Hearing the old man's words, Su Tian froze, then looked him over once more.
"You jest, Senior. If I could, I would certainly be willing."
Su Tian rubbed his nose and smiled faintly before continuing.
"But although everyone wants to become an Alchemist, they still have to meet the requirements."
"Heh, you little rascal."
The old man shook his head with a chuckle. Pointing a withered hand at Su Tian, he said with mild exasperation, "Stop trying to fish for answers. Since I said that, it means you have what it takes to become an Alchemist."
Despite having his intentions seen through, Su Tian showed no embarrassment. He merely grinned.
Still, the stone that had been hanging over his heart finally settled.
Although the old man's earlier words had hinted at this already, it had not been enough.
Until he heard a definite answer from the old man, Su Tian could not quite put his mind at ease.
It felt like a dream, one he feared might shatter the very next moment.
"I've made a fool of myself, Senior."
Su Tian rubbed his nose and chuckled, though his tone had grown more respectful.
Since this mysterious old man could say such things, Su Tian suspected he must be an Alchemist himself.
His rank might even be quite high!
With that suspicion in mind, Su Tian no longer dared treat the mysterious old man with any discourtesy.
After all, his chance of truly becoming an Alchemist might rest in this man's hands.
The old man merely smiled and waved a hand, clearly taking no offense.
"My name is Su Tian. Forgive my ignorance, but how should I address you, Senior?"
Seeing the kindness on the old man's face, Su Tian considered briefly, then cupped his fists and spoke respectfully.
"After spending so long in this damned place, I can barely remember things like names and titles."
As the old man spoke, a nostalgic look crossed his aged face, as though he were recalling days long past.
After a moment of silence, he shook his head with a quiet sigh. Turning his kindly gaze toward Su Tian, he smiled warmly. "Never mind. You may call me Qing Mu."
"My respects, Senior Qing Mu!"
Not daring to be discourteous, Su Tian hurriedly cupped his fists and greeted him respectfully.
The old man smiled and waved a hand. "If you don't mind learning from an old fellow like me, you can study alchemy under me from now on."
"Your disciple, Su Tian, pays his respects, Master!"
Qing Mu's words filled Su Tian with delight. Without the slightest hesitation, he moved to kneel and formally acknowledge him as his master.
Just then, however, Qing Mu swept his hand, sending out a gentle gust that lifted Su Tian's knees before he could kneel.
"Senior?"
Qing Mu's sudden action left Su Tian momentarily stunned and bewildered.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Qing Mu smiled and chided him with a chuckle.
"You little rascal, what's the rush? I haven't finished speaking yet."
Qing Mu shook his head helplessly. After a brief pause, he continued, "I can teach you alchemy, and you needn't take me as your master."
"But you must promise me one thing!"
With that, Qing Mu clasped his hands behind his back and watched Su Tian meaningfully, waiting for his answer.
"Promise you one thing?"
Qing Mu's words had clearly caught Su Tian off guard.
I don't need to become his disciple?
I only need to promise him one thing?
Su Tian knew he was merely a One-Star Great Dou Master. Yet Qing Mu wanted a promise from him?
"Senior Qing Mu, I don't quite understand. If even someone with your strength cannot accomplish it, then surely I have even less chance."
Su Tian smiled bitterly and spread his hands helplessly, speaking honestly.
After all, he knew exactly how much weight he could carry.
Although he desperately wanted to become an Alchemist, he would not sell himself so easily.
What if Qing Mu wanted his life? Was he supposed to agree to that too?
Besides, this was only their first meeting, yet he could learn alchemy without even becoming the man's disciple?
How could there be such a windfall, with meat pies falling straight from the sky?
At that thought, a strong sense of wariness rose in Su Tian's heart again.
At first, the prospect of becoming an Alchemist had indeed tempted him. Now that he had recovered his senses, he was a little calmer.
"If you are unwilling to teach me, Senior Qing Mu, you can simply say so. Why toy with me like this?"
As he spoke, Su Tian discreetly stepped backward, guarding against a sudden attack from Qing Mu.
Qing Mu merely shook his head and smiled at his actions, making no attempt to stop him.
"I still have matters to attend to, so I won't see you out, Senior Qing Mu. Take care."
"Heh, little fellow, you're quite wary."
Qing Mu smiled without moving a step, then chuckled as he looked at Su Tian.
"Since you're uneasy, I won't beat around the bush." Qing Mu paused, his aged face growing solemn. After a moment of silence, he said gravely, "To tell you the truth, I remain here because Queen Medusa has placed me under house arrest."
"House arrest?"
Su Tian froze, growing even more confused. Qing Mu let out a long sigh and continued with a hint of bitterness.
"Indeed. Some years ago, I ventured deep into the Tagor Desert in search of a special medicinal herb. Not only did I fail to find it, I encountered Queen Medusa instead."
A look of recollection appeared in Qing Mu's eyes, as though he were reliving that scene.
"Although I was a Six-Star Dou Wang, I was still no match for Queen Medusa. Just as I was about to die at her hands, she discovered that I was a Fifth-Rank Alchemist and spared my life."
"A Six-Star Dou Wang? A Fifth-Rank Alchemist?"
Listening to Qing Mu's account, Su Tian's eyes flickered and his heart jolted. He silently congratulated himself for not recklessly attacking earlier.
Otherwise, he would probably have suffered another savage thrashing.
Senior Qing Mu is actually a Fifth-Rank Alchemist! No wonder Queen Medusa spared him and brought him back to Temple City under house arrest.
After hearing Qing Mu's explanation, Su Tian pondered inwardly.
That effectively makes Senior Qing Mu the Snake-People Tribe's exclusive Alchemist. After all, a Fifth-Rank Alchemist is already an extremely important asset to them.
"If I'm not mistaken, most of the Snake-People Tribe's high-grade pills were made by you, Senior Qing Mu?"
"Indeed. That is precisely what Queen Medusa intended."
Qing Mu nodded at Su Tian's conjecture without disputing it.
After all, his identity as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist was what mattered most to Queen Medusa.
Otherwise, even a Six-Star Dou Wang like Qing Mu would have little value in her eyes.
"But what I never expected was that, to prevent me from escaping Temple City, Queen Medusa would poison me with an extremely vicious toxin that constantly drains the Dou Qi within my body."
Qing Mu sighed deeply, his already aged face seeming even more withered.
"Even though I circulate my cultivation method every day and desperately absorb Dou Qi, I can only keep pace with its rapid depletion. Otherwise, I would have escaped long ago."
From Qing Mu's words, Su Tian could sense the profound bitterness and helplessness in his heart.
"Even with your expertise in alchemy, you cannot remove this poison, Senior Qing Mu?"
Su Tian pondered briefly. Somewhat doubtful of Qing Mu's account, he could not help asking curiously.
Qing Mu was a genuine Fifth-Rank Alchemist, yet even he was helpless against the poison inside him.
Could the promise he wants from me have something to do with this?
Suddenly, a glint flashed through Su Tian's eyes. Putting Qing Mu's words together, he began to form a vague suspicion.
"Well... there is a way."
A bitter smile appeared on Qing Mu's face. After a short silence, he looked at Su Tian gently and continued.
"After so many years of research, I found a pill recipe that should have an excellent chance of neutralizing the poison inside me. However..."
Qing Mu paused and gave Su Tian a long, searching look before sighing deeply.
At this, Su Tian's eyes flickered. He knew the crucial part was coming next.
"However, this pill recipe requires two Alchemists to use their soul power simultaneously during the refinement. That would give us an eighty percent chance of successfully producing the pill. Finding another Alchemist among the Snake-People Tribe is undoubtedly impossible, which is why I have remained unable to neutralize the poison all these years."
A bitter smile crossed Qing Mu's aged face, and his hunched figure seemed all the more desolate.
Perhaps not everything Qing Mu said was true, but at least eighty percent of it had to be. Otherwise, someone of his standing had no reason to deceive a novice like Su Tian, who was not even an Alchemist yet.
"But I'm not even a First-Rank Alchemist. Even if I reached that rank, surely my experience in alchemy could not compare with yours, Senior Qing Mu?"
Su Tian quickly found a questionable point in Qing Mu's explanation.
"Wouldn't that only make refining your antidote more troublesome?"
After all, advancing as an Alchemist was far more difficult than cultivating Dou Qi.
If they had to wait for Su Tian to become a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, they would be waiting until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.
Hearing Su Tian's doubts, Qing Mu shook his head and smiled faintly. "This pill requires a great many medicinal herbs. Once refined, many of them have extremely strict requirements for preserving their medicinal properties. An Alchemist must therefore continuously nurture them with soul power until the final stage of refinement."
"Thus, refining this pill involves two roles: the primary refiner and the assistant. Naturally, I will handle the primary refinement, while you assist. All you need to do is continuously nurture the refined herbs with soul power to prevent their medicinal properties from dissipating."
Qing Mu explained it to Su Tian with considerable patience.
"But rest assured, once you become a First-Rank Alchemist, you will definitely be able to withstand the soul power consumption. Of course, that will require all your soul power, leaving you no strength to handle the other stages of refinement. So for you, it will also serve as a tempering of your soul power."
"And the promise I want from you is this: once you truly become an Alchemist, help me refine this pill and neutralize the poison inside me."
After hearing Qing Mu's explanation, most of Su Tian's doubts finally faded.
Everything that had happened before seemed to fall into place at last.
Although a trace of suspicion remained, Su Tian did not know how to voice it.
"You can consider this a transaction. I will help you become a true Alchemist, and you will help me refine this pill."
Seeing Su Tian fall silent, Qing Mu did not rush him for an answer. He simply explained the stakes calmly.
"Once my poison is cured, I will certainly escape this damned place. When that time comes, I promise to take you with me. What do you think?"
Those words undoubtedly struck at the heart of what Su Tian wanted.
Whether he became an Alchemist or cultivated desperately, Su Tian ultimately had only one goal.
To escape this place!
Listening to Qing Mu's calm explanation, Su Tian slowly clenched his hands.
After a long while, he drew a deep breath, then exhaled all the stifling air in his chest. Raising his head, he looked at Qing Mu's aged, kindly face and grinned.
"It's a deal!"
The instant Su Tian finished speaking, a familiar voice abruptly rang out in his mind.
Ding! Check-In Task triggered! Become a First-Rank Alchemist to receive a Check-In Reward upon completion! Accept?
The system's sudden voice startled Su Tian, sending his heart pounding.
Fuck! Damn you, System! Could you stop appearing and disappearing like a ghost? Scaring people can frighten them to death, you know!
But just after finishing that inward outburst, Su Tian realized that, strictly speaking, the system was not a person.
At that thought, he curled his lip and grumbled inwardly, The system might not be human, but when it comes to being a dog, it's one hell of a bastard!
Despite inwardly railing against the check-in system, Su Tian did not hesitate over the check-in task and hurriedly answered in his mind.
Accept!
He had to become a First-Rank Alchemist anyway. Why turn down a reward handed to him for free?
Before you continue