Li Lang quickly accepted the reality of having to carry his new pill furnace around from now on. It was almost the size of a person, but with his cultivation now in the fifth stage of Energy Gathering, it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.

“Now then. Since you claim you have no experience employing the basic techniques of alchemy, let us start with that.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Longwei summoned yet another furnace for himself before he began taking out various materials like Jade Leaves and Lighthorn.

“A pill furnace is a vital partner of any alchemist. You should know the ins and outs of your own furnace so that you may skillfully monitor and react accordingly during a refining session. While you should still be able to use other furnaces, if you want quality, then you must master using your own.”

“Then why is it so common for there to be furnaces inside each refining room?”

“Those are good for specific situations. For example, if you were researching a brand new pill recipe you weren’t familiar with, you may want to use these furnaces instead. That way, if it explodes, it isn’t your furnace that gets damaged. It is also used in exams and competitions to prevent underhanded tricks.”

“I see…”

Having heard the explanation, Li Lang couldn’t help but brush his hand over his new pill furnace. The explanation resonated with him, as the consistency of using the same furnaces allowed them to remove another variable at play. Eliminating these variables was always good for his research.

“So, was there a pill you would like to learn first?”

“We can go with the Recovery Pill. Every batch I create using my techniques results in subpar quality. I would love to learn the basics with this pill and compare results.”

“Good choice,” Zhao Longwei nodded. “While it is basic, it definitely tests your foundation. Now watch. The first step is to always examine your materials. Even though we often use Jade Leaves as a medium between the other materials, each and every leaf varies slightly. These slight differences could cause drastically different results that you’ll need to learn how to address.”

The middle-aged man held up the material in question and showed it to his new student before continuing.

“Using your eyes isn’t enough. Use your Qi sense as well.”

Li Lang picked up one of the Jade Leaves on the table and began channeling his Qi into it. He was able to clearly sense its shape, temperature, and condition. However, it was just a feeling, and he didn’t have any precise instruments to tell him exactly its size and temperature. Still, it was as if he was touching it with his hands, but not getting burnt.

So traditional alchemists memorize the feeling? That doesn’t sound the most reliable…I wonder if there are any artifacts I could use to get precise measurements with Qi sense. If Ruby could do it, it should mean it’s possible.

“Once you have familiarized yourself with each material, you will then process them using the techniques I will be teaching you.”

The middle-aged man quickly materialized a small knife, a mortar, and a pestle. He then proceeded to show Li Lang the various techniques to prepare the materials for refining. It involved enveloping the tools with his Qi and how to handle certain parts of the materials.

“You will then inspect your furnace the same way you did with the materials. After that, you will channel your Qi into the furnace to power it. By default, it comes with a basic fire formation inside. It should be sufficient for now, but at a higher level, many alchemists tame special fires with unique properties.”

Zhao Longwei’s furnace swiftly lit up and the temperature in the room rapidly rose along with it. Seeing this, Li Lang mimicked his mentor.

“Next, you will begin following the recipe. Throughout the refining process, do not forget to maintain your Qi sense on the furnace. You will need to monitor how the materials are changing in real-time and adjust accordingly. There are some specific Qi techniques you will have to learn in order to manipulate what is going on inside.”

The next technique Li Lang learned was a type of Qi art. It was similar to telekinesis in that it allowed him to handle the materials inside. However, he was only able to do so by keeping physical contact with the pill furnace.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

That was because he was still in the middle stages of Energy Gathering. He could only maintain Qi arts that were still connected to him.

Having gained the ability to control the materials, Li Lang could now address the peculiarities of each material. Some had to be stretched while being refined, or it would crunch up and affect the results. While some had to be rotated around to prevent them from being burnt on one side.

Again, each material was unique, so one had to pay careful attention during each session even when refining the same pill. It was one of the reasons why high-level alchemists didn’t bother refining mortal pills. It was too below them, and they had better ways to spend their time.

These methods…are completely incompatible with my current methods. The core of my refining technique is to make all the materials and processes consistent enough that the same results can be achieved each time. This new method requires carefully catering to the materials used while mine makes the material conform to my standards.

No wonder all my pills are subpar in quality. By Standardizing the materials, it reduced some of their efficacy. It is like I use a mold while others carefully adapt their techniques for the material.

The mentoring session went on without a hitch. Zhao Longwei walked through every step of refining the pill.

Li Lang found the entire process much more tedious than what he was used to. It was like he was carefully taking care of an active toddler, tending to its needs every moment and keeping it away from trouble. His previous methods were more akin to babysitting a teenager. He could leave them to their own devices most of the time, just having to monitor them.

The first pill refining Li Lang attempted ultimately ended in failure. The conditions within the furnace were too unruly, and he didn’t have the techniques to correct the issues that arose. While it made him miss his own methods that made it a lot more tame, it also excited him at the prospect of being able to craft higher quality pills. He was tired of always producing subpar work.

Afterward, Zhao Longwei carefully guided Li Lang on how to employ the Qi art that allowed him to manipulate the materials when it was within the furnace.

They only stopped when the sun began to set.

“That is all for now. Practice those techniques until you can freely employ them. Often, a delay of one-tenth of a second may ruin the entire batch, so I cannot stress how important it is to practice.”

When Li Lang left the Alchemist Guild, he left with his new furnace. He heaved it up on his back while he walked, drawing everyone’s attention.

Like that, he made his way through the streets of Emberglow City until he arrived back at his inn.

“Li Lang…You bought a pill furnace?” Long Yi yelped at the sight of the bulky furnace.

“No, we don’t have enough money to spare for that. My new mentor gifted it to me.”

“Y-you found a m-mentor for alchemy, boss? W-why? Don’t you already k-know how to refine pills?”

“Yeah, I figured my current method may not do too well in certain types of trials I may face. After all, I can only refine subpar-quality pills.”

“Then what about Brushweaving?”

“I’ll be fine. I can handle both.”

The trio then shared their experience with each other before each doing their own thing. Long Yi had a lot of texts relating to Artifcing to read, while Wei Ping was channeling Qi into various seeds.

Li Lang was busy training his new alchemy techniques with his furnace as well.

Like this, the trio cultivated and practiced their craft until it was time for the opening of The Great Trial of Water Crest—or so that’s what they had planned.

What they didn’t expect several weeks into the training was an incident that happened within their inn. This incident forced them to divert their attention.

On one particular night, just when they were all in the middle of practicing, dozens of footsteps could be heard outside their room. They only ignored it until knocking could be heard at their door.

“Open up! We are the enforcers from the Bloodwave Conclave!”

Instantly, the three exchanged glances before both Wei Ping and Long Yi rested their gaze on Li Lang.

“What did you do?” they both asked in unison.

“What? Why are you looking at me? I didn’t do anything.”

Li Lang was speechless at the doubt in his friends’ eyes.

The door was knocked on once again, prompting them to take action. Li Lang went ahead and opened it, revealing two figures in black and red robes. Behind them, they could see another pair of people in the same clothing, knocking on the rooms on the opposite side of the hall.

“What’s the matter?” Li Lang innocently asked.

“There has been an incident at this inn. Everyone is to gather in the lobby.”

“What?”

“Save your questions for later. You’ve got five minutes before we forcefully move you downstairs.”

With those words, the two men from the Bloodwave Conclave moved on to the next room.

“I g-guess we don’t have a c-choice,” Wei Ping muttered.

The three quickly descended to the lobby, where they found two dozen other guests already there. The innkeeper was sitting in her usual spot, looking weary.

However, the person who drew the most attention in the room was a man in black and red robes. He had a commanding presence, and everyone could tell he was the person in charge.

Li Lang and the gang instantly recognized him as soon as they made eye contact. It was the same man who had interrogated them when one of their test subjects had been murdered when they first arrived.

“Senior Tai?” Li Lang muttered.

“You kids again…”