As with all potions they start with a cauldron and while my parents and sister watched with great interest, I boiled some water in one of our family's clay pot.
The purple mist potion was the oldest and simplest potion recipe and no secondary herbs nor preparation time were needed. The only drawback was that the potion was poisonous and could only taken once a month.
My sister and mom asked me while snickering what I was cooking. Of course I told them I was doing alchemy. Not that that convinced them to stop the teasing.
I chose to ignore them and carefully added the black seeds of the Carex into the bubbling water.
Sparkling mist rose from the pot and a sweet yet harsh smell filled the air as the black grains slowly dissolved. The mist alone grabbed attention of the attenting family. The miniature thunderstorm made the concoction already look magical.
decreasing the fire under the pot and putting on the lid. I had my eyes on a burning time stick. The stick was halfway used up before I moved the pot away from the flames.
I then had cut open the stalk to get to the white fleshy marrow inside and added it into the pot. letting it simmer a bit under the now much smaller flame.
I had to mix the two together now. Stirring the liquid In the pot until it got a milky purple color all the while the smell turned sweet and the mist coiled back towards the pot; back towards its origin.
Now the water had to evaporate, until nothing could be smelled.
What was left could fit a mug or could be filled in a small flask and the milky purple colored liquid didn't stick or leave residues.
It was a simple potion recipe that uncle showed me, but nevertheless, I felt like an alchemist that wielded his fabled craft. I let the potion cool off and switched my attention to the unused leaves of the Carex.
The small leaves of the Carex looked like elongated spearheads and I tried to let them fly with the Telekinesis Technique.
Muttering the chant under my breath and pointing my finger resulted only in a small wiggle and the exhaustion of my power.
Rena found the whole business rather amusing and was teasing me about it of course.
“My My! Your alchemy looked so spectacular, that i had actually high hopes for this spell.”
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“Mhm it was to be expected.” So engrossed was I, that I didn't even notice that she was teasing me” I need more power for it to work properly and that here...”
I filled the potion into a mug that I lifted towards my sister.
“ Is the source of that power!”
I told my parents that I had to meditate under the moonlight and the potion had to be absorbed with all five senses shut off for it to work. I didn't want them to worry when I spent the night outside.
Going outside and sitting on the porch of our house; I gulped the still steaming liquid in one go. I had to since the qi in the potion evaporated outside of special made jade flasks.
The fire that slid down my throat was soon replaced by a cold sensation. It didn't fell into my stomach but somewhere else inside of me somewhere it could do more damage.
A Hole, a Cave, a Container all this is used when describing the inner sea inside of a Cultivator. It that had neither walls nor ending, yet it was contained within and ended where I ended.
The energy of heaven and earth that made the Carex a spirit plant, was yet to be integrated into myself and so a struggle begun inside of me.
The Energy tried to tear itself away from me. It was tearing and stretching the fabric of my soul, like a mouse trapped in a houses corner, restless and somehow scared.
I chanted the Water Lily technique in a low tone and ignored the searing pain that wrecked my body and soul as the foreign words of a language I yet had to learn, left my lips.
I was slowly getting into a state of selflessness while drops of sweat cooling my wrinkled brows.
The outside world turning dimmer and dimmer as if veil after veil dropped, growing the distance between inside me and the outside for every breath I took.
Making the energy inside the whole of my Reality with pain as the whole reminder of the world outside.
The sunrise send crimson beams across the village bringing me out of my trance by filling that once was dark with warmth and golden light.
The neighborhood including Master Bran watched me as I opened my eyes to the rising mist of the morning and I smelled the smell of morning dew and breakfast cooking.
Most of the eyes resting me were looking at me worriedly but master Bran stared with intent and anticipation.
“Did it work?” he simply said barely contained excitement in his voice.
“Yes I think so.” I said. I felt inside of me “I think its the size of a small pea but I am not sure”
“Good!” He seemed happy that his recipe worked. “That should have shaved months off your cultivation.”
I nodded my thanks and he simply smiled in return.
I once more cast the Telekinesis spell.
Chanting, I could feel that half of my energy being exhausted; around twenty of the mote, leaving the part of my qi that was spent listless, while the magic in it was connecting with the shriveled leaf.
I was feeling something like a spark on my fingertip.
The sensation made me pour some qi that was left into my third eye.
Watching the spectacle with my Spiritual sense was magnificent!
The energy that streamed towards my fingertip seemed to sparkle before vanishing, reappearing inside the leaf and mixing our energy together filling it with new life.
There was some kind of connection between us were I could feel the green blade soaring and the wind tugging I could now freely control it.
The people were interested but got bored of it quickly and left to do their chores.
Meanwhile I tried to get the proper hang of the technique still grinning from the sensation.
“You should get going son!” My father said obviously not that impressed with my magic.
”It is important that you talk to the Clan head.” It looked like that third uncle and father had a chat while I was meditating. “I think you could get one of the dogs to help you out.”
Back then that remark filled me with immense pride!
A real hunter, or at least somebody who wants to be recognized as such, needs to offer a wolf pelt to prove his worth before being allowed to handle a dog.
Somebody from a Cultivator clan might be surprised to read this, but the lower spirit beasts are family-treasures for mortals and as quarry, the highest challenge.
After some light breakfast I was on my way. I used the third and last spell from the manual.
It was called: “Leaf soaring the wind and sky” or “Soaring leaf technique”