fei walked into the Alchemy Building.
First, upon entering, everyone's identity had to be verified. Only disciples of Alchemy Peak were allowed inside.
After their identities were verified, Yuan Chong led Ling Fei to the Basic Alchemy Room.
The first things that came into view were rows of Alchemy Platforms.
On top of the platforms sat numerous Medicine Furnaces.
Besides those, there was a special area to the side.
On it were written the words "Earth Fire Medicine Platform."
Looking closely, one could see Inscriptions carved into the platforms, emitting a profound aura.
Clearly, this was for those disciples without True Fire to use for learning Alchemy.
However, the platforms were already covered in dust, looking old and unused.
This was because in the Medicine Vein, the primary requirement for recruiting disciples was having a Fire Spirit Body.
Only in exceptional cases, where someone had extremely strong Soul Power and was single-mindedly devoted to Alchemy, would they be accepted into the Medicine Vein.
But such people were rare. In the past ten years, Ling Fei was the only one.
Because people with strong Soul Power could also achieve great things in Martial Arts, why would they choose to walk this uncertain path of Alchemy?
Ling Fei's gaze swept across the room, taking in the state of the Alchemy Room.
At the very front, before an alchemy lectern, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in an Elixir Robe.
This man was, of course, Master Yuan Lang.
"Ling Fei greets Master!" Ling Fei immediately cupped his fist and bowed to Master Yuan Lang.
"Good. You've come to learn Alchemy today, so I've come specially to offer some guidance," Master Yuan Lang said.
"Thank you, Master," Ling Fei said with a cupped fist.
Master Yuan Lang nodded slightly and said no more.
At this moment, students were continuously filing into the Basic Alchemy Room.
Among them were quite a few who had already mastered Alchemy long ago.
Some had heard that Master Yuan Lang was teaching and came specifically to listen, hoping to reaffirm their own knowledge.
However, most of them were here to see what would happen with Ling Fei, this complete beginner at Alchemy.
Like Wang Haoran and Mo Jiuyan.
Soon, the spacious Alchemy Room was packed with three hundred people.
The Medicine Vein didn't have many disciples to begin with, only about four hundred new disciples each year.
Most new disciples had not yet passed the medicinal ingredients assessment.
But the older disciples had already learned Alchemy long ago.
For three hundred people to show up this time was already a huge crowd.
"I wonder what skills this Ling Fei really has."
"Heh, he doesn't have True Fire. I'd like to see how he's going to practice Alchemy." Inside the Alchemy Room, many people were whispering to each other, their faces filled with ridicule as they glanced at Ling Fei.
From the looks of it, these people had all come to watch Ling Fei make a fool of himself.
"Quiet." From the front of the lectern, Master Yuan Lang's deep voice sounded.
Instantly, the entire Alchemy Room fell silent.
In the Medicine Vein, no one dared to show disrespect to an Alchemy Master.
"Today, regardless of your reasons for being here, as long as you are attending my class, you will remain quiet. Do not disturb the others," Master Yuan Lang said.
"Yes!" A chorus of assent immediately came from the Alchemy Room.
"Good. In that case, I will begin by explaining the basic principles of Alchemy," Master Yuan Lang said in a deep voice.
Below the stage, it was completely quiet. Ling Fei, in particular, was staring ahead with rapt attention, looking incredibly serious.
Beside him, Yuan Chong smiled faintly, seeming to appreciate Ling Fei's studious attitude.
"In Alchemy, first, you must know what temperature is needed to refine the medicine you are making. After extracting the Alchemy Liquid, you must know how much heat the liquid can withstand. These are the most critical aspects of Alchemy, determining success or failure. At the same time, there is Fire Control. Mastering the heat is what allows you to apply the knowledge I just mentioned. If you cannot control the heat, then even if you know the critical points of Alchemy, it will be all for naught," Master Yuan Lang said.
His expression was solemn, like an Elixir Master imparting his knowledge.
'The temperature for refining the Alchemy Liquid, and the control of the heat.' Ling Fei silently committed this to memory.
"Knowledge can be memorized, but mastering the heat depends on constant practice," Master Yuan Lang said. "Practice is the most fundamental thing. What an alchemist and Pill Master needs most is a sincere heart. Be true to the medicine, be true to the Pill, only then can you refine a peerless, good Pill."
'A sincere heart?' A glint flashed in Ling Fei's eyes as his Heart Spirit stirred. 'In the Pill King Scripture, the Yuan Feng Pill King also spoke of a sincere heart. However, in the end, an Alchemist needs a Dao heart—a Dao heart capable of refining all things into a Pill. Only with a powerful Dao heart can one's will be done, allowing one to perform Alchemy as one pleases.'
'At that point, mountains can be refined into Pills, great rivers can be refined...' Ling Fei murmured to himself. 'But it's difficult for ordinary people to reach that stage. As a beginner, I must take it one step at a time. Only then can I climb to the peak of the Alchemy Dao.' Although he had obtained the Pill King Inheritance, Ling Fei was not aiming too high too soon.
After murmuring to himself, he continued to listen to Master Yuan Lang's lecture.
After hearing this, the students beside him also became incredibly focused.
Master Yuan Lang's insights on Elixirs were clearly superior to those of an ordinary Alchemist.
Sometimes, a single simple sentence was the fruit of his many years of comprehension. Hearing it was like seeing a lighthouse in the dead of night, illuminating a clear path for those who were still lost. For a moment, many even forgot that they had come to the Basic Alchemy Room to laugh at Ling Fei.
"Now, I will give you all a demonstration." After explaining various points of alchemical knowledge and his personal insights, Master Yuan Lang began to demonstrate.
"Most Alchemists possess True Fire. By relying on this for Alchemy, controlling the heat becomes much more intuitive."
PFFT!
As his words fell, a ball of orange flame appeared in Master Yuan Lang's palm.
"When refining medicinal ingredients, temperature is paramount. Therefore, when introducing True Fire into the furnace, you must proceed step by step, continuously balancing the internal temperature. This is called 'warming the furnace.' Only then can you add the ingredients..." He then directed the True Fire into the fire-port of the Alchemy Furnace. After warming the furnace, he took the medicinal ingredients from the Alchemy Platform and tossed them inside.
"The ingredients must enter the furnace quickly, with the True Fire following right behind..." Master Yuan Lang swiftly controlled the True Fire to refine the Alchemy Liquid within.
From warming the furnace to refining the Alchemy Liquid, every step was executed in one smooth motion. His level of mastery inspired awe and admiration in all who watched.
'He truly is worthy of being an Alchemy Master of our Medicine Vein!' many disciples thought to themselves.
"Once the Alchemy Liquid is formed, the fire's temperature must also change accordingly. Everything must be done with intention, without a moment's hesitation. Otherwise, even the slightest delay could ruin the Alchemy Liquid or affect its quality. Therefore, for beginners, you must be completely focused during Alchemy and never let your attention wander. Otherwise, refining a high-quality Elixir will be difficult!"
Master Yuan Lang said.
