Alchemist Apprentice

After some time, Lin Feng had successfully cultivated the Cultivation Method, and his consciousness gradually sank into his body.

At once, an intricate and almost terrifying diagram of Meridians appeared in his mind.

He controlled his consciousness to swiftly pass through several Meridians before quickly arriving above the vortex at his lower abdomen.

His Dou Qi Vortex was now not only several times more spacious than before he cultivated the Cultivation Method.

Even the Crimson Dou Qi flowing within it was clearly far superior in quality to the attribute-less Dou Qi he had possessed before cultivating the Cultivation Method.

With a slight movement of his mind, a strand of Crimson Dou Qi immediately flowed out from the vortex and rapidly coursed through his Meridians.

As the Dou Qi began to circulate, Lin Feng could distinctly feel the powerful strength within his body gradually rising to a peak he had never reached before.

Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.

With his cultivation speed after switching Cultivation Methods, he would advance to a Two-star Dou Zhe in a month at most.

Having finished cultivating, Lin Feng immediately rose and rode straight for Black Rock City.

He no longer wanted to remain in Wutan City, while Qingshan Town was too impoverished. Black Rock City, on the other hand, was a fine place.

Moreover, because of the Alchemist Guild in Black Rock City, there were many alchemists in the city, and he could easily purchase the Medicinal Herbs he needed to study alchemy.

Black Rock City was a major city located in the eastern province of the Jia Ma Empire. Its scale was even more impressive than that of Wutan City.

In terms of overall strength, it ranked among the best of all the major cities in the Jia Ma Empire.

Lin Feng gazed at the enormous city, its walls reflecting a faint crimson sheen beneath the afterglow of the setting sun, and let out a slight breath of relief.

The past few days of life in the wilderness had made him suffer quite a bit.

Only upon approaching did Lin Feng discover that the city's massive walls were forty or fifty meters tall.

They were more than twice as high as Wutan City's walls, and entirely constructed from neat blocks of black rock, leaving him deeply awed.

After arriving at the city gate and paying the tax, he was allowed inside without issue. He passed through the somewhat dim passageway beneath the walls.

A moment later, his view abruptly widened, and the clamorous roar of countless voices flooded his ears, making the unprepared Lin Feng's head throb slightly.

Once inside the city, Lin Feng found that Black Rock City truly deserved its place among the Jia Ma Empire's foremost major cities. Although it was already dusk, the streets remained bustling and prosperous, filled with crowds and noise.

From time to time, orderly patrols of guards passed by, the crisp clatter of their armor intimidating those with ill intentions.

Lin Feng wandered the streets for some time. When the sky had turned completely dark, he casually entered an inn, rented a room, and began studying the alchemist books he had obtained from Liu Xi's Storage Ring.

Early the next morning, Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the bed in his inn room, his hands clasped and eyes tightly shut. Drawn by the Cultivation Method, the Dou Qi around him naturally entered his Meridians.

After an unknown amount of time, a muffled sound came from within Lin Feng's body, as though some barrier had been broken. He then slowly opened his eyes.

"Two-star Dou Zhe... I can more or less start practicing alchemy now," Lin Feng murmured.

For the past month, he had studied introductory alchemist books every day. By now, he was already itching with anticipation and could not wait to try it himself.

After washing up, he left the inn and headed toward Black Rock City's Alchemist Guild.

He had asked around beforehand. As long as one passed the Alchemist Guild's examination and proved they had the talent to become an alchemist, they would be issued proof of Alchemist Apprentice status.

With this proof, one could not only freely enter and leave the Alchemist Guild, but also rent its alchemy rooms.

Of course, rent had to be paid—three hundred Gold Coins per day.

But it was a practice area specifically built by the Alchemist Guild for Alchemist Apprentices. It could ensure they would not be disturbed while refining medicine.

At the same time, it could conceal the commotion caused by alchemy.

After turning through several rather long streets, Lin Feng finally slowed to a stop. He raised his head and looked at the imposing building before him.

The building had a rather unique design. Its overall shape resembled a Cauldron.

Windows resembling a Cauldron's fire vents had been set around the building, while a huge lid drooped down from the lofty roof, covering the rooms beneath it.

On the pale purple sandalwood plaque outside the building, five ancient characters, their strokes faintly blurred, glimmered with a soft glow.

"Alchemist Guild!"

He murmured softly before walking inside.

As he neared the entrance, two fully armed burly men stretched out their hands to stop him. One of them said in a booming voice, "Little brother, this is the Alchemist Guild. You want to enter? Do you have a letter of recommendation from your own mentor?"

Lin Feng cupped his hands. "Sirs, I'm here to apply for Alchemist Apprentice certification."

"Applying for Alchemist Apprentice certification? Then test your Dou Qi attribute first." Hearing this, one of the burly men skillfully took out a crystal ball and handed it to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng stepped forward, accepted the crystal ball, and infused it with Dou Qi. As expected, the crystal ball burst with a blazing red light tinged with green.

"You may go in, little brother." Seeing the crystal ball's reaction, the burly man's tone took on a hint of ingratiation.

"Thank you." Lin Feng then slowly walked inside.

Upon entering the Alchemist Guild, a faint medicinal fragrance washed over him, making him feel refreshed.

There were not many people in the hall. Only a few were quietly occupied with their own affairs.

Perhaps hearing his footsteps, some raised their heads and glanced at Lin Feng before lowering them again to continue their work.

At that moment, a woman dressed in a pale green gown hurried out from the back and quickly approached Lin Feng.

"This... sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our Black Rock City Alchemist Guild?"

The woman in green came before Lin Feng with a smile. Her beautiful eyes swept over him before she asked with a pleasant smile.

"Yes." Lin Feng looked over the woman before him. Her bright eyes and white teeth made her quite pleasing to the eye. He smiled and said, "It is indeed my first time here. I've come to apply for Alchemist Apprentice certification."

"This way, please." Upon hearing this, the woman in green became more respectful. She stepped back to the counter and smiled at Lin Feng.

Taking out an ancient yellowed sheet of parchment from behind the counter, the woman in green elegantly held a pen in her slender hand. She looked up at Lin Feng and smiled. "Sir, please state your name, age, and your mentor's name. Ya Han needs to register you."

Lin Feng added two years to his age and said, "Lin Feng, seventeen years old. I don't have a mentor for the time being."

"No mentor? Mm, all right." The woman named Ya Han recorded it on the paper, then took a badge from behind the counter and worked on it for a while before handing it to Lin Feng along with a form.

"You only need to take these two items to Master Otto inside for testing. Once you pass, the master will perform special processing on the badge. Then, Alchemist Guilds throughout the Jia Ma Empire will be able to read your identity information through this badge."

After thanking her, Lin Feng followed the directions to an elderly man and handed over the two items Ya Han had just given him.

"Put your hand on it and give it a try."

The elderly man called Master Otto pointed at the crystal ball on the left side of the wooden table before him.

Hearing this, Lin Feng stepped forward, placed his hand on the crystal ball, and infused it with Dou Qi.

When he saw that Lin Feng's Dou Qi attribute met the requirements, Master Otto nodded and continued, "Now put your hand on the other crystal ball that tests Soul Perception."

Lin Feng did as instructed. Unlike before, this crystal ball emitted a black glow that looked rather strange.

Seeing this, Master Otto worked on the Alchemist Apprentice Badge for a while before tossing it to Lin Feng. "That'll do."

After receiving the Alchemist Apprentice Badge, Lin Feng quickly rented an alchemy room there.

Upon entering one of the alchemy rooms, Lin Feng found it completely empty. However, when he saw that the surrounding walls were all made of black rock, he could not help marveling at the Alchemist Guild's wealth.

Legend had it that black rock could withstand attacks from a Dou Wang. When used to build alchemy rooms, it could absorb the energy unleashed during alchemy and prevent it from leaking out. However, it was also extremely expensive.

After examining the environment, Lin Feng adjusted his condition. With a swipe over his Storage Ring, a large Cauldron instantly appeared on the ground before him.

This medicinal cauldron was dark red all over, with faint glimmers scattered across its surface. Two ferocious snake heads were carved near its base, their gaping mouths forming two connected fire vents.

The passages within the vents twisted and wound about, narrowing deeper inside. They seemed to contain hidden mysteries. These were the Cauldron's fire vents, and they were what distinguished the Cauldron's grade.

The Cauldron before Lin Feng had two fire vents, making it a two-vent Cauldron, the lowest-grade type of Cauldron.

Generally speaking, the more fire vents a Cauldron had, the higher its grade and the rarer it was. However, controlling multiple fire vents required stronger Soul Perception.

Of course, such fire vents could not be made simply by drilling a few holes. Their intricacies were impossible for outsiders to understand.

The fire vents were the essence of a Cauldron and required extremely precise polishing. During their creation, the slightest mistake would turn the entire Cauldron into a defective product.

At the top of the Cauldron, a giant serpent coiled into a dark red lid. There was also a special opening in the lid, specifically for inserting Medicinal Herbs.

Fine holes made of Ice Silver were scattered across the lid. They served to dissipate heat and prevent the Cauldron from exploding due to excessive temperatures.

In the middle of the Cauldron was a transparent mirror surface made from Ice Essence. Through it, one could clearly observe every movement inside while refining medicine.

The surface of the Cauldron was decorated with exquisite carvings of magical beasts, so lifelike that they seemed alive.

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