chapter 13 “Alchemy Testing”

The air in the room was thick with the scent of burning incense as Lu Yan sat before his array of herbs and materials, the remnants of his last attempt scattered across the table. He gathered a grass herb, the most common of all, as he continued his work. Both formation and alchemy followed the common rank of all types of possession: Copper, Iron, Jade, Forbidden, under Master and Master, Supreme, and Unknown.

 Alchemy had not been easy. His hands had grown accustomed to the feel of herbs, minerals, and powders, but the true difficulty lay not in their manipulation—it lay in understanding them. Alchemy was not just about combining materials; it was about feeling the resonance of each ingredient, about making them speak, about unlocking their hidden potential. But this was an art that took time, patience, and a deep connection with the world.

The first four attempts had been nothing but frustration. His hands trembled as he added the final ingredient to one concoction, only for it to explode in a flash of violet smoke. Another batch had turned to dust as the energy he tried to channel into the mixture disrupted the delicate balance of the ingredients. The third attempt was a sticky, green mess—nothing but a weak, unrefined concoction that barely resembled the healing elixir he had set out to create.

Yet Lu Yan's resolve was unshaken. He returned to the basics, once again sifting through the ancient scrolls, reading carefully about the connection between Qi and materials. Alchemy was a marriage of two worlds—the world of the physical and the world of energy. To master it, he had to learn not just the materials, but the flow of energy that connected them.

"Focus," he muttered under his breath, grounding himself once again. The Qi around him was always present, but it was subtle. It was a whisper, not a roar. His fingers moved over the herbs with a steady hand, his mind casting out, feeling the pulse of energy beneath each leaf and root.

Hours passed, but Lu Yan was no longer aware of the passage of time. The world around him faded, leaving only the task at hand. He could feel the pulse of the ginseng, its vitality strong and ready to blend. The crushed jade powder in front of him glimmered with a cool, reserved energy, waiting for the right moment to join the mix. And the rare flower—delicate, yet potent—pulsed with a deep, nurturing energy that could heal or enhance, depending on how it was used.

With careful precision, Lu Yan ground the ingredients together. The familiar resistance of the materials against his Qi greeted him, but this time, he did not fight it. Instead, he allowed the resistance to guide him, adjusting his focus to match the energy within the mixture.

"Balance," he whispered, focusing on the flow of Qi. His hands worked with intention, weaving the energies of the herbs and minerals, feeling them vibrate with the flow. Slowly, he began to form a structure—a delicate formation to stabilize and direct the Qi.

The symbols came to him effortlessly now, his fingers tracing arcs and lines through the air, drawing the ancient formation that had been outlined in the scrolls. The Qi shifted, responding to the symbols with a hum of energy. The room seemed to tremble with the power he was weaving together. It was a process that took time, but this time, there was no rush. Lu Yan felt the world align as he completed the final strokes.

He pressed his palms together, the formation complete. A pulse of energy shot out from the mixture, filling the room with a golden glow. Lu Yan's breath caught in his chest as the light grew brighter, then slowly faded. In his hands, he held a small vial, the liquid within swirling with golden light—an elixir, crafted perfectly.

After fifteen days of failed attempts, Lu Yan finally produced his first successful pill. The process had been a series of missteps—each attempt brought its own frustrations and doubts, and the result was never what he hoped for. The first few tries had ended in disastrous failures. The herbs had burned too quickly or failed to merge properly, the Qi disrupted by his inexperience. By the third attempt, he'd almost given up on the possibility of success.

But he hadn't. He spent hours refining his technique, revisiting the ancient scrolls, rethinking his approach. There was no moment of triumph, no sudden surge of victory. It was simply the result of steady focus and the willingness to try again. The pill he held now wasn't perfect—it wasn't flawless—but it was real. He could feel the energy within it, the balance he'd struggled to find.

Finally fourth time, Lu Yan exhaled slowly, his body still as he held the vial in his hands. The elixir was not just a basic first pill of the most common plant grass and energy to restore 1% of injury, effect 30% it was a representation of his first growth. It was proof that he had mastered the first step in a journey that would take him into realms far beyond what he had imagined.

He was far from mastering the art of alchemy, and the trials would only become harder. Yet with each success, no matter how small, Lu Yan knew he was getting closer to understanding the true essence of cultivation. And that, more than anything, was the fire that drove him forward.

The temple, once a quiet haven for meditation and reflection, had become his crucible. Each failure, each success, was a part of his evolution. But Lu Yan knew, deep down, that he had only scratched the surface of what was possible.