Lin Yan had excellent comprehension, and Yao Lao's earlier explanations had been very thorough.
After thinking it over for a moment, Lin Yan finally asked Yao Lao a few questions.
Yao Lao naturally answered every one of them without reservation.
After that
After summarizing everything, Lin Yan had gained a certain understanding of these basic alchemy principles.
"All right, Senior Yao Lao. Let's begin."
Lin Yan finally gave Yao Lao the word.
"Then let me teach you the first thing: how to recognize a medicine cauldron."
Yao Lao didn't hesitate. He pointed to the medicine cauldron before them and spoke to Lin Yan.
"This kind of medicine cauldron is called a Two-Mouth Cauldron. I had it left over from my cultivation a long time ago, but it's very suitable for a beginner like you."
"Medicine cauldrons are divided into ranks. The more fire vents a cauldron has, the higher its rank, and the more efficiently it can refine pills."
"Of course, higher-ranked medicine cauldrons are also harder to control. So when alchemists choose a medicine cauldron, they can't blindly go for the highest rank. What matters more is finding one that suits them."
First, he explained how medicine cauldrons worked to Lin Yan, then had him try controlling one himself.
"Familiarize yourself with the medicine cauldron first. Place your hand over the fire vent, then channel the wood-attributed yuan power in your body into it."
Lin Yan did as instructed, placing his hand over the fire vent before searching for the wood-attributed yuan power within him, as Yao Lao had directed.
This was the wondrous part of the cultivation methods on the Dou Qi Continent.
The cultivation methods of the Dou Qi Continent could help cultivators distinguish and sense the different attributes of their yuan power, then draw out the particular attribute they needed.
But most cultivation methods in the Martial Movement World could only draw out all of one's yuan power at once, mixing all its attributes together. It was impossible to draw out just one attribute.
With his eyes lightly closed, Lin Yan searched for a few seconds before quickly locating the wood-attributed yuan power in his body. He immediately poured it into the medicine cauldron, and a vigorous flame sprang out!
"Good, good, good!"
"Your soul perception is truly astonishing, young friend!"
"Looks like you're a born alchemy genius!"
Seeing this, Yao Lao couldn't help clapping his hands and praising him.
He was genuinely amazed by the talent Lin Yan had displayed.
Even he had spent nearly half an hour getting through this step back then.
But Lin Yan had managed it in a matter of seconds.
It had truly left Yao Lao dumbfounded.
Now he was even more eager to see what the future held. With talent as terrifying as Lin Yan's, if he really taught him alchemy, how far might Lin Yan go?
The more Yao Lao thought about it, the more excited he became. It was the feeling of cherishing a rare talent.
Still, he knew how to keep his emotions in check. Once he had settled himself, Yao Lao handed Lin Yan two pill recipes.
"These are my own recipes for the Cold-Dispelling Pill and the Healing Pill."
"Take a look, then give it a try."
"I'll remind you about the flame's temperature and the ingredients whenever necessary."
Lin Yan nodded seriously.
Then he turned his attention to the pill recipes Yao Lao had given him.
"One Red Flame Grass, two Blood-Coagulating Flowers, and two Three-Color Fruits."
He memorized them quickly.
Then he tossed all the ingredients needed for one batch of pills into the medicine cauldron.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The flames surged violently. Before Lin Yan could control them, the ingredients he had tossed in were burned to ash, completely ruined.
"When you're unfamiliar with the process, add them one at a time."
"And the temperature was too high."
Yao Lao spoke to Lin Yan calmly.
Lin Yan nodded and continued trying as Yao Lao had instructed.
But the temperature was still a little too high, and before long, the second batch of ingredients was ruined too.
Seeing this, Lin Yan felt a pang of regret. After all, it was no different from burning money.
But Yao Lao remained completely calm. "Keep going."
Lin Yan could only grit his teeth and press on.
The process was extremely difficult. When he had watched Yao Lao refine pills earlier, the latter had made it look so effortless that it was easy to mistake the task for a simple one.
But now that Lin Yan was doing it himself, he understood that even the simple task of extracting the essence from medicinal ingredients wasn't easy at all.
He kept at his alchemy practice without giving up.
Finally, after more than ten tries, he found the right temperature.
Lin Yan hardly dared to breathe. His mind stayed taut the entire time.
After refining the ingredients with such intense focus, he finally managed to extract the essence from all of them.
"Good! Good! Good!"
"You're truly impressive, young friend!"
"Now there's only one last step."
"That's to combine all their medicinal properties, then form them into a pill!"
Yao Lao praised Lin Yan once again.
Then he instructed Lin Yan to toss all the refined essences into the medicine cauldron.
Lin Yan quickly did as he was told.
The essences of the different ingredients entered the cauldron and soon began to fuse together.
But this process was actually very difficult, because the alchemist had to constantly rely on perception and experience to keep the flame within the right range.
After all, different medicinal ingredients had different tolerances to heat, and they were in different positions. So it was common to have one area require high heat while another needed low heat.
This kind of back-and-forth, multitasking process naturally consumed a great deal of energy and stamina. There was good reason it was considered the most difficult part of alchemy.
Fortunately, Lin Yan had excellent talent and astonishing soul perception. Under his intense concentration, he somehow managed to refine the pill.
Lin Yan impatiently lifted the lid. With a wave of his hand, a jade-colored pill landed in his palm. Waves of medicinal fragrance spread through the room in no time.
"Senior Yao Lao, look!"
Lin Yan immediately handed the pill to Yao Lao, hoping he would assess it for him.
Yao Lao naturally didn't refuse. He took the pill, examined it carefully, then looked up with deep admiration.
"You truly have astonishing talent, young friend!"
"This old man rarely praises anyone, especially when it comes to alchemy. There are precious few who earn my praise."
"But you keep surprising me. This was your first time refining a pill, and not only did you succeed, it even turned out this well! It's truly eye-opening."
Yao Lao praised Lin Yan without holding back.
"Young friend, I would never lie to you."
"With talent like yours, all you need to do is apply yourself in the future. Surpassing me in alchemy will be as easy as drinking water!"
Lin Yan was delighted to hear this.
But he couldn't act too arrogant, so he said to Yao Lao:
"Thank you for your praise, Senior Yao Lao."
"Still, whatever heights I reach in alchemy in the future is beside the point."
"Senior Yao Lao was the one who introduced me to alchemy, and I'll always remember that."
"Please allow me to offer you my heartfelt thanks!"
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