10 Inesistent Great Talent

'The path of Alchemy is based on the Fire, the Soul and the Herbs. The Fire is the heat at which the alchemy is done, it can be a Qi Manifestation technique or an artifact. The Soul is your skill, based on good reaction time, good body coordination, good alchemist arts and good personal comprehension. This book will, however, focus on the Herbs since it is the first skill to master to become a proper alchemist...'

Raden was reading the 'Alchemy Introduction' that Ai Bai gave him on his bed.

'Fire...If I remember correctly chemical reactions are faster if the heat is higher. Is that maybe?'

<<Congratulations! You reached Lv.1>>

'Oh?' Raden smiled.

<< Stats >>

<<Name: Raden -

Qi cultivation realm: Late Qi Gathering

Soul cultivation realm: Late Soul Tempering (60.1% compatibility)

Body cultivation realm: Late First Stage

Occupations: Alchemist (Lv.1)

Laws: Fire (Lv.1)

Cultivation Art(s): Temper the Body, Devour the Qi (lv.1) ; Standard Method (lv.14)

Skills: True Punch (Comprehension) ; Forceful Trasmigration (Initiation) ; Ant Slash (Mastery) ;

Soul Perception (Initiation); Myriad thoughts (Initiation)>>

'Mhh...Soul compatibility goes up automatically. Though I still don't understand what it does... It should have something to do with my physical body strength, perhaps?

Laws should only function in Qi Manifestation so, for now, they're useless...'

"Hey, why you grand sage are reading a book on the basics of alchemy?" Jin Liang asked suspiciously.

'What a pain...' "For Su Li, since I never approached alchemy before"

"Truly?"

"Yeah, sure." 'One day I'll say the truth...but now I have to build trust with him.' 'And then is a good way to develop my skills in telling lies! Ahah!'

Fortunately since Raden's perceptions were shared with and Jin Liang's he couldn't see his face.

**********

The day after he returned to Ai Bai's house full of confidence.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Who is it?"

"Lin Jiang."

"Lin Jiang who?"

'...' 'What is this?'

"Lin Jiang...you! Really, a knock-knock joke?!"

Ai Bai opened the door with a strange facial expression, that suddenly turned into embarrassment.

"Ah...So it is you..." *coff coff* "I've mistaken your voice with a friend's one...and what's with that attitude...I'm still a teacher you know?"

"..."

"Ah...enter, please!"

"Thanks."

"Mhhh...The first one was a test on your personality: I like straight-forward people, you passed!"

"Hmmh...Thanks" He completely believed him. Completely.

'I want to be as shameless as him...A genius! You deserve all of my admiration' Raden thought half-jokingly.

"Ok..." "Now there is the second test! Refine those herbs for me"

He indicated a pile of low-first grade herbs.

"Yes, master!"

"I...nevermind"

Raden started refining them. Refinement was one of the two pillars of the Herbs, the other was Choice.

It consisted in extracting their essential components with a Qi Art so as to maintain only the useful ones, removing those who could hinder their later alchemic reaction in the cauldron. It was easy to understand what to discard and what to not: the useful parts usually have a higher amount of Qi than the useless one.

Raden was able to finish the job in five minutes thanks to his powerful Soul, receiving the shocked gaze of Ai Bai.

"Fast! Could it be that you have innate Soul surplus?"

'Nope it is because I cultivate my soul u idiot'

"What is that?" Raden still asked out of curiosity.

"It is an innate condition that grants you a powerful soul! It's even correlated to higher speed in the cultivation of it!" He said with a tinge of admiration.

'Is he admiring my inexistent talent?' Raden frowned.

"Hmm...However, shall we continue?"

"Yes!" And then he felt shame. Huge shame. 'I just answered a rhetoric question...I feel bad'

*Coff Coff* "The last trial is based on your understanding of alchemy. You'll have a conversation with me!"

"Ok..."

"What happens if you combine a Dragon Eye and a Blue Herb?"

And so an hour passed... (cause writing dialogues becomes tiring, you know?)

"So heat resistance, conductibility and superficial regularity are what makes a good cauldron."

"Beautiful you passed even this test! You're indeed worth becoming my student, as I thought the first time I saw you." Ai Bai said proudly.

'I bet that you didn't'

"I'm impressed by your speed in the comprehension of Alchemy, how do you...?"

"?"

*Coff Coff* "Innate Soul Surplus..." He said with a tinge of greed that characterized human beings. "Well, I hereby accept you as my disciple! Come here every day at 6 p.m"

"So late?"

"I have public lessons before then so it's the only time available"

'So I became a direct disciple! Beautiful!'

"Here's your badge, display it proudly to your friends! Make them understand that you're the disciple of this great man!"

"..."

"Ahahah!"

"..."

"G-Goodbye then." He said hesitating.

"Goodbye."

Raden was shutting the door close when he heard something from it.

"He doesn't have friends? What a poor disciple! I will help him!"

Raden sensed determination in his voice.

"..." 'If you tried, probably instead of friends you'll create for me many enemies!'

**********

In the disciples' dormitory.

"Truly a shameless fellow, eh elder?" Jin Liang said mockingly

"Yes, sure."

"Proudness is what distinguishes the little from the giant! How can he not have any?"

'Oh? A proud protagonist you're sooo special. Ahhh... Dear Heavens, I must fix this!'

"Kid, you can be proud only if you're a giant. Remember!"

"Uhh...Yeah that's true"

Raden nodded in pleasure. How many enemies will he make the MC avoid by teaching him some humility?

'A good half at least. Ahah!'

He really liked impersonating the elder.

"Hey, why do you want to help Su Li?"

'In fact...why?'

"Mh?"

"Ahhh...Because from what you've said he seems a good person and I think he's worthy of becoming my subordinate..." "Or my friend."

Raden scrolled his shoulders.

'Well, it wasn't so bad considering my childishness.'

He resumed cultivating the 'Soul Art' without the anxiety of a sudden sleep attack. Because it wouldn't matter.

'Certainly cultivating the Soul is exhausting...' 'But it's something that I must do to become a good alchemist, it seems'

...

<<Congratulations! You reached Peak Soul Tempering>>

**********

The next day, in the refectory.

"Eheh..."

"Y-You became a direct disciple!"

"Yes, it seems that I have innate Soul surplus and so I'm naturally talented in alchemy."

"Beautiful!" Su Li was exploding from happiness. Raden was his only hope for his father and was able to become an alchemist disciple! This would surely help him understand the affliction of his father by creating a bond within the alchemist society!

"Ahah! What did Qing Teacher teach you by the way?"

"She taught us about Qi Gathering cultivation and some about Qi Manifestation realm"

"Hm?"

"Yeah Qi Gathering you know consist in gathering the Qi in your pathways and she talked how that affected our body: our cells would naturally strengthen themselves with it though it is somewhat different by body cultivation...And said that to break through Qi Manifestation you must be able to voluntarily emit Qi out of you."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome"

'I wonder why no one is watching my badge...could that be that they don't know Ai Bai...or maybe he isn't that good of a teacher!'

"Hey, where did you got that information about Ai Bai?"

"Sorry. I can't tell you, I promised"

"?" Raden heightened an eyebrow.

Su Li exchanged his gaze.

"Eh...I understand."

And so they finished eating.

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