Elder Huo

Biodata

Appearance

Elder Huo is an elderly man who wears plain clothing 56 59.

• He has white hair and a white beard 56.
• His deep eyes give the impression that they could swallow a person’s mind, a sign of his strong Soul Power 56.

Personality

Elder Huo is known among the academy’s higher-ups for his eccentric temperament. When another elder questioned Xiao Yao’s suitability for alchemy, Huo dismissed the criticism sharply 37 38.

He values talented students and is willing to share his knowledge to develop their gifts. Although Xiao Yao’s extraordinary progress briefly left him discouraged about his own years of practice, Huo continued to teach and encourage him 64 72.

History

Recruiting Xiao Yao

During the Inner Academy Selection Tournament, Elder Huo noticed Xiao Yao’s unusual Dou Qi and judged it exceptionally promising as fuel for alchemy 37. After the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, he examined a heat-melted pit left by Xiao Yao and recognized both the destructive heat and vitality of his attribute. Impressed by Xiao Yao’s Soul Power as well, Huo resolved to recruit him 56.

Huo approached Xiao Yao after he left the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and asked whether he wanted to become an alchemist. Xiao Yao agreed immediately 59 60.

Teaching alchemy

Huo first assigned Xiao Yao introductory books, tested his knowledge, and taught him flame-temperature control using a Fire Stone 60 61. He then guided him through Hemostatic Powder and other unranked medicines before introducing the first-rank Fire-Clearing Pill. Xiao Yao’s first pill bore a faint Pill Pattern, and a later one had a distinct pattern 62 63 64.

Huo tested Xiao Yao and awarded him a Third-Rank Alchemist badge. Concerned that jealousy might put his student in danger, he kept the speed of Xiao Yao’s progress secret from the other Alchemy Department elders 65. He later guided Xiao Yao’s first successful refinement of fourth-tier Qi Gathering Powder, congratulating him on becoming a Fourth-Tier Alchemist 72.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy and flame control

Elder Huo is a skilled alchemist whose flame control is the strongest among the Alchemy Department’s elders 61.

• He demonstrated a yellow-and-blue Beast Flame, controlling its temperature so that all 108 squares of a Fire Stone displayed different colors without affecting their neighbors 61.
• He estimated his own success rate at refining fourth-rank Qi Gathering Powder at around eighty percent 65.
• His Soul Power is strong enough to give his gaze an unusually imposing quality 56.

Alchemy instruction

Huo uses the academy’s gradual, step-by-step approach, combining book study, flame-control exercises, and supervised refinement 60 61 62.

• He uses Fire Stone colors to communicate precise flame temperatures during practice and medicine refinement 61 62.
• He assesses pill quality, identifying the Pill Pattern on Xiao Yao’s first Fire-Clearing Pill and the glow of his Purple Sun Pill 63 65.
• He warns students against overexertion, noting that Soul Power needs time to recover even when Dou Qi remains available 61.

Equipment and Items

• Beast Flame — A yellow-and-blue flame used in his Fire Stone demonstration 61.
• Fire Stone — A temperature-sensitive, 108-square training tool left by a senior of the Alchemy Department. It can withstand a Sixth-Rank Beast Flame; Huo lent it to Xiao Yao for practice 61.
• Medicinal cauldrons — Huo uses a cauldron at the Inner Academy branch and lent Xiao Yao an ordinary one for training 60 61.
• Alchemy formulas — He supplied Xiao Yao with formulas ranging from basic Hemostatic Powder to fourth-rank Qi Gathering Powder 62 65.

Relationships

• Xiao Yao — Student whom Huo recruited and guided from introductory alchemy to fourth-tier refinement. Huo regarded his talent highly and concealed his rapid progress to protect him from potential jealousy 56 65 72.