Alchemist

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan changed into the uniform he had received yesterday. Though it was already the smallest size, it still hung a little loose on him.

In contrast, Qian Mo had struggled mightily to squeeze himself into the largest uniform, and the taut fabric cinched his fat into plump curves.

The four of them left the dormitory amid teasing and laughter. As they turned, they saw a student who was no less powerfully built than Yan Hao, with a heroic face and a heavy spear on his back, emerging from the dormitory as well. He merely swept his gaze over the four of them without saying anything, then strode away.

"Brother Lin, do you know him?" Xiao Yan asked. He had noticed that the other man's gaze lingered on Lin Xiuya for a moment longer.

Lin Xiuya slowly shook his head. He did not seem to know that person, but since he lived next door, he was most likely a classmate. The four did not dwell on it and headed toward their classroom.

"This is it, Class One of the Yellow Rank!"

A kind-faced middle-aged man greeted them and had them take their seats. Once the classroom had gradually filled up, the man stepped onto the podium.

"Greetings, students of Class One of the Yellow Rank. I am Gao Hui, your class instructor. I am very pleased to meet you all. Barring any surprises, I will accompany you through the next three years of study. Before the opening ceremony begins, let us take attendance and get acquainted."

As he spoke, he picked up the roster at his side.

"Lin Xiuya." "Present!"

"Liu Qing." "Present!"

"Xiao Yan." "Present!"

When it came to Xiao Yan at the end, low murmurs rose through the classroom—the aftermath of Qian Mo loudly spreading word of the "super S-rank" yesterday.

Instructor Gao Hui ignored the whispers, set down the roster, and continued.

"Now that everyone is here, let us begin. Your cultivation and studies at Canaan Academy will mainly consist of..."

Gao Hui went over many details, but to Xiao Yan, it boiled down to only a few points.

First, classes would be held in the mornings, covering cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, combat, and so on. Afternoons and evenings were left to the students, which essentially meant setting aside time for cultivation.

Second, the academy would distribute certain cultivation resources, including cultivation methods, medicinal pills, Dou Techniques, and specialized instruction from the academy. If they wanted more or better resources, they would need to complete academy assignments.

Third, the academy encouraged fighting. Whether it was sparring between students or combat during assignments, the academy would take notice. This would increase one's share of academy resources.

As for graduation requirements, school rules, and the like, Xiao Yan did not care much about them.

After speaking for a full hour, Gao Hui finally announced, still not quite satisfied, that classes would begin tomorrow and everyone could leave.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Gao Hui slapped his forehead, as though he had only just remembered something. "Everyone else is free for today, but students with fire-attribute Dou Qi still need to make a trip to the Spirit Pill Pavilion of the Alchemy Department."

The students who heard this all showed looks of understanding. Even Xiao Yan, who was supposedly "ignorant and uninformed," guessed a few things.

"Could this have something to do with alchemists?"

Alchemists—the most esteemed profession on the Dou Qi Continent. Though the continent centered on Dou Qi and revered strength above all else, that did not change the fact that alchemists were the sole exception. They might not be particularly powerful themselves, but they were the most sought-after group.

Of the three most precious things to cultivators—cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, and medicinal pills—the first two needed no explanation. Medicinal pills, however, could only be refined by alchemists!

Throughout the long road of cultivation, cultivators encountered all manner of problems. What if they could not defeat an opponent? What if they were severely injured? What if their cultivation stagnated? What if their lifespan was running out... The simplest solution was an alchemist's medicinal pill!

Yet alchemists were an extremely rare profession! The reason was that the requirements for becoming one were incredibly stringent.

First, an alchemist's Dou Qi attribute had to be fire, yet that fire attribute also had to contain a trace of wood energy! One had to know that having only one Dou Qi attribute was the norm on the Dou Qi Continent. Possessing an additional attribute was already a one-in-ten-thousand occurrence, while alchemists demanded two specific attributes. It was easy to imagine how few people met the requirements.

Second, alchemists needed soul perception to control and sense the intensity of the flames required for refining pills. Pill refinement was delicate work, and without a powerful soul, it was absolutely impossible. But soul power was also innate, with no method of cultivation. If one was born with insufficient soul power, then even fire-and-wood-attribute Dou Qi could not make one an alchemist.

That was not all. The flames used in pill refinement were maintained by Dou Qi, and the higher the grade of the pill, the longer the refinement time required. This meant that unless one cultivated their Dou Qi to a sufficient level, even fulfilling the first two requirements would leave them unable to cook without rice.

Attribute, soul, and Dou Qi—none of the three conditions could be lacking. Moreover, an alchemist's rank depended on the weakest among them. How could alchemists not be rare?

It was no surprise that alchemists, possessing such miraculous power while being so scarce, were frantically sought after by all the major forces across the continent.

Take the Xiao Clan, for instance. If it could produce even one lowest-grade, first-tier alchemist, surpassing the other two clans and dominating Wutan City would be effortless!

When Xiao Yan had first learned of this, he had dreamed of becoming an alchemist himself. After all, he truly did possess fire-attribute Dou Qi. But back then, he could only bury that wish deep in his heart. Now that he thought of it again, his heart suddenly burned with excitement. After informing Lin Xiuya and the others, he headed alone for the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

"Judging by Xiao Yan's expression, he really does seem to be looking forward to becoming an alchemist!"

"What are you saying? Who wouldn't want to become an alchemist? When I first learned about this profession, I regretted for ages that my Dou Qi attribute wasn't fire!"

"But as far as I know, most students in Canaan Academy's Alchemy Department are personally discovered by alchemists traveling across the land. Very few enter the Alchemy Department after first joining the academy. Xiao Yan's hopes will probably be dashed this time..."

Meanwhile, when Xiao Yan arrived at the Spirit Pill Pavilion, he discovered that there were quite a few students there. He was a little puzzled. Were there really that many people with fire-attribute Dou Qi?

After watching for a while, he realized that they were merely idlers who had come to watch the excitement. A crowd had formed a circle, and only occasionally would someone step out from the crowd and enter the main doors of the pavilion. Yet they would emerge again only moments later.

"Ugh, this still isn't working. Could they be messing with us?"

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. Becoming an alchemist isn't that easy. There may be many students with fire-attribute Dou Qi, but it's perfectly normal if not one of them gets to stay!"

By the time Xiao Yan got there, he was genuinely a little nervous. The words "alchemist" carried far too much weight. He took a deep breath, parted the crowd, and entered the pavilion.

Inside the main hall, Xiao Yan saw an old man leaning against the doorway. He wore white, was thin in build, and looked difficult to get along with. The old man spoke crisply and directly. "Circulate your Dou Qi."

Xiao Yan slightly circulated his cultivation method, only to see the old man straighten up. "Again."

After Xiao Yan complied, the old man revealed a satisfied look. "Go upstairs. Wait in the pill room on the second floor."

Xiao Yan entered the pill room in a daze. Everyone else had been dismissed immediately, but he had been kept behind. Did that mean he actually had the potential to become an alchemist!?

Calm down! Calm down! Becoming an alchemist is no big deal. Refining pills always requires studying, right? What a waste of cultivation time... (⊙x⊙;)

Whether he could become an alchemist remained uncertain, but it was truly difficult to suppress the corners of his mouth.

At the same time, after another student was sent out following Xiao Yan, the students outside finally confirmed that the little guy had really remained inside. The already noisy crowd was like cold water hitting boiling oil, erupting all at once...

"Holy shit, didn't that kid from earlier come back out? Did he make it?"

"Does anyone know who the person inside is? I want to propose to him!"

"Classmate, calm down. He's obviously still young. Besides, shouldn't this sort of thing be left to us girls?"

Xiao Yan sat quietly alone in the pill room for about an hour before the old man from earlier finally pushed open the door and entered. He raised a hand to stop Xiao Yan from bowing, asked Xiao Yan's name, then got straight to the point.

"I am an elder of the academy's Alchemy Department. You may call me Fire Elder. You are the only student in this year's intake with the possibility of becoming an alchemist. I would like to know how much you understand about alchemists."

Xiao Yan then explained what he knew about alchemists. The old man nodded slightly after hearing him.

"That is basically correct. You can learn the finer details later. As you said, there are three requirements to become an alchemist. I have already examined your Dou Qi attribute—you indeed have fire with hidden wood energy; since you were able to enter Canaan Academy, your Dou Qi aptitude is not a problem; now the only question is what your soul power is like... Have you eaten lunch?"

The abruptness with which Fire Elder changed the topic caught Xiao Yan off guard. "Uh... no."

Fire Elder promptly tossed Xiao Yan a piece of dry rations. Though Xiao Yan did not understand why, he obediently ate it.

Once Xiao Yan had finished eating, Fire Elder flipped his hand and produced a black object, placing it before Xiao Yan. Looking closely, it was actually a medicine cauldron.

"This is the fire port of the cauldron. Place your hand on it and release your Dou Qi, and flames will arise inside the cauldron."

Xiao Yan followed his instructions and circulated his cultivation method. With Xiao Yan's Dou Fighter cultivation, he normally could not release Dou Qi beyond his body. Yet when he circulated it to his palm, it was as though a breach had opened in a dam. Pale-red Dou Qi poured from the fire port, producing roaring red flames within the cauldron.

Fire Elder gave Xiao Yan a slightly surprised glance, then continued.

"It seems your cultivation method is of a very high grade. The flame before you was produced purely from fire-attribute Dou Qi and cannot be used to refine pills. Next, use your soul power to find that hidden trace of wood attribute within your body. Only by using it to temper the fire attribute's violent nature can you precisely control the flames."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and turned his senses inward, doing his utmost to activate his soul power and probe within himself. As he immersed himself completely, Xiao Yan felt something rather familiar. It was the strange power that had helped him break through to Dou Fighter!

Xiao Yan desperately grasped that faint feeling and finally began to truly sense his own soul power. His mind then roamed through his body a few times before finding that trace of wood attribute! Xiao Yan opened his eyes. "Fire Elder, I found it."

"You found it!?"

Fire Elder, who had already sat down to read, suddenly sprang to his feet. He flung the book in his hand away, disbelief written all over his face, then blankly continued instructing him.

"Pour the wood-attribute power into the medicine cauldron and try controlling the flames."

Seeing the flames in Xiao Yan's cauldron gradually calm down, no longer filled with the violent aura they had possessed before, Fire Elder finally dismissed the last trace of doubt in his heart.

Finding the wood attribute in one's body was to pill refinement what the Dou Qi stage was to Dou Qi cultivation—it best revealed one's talent in soul power. Most alchemists took hours the first time they sought their wood energy! Back then, Fire Elder had taken an hour and could already be called talented. But how long had Xiao Yan taken? Not even the time it took half an incense stick to burn!

And he had even worried that Xiao Yan might be hungry, giving him dry rations in advance to fill his stomach!