Alchemy

"Crackle..."

The medicinal herbs were continuously scorched by the flames, giving off crackling sounds.

Time passed steadily, and the herbs within the Medicine Cauldron gradually began to melt.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

After setting the melted medicinal liquid aside, Lin Feng tossed another herb into the Medicine Cauldron and began refining it.

Perhaps because he was not yet sufficiently proficient in refining Fourth Grade pills, he did not throw all the ingredients into the cauldron at once as he usually did. Instead, he refined them one by one.

As expected, even with my powerful Soul Force, it is still safer to proceed step by step when working with a pill I have only just encountered.

After a pause, Lin Feng thought to himself, It seems I will need much more practice before I can refine all the ingredients at once.

If other Alchemists learned of Lin Feng's thoughts, they would surely curse him as a beast before wondering whether they had learned counterfeit alchemy.

After all, although high-level Alchemists could easily refine low-grade pills, they still followed the process step by step.

Much less someone like Lin Feng, who had only just advanced yet was already thinking of attempting such an extremely difficult refinement method.

"It seems you can already be considered proficient in refining low- and mid-grade Fourth Grade pills," Fa Ma said from the side as he watched Lin Feng's calm expression.

"However, when roasting that Rank 4 Fire Attribute Demonic Core, if you strengthen the flames while adding just a trace more Wood Attribute battle qi, the process will be more stable."

Indeed, this was not Lin Feng's first time refining a Fourth Grade pill since becoming a Fourth-grade Alchemist through the assessment.

With Fa Ma's support, Lin Feng had not begun with Fourth Grade pills over the past few days. Instead, he had practiced every pill formula in the Alchemist Guild that he did not possess, starting from the lowest grade and working his way upward.

Although it had taken three days, Lin Feng had refined every pill formula in the guild that he had not previously possessed.

The results were extremely apparent: both his understanding of medicinal principles and his practical ability had improved tremendously.

This showed in the fact that even when handed a Fourth Grade pill formula, he only needed to study it briefly before refining it, and his success rate was exceptionally high.

According to Fa Ma, this was because Lin Feng's Soul Force was simply too powerful. He could clearly observe every change in the herbs during the scorching process and correct any problems in time.

Thus, upon his first attempt, he could achieve a forty percent pill formation rate.

It might not sound high, but even Fa Ma himself, despite having spent many years studying Fifth-grade Pills because he had failed to advance to Sixth Grade, could achieve at most a thirty percent pill formation rate when refining an unfamiliar Fifth-grade Pill for the first time. This showed just how terrifying Lin Feng's talent was.

Though Fa Ma had gradually become numb after being bombarded by surprises over the past three days, he was still astonished.

Moreover, what puzzled Fa Ma most was that Lin Feng could refine pills continuously. Soul Force, the resource most heavily consumed during pill refinement, was extremely difficult to recover.

When Fa Ma had asked about this, Lin Feng had merely smiled and said that it was a secret technique of his sect and could not be passed on without his teacher's permission.

Fa Ma could only watch in envy, with no way to do anything about it.

But then Fa Ma thought, Such a peerless genius—only someone with enough boldness could take him in as a disciple. As expected, this old man's eye for talent is as sharp as ever.

Lin Feng, however, paid no attention to the old man's monologue. Though their days together had shown him Fa Ma's goodwill, he still found it somewhat difficult to adapt to an old man who always kept his eyes narrowed.

Focusing again on the pill refinement, Lin Feng had now reached the final step in refining this Fourth Grade pill, the Weather Pill.

His hand seals began to change once more. Over the past three days, Fa Ma had taught him every alchemy technique he possessed, which was why Lin Feng now held Fa Ma in greater respect.

Lin Feng's Soul Force remained tightly fixed on the changes in the energy mass within the Medicine Cauldron. He did not dare relax.

After all, while his pill formation rate was high, failure was still possible—especially since this was a pill he was refining for the first time.

The familiar fragrance emerged once again, and neither Lin Feng nor Fa Ma found it unusual anymore. This time, however, there was a subtle difference.

Under the observation of Lin Feng and Fa Ma, the fragrance seemed as though it was about to become distinct.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

After a round of tremors, Lin Feng beckoned with his hand, and the pill immediately appeared in his palm.

"What a pity. Although pill markings have appeared, there is still no colored pill fragrance." After examining it for a moment, Lin Feng spoke with regret and tossed the pill to Fa Ma beside him.

"Kid, be careful. You used the guild's medicinal ingredients to refine that." Fa Ma's lips twitched slightly at Lin Feng's rough action.

Hearing Lin Feng say that, Fa Ma could no longer suppress the stampede of ten thousand horses in his heart.

"Lin Feng, do you know how long it takes an ordinary Alchemist to reach your level after advancing to Fourth Grade?" Fa Ma could not help feeling envious and bitter.

"Some Alchemists reach Fourth Grade and remain there for the rest of their lives. Even someone as mildly talented as this old man was back then..."

"Oh? How long did Elder Fa take back then?" When Fa Ma brought up his own experience, Lin Feng became slightly interested and pricked up his ears.

"Cough, cough. Someone as mildly talented as this old man—well, though I cannot compare to you—only took half a month." Fa Ma nearly choked when Lin Feng, who had been ignoring him, suddenly spoke up. He hurriedly put on a front.

"Oh! Elder Fa is quite impressive!!!"

Seeing the amusement in Lin Feng's eyes, Fa Ma's old face finally reddened beyond restraint, and he hurriedly changed the subject.

"Lin Feng, are you truly going to refine a Peak Fourth Grade pill—the Three-patterned Azure Spirit Pill?" Fa Ma's expression turned serious. "Why not consolidate your foundation for a while longer? I believe you would have a better chance of refining this Peak Fourth Grade pill then."

"Elder Fa, after these three days of refining, I have already become proficient in refining Fourth Grade pills." Lin Feng paused, his expression serious. "I have also fully mastered the three newly refined Sixth-tier Beast Fires. I believe I will succeed."

"Very well. Since you are so confident, they are only a few sets of Fourth Grade medicinal ingredients. That is nothing to the guild." Fa Ma waved his hand. He was also extremely curious whether Lin Feng could refine the Peak Fourth Grade Three-patterned Azure Spirit Pill.

If Lin Feng truly succeeded, would he not be only one step away from Fifth Grade?

After all, Lin Feng already met the requirement for Soul Force, the hardest aspect for an Alchemist to improve. As for pill formulas and medicinal ingredients, those were easily obtained through the Alchemist Guild.

If he truly succeeds, perhaps he will surpass this old man before long!