Chapter 253 — Three Disciples

Chapter 253: Chapter 253 — Three Disciples

Chapter 253 — Three Disciples

Victor, Lyra, and Grace sat quietly inside Valseer’s alchemical study.

Several cauldrons were arranged throughout the room, surrounded by tables covered in alchemical tools, ingredients, and half-finished experiments.

Valseer sat behind his desk, looking through a stack of paperwork. After a few minutes, he finally set the papers aside and turned his attention toward his three disciples.

"Alright. Today, I want to focus on understanding where each of you currently stands."

The three looked toward him.

"I need to know your current abilities, what you’re capable of, and where your limits are. We’ll start by testing your Soul Power and determining how long you can maintain your alchemical flames."

His eyes moved toward Grace.

"I already know Grace’s current limit, but I think it’s only fair that we test hers alongside yours."

Victor nodded, and the others followed.

"Good. Let’s start with you, Lyra."

Valseer leaned forward slightly.

"How long have you been practicing alchemy?"

Lyra considered the question.

Technically, she’d only started learning alchemy about a month ago. However, with the time dilation inside the Black Phoenix Library, she’d experienced considerably more training than that.

She glanced toward Victor.

She couldn’t exactly explain the Library to Valseer. Besides, she already had something resembling a master in Jack, although he behaved more like a doting uncle than an actual teacher.

Valseer nodded.

"Alright. Let’s start with your Soul Power control."

"Yes, Master."

Lyra extended her hand, and a small Shadow Flame appeared above her palm, its dark-purple fire flickering gently.

Valseer watched carefully as the seconds passed.

One minute.

Then another sixteen seconds.

The flame finally flickered and disappeared.

One minute and sixteen seconds.

Valseer stared at her.

"And you said you’ve only been practicing alchemy for two months?"

"Yes, Master."

His eyebrow twitched again.

How is that even possible?

He glanced toward Victor, who simply nodded as though there were nothing unusual about her answer.

Valseer slowly shook his head.

Are beast alchemists some kind of monsters?

"Honestly, Lyra, that’s incredibly impressive."

Lyra looked toward him.

"Most alchemists train for roughly a year before they can maintain their flame for an entire minute."

He turned toward Grace.

"Grace, go ahead and demonstrate your flame control."

"Yes, Master."

Grace extended her hand, and her Frozen Space Flame appeared above her palm, its unusual energy settling into a steady rhythm.

She maintained it for one minute and twenty-seven seconds before the flame finally disappeared.

Lyra watched with interest.

"It looks like yours is a little better than mine."

Grace nearly laughed.

"I don’t think you understand, Lyra."

Lyra tilted her head.

"It took me a year and two months to reach one minute and twenty-seven seconds."

Lyra blinked, and her ears dipped slightly.

She hadn’t meant to insult Grace. She’d simply been comparing their results.

Grace noticed her reaction and shook her head with a faint smile, clearly having taken no offense.

Valseer looked toward Lyra again.

"Well, it seems I’ve found myself a diamond in the rough."

His attention shifted toward the dark-purple flame she’d produced.

"Your Shadow Flame is currently a Tier One alchemical flame, correct?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Have you managed to refine any alchemical pills yet?"

Lyra glanced toward Victor.

The movement didn’t escape Valseer. His eyes moved between them, noticing how Lyra seemed to be waiting for Victor’s approval.

Victor gave her a small nod.

"Not yet, Master," Lyra answered. "I’ve gotten close, but I keep getting stuck during the final compression."

Valseer nodded.

"That makes sense. Final compression is the most difficult part of pill refinement. It requires extremely fine control over your Soul Power."

Then he turned toward Victor.

"And what about you, Victor?"

There was almost a sarcastic edge to his voice, as though he’d already accepted that whatever came next would be ridiculous.

Victor smiled slightly and extended his hand.

His Black Phoenix Flame appeared above his palm.

Valseer watched.

One minute passed.

Then two.

Then three.

Victor’s expression remained calm, the black flame hovering steadily above his palm.

Finally, after three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, it flickered and disappeared.

Valseer stared at him.

"Victor..."

He shook his head.

"This is absolutely ridiculous."

Victor lowered his hand.

"How long have you been practicing alchemy?"

Victor considered the question.

"Roughly seven months now."

Valseer leaned back in his chair.

An absolute monster.

His eyes drifted toward Grace, who was staring at Victor’s hand.

Valseer almost felt bad for her.

I’m sorry, Grace.

His expression remained composed, but internally, he wanted to laugh.

I’ve put you in a class with two absolute monsters. You’re going to have your work cut out for you if you want to keep up with them.

He turned back toward Victor.

"Alright. What about alchemical pills? Have you managed to make any?"

"Yes, Master. I’ve even learned a recipe."

Valseer’s interest immediately sharpened.

"What recipe?"

Victor smiled and retrieved a familiar pill.

It was the same Spirit Accumulation Pill he’d previously shown Elder Benton.

Valseer took it.

Then froze.

"You made this?"

"Yes, Master."

Valseer brought the pill closer, examining its surface and refinement.

The quality was remarkably good.

Victor gave a small laugh.

"It took me a while to reach this quality. Most of my earlier attempts were poor."

Valseer nodded absently.

"That’s understandable. Reaching this level of refinement requires excellent Soul Power control."

His eyes lifted from the pill.

"But Victor, you’ve only been practicing alchemy for seven months, and you’re already producing pills of this quality?"

Victor smiled wryly.

"Honestly, compared to alchemy ten thousand years ago, I barely qualify as a Tier One alchemist."

Valseer paused.

Then, to Victor’s slight surprise, he nodded.

"You’re right."

By ancient standards, pill refinement was only one part of what a Tier One alchemist was expected to accomplish. The standards of the modern Tower had fallen considerably.

Valseer placed the pill carefully on the desk.

"Well, let’s see what you can do."

Victor nodded and approached one of the cauldrons.

He began preparing the ingredients for the Spirit Accumulation Pill, explaining the formula as he worked.

Valseer listened closely.

More than anything, he was pleased by how readily Victor shared the recipe. There was no hesitation, no attempt to hide a step or keep some critical detail to himself.

Valseer suspected the formula had either come from Samal or been discovered somewhere within the Sanctuary.

Either way, Victor was handing over knowledge that could easily have been kept secret.

That told Valseer almost as much as the recipe itself.

Victor continued with the refinement, separating the essences within the ingredients, carefully controlling their fusion, and gradually bringing them together inside the cauldron.

Valseer watched every movement.

Victor was good.

Very good.

But not perfect.

That distinction pleased him more than it probably should have.

There were small inefficiencies in the way Victor positioned his flame, moments where he compensated with exceptional Soul Power control rather than using a more refined technique. His fundamentals were extraordinarily strong, but there were gaps in his knowledge.

Gaps Valseer knew exactly how to fill.

When the final compression arrived, Victor guided his Soul Power through the process without hesitation.

The pill formed smoothly, without a single major problem.

Valseer stared at the finished pill.

Incredible.

Victor had already developed excellent control over the fundamentals, and yet there was still so much he didn’t know.

Alchemical formations, for one.

Victor had barely begun exploring formations and the possibilities they offered, not only for pill refinement but for defensive and offensive applications as well.

There were techniques for positioning and controlling an alchemical flame more efficiently, methods for concentrating Soul Power before a refinement, and ways of reducing unnecessary expenditure during each stage of the process.

Small things individually.

Together, they separated a talented alchemist from a truly exceptional one.

Valseer smiled.

For perhaps the first time since taking Victor as his disciple, he stopped thinking about what the boy already knew.

Instead, he began thinking about everything he could teach him.

Just wait.

His smile slowly widened.

In one year, this boy is going to become an absolute monster.

Considering Victor’s current progress, Valseer doubted there would be anyone under twenty capable of matching his pill refinement abilities after another year of proper training.

He might even surpass alchemists between twenty-two and twenty-five years old.

People who had spent seven or eight years practicing alchemy could find themselves struggling against a boy who had barely been studying for two.

The thought was almost absurd.

Almost.

Valseer looked between Victor and Lyra.

Two disciples with extraordinary potential, both still near the beginning of their alchemical journeys.

Then his eyes moved toward Grace.

Three disciples.

Three completely different talents.

And an entire year to see what he could turn them into.

For the first time in a long while, Valseer found himself genuinely excited about the future.