Chapter 7: Alchemy
'Three Purple Bluegrass, two Bone Washing Flower, and one Rank 1 Wood Attribute Monster Core.' Xiao Yan took out all the materials listed in the Foundation Pill Recipe from the storage ring.
The Monster Core still had blood stains on it, as it had obviously been extracted from the body of a magical beast not long ago. To be more precise, it was the one Xiao Yan had hunted himself this morning.
All alchemy processes required a Monster Core that came from magical beasts as an essential energy source.
Besides supervising the morning training of the clan disciples, Xiao Yan would patrol the market with Xun Er. After lunch, he would usually venture into the forest to search for medicinal herbs and hunt magical beasts. In the evening, he would head to the back mountain to practice his Dou Technique and cultivate his Dou Qi.
Consistently, day in and day out, for ten years.
This was not only because he possessed the talent of an alchemist, but also because his storage ring contained a vast collection of pill recipes, ranging from 1st-tier to 8th-tier pills, providing him with all the necessary requirements for alchemy.
Pill recipes, alchemy techniques, a compendium of medicinal herbs, and alchemy insights filled up a large portion of the storage ring. Xiao Yan spent a full ten years reading through all of them.
However, while he had read through them, understanding them was another matter altogether.
In fact, when Xiao Yan picked up the pill from the ground and immediately recognized it as a Qi Gathering Pill just by smelling it in the morning, it proved that he already had considerable knowledge of medicinal pills.
However, his image was just too strong within the Xiao Clan, and since even the Grand Elder knew what a Qi Gathering Pill was, no one doubted that a fourteen-year-old boy shouldn't know about it.
Even Xun Er and Xiao Zhan didn't think much about it. They just assumed that Xiao Yan might have heard about Qi Gathering Pills from somewhere.
An hour later, with a loud bang, the energy within the Monster Core inside the medicinal cauldron suddenly surged. The terrifying high temperature swept through the cauldron, instantly turning the herbs that were still being purified into ashes.
The alchemy had failed.
"Sigh, refining a 2nd-tier medicinal pill is really too difficult."
Xiao Yan wiped the ash from his face. His expression was one of helplessness. Even someone like Xiao Yan was only a novice alchemist without the guidance of a Master.
"It took me three years just to master the refinement of 1st-tier medicinal pills. My progress is too slow..."
If any other alchemist were to hear this, they would probably be livid with rage. To learn on his own and reach the level of a 1st-tier Alchemist in only three years without any formal guidance, his alchemy talent might even surpass his cultivation talent.
Xiao Yan then took out a second set of ingredients to continue refining. In essence, alchemy was like leveling up by grinding monsters. It was a process of constantly gaining experience.
After reaching the Dou Practitioner realm, he would refine whenever he gathered enough herbs, whether by picking them in the wild or buying some affordable ones from the market.
Until his Dou Qi was exhausted, Xiao Yan was unable to refine the Foundation Building Pill.
"My Dou Qi is still too weak. Using Dou Qi to produce flames for alchemy is too inefficient."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to place the medicinal cauldron back into the storage ring and start cultivating his Dou Qi, a powerful surge of Spiritual Strength suddenly descended. It not only sealed the entire room but also locked Xiao Yan's body in place, rendering him completely immobile.
"Jie Jie, I've heard rumors about a talented young man with the surname Xiao in this remote Jia Ma Empire. I didn't expect to find such a big fish here. The heritage of the Xiao Clan is actually hidden in such a remote place."
A figure clad in black robes appeared in front of Xiao Yan in a ghost-like manner. After which, the storage ring on Xiao Yan's hand flew towards him with a slight flick of his finger.
"Return... it... to me!" Xiao Yan glared as he struggled against his restraints, his entire body surging with Dou Qi in an attempt to break free. However, in front of the man in the black robe, his strength was as insignificant as a mayfly shaking a tree.
The black-robed man paid no attention to Xiao Yan's anger. Were it not for certain reservations, Xiao Yan would have been a corpse by now.
Everything inside the storage ring spilled out in an instant with a light touch of his finger. Then, his powerful Spiritual Strength enveloped all the items, and among all the inanimate objects such as Dou Techniques, Qi Methods, and Pill Recipes, one 'living' thing stood out.
It was a mysterious white flame that emitted a cold aura.
This flame was sealed inside the storage ring, and it was the one thing that Xiao Yan treasured the most.
Bone Chilling Flame, ranked 11th on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
The mere description of this flame in the books was enough to make Xiao Yan aware of its preciousness and its terrifying nature.
It was the target of countless alchemists on the continent!
Xiao Yan's body was wracked with surges of Dou Qi and Spiritual Strength as he desperately tried to break the seal. Even with blood dripping from the corners of his mouth and his body almost at the breaking point, he refused to give up.
"Huh? This isn't the heritage of the Xiao Clan?"
The man in the black robe swiftly scanned all the items with his Spiritual Strength. He paid special attention to items like jade pendants and checked them multiple times. However, to his bewilderment, after a thorough inspection, he found that none of the items seemed to belong to the Xiao Clan. The Qi Methods and Dou Techniques were not those he knew to be possessed by the Xiao Clan he was familiar with.
He had initially heard from his subordinates that there was a Xiao Clan in Wu Tan City, which had produced a young genius. The young man's fame had even reached the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire, prompting him to come here specifically.
This was partly due to Nalan Yanran's grandfather, Nalan Jie. He was quite satisfied with Xiao Yan's cultivation talent and had often boasted in the capital about having a talented grandson-in-law with the surname Xiao.
However, he did not expect that the combination of the words "Xiao" and "genius" would attract such trouble.
The man in the black robe had a furrowed brow as he watched Xiao Yan's desperate struggle. Due to the overexertion of his Spiritual Strength, blood tears began to seep from the corners of his eyes at this moment.
The man in the black robe discreetly glanced at the room where Xun Er was. Soon after, his Spiritual Strength subtly swept over everyone in the Xiao Clan territory except Xun Er, but he did not find what he was searching for.
He clicked his tongue and released the spiritual restraint. Then he grabbed Xiao Yan by the neck, his voice sinister as he threatened, "Boy, tell me where the ancient jade is, or I'll annihilate your entire Xiao Clan."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Return the Bone Chilling Flame to me!" Xiao Yan continued to attack with the Octane Blast. However, the move that had defeated Nalan Yanran couldn't even tear the black-robed man's clothes.
This terrifying gap in strength made Xiao Yan realize that the man in front of him was likely stronger than a Dou Spirit, perhaps even stronger than a Dou King!
"Bone Chilling Flame? This trashy Heavenly Flame?" The black-robed man flicked his finger lightly, and the Bone Chilling Flame, ranked 11th in the Heavenly Flame Ranking and coveted by countless alchemists, was being toyed with in his palm like a child's plaything.
The man in the black robe smiled slightly and temptingly said, "Boy, tell me where the ancient jade is and I can teach you alchemy."
Xiao Yan had already given up fighting when he saw the Bone Chilling Flame being toyed with in the palm of the black-robed man's hand. He wasn't stupid. He understood that this black-robed man's strength was far beyond his comprehension, and the only reason he hadn't killed him was probably because of some reservations.
The black-robed man released his grip once he noticed that Xiao Yan had stopped his struggle. He was actually afraid of killing Xiao Yan. In case that person had left some sort of measure on Xiao Yan, it would pose a danger to himself as well.
Xiao Yan noted this point as well. The black-robed man had only used his Spiritual Strength and had not dared to use any Dou Qi, as if he was afraid of revealing his Dou Qi fluctuations.
He regained his usual calmness, his voice cold as he said, "You've seen everything I own. I don't know what ancient jade you're talking about. You are also not qualified to teach me alchemy."
The man in the black robe laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke, "Jie Jie! Not qualified? Not qualified! I, Hun Huzi, am not qualified to teach you alchemy?!!!"