Extracting Medicinal Liquid

Danxia Peak, the great hall halfway up the mountain.

Zhao Li dispersed his Dou Qi and stopped dwelling on it.

"Even if I can successfully convert every attribute, against enemies in the future it would only give me a few more unexpected methods. There's no need to rush right now. I'll look at this Blazing Fire Burning Heaven first. Maybe it can verify my earlier guess."

Zhao Li unfurled the scroll and read it carefully, sometimes puzzled, sometimes enlightened.

Before long, Zhao Li finished reading the cultivation technique, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

"So that's it. Cultivation techniques are methods summarized by predecessors for absorbing, converting, and controlling Dou Qi. Judging from the introduction to this technique, the Dou Qi Storm I caused when I first practiced National Martial Arts and trained Stance Training basically reached the limit of an Earth Tier Cultivation Technique."

Zhao Li had verified his guess, and he also understood that the Dou Qi Storm caused when he first practiced National Martial Arts had been a special case.

It was precisely because of that vast mass of energy that Zhao Li had stepped into Dou Master overnight. Later, when he cultivated again, he could still draw in Dou Qi, but it no longer had that kind of effect. Fortunately, there had been more shock than danger.

Zhao Li guessed that perhaps during that cultivation session, he had at once practiced all Three Realms of Light, Dark, and Transformation together, putting the Dou Qi in his body to use. His Qi Sea had emptied, triggering the Qi Vortex to revolve, while his Physical Body, starved for more than ten years, had also madly absorbed the surrounding Dou Qi, causing the storm.

It was only because Zhao Li had comprehended "Momentum" and possessed powerful Soul Power that he could divide his attention and control the Dou Qi. Through all sorts of coincidences, Zhao Li had achieved the result of becoming a Dou Master overnight.

"While keeping my eyes on the goal, I need to consider the present situation even more, and how I should reach that goal. I really shouldn't aim too high too soon. Aside from cultivating step by step, I just need to keep summarizing, improving, and innovating."

Having made his decision, Zhao Li wasted no time and began cultivating Blazing Fire Burning Heaven.

As he cultivated, Zhao Li converted his Dou Qi into the Fire Attribute. He could feel that while practicing the cultivation technique, his control over Dou Qi rose to another level. As the technique circulated, the Dou Qi from the outside world was dominated more by the Fire Attribute, making it easier to convert and control.

Cultivation knew no time. Zhao Li felt the river of Dou Qi in his body gradually solidify and grow stronger, experiencing the sensation of constantly becoming more powerful. Tirelessly, Zhao Li circulated it through Circulation Cycle after Circulation Cycle...

The next day, a refreshed Lin Lan appeared before Zhao Li. Seeing Zhao Li practicing a Fist Technique he had never seen before, he did not pry further, only somewhat surprised. "Is this an Earth-tier Dou Technique? It can even let a Dou Zhe practice it. It's quite extraordinary. This boy's fortune isn't shallow either."

As Zhao Li's control over himself and his Dou Qi grew higher and higher, he could also control his aura with ease. At this moment, he seemed just like an ordinary Dou Zhe, and even his teacher, who had touched the threshold of a Rank 8 Alchemist, failed to notice anything wrong.

Zhao Li finished his routine and withdrew his power. Seeing his teacher before him, he saluted and said, "Teacher, why didn't you call me when you arrived?"

"You've been steady since you were little. We've never needed to worry about your cultivation or studies. All I can do as your teacher is pass on everything I've learned to you, and in the future take you to travel the continent and broaden your horizons."

Looking at this disciple with whom he had formed a bond since childhood, Lin Lan felt gratified, but also sighed with emotion. To have taken in such a disciple was truly fortunate.

Hearing an elder praise him, Zhao Li was a little embarrassed. He only scratched his head and chuckled.

Seeing Zhao Li's appearance, Lin Lan said no more. If he praised him a couple more times, the boy might soar to the heavens. He then shifted to the main topic, taking the opportunity to test him.

"Starting today, I will formally teach you alchemy. Do you know why, before this, I only taught you pharmacology and had you identify Medicinal Ingredients, and only truly began teaching you alchemy once you became a Dou Zhe?"

"I imagine it's because a Dou Zhe can cultivate a technique and convert their attribute."

Zhao Li also grew serious. Although he had long known the answer from books, he did not speak too absolutely, only offered it as a guess.

Lin Lan nodded, revealing a look of approval.

"Correct. After cultivating a technique at the Dou Zhe stage, one can convert Dou Qi into the attribute of the technique. We alchemists can also use a medicine cauldron to convert it into flames, extract the essence of Medicinal Ingredients, and refine pills with different effects."

As Lin Lan spoke, he took out a double-port medicine cauldron.

"You can use this Double Fire Port Medicine Cauldron for now. It's enough for you to get started."

"Fire ports? Are they these two?" Zhao Li asked, pointing at the hollow openings on both sides of the medicine cauldron.

"Yes. But don't think that randomly opening two holes in the cauldron body makes them fire ports. Recklessly cutting holes will not only have no effect, it may even obstruct Soul Power perception and affect the refinement of Medicinal Ingredients. A truly good medicine cauldron not only amplifies flames to a certain extent, it also benefits an alchemist's soul perception," Lin Lan explained.

Lin Lan spoke step by step, letting Zhao Li try.

"First try sending Dou Qi into the fire ports and converting it into flames, then find that trace of Wood Attribute Dou Qi in yourself and send it into the fire to control the flames..."

Zhao Li did as he was told. With his control over Dou Qi, he quickly condensed flames inside the medicine cauldron, then sent Wood Attribute Dou Qi into the flames. The violent flames soon became "docile," easier to grasp.

"Teacher, what next? What should I do?"

After not hearing Lin Lan speak for a long while, Zhao Li asked.

He had no idea how greatly Lin Lan had been shocked by how quickly he had accomplished all this.

"This boy has a terrifying talent. He can actually reach this level."

Hearing Zhao Li's question, Lin Lan put away his surprise and continued, "First try raising and lowering the temperature of the flames. Find a boundary you can control perfectly. When refining medicine, if you cannot control the flames, destroying Medicinal Ingredients is a small matter. Causing a Cauldron Explosion and getting injured is a serious one."

Zhao Li followed his instructions and tried several times, also coming to understand his level of control over the flames converted through these fire ports.

Lin Lan was shocked once again. Just what kind of monster am I teaching?

Although he was shocked inwardly, he said aloud, "Not bad, very good. Here, look over this Pill Formula first. You also recognize all these Medicinal Ingredients. First refine them all into Medicinal Liquid essence."

As he spoke, he took out a Sheepskin Scroll and threw it together with the Medicinal Ingredients to Zhao Li. This was originally something that should have been given to Zhao Li for practice only after he had studied for a period of time.

Hearing this, Zhao Li sent his Soul Power into the Sheepskin Scroll and examined the Qi Recovery Pill formula.

After a long while, Zhao Li moved. He threw one Medicinal Ingredient after another into the medicine cauldron and began refining them.

Success, success, still success...

After a long time, the first Medicinal Ingredient was destroyed. Zhao Li froze, however. His control over the flames clearly had no problem, yet this Medicinal Ingredient had been ruined. He immediately began to think.

Seeing Zhao Li's level, Lin Lan was shocked once again. Perhaps because he had some mental preparation now, this time he recovered very quickly.

When Zhao Li finally ruined a stalk of Medicinal Ingredients, Lin Lan was even happier than when he had seen Zhao Li successfully refine one for the first time. This was how normal medicine refinement was supposed to go.

He had just been about to offer some guidance when he saw Zhao Li stop refining and fall into focused thought, so he kept his mouth shut. Discovering the problem for himself would leave a far deeper impression than having someone else point it out.

"To have such a disciple—what fortune."

After a long while, Zhao Li picked up another identical stalk of Medicinal Ingredients and tossed it into the Medicine Cauldron. Following the refinement method, he began refining again. As the Medicinal Ingredients were continuously roasted and burned, their impurities were removed, and their essence gradually condensed into Medicinal Liquid.

At that moment, the Medicinal Liquid seemed like a sleeping lion that had been startled awake. It turned violent and restless, only to turn into ash all at once beneath the flames.

Zhao Li fell into thought again, but this time he could not make sense of it, so he asked his teacher, "Teacher, what's going on? I can sense that the impurities have all been removed. It only needed to be nurtured and compressed a little more in the flames, and it would have succeeded. So why couldn't it withstand that level of flame temperature?"

Lin Lan nodded and said, "As you said, you had actually already succeeded in refining it. Focus your senses and take a look inside the Medicine Cauldron."

Zhao Li looked, and realization dawned on him.