First Steps in Alchemy

Before long, the sounds of battle rang out from the depths of the valley.

Rumble—!

A dull boom erupted from deep within the dense forest. Accompanied by the piercing crack of splintering trees, violent dou qi ripples swept outward, flattening the lush vegetation in the valley.

Birds took flight in alarm, beasts scattered in all directions, and the entire valley seemed to tremble faintly beneath that immense power.

Little Doctor crouched beside Su Zhao. Listening to the increasingly frequent collisions and roars, her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, a trace of worry appearing on her face.

Although she had some understanding of Su You's cultivation—after all, she had personally seen him take her soaring into the air back in Qing Mountain Town, and knew he was at least a Dou King—hearing those deafening battle sounds and feeling the faint tremors from the ground still made her nervous.

She turned to look at Su Zhao, only to find the youth beside her calm as still water, even leaning leisurely against the mountain wall.

"Aren't you worried?"

Little Doctor could not help asking softly.

Su Zhao opened one eye and glanced at her, a smile curling at his lips. "Worried about what? If Su You can't even deal with a fifth-tier magical beast, that would be the strange thing."

His tone was relaxed, and it was not entirely an act.

Although the Magic Beast Mountain Range was vast, its true overlord was the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, whose strength was roughly that of a three-star Dou Emperor. Even Yun Yun had been able to fight it evenly in the original story.

And what was Su You's cultivation?

A peak nine-star Dou Emperor, only a single step away from the Dou Ancestor realm.

Within this mountain range, even if the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King came in person, it might not last more than a few exchanges against Su You, much less a mere magical beast occupying this place.

Sure enough, after only a short while, the rumbling from the depths of the valley gradually subsided, and the violent dou qi fluctuations vanished without a trace.

Silence returned to the forest. Only a few broken branches still swayed faintly on the ground, proving that the battle had truly taken place.

A black figure shot out from the depths of the forest at incredible speed, landing steadily before the hollow where Su Zhao and Little Doctor had been hiding in the blink of an eye.

Su You's robes were spotless, his aura steady. Not even a strand of his hair was out of place, and his expression was calm.

He bowed slightly and spoke respectfully. "Young Master, I have not failed you. The magical beasts in the valley have been cleared out."

Su Zhao nodded and rose to his feet.

"Very good. Well done. Let's go in and take a look."

The three passed through the dense forest, now left in utter disarray by the battle's aftermath. After traveling roughly a hundred zhang and crossing a thin veil of mountain mist, the view before them suddenly opened up.

The scene within the valley was completely different from the outside world.

There were no towering ancient trees blocking out the sky, nor any impenetrable thickets. In their place was a broad, level valley floor covered in short wild grass and moss, dotted with flowers of every color swaying gracefully beneath the gentle sunlight.

The air was filled with a rich herbal fragrance, mixed with the sweet scent of soil and flower nectar, instantly refreshing the mind.

More importantly, with a single sweep of his gaze across the open valley, Su Zhao spotted no fewer than a dozen types of rare medicinal herbs.

Deep within the valley, the corpse of an enormous magical beast lay motionless on the ground, stretched across the earth like a small mountain.

It was a giant lion covered in azure-green fur, thick as moss-covered stone. Even in death, it retained an aura of fierce savagery.

Su Zhao leaped over in several strides and circled the massive corpse, clicking his tongue in wonder. "A fifth-tier magical beast, an Azurewood Lion. It looks like this was the one that occupied this place before."

He reached out and patted its thick body. It felt cool beneath his hand, its fur soft yet tough, with an excellent texture. "Every part of a fifth-tier magical beast is valuable. Its hide can be made into armor, its bones can be refined into tools, and its blood is an ingredient in quite a few pills. Now it all belongs to us."

Su You stepped forward to the lion's head and worked on it for a moment. With practiced movements, he split open its skull and quickly removed a magical core the size of an infant's fist. It was entirely azure-green, crystal-clear, and emitted dense wood-element fluctuations.

A fifth-tier wood-element magical core was worth at least several hundred thousand gold coins on the market, and even then, it was rarely available.

Su Zhao stored the magical core in his storage ring, clapped his hands, and looked around the broad, peaceful valley with satisfaction in his eyes. "For the next while, we'll settle down here. There are plenty of opportunities in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, so we'll likely be staying for quite some time. Thick mist covers the outside of this valley, and there's only one entrance. It's easy to defend and hard to attack—perfect for settling down."

Little Doctor nodded, an eager smile appearing on her face. "Alright! We'll do as you say!"

She had already crouched down impatiently, leaning close to a pale purple herb to inspect it carefully. "I took a quick look just now. There really are quite a few rare medicinal herbs growing here! This is Silverleaf Grass, that is Purple-Spotted Lingzhi, and there's even a cluster of Blood Jade Ginseng over there... My goodness, back at Ten Thousand Medicine Hall, you couldn't buy these outside even if you had money!"

She looked up at Su Zhao, her tone carrying a hint of regret. "It's a shame none of us are alchemists. Otherwise, these rare herbs would be perfect for refining pills."

Su Zhao froze slightly, then rubbed his chin and fell into thought.

Little Doctor was right.

On the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists were among the most respected professions. Their status was extraordinary, and wherever they went, they would be treated with courtesy and eagerly sought after by every faction.

If he learned the art of alchemy, not only would his cultivation path become much smoother, but traveling the continent in the future would also be far more convenient.

He lowered his head and looked at himself.

Su Zhao had a clear understanding of his own constitution.

His dou qi had originally been wood-attributed. Later, after awakening the Fire Spirit Physique, he gained the fire attribute. Thus, his dou qi possessed both fire and wood attributes. Moreover, unlike others, the wood attribute within him was not merely a trace.

That was because the fire attribute had come later, granted by the Fire Spirit Physique as a system reward.

Therefore, both the fire and wood attributes within him were extremely abundant.

As for soul power, he had lived two lives, so his soul was naturally much stronger than that of ordinary people. It should not be weak.

With fire-and-wood dual-attributed dou qi and considerable soul power, he theoretically already possessed all the prerequisites for becoming an alchemist.

However, to truly cross the threshold into alchemy, he still needed an alchemist's inheritance—at the very least, a set of basic fire-control techniques, pill formulas, and some accumulated experience in alchemy.

It was impossible to become an alchemist through self-study alone.

"It seems I'll have to find a way to learn the art of pill refinement later."