Am I a Talented Alchemist? (Seeking Collection, Seeking Votes!)

"Spirit Ascension Grass refined successfully!"

"Stone Marrow Liquid refined successfully!"

"Hundred-Year Red Ginseng refined successfully!"

Yet, due to the Ling Clan's bloodline, Ling Xi had an exceptional edge in controlling Soul Power.

The smoothness of the herb refinement even surprised Ling Xi himself.

"Refining a Third-tier Water Attribute Magic Core is this difficult."

Watching the Water Attribute Magic Core stubbornly resist within the Crimson Sun Fire, Ling Xi felt a hint of anxiety.

The temperature of the Crimson Sun Fire rose subtly with his impatience.

Bang!

At that moment, the Third-tier Water Attribute Magic Core in the Crimson Sun Fire let out a soft crack, then turned into a pile of black ash in the flames.

The other already-refined herbs in the cauldron were also affected, all consumed by the fire.

"Master, I..."

Ling Xi opened his eyes and parted his lips, but fell silent.

"You were impatient."

Ling You's face showed no expression.

"Fire and water have never been compatible since ancient times. You must never rush when refining water-attributed herbs."

"Impatience is the greatest taboo for an Alchemist!"

Ling Xi exhaled a turbid breath, nodded firmly, then closed his eyes again to begin refining the herbs anew.

"Is Xi'er really a First-grade Bloodline?"

As Ling Xi closed his eyes, Ling You's brow furrowed.

"Our clan's members are born with no weak talent in controlling Soul Power, but the talent Xi'er displays doesn't resemble that of a First-grade Bloodline Descendant Citizen at all."

Though he had decided not to dwell on it, curiosity was human nature.

The various peculiarities about Ling Xi truly left Ling You unable to comprehend.

Just as Ling You was lost in thought, another dull thud came from Ling Xi's cauldron.

"This time, your refinement was fine, but during the fusion, you failed to suppress the medicinal power properly, causing the various herb essences to repel each other when combining."

Snapping back to focus, Ling You immediately guided him.

The difficulty of refining a Third-grade Pill was indeed extremely high for a novice who had never refined a pill before.

But after two mistakes, Ling Xi's control over the Crimson Sun Fire and Soul Power grew increasingly adept.

"Condense!"

Ling Xi's hand seal changed, and dozens of refined herb essences suddenly gathered together under his Soul Power's control.

Threads of Soul Power seeped into every part of the essence cluster, not even the tiniest detail overlooked.

Under the blazing Crimson Sun Fire, the essence cluster, originally the size of an adult's head, slowly shrank and gradually solidified.

"Not bad, looks like it's done."

Ling You's nose twitched slightly as he murmured.

"Pill formed!"

The next moment, a cyan pill flew out of the cauldron and landed steadily in Ling Xi's hand.

"Master, I succeeded! I actually refined a Third-grade Pill!"

"Could I be a legendary alchemy prodigy?"

Holding the still-warm pill, Ling Xi's face still bore a sense of disbelief.

"What are you grinning about? Anyone would think you'd refined a Ninth-grade Pill!"

Ling You suppressed his smile and reached out a hand in exasperation.

"Just because you made something round doesn't mean it's a pill... Let me see what you've concocted."

"Yes, Master!"

Ling Xi quickly handed the Dou Sheng Pill to Ling You.

Taking the pill, Ling You felt its residual warmth and examined it closely.

The cyan pill was thumb-sized, perfectly round, and even carried a faint, pleasant herbal scent.

"Not bad, this pill's quality is quite high..."

Suppressing his surprise, Ling You spoke slowly.

"But failing twice before refining a Dou Sheng Pill—your failure rate is still too high."

Even Ling You himself blushed a little at those words.

Back when he was learning Alchemy Skill, his failure rate was far higher than Ling Xi's.

And the quality of his final products was nowhere near the level of the pill Ling Xi had just refined.

Calling Ling Xi an Alchemy prodigy wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.

"Teacher, this is my first time refining a pill—and it's a Third-grade Pill at that!"

Ling Xi's eyes went wide as he spoke.

"One Third-grade Pill makes you this happy?"

Ling You's face hardened as he scolded.

"If you harbor such complacent thoughts, you'll never go far on the path of an Alchemist!"

"Yes, Teacher."

Ling Xi's expression shifted, and he immediately straightened up.

"I got carried away."

Seeing Ling Xi's attitude, Ling You nodded in satisfaction.

"Go ahead and take it. This pill will raise your strength to the level of a Five-star Dou Practitioner."

"I understand, Teacher!"

Taking the pill, Ling Xi's face lit up with joy.

Time flowed like sand, always slipping past people without notice.

Before they knew it, the Ling Realm had passed from crisp autumn into a season lush with green.

Of course, none of that had anything to do with Ling Xi.

For the better part of a year, Ling Xi had been studying Alchemy Skill by Ling You's side.

Ling You truly lived up to being an Eighth-grade Alchemist—the pill-refining techniques he taught were exceptionally profound.

Especially the little tricks in the alchemy process, which benefited Ling Xi immensely.

But the most important thing was the vast collection of bizarre pill formulas. Some pills, limited by materials and Ling Xi's strength, couldn't be refined just yet.

Still, that was the greatest gain Ling Xi had made over these months.

And Ling You was naturally more than satisfied with Ling Xi.

Ling Xi's talent far exceeded his expectations, making teaching him twice as effective with half the effort.

Once again, they were in Ling You's room lined with bookshelves, the dim surroundings steeped in silence.

On a meditation cushion, a strikingly handsome young boy sat with eyes shut, his Hands forming a seal.

With every breath, the surrounding world's energy was drawn into his body, forming a hazy aura around him.

"Nine-star Peak?"

After a moment, Ling Xi opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing through them.

"I've spent most of this year focused on refining pills, so my cultivation speed has lagged a bit."

Shaking his head, Ling Xi's expression showed some dissatisfaction.

"Your foundation is extremely solid. This rate of improvement would make countless people green with envy, yet you're the only one unhappy with it."

Ling You's voice suddenly rang out behind Ling Xi, making him jolt.

"Teacher, could you please not pop up out of nowhere like that?"

Ling Xi turned his head and shot Ling You an annoyed look.

"You know, scaring people can actually kill them!"

"I came because I have something to tell you."

Ling You gave an awkward smile, then turned serious.

"That guy Ling Yang said someone from the clan has arrived, and they've even assigned me a disciple."

At this point, Ling You's face twisted into a cold sneer.

"I'm not even dead yet, and some people are already scrambling to pluck the fruit from my tree!"