Three Years

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

Pushing open the gate, Lin Ming walked into his courtyard.

He raised his head and gazed at the bright moon in the sky. Lin Ming thought of a line from Li Bai's poetry in his previous life: "I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, then lower it and think of home." A sigh rose in his heart. "The moon is not the same moon, but the longing is the same."

"Sigh."

Lin Ming let out a sigh, then said, "The past can no longer be pursued. There is still a wonderful life ahead. Let my previous life become the most beautiful memory in my mind! It's also time to keep working toward the grand vow I made for myself."

Lin Ming finished speaking, got up, returned to his room, and began today's cultivation.

Over the next ten days or so, Lin Ming spent his time cultivating and occasionally playing with Ya Fei.

The glow of the morning sun had only just spilled down. After completing one circulation of his cultivation method, Lin Ming ended his night of cultivation.

Today was the day Lin Ming was going to the Alchemy Hall to begin studying, so he ended his cultivation early.

After washing up and eating a simple breakfast, Lin Ming headed toward the Mite'er Family's Medicine Refinement Hall.

Although there were quite a few alchemists in the Mite'er Family's Medicine Refinement Hall, close to thirty in total,

most of them were basically 1st Grade or 2nd Grade Alchemists. There were only three 3rd Grade Alchemists, and one 4th Grade Alchemist.

As for anyone above 4th Grade... all one could say was "hehe."

After walking for about half an hour, a rather uniquely shaped building appeared in front of Lin Ming.

The entire building looked just like a medicinal cauldron magnified hundreds or even thousands of times.

The structures that resembled a medicinal cauldron's fire vents were the building's ventilating windows, while the part that looked like a cauldron lid was the roof.

Looking at the large words "Medicine Refinement Hall" written on it, Lin Ming knew he had arrived.

He walked straight toward the Medicine Refinement Hall.

When he reached the entrance, two fully armed guards stopped him. One of them said in a neither servile nor overbearing tone, "Little friend, this is the Mite'er Family's Medicine Refinement Hall. Unrelated personnel are not allowed inside."

This guard saw that Lin Ming was dressed luxuriously and knew he was probably also the child of a powerful family, so his tone was still fairly polite. But it could hardly be called especially good either.

After all, alchemists were all a proud bunch, and they were guards of the Mite'er Family's Medicine Refinement Hall.

Every day, they could see so many alchemists coming and going, so naturally they felt they were people who had seen the world. Of course, they would not lower themselves before ordinary people.

Lin Ming took out his family identity token, and then he heard, "Young Master Lin Ming, this subordinate failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please forgive me."

"What crime have you committed? Stopping people of unknown identity from entering the Medicine Refinement Hall is your duty. You did very well!" Lin Ming replied, encouraging them.

"Thank you for your praise, Young Master Lin Ming. This is what this subordinate ought to do. Young Master Lin Ming, please enter!" After the guard finished speaking, he put away his spear.

Lin Ming walked into the Medicine Refinement Hall.

After Lin Ming had gone far away, the two guards quietly discussed, "Young Master Lin Ming isn't like what they say outside, some ferocious fiend whose gaze can kill. Looks like he's a pretty easygoing person! He even praised us just now. Looks like someone outside must be jealous of Young Master Lin Ming and deliberately smearing his name."

Now, everyone in the Mite'er Family knew that as long as Lin Ming did not die midway, there would be no one else but him as the next clan leader. That was why, when the two guards found out just now that the person they had stopped was Lin Ming, they were scared half to death.

As he walked into the Medicine Refinement Hall, a faint medicinal fragrance came at him, refreshing his spirit.

In the huge hall, only a few people were walking about. At this moment, Lin Ming saw a woman of about twenty-four or twenty-five, wearing a purple qipao. Her shapely figure was set off by the qipao, making it especially eye-catching.

After he walked closer, the woman asked, "Little friend, what brings you to the Medicine Refinement Hall?"

Lin Ming took out his identity token and said, "I am Lin Ming. I came to find Master Toso."

Master Toso was the Mite'er Family's 4th Grade Alchemist, and also the hall master of this Medicine Refinement Hall.

Before Lin Ming came, Grandpa Liu had told him that once he arrived at the Medicine Refinement Hall, he only needed to find Master Toso. The clan leader had already arranged everything.

"Ah~! Young Master Lin Ming. Master Toso is on the fifth floor. I'll take you up right away." Only after this maid cried out in surprise did she speak.

Lin Ming followed the maid toward the fifth floor.

After they reached the fifth floor, the maid told Lin Ming she would go report his arrival first.

After Lin Ming nodded, the maid left to make the report.

Before long, he saw the maid jog back over. She came before Lin Ming and said, "Young Master Lin Ming, please come with me. Master Toso asked me to bring you over."

Following the maid, they turned two corners and arrived in front of a door.

The maid said, "Young Master Lin Ming, Master Toso is inside. Please go in. This servant will take her leave first."

Lin Ming nodded, then walked into the room.

He saw an old man with somewhat graying hair and a kindly face. He wore an alchemist's robes, and the four golden stars on his chest were especially eye-catching; they made this slightly thin, nearly seventy-year-old elder seem particularly imposing.

Lin Ming knew this person was Master Toso, the Mite'er Family's only 4th Grade Alchemist.

"This kid, Lin Ming, greets Master Toso. I wish to study pharmacological knowledge in the Medicine Refinement Hall and have specially applied to the family for it. The clan leader told me to come here and find you, Master." Lin Ming cupped his fists, then spoke.

Master Toso stood up, walked over to Lin Ming, and said, "The clan leader has already explained it to me. Since the family has agreed, I won't object. However, I still hope you will consider it carefully. After all, your talent is the most terrifying since the family was founded. If you can focus wholeheartedly on cultivation, in less than three years, you will be able to become a Dou Zhe. At that time, if you have the fire and wood attributes, it would not be too late to come to the Medicine Refinement Hall to study."

Lin Ming also knew that Master Toso was doing this for his own good, fearing that studying pharmacology would delay his cultivation and thus delay the time it took him to become a Dou Zhe. He was also worried that after Lin Ming became a Dou Zhe, he might not have the fire and wood attributes and suffer a blow because of it.

These were all people who had spent their lives working for the family's good, so Lin Ming patiently said, "Master Toso, I will come for half a day every afternoon to study pharmacology. That won't really delay my cultivation much. Moreover, this matter has already become something weighing on my mind. If I'm not allowed to study pharmacology, my thoughts won't flow smoothly, and that will instead affect my cultivation."

"Sigh! Fine. Then stay and study! If you don't want to continue midway, just come and tell me." Master Toso sighed.

It seemed he still hoped I would only cultivate before becoming a Dou Zhe. If Master Toso knew that Lin Ming was certain to have the fire and wood attributes, he would probably be saying something completely different.

"Alright. If I really don't want to study anymore, I'll definitely tell you," Lin Ming said. He did not want to keep dragging out this issue, so he immediately went along with Master Toso's words.

Only then did Master Toso's expression look a little better. He then said to Lin Ming, "The Alchemy Hall is an important place for the family. You are not an alchemist yet, so you cannot view pill formulas above 2nd Grade. Alchemists are also a proud bunch, and they hate being disturbed the most while refining pills. When others are refining pills, you absolutely must not disturb them. Otherwise, even if they won't truly do anything to you on account of the family, giving you an ugly look or even scolding you is very normal. If you truly want to observe, you must obtain their permission before they refine pills."

"I understand these rules. Please rest assured, Elder," Lin Ming answered.

"Mm, it's good that you understand. The books on pharmacological knowledge are placed on the first floor. When the time comes, just go to the first floor to read. There are also some alchemist apprentices on the first floor. If you need anything, make arrangements as you see fit. Starting from the second floor, they are formal alchemists. The second floor has 1st Grade Alchemists, the third floor has 2nd Grade Alchemists, and the fourth floor has 3rd Grade Alchemists. I'm telling you all this so you can be careful. Of course, if there is anything you don't understand, you can also go ask those alchemists, as long as they are willing." Master Toso introduced the situation in the Medicine Refinement Hall.

"Master Toso, I will make the arrangements properly," Lin Ming said.

"Fine, then. If you have nothing else, go on down," Master Toso said.

"Then this kid will go down." Lin Ming finished speaking, cupped his fists, and walked downstairs.

When he arrived on the first floor, the maid from earlier came over again. Lin Ming asked her to take him to the place where the medicinal material books were kept.

After walking into the room where the medicinal material books were kept, although there could not possibly be as many books here as there were Dou Technique manuals, judging from the number, there had to be several thousand.

Lin Ming searched briefly and picked up a copy of the Compendium of Medicinal Materials to read.

"Blood Coagulating Grass. Because it can congeal blood and accelerate scabbing, it is used as the main material for blood-congealing and scab-forming pills. Its appearance is as follows: green in color, round leaves, bitter taste...

"Snake Luo Fruit...

The book not only gave detailed descriptions of every medicinal material's name, function, appearance, scent, and the types of pills it was often used to refine, but also included drawings of each medicinal material's appearance.

This allowed Lin Ming to match each medicinal material's name and function with its appearance and so on.

As Lin Ming looked at these books, it was as if he had discovered a treasure hoard.

Lin Ming was destined to become an alchemist in the future. And for an alchemist, what was the most important and most fundamental thing?

Lin Ming believed it was the knowledge of medicinal materials recorded in these books.

An alchemist was just like a doctor in his previous life. If you wanted to become a doctor, you first had to accumulate knowledge of pharmacology, right?

Otherwise, if you could diagnose the problem but did not know how to prescribe medicine, could you still be considered a doctor?

As an alchemist, this aspect had even stricter requirements.

Otherwise, even if you met the conditions to become an alchemist, with your own attribute being fire containing wood, and your soul power also powerful, not knowing the pharmacology of medicinal materials would still be useless. Because you still would be unable to refine pills.

Only those who could refine finished pills could be called alchemists.

And someone who did not understand pharmacology would have no way of knowing what degree of flame power should be used to extract a medicinal material, which medicinal materials could complement one another, and which medicinal materials had clashing medicinal effects.

A person who did not know these knowledge points was destined to be unable to become an alchemist.

So, facing this sea of books piled high with pharmacological knowledge,

Lin Ming cultivated every morning; in the afternoon, he studied pharmacology in the Medicine Refinement Hall and sometimes watched alchemists refine pills; at night, he cultivated until late night, then slept. Like this, three years passed in busy and fulfilling days.