85: Chapter 85 Blushing

"Youyou, did you come here specifically because you encountered some difficulties in your cultivation or alchemy?"

Xiao Huo didn't waste time on pleasantries and cut straight to the point, looking at Lu Youyou with a gentle gaze.

Lu Youyou quickly waved her hands and explained, "Teacher, everything is going smoothly with my cultivation.

"It's just... I've been trying to refine 'bone forging pills' lately, but I don't know what's going wrong.

"I can never refine them to high-grade quality; at most, they only reach mid-grade.

"So, I wanted to ask for your guidance, Teacher."

She paused. "After all, it shouldn't be long before I break through to become a Second-Rank Martial Artist.

"It's time I start stockpiling some pills commonly used during the Second-Rank stage."

The bone forging pill is one of the most essential pills for a Second-Rank Martial Artist's cultivation.

Its main function is to temper and strengthen the bones.

Its importance to a Second-Rank Martial Artist is just like that of a body tempering pill to a First Grade Martial Artist.

Lu Youyou's talent in the Dao of Alchemy was also impressive; her alchemy skills had already reached the high-tier of the second stage when school started.

After this period of consolidation and hard work,

she had now reached the peak of the second stage.

This was equivalent to being a peak Second-Rank Alchemist.

However, there was an unwritten rule in the world of alchemy.

Alchemists below the Fourth Rank who had not yet nurtured their own Pill Fire

were generally not considered true "Alchemists" and were instead distinguished by First, Second, and Third Stages.

"I see. In that case, Youyou, perform the process once, and I'll carefully observe which step the problem lies in."

Xiao Huo nodded, then looked at Qin Yan beside him and advised, "Xiao Yan, you should also observe and learn carefully from the side.

"Watching the refinement process of high-grade pills,

"especially analyzing and solving the issues that arise,

"will be of great benefit to your understanding of the Dao of Alchemy and the improvement of your skills."

"Yes, Teacher," Qin Yan replied respectfully.

He couldn't help but feel that Teacher Xiao Huo was indeed an extremely responsible mentor.

Whether it was the Martial Dao or the Dao of Alchemy, he taught them everything he knew and cared for them deeply.

Lu Youyou took a deep breath, walked to the alchemy furnace, and focused her mind.

She first checked and neatly arranged the medicinal herbs required for the bone forging pill, then began to channel the Beast Fire.

Furnace Warming, adding herbs, refining the medicinal liquid...

Each of Lu Youyou's steps was performed unhurriedly, appearing very steady and solid, showing her basic skills were quite firm.

Watching from the side, Xiao Huo couldn't help but nod slightly, his eyes showing a hint of approval.

However, when it came to the final step,

which was the most critical "Pill Condensation" stage, a sudden change occurred!

Inside the alchemy furnace, the few drops of medicinal liquid that had initially fused

suddenly began to fluctuate and churn violently.

A strong repulsion reaction occurred between them, and they became extremely unstable!

Xiao Huo's eyebrows immediately shot up.

The next moment—

"Boom!"

A muffled explosion rang out from inside the alchemy furnace!

The furnace lid was jolted upward by the sudden burst of chaotic energy.

A burnt smell mixed with the scent of herbs instantly filled the air.

Seeing this, Qin Yan knew in his heart that this was a classic case of "furnace explosion."

It meant that the refinement had completely failed, and the medicinal herbs were destroyed.

Lu Youyou's small face instantly turned beet red, all the way to her ears.

She felt incredibly embarrassed and awkward!

She was, after all, a peak second stage Alchemist.

Not only had she failed to refine a high-grade bone forging pill this time, but she had also exploded the furnace in front of her teacher and her newly joined junior brother!

This was simply too humiliating!

"It's alright. A furnace explosion is a common occurrence in alchemy, nothing could be more normal,"

Xiao Huo comforted her in a gentle voice upon seeing her state.

There wasn't a hint of blame in his tone. "Never mind that you're only at the second stage now; even when I was at the Second or even Third Stage, the number of times I exploded a furnace was countless.

"Every failure is the best opportunity to accumulate experience and discover problems.

"There's no need to be discouraged by this."

Hearing her teacher's comfort, the flush on Lu Youyou's face faded slightly.

But her eyes were still filled with frustration.

"There were two main issues with your refinement this time."

Xiao Huo began to precisely point out where the problems lay.

His voice was calm and clear. "First, in the final Pill Condensation stage, you were a bit too impatient.

"Seeing the medicinal liquid initially fuse, you were too eager to perform the hand seals, trying to force it to solidify.

"Little did you know that at that time, the energy between the various medicinal liquids was not yet fully balanced and stable.

"Forcing condensation will inevitably lead to a conflict of medicinal power within, ultimately resulting in a furnace explosion."

He paused and continued, "Second, when refining the main herb, 'Iron Bone Essence,' the heat control and timing were slightly insufficient.

"Iron Bone Essence has a hard texture.

"The impurities inside require a more persistent and gentle Beast Fire to be thoroughly refined."

"In your pursuit of speed, you slightly shortened the refining time.

"This resulted in a tiny trace of rigid impurities remaining in the essence of the medicinal liquid.

"This trace of impurity conflicted with the other flexible medicinal liquids during fusion,

"acting as the fuse that ignited the unstable energy."

Xiao Huo's guidance was sharp and to the point.

He directly pointed out the two key mistakes in Lu Youyou's alchemy process.

It made her realize her mistakes, and the vague confusion she had felt before was instantly cleared up.

"So that's how it is... Thank you for your guidance, Teacher!"

Lu Youyou thanked him, completely convinced.

"Good, as long as you understand.

"Youyou, go rest to the side for a bit and reflect on what I just said."

Xiao Huo motioned for Lu Youyou to take a break, then turned his gaze to Qin Yan and asked, "Xiao Yan, did you come here for something?"

Qin Yan stepped forward and said respectfully, "Teacher, I came here to ask to use your Alchemy Room to try refining the 'freshness pill' once more."

He had already planned to "officially" demonstrate his alchemy skills in front of his teacher.

Then, he could logically ask for the Pill Formulas for the first-grade qi and blood pill and the body tempering pill.

This way, he could legitimately take on alchemy missions from the school later on

to earn academic credits for himself without raising any unnecessary suspicion.

As for the issue of his alchemy learning speed being too fast... he decided not to care!

In any case, spirit power cannot be accurately measured before reaching 10 Hz.

If anyone asked, he would simply insist that he was exceptionally gifted!

If they asked, it was because he, Qin Yan, was a one-in-a-million alchemy genius!

Xiao Huo nodded without asking further questions.

Although he didn't internally believe that Qin Yan would be able to successfully refine the freshness pill this time,

since the last failure had been so complete,

he knew well that the path of alchemy

was built on accumulating experience through countless failures to eventually reach success.

Allowing disciples to try and practice more was part of teaching.

He skillfully took out several basic medicinal herbs required to refine the freshness pill from his Storage Ring and handed them to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan took the herbs and walked to the alchemy furnace, which was still warm.

He closed his eyes.

In his mind, he quickly went over the refinement steps for the freshness pill and all the details that required attention.