Becoming an Alchemist

"I only learned it recently. This was my first experiment." Qin Yun offered a polite smile.

Yet that perfectly innocent smile left Feng Qing'er utterly irritated.

It would hardly have been an exaggeration to say she was gnashing her teeth. At this rate, when would she ever get to ride him?

"This technique of yours probably does more than just control soul bodies, doesn't it? I get the feeling it has other abilities." Fei Tian rubbed his chin and circled Qin Yun, seemingly sensing something.

"You're quite right, Uncle Fei. My ability doesn't just let me command soul bodies. It also lets me share certain abilities of theirs for a short time." Qin Yun had been wanting to test it out anyway.

As luck would have it, Han Feng had been preparing to refine pills before being captured, and some precious medicinal ingredients were already laid out on the ground.

That made it convenient for Qin Yun to get a little practice in alchemy.

Still, Qin Yun knew his limits. A sixth-grade pill like the Astragalus Pill remained somewhat unrealistic for him.

After all, he was only a One-Star Dou Wang. His reserves of Dou Qi alone wouldn't allow him to refine a sixth-grade pill.

Besides, he hadn't copied a hundred percent of Han Feng's alchemical ability. It was roughly seventy percent.

So Qin Yun settled for the next best thing and decided to refine a fifth-grade Dragon Strength Pill. It was an enhancement pill that briefly increased explosive power, and it would be more than enough for practice.

However, the two beside him found it rather inconceivable when they saw that Qin Yun seemed about to practice alchemy.

"Yun, judging by that stance, you're not planning to try refining pills, are you? I'm not trying to discourage you,

"but you've never touched alchemy in the past ten years.

"Don't think you can give it a go just because you've got an alchemist's soul at your beck and call.

"Every alchemist is a genius picked out of ten thousand. What matters most for you right now is improving your overall strength..."

Before Fei Tian could finish, Qin Yun gently interrupted him.

"Uncle Fei, when I said I could share certain abilities, I didn't just mean soul power. That includes memories and their innate attributes, too."

"That still won't... Wait, what did you say? You can share memories and attributes, too? Are you sure you're not fooling me? I've never heard of such a bizarre technique." However much Fei Tian trusted Qin Yun, he could hardly contain himself now.

After all, this peculiar technique had completely overturned everything he thought he knew.

"You'll find out in a moment." The corners of Qin Yun's mouth lifted slightly, and he activated a little of Lt. General's Command over Spirits.

The next second, a blue flame slowly emerged from his fingertip. Its scorching heat instantly sent everything around them into agitation.

"Holy shit! You can even share Heavenly Flames!" Fei Tian's entire worldview was on the verge of shattering.

Heavenly Flames were the most violent spiritual energies in the world, yet here someone was indirectly toying with one in the palm of his hand.

Next came refining the Dragon Strength Pill. Although this was Qin Yun's first attempt, he had the alchemical knowledge and seasoned experience in Han Feng's mind to rely on.

The whole process went fairly smoothly. Roughly two hours later, a round, fiery-red pill appeared in Qin Yun's hand.

"The quality isn't bad. A shame I didn't have much experience on my first attempt. With a few more tries, I might be able to make it more perfect." Qin Yun was quite pleased with the Dragon Strength Pill he had refined.

"You really are a monster." Fei Tian let out a soft breath.

Now he felt that, over these past ten years, none of them had ever truly understood the Young Pavilion Master standing before them.

Meanwhile, Feng Qing'er's thoughts were a tangled mess. She had originally believed that a little effort would let her catch up to him.

Now, it seemed their earlier fight might not even have forced him to reveal half his strength. Qin Yun had been treating her as though he were humoring a child.

Aaargh! How did I end up meeting this freak? Am I really going to spend my whole life as his mount?

I'm so mad, so mad, so mad! Even Feng Qing'er, who considered herself a genius, couldn't help beginning to doubt herself.

Perhaps her talent wasn't particularly impressive after all. Perhaps her world had simply been so small that she had been gazing at the sky from the bottom of a well.

Beyond that thought, Feng Qing'er was even considering whether she should bring him into the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

After all, in terms of overall strength alone, probably only Young Master Chang Jiufeng in the clan could contend with him.

And she had just witnessed him master advanced alchemy simply by capturing an alchemist's soul.

If her guess was right, once Qin Yun reached Dou Sheng and replaced it with the soul of a ninth-grade alchemist, wouldn't he be able to refine even ninth-grade pills?

The reason humans had such outstanding talent was that they had alchemists. Among magical beasts, however, human alchemists were pitifully scarce.

That was even more true of supreme magical beasts like the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, who placed great importance on their own bloodline. Although they had made exceptions to admit some human alchemists, the best of them was only seventh grade.

If Qin Yun were willing to go there, even the clan chief, Huang Tian, would probably be stirred into action.

No, no! Feng Qing'er, how could you entertain such a humiliating thought? Feng Qing'er patted her cheeks, forcing herself to calm down.

If I bring him into the clan, won't everyone find out I'm his mount? How could I ever show my face again?

"Hey, are you all right? Why are you looking at me so strangely? You're even drooling."

Although Qin Yun didn't know what was going through Feng Qing'er's mind, he could tell she was thinking about something.

"Hmph, none of your business." Feng Qing'er awkwardly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, then turned her head away, becoming the haughty young lady once more.

Seeing that her mood had inexplicably soured again, Qin Yun could only shrug. He couldn't make sense of how Feng Qing'er's mind worked anyway.

Next, it was time to pack up the spoils. They turned Han Feng's residence upside down, and it had to be said that the collection of an alchemist half a step from seventh grade was quite impressive.

Not only were there plenty of precious medicinal ingredients, but his Storage Ring also held a considerable number of finished pills.

There were over a dozen sixth-grade pills alone. As for those below sixth grade, there were too many to count.

They even found a seventh-grade Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill among them. Judging by the current timeline, this should have been the very pill Xiao Yan would later acquire at an auction.

Now, however, it had become his spoils. "This seventh-grade pill seems rather interesting."

Feng Qing'er had spoken up for once. Even she wasn't quite sure why, but deep down, she seemed to yearn for this Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill.

Although she wanted it, Feng Qing'er couldn't bring herself to ask. After all, she hadn't lifted a finger throughout the whole affair. These pills were all his spoils, and the pride of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan wouldn't let her swallow her dignity and beg.

"What, are you interested in this pill?" Qin Yun had clearly noticed Feng Qing'er's hesitation. He even waved the pill in front of her a couple of times.