A Step Forward

Leaving the library after Shi Daoliang told him what Clan Points were and how to obtain them, Shi Li could not help but ponder over what he should do next, given that his original goal was to head out to town and ask Huo Shenshou if he could learn alchemy from him. Mulling over it for a bit, he decided that he would take yet another detour to the mission hall and check the missions he could accept once he got back.

Whoosh!

With the mission hall located at the center of the estate, it did not take long for Shi Li to arrive at its entrance, slightly entranced by the imposing aura it exuded. Taking a quick look at the wooden plaque on top of one of the entrances that said 'Mission Hall', Shi Li quickly went in, seeing a bunch of people doing their own things.

Some of them were standing in front of a few bulletin boards, with multiple papers with requests on them tacked onto them. As for the others, they were at the counters, talking with the attendants as they accepted missions before leaving soon after. Of course, there were also those who tacked on more missions on the bulletin boards every once in a while, making sure that the boards were always filled to the brim for the clan members with things to do.

Taking in a deep breath, Shi Li headed towards the largest bulletin board inside the hall. Coincidentally, it was also located at the very center of it all, being surrounded by two bulletin boards each that were comparatively smaller in size.

Looking at the missions posted on the largest bulletin board, he quickly noticed that all of them had to do something with hunting. May it be hunting down certain beasts, obtaining specific parts, or capturing them to be tamed, all of those missions could be found here, rewarding those that accepted it with a great amount of points if they were successful.

After that, he focused his attention onto the bulletin boards by his left, noticing that all of the missions on it were related to tasks around the clan. From cleaning certain places, or cooking certain dishes, or even simple menial labor like lifting up boxes, all of those could be found here. Naturally, with how simple these mission were, they rewarded the least amount of points. Nevertheless, it was enough for one to get somewhere.

Lastly, he looked at the bulletin boards to his right, his eyes slightly widening in surprise as he realized that all of the missions there had something to do with professions. Moving closer to the two bulletin boards, he noticed that one of them had missions specifically targeting various professions from blacksmithing, formations, talismans, poisons, and so on. However, the bulletin board beside it only had missions regarding one profession. The same profession that Shi Li was going to try and learn.

Alchemy!

Although the number of missions on it were around a third to a half of what the other bulletin boards got, all of them rewarded an amount of points that did not pale to the hunting missions in comparison, given how it took a certain kind of ability and aptitude to concoct alchemical products. In fact, after realizing that a bulletin board was specifically made for missions regarding alchemy, his determination and drive to become an alchemist had increased by tenfold.

With renewed vigor, Shi Li soon left the mission hall as he made his way to the God Fire Alchemical Pavilion.

…

Now that the amount of qi he had was doubled after reaching the peak of the 2nd Stage, Shi Li took less time to arrive at the Shi clan estate's gates, much less to say the God Fire Alchemical Pavilion. Recalling the route he had taken over a week ago to arrive at the small shop Huo Shenshou had, he was pleasantly surprised to find out that the store was empty. Though, it did not take long for him to realize that Huo Shenshou was just at the back.

With that in mind, he made a slightly loud sound at the counter, which could easily be heard by someone at the back of the pavilion. Fortunately, just a couple bangs on the counter was enough for a voice to respond, telling Shi Li, "Give me a second, please. I'm currently busy doing something."

Hearing that, Shi Li decided to not bang on the counter once more, lest he made Huo Shenshou angry. Thus, he loitered around the pavilion, gazing at the pills that were for display at the front of the pavilion. Naturally, all of the pills that were being displayed were of a high rank, giving off a strong medicinal scent that would instill someone with great energy even with just one whiff.

As he looked at them, Shi Li could not help but wonder once more if it was the right decision for him to ask Huo Shenshou if he could teach him how to concoct pills. Thinking about it, he could not help but go back to the time he had first thought of the idea, deciding to lower his expectations while still staying optimistic.

Eventually, around a few minutes later, the same man that conversed with Shi Li and gave him a gourd filled with liquid appeared behind the counter once more, his expression that of surprise as he noticed Shi Li in front of his pavilion again. "Oh? What brings you here again, Shi Li? Finally going to buy a pill from me?"

Letting out an awkward chuckle in response, Shi Li could not help but look at him, finally getting a good look at his appearance. Surprisingly, it was only at this moment did he realize that he was talking to someone that was younger than he had initially expected. Slightly messy black hair complementing a pair of dark irises as a scar ran under his right eye, an amicable smile, as well as a well-built body made for alchemy. If one were to find him roaming around the streets, one would think he was just any usual cultivator in their late twenties.

Seeing as Shi Li was silent, Huo Shenshou could not help but ask him once more, "So, are you going to buy one of my Meridian Widening Pills? I'm pretty sure that the liquid I gave you worked wonders, right?"

Nodding in response, Shi Li replied, "Indeed. It definitely reduced the amount of time it took for me to open an acupoint." Then, he scratched his head as he continued, "However, I'm not here to buy a pill from you. Instead, I'm here for something else."

"What are you trying to te—?!" Before Huo Shenshou could finish his question, he was greeted by the sight of Shi Li quickly kowtowing on the ground, which even shocked a few of the passersby into stopping as they watched this situation unfold.

"Huo Shenshou, please accept me as your master!" Shi Li bellowed out, mustering up all of the courage he had in his body. If it was him in his past life, he would never have the confidence to do something like this, unless if his life depended on it. Ironically, his current life depended on alchemy, so he had to brush aside all the shame he felt in order for him to reach greater heights.

With the passersby starting to murmur regarding the progression of the situation, even going so far as to ponder over the various reasons why a frail teenager was kowtowing in front of an alchemical pavilion, Huo Shenshou could not help but become silent. Well, it was not like he did not think of taking someone as a disciple. In fact, he was incredibly happy that someone offered to be his disciple as that meant his alchemical process would be carried into the future generations.

However, with alchemy being a lucrative profession, it was also a difficult profession, taking out a lot of the alchemist just in order to concoct a batch of pills. With that in mind, it made sense for him, just like any other alchemist, to have a minimum threshold for their disciple if they were to ever accept one.

Feeling the pressure of the bystanders, Huo Shenshou quickly told Shi Li to stand up, easily noticing the anxiousness written all over the latter's face. Letting out a light sigh, he looked at Shi Li with a solemn expression as he asked, "What's your cultivation level?"

"2nd Stage of Acupoint Breaking. I haven't started cultivating my body yet," Shi Li replied, matching Huo Shenshou's wavelength in terms of tone.

"Your cultivation aptitude?" Huo Shenshou continued to ask, his brows slightly furrowed at this point.

"Wood level. However, with my illnesses, it's better to say that it's worse than that." Noticing the expression on Huo Shenshou's face, he had an inkling feeling that he was going to be rejected, prompting him to sigh inwardly.

Scratching his head, Huo Shenshou went silent for a bit before his expression visibly relaxed. Clearing his throat, he then asked Shi Li, "Here's my last question. How willing are you to learn alchemy from me? You know very well that learning alchemy is a type of hell that can't even be compared to body cultivation, and the latter's already plenty painful."

Seeing that he had lost Shi Li, Huo Shenshou decided to rephrase his question. "What I'm saying is… are you willing to put in all of your effort into learning alchemy, no matter what it takes?"

After a few seconds of silence, Shi Li solemnly replied, "I will. No matter whatever you ask of me, I shall try my best to do it. I just hope I don't disappoint you."

"Well, Shi Li. At first, I was going to reject you because of your poor cultivation," Huo Shenshou said, making Shi Li feel more glum with every second. "You know how it is, after all. Alchemy needs the cultivator to have a solid cultivation to truly bring out everything in their concoctions."

"However, cultivation is not everything. An alchemist also needs determination and conviction in order to go far."

Extending his hands as a smile appeared on his face, Huo Shenshou looked at Shi Li and said, "Congratulations, Shi Li. You are my, Huo Shenshou's, first disciple."