Chapter 28: Learning Alchemy

  The old man returned from his reverie and looked at the child in front of him with a warm smile. This was a good sapling, he would pour out all his knowledge to teach him.

  "Little guy, you're really good, really good. The path of an alchemist is glorious, but it's not easy to walk. Don't you regret it?"

  "I fought lightly and crazily, without knowing how to write regret."

  "Good, good, your temperament is to my liking." Dan Changlao looked at her with satisfaction. "I really didn't expect that at the end of my old age, I could still take you as a disciple, and on the first try, you were able to refine a third-grade pill. This talent is simply unmatched by ordinary people! Previously, seeing your familiarity with medicinal herbs, there's no need to start from scratch, saving a lot of effort!"

  As for praise, Zhan Liang is delighted to accept it.

  "Is this Sanpin Dan?" He played with the small white pill in his hand, and from what he heard, the grade of the Dan was not bad.

  "Listen up, I'll explain the levels of alchemists and pill grades to you. As everyone knows, being an alchemist is a highly respected profession, with most being fire-attribute cultivators because they can better control the furnace's temperature. An alchemist's main job is to refine pills, as well as other tasks like healing people and refining medicinal waters. The level of an alchemist is determined by the quality of the pills they produce."

  After listening to Master Dan's explanation for a whole afternoon, Zhan Qing felt greatly benefited and carefully organized what she had heard.

  Apprentice pharmacist, identifying herbs, sorting herbs, learning knowledge;

  Apprentice Alchemist, Refines a single Dan.

  Senior Alchemist, refining second-grade pills.

  Great Medicine Master, Three Treasures Dan Medicine

  Pharmacist, fourth-grade medicine, and can also teach other lower-grade pharmacists;

  The Medicine King, the Five-Element Dan medicine, is also an existence that various forces are vying to win over.

  Medicine Emperor, a sixth-grade dan medicine, and an existence of mutual benefit with various major families.

  Yaodong, seven-grade medicinal pellets, served in the imperial court;

  Divine Doctor, Eight-Rank Dan Medicine, Elder of the Pharmacist Association, can be unrestrained by any power.

  Yaowen, nine-grade elixir, still no one has succeeded until now;

  Each lower-grade alchemist must guarantee ten consecutive stable elixir refinements, and the elixir's quality is also distinct. By observing its color, smelling its fragrance, and tasting its medicinal properties, it can be divided into three grades: high, medium, and low. Just like the one she refined earlier was a mid-grade Three-Purification Elixir.

  The surface of Dan is relatively rough and has no fragrance.

  Two products are smooth and flat in shape, also without fragrance;

  The three products have a bright and lustrous color, with a smooth texture and a faint fragrance.

  The four products have an even stronger fragrance of dan xiang.

  When the Five Treasures Dan is formed, a fragrance spreads out and does not disperse, accompanied by the emergence of strange phenomena.

  When the Six Stages of Alchemical Refining are completed, a miraculous sign appears and the alchemical medicine is accompanied by a red light.

  When the elixir is formed into a pill, it is accompanied by blue light.

  Eight treasures Dan is colorless and tasteless, surrounded by a warm and gentle white light;

  Jiǔ Pǐn Dān has yet to be known.

  Understood roughly, Zhan Light Crazy raised an eyebrow, "I wonder what level Dan Changlao is..."

  "Heh heh, young one, I am now the Medicine Emperor, and teaching you is more than enough." The old man with a long white beard smiled and said.

  "It won't be long before I become an existence beyond you."

  "I believe! However, you still have to start from scratch and work hard, as every journey begins with a single step. I believe in this principle, and I think you can understand it." Looking at the girl's determined gaze, Dan Lao believed that one day she would soar to great heights and surpass everyone else.

  "When the time comes, I will make those who wronged you pay back a thousandfold." Charging at such a respectable elder and her soon-to-be teacher, Warlight vowed to take revenge!

  Upon hearing these words, Dan Changlao was unable to regain his composure for a long time. With great difficulty, he finally blinked away the sourness in his eyes. "I have long abandoned those past events, so you don't need to worry about them either. You just focus on studying and cultivating alchemy well, and being able to achieve something will be the greatest comfort for me."

  He didn't want to talk much, and Zhan Qing didn't force him either. It was best if they didn't run into each other; but if they did, don't blame her for being ruthless.

  "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Now I'll teach you how to refine the elixir. The elixir you refined earlier must have been completely imitating mine, right? Could it be that you have a talent for remembering everything at a glance?"

  "Hmm." Jian Qing nodded slightly.

  Elder Dan's heart was stirred, but soon calmed down. Sometimes, witnessing too many miracles makes one numb to them.

  "The foundation of alchemy is materials, temperature, and the crucible, but what's truly being tested is the alchemist's temperament, endurance, physical strength, and mental power. Otherwise, a slight mistake can lead to disaster. So, always maintain your true nature, don't be arrogant or impatient, calm and composed, even with ordinary herbs or monster crystal cores, you can refine the most extraordinary elixirs. Do you understand?" War Light Crazy nodded thoughtfully after considering these words.

  "Now, I'll tell you, follow the steps I said and try it out. Even if you fail, it's nothing." Dan Lao walked towards the cabinet and took out many new medicinal herbs and crystal nuclei again.

  Standing in front of the dan furnace, Zhan Liang's left hand wielded fire-elemental spiritual energy as he turned his gaze towards Dan Zhang Lao.

  "Now we start refining the Three-Treasures Gathering Spirit Dan. First, put in the wooden crystal core and let it melt, then add the spiritual smoke grass and octagonal flower." Elder Dan said while watching her closely, ready to correct any mistakes at any time. Seeing that she did everything perfectly, he nodded his head in approval.

  Zhan Qing was fully focused on the movements of her hands, and the process of alchemy slowly calmed her restless mind. She didn't know if Dan Lao taught others in the same way, but this method suited her well. Practice makes perfect, she could find her own shortcomings and save time.

  In a flash of time, Zhan Liang's hands moved swiftly and dozens of herbs were added.

  "Alright, now is the most critical moment, condensing the dan! Each type of dan medicine has a different structure, so its efficacy is also different. Often, failure in condensing the dan renders all previous efforts useless. Now, control the fire's temperature from outside to inside, slowly letting them merge... yes, that's it, slowly, don't rush." In contrast to Zhan Qingxuan's calmness, Dan Lao was especially tense, because he had never tried teaching someone to refine dan directly starting from third-grade dan. If successful, that would be a qualitative leap.

  Zhan Light Crazy followed what he said, and with great effort controlled the temperature of the fire. She could feel that in the Dan furnace, a process of removing impurities and taking only the essence was underway. Then, the essence of all the medicinal herbs slowly gathered together, forming the same molecular structure, constantly churning in the high-temperature flames.

  "Alright, alright, it's almost done, just a bit more and the elixir will be ready. Don't rush, absolutely don't rush, don't be impatient!" Old Master Dan rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

  Half a cup of tea later, with a loud "boom", the dan furnace opened and a sweet fragrance wafted through the dan room, making Dan Lao Yan overjoyed to the point of being at a loss for what to do.

  "It's done, it's done, High Three Spirit Gathering Pill, hahaha, I was right after all."

  Zhan Qingkuang also let out a sigh of relief, and the results seemed pretty good!

  "That's great, now you can shine in the Academy's ranking competition! You'll become the youngest top alchemist, hahaha, I'm so thrilled today!" Dan Changlao laughed with a flushed face.

  "Uh, Elder Dan, I don't plan on relying on alchemy to participate in the ranking tournament."

  Old Dan's smile stopped abruptly, and he asked anxiously: "Why? Why?"

  "Because being too eye-catching isn't good, those who show off excessively never end up well, do you think I'm right?" Zhan Qingxiao raised an eyebrow and asked him back.

  "Yes, yes, I was wrong. You're still too young and can't protect yourself well. It's better to avoid the limelight for now. Yes, that's what we'll do."

  "I will come to find you to learn when I have time later, and I hope you won't be stingy with your teachings."

  "Alright, it's settled then." The two of them exchanged a smile, understanding each other without needing to say another word.