Chapter 53 Part one, the great alchemist’s furnace

Chapter 53: 53 Part one, the great alchemist’s furnace

53

the great alchemist’s furnace

The characteristic silence of the library disappeared as the countless shelves slowly began retreating into the walls.

The sound of wood sliding over stone echoed throughout the hall as hundreds of books gradually vanished into the hidden structures.

The tables began sinking, and the spiritual formations protecting the manuscripts faded one after another.

Within moments, the enormous library had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an empty hall.

Then the floor trembled, and a stone door emerged on the opposite side. The ghost or rather, the child stood before it.

His appearance remained that of a child only a few years old, but there was something different in his gaze. During the previous floors, he had seemed to be doing nothing more than playing.

Now, however, there was genuine curiosity in his eyes, as if he had finally reached the part of the test he truly wanted to observe.

He placed his hands behind his back and looked at the participants.

"You’ve already read enough books and acquired enough knowledge, haven’t you? Reading books is good, but it’s still very boring."

Zhao Ming crossed his arms.

"Enough knowledge for what exactly? So far, all we’ve done is identify herbs, study records, and try to understand some incomplete formulas..."

".... If we’ve finally reached the truly important part, it would be good to know exactly what you intend to test."

The child tilted his head.

"Do you really need me to explain?"

Zhao Ming narrowed his eyes.

"If we’re entering a mausoleum left behind by a Great Alchemist, I’d rather know the rules before I start risking my life."

The child let out a small laugh.

"But that’s precisely what makes everything more interesting. If I explain everything beforehand, you won’t need to think for yourselves. You’ll simply follow instructions."

He pointed toward the door.

"So instead of telling you what you need to do, I’ll let you figure it out."

The door began to open, and through it, intense heat swept down the corridor. The air carried the smell of ashes, burned herbs, and concentrated spiritual energy.

Lian Yue immediately became alert.

"This heat doesn’t seem to be coming only from the furnaces. There’s a spiritual circulation formation operating somewhere beneath us. The energy is being directed toward this hall."

Chen Ruyue nodded as she observed the entrance.

"Yes, and judging by the intensity of this energy, the furnaces probably don’t rely solely on an ordinary flame. They must be using the spiritual energy of the mausoleum itself to control the temperature."

Guo Han observed the characters slowly appearing above the door.

"Then this floor will probably test more than our knowledge of herbs. If the Great Alchemist built a refining hall of this level, he certainly intends to evaluate our ability to control the entire process."

Su Meilin looked at him.

"Are you saying the test will finally be practical?"

Guo Han replied calmly.

"That’s exactly what it looks like."

The child smiled.

"You noticed."

Yun Che said nothing. He simply entered, and the others followed him.

The environment on the other side was completely different. It appeared to be a gigantic circular hall, with dozens of spiritual furnaces arranged in perfectly organized rows.

Some were small, while others were large enough for a person to enter.

Each furnace had its own formation engraved into its surface. At the center of the hall stood an enormous black furnace that was completely extinguished.

Above it, ancient characters floated in the air. The child then walked toward the center.

"Welcome to the third floor."

He spread his arms.

"A sophisticated hall for refining high-grade alchemical pills."

The doors behind the participants closed. A deep sound echoed throughout the hall as an invisible pressure swept through the environment.

Then small wooden boxes appeared before each participant, one given to every person.

The child pointed at them.

"Each of you has received different ingredients. Don’t try to look inside anyone else’s box. The ingredients were selected according to each individual’s test."

"You may supplement them with the herbs you collected from the garden during the first test on the first floor."

Chen Ruyue opened her box, her eyes immediately beginning to examine the herbs.

"They are ingredients of different and conflicting natures."

Guo Han moved close enough to observe his own box.

"There isn’t a single formula."

"Why should there be?" the child replied.

Guo Han continued:

"This means each participant has to deduce on their own which combination can produce a suitable pill. We weren’t given a formula, an indication of grade, or even a purpose."

The child smiled.

"You’re starting to understand things and think like an alchemist."

Zhao Ming opened his box.

"Then at least tell us what kind of pill we’re supposed to produce."

The child slowly turned toward him.

"Figure it out yourselves. Haven’t you already seen enough formulas in the library?"

Zhao Ming frowned.

"You just said the ingredients were individually selected. If there is no formula and you won’t even tell us the purpose, how do you expect us to know what to produce?"

The child began laughing.

"You spent so much time studying books that now you’re asking me to hand you an answer?"

Zhao Ming fell silent. The child pointed toward the ingredients.

"Look at them."

Then he pointed toward the furnaces.

"Look at the fire."

Finally, he touched his own head.

"And use what you’ve put in here."

Guo Han took a deep breath.

"Then this is the real test."

The child smiled.

"You already understand, so what are you waiting for? Start."

With a wave of his hand, characters appeared in the air.

REFINE A PILL.

There was no formula or additional instruction. Zhao Ming let out a small laugh.

"I understand. The old Great Alchemist really didn’t want to make obtaining his legacy easy."

The child looked at him.

"Indeed, he never intended to make things easy."

Zhao Ming raised an eyebrow.

"He? You’re not his spirit?"

"Perhaps."

"Then you know how he thinks."

The child smiled.

"Who knows?"

Zhao Ming sighed.

"You’re quite an irritating brat."

"Aren’t you the same?"

The child began laughing as the flames of the furnaces ignited simultaneously.

WHOOSH!

A wave of heat swept through the entire hall, immediately changing the atmosphere.

From that moment onward, every participant stood alone before their own furnace.

Only their knowledge, experience, and ability to execute the process could determine the outcome.

Yun Che looked at his box as his gaze passed over the ingredients. He recognized every one of them their properties, melting temperatures, spiritual resistance, compatibility, and purity.

The probable order of refinement appeared in his mind.

The knowledge he had accumulated through the System allowed him to understand the theory with a depth he had never possessed before, but there was one fundamental difference.

Knowing what to do did not necessarily mean knowing how to do it. Yun Che selected the ingredients.

He ignited the furnace, and a spiritual flame emerged, low and controlled. He would begin with purification.