Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Rank 5 Alchemist?
After a short meeting with Li Peiyi, Qin Ya returned directly to Ningxiang Pavilion to enter secluded cultivation. Two days later, Huaa Que arrived with a batch of medicinal ingredients.
"Lii Flower Fruit, Seven-Star Lottery, Dried Bear Heart, Exquisite Fruit, a five-hundred-year-old Ice Lotus, a Flawless Begonia Flower, Purple Gold Jade..." Qin Ya’s eyes burned with a fiery light as he gazed at the pile of ingredients before him. "Old man, this batch of ingredients must be worth a fortune. What are you planning?"
Huaa Que chuckled. "Well, in a few days, you’re set to have a deathmatch with that fellow Wang Yan. You’re an Alchemist yourself, so I brought you a batch of ingredients. You figure out what to do with them."
"Hmph. Old man, are you doubting me?" Qin Ya’s brows furrowed as he said, "Are you afraid I’ll lose to Wang Yan?"
"Kid, you’re representing the face of my Mingxin Academy now! I’m the one who invited you here. If a High-Level Teacher loses to Wang Yan, where am I supposed to put this old face of mine!"
"Heh, you really have that little faith in me? A minor figure like Wang Yan is nothing to me." Qin Ya scoffed. "You really don’t need to worry about it."
"I don’t care. I’m leaving these ingredients here. Use them for Alchemy if you want, or throw them out if you don’t. Goodbye."
Watching Huaa Que leave in a huff, Qin Ya smiled faintly. ’How could I bear to throw them away? Such a fine batch of ingredients.’
Facing the pile of ingredients, a thousand pill formulas flashed through Qin Ya’s mind. He then took out the Primordial Heaven Qi Furnace and began his Alchemy.
The elixir Qin Ya intended to refine was called the Realm-Breaking Pill, a Fifth-Grade elixir specifically used for breaking through to a new cultivation realm.
After preparing the necessary ingredients, he followed the steps, tossing them into the Pill Furnace, summoning the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame, and beginning the refining process.
The refining process for a Fifth-Grade Elixir was extremely complex. The slightest mistake could lead to failure, or even cause the furnace to explode, resulting in injury or death. In the entire Yunxiao Empire, you could count the number of Alchemists who dared to refine a Fifth-Grade Elixir on one hand.
...
Several hundred yards away from Ningxiang Pavilion, two old men were rushing over in a great hurry. If any students had been present, they would have instantly recognized one of them as Liu Qing, one of Mingxin Academy’s few High-Level Teachers.
Not only was Liu Qing a High-Level Teacher, but he was also a Fifth-Grade Alchemist of great renown throughout the Empire. He was highly respected and usually carried himself with the air of a sagely immortal. Seeing him in such a rush was a rare sight indeed.
"Sigh, the Mansion Master is really something else. To just give such a large batch of ingredients to Teacher Qin... I hope he hasn’t used them yet."
Today, Liu Qing had been preparing to refine a Fourth-Grade Purple Essence Pill, but he was missing one ingredient: the Fourth-Grade treasure, the Flawless Begonia Flower. When he went to the medicine repository to retrieve it, he discovered they were out. After making inquiries, he learned that Huaa Que had taken it. He then tracked down the Mansion Master, only to find out it had all been given to Qin Ya.
During the last debate, he had come to admire Qin Ya’s level of understanding in the Alchemy Dao. However, that was just a debate—a theoretical contest. Practical application was a completely different matter. Moreover, without a certain level of strength, experience, and technique, it was simply impossible to refine a Fourth-Grade treasure.
"I’m telling you, Teacher Liu, you can relax. That kid’s cultivation might not be much, but his skill in the Alchemy Dao is incredible. Besides, it’s not like he’ll necessarily even use the Flawless Begonia Flower," Huaa Que said with a smile, clearly having great faith in Qin Ya.
"Sigh, I certainly hope so."
Liu Qing sighed, then circulated his True Essence. His speed suddenly surged, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed a hundred yards. Huaa Que just smiled and followed along at an unhurried pace.
A few breaths later, the two of them arrived at Ningxiang Pavilion one after another.
BOOM...
A demonic purple flame flickered, soaring into the air like a blossoming lotus with a thousand petals, beautiful beyond compare. Immediately after, several jet-black fruits fell into the fire lotus, melting into a medicinal liquid in the blink of an eye.
When Huaa Que and Liu Qing arrived, they happened to witness this magnificent scene. They glanced at each other, seeing the same shock reflected in the other’s eyes.
"This kid sure is fast. I was only gone for a moment and he’s already started his Alchemy, heh," Huaa Que chuckled.
"Since Teacher Qin has already begun, we should wait a bit," Liu Qing said. Alchemy was an extremely rigorous and complex process; the slightest disturbance could lay all previous efforts to waste.
Unfortunately for them, refining a mere Fifth-Grade Elixir didn’t require Qin Ya’s full concentration. He simply turned his head and said, "Why are you back so soon? And Teacher Liu is here as well."
"Heh, I’m in the middle of Alchemy right now. Please, have a seat for a moment." Qin Ya smiled, and without even turning his head back, he tossed a handful of medicinal powder into the Pill Furnace, making Huaa Que and Liu Qing’s hearts leap into their throats.
Liu Qing hurriedly waved his hands. "It’s fine, it’s fine! Teacher Qin, please focus on your Alchemy."
Stepping to the side, Liu Qing wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead. ’Good heavens, Teacher Qin is as bold as he is skilled. A normal Alchemist wouldn’t have time to chat while refining. Isn’t he afraid of causing an accident?’
"Haha, I told you that you can’t measure this kid by normal standards."
The two sat to the side, occasionally glancing at Qin Ya as he performed his Alchemy. Gradually, they lost track of time, their eyes filled with nothing but the sight of him refining, their faces a mask of pure amazement.
"His movements are completely fluid, without the slightest hesitation. It’s like watching flowing clouds and moving water—it’s practically an art form. Not only that, but his control over the heat and timing is exquisite, utterly unhurried."
"Tsk tsk, every time I watch this kid perform Alchemy, I’m left stunned. I have no idea how he learned all this."
"Wait, Mansion Master, look at that purple flame. There’s something strange about it. The speed at which it’s refining the ingredients is absurdly fast. With Teacher Qin’s cultivation, he shouldn’t be capable of such a refining speed."
Liu Qing was puzzled, but then he seemed to think of something, and his expression changed slightly. "Could that be... an Exotic Fire? That’s right, only an Exotic Fire could do something like this! Teacher Qin actually possesses an Exotic Fire."
Between heaven and earth, there are countless mysterious and strange wonders. These Exotic Fires were one such type of wonder, Marvels of Heaven and Earth that could only be born under certain special conditions.
"For Teacher Qin to be able to control an Exotic Fire with his level of cultivation is simply unbelievable. Isn’t he afraid of losing control and having it turn on him?" Liu Qing’s expression grew solemn. Exotic Fires were immensely powerful, but without sufficient cultivation, one could easily suffer a backlash from them.
"The kid must have his own methods. There’s no need for us to ask too many questions." Huaa Que was aware of the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame’s existence and had even asked Qin Ya about it before, but he never got a straight answer, just a brush-off. ’It must be related to one of his secrets,’ he thought.
"True," Liu Qing said lightly.
Every Martial Artist had their own fortuitous encounters; it was a matter of their personal fortune. Even Liu Qing himself had received the legacy of a powerful Alchemist in his youth, which was how he had become so famous throughout the Empire today.
"I wonder what elixir Teacher Qin is refining. Judging by the ingredients, it looks like a Realm-Breaking Pill," Liu Qing said, a little uncertain. One had to understand, even he didn’t dare to attempt refining a Realm-Breaking Pill lightly.
"Looks like it. The Realm-Breaking Pill is a Fifth-Grade Elixir, heh. That kid is actually refining a Fifth-Grade Elixir," Huaa Que said with a laugh.
But Liu Qing couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
He couldn’t imagine the implications of such a young Fifth-Grade Alchemist. He only knew that if word of this got out, it would be far more shocking than the news of Qin Ya being a High-Level Teacher.
Even the current Emperor, he feared, would personally summon him for an audience.
