Lighting the Fire for the First Time

Jiang Donghua had barely stepped into the Alchemy Department hall when a chorus of wails erupted behind him.

"Why does he get to go in?!"

"My Fire affinity is way stronger than his! Why didn't the crystal ball react to me?!"

"It's rigged! This is absolutely rigged!"

A group of eliminated Fire-element freshmen beat their chests in frustration, wishing they could rush forward, drag Jiang Donghua back out, and try again themselves.

Unfortunately, the white-robed Senior Brothers of the Alchemy Department merely swept them with cold glances. They immediately fell silent, able only to watch helplessly as Jiang Donghua's figure vanished through the doors.

Jiang Donghua had no time to care about their resentment. The moment he entered, a rich medicinal fragrance washed over him.

The hall was even more spacious than he had imagined. Cabinets filled with all kinds of Medicinal Herbs lined the walls. Some herbs emitted a faint spiritual glow, while others were sealed in jade boxes, releasing only wisps of refreshing fragrance through the cracks.

Farther inside, faint murmurs drifted from the side halls on either side. It seemed the Alchemy Department apprentices were studying pill formulas.

As Jiang Donghua looked around, he suddenly heard a low cough.

"New here?"

He turned and saw a middle-aged man standing with his hands behind his back, his piercing gaze assessing him.

The man wore a dark ink-colored robe embroidered with dark golden patterns along the cuffs and lapels. Most striking of all was the ancient Pill Furnace emblem embroidered on his chest.

Five golden marks were clearly stamped upon the furnace, gleaming brightly in the candlelight.

A Fifth-grade Alchemist!

In the world of alchemy, a pill's grade represented one's strength. Anyone capable of refining Fifth-grade Pills was someone every major power sought to recruit.

The man had a steady expression, and his brows carried an imposing air that commanded respect without anger. Yet a faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips, as though he found this newcomer, Jiang Donghua, rather interesting.

"My name is Mo Xuan,"

he said calmly.

"I am one of the Alchemy Department's stewards, responsible for today's second test."

Jiang Donghua's heart tightened, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in salute.

"This disciple is Jiang Donghua. Greetings, Senior Mo."

Mo Xuan gave a slight nod, his gaze lingering on Jiang Donghua for a moment before he turned and headed toward the inner hall.

"Follow me."

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath and quickly followed.

Jiang Donghua followed Mo Xuan through a corridor and soon arrived at a spacious alchemy hall.

More than thirty freshmen were busy inside. Over half sat cross-legged with their eyes shut, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads as they strained to sense the Power of Alchemy Fire, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

The remaining dozen or so gathered around several pill cauldrons, forming hand seals as they carefully controlled the flames within.

Yet besides the fresh scent of Medicinal Herbs, a pungent burnt smell hung in the air. Clearly, someone had already ruined their pills.

"Hmph. A bunch of clumsy little brats."

Mo Xuan snorted, impatience coloring his voice.

Jiang Donghua's eyelid twitched slightly. Looks like life in the Alchemy Department won't be easy...

Just then—

Boom!

With a muffled bang, a Pill Furnace not far away suddenly belched a plume of black smoke, its lid jolting slightly open.

"I-I failed again..."

A freshman wore a miserable expression as he frantically slapped the furnace, trying to salvage the charred medicinal dregs inside.

Mo Xuan frowned and waved his sleeve. A gentle burst of force instantly extinguished the furnace fire.

"You can't even control a flame properly, and you want to refine pills?"

he said coldly.

"Go meditate in the quiet room for three days. Master the basic cultivation technique first!"

The freshman's face went pale. He hurriedly lowered his head in acknowledgment before slinking away in disgrace.

Mo Xuan turned to Jiang Donghua and said calmly,

"You. Come here."

Jiang Donghua's heart tightened as he quickly stepped forward.

"Today's test is simple."

With a wave of Mo Xuan's hand, a small pill cauldron appeared out of thin air and landed steadily before Jiang Donghua.

"Use your Fire-attribute Battle Qi to ignite the furnace and keep it burning for a quarter of an hour without letting it go out."

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath, placed a hand on the Pill Furnace, and slowly mobilized the Battle Qi within his body.

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath and pressed his palm firmly against the Pill Furnace's fire vent.

The Battle Qi within him circulated slowly, flowing through his meridians toward his palm.

"Sizzle—"

A crimson flame sprang up from the furnace's base. It was as weak as a candle flame at first, but as spiritual power continued to flow into it, it gradually grew stronger, churning and dancing within the furnace chamber until the entire Pill Furnace glowed red.

Mo Xuan stood to one side, his sharp gaze observing every change in the flames.

After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"Not bad. You managed to transform it into flames on your first try."

However, his tone soon turned serious.

"But the flame you have summoned now is not true alchemy fire."

"True alchemy fire requires Fire and Wood to complement one another, with yin and yang in harmony."

"Now, try to focus and sense the Wood attribute spiritual power within your body, then guide it to the other fire vent."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Donghua closed his eyes and immersed his mind within his body. He could clearly sense the Fire-attribute Battle Qi surging through his meridians, but finding that faint trace of Wood attribute within it was like searching for a needle in the sea.

Second by second, time passed, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on Jiang Donghua's forehead.

He searched within himself with complete focus, his Soul Force spreading through his meridians like a spiderweb as it carefully probed every inch.

"Found it!"

About half an hour later, Jiang Donghua suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of delight appearing within them.

Amid the torrent of Fire-attribute Battle Qi, he had indeed sensed a thread of lush green Wood attribute aura. Though faint, it brimmed with vitality.

A flicker of surprise passed through Mo Xuan's eyes.

He had originally expected this newcomer to need at least one or two hours to find his Wood attribute spiritual power. He had not expected him to do so so quickly.

This made him reassess the seemingly ordinary Yellow-tier class student before him.

"Very good. Now try guiding it out."

Mo Xuan's voice unconsciously softened.

Jiang Donghua extended a finger from his other hand and lightly touched the Pill Furnace's other fire vent.

He carefully controlled that fragile thread of Wood attribute spiritual power, guiding it slowly through his meridians.

The process was even harder than he had imagined.

The Wood attribute spiritual power was like an untamed wild horse. The slightest mistake would cause it to vanish once more into the torrent of Fire spiritual power.

Jiang Donghua held his breath and concentrated, maintaining control over it with all his focus.

Finally, a thread-thin stream of emerald-green energy seeped from his fingertip. Like the tenderest willow branch in spring, it swayed gently as it entered the Pill Furnace.

"Sizzle—"

The instant the Wood attribute spiritual power met the flames, a miraculous change occurred.

The originally violent crimson flames abruptly became docile, their tongues no longer lashing about wildly.

Instead, they formed a steady mass of blue-red flame that burned evenly within the furnace chamber.

A hint of approval flashed through Mo Xuan's eyes.

"Not bad. To achieve this much on your first try, it seems you truly have some talent for Soul Force control."

Yet Jiang Donghua did not dare relax in the slightest. He could clearly feel that maintaining this balance required incredibly precise control.

The slightest carelessness would cause the Wood attribute spiritual power to be swallowed by the flames, or make the flames unstable from an excess of Wood spiritual power.

"Maintain this state for a quarter of an hour."

Mo Xuan's voice rang out again.

"Remember this feeling. This is the most basic control of alchemy fire."

"True alchemy is thousands of times more complicated than this."

The air around them seemed to freeze.

Jiang Donghua focused all his attention on his hands, maintaining the output of Fire spiritual power while carefully regulating the flow of Wood attribute spiritual power.

At that moment, he finally understood why alchemists were so rare and valuable.

The initial selection alone eliminated at least ninety percent of Fire-attribute Dou Zhe, not to mention that Soul Force was also needed to control both attribute energies.