Chapter 228 227: Successful Alchemy
When flames surged within the Alchemy Furnace before Ling Fei, countless astonished gazes were immediately drawn to him.
Even a genius like Mo Jiuyan felt ripples of shock run through him, his face a mask of disbelief as he stared ahead.
Earth Fire was notoriously difficult to control.
But who would have thought that Ling Fei would manage to control the Earth Fire in just a few moments? Such speed was completely beyond everyone's imagination.
"Is his Soul Power really that strong?" Wang Haoran's pupils constricted, his face filled with dread as he looked at Ling Fei.
"T-this... Ling Fei's Soul Power is actually this strong?" Yuan Chong looked astonished at the sight.
One had to understand that in the thousand-year history of the Medicine Vein, no seventeen-year-old youth had ever managed to control Earth Fire in such a short time!
Not even the entire Southern Wilderness had ever produced such a genius.
All of this was because Ling Fei's soul was simply too powerful.
Not only had his Soul Power reached the level of Gang Transformation, but he had also comprehended the True Dragon Mystical Technique.
A genius who pursued the Dual Cultivation of Soul and Martial Arts was naturally a rare sight.
"Not bad," Master Yuan Lang couldn't help but praise. Ling Fei's performance had also exceeded his expectations.
Judging by the current situation, it wasn't impossible for Ling Fei to become an Alchemist.
As for whether he could become a master, that remained to be seen.
"Now you can try refining the herbs," Master Yuan Lang said. "First, control the temperature of the Earth Fire, then add the ingredients."
"Yes!" Ling Fei nodded. He then took a medicinal herb from the Alchemy Platform and tossed it into the Alchemy Furnace.
WHOOSH!
As the herb entered the furnace, the Earth Fire lunged forward and enveloped it.
FWOOSH!
In an instant, the herb was reduced to nothing.
"When the ingredient enters the furnace, the Earth Fire cannot be too hasty. You must control the intensity of the flame. It's alright; it's normal to not be accustomed to it the first time you control the fire," said Yuan Lang the Pill Master.
"Again!"
"Alright!" Ling Fei nodded and continued to try controlling the Earth Fire with his Heart Spirit.
FWOOSH!
The herb dropped in, and after some refining, a medicinal liquid appeared. But just as Ling Fei was about to guide it out of the Furnace Cauldron, a flicker of Earth Fire engulfed it.
The medicinal liquid then vanished into nothing.
"Your control over the Earth Fire is insufficient. Again!" said Yuan Lang the Pill Master.
Without hesitation, Ling Fei continued to adjust his state and repeatedly tried to refine the medicinal herbs.
Master Yuan Lang watched from the side.
Ten times, twenty times, thirty times!
Failure after failure.
Finally, on his forty-fifth attempt, Ling Fei successfully refined the medicinal liquid of a Purple Crystal Branch.
It was a purple liquid, shimmering with a luster like a Crystal Stone. It was exquisitely beautiful, almost like a Gemstone.
"Quickly, guide it into the medicine tray," Yuan Chong said, overjoyed at the sight.
This time, Ling Fei withdrew the Earth Fire. With a thought from his Heart Spirit, he injected Essence Qi into the cauldron, enveloping the medicinal liquid. He guided it out of an opening in the cauldron and into a prepared medicine tray. The liquid then cooled, gradually solidifying into a purple paste as a fragrant aroma spread through the air.
"Success!" Yuan Chong exclaimed, his face beaming with joy.
"I finally succeeded!" Staring at the purple, crystalline paste in the medicine tray, Ling Fei couldn't help but take a deep breath.
At this moment, his Heart Spirit had already withdrawn from the Array.
The long period of Alchemy had depleted a great deal of his Soul Power, leaving him feeling slightly fatigued.
But despite the fatigue, he felt nothing but joy.
The repeated failures just now had been despair-inducing.
But Ling Fei's heart had remained as calm as still water. He constantly adjusted his state until he finally mastered the control of the Earth Fire and protected the refined medicinal liquid.
"Good, very good. Keep up the hard work. Once you can refine the liquid from three thousand different medicinal herbs, you can start learning Pill Alchemy," said Master Yuan Lang.
He was also incredibly satisfied with Ling Fei's talent.
"T-this... Ling Fei actually succeeded at refining herbs?"
"He succeeded in just forty-five attempts? It took me two hundred and sixty-five failures before I succeeded!"
"What kind of monster is this guy? Isn't refining herbs with Earth Fire supposed to be the hardest? How does he make controlling it look so easy?"
When the medicinal liquid was refined, all the disciples in the Alchemy Room were completely stunned.
Following the shock, an uproar erupted.
"How is this possible? Such talent... even in the Medicine Vein, no one can compare!" Mo Jiuyan's face turned pale as if he'd been struck by lightning.
The medicinal liquid Ling Fei had refined left him devastated, dealing a massive blow to his spirit.
One must remember, on the day Ling Fei joined the sect, he had challenged Ling Fei to a competition to see who could successfully refine a pill first.
But Ling Fei had disdained to even compete with him.
At the time, he had thought Ling Fei was incredibly arrogant.
But looking at it now, was the boy arrogant, or was he just ignorant himself?
"If he can refine a paste this quickly with just Earth Fire, what would happen if he were to control Celestial Fire?" Wang Haoran's expression was grave.
Before, he had been dismissive of Ling Fei's so-called talent.
But now, it seemed that if this youth were given a True Fire, he might really become an Alchemy Master.
He might even have a chance to earn the title of Pill King.
Thinking of this, Wang Haoran felt immense pressure.
If this continued, how would he ever get his revenge?
'I absolutely cannot let him continue to grow.' Wang Haoran's gaze turned sinister as he thought to himself.
Ling Fei's talent made him feel a sense of crisis.
"This Purple Crystal Branch liquid of yours still has some impurities. You were too cautious during the refinement just now, so the heat wasn't quite enough." At this point, Yuan Chong picked up the purple crystal paste Ling Fei had made. After examining it for a few moments, he pointed out its shortcomings.
Ling Fei took it and looked; it was indeed as he said.
"The many failures made me overly cautious," Ling Fei said with a smile.
"No matter. Many people are like this when they refine herbs. You just need to practice more and keep improving," said Yuan Chong.
"Next, you should first perfect the refinement of this one ingredient, the Purple Crystal Branch, before moving on to other medicinal herbs."
"Alright!" Ling Fei nodded.
After a short rest, he continued refining.
With his previous experience, Ling Fei failed far less often.
However, since he was still constantly trying to improve, failures were inevitable.
With each improvement, he finally mastered the precise heat control required for refining the Purple Crystal Branch.
By now, it was nearly dusk.
For the entire day, many people in the Alchemy Room hadn't done any refining themselves; they just watched Ling Fei.
Some were hoping for Ling Fei to fail, wishing his earlier success had just been luck.
But by the end of the day, they discovered they were wrong.
"Not bad. You've mastered the method for refining the Purple Crystal Branch in just one day. Tomorrow, you can start on other medicinal herbs," Yuan Chong said with a smile.
"Come back tomorrow to continue," said Master Yuan Lang.
"Yes!" Ling Fei nodded.
Only then did the crowd disperse.
After a full day of refining, Ling Fei had exhausted a great deal of his Soul Power.
Yet, he felt his soul had become even more solid and condensed.
Refining herbs could strengthen the soul.
Walking out of the Alchemy Room, Ling Fei summoned his Golden Eagle and flew away from Alchemy Peak with Yuan Chong.
"I never thought Ling Fei would be able to control Earth Fire." Mo Jiuyan sighed as he watched Ling Fei depart.
A bitter taste filled his heart.
"He is a talent worth nurturing!" On Alchemy Peak, Master Yuan Lang gazed at the departing youth while several elders beside him smiled.
By now, some of the Alchemists on Alchemy Peak had heard the news of Ling Fei controlling Earth Fire.
As a result, even the elders who were not optimistic about Ling Fei's path in alchemy now held a trace of anticipation.
Soon, the news that Ling Fei had controlled Earth Fire and successfully refined herbs spread throughout the entire Medicine Vein.
After spreading through the Medicine Vein, the news then traveled throughout the entire Lingyun Sect.
"What! That Ling Fei has already succeeded in his initial herb refinement?"
"How long has he been in the sect? I remember it's only been half a month!"
"Succeeding at refining herbs in half a month... that's unprecedented, even for the Medicine Vein, right?" Instantly, the entire Lingyun Sect was in an uproar.
"Could it be that he's truly a prodigy of alchemy?" Even some of the elders wore expressions of astonishment.
"Excellent!" Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun had also received the news. He stroked his white beard, his old eyes flashing with light, looking very excited.
"It seems this Ling Fei truly is a prodigy of alchemy," Yuan Lang the Pill Master said, his face flushed with excitement as well.
"Nurture him well. Perhaps he can truly achieve something great." Then, Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said, "Yuan Lang, I'll have to trouble you with this for the time being."
"Rest assured, Grand-uncle. I will certainly guide Ling Fei well," Yuan Lang replied, also looking delighted.
Originally, he hadn't held much hope for Ling Fei either.
That was why he had allowed Yuan Chong to get close to Ling Fei, intending to have Yuan Chong guide him at first.
But now, it seemed he could no longer afford to be lax!
"We must inform the various peaks of this matter and have them do their utmost to help search for Celestial Fire," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said, a glint in his eye.
"You really want him to merge with Celestial Fire?" Hearing this, Yuan Lang frowned.
"Without merging with Celestial Fire, even if he becomes an Alchemist, it will be difficult for him to surpass his predecessors. Only by merging with Celestial Fire will he have a chance to be crowned king in the Alchemy Dao," said Master Yuan Chun.
"But merging with Celestial Fire is too dangerous," Yuan Lang said, his heart full of reservations.
"Ling Fei was able to control Earth Fire with such ease, so his Soul Power must be very strong. According to some records, he once used a Sound Wave Secret Technique to kill a Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivator while he was still in the Innate Realm. This shows that his soul is extremely powerful. With such strong Soul Power, he should have a chance if he merges with a newly-formed Celestial Fire," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said. "Besides, the Ancestor also left behind a Secret Technique for merging with Celestial Fire. It's worth a try."
"Alright!" Yuan Lang nodded. He, too, wanted to see the day this youth would be crowned king in the Southern Wilderness Alchemy World.
After all, although the Lingyun Sect was still a King in the Alchemy Dao...
...the gap between them and the Pill Masters of other sects was closing.
Some sects even had geniuses who showed signs of surpassing the Lingyun Sect.
Now was not the time for complacency!
"Issue a mission immediately. Have the disciples of all peaks search for Celestial Fire. Anyone who finds a clue leading to Celestial Fire will be heavily rewarded!" Sect Leader Yuan issued the Bounty Order.
Originally, the various peaks had already secretly sent people to search for Celestial Fire.
But Celestial Fire was a rare sight, and it was obviously difficult to find it in a short time with only a few people.
Now, after confirming Ling Fei's talent for alchemy, Sect Leader Yuan had clearly made up his mind to mobilize the power of the entire Sect to search for Celestial Fire.
His goal was to hopefully produce a Pill King for the Lingyun Sect.
"Celestial Fire? Why would our Sect suddenly start searching for Celestial Fire?" When this news broke, the Primordial Pill Realm disciples of the Lingyun Sect were in an uproar.
"You haven't heard? The Lingyun Sect has produced an alchemy genius named Ling Fei. He's only been in the sect for half a month, but he's already controlled Earth Fire and succeeded in refining herbs, a first in a thousand years. It's said he received a Pill King's inheritance, and the Sect wants to cultivate him into a Pill King. That's why they're looking for Celestial Fire for him," someone explained.
"So that's how it is." Instantly, realization dawned on many people.
Many people set out one after another, searching for clues to the Celestial Fire.
"I can't believe that guy actually succeeded in refining herbs."
"This is trouble." Li Yufeng and the others looked grim after learning of the matter.
