The Art of Alchemy!
"Which one of you is Zhang Lingxiao?"
A young man with a longsword strapped to his back and sharp, star-like eyes stepped forward and asked.
"This Senior Brother, I am Zhang Lingxiao."
The young man looked Zhang Lingxiao up and down before smiling.
"Junior Brother Zhang, come with me to Myriad Sword Peak. I'll take you to meet Master."
Before Zhang Lingxiao could reply, another slightly plump young man hurriedly interrupted.
"Wu Di, Elder Han clearly said that Junior Brother Zhang originally wished to join Alchemy Peak. You shouldn't force him."
Hearing this, Zhang Lingxiao couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Only then did he remember what Dongfang Hanshan had instructed Elder Han before leaving the main hall.
He smiled bitterly.
He had unexpectedly become the object of competition among the Peak Masters.
On the other side, a similar scene was unfolding.
The gentle and graceful Senior Sister smiled warmly at Zhan Wuji.
"You must be Junior Brother Wuji. Shall we head to Lingxiu Peak now? Master is already waiting for your disciple-acceptance ceremony."
"Yes! Let's go right away!"
Zhan Wuji nodded repeatedly, his face full of excitement.
Seeing this, the burly young man carrying a saber at his waist frowned.
"Junior Sister Yuhan, Junior Brother Wuji has comprehended Saber Intent. He's a natural Saber Cultivator. He should come back to Wandao Peak with me and become Master's disciple. Only there can his talent truly flourish."
"If he joins Lingxiu Peak instead, wouldn't that be wasting his gift?"
Li Yuhan's brows knitted together slightly.
"Hong Liang, what are you implying?"
"Are you saying Lingxiu Peak is inferior to Wandao Peak?"
The two immediately began arguing.
Watching the scene unfold, Zhang Lingxiao and Zhan Wuji exchanged helpless smiles.
The Sect Master had truly thrown them into a difficult situation.
Wouldn't it have been much easier to simply let them join the Peaks they had originally chosen?
After the two Senior Brothers had argued for a while, Zhang Lingxiao finally spoke.
"Senior Brothers, please hear me out."
The two immediately stopped arguing.
"Speak."
"I know I have comprehended Sword Intent, but I still wish to join Alchemy Peak."
"My ambition has always been to become an Alchemist."
His tone was calm but unwavering.
Wu Di immediately shook his head.
"Impossible."
"However..."
"Since Junior Brother is so determined, this Senior Brother will personally ask Master to persuade you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Di summoned his Xuan Leaf and flew toward Myriad Sword Peak.
Hong Liang snorted before also riding his Xuan Leaf away, clearly unwilling to give up.
The remaining young man smiled.
"Junior Brother Zhang, my name is Han Tianlai."
"I rank sixth among Master's Personal Disciples."
"You may call me Senior Brother Han or Sixth Senior Brother."
"Come, let's return to Alchemy Peak."
"Understood, Sixth Senior Brother."
Zhang Lingxiao stepped onto Han Tianlai's Xuan Leaf.
At the same time, Zhan Wuji boarded Li Yuhan's Xuan Leaf.
The two friends smiled at each other before flying toward their respective peaks.
...
Not long afterward, Zhang Lingxiao arrived at Alchemy Peak.
The two landed before a neat row of stone residences.
Nearby, several Inner Sect Disciples stood together, discussing alchemy techniques and exchanging insights into the Dao of Alchemy.
"Little Junior Brother," Han Tianlai said with a smile, "Master is currently in seclusion refining pills. He won't emerge anytime soon, so I'll take you to meet him once he finishes."
Zhang Lingxiao nodded.
Although he had never refined pills himself, he understood that the higher the grade of a medicinal pill, the longer and more demanding the refinement process became.
It wasn't much different from a cultivator attempting to break through a major bottleneck.
Han Tianlai then showed him around Alchemy Peak, introducing the important halls and facilities.
Afterward, Zhang Lingxiao received a set of Core Disciple robes along with an identity token.
Finally, Han Tianlai brought him to the residence that would belong to him from now on.
Although he had already been assigned the treatment of a Core Disciple, he had yet to complete the formal disciple-acceptance ceremony.
Until the Peak Master emerged from seclusion and officially accepted him, he was not yet a Personal Disciple.
Zhang Lingxiao didn't mind.
Whether he became a Personal Disciple or remained a Core Disciple made little difference to him.
His goal was to pursue the Dao of Alchemy.
Neither Alchemy Peak nor Qingyun Sect would be his final destination.
The vast Nine Provinces was where his true ambitions lay.
This place was merely a stepping stone.
After seeing Han Tianlai off, Zhang Lingxiao closed the courtyard gate and took out the jade slip his Senior Brother had given him.
The jade slip contained the basic foundations of alchemy, introductory knowledge of the Dao of Alchemy, and several beginner medicinal pill formulas.
He gently pressed it against his forehead.
Immediately, streams of information poured into his Sea of Consciousness.
"What a marvelous treasure."
Putting away the jade slip, Zhang Lingxiao quietly digested everything he had just learned.
The Dao of Alchemy was one of the Great Daos.
To become a qualified Alchemist, one first needed a suitable pill furnace and a source of flame.
Alchemy flames were generally divided into four categories:
Beast Fire, Earth Fire, Heavenly Fire, and Human Fire.
Beast Fire originated from fire-attributed Spirit Beasts.
Once separated from the beast for too long, the flame would gradually dissipate.
Therefore, many Alchemists chose to raise a fire-attributed Spirit Beast specifically to provide Beast Fire during pill refinement.
Earth Fire and Heavenly Fire were naturally born Origin Flames of heaven and earth.
According to ancient records, throughout the history of the Nine Provinces, only thirty-six varieties of Heavenly Fire and seventy-two varieties of Earth Fire had ever appeared.
Each was unimaginably precious.
They were treasures that countless Alchemists dreamed of obtaining.
Using either Earth Fire or Heavenly Fire not only greatly increased the success rate of pill refinement but also significantly improved the quality and medicinal potency of the finished pills.
Finally, there was Human Fire.
Human Fire was cultivated directly by an Alchemist through fire-attributed cultivation techniques.
Most Alchemists, however, preferred raising a fire-attributed Spirit Beast instead.
There were two reasons.
First, unless one's cultivation technique was exceptionally powerful, the resulting Human Fire usually wasn't particularly effective.
Second, cultivating an additional fire-attributed technique consumed both time and energy, distracting the Alchemist from improving their pill-refining skills.
Sitting quietly in his chair, Zhang Lingxiao considered his options.
Heavenly Fire and Earth Fire were treasures that could only be encountered through extraordinary fortune.
Naturally, they weren't realistic choices for him at the moment.
Between Beast Fire and Human Fire, he was far more inclined toward Beast Fire.
Finding a suitable fire-attributed Spirit Beast was far easier than obtaining a powerful fire-attributed cultivation technique.
Moreover, the quality of one's flame directly affected the success rate of pill refinement.
Every failed attempt meant wasting valuable Spirit Medicines.
"Let's go take a look."
Smiling to himself, Zhang Lingxiao stood and walked outside.
Earlier, Han Tianlai had shown him a marketplace on Alchemy Peak where fire-attributed Spirit Beasts could be rented or purchased.
He intended to see whether he could find a suitable companion.
Of course...
Before that, he needed to buy a pill furnace.
"I wonder how long forty million Spirit Stones will last once I begin practicing alchemy."
Chuckling softly, Zhang Lingxiao followed his memory toward the Spiritual Artifact Pavilion.
Within Qingyun Sect, two forms of currency were used.
The first was the universal currency of the Nine Provinces—Spirit Stones.
The second was Contribution Points.
Contribution Points were stored within each disciple's identity token.
There were many ways to earn them.
The most common method was completing missions issued by the Mission Hall, though disciples could also earn points through competitions, challenges, and various sect activities.
Since Zhang Lingxiao had only just joined the Sect, his identity token contained zero Contribution Points.
For the time being, he could only rely on his Spirit Stones to purchase what he needed.