"What is happening? Does he intend to hurt me?" Wei Ren looked at Lu Sheng's expressionless face. With those white eyes he looked like a ghost. The kind and amicable aura was completely gone.
"Elder Sister Rong…?" He looked at Mei Rong's face. She had the same expression as Li Sheng.
"Just stay calm. Let me check your body. I want to see if you are truly Wei Ren or some imposter." Li Sheng said with his kind voice. But his face was still terrible to behold.
"Hmm." Wei Ren nodded and stopped resisting. The thunderbolts also died after a few seconds.
"Karmic Flame, ignite!" Lu Sheng said in a deep voice.
His right hand was immediately caught on fire. This flame was not simple.
"It is Karmic Flame!!" He immediately identified the strange flame.
The flame was completely white in colour. The strange thing was that its edges were transparent.
"Incorporeal edges…" he was completely mesmerized by the bright flame. This was a way to identify the Karmic Flame. It had translucent edges. It looked like it merged with the fabrics of space. The mysterious flame was truly beautiful.
Alchemists need to control the temperature while concocting pills. Even a tiny fluctuation in temperature can cause failure. Karmic Flame was very easy to control. That is why Alchemists above Qi Streams stage have better chances of successfully concocting a pill. Another great thing about Karmic Flame was that it can become cold. It can even freeze the contents of a Pill Cauldron
Lu Sheng slowly placed his hand on Wei Ren's abdomen. The flame didn't hurt him at all. All he felt was a gentle warmth. Even his clothes were undamaged.
"It's so gentle." He exclaimed in his heart.
Lu Sheng closed his eyes. His face underwent several changes. From shock to disbelief.
"How is this possible? All this Elemental Qi is just floating in your body. How is it not leaking out?" He opened his eyes and asked Wei Ren.
"I don't know, Master. One day my body suddenly started to absorb Qi on its own. When I experimented with this Qi, I found that I was able to freely control it." Wei Ren said seriously. His heart was pounding. He feared that a Tier Four Alchemist like Lu Sheng might find his secrets. Fortunately he found nothing. His meridians were completely isolated from anyone's senses except his. Emperor Starmist's seal is truly fascinating.
"Master, do you believe me now?" He asked Lu Sheng with an honest face as if he wasn't holding any secrets.
"Forgive your master for being so forceful. This is our first greeting and this is how I treated you. But I had to check to see if you truly are Wei Ren. I examined you when you were just a toddler, I used the Karmic Flame at that time too. All I found was a body devoid of any meridians. I couldn't believe that a body like that could even exist. I used the same technique to examine you again. Your body is still the same. But there is Elemental Qi inside you this time." Lu Sheng walked back to his stone bed and sat down.
Wei Ren was freed from his grasp. He sighed with relief. He felt as if he had just battled a dragon. His mind still remembered the danger he felt from this kind and gentle looking old man.
"I have not fulfilled my responsibilities as your master. You started your journey as an Alchemist on your own without any help. Take this Pill Cauldron as a compensation for putting you in this situation." Lu Sheng's personality underwent a drastic change. His words, his smile, everything about him was gentle and serene. He waved his hand softly.
A black Pill Cauldron appeared before Wei Ren. The Pill Cauldron was pitch black like an abyss. There was a strong stench of rotten plants coming from the Pill Cauldron.
"Don't judge it by its appearance. The stench is actually a good thing about this Cauldron. Master used this Pill Cauldron when he was at River Formation stage. The stench is actually an innate ability of this Cauldron. It can suppress medicinal plants and ingredients that have intoxication effects. I used this Cauldron to make a lot of Pill Potions back in the day. It is rich with my qi. This can help you greatly." Lu Sheng explained the great things about the black Pill Cauldron.
"What is it called, Master?" He looked with interest at the Pill Cauldron. Its appearance was truly ordinary but the strong medicinal stench was very intriguing. It looked like this Pill Cauldron had a lot of secrets.
"Black Heaven." Lu Sheng said with a smile.
"Black...Heaven." Wei Ren repeated the name softly.
"Rong'er, fetch some tea for Master." He told Mei Rong and sent her away. Obviously he wanted to talk to Wei Ren alone.
Wei Ren was able to see through this. He waited patiently for Lu Sheng to start talking.
"How much progress have you made with the Plant Genesis?" Lu Sheng asked.
"Disciple has studied five percent of the first volume of Plant Genesis."
"How many jade slips did you use?"
"So far, disciple has used nine thousand jade slips." He didn't dare to lie to such a powerful cultivator.
"Haha. Nine thousand jade slips for studying only five percent of the Plant Genesis. Li Jian didn't lie. You truly have great talent for alchemy." Lu Sheng laughed and looked at Wei Ren as if he was a rare specimen.
"You probably don't know this but the number of jade slips every alchemist uses while studying the Plant Genesis can tell us about his talent."
"Hmm." Wei Ren listened attentively. This was his first lesson from Lu Sheng. He didn't want to make a bad impression.
"In ancient times, a cultivator found that he could heal his injuries faster if he used a paste made from spring leaf grass. This is a story that I learned from my master. Although I am sure it is not true, it is still the most famous story in the world of alchemy that tells us about the birth of alchemy. In his lifetime, the cultivator kept on experimenting with spring leaf grass. He found a hundred thousand uses of just one type of plant."
"A hundred thousand uses…." Wei Ren was silent. He couldn't even fathom how something like this was possible. This means that the ancient cultivator must have used a hundred thousand jade slips for studying just one plant. Even Wei Ren's record paled in comparison to the ancient cultivator.
"This is how alchemy was born. Alchemy is nothing but a study of the world. Everything is an ingredient. Metals, wood, plants, animals, insects, all heavenly elements can be used to make pills. We study the Plant Genesis to master this art. The first volume of Plant Genesis is the easiest to master. One just needs a basic understanding of the plants to master it. The plants included in the first volume are easy to study. I, myself, used eighty thousand jade slips to study the first volume. Judging by your talent you will probably use almost two hundred thousand jade slips." Lu Sheng laughed as he said the last line.
"Am I more talented than Grand Healer Lu Sheng?" He thought with disbelief.
"But don't soar too high into the sky. Just because you can study Plant Genesis better doesn't mean you will become a great Alchemist. Take Elder Qian for example. His knowledge of ingredients is on par with me. But his practical skills are nowhere near me." Lu Sheng brought his spirits down as soon as it started flying.
"Disciple understands." Wei Ren nodded and acknowledged Lu Sheng's words.
"Let's do a test. Use the Black Heaven Pill Cauldron and make a pill."
Wei Ren was caught off-guard. A test on his first day.
(Special thanks to my dear readers. These are the names of top readers whose support is motivating me to continue writing. "Mrmaleek23", "Truthkilller", "hellotherefriend" and "Aminul1999" . Fellow Daoists, I would be in eternal debt if you could give your precious reviews to invite more readers to our world.
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