13. Alchemy IV

It was breezy afternoon when Clay was brought back to his residence and as much as he would like to refine pills and imitate what the fresh image of Agda concocting pills, he knew that only failure awaits him. It is true that he had been given sufficient materials for practice but assessing his master’s behavior, it is mostly likely that what he has now will be the last resources to be allocated to him.

But what is really bothering him is if they truly want him to learn Alchemy.

During their visit earlier, they were accompanied by guards and surely some of those adults could have had at least reminded Kesh’a to properly use the money but not only did they stand on the side but they seem to even encourage Kesh’a to squander the money. He gets that Kesh’a is a young master of a wealthy Elven Clan but a kid is still a kid and someone needs to properly nurture a kid.

Which means that if they are allowing Kesh’a’s lavish spending instead of actually allowing him to receive quality guidance from an Alchemist, then he must have been bought for something else. As for what purpose, he did not want to over think but he hopes he will retain the current treatment.

Clay took a recording crystal out from his spatial ring.

Right when he parted with the guards who brought him home, someone showed him how to activate the crystal. That man merely injected his Qi into it then a holographic image appeared above the crystal.

He is curious by the mechanics behind it and he finds it intriguing that the level of technology of this item should be on par with modern earth yet it baffles him that people of this world seem to live like uncivilized barbarians treating slavery like a way of maximizing human well-being.

For technology to have had reach such level intricate advancement, these requires great minds and the culmination of their knowledge should in some way improve aspects of lives relating to moral values yet somehow greed and desire for power had been emphasized instead.

*Exhale!

Clay let a long sigh then imbued his Qi into the crystal. No matter his reasoning for an ideal world, it does not change the fact that he is a mere ant in front of true power. For now, he will focus on understanding Alchemy and maybe he will have a chance of freeing himself.

When the holographs of him and Agda appeared, Clay attentively observed.

From start to finish, he watched hoping to gain insights on the perspective of an observer. He carefully took note on every step Agda takes and to make sure there were no other tricks during the concoction process, Clay’s eyes were glued towards Agda’s minute movements.

After almost an hour, Clay laid on the floor with his arms wide open and thought about what he watched and compared it to what he had seen during the actual presentation.

He was expecting some hidden technique but like Agda said, he literally just needed to engulf the ingredients and after extracting the Essences, he just needed to mix them together.

If there is one aspect that caught his attention, then it is flame control. Similar to cooking, there were instances when Agda had to adjust the intensity of the Essence Flame.

Clay raised his arm towards his face then closed his eyes and concentrated on image of the flame then slowly, a small wiggling yellow flame materialized right above his index finger.

Unlike the first time, he was not surprised then instead focused on summoning another flame towards his pinky finger.

*Arggh!!

Clay felt pushing a cart two times his weight and after a few breaths, another small flame materialized.

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“I knew it!” Clay mumbled.

Had he actually started refining pills, his precious ingredients would probably had been wasted by now. Similar to inscribing Formation which he never had the chance to apply, he knew that that the key is Qi control. At least his previous practice back at Buaki Gang shares the same principle.

“Let’s master summoning flames for now.” Clay dispersed the flame on his fingers then got into a meditative position and closed his eyes. If he can summon it above his fingers, he should be able to make it appear as well near his body.

Clay let a strand of his Qi outwards and when it was a foot away, he willed his Flame to appear again and this time, it materialized like he anticipated. He then let another strand of his Qi move out then summoned a second flame.

Clay knew it will be difficult materializing a third flame but he believes that everything can be conquered with unfettered determination.

Meanwhile, while Clay is busy mastering the rudimentary skills of the most respected profession, Kesh’a went into seclusion and after two months, she came out dejected with dark shadows below her eyes.

She is currently in their clan’s library looking at a book staring at the image of Peanit Fruit.

Two months ago, having acquired multiple High-Tier Body Reinforcement Pills, she thought she could finally advance her cultivation yet after so many pills, only her body constitution has slightly improved. For almost eight weeks, she had been stuck as there seem to be an invisible barrier between Late and Mid Qi Condensation so she went to search what she was lacking.

And after rummaging hundreds of books within the repositories, she finally figured out that the problem lies on her body. She needed a strong catalyst to for her body to mature otherwise, she will have to wait ten years for her body to naturally grow but by that time, she will be no different from her peers.

Currently, she is the most talented cultivator among the younger generations and she has no room to neglect improving her skills. And the reason for this is because of her background.

Like any other society, Elvens have social hierarchy which most humans are unaware of. Kesh'a was born commoner and if not of their Patriarch's personal recommendation, she would have been schemed and kicked out of their race's cultivation ground.

At first, she wanted to play an obedient girl but she could not tolerate how poorly she and her family is being treated and until she reaches Foundation level, that won’t change. If she plays by the rules, she estimates that it will take another ten to fifteen years before she can make a difference but by that time, all her peer will have had caught up.

Since she is currently being favored, she decided to speed things up.

Initially, the plan is to throw a tantrum and make it appear that she needed a personal Alchemist but in truth, she just needed more cultivation pills. She knew that it is impossible to grant her request and she only needed to keep pouting but unexpectedly, the Elders actually treated her joke seriously.

Her plan backfired as they wanted her to nurture an Alchemist. There was no problem adjusting and maybe it is not a bad idea supporting a potential Alchemist however, they actually gave her an apprentice with the lowest talent to invest in.

While she was thinking of a way out, it just so happened that the Elders gave out sufficient gold coins for her personal slave to obtain a teacher.

Confident of her skills and with the pressure of time, she made a resolve to exchange Clay’s tuition for High Tier Pills.

Unfortunately, the world is not kind to the naïve. Of her own ignorance, she failed to see why she needed to become a Foundation level first before everyone truly gave out their respect. It turns out that even superior races like her has a disadvantage.

Right now it is too late to undo her mistake. She even suspects that the Elders probably had been made aware of what she did. She just hopes they will not give her a harsh punishment.

As Kesh’a closed the book, she noticed fellow apprentices glancing and whispering not far behind.

"Maybe the secret to her strength is having a human boy take care of you. Ha ha ha "

Kesh’a clenched her fists. She is fully aware that if she does not repent soon, the favorable impression their Patriarch has with her will be taken away by someone.

At the same time, two months passed and Clay has yet refine a single pill. For two whole months, he had been reluctant to start due to limited practice materials and couple that with limited knowledge and the absence of a teacher, he can only focus on what he knew was right.

Since no one bothered visiting him, he poured all his time controlling his Essence Flame.

On the third day when he was finally able to summon four little flames, he wanted to celebrate and tapped his biceps for his achievement but the following morning, he realized that he could not really fully control them so the following days, he came up with series of self-made exercises and today, he can actually conjure more than hundreds of little flames and can even selectively choose which flame to intensify.

And to push his skill a little to extreme, he can now control his Essence Flame to materialize and move them at least ten meters around him.