One Star Great Dou Shi

Following each of Elder Huo's instructions, Xiao Ming carried out the process step by step.

The facts proved that besides his formidable Cultivation Talent, his talent for alchemy was no less impressive.

After more than twenty attempts that had reduced the medicinal ingredients to blackened charcoal, Xiao Ming finally succeeded in extracting the essence from every herb.

With everything going smoothly, Xiao Ming was filled with excitement.

Good. Next was to fuse all the medicinal essences into a pill!

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

Elder Huo smiled approvingly at the sweat-drenched Xiao Ming. "Hehe, although its surface is uneven and its Medicinal Fragrance is not very distinct, it is still a finished pill. The Return Origin Pill is of moderate difficulty among Grade One Pills. For your first attempt at alchemy, this is already very good."

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

But then he heard Elder Huo warn 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 amount of luck involved in that refinement process."

"To become a true Ranked Alchemist, you must also ensure the quality of your pills and your Pill Success Rate. Remember to practice diligently in the future. Never grow complacent, understand?"

As Xiao Ming's only disciple, Elder Huo 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, Elder Huo had seen far too many geniuses. Although none were as monstrous as Xiao Ming, lesser geniuses were countless.

He could not even count the number of geniuses who had suffered disastrous losses because they were arrogant, self-important, and unwilling to heed advice.

"I understand. I'll practice diligently from now on."

Xiao Ming hurriedly 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 large pile of medicinal ingredients appeared beside the pill cauldron.

"These are the ingredients I prepared for your practice. If you run out in the future, go to the storeroom and give them my name. They'll provide you with more."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Practice well."

After that, Xiao Ming's life became regular.

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

Elder Huo also held nothing back with this disciple, telling Xiao Ming everything he understood about alchemists.

The advantage of having a teacher was enormous. Problems that might have taken Xiao Ming a long time to puzzle through alone became clear very quickly with a few pointers from Elder Huo.

Moreover, Elder Huo truly deserved to be called 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 foundations in alchemy became exceptionally solid. Elder Huo would also test him from time to time, helping him identify and make up for his shortcomings.

At night, Xiao Ming always cultivated instead of sleeping. He had always been diligent in cultivation.

He had been the same back when he lacked alchemy talent in the Xiao Family, and he became even more so after becoming an alchemist.

Because he clearly understood that in a fantasy world, The Strong Rule. The weak were prey to the strong, and whoever had the bigger fist was right.

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

Besides being an alchemist, Elder Huo's Dou Qi Cultivation was not weak either. Aside from alchemy, Xiao Ming would often ask him questions about cultivation.

He refined pills and practiced Dou Skills during the day, cultivated at night to improve his strength, and every few days, he would perform a Life Simulation.

Time passed bit by bit.

Two years later.

Gentle sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon the young man's fair face. Though still young, he had sharp 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 and exhaled a breath of stale air, awakening from cultivation.

"I've broken through to a One Star Great Dou Shi, and my Alchemy Technique reached Grade Three long ago." Feeling the Qi Cyclone in his dantian completely transform into a solid crystal, Xiao Ming smiled, then fell into thought.

"But this still isn't enough. I've been at Jia Nan Academy for two years now. To improve my Alchemy Technique during those two years, I spent too much time on it, which slowed my cultivation considerably. The Selection Competition is only a month away. With this strength, I can enter the Inner Academy, but competition there is fierce. Things won't be so easy once I get in."

Xiao Ming had always had a very clear understanding of himself.

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

Ever since his talent had been revealed, everything had gone smoothly for him. Everyone who saw him smiled warmly and treated him with kindness.

Because of his age, he wanted to gain experience through sparring. Yet among students at his level, the advantage brought by the Spirit Nourishing Technique meant he could easily win through brute force alone.

The stronger senior students were perfunctory during sparring matches, and his instructors, teachers, and Elder Huo were the same. They treated him like a child, though he truly was one in terms of age.

But this seriously hindered his growth.

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

Xiao Ming had thought of a solution to these problems: joining the Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team for training.

The Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team had always been committed to suppressing the surrounding criminal forces, and bloodshed was frequent. Xiao Ming believed that if he came out of it, he would definitely undergo a qualitative transformation.

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

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

After spending day and night together, he had already come to regard Xiao Ming as the person closest to him. He was extremely strict regarding cultivation, but spoiled him greatly in every other way, giving him whatever he wanted.

Naturally, he did not want Xiao Ming, who was only a few years old, to risk his life. Thus, not long after Xiao Ming joined the Enforcement Team, Elder Huo, deeply concerned for his beloved disciple, dragged him back from the Enforcement Team on the grounds that 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 unpracticed, and he lacked actual combat experience. Thinking of these things gave Xiao Ming a terrible headache.

Wasn't he exactly the model of a generic genius? The kind of mediocre genius who was easily defeated by someone weaker.

The kind who had nothing besides good talent.

Defeating the strong while weak was nothing new. Even with a powerful Cultivation Method like the Spirit Nourishing Technique, he might still suffer an upset.

"Ah, the Simulator mentioned that some Secret Realms in the Black Corner Region are about to open as well. No, I need to speak with Teacher. I must go to the Black Corner Region to gain experience."

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

Xiao Ming slapped his thigh, rose from the bed, and headed for Elder Huo's residence.