First Attempt at Alchemy

Lin Feng looked at the medicine cauldron and nodded in satisfaction.

The medicine cauldron he had obtained from Liu Xi was merely a low-grade, two-port cauldron.

But for a beginner like him, it could not have been more suitable.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Feng picked up the introductory alchemy book he had gotten from Liu Xi and reviewed the techniques for using a medicine cauldron recorded within.

Then, following its instructions, he placed his hand over the cauldron's fire port and circulated his Dou Qi to his palm.

The instant his Dou Qi reached his palm, the medicine cauldron generated bursts of suction, drawing the Dou Qi from his palm through the fire port.

"Puff."

With a muffled sound, the Dou Qi stream abruptly transformed into substantial crimson flames after passing through the fire port.

They roiled and burned within the medicine cauldron.

The sudden eruption of flames from his palm startled Lin Feng, and he nearly jerked his hand back on instinct.

Fortunately, he remembered what the book had taught him and suppressed his panic.

Watching the flames churn inside the cauldron, he closed his eyes and gradually steadied his mind.

His powerful Soul Perception repeatedly swept through his body, searching for that faint trace of Wood Power.

Nearly ten minutes later, Lin Feng finally found the thin trace of Wood Power within him.

He extended a finger and lightly pressed it against the other fire port.

An exceedingly faint stream of green energy was slowly infused inside.

The moment the green energy entered the medicine cauldron, the crimson flames within seemed to undergo a chemical reaction and abruptly calmed.

Even though Lin Feng had yet to control the flames at this point,

he could sense that the violent elements within them had already been neutralized by the Wood Power.

Moreover, due to the principle that wood fed fire,

the flames were clearly more enduring and easier to control than before.

He withdrew his hands from the cauldron, picked up a pill recipe called "Spring Return Powder," and studied it once more.

Spring Return Powder was an ungraded pill recipe. Applied to wounds, it could stop bleeding and prevent infection, though it could only be used for external injuries. Required ingredients: Azure Green Flower, Spring Return Grass, and Hundred Treasures Vine.

As for the medicinal herbs needed for alchemy, he had already spent twenty thousand Gold Coins at the Mittel Auction House to purchase a hundred sets—more than enough for practice.

After reading it through, he lit the fire again and tapped his Storage Ring with a finger.

A flash of light passed, and an azure-green medicinal herb appeared in Lin Feng's hand. He promptly tossed it into the medicine cauldron.

The moment the Azure Green Flower entered the cauldron, the flames pounced before Lin Feng could even begin controlling them.

In an instant, it turned into a pile of pitch-black ashes, which were then expelled from the cauldron by its special mechanisms.

"Uh..."

Lin Feng looked at the black ash inside the cauldron and scratched his head awkwardly before tossing in another Azure Green Flower.

This time, the Azure Green Flower lasted a little longer in the flames, but it still turned into black ashes.

"The temperature seems a little too high."

After repeating the process over a dozen times, Lin Feng carefully controlled the flames, using his Soul Perception to firmly suppress their temperature.

His eyes peered through the Ice Mirror, fixed intently on the Azure Green Flower floating above the flames.

After tumbling within the medicine cauldron for a while, the Azure Green Flower gradually began shedding its outer layer.

The juices contained in its leaves were slowly roasted into green powder as well.

A moment later, Lin Feng obtained a portion of green powder speckled with sparse black dots.

A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the finished product in his hand.

Though his temperature control was still somewhat lacking, it was nevertheless a success.

An hour later, Lin Feng looked at the more than twenty portions of powder refined from Azure Green Flowers beside him and nodded with satisfaction.

He then picked up a Spring Return Grass, tossed it into the medicine cauldron, and began refining it.

After refining more than twenty portions, he started on the Hundred Treasures Vine.

Once he had refined twenty portions of Hundred Treasures Vine as well, Lin Feng's face was slightly pale. Unable to hold on any longer, he stopped refining and slumped weakly to the floor.

Although his Cultivation Method was Mysterious Tier Mid-Grade, controlling a two-port medicine cauldron for nearly four hours had already pushed him to his limit.

"Looks like alchemy isn't easy work either!"

Feeling the Dou Qi in his body nearly exhausted, Lin Feng sighed.

He swiftly sat cross-legged beside the medicine cauldron, circulated his Cultivation Method, and began cultivating.

Cultivating at a time like this produced the best results.

After resting with his eyes closed for some time, the Qi vortex within Lin Feng, which had dimmed from the depletion of his Dou Qi, once again emitted a bright radiance.

Moreover, its glow seemed slightly brighter than it had been a few hours ago.

Slowly opening his eyes, Lin Feng found that most of the numb, weak soreness throughout his body had faded.

He rolled his neck, and the sound of bones cracking made him let out a comfortable breath.

Then he began the most difficult and crucial step of alchemy: fusing the medicinal ingredients!

It was called the most difficult because each medicinal herb required a different level of heat.

Fusing medicines, however, required several ingredients to be placed inside at once, demanding precise control over the heat applied to every ingredient.

Taking a deep breath, he skillfully lit the fire and poured the juice of the Hundred Treasures Vine into the medicine cauldron.

A few minutes later, he picked up the Spring Return Grass essence at his side and tossed it in as well.

Once the two had fused, he swiftly added the Azure Green Flower powder.

Lin Feng stared fixedly into the medicine cauldron as the bluish-white liquid began to merge, controlling the flames as they gradually rose in temperature.

Bang!

Just as the fusion was about to succeed, Lin Feng accidentally raised the flame temperature too high, and the ingredients inside instantly became black ash.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air and added another batch of ingredients.

The fusion began.

Bang!

The heat was too high. Failure.

He added more ingredients.

After several consecutive failures, Lin Feng felt that he had more or less found the proper heat.

He added the ingredients again, and in an instant, surging flames enveloped the various materials as they began to fuse once more.

When the final wisp of bluish-gray successfully merged, Lin Feng immediately reduced the heat.

When the moment was right, he abruptly swung his hand, and a mass of green medicinal liquid fell precisely into a Jade Bottle he had prepared beforehand.

"Hehe, from now on, I can be considered an alchemist too."

Looking at the medicinal liquid in the Jade Bottle, a surge of pride welled up in Lin Feng's heart.

Although he had cut off the heat too quickly, leaving some mottled impurities within it,

no matter what, it was already a bottle of medicinal liquid that could be sold normally.

"Rumble."

Lin Feng pushed open the stone door of the alchemy room and glanced at the date board on the opposite wall, which the Alchemist Guild updated daily.

"So seven days have already passed."

Lin Feng scratched his somewhat messy hair, which he had not washed in a week.

He had spent the past few days practically madly refining medicine, never expecting that seven days had passed already.

After returning to the inn, he extended his room rental for another month at the front desk.

Once he had washed up in his room and put on his Alchemist Apprentice badge, he headed for the Alchemist Guild's trading market.

Not only was there a wide variety of medicinal herbs available there, but security was also more reliable than elsewhere.

After all, anyone who could set up a stall there was bound to possess considerable wealth.

Unless someone had something exceptionally rare on them, who would bother becoming a robber?

Upon entering the Alchemist Guild, Lin Feng headed straight for the eastern section, the trading area specifically designated by the guild.

When he arrived, the vendors there were worlds apart from those outside.

Not only did none of them loudly call out to attract customers, they instead lounged leisurely in cushioned chairs. Some had even begun making tea.

Only when someone asked about prices would they rise and speak with them.

Transactions worth hundreds of thousands were often concluded in just a few simple exchanges.

After searching the market for a while, Lin Feng came to a small stall that appeared to have a relatively abundant selection of medicinal herbs. He asked the elderly stall owner, "Senior, I need thirty sets of ingredients for Blood Stopping Pills. Do you have them?"

"Hehe."

The old man stroked his goatee and smiled. "They're only ingredients for a First Grade Pill. Even if you wanted much more, I'd have them!"

"Then how much for thirty sets?" Hearing the old man's confident tone, Lin Feng asked again.

"Fifty thousand Gold Coins, or a pill of equivalent value."

"Senior, this is a peak second-grade Qi Recovery Pill. It should be enough, right?"

At those words, Lin Feng touched his Storage Ring, took out a wooden box, and handed it over.

The old man accepted the box and opened it. After taking a look, he nodded slightly. "Not bad. It is indeed a Qi Recovery Pill. Take the goods."

As he spoke, the old man also touched his Storage Ring. The previously spacious stall was instantly piled high with all sorts of medicinal herbs.

Lin Feng swept his gaze over them and found no issues.

He stored them in his Storage Ring, then cupped his hands toward the old man. "Since the transaction is complete, this junior will take his leave."

With that, he headed toward the alchemy room he had rented.

"Fortunately, Liu Xi's collection was rich enough. Otherwise, even if I refined Spring Return Liquid for a month, it might not be enough to buy these thirty sets of ingredients."

Back in the alchemy room, Lin Feng arranged the medicinal herbs beside him and could not help thanking Liu Xi again.

If that First-grade Alchemist had not brought him so many things, he would probably still be worrying over a Cultivation Method.

After adjusting his condition, Lin Feng took out the medicine cauldron. Today, he would attempt to refine a proper First Grade Pill.

Though he was already able to refine some medicinal liquids, only by refining pill-shaped medicine could he be considered a First-grade Alchemist.

He skillfully lit the fire, swept his hand, and tossed a Blood Condensing Grass from beside him into the medicine cauldron.

Is this a Blood Stopping Pill? The pill recipe said it should be Blood Red. This one seems to have too much Pill Toxin—can it count as a success?

Lin Feng looked at the dark-red pill in his hand, thinking uncertainly.

He then shook his head, finally understanding why only those who could refine pills could be considered First-grade Alchemists.

He had originally thought that if he could refine medicinal liquids, refining pills would not be too difficult.

Yet after working so hard for half a day and using up thirty sets of ingredients, all he had produced was this thing.

Thinking of those medicinal herbs, a trace of heartache flashed through Lin Feng's eyes.

He had only obtained three Qi Recovery Pills from Liu Xi's Storage Ring in total.

And in just half a day, all the ingredients exchanged for one of them had been wasted.

Should I take an alchemist as my master?

Lin Feng immediately extinguished the thought.

If he took a master now, then unless something unusual happened, he could only remain at that master's side and study until he graduated.

That might not mean much to ordinary people, but for Lin Feng, it would be a disaster.

After all, by then, many of the opportunities he knew about would have already been snatched clean by Xiao Yan.

Besides, he planned to go to Jia Nan Academy in two years. If he took a master and then went to the academy to study, would that not be slapping his teacher in the face?