Alchemy

"You mean the red one is for me, and the gold one is for you?" Xun'er asked doubtfully.

In her view, a Third Order Magical Beast merely possessed strength comparable to a human Da Dou Shi. It should not have such intelligence, much less be willing to share the Crimson Gold Twin Fruit it had guarded with her. Xun'er truly could not make sense of it.

Seeing that Xun'er in the distance had not reacted, the Dark Gold Bear pointed at the red fruit again, then at Xun'er, before waving at her.

"Do you want me to come over and take it?" Though confused by its actions, Xun'er still asked softly.

"Roar."

It seemed to have heard Xun'er's voice. The Dark Gold Bear gave a low roar, and its meaning was self-evident.

Hearing that answering growl, Xun'er's little face brightened slightly, and she began to move forward with graceful steps.

As she advanced, she did not completely lower her guard. She continued moving slowly while maintaining a combat stance.

"Roar, roar."

Seemingly noticing Xun'er's concerns, the Dark Gold Bear gave another low growl. Its massive body then slowly moved to an open space nearby, deliberately keeping a sufficient distance from her.

Maybe it really means no harm?

When the Dark Gold Bear roared, Xun'er had halted warily. But after seeing its actions, her impression of it changed greatly.

Taking two steps at a time, Xun'er finally reached the Twin Fruits. Under the Dark Gold Bear's watchful gaze, she slowly plucked the red fruit and held it in her hand.

It felt slightly cold to the touch, like holding a piece of ice. Though fiery red in color, it radiated a bone-chilling chill.

With the treasure in hand, Xun'er flipped her palm and stored it in her storage ring, then turned her gaze toward the giant bear beside her.

Its eyes were wide as it watched the fruit it had guarded for so long get taken away by a little girl. Though it felt somewhat distressed, when it recalled that strange flame from earlier, its gaze became complicated again.

After seeing up close that it harbored no ill intent, Xun'er slowly withdrew her Dou Qi and returned to her girl-next-door appearance, smiling as she said, "Thank you, Big Bear."

"Roar, roar."

Hearing Xun'er's thanks, the Dark Gold Bear gave a low roar in response.

It then slowly approached her, pinched the remaining golden fruit between two fingers, and, under Xun'er's astonished gaze, directly tossed it into its huge mouth. It instantly vanished without a trace.

"This fruit is rather special." Yun Xi's figure quietly appeared beside Xun'er, and he suddenly spoke.

"Roar!"

The Dark Gold Bear beside them was abruptly startled. After letting out a low roar, it leaped away into the distance. Yun Xi's sudden appearance had clearly frightened it badly.

"Quiet!" Yun Xi shouted impatiently, his voice carrying a pressure from his soul.

Upon hearing those two oppressive words, the Dark Gold Bear, which had still been growling softly, instantly fell silent. It cautiously crouched to one side, no longer daring to make the slightest sound.

Only after seeing it settle down did Yun Xi continue, "This fruit contains quite a bit of energy. Eating it should allow you to break through to seven stars."

Xun'er stared blankly at the serious Yun Xi holding the fruit beside her, then looked at the Dark Gold Bear crouching in the corner. She suddenly became curious about Yun Xi's methods.

Just as she was about to ask, her eyes lit up upon hearing his words. "Really?"

She had been stuck at the Six-Star Peak, while the experience she gained through battle had been pitifully scarce. How could she not be excited to hear Yun Xi suddenly say this?

Yun Xi rubbed Xun'er's little head and smiled. "What? You don't believe me?"

"I do! I believe you completely!"

"Then give me the fruit. I'll show you a surprise," Yun Xi said mysteriously.

"Okay." As she answered, Xun'er took the fruit from her storage ring and handed it to Yun Xi. Her large eyes blinked as she watched him expectantly.

Holding the fruit, Yun Xi lightly tossed it upward. It quietly floated in midair, and with a light tap of his finger, it began to dissolve into sparkling motes. Streams of pure energy gradually gathered together, beginning to take the shape of a pill.

As that rudimentary shape appeared, a strange fragrance spread outward from it. Upon smelling it, both Xun'er and the Dark Gold Bear in the corner raised their heads, surprise appearing in their eyes.

A moment later, a red pill appeared in Yun Xi's palm.

"Yun Xi? You're an alchemist?" Xun'er stared unblinkingly at the pill in his hand as she asked in disbelief.

After all, she had always dreamed of becoming an alchemist. Xun'er had previously visited the clan's alchemists to ask about it, but an elder had told her that she lacked Wood Attribute Dou Qi and could not become an alchemist. That had left her dejected for a long time.

Now that she saw Yun Xi casually refine a pill, Xun'er's dream of becoming an alchemist was rekindled.

Hearing Xun'er's question, Yun Xi smiled and shook his head. "No, no, no. I merely know a few crude extraction techniques. I studied some basic alchemy techniques in the past, so I can barely refine a few low-grade spirit pills."

"Alchemy techniques? Spirit pills?" Xun'er murmured. She seemed to remember Yun Xi mentioning them before, but after thinking about it fruitlessly for a long time, she gave up. Then she tugged on Yun Xi's sleeve and shook it, asking softly and somewhat bashfully, "By the way... Yun Xi... can you teach me alchemy techniques too? I want to learn..."

Turning his head slightly, Yun Xi looked at Xun'er tugging on his robe and her large eyes filled with anticipation. He smiled. "Of course. But let me correct you: these are alchemy techniques, not medicine-refining techniques."

"Huh? Is there a difference?"

"There is a huge difference." Yun Xi chuckled and slowly explained, "I've seen the pills here. Their effects and appearance are excellent, but your medicine-refining techniques seem to involve purifying various herbs before refining and fusing them together, right? Not only does that take a long time, but the failure rate is also very high, isn't it?"

Xun'er nodded. That was indeed an accurate description of alchemists.

"But alchemy techniques are different." Seeing Xun'er nod, Yun Xi continued, "Alchemy techniques directly extract a single medicinal herb, then condense it under high heat. Although the method is simple and requires little cultivation, so almost anyone can learn it, the direct extraction makes the medicinal effects within spirit pills extremely potent. Long-term consumption can damage the body. That is alchemy techniques. Now... do you still want to learn?"

When he reached that final point, Yun Xi deliberately paused. He wanted to see how she would react.

After a moment of silence, Xun'er raised her little face again and nodded stubbornly.

"I want to learn!"