"No wonder Lu Youyou said she spent most of her time studying Alchemy trying to understand the properties of herbs and exotic beasts. This is a fortress of knowledge!"
Qin Yan sighed with heartfelt admiration. His respect for Little Senior Sister, who could juggle Hammer Technique, Alchemy, and Martial Dao, grew even deeper.
With a thought, he opened the System Panel again to check his progress:
[Sky-Supporting Qi Pillar: Level Five (Perfection) Blood and Qi: 99 Cal Mental Power: 42 Hz Martial Skill: Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear, Flesh and Skin Chapter, First Revolution (100%) Spear Technique: Third Stage (17%) Alchemy Path: Complete Guide to Low-Grade Spiritual Herbs (0.1%) Skill Points: 1 [Note: As long as you work hard, you will reap rewards]]
Looking at that pitiful 0.1% progress and his last remaining Skill Point, Qin Yan grimaced.
He tried putting that lone Skill Point into the Complete Guide to Low-Grade Spiritual Herbs.
Buzz! His mind trembled faintly.
Detailed information about hundreds of First-Rank Spiritual Herbs—their appearances and properties—flooded into his mind.
It felt as though he had spent ages poring over the material.
He checked the Panel again. The Complete Guide to Low-Grade Spiritual Herbs had reached 2.1%!
Qin Yan let out a long breath. A great weight lifted from his heart.
"Thank goodness! Unlike Blood and Qi or Mental Power, I can improve my Alchemy Path knowledge with Skill Points! It takes a lot—one point only raises my progress by about two percent—but as long as I can add points, there's hope!"
That meant the path to becoming an alchemist was open to him!
After a short rest and dinner at the cafeteria, Qin Yan returned to his dorm and picked up his spear again.
He trained until late into the night, when his sweat finally yielded another fresh Skill Point.
For the next five days, Qin Yan lived a disciplined, fulfilling life.
He attended classes on time and spent every free hour training hard in the manor's Cultivation Room.
When his body grew tired between sessions, he immersed himself in the vast sea of the Complete Guide to Low-Grade Spiritual Herbs.
Progress was slow, but little drops made an ocean.
His understanding of the various First-Rank Spiritual Herbs deepened steadily.
Now that he had condensed qi, Qin Yan could train for eight hours each day.
That earned him a reliable two Skill Points a day—a considerable increase.
Five days later, he had accumulated eleven Skill Points.
Without hesitation, he poured them all into cultivating the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear.
In an instant, fresh insights into the Second Revolution flowed like tiny streams into the depths of his mind.
He checked the System Panel again. The figures had changed:
The Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear, Flesh and Skin Chapter, Second Revolution (77%)!
Perfection in the Second Revolution was close!
Tomorrow, I'll ask Teacher to stand guard for me. I'll complete my first full tempering of flesh and skin and become a First-Rank Martial Artist!
The next morning, Qin Yan completed two hours of spear practice as usual.
After a simple breakfast in the cafeteria, he headed straight for Instructor Xiao Huo's Pill Chamber at the Sixth Academy.
He found his way easily to the door, where a faint medicinal fragrance lingered.
His identity was verified, and the heavy wooden door slid open without a sound.
Inside, Instructor Xiao Huo was wholly focused on the pill furnace.
His hands hovered over it, scorching orange flames pouring from his palms.
As if alive, the flames split into six lifelike Flame Dragons.
They wheeled around the dark-red furnace, driving pure heat into it without pause.
The furnace trembled faintly. From beneath its lid drifted a delicate pill fragrance that refreshed the senses.
Clearly, the refinement had reached its final stage: nurturing and forming the pills.
Qin Yan immediately softened his footsteps and stood quietly in a corner by the door.
He held his breath, afraid the slightest sound might disturb his teacher at this crucial moment.
After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, the fragrance reached its peak.
A sharp light flashed in Xiao Huo's eyes. "Form!" he commanded.
His hands shifted through seals. With a long cry, the six Flame Dragons plunged back into the furnace.
Buzz! The lid opened on its own, and ten round, full pills, crimson as blood, shot out.
They streaked from the furnace as though alive!
Xiao Huo was ready. He swept his sleeve.
A smooth Jade Bottle appeared in his hand.
A suction force rose from its mouth, drawing all ten pills neatly inside.
He removed the stopper and carefully sniffed their fragrance.
A satisfied smile spread across his face. "Ten finished pills. Seven high-grade, three mid-grade. Not bad quality this time."
He put away the Jade Bottle, then turned his gaze to Qin Yan at the door.
His powerful mental senses had detected Qin Yan the moment he entered.
But refining pills allowed no distractions, so Xiao Huo had paid him no mind.
"Qin Yan, have you run into some difficulty with your cultivation?" Xiao Huo asked warmly as he sat down in the rest area and picked up a cup of Mind-Clearing Tea.
Qin Yan stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Then he came straight to the point. "Teacher, I came to ask you to stand guard for me. I'm ready to try... breaking through to the Martial Artist realm!"
"Pfft—cough, cough!"
Xiao Huo nearly spat out his tea. He coughed twice and set down his cup sharply.
Disbelief covered his face. "Break through to Martial Artist?! You're saying you're ready to do that now?!"
He flashed across the room and appeared before Qin Yan, laying a warm hand on his wrist.
A gentle, pure current flowed swiftly through Qin Yan's limbs and bones.
It probed the true state of his body.
A moment later, Xiao Huo let go. The shock on his face had only grown.
He looked Qin Yan up and down as though seeing his student for the first time. "You rascal! It's only been a few days! You've actually reached Beginner level in the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Spear and successfully condensed qi! That speed... it's astonishing!"
He remembered clearly: barely six days had passed since he had given Qin Yan the Martial Skill!
Condensing qi in six days was beyond mere "extraordinary talent"!
Under his instructor's stare, Qin Yan grew a little embarrassed and smiled modestly.
"Perhaps... I was lucky, and this Body Tempering Martial Art just suits me especially well."
"Suits you? Hahaha! That's one way to put it!"
Xiao Huo burst into hearty laughter.
He clapped Qin Yan firmly on the shoulder, his eyes full of pride and admiration.
"Good! Excellent! I was worried this Martial Skill was too difficult and would slow you down. It seems I worried for nothing! You truly haven't disappointed me!"
Qin Yan's frightening aptitude and rapid progress swept away the last trace of worry in Xiao Huo's heart.