Chapter 43: Learning Alchemy

Wei Yang picked it up and watched with interest. 

Alchemists, who deal with flames year-round, naturally have expertise in fire control. 

The art of fire control, strictly speaking, can be considered a type of battle skill. 

It can be used in both alchemy and combat. 

Of course, the primary purpose for alchemists to learn advanced fire control techniques is for alchemy. 

A good fire control technique can give alchemists more adept control over flames during alchemy, making the process easier, reducing consumption, and increasing the chances of forming a pill. 

As for using it in combat? Of course, that's possible too. 

However, as noble alchemists, they rarely engage in fights proactively, as it would be beneath their dignity. 

Usually, they just summon someone else to handle it. 

It's just a matter of paying a few pills, no big deal. 

Wei Yang briefly glanced at this fire control technique and felt intrigued. 

It was evident that this fire control technique was quite good. 

After all, it was produced by Pill King Gu He. 

Wei Yang was quite eye-opening, not expecting there to be so many tricks and knowledge in playing with fire. 

He couldn't help but recall when he was in the magma world, the two-headed fire spirit snake demonstrated a fire control technique that educated him on the spot. 

For Wei Yang, who aspires to become an alchemist, this was quite embarrassing. 

To be outdone in fire control by a beast of the same level was a humbling experience. 

This incident, he estimated, would stay with him for a long time. 

Wei Yang smacked his lips, put away the fire control technique, and decided to study it slowly in the future. 

Then came some not-so-important miscellaneous items. 

Oh, and there were three half-human-sized alchemical cauldrons. Wei Yang looked at them, not knowing much about this aspect either. 

Presumably, their quality wasn't bad, given that they were collected by Gu Te in his storage ring, suggesting they weren't of inferior quality. 

At the very least, they were definitely enough for Wei Yang and the others to practice with initially. 

He tossed a small, intricately designed dark red cauldron to Xian'er, and kept the other two for himself. 

Next were some gold coins and jewels, estimated to be worth around a hundred thousand. Wei Yang left those to Xian'er to handle. 

He picked up a gold coin card with the number two hundred thousand on it. 

Not bad, he thought happily as he put it away. 

Alchemists indeed have abundant wealth, especially being the brother of Pill King Gu He. 

Speaking of Pill King Gu He, he was quite tragic too. 

As the number one alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire, renowned throughout the empire, a Dou King strongman, and a sixth-grade alchemist, he was handsome, truly a favored son of heaven. 

Unfortunately, he encountered Xiao Yan, the protagonist with great fortune. 

He tried to woo Yun Yun, but failed. 

Not only did Xiao Yan snatch her away, but he also didn't even end up with her in the end. You can imagine how frustrating that must be. 

The most pitiful part was, in the end, Gu He joined the Flame Alliance and, nominally, became one of Xiao Yan's subordinates. 

That was quite melodramatic. 

... 

Wei Yang sighed and continued organizing. 

What's left were some metal ores and empty jade bottles, jade boxes, and other miscellaneous items. 

His soul swept through them, not finding anything worth paying attention to, so he stored them away casually. 

For the next half month, Wei Yang and Xian'er spent their time at home, studying numerous books and notes, improving their knowledge of alchemy. 

Until half a month later, Wei Yang made a trip out to the Xiao family market, where he found their steward and purchased a large batch of first-grade medicinal herbs. 

Next came the phase of learning while hands-on practice. 

Given Wei Yang's strength and soul power, refining first-grade pills was naturally not a difficult task. 

Aside from a few initial failures due to inexperience, the rest went smoothly. 

This was a foundational learning process that couldn't be taken lightly. 

Only after establishing a solid foundation could one aim higher. 

Moreover, he had a wealthy background, with a large supply of low-cost herbs for practice. 

Xian'er was doing well too. 

She failed a few times at first, then progressed to making several semi-finished medicinal powders, and soon she was successfully forming pills. 

After all, one was a Dou Ling with strong soul power, and the other was a nine-star Da Dou Shi, their strengths were evident. 

With good cauldrons and the assistance of peak fourth-grade beast fire, 

they weren't entirely unfamiliar with medicinal knowledge to begin with. They had some foundation, so they didn't need to start learning from scratch. 

For first-grade pill-making, as long as they understood the formula and medicinal properties, the rest was a straightforward task. 

Another month passed. 

Wei Yang felt there was little more to learn about first-grade pills. 

He had thoroughly studied all the first-grade pill formulas he had, understood their medicinal properties, and had practiced refining them numerous times, feeling that his foundation was quite solid. 

Xian'er felt the same. 

So they began preparing to make second-grade pills. 

In the hall. 

"Second-grade pills shouldn't be difficult for us to refine. But as for second-grade herbs and magic cores, collecting a large amount in Wutan City might not be possible in the short term," Wei Yang said, looking at the heap of jade bottles carelessly placed on the table. 

These were the first-grade pills he and Xian'er had refined over this period, numbering over a hundred, and all were common first-grade pills in the market. 

First-grade pills, after all, weren't too special. 

Basically, pills below fourth grade were considered relatively common, except for those with special uses. 

The rest were mostly for restoring energy, healing, detoxifying, and aiding cultivation. 

"Don't we have a collaboration with the Xiao family market? We previously procured a large batch of low-cost herbs from them. This time, we can ask them to help us purchase a large amount of second-grade herbs and magic cores," Xian'er suggested. 

For refining second and third-grade pills, some would require one or two-grade magic cores. 

"In Wutan City, second and third-grade herbs and magic cores are relatively high-grade items. Small quantities are fine, but for large quantities, the Xiao family may not be able to meet our demands in a short period," Wei Yang shook his head. 

"Then what about the Mittel Auction House?" Xian'er suggested. "We can ask them to provide for us too. Given the Mittel Auction House's capabilities, they should be able to supply our needs in large quantities." 

She was fully focused on learning alchemy, and would feel uneasy if she had to suddenly stop. 

"That's a good approach. With the Xiao family and Mittel working together, our needs should be met," Wei Yang nodded. "Since we'll probably not spend too long in the second-grade realm, it's mainly a learning and experience-gathering phase." 

"Reaching third-grade pills will likely be your current limit, as your soul power isn't particularly outstanding," Wei Yang assessed. 

Xian'er nodded. 

Third-grade pills would indeed present a bottleneck for her, limited by her soul power. Even after breaking through to Dou Ling, she might not swiftly reach the peak of the third grade in the short term. 

Moreover, due to her own fire poison, she also had to manage and separate the fire poison during alchemy, which consumed part of her mental strength. 

This meant she had to put in more mental effort and dedication than a typical alchemist when refining pills. 

That was the trade-off! 

At least in the short term, this issue couldn't be resolved yet, and it might remain so in the future. 

But she had no complaints and was content. 

"As for me, I anticipate reaching the fourth grade fairly quickly, and I don't see any major issues," Wei Yang analyzed. 

Of course, this fourth grade referred to ordinary fourth-grade pills. 

For top-tier fourth-grade pills like the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill and Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, which could rival fifth-grade pills, 

he certainly couldn't refine them successfully in a short time.