Douluo Continent Chat Group: Building My Academy

Chapter 120 The Novice Alchemist's First Medicine Concoction (Part 2)

With the crisis resolved, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time became even more curious about the background of his ancestors.

Judging from the attitudes of her father and Xun'er, could it be that the power behind Xun'er is on par with that of her ancestors, only one has declined and the other has retreated?

Recalling what his teacher had said—that Xun'er possessed the third-ranked Strange Flame on the Strange Flame Ranking—Xiao Yan shook his head inwardly.

No, with that kind of ability, it's impossible for him to retire. It's just that he's not qualified to approach it yet. The teacher said he could help him propose marriage, which means he's strong but limited.

After making some wild guesses, Xiao Yan still didn't understand what was going on, so he stopped caring. He figured things would work out eventually, and he trusted himself and his teacher.

After chatting with Xun'er all the way and agreeing to go out for a trip when they had some free time, Xiao Yan finally saw the satisfied young girl off.

Xiao Yan intended to go back to his room to rest for a while and balance work and rest, but as soon as he walked through the front yard, he saw his father and the three elders angrily brushing past him.

His hurried demeanor and gloomy, angry expression made Xiao Yan frown.

What's going on here?

"Do you need me to take a look?"

Yao Chen's lazy voice emerged from the depths of Xiao Yan's heart, instantly invigorating him.

"Teacher, you—"

"I am now a soul, so my perception is a little stronger than others. In other words, I can hear people talking through walls."

"Then—" Xiao Yan clicked his tongue, suddenly realizing a fact: when he and Xun'er were being affectionate, was his teacher also spying on them?

"Don't worry, it won't happen. I will still be mindful of young people's privacy."

"That's good, but wait a minute! Teacher, how did you know what I was thinking?"

"It's simple. You basically wear your heart on your sleeve. Remember to keep your emotions in check from now on."

"You don't need to do that with your teacher."

After muttering a couple of words, Xiao Yan ultimately chose to believe him and then let his teacher go and eavesdrop on the intelligence.

"Oh, it's simple. Your Xiao family's old rival, the Jia Lie family, has gained an alchemist and launched a new healing medicine, which has affected your Xiao family's business."

"Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. How could your father not be anxious?"

"An alchemist?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan laughed nonchalantly. Was he afraid of an alchemist? With General Yao Chen by his side, he could be slain—

"Now that you've successfully broken through to the Dou Zhe level and also possess a different kind of fire, you'll be in charge of taking down that alchemist from the Jia Lie family."

"Huh? Me?" For some reason, Xiao Yan suddenly felt excited.

"Do I really have to step in?"

Yao Chen casually asked a question, which just happened to be the first whetstone for Xiao Yanzi to hone his alchemy skills, and it was also time to reveal his situation.

"This is the Rejuvenating Powder? Teacher, is this considered a healing medicine?"

Holding the healing medicine he had just snatched from the tiger's mouth, Xiao Yan opened the box and looked at the ten small, crudely made bottles inside. They were clearly made of the lowest grade of jade. Using such containers to hold medicine would make it extremely difficult to preserve the medicinal effects. He spoke with great disdain.

Xiao Yan's taste has long been spoiled by Yao Chen.

Opening the bottle cap revealed a pale blue liquid inside, emitting a very faint medicinal scent. After a slight sensory examination, Xiao Yan found the medicinal power in the liquid to be extremely weak, which made him even more disdainful. It didn't even have the scent of a strange fire, yet it dared to call itself a pill.

"I guess so. It's the lowest grade of healing medicine. It can heal some wounds, but it's easy to make, its effects are average, and it's very cheap. So only some first-grade alchemists have the time to make it. It's enough to fool ordinary people."

"An ordinary person?" Xiao Yan smirked. He had just squeezed through the crowd to buy it like an ordinary person.

"Also, although it's lowly, it's still a kind of healing medicine. Don't look down on it. Right now, you're not even as good as him."

Glancing at Xiao Yan, who was secretly grumbling to himself, Yao Chen casually made a remark to put him down.

"Teacher, I've never studied alchemy, so it's normal that I'm not as good as that guy, isn't it?"

Xiao Yan scratched his face, not taking it seriously. He couldn't even begin to flatter his teacher's abilities. He just wanted the old guy to reveal another copy of the Burning Technique.

"Perfect timing, I'll teach you right now. If you're still not as good as the alchemist from the Jia Lie family, I'll laugh at you mercilessly."

"Bring it on!"

"Your courage is commendable. Let's go to the auction house first to see if there are any better medicine cauldrons, and also buy a large amount of low-grade medicinal herbs. Without medicinal herbs, alchemists can't produce good pills."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan licked his lips, looking eager to try. He casually tossed the box in his hand into a nearby ditch and then strode towards the Mittel Auction House in the center of the city.

Although it will cost money again, the money we are spending now is for making money in the future, so we can spend it, we can spend it as much as we want!

In the auction reception room, Xiao Yan, dressed in a classic black cloak, sat down heavily as Yao Chen's voice came from behind him.

"I've come here to ask for your help in getting a slightly better medicine cauldron."

Without further ado, let's get straight to the point.

Knowing the other party's identity, Ya Fei was not surprised by the request. She smiled and nodded. "Hehe, old sir, you've come at just the right time. This morning, the auction just received a medicine cauldron made of fire essence. This cauldron was forged by the famous Master Hel of the Jia Ma Empire. It not only has a certain amplification effect on battle qi flames, but also contains some rare metals that can increase the success rate of medicine refining."

Recently, this type of medicinal cauldron has become very popular among alchemists in the Gama Empire.

Ya Fei smiled and said, her eyes sparkling with captivating charm, truly deserving of the title "Fairy of the Auction House."

"Hmm." The aged voice held a hint of satisfaction. After a slight hesitation, it continued, "Prepare another low-grade storage ring for me. Also, five hundred Blood-Coagulating Grasses, six hundred Bone-Growing Flowers, five hundred Poppy Flowers, and five hundred Vitality Fruits—"

Hearing these demands, Gu Ni's eyelids twitched slightly.

Even the lowest level of "storage ring" costs seventy to eighty thousand gold coins. Although the medicinal herbs are not rare, such a large quantity would still require a full one hundred thousand gold coins.

The Flame Essence Cauldron that Ya Fei mentioned earlier could fetch at least 150,000 gold coins at auction. With all these items combined, it would be difficult to acquire them for less than 300,000 gold coins.

This old man has quite a big appetite. The key issue is that they are currently trying to recruit him and build a relationship with him. If he asks for money, all their efforts will be in vain, and the two sides will only end up having normal business dealings. It's really hard for them to bring it up.

Ya Fei was also stunned, but she didn't hesitate for long. After weighing the pros and cons, she believed in the ability of a fourth-grade alchemist and in her own judgment.

"Sir, everything can be prepared in an hour."

Facing the black-robed figure before her, Ya Fei remained smiling, revealing no other emotions.

"Hehehe, good————"

Yao Chen nodded happily. As expected of one of his favored apprentice wives, he would definitely have to rely on this experienced girl to manage things in the future.

The blue jade card was placed on the table, and Yao Chen said casually, "The cost will be deducted from this amount. However, I have a rather large appetite this time, so please add the ingredients for a Qi Gathering Powder to the medicinal herbs later."

"7

After waiting a while, just as Ya Fei and Gu Ni were about to forcefully acknowledge the relationship, Yao Chen spoke up again in time.

"The Qi Gathering Powder will serve as a supplement for any shortfall in the funds. In the future, if I come here to buy things and the funds are insufficient, I can use the pills to pay."

i

Ya Fei was stunned for a moment, then a surge of joy welled up from within. The old man's meaning was very clear: he could now refine pills for the auction, and all the previous efforts to win him over had been worthwhile and would be rewarded.

"Thank you very much, sir. Don't worry, once the Qi Gathering Powder is auctioned off here, any extra money will be returned to you in full."

Ya Fei made a decision: if the old man came here to sell medicine again, she would not charge him a handling fee.

The fame brought by the auction items here alone is enough to cover the cost, and it also allows for a better relationship with this old gentleman.

Ya Fei clearly recognized that the old gentleman in front of her was by no means an ungrateful person.

Inside the auction, Ya Fei pondered the old man's purpose, then exchanged a smile with Gu Ni.

When the Galley family gained an additional alchemist, this old gentleman, whose alchemy skills were quite remarkable, took the initiative to buy so many medicinal herbs, and his purpose was self-evident.

"It seems like I can get to know the Xiao family better, especially that adorable little brother Xiao Yan—"

Ya Fei smiled, recalling the handsome younger brother she had seen during her polite visit to the Xiao family not long ago at their coming-of-age ceremony.

Everyone loves beauty, and Ya Fei was no exception. She was extremely fond of Xiao Yan's youthful appearance.

Big sisters should love little brothers!

After returning to his room and preparing the necessary items for refining healing medicine, Xiao Yan once again sneaked up to the secluded cave on the back mountain.

The teacher said that one must not be disturbed when refining medicine. There are many people in the family, and if he is discovered, Xiao Yan will have to expose himself.

I don't want to right now, at least not.

The dog sneaked into the cave. Xiao Yan couldn't wait to take out his storage ring from his pocket and input a stream of Dou Qi into it. The light on the light red ring flickered slightly, and then a red medicine cauldron about half a meter tall appeared out of thin air in the cave.

The medicine cauldron was dark red in color, with faint glimmers of light on it. At the bottom of the cauldron, two ferocious snakes were carved.

The head, with its wide-open snake mouth, forms two interconnected fire-venting holes. The holes are winding and continuous, and the diameter decreases the deeper one goes in, vaguely suggesting that they contain mysteries.

At the top of the medicine cauldron, a giant snake coiled into the dark red lid. On the lid, there was a special hole, which was the place to put in the medicinal herbs.

The lid of the cauldron is dotted with fine holes made of ice silver, which have the function of heat dissipation and can prevent the furnace from exploding due to high temperature. In the middle of the cauldron, there is a transparent mirror made of ice essence, from which one can clearly see everything happening inside when refining medicine.

The surface of the medicine cauldron is painted with exquisite and lifelike carvings of mythical beasts, which look as if they were alive.

Looking at the magnificent medicine cauldron, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. This medicine cauldron looked very valuable at first glance. He could probably make a lot of money selling it as scrap.

"Hmm, two cauldrons, that's not bad for a beginner like you."

"Two cauldrons?"

"Medicine cauldrons are also graded. The more fire openings a cauldron has, the higher its grade and the rarer it is. The fire openings are the essence of the cauldron and require high-precision polishing. During the forging process, if there is even the slightest mistake, the entire cauldron will become a failure. Therefore, the more fire openings a cauldron has, the stronger its auxiliary effect on refining medicine. Of course, to control multiple fire openings, you need a strong soul perception. Right now, being able to control two fire openings is already your limit."

"A good medicine cauldron is as important to an alchemist as a sword or spear is to a warrior."

Xiao Yan nodded. This meant that the medicine cauldron was like a pen in a student's hand, and the fire pit was like the subject they could master.

"Teacher, what should we do next?"

To put it simply, Xiao Yan's only knowledge of alchemy comes from observing Yao Chen's experience.

"First, familiarize yourself with the medicine cauldron. Place one hand on the fire vent, and then circulate your internal fighting energy into it."

"Understood." Xiao Yan responded, reaching out to touch the fire vent. He closed his eyes slightly, and blue-white Dou Qi burst forth, appearing in his palm. Then, like a snake entering a hole, he burrowed into the medicine cauldron through the fire vent.

"puff----"

With a muffled thud, the blue and white battle qi naturally transformed into flames the moment it entered the cauldron, continuously churning and burning within the cauldron, causing the surrounding temperature to drop.

The bone spirit cold fire has this advantage in refining medicine: the fire is still fire and can burn, but the temperature is cold and won't burn people.

"Hmm, not bad, you were able to conjure flames on your first try." Yao Chen praised, but for Xiao Yanzi, who could now be called a fire person, summoning fire was probably the easiest step.

"Now control that trace of wood element in your body and pour it into the medicine cauldron. Refining medicine is not just about burning, but also about extracting the medicinal power from the herbs."

Xiao Yan obediently closed his eyes, his mind slowly calming down. Relying on his excellent soul perception, he successfully locked onto his target in less than ten minutes.

"good."

Upon seeing Xiao Yan open his eyes, Yao Chen smiled happily. This was the future Flame Emperor!

When Yao Chen first searched for the wood element within his body, it took him nearly half an hour.

Even though he came from a humble background, Xiao Yan was able to reach the Dou Zun and Dou Sheng realms thanks to his talent.

Xiao Yan smiled smugly, but his smugness didn't last long. He continued to follow Yao Chen's instructions, extending a finger and lightly touching another fire pit. A very thin stream of green energy was slowly poured into it.

As soon as the green airflow entered the cauldron, the blue and white flames seemed impatient to touch it, and then seemed to burn even more intensely. The violent element in the flames had already been neutralized by the power of wood.

Perhaps due to the principle that wood generates fire, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the flames at this moment were significantly more persistent and controllable than before.

"it is good."

With another light laugh and a nod, Yao Chen knew perfectly well that he enjoyed teaching these bright children. He reached out and touched Xiao Yan's forehead with his fingertips, sending a stream of information into the latter's mind.

"This is a self-prepared healing medicine recipe. Try to refine it yourself. I will remind you to control the temperature of the flame and the extraction of medicinal ingredients."

Squinting slightly as he sensed the information in his mind, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. The feeling of refining medicine should be similar to cooking.

"Blood-clotting powder, one blood-clotting herb, one vitality fruit, and two poppy flowers —"

While counting, Xiao Yan began to practice. He flicked his fingers on his storage ring, and a dark red blood-coagulating grass appeared in his palm. After taking a deep breath and preparing, Xiao Yan threw it into the coiled snake head on top of the medicine cauldron.

As soon as the Blood-Coagulating Grass entered the cauldron, the blue-white flames relentlessly attacked, but Xiao Yan subconsciously stopped the fire with a thought.

Flames swirled around the Blood Clotting Grass, like a greedy child restrained by his parents, only able to circle around it, drooling with desire.

"For you now, the flames are your body, a part of you. As long as you don't want to destroy these medicinal herbs, the flames will not burn them."

"So you don't need to worry about wear and tear; you only need to pay attention to the minor details."

Yao Chen's words of advice followed, causing Xiao Yan to slowly nod. Was fire now a part of him?

Recalling the prescription, Xiao Yan began the procedure, his expression solemn, paying close attention.

The soul's perception firmly suppressed the burning desire of the flames, and the brain, according to the prescription, began to attempt further processing.

After tumbling in the flames for a while, the Blood Clotting Grass finally began to gradually shed its outer layer. The juice contained in the grass leaves was also smoked into a little bit of pale white powder. The essential medicinal power of the Blood Clotting Grass was gradually extracted by the wood energy in the flames.

In his first attempt at alchemy, Xiao Yan successfully extracted the medicinal ingredients. Just as Yao Chen said, fire is now a part of him, and as long as he is careful enough, he can succeed.

>