Book 1- The Start of Cultivation Chapter 25: Alchemy

Xue San couldn't tell if the heaviness he felt came from Dan Qing's memories or something else entirely. But he did know he faced another mystery: how to harness this strange ability that allowed him to witness the memories of those he killed. Did death have to be the trigger? Or was there another way to control it?

He sighed. "There's so much to do… but for now, I'll stick to my plan."

After several days of travel, Xue San finally arrived at the sect. Clad in his outer disciple's robe, he completed the routine check-ins before officially setting foot inside.

His first stop was the Minor Dragon Hall to claim his rewards for completing the mission, after which he inquired about where he could exchange his contribution points for alchemy ingredients.

The disciple behind the counter gave Xue San a curious look but promptly informed him that such exchanges took place at the Alchemy Division. Evidently, the disciple assumed Xue San was yet another aspirant eager to become an alchemist.

Xue San, however, was thrilled at the sheer number of contribution points he had accumulated—600 from the two missions, plus the additional 15%, and another 110 for the weeks he had spent outside the sect. Altogether, that brought his total to 800 contribution points.

"The raw ingredients for pills are usually far cheaper than the finished products," he mused, recalling that only the rarest medicinal herbs commanded extraordinarily high prices. "With this many contribution points, I can afford to practice concocting pills quite a bit."

It took him no time at all to reach the Alchemy Division of the Soaring Sword Sect. Unlike many other sect divisions, the Alchemy Pavilion wasn't subdivided into separate areas for outer, inner, or core disciples. Anyone with the means to purchase pills or ingredients could do so with relative ease.

Then, he saw it: the Alchemy Division's pavilion—a three-tiered structure build from polished gray stone and gold "How extravagant he mused". Its sweeping eaves curved skyward, crowned by delicate spires inlaid with softly glowing crystals. Arcane symbols etched into each archway pulsed with subdued power. Inside, corridors led to various halls illuminated by flickering sconces, their light dancing across mosaic floors. A faint aroma of rare herbs and simmering ingredients hung in the air, heralding the sect's mastery of pill-making.

Taking in the sight for only a moment, Xue San quickened his pace. Within, the layout resembled that of the Minor Dragon Hall, except instead of choosing missions, one selected pills or raw ingredients to buy. Only a few disciples were assigned to guide newcomers, like Xue San.

"Good morning, Senior Brother," Xue San greeted, approaching a boy wearing the same robes—though this young man's robes bore the Alchemy Division's insignia rather than the outer sword emblem.

"You take your token to one of the free formations," the boy droned, clearly repeating a script he had recited countless times. "From there, you can browse the available items. The more points and resources you spend, the higher your privileges. That means more pills, ingredients, and formulas you can access."

Momentarily stunned by the boy's mechanical response, Xue San thanked him and went in search of ingredients for the Qi Replenishing Pill—one of the most common pills, often used as a substitute currency in numerous transactions.

After all, a cultivator can never have too many pills. Although the ingredients for Qi Replenishing Pills were relatively common, there weren't enough alchemists to produce them in large quantities, driving the pill's price skyward. This reality didn't bother Xue San in the slightest; he knew that if he succeeded in concocting pills, he too would benefit from their high market value.

He placed his token on the formation and watched as a phantom-like screen materialized before his eyes. It displayed his personal information, then a prompt appeared:

"Access to first-tier ingredients and products. See list?"

Thinking "See list," Xue San triggered a new menu offering options: Lessons, Pills, Ingredients, and Recipes. Other categories appeared blurry, and he paid them no heed. Selecting Ingredients, he located the five necessary components for the Qi Replenishing Pill: Jadegrass Sprout, Mist Lotus Petal, Cloudberry Seed, Ironstem Reed, and Smoldering Fungus.

Jadegrass Sprout – A vibrant, emerald-green herb found in sunlit clearings. Its soft leaves contain a gentle yet steady Qi that helps stabilize a cultivator's energy flow. Mist Lotus Petal – A pale-blue petal that grows near shallow ponds, releasing a refreshing aura that promotes faster Qi circulation and mental clarity. Cloudberry Seed – Small seeds harvested from the Cloudberry fruit, adept at absorbing ambient Qi, making them perfect for cultivators who seek to enhance their spiritual energy absorption. Ironstem Reed – A slender, resilient reed whose fibrous stalk fortifies the body, helping retain newly gathered Qi more efficiently. Smoldering Fungus – A faintly warm, reddish mushroom that kindles a steady inner heat, enhancing Qi refinement without overwhelming beginners.

Xue San discovered that these ingredients were sold in stacks of ten. According to the jade slip he had found, he could practice at least twice per stack. Surprisingly, the prices were not as high as he had expected—so long as one used contribution points.

"Why do prices increase so much when paying with gold coins or pills?" he wondered. Then a thought crossed his mind: "Perhaps it's how the sect incentivizes disciples to delve into alchemy. Either way, it hardly matters to me."

He decided to purchase two stacks of each ingredient, at a total cost of 760 contribution points. The most expensive items were the Jadegrass Sprout and the Mist Lotus Petal, each stack costing 100 points, while Smoldering Fungus was the cheapest at 40 points for 25 grams (0.5 kg / 2.2 lb).

A message then flashed across the screen:

"Transaction Completed. Would you like to receive the ingredients at your residence or take them now?"

"Now—take them now!" Xue San nearly shouted upon seeing the prompt. Although he was capable of defending himself, he was not prepared to handle any members of the Long clan who might interfere.

"Please go to Counter No. 16, your ingredients will be ready in about ten to fifteen minutes." then the screen disappeared. When Xue San finally emerged from the Alchemy Pavilion, his arms laden with bags of medicinal ingredients, he cut an almost comical figure. Nevertheless, he couldn't risk revealing his storage ring in such a public space—who knew if someone like Senior Brother Fang's uncle might be watching? His best course of action was to wait until he was safely back in the forest.

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He had plenty to do for now— so for now he will focus only on, attempting to concoct his first batch of pills.

Many disciples pointed and laughed when they saw Xue San carrying so many boxes, but he paid them no mind. He hurried back to his humble corner in the forest.

Before he could even sigh with relief at finally being "home," a small bark rang out, and a silver blur flew at him.

"Haha, Fluffy, you were actually waiting for me!" Xue San exclaimed with a hearty laugh, dropping his boxes full of medicinal plants to embrace the wolf cub.

Although some time had passed since Xue San had last seen him, the little wolf hadn't grown much; he still had the same adorably small face. Grumbling in protest, he seemed to be scolding Xue San for leaving him alone for so long.

"All right, all right, I understand," Xue San said, patting the cub's head. "Let's get something to eat first. What do you say?"

The silver wolf cub hopped down and scampered in circles around Xue San, as if voicing its agreement.

After roasting a few rabbits for their meal, Xue San cautiously scanned the area with his spiritual sense. Aside from a few birds and bugs, there was no one else around as far as he could tell "Wait a minute, my spiritual sense, what, what happened?"

To his surprise, Xue San discovered that his spiritual sense—previously able to extend to 150 feet (about 45 meters)—could now reach 200 feet (60 meters). "Why do such strange things keep happening to me?" he muttered, his voice tinged with equal parts fear and confusion.

First, there was his unnaturally high talent. Then, his spiritual sense inexplicably grew stronger. On top of that, the strange emblem hovering near his core continued to defy explanation. So many oddities, yet he had no one he trusted enough to confide in. Not even his own family could shed light on this mystery. Xue San certainly didn't consider himself any kind of "chosen one." There had to be a rational reason behind it all.

His father's words came to mind, recalling a conversation from many years ago, when his brother Xue Yi visited. At the time, Xue Yi boasted about the incredible luck he'd had doing business, and his father responded with a story that now seemed eerily relevant:

"Xue Yi, imagine you're walking through a dense forest when you stumble upon a loaf of fresh bread on the ground. That's a rare find—lucky, right? You pick it up, eat a few bites, and feel grateful. A few steps later, you see another loaf, still warm, and you think, 'Wow, this must be my lucky day!'

But then you spot a third loaf not too far away, and beyond that, an entire mound of bread. Suddenly, it dawns on you: bread doesn't just magically appear in the middle of a forest. If someone has left a trail of it—especially a whole heap waiting for you—maybe they're not simply being generous. They could be luring you deeper along a path you're not meant to leave.

At first, finding a single treasure feels like fortune smiling upon you. But when these windfalls keep coming one after another—each one bigger than the last—it's time to get suspicious. Good luck usually arrives in small bursts; if it pours in endlessly, you have to ask yourself who's behind it—and what they want in return."

Xue San couldn't be certain whether his father's warning applied to his current situation, but it was true he'd been stumbling upon a lot of "bread" lately for no apparent reason. Letting out a weary sigh, he realized his mind was far too agitated to focus on alchemy. Concocting pills required immense concentration, and with so many unanswered questions swirling in his head, he stood no chance of succeeding.

"Damn it," he grumbled in frustration. "The questions just keep piling up—but there aren't any answers."

The next day, Xue San awoke feeling well-rested and shared a simple breakfast with Fluffy before deciding it was finally time to begin his alchemy practice. He pulled out the storage ring from an inner pocket and slipped it onto his finger.

He still had no real explanation for why his spiritual sense had expanded so drastically, but there seemed little point in dwelling on it. Sometimes, he told himself, certain mysteries had to remain unsolved for the time being.

From within the ring, he retrieved his alchemy cauldron and the jade slip from the Dan clan—the one containing the recipes he needed. Clearing his mind, he refocused on the instructions for the Qi Replenishing Pill, ready to attempt his very first concoction

Qi Replenishing Pill

Heat Activation

Use your spiritual sense to activate the cauldron's Fire Rune, heating it to the proper temperature. Refine the Jadegrass Sprout, Cloudberry Seed, and Ironstem Reed under the cauldron's fire energy until they become a fine powder.

Mist Lotus Petal Refinement

Once the initial ingredients are refined, add the Mist Lotus Petal. Use the cauldron's Water Rune to gently control the fire energy output to refine the petals. The Lotus must remain largely intact but softened enough for the powder to blend with it.

Critical Fire Control

This is the most challenging step. The fire must be precisely controlled to allow the mixture to merge slowly. As the Mist Lotus Petal begins to turn into a paste, keep the flame steady—if it's too strong, everything will burn.

Final Ingredient

Add the Smoldering Fungus. Use the cauldron's Wood energy to harmonize all the ingredients while maintaining the correct temperature with the Fire energy, ensuring the mixture melds together. And the water energy to purify the impurities from the pill.

If executed correctly, this method will yield three high-grade Qi Replenishing Pills.

Caution:

Ensure your Qi and Spiritual Sense are sufficiently strong—any interruption during any of the steps will adversely affect the pill's final quality, and quantity

Xue San took a steadying breath and began his very first attempt at pill concoction. Unfortunately, he pushed too much Qi into the Fire Rune, causing the cauldron to overheat in mere seconds. The Jadegrass Sprout scorched instantly, filling the air with harsh, bitter smoke. Overwhelmed, Xue San had no choice but to abandon the process.

Determined to improve, he tried again. This time, he erred on the side of caution and used far too weak a flame. The Jadegrass Sprout and Ironstem Reed failed to refine fully into powder, leaving stubborn fragments that rendered the mixture unusable.

Pressing on, Xue San moved to the next step but struggled to synchronize his fire and water energies. As a result, part of the Mist Lotus Petal burned while the rest remained tough. The powder and petal refused to blend, leading to another failure.

"Damn it, this is harder than I imagined," he grumbled, frustrated.

Had anyone witnessed his astonishing progress, they might have cursed him in envy. After all, in only a handful of tries, Xue San was already navigating advanced steps in the pill-refining process. Yet another burst of panic sabotaged his next attempt: he poured too much fire energy into the cauldron, and the mixture coagulated into a charred mess. Another batch wasted.

… One failure after another… Xue San spend the next few days like this.

With supplies running low, Xue San had just enough ingredients left for two more tries. Exhaustion weighed on him after an entire day of effort.

"Why is this so damn difficult?" he growled. "I'll try again tomorrow. But if I fail again, where will I find more ingredients?"

By the next morning, Xue San was recharged from a night of rest and cultivation. Proceeding more cautiously, he finally reached the last step of the process: using Wood energy to harmonize all the ingredients while keeping the temperature stable with Fire energy, and applying Water energy to purify impurities in the cauldron.

His nerves prickled with anticipation. This was his first time incorporating Wood energy. As soon as he activated the corresponding rune, the strange token in his dantian stirred—though he remained unaware.

"Huh? Why is Wood energy so easy to manage?" Xue San wondered. But there was no time to linger on that curiosity. He had to focus on balancing the cauldron's Fire and Water energies.

"Success!" he exclaimed moments later, his voice trembling with excitement. He had done it at last. Rather than the anticipated three high-grade pills, he ended up with four middle-grade ones—but he was more than satisfied with the outcome.

Anyone witnessing this would have been speechless: a young cultivator who, in fewer than twenty attempts, successfully concocted four middle-grade Qi Replenishing Pills, all without a master's guidance.

Analyzing the pills they barely made it to the middle-grade, but they still were genuine middle-grade Qi Replenishing Pills

"Well then," Xue San said, beaming at the freshly forged pills in his hand, "I might as well give it another go.