Chapter 31: Ch 31. Beautiful Alchemist

When Wan Ling reached the city, it was still night, but the city hardly slept, so there wasn’t much of a difference, given it was as bustling as ever.

Showing his sect badge to the city guards, he entered and climbed up the mountain stairs leading to the sect.

He then made his way to the address given on the mission poster.

It was a quarter within the outer areas of the inner court.

He followed the directions until he arrived before the door.

Even from behind it, he could make out the fragrance of flowers and other materials.

"It should be here!" he mused and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, it opened and a petite young woman walked out.

She had golden locks of hair tied into double buns behind her head.

Her skin was fair and smooth, her eyes a dull brown, and she wore a beautiful but tight short-sleeved qipao with golden embroidery that formed tiny golden stars.

The qipao hugged her body in an alluring manner from her modest chest, smooth navel, and round butt.

It was on the shorter side, leaving her legs wrapped in pure white nylon thigh-highs before her feet settled into a pair of black sandals.

Rimless glasses hung along the bridge of her nose as she looked up at Wan Ling.

"You are?" she asked, rather confused by his presence.

Wan Ling answered with his actions as he summoned the Phoenix Ember Flowers from his storage ring and passed them to her.

"Oh! You took my request!"

Her eyes widened in realization before she smiled.

"Wait here. I’ll go and get your fee." She said and tried walking back inside, but Wan Ling spoke.

"It’s alright. You can keep the money."

His words caught her off guard, so she couldn’t help but ask,

"Don’t you need it?"

"I have enough money to last me a while, Miss Alchemist. What I need right now is knowledge," he remarked.

"Knowledge of what?" She tilted her head.

"Alchemy, of course!" Wan Ling replied energetically, but she sighed.

"Listen here, Mister. If alchemy was that easy, we alchemists wouldn’t be so highly sought after. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you’re just a cultivator... there is no way...."

"Test me then?" Wan Ling grinned.

Normally, he would have used this situation for his own self-interest, but right now he simply wanted to prove himself.

He didn’t know why, but after regaining the alchemy talent, he suddenly felt the need for recognition.

To be seen for the talent he possessed.

"Hahaha! How about no!" the alchemist quickly shut him down, but Wan Ling was persistent.

"How about this? If I’m not able to concoct a pill on my first try, I’ll be your personal errand boy for a year. I’m talking about free labor here, Miss...."

"Xianfei. And how am I supposed to believe you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?" she said, clearly suspicious.

"You’re just going to have to trust me on that one!" Wan Ling smiled, and Xianfei ended up sighing.

"Wait here!" she instructed and went back inside while leaving the door open.

A few minutes later, she returned with a few books and scrolls.

"The basics of Qi Refinement Pills. You have until tomorrow evening. Read them, then you’ll create a pill in front of me. If you don’t succeed, as you have already proclaimed, you’ll be my errand boy free of charge."

Wan Ling’s expression lit up.

"I won’t disappoint you, Master!" he said playfully and almost made Xianfei blush.

After that, Wan Ling left, leaving Xianfei standing at her doorstep wondering what she had just done.

"It doesn’t matter. It took me almost an entire week of trial and error to create my first pill. There is no way he’ll be able to do it in a day. That’s unless he’s a genius... hehe."

Finding that unbelievable, she returned to her quarters, already plotting how she was going to use her new errand boy.

---

Wan Ling returned to his quarters and collapsed onto his bed.

Turning over, he summoned the system and scrolled through the store.

[Uncommon Grade Pill Furnace]

[Cost: 500 Comprehension Points]

[Details: A magical cauldron of the Uncommon grade used by alchemists to break down, refine, and combine pill ingredients.]

An alchemist without a pill furnace was like a sword cultivator without a sword.

So he didn’t hesitate to buy one.

His recent expenses were beginning to drain him of Comprehension Points, but he ignored that for now and bought it anyway.

Right away, a heavy bronze-colored pot-shaped item with three sturdy legs materialized beside his bed with a soft thud.

Strange runes were carved across its surface, and beside it were crooked handles for carrying it.

More importantly than that, it smelled ancient and like dirt.

"Now I need herbs," Wan Ling muttered and bought the herbs he would need for a Qi Refinement Pill.

Standard pills like this only required herbs with a great affinity for Qi, basically herbs that could trap Qi exceptionally well.

Dew Flowers.

Leyline Root Flowers.

Lamp Flowers could also work.

All three cost him less than twenty Comprehension Points.

Once he was done, he stored them in his ring and opted for a change of attire.

Afterward, he left his quarters and visited Ling Ling Waterfalls for some fresh water.

Seated at the bank, Wan Ling, who had now placed the pill furnace before him, dipped the flowers into the running water before dumping them inside the pill furnace.

He started with the Leyline Root Flowers.

They absorbed Qi the most, so handling them first was a must.

Placing them inside the cauldron, he closed it and ran Qi through the mystical pot.

Flames softly ignited beneath it, trapping heat within the cauldron.

The heat then went on to shrink the root flowers, draining them of their moisture, which evaporated into a fragrant mist before slowly condensing into a liquid form.

Wan Ling then lessened the heat and followed with the Lamp Flower.

He repeated the same process until it turned into liquid.

Finally, the Dew Flower was added, and soon the cauldron was half-filled with a strange, colorless liquid.

"Good!" Wan Ling smiled before paling when his nose twitched at the smell of a familiar stench.

"Impurities!"

Right as he muttered, he observed dark fumes being expelled from a tiny vent built into the pill furnace.

His body moved on its own as his hand rose and swiftly performed a series of movements.

Qi flared around his fingertips, attracting the impurities and pulling them out of the furnace.

He slowly guided them upward, where they disappeared, leaving him sighing in relief.

With the impurities gone, it was now time for refinement, which he did by running his own Qi through the liquid.

It grew unstable and began rippling violently, but Wan Ling was already a master of refinement, given that he performed it every time he dual cultivated, so the process didn’t last long.

Now it was time to concoct the pill itself.

He began by slowly guiding the liquid into a swirling motion.

It flowed under his command, gathering at the center until the liquid bound together into a fist-sized orb.

"Now to compress," Wan Ling muttered, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

The orb of liquid began to tremble violently.

"Tsk!"

Clicking his tongue at its resistance, Wan Ling forced more Qi into it, shrinking it, but it wasn’t enough.

So he forced in even more Qi, resulting in the cauldron vibrating while cracks spread across the surface of the orb.

What began as a tug-of-war between Wan Ling and the orb slowly tipped toward Wan Ling’s side as more parts of the orb cracked until.....

Crack—!

It finally shattered, releasing a powerful fragrance throughout the shores of the waterfall.