Yao Chen's Thoughts

"It worked!" Feng Wu looked at the powder taken from the cauldron. It was white with a faint reddish-yellow tint, still mixed with some impurities, yet the joy on his face could not be hidden.

Although the color of the medicinal powder was slightly off, this was the only successful batch in over an hour!

"Not bad, very good!" Even Yao Chen spoke up in praise.

"In just over an hour, you extracted the essence from the first Blood Coagulation Grass. Very impressive.

You're twice as fast as I was when I first began learning alchemy!"

Yao Chen lavishly praised Feng Wu. He truly was excellent material for learning alchemy. What a pity that someone else had already taken him in first. Otherwise, Yao Chen would have loved to take Feng Wu under his wing as well!

Without needing Yao Chen to urge him, Feng Wu calmed his excited emotions and began refining Blood Coagulation Grass once more!

Just one hour of refinement was far from Feng Wu's limit!

Yao Chen also wanted to test Feng Wu's willpower and endurance, so he did not tell him to rest.

Successfully refining one batch did not mean he would never fail afterward.

Feng Wu, brimming with confidence as he began again, failed on his very first new attempt.

But everything required practice to make perfect. Alchemy undoubtedly embodied that principle most vividly!

At first, Feng Wu still needed six or seven portions of ingredients to produce one finished batch. Later, he could successfully extract the essence once every four or five portions.

In truth, that was already the average standard for some relatively mediocre Alchemists.

Yet after another three-plus hours, Feng Wu raised that figure again, finally stabilizing at the astonishing rate of one finished batch for every three portions of ingredients!

Moreover, the medicinal powder placed in one wooden box after another gradually changed from visibly impure to pure white.

Only then did Yao Chen, who had always been strict about alchemy, smile again and nod in satisfaction.

"On your first day of alchemy, being able to stabilize the extraction success rate of a single medicinal herb at this level is already very good."

After another hour had passed, Yao Chen saw Feng Wu's face turn deathly pale from blood loss, sweat forming on his forehead. His extraction success rate, which had just risen to over forty percent, had begun to fall due to his worsening condition. Yao Chen finally stopped him.

"Very good. Take a rest."

More than six hours had passed, and Feng Wu truly could not hold on any longer. Following Yao Chen's words, he lay directly on the ground, panting heavily, drenched in sweat!

Feng Wu was quite satisfied with this result. In the original story, Xiao Yan had only lasted two hours during his first time refining medicine. Feng Wu had persisted for more than six hours—over three times as long as Xiao Yan!

Although one reason was that Xiao Yan's Burning Flame Mantra had only been Yellow Rank Low Grade at the time, that was definitely not the main reason. While the gap between cultivation techniques was great, it should not have created a difference of several times.

Each rank of difference in a cultivation technique only caused a ten to twenty percent gap in Dou Qi reserves.

The greatest advantage probably came from the Perfect Foundation Establishment brought about by the Foundation Establishment Pill, which had expanded Feng Wu's dantian several times over and compressed the density of his Dou Qi several times over!

Feng Wu was so exhausted now not because the Dou Qi in his dantian had run dry. He still had some strength left!

However, his mental power—his Soul Power—was no longer enough to support him continuing!

No matter how strong Feng Wu's Soul Power was, continuously and precisely controlling flames for over six hours without pause had already pushed him to his limit at his current level!

Mental exhaustion could not be erased. The moment Feng Wu stopped, fatigue surged over him uncontrollably.

Before he knew it, Feng Wu had fallen into a deep sleep. His snoring was so loud that it even drew over Xiao Yan, who had been practicing his punches nearby.

"Teacher, what's wrong with him?" Xiao Yan asked, confused.

"Go. Take off his clothes and carry him into this pool." With a casual wave of Dou Qi, Yao Chen heated a pool of water in a hollow area of the cave and instructed Xiao Yan.

"Alright." Since it was Yao Chen's order, Xiao Yan could only comply and carefully help Feng Wu into the hot bath.

However, while taking Feng Wu's clothes off, Xiao Yan could not help sneaking a few extra glances. "How come I can't compare to Feng Wu in anything? Sigh..."

"Go away, go away. Aren't you afraid of getting an eyeful?" Yao Chen walked over and shoved Xiao Yan aside. "Holy shit! It's that big!"

"Er, ahem—! It's nothing. Your teacher was merely startled for a moment. I was saying his snoring is loud, very loud—snoring!"

Feeling Xiao Yan's disdainful gaze, Yao Chen coughed awkwardly twice and offered a weak explanation.

After calming his startled emotions, Yao Chen said seriously, "Let's get down to business!"

As he spoke, he uncorked a jade bottle he had been holding all along, pouring its emerald-green medicinal liquid into the pool, where it dissolved into the water.

"Teacher, what are you doing!?" Xiao Yan cried out in shock.

"Isn't that my Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid?" Xiao Yan's face changed drastically, and his heart ached!

This was no longer the original Rank 2 Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. It was the Third Grade Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid that Yao Chen had refined anew after obtaining the formula!

Both its cost and actual value had increased greatly!

And now it was being used on Feng Wu for free?

"Look at how petty you are! Isn't it only a few thousand Gold Coins' worth of materials? I can earn that back just by casually refining a couple of pills!"

Yao Chen rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan, then flicked him on the forehead and pointed at Feng Wu in the medicinal bath. "How much is this medicinal liquid worth? And how much is the friendship of a future powerhouse worth? Don't you have any sense?"

"Him, a future powerhouse?" Xiao Yan was unconvinced.

Yao Chen turned his back and faced the cauldron, speaking meaningfully. "Little Yanzi, don't be so short-sighted.

At least in my eyes, this boy's talent is stronger than yours! Of course, the teacher behind him is stronger than I am too!

The path of the strong is a lonely one, but if someone can lend you a hand, it becomes much easier!"

Yao Chen spoke earnestly.

"Teacher, are you saying I should build a good relationship with Feng Wu, then once I become strong, conquer and recruit him? In the end, I can use his strength to elevate myself!?" Xiao Yan initially asked Yao Chen, but the more he spoke, the more excited he became!

The way he looked at Feng Wu in the pool was as though he were already looking at his own follower and right-hand man!

Sigh... Yao Chen let out a long inward sigh, but he did not interrupt Xiao Yan's fantasies. Sometimes, excessive confidence was also a good thing.

What he truly thought was that, so long as Feng Wu did not die, he possessed all the foundations needed to become strong: talent, strength, diligence, hard work, and a powerful force or expert behind him who could stand on his own and shield him from wind and rain...

Feng Wu possessed every single one of the qualities needed to become a powerhouse!

Sometimes, becoming a minister who followed a dragon was not necessarily a failure! The steps beneath an emperor's feet when he ascended the throne were not necessarily low either!

At the very least, it meant being more successful and standing higher than ninety-nine percent of people!

At present, Yao Chen thought more about revenge and resurrection. He had not yet been won over by Xiao Yan's character.

As long as it increased the chances of his future resurrection, currying favor with Feng Wu now was not unacceptable.

He could even pull Feng Wu and his teacher in to face the Hall of Souls someday. The Hall of Souls was so powerful...