One Star Great Dou Shi

Following Elder Huo's instructions point by point, Xiao Ming proceeded step by step.

The facts proved that aside from his formidable Cultivation Talent, his talent for alchemy was not bad either.

After scorching medicinal herbs into black charcoal more than twenty times, Xiao Ming finally succeeded in extracting the essence from every herb.

With things going smoothly, Xiao Ming was immensely excited.

Good. Next, he had to fuse all the medicinal essences into a pill!

Taking the Azure Green Pill Xiao Ming handed over, which gave off faint traces of Medicinal Fragrance, Elder Huo first held it up before his eyes to inspect its color, then brought it to his nose and sniffed it.

Elder Huo smiled approvingly at the sweat-soaked Xiao Ming. "Hehe, although its surface is uneven and its Medicinal Fragrance isn't very obvious, it is already a finished pill. The Return Origin Pill is moderately difficult to refine among Grade One Pills. For your first attempt at alchemy, this is very good."

Breathing heavily, Xiao Ming smiled and thanked him for the praise.

But Elder Huo cautioned him, "Although you successfully refined a Grade One Pill, that does not mean you have become a true Grade One Alchemist. There was a certain element of luck in the process just now."

"To become a true Ranked Alchemist, you must also ensure the pill's quality and Pill Success Rate. Remember to practice diligently from now on. You must not slack off, understand?"

As Xiao Ming's only disciple, Elder Huo still hoped he would keep his feet on the ground and not become arrogant over a little success.

Over his many years at Jia Nan Academy, he had seen far too many geniuses. Though there had been none as monstrous as Xiao Ming, lesser geniuses were countless.

He could not even count the geniuses who had suffered devastating losses due to their arrogance and refusal to heed advice.

"I understand. I will practice diligently from now on."

Xiao Ming promptly agreed to Elder Huo's earnest warning.

Seeing that Xiao Ming had truly taken his teachings to heart, Elder Huo nodded in satisfaction. Stroking his beard, he waved his right hand, and a huge pile of medicinal herbs appeared beside the Medicine Cauldron.

"These are the medicinal herbs I prepared for your practice. If you run out in the future, report my name at the storeroom, and they will give you more."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Practice well."

After that, Xiao Ming's life became more regular.

During the day, he was either refining pills or seeking Elder Huo's guidance on alchemy.

Elder Huo was equally generous toward this disciple, telling Xiao Ming everything he knew about alchemists.

The benefits of having a teacher were enormous. Problems that might have taken Xiao Ming a long time to figure out alone became clear to him quickly with a few pointers from Elder Huo.

Moreover, Elder Huo truly deserved his status as an old hand of Jia Nan Academy. His teaching ability was no joke.

Under his guidance, Xiao Ming's Alchemy Technique improved rapidly, and his foundation in alchemy became exceptionally solid. From Time To Time, Elder Huo would test him as well, helping him fill in any gaps.

At night, Xiao Ming had always used cultivation in place of sleep. He had always been diligent in his cultivation.

He had been the same way back in the Xiao Family, before he had possessed talent for alchemy, and he became even more so after becoming an alchemist.

Because he clearly understood that in a Fantasy World, The Strong Rule and Survival of the Fittest prevailed. Whoever had the bigger fist was right.

If he did not want to be bullied By Others, then becoming stronger was his only path.

Besides being an alchemist, Elder Huo's Dou Qi Cultivation was also Not Weak. Apart from alchemy, Xiao Ming often asked him questions about cultivation.

During the day, he refined pills and practiced Dou Skills. At night, he cultivated to raise his strength. Every few days, he would conduct a Life Simulation.

Time passed Bit by Bit.

Two years later.

Gentle light shone through the window onto the Young Man's fair face. Though still young, he had sword-like brows, bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth. It was clear that he would capture the hearts of many women in the future.

Xiao Ming opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of Stale Air, and awoke from cultivation.

"I've broken through to One Star Great Dou Shi, and my Alchemy Technique reached Grade Three long ago." Feeling the Qi Cyclone in his Dantian completely solidify into a crystalline mass, Xiao Ming smiled before falling into thought.

"But this still isn't enough. I've been at Jia Nan Academy for two years now. Over those two years, I spent too much time improving my Alchemy Technique, which slowed my cultivation considerably. The Selection Competition is in one month. With this strength, I can enter the Inner Academy, but competition there is fierce. It won't be so easy after I get in."

Xiao Ming actually had a very clear understanding of himself.

He was not much different from ordinary geniuses. Even though he trained extremely hard, his actual combat ability could not compare to those who had been tempered through life-and-death battles.

Ever since his talent had been exposed, everything had gone smoothly for him. Everyone he met smiled at him and treated him kindly.

Because of his age, he wanted to gain experience through sparring. However, students at his level could easily defeat him through brute force alone, Relying On the advantages brought by the Spirit Nourishing Technique.

The stronger senior students were perfunctory during their matches, and the instructors, teachers, and Elder Huo were the same. They treated him like a child, though he truly was a child by age.

But this seriously hindered his growth.

Furthermore, to make up for the time he had spent on Alchemy Technique, he had taken pills to assist his cultivation. As a result, his Dou Qi was not as solid as it would have been if he had cultivated steadily step by step.

Xiao Ming had considered solving these problems by joining the Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team for training.

The Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team had always been dedicated to cracking down on the surrounding criminal forces, where bloody incidents occurred frequently. Xiao Ming believed he would undergo a qualitative transformation after coming out of it.

The idea was wonderful, but reality was harsh. Xiao Ming had overlooked one very important person: he still had a teacher at Jia Nan Academy.

Elder Huo had no descendants, only Xiao Ming as his disciple.

After spending so much time together day and night, he had already regarded Xiao Ming as the person closest to him. He was extremely strict with Xiao Ming in cultivation, but spoiled him greatly in every other aspect, giving him whatever he wanted.

Naturally, he did not want Xiao Ming to risk his life at such a young age. Thus, Not Long After Xiao Ming joined the Enforcement Team, Elder Huo dragged him back out of it, worried for his beloved disciple and claiming he was too young and his cultivation was too shallow.

Unable to resist, Xiao Ming could only obediently remain at the academy for another year.

His Dou Qi was not solid enough, his use of Dou Skills was clumsy, and he lacked actual combat experience. Thinking of these things gave Xiao Ming a terrible headache.

Wasn't he the living embodiment of a generic talented nobody? The sort of mediocre genius who was easily killed by someone stronger than his level.

Other than having good talent, he was nothing.

Defeat the Strong with the Weak was Not Easily something unheard of. Even with a powerful Cultivation Method like the Spirit Nourishing Technique, he might still Flip Over.

"Ah, the Simulator mentioned that certain Secret Realms in the Black Corner Region are about to open. No, I have to talk to Teacher. I must head to the Black Corner Region for some experience."

"Now that I've broken through to Da Dou Shi, I can be considered a minor expert in the Black Corner Region. Teacher should have no reason to stop me from Headed Towards the Black Corner Region."

Xiao Ming slapped his thigh, got up from his bed, and headed toward Elder Huo's residence.

Thanks to Xiao He and Autumn Wish Falling Flowers for the rewards.