59: Chapter 59: A Beginner's Guide to Alchemy!

With a flick of Xiao Huo's wrist, the six long dragons of flame instantly dissipated.

The temperature inside the Alchemy Room also returned to normal.

He spoke indifferently, "This is Pill Fire—Pill Fire that truly belongs to me."

He looked at Qin Yan, who still seemed immersed in shock, and waved his hand. "Alright, what I told you today is already a bit beyond the scope."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew. After you go back, your primary task is to master this 'compendium of low-grade spirit meat'."

"Once you have memorized its contents by heart, come find me again."

"Yes, your student understands! I shall take my leave."

Qin Yan snapped back from his shock and gave a respectful bow.

Cradling that heavy 'compendium of low-grade spirit meat', he backed out of Xiao Huo's Alchemy Room.

Walking on the road back to the manor, Qin Yan's mind was still unable to settle.

Everything he saw and heard today—the miraculous methods Teacher Xiao Huo displayed, and the description of Pill Fire—

All of it felt like a more vast and magnificent scroll unfolding before him.

It filled him with even stronger curiosity and longing for the future path of a martial artist and the mysterious path of alchemy.

...

Time flew by, and four days passed in a flash.

During these four days, Qin Yan invested all 16 Skill Points he had earned into this new knowledge.

He successfully pushed its progress to 10%!

"As expected, the compendium of low-grade spirit meat is simpler than the Complete Explanation of Low-Grade Spirit Herbs; I mastered it with just 16 Skill Points."

At this moment, he also had a clear understanding of 'spirit meat'.

So-called spirit meat was the condensed essence of the flesh and blood of ferocious beasts, alien races, and even certain special existences.

Through unique tempering methods, one could purify and concentrate their complex flesh and blood energy.

This formed spirit meat that was rich in spirituality and easy to absorb and utilize.

The higher the grade of the existence, the stronger the spirituality of the tempered spirit meat would be.

The energy contained within would also be more immense, and the effect of the pills refined using it would naturally be better.

On the fifth day, Qin Yan arrived at Xiao Huo's Alchemy Room once again.

"Teacher, I have also mastered the compendium of low-grade spirit meat."

Qin Yan got straight to the point.

Xiao Huo was flipping through an ancient book and looked up upon hearing this.

Looking at the calm and confident Qin Yan, he didn't show exaggerated shock this time.

He only looked at him with a complicated gaze for several seconds. "You kid... Fine, I won't test you this time."

"As your teacher, I believe you."

He found that he had already begun to get used to the 'surprises' brought by this little disciple.

Qin Yan: "..."

He had originally been prepared to undergo an examination, but he hadn't expected his teacher to believe him so readily.

"Since you have already mastered the basic knowledge of alchemy materials—"

"Then, it is also time for you to come into contact with true alchemy."

As Xiao Huo spoke, he took out a piece of yellowed parchment that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance and handed it to Qin Yan.

"This is the pill recipe for the 'freshness pill'; take a look at it first."

"This is the simplest unranked pill, used to purify the air within a small range and disperse odors."

"It doesn't require spirit meat for refining, so it's perfect for you to observe as a beginner."

Qin Yan reached out to take the pill recipe, his gaze quickly scanning it.

He saw several names of spirit herbs clearly listed: [heart-clearing grass], [Mint Leaves], [Morning Dew Petals], [Three Drops of Rootless Water]...

Familiar names of spirit herbs entered his sight one by one.

Detailed information regarding the characteristics, medicinal effects, and key processing points of these spirit herbs immediately surfaced automatically from Qin Yan's memory.

They cross-referenced with the requirements on the pill recipe. The refining of this freshness pill was indeed extremely basic, just as the teacher had said.

He quickly memorized the contents of the pill recipe and understood them thoroughly.

"Finished reading?" Xiao Huo asked when he saw Qin Yan look up.

"Yes, I have finished reading it," Qin Yan nodded.

"Good. Now, I will give you an on-site demonstration of exactly how this freshness pill should be refined."

As Xiao Huo spoke, he stood up and walked to the simple, dark-red alchemy furnace in the center of the Alchemy Room.

With a light brush of his sleeve, the several spirit herbs listed on the pill recipe—

Floated neatly in front of him, clearly having been prepared beforehand.

"The first step of alchemy is to calm the mind and concentrate, and communicate with the Pill Fire."

Xiao Huo's voice became peaceful and distant, as if carrying a certain rhythm.

"Of course, you cannot do this yet, so we will skip this step for now."

"I will demonstrate directly with Beast Fire."

He pointed his fingers like a sword toward the bottom of the furnace. "Whoosh!"

A ball of crimson flame suddenly ignited.

Although it was far less miraculous than his own orange Pill Fire dragons—

It still had an incredible temperature and steadily burned the alchemy furnace.

"The second step is warming the furnace."

"Use the Beast Fire to evenly heat the furnace, remove impurities, and ensure the furnace walls are heated uniformly..."

Xiao Huo explained in detail while operating.

Under his precise control, the crimson flame licked the bottom of the furnace like a docile pet.

When the alchemy furnace began to hum slightly and the furnace walls glowed with a faint red light—

Xiao Huo said, "The third step is adding the medicine for tempering."

"You must follow the order of the pill recipe, control the heat, and temper the essence within the spirit herbs into spiritual liquid."

He first picked up the heart-clearing grass and tossed it into the furnace.

The crimson flame instantly enveloped it, but the temperature suddenly dropped.

With a peculiar, gentle force, it slowly roasted the leaves.

Soon, the heart-clearing grass withered and melted.

Ultimately, it turned into a drop of emerald-green spiritual liquid that emitted a cool aura, floating inside the furnace.

Next were the Mint Leaves...

Xiao Huo's technique was skillful. With every spirit herb added, the intensity and angle of the flame he controlled were slightly different.

He precisely grasped the tempering threshold for every type of medicinal material.

The heat could neither be insufficient, leading to incomplete extraction, nor could it be too high, leading to the destruction of the medicinal properties.

Qin Yan watched without blinking.

He imprinted every movement of the teacher and every minute adjustment of the flame deep into his mind.

He understood that these seemingly simple steps actually contained countless experiences and secrets.

"The fourth step is merging the liquids into a pill."

When all the spirit herbs had been tempered into spiritual liquids of various colors floating in the furnace, Xiao Huo's expression became slightly focused.

The flame he controlled suddenly became fierce, while his hands formed a simple seal, pointing toward the furnace from a distance.

Inside the furnace, those few drops of spiritual liquid seemed to be drawn by an invisible force.

They began to slowly approach and rotate, finally colliding and merging together!

The crimson flame wrapped around them like a spirit snake, performing the final calcination and condensation.

A faint medicinal fragrance began to permeate from the furnace, refreshing the mind and heart.

"Finally, withdraw the fire and condense the pill!"

As Xiao Huo's voice fell, the crimson flame at the bottom of the furnace instantly extinguished.

He slapped the body of the furnace with his palm from a distance.

"Buzz!"

Ten pills the size of longan fruit, greenish-white in color with smooth and rounded surfaces—

Flew out spinning and landed into the jade bottle Xiao Huo had prepared beforehand.

The surfaces of the pills still carried a hint of warmth, emitting a fresh and natural aura.

Taking a breath, one would feel their mind clear up instantly, and the surrounding air seemed to have become much purer.