Chapter Thirteen: Venturing Out for Experience

"Excellent, the Apothecary needs talents like you. Let’s see who dares say that the Xuan Ward has no one." Li Du snorted coldly, a satisfied look on his face.

On one hand, he was pleased that someone in the ward had shown aptitude for alchemy. On the other, he felt vindicated. In a sect as vast as Tongyou Temple, the daily demand for elixirs was endless—how could there possibly be only one apothecary? In truth, the apothecary was divided into four wards: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow. There was no ranking; their names simply reflected the order in which they were established.

Of these, the Heaven Ward was the strongest. Aside from the steward Daoist, it boasted three alchemists, and among the apprentices, Yan Jianfeng was the most gifted—after only one year, he had already become a novice alchemist, quietly recognized as the leader of the new generation in the apothecary.

The Yellow and Earth Wards were somewhat weaker, but still far surpassed the Xuan Ward. No matter what, each had cultivated promising newcomers. Li Du pretended not to care, but in his heart, he felt somewhat humiliated.

Now, there was an apprentice who had mastered the Fire Technique in just two months. His talent wasn’t the highest, but he ranked among the top three of his generation—at least, Li Du could finally hold his head up.

With this in mind, Li Du patted Lu Qian’s shoulder and said, partly to him and partly to the others, "From today, you are an apothecary apprentice. You will learn from me, and your stipend will rise to one tael per month."

He tossed Lu Qian a cloth bag. "Inside are five spirit coins, along with your apothecary exchange quota."

"Thank you, Master Xuan Du," Lu Qian replied, his heart swelling with joy.

One ordinary spirit coin equaled half a year’s worth of mana for someone in the Fetal Breath stage. Spirit coins could be exchanged for other things or absorbed to speed up cultivation. He still had two, but had always been reluctant to use them. Now, at last, he could.

"Congratulations, junior brother," Zhu Long offered his salute, a strange feeling stirring within him. Lu Qian had just joined, yet his status already surpassed Zhu Long’s. Such is the fortune of life!

"Congratulations, junior brother. I must work hard as well, and catch up with you," Lin Qing smiled, her envy obvious.

"Indeed, you must all strive. As long as you meet the standard, I will not be stingy with rewards," Li Du promised with a smile, clearly in excellent spirits.

Spring passed into autumn.

Lu Qian followed Li Du to learn alchemy. Only after beginning did he realize how deep the craft ran.

To start, one must thoroughly understand the properties of medicinal ingredients—the catalog alone was a thick stack.

Fortunately, there were specialized spells for identifying materials, saving much labor.

Next came the manufacturing itself. Medicines took many forms: tablets, aerosols, pills, powders, pastes, and decoctions. How to preserve medicinal potency while minimizing loss was an intricate science. Alchemy wasn’t as profound as pill refinement, but it was no easy entry.

Alchemists were divided into three ranks: novice, intermediate, and master. To be a novice, one must be proficient in making decoctions, powders, and pills; achieve a success rate above thirty percent; keep material loss below forty percent; and preserve at least sixty percent of medicinal potency.

In his quiet chamber, Lu Qian sat with eyes half-closed, breathing deeply, connecting to the Underworld Spring.

A faint black mist curled around him, like agile little serpents slithering nearby. An eerie chill filled the air, all was silent. The dark mist accentuated his pale face, making him appear ghostly.

Suddenly, Lu Qian opened his eyes, a flash of yellow light flickering and fading. Yellow true energy surged from his lower dantian to his palm, and a thin layer of white frost spread across the floor.

He sensed the golden mirror in his mind.

Tongyou Breathing Method (Mastery: 701/1000)
Novice Alchemy Technique (Proficiency: 18/1000)
Paper Spirit Summoning (Mastery: 26/500)
Spectral Serpent Transformation (Mastery: 12/300)
Green Flame Poison Fire (Mastery: 14/100)
Fire Technique (Mastery: 100/100)
Breath Concealment (Mastery: 3/50)

He had mastered the breathing technique. Both Paper Spirit and Poison Fire spells had reached mastery. The Serpent Transformation’s power had greatly increased, now capable of summoning ten snakes at once.

His Novice Alchemy Technique had reached proficiency, meaning he had secretly entered the realm of a novice alchemist.

"Half a year to reach novice rank—my cultivation speed is twice that of the prodigy Yan Jianfeng," Lu Qian thought with delight, then felt a pang of regret.

"Over the past six months, I’ve pursued multiple paths—practicing alchemy while cultivating other spells. To speed up my spiritual refinement, I’ve depleted all my resources."

Apprentices with the third-grade badge had only one day off every three days; training time was never enough. Thankfully, with medicinal support, he managed not to fall behind.

His monthly stipend and apothecary material quota had been squeezed dry, not a drop remained.

Calculating the time, he realized he’d been in the sect nearly eight months. In four more, if he didn’t enter the Qi Refining stage, he’d lose his status and be demoted to servitude.

"Though the golden mirror helps, I must still rely on my own effort," Lu Qian reflected. "Shutting myself away isn’t the answer—I need to venture out and temper myself, and collect some materials. The sect’s quota simply isn’t enough."

The next day.

Lu Qian went to the apothecary and said to Li Du, "Master Xuan Du, I wish to descend the mountain and collect herbs."

"Hmm?" Li Du’s brow furrowed. "How is your cultivation progressing? Don’t let yourself be distracted; focus on your training."

Apprentices weren’t permitted to leave their posts without the steward’s approval.

"I have mastered the Turtle Shell and Epimedium Replenishing Pills. Recently, I’ve hit a bottleneck in cultivation, so I hope to temper myself. Please grant me permission, Master."

Li Du turned to him, considering. "The Turtle Shell Replenishing Pills are meant for apprentices, but they are not easy to refine. You truly mastered them? Very well, show me."

Lu Qian stepped to the worktable, picked up a palm-sized clay pot, and channeled his true energy. A scarlet flame spurted forth.

He poured in the prepared turtle shell. An invisible force caused it to tumble within. His timing was precise, neither too hot nor too cold.

With a wave of his right hand, various ingredients soared through the air, each entering a floating vessel to be stir-fried or boiled.

Li Du nodded slightly. The basics of Lu Qian’s alchemy were solid, steady, with no spills.

The difficulty of the Turtle Shell and Epimedium Pills lay in control—one must manage several vessels at once, within precise heat limits, and add ingredients in strict order.

Lu Qian’s technique seemed immature, but he made no mistakes.

Soon, emerald-green powder was poured into honey, forming translucent green pills.

"Master, please take a look," Lu Qian wiped sweat from his brow.

He had deliberately held back, making the result slightly imperfect. After all, as a third-grade apprentice without talent or resources, to reach novice rank in half a year would be shocking.

Li Du picked up a pill, examined it for a long moment, then smiled brightly.

"The turtle shell was well cleaned, but the epimedium was slightly overcooked. You added the honey too soon; it should have cooled first. Overall, the quality is somewhat flawed, but the efficacy is good—at your stage, this is already quite impressive."

"Well done, junior brother!" Lin Qing applauded softly. Today, she wore a red outfit that accentuated her curves and fair neck, radiating a unique charm.

"This is your travel token. Collect some fish grass while you’re out. I’ll post a task at the Law Enforcement Hall shortly—once you claim it, you may depart." Li Du handed him a jade pendant, bright and green.