Alchemy really was exhausting

Su Tian blinked in a daze as he watched the flames churn inside the Medicine Cauldron.

When a story from a novel came to life, anyone would surely find themselves reeling for a moment.

Beside him, Qing Mu wore an equally stunned expression on his aged face.

Had he not known that Su Tian truly was a complete novice at alchemy, he might have suspected the young man was playing the pig to devour the tiger.

On his very first attempt to summon flames into the Medicine Cauldron, Su Tian had actually succeeded this smoothly.

This unexpected sight raised Su Tian even higher in Qing Mu's estimation.

Did this little fellow possess such astonishing talent for alchemy as well?

Watching Su Tian continue to stare blankly at the flames in the Medicine Cauldron, Qing Mu narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered to himself.

It seems this little fellow really does harbor quite a few secrets. Perhaps my chance to break free of these shackles lies with him!

At that thought, a strange gleam flashed through Qing Mu's eyes, and the faintest, almost imperceptible smile seemed to curl his lips.

"Mm, not bad. It seems I misjudged you this time."

In an instant, Qing Mu concealed those subtle changes in his expression. He looked at Su Tian with a faint smile and praised him.

"I never expected you to produce flames on your first attempt. Clearly, your potential and talent for alchemy are beyond measure."

"You flatter me, Senior Qing Mu!"

Hearing Qing Mu's praise, Su Tian snapped out of his daze, scratched his head, and gave an awkward grin.

"It was just a lucky accident. Somehow, everything fell into place, and I managed the conversion by sheer chance. If I tried again, I doubt it would go so smoothly."

Su Tian was not merely being modest. There were some things he could not explain to Qing Mu.

I can't exactly say I followed the steps Yao Lao described in the novel, can I?

Anyone who heard that would probably think Su Tian was talking nonsense.

All he could do was offer a few words and muddle his way past the matter for now.

After hearing his explanation, Qing Mu merely gave Su Tian a searching look and smiled kindly, without asking any further questions.

"Success is success. There's no need to be overly modest. Now that you can convert your energy into flames, diligent practice will let you master it in time. You've already taken the first step toward learning alchemy."

"Still, don't celebrate too soon."

Before joy could spread across Su Tian's face, however, Qing Mu shook his head with a smile, then grew serious and spoke in a low voice.

"The flames you've summoned aren't yet alchemical flames. They're still unsuitable for refining medicine. Now, settle your mind, take control of that trace of wood affinity within your body, and channel it into the Medicine Cauldron!"

Qing Mu delivered those final words with a sharp command.

Su Tian hurriedly closed his eyes as instructed. His mind slowly settled, and his soul perception surged outward.

Drawing on his excellent control over his soul perception, he scanned back and forth through his body in search of that faint trace of wood-affinity power.

His first search for the wood-affinity power within him took nearly ten full minutes. Only then did Su Tian let out a long breath and slowly open his eyes.

"Hmm? You found it?"

Seeing Su Tian open his eyes, Qing Mu could not help feeling a little surprised.

When Su Tian nodded in confirmation, Qing Mu could not help silently marveling once again.

The first time Qing Mu had searched for his own wood-affinity power, it had taken him almost an hour. That alone showed just how formidable Su Tian's soul perception was.

Of course, it also showed that the gap between Qing Mu's talent for alchemy and Yao Lao's was far from small.

As for a comparison between Su Tian and Xiao Yan, Su Tian had a slight edge in this regard.

Su Tian extended a finger and gently pressed it against another fire inlet on the Medicine Cauldron. At once, he carefully channeled an extremely faint green stream of energy into it.

The moment the green stream entered the Medicine Cauldron, the pale red flames within seemed to undergo some sort of chemical reaction and abruptly settled down.

Even before attempting to control the flames, Su Tian could clearly sense that their volatile nature had now been completely neutralized by the wood-affinity power.

Moreover, thanks to the principle that wood nurtured fire, the flames were now noticeably more enduring and easier to control than before.

"Good. These are the flames best suited to refining medicine. Only with these can you precisely extract the medicinal properties you need from the ingredients."

Watching Su Tian's actions flow as naturally as water finding its channel, even Qing Mu's eyes flickered with appreciation. He praised him inwardly, then nodded in satisfaction and spoke with a light chuckle.

At Qing Mu's approval, Su Tian could not help breaking into a grin.

The sensation of immersing his mind in the flames had left him momentarily entranced.

So this is what being an alchemist feels like? Controlling flames and creating a pill imbued with the energy of heaven and earth with my own hands... that sense of accomplishment is beyond words.

Seeing Su Tian's excitement, Qing Mu hesitated briefly, then pressed his lips together. As though reaching a decision, he raised a finger and touched Su Tian's forehead.

In an instant, a stream of information poured into Su Tian's mind.

"This is..."

Qing Mu's sudden action made Su Tian freeze. Immediately afterward, a striking rush of information unfolded in his mind.

"This is a formula for a healing medicine I once prepared. For a novice like you, it's best to begin your first attempt with a simpler formula such as this. I'll stay beside you and remind you how to control the flame temperature and extract the components of the ingredients."

Hearing Qing Mu's explanation, Su Tian quickly nodded, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes to carefully digest the formula in his mind.

"Two stalks of breath-channeling grass, one blood-clotting branch, one vitality fruit, two poppy flowers..."

After carefully memorizing the quantities of ingredients required, Su Tian slowly opened his eyes and sat cross-legged. He placed both hands against the Medicine Cauldron, gradually sank his soul perception into it, and solemnly worked to control the relatively gentle flames within.

Once Su Tian was ready, Qing Mu nodded in satisfaction and tapped his Storage Ring. A succession of fragrant medicinal ingredients streamed out and landed neatly beside Su Tian.

Su Tian glanced at the ingredients beside him from the corner of his eye, and a wave of nervousness rose within him.

He had no attention to spare for thanking Qing Mu just then. After a brief hesitation, he picked up a somewhat dark red blood-clotting branch beside him and, without further delay, tossed it into the cauldron through the beast's head at the top.

Seeing Su Tian formally begin the refining process, Qing Mu's aged face also grew solemn.

An alchemist's first attempt at refining medicine was the easiest way to judge their talent and aptitude.

The ability Su Tian displayed next might well influence Qing Mu's future plans.

Su Tian had no spare energy to pay attention to Qing Mu, who stood behind him with his hands clasped behind his back.

The moment the blood-clotting branch entered the Medicine Cauldron, before Su Tian could exert any control, the flames surged over it. In the blink of an eye, the branch became black ash, which was then cleared away by a special mechanism within the cauldron.

Faced with his first mistake, Su Tian scratched his head and turned toward Qing Mu with an embarrassed expression.

"It's fine. Keep going."

Qing Mu merely smiled faintly at this. He did not scold him, but calmly nodded and spoke.

What had happened to Su Tian was perfectly normal for a novice trying alchemy for the first time.

After all, dividing one's attention between two tasks was no easy matter.

Qing Mu understood that very well.

Only those with exceptional talent and aptitude could overcome this first hurdle with the fewest mistakes.

Turning back toward the Medicine Cauldron, Su Tian took a deep breath and quickly steadied himself. He swallowed, reached out with his right hand, and dropped in another blood-clotting branch.

Qing Mu was not stingy in the slightest with the ingredients required for such a simple formula. He did not mind Su Tian using them freely.

After all, as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist in Temple City, Qing Mu received generous support from Queen Medusa when it came to medicinal ingredients and other necessities. Over the years, he had amassed quite an impressive collection of ingredients in his Storage Ring.

This time, after Su Tian dropped the blood-clotting branch into the Medicine Cauldron, his efforts to control the flames only allowed it to last a little longer. In the end, it still turned into a pile of black ash.

"Damn it, the temperature was still a little too high."

Su Tian gave a bitter laugh and wiped away his cold sweat, lamenting inwardly, Alchemy is so much easier when someone else does it. Only when you start refining pills yourself do you realize how badly it messes with your head!

Su Tian considered himself fairly patient, but even he could not help growing a little irritated after these repeated failures.

Of course, he could only grumble inwardly.

Collecting himself, Su Tian placed a hand against the Medicine Cauldron and sank his mind into it. With a movement of his right hand, he tossed in another blood-clotting branch.

Qing Mu, who had been watching silently from the side, nodded in satisfaction when he saw Su Tian suppress those negative emotions so quickly.

This boy has good talent and aptitude. His temperament is a little impatient, but not excessively so. In time, he will surely be worth nurturing.

Meanwhile, after doggedly burning through nearly twenty blood-clotting branches, Su Tian finally began to grasp, albeit barely, the subtle point at which the temperature suited the ingredient.

This time, it'll definitely work!

Su Tian shook his head vigorously to cast off the weariness clouding his mind, then tossed in another blood-clotting branch.

His expression was grave. Like a vast net, his soul perception tightly enveloped the entire cauldron as he did everything he could to lower the flames' temperature.

Through the Ice Mirror on the Medicine Cauldron, his eyes remained fixed on the blood-clotting branch suspended above the flames.

Finally, after tumbling in the flames for a little longer, the blood-clotting branch began to shed its outer husk under Su Tian's gaze. The juices contained within its stem were roasted by the flames into a pile of pale white powder.

Only now had Su Tian, a complete novice at alchemy, finally succeeded in extracting the blood-clotting branch's medicinal essence.

Before he could celebrate, Su Tian took another deep breath. His right hand moved, and he tossed another medicinal ingredient into the Medicine Cauldron.

The moment it entered the Medicine Cauldron, the flames surged over it, then continued churning under Su Tian's control.

At this sight, a trace of surprise flashed through Qing Mu's eyes.

The drive this little fellow shows while refining medicine is rather unexpected.

As far as Su Tian was concerned, now that he had set foot on the path of an alchemist, he had to do his very best.

As time passed, the number of blood-clotting branches Su Tian had successfully refined steadily increased.

At a time like this, Su Tian dared relax his concentration even less. He watched the endlessly churning flames within the Medicine Cauldron with his full attention, his face already slightly pale and covered in beads of sweat.

For an alchemist, prolonged refining placed an immense drain on both mental energy and Dou Qi.

Moreover, the cultivation method Su Tian currently practiced was merely of the lowest grade, Yellow Tier Low Grade. He clearly had little advantage when it came to the depth or endurance of his Dou Qi.

Thus, remaining seated motionless before the Medicine Cauldron for two hours was already an extremely difficult feat for Su Tian.

Qing Mu narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Su Tian successfully refine another blood-clotting branch into a pile of pale white powder. He could sense that the young man was approaching his limit.

So Qing Mu slowly stepped forward, reached out, and gently patted Su Tian's shoulder.

"That's enough. It looks as though you've more or less mastered refining blood-clotting branches. The other ingredients each require a different temperature. Rest for a while first. There's no need to rush your study of alchemy."

"Thank you, Senior Qing Mu."

After hearing those words, Su Tian hurriedly thanked him. His shoulders, which he had struggled to keep steady all this time, immediately slumped. As though all strength had drained from his body in an instant, he lay straight down, not caring in the slightest about the dirt and dust on the ground.

"Whew... being an alchemist is fucking exhausting..."

Lying on the ground, Su Tian gasped for breath, his chest still heaving. An aching numbness flooded his entire body. He stared up at the sky with wide eyes, still muttering to himself.

Hearing that, Qing Mu could not help bursting into laughter. Looking at Su Tian, who was half-dead with exhaustion, he shook his head helplessly.

Hearing this, Qing Mu, who was standing nearby, burst out laughing. Looking at Su Tian, who was utterly exhausted, he shook his head helplessly.

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