After several hours of reading. Aiden's stomach had had enough. It firmly protested and demanded sustenance.
Aiden pulled himself to his feet and grabbed his dagger. It was his only source of protection and it was also handy as a tool.
He stepped out of the cave entrance and began scanning the plant life around him. At the same time he had the identification book open in his mind to rapidly compare with what he was seeing.
To his surprise, many of the plants he was seeing were in fact in the book. Although perhaps in hindsight that should have been obvious as the aura concentration here was some of the highest in the kingdom.
He kept his eyes peeled for things that would be edible, the book was an aid for alchemy and not a survival guide so it took some sifting.
His eye caught a patch of rounded leaves growing up from short orange stems. Aiden paused, he quickly flipped pages in his mind until he settled on Eidle Root, a type of radish. According to the description it was used as a material in a nausea curing remedy, and its leaves were used in a bug repelling powder. But it was also edible.
There were quite a few of them in this area, but Aiden only grabbed one. He needed to be frugal until he could secure a steady supply of food. He also wanted to be able to begin practicing Alchemy as soon as possible. Although cultivation is what would allow him to change his destiny and transcend mortality, Alchemy is how he could gain the wealth and resources to build his cultivation.
He headed back to the cave, while gathering more firewood so that he wouldn't run out overnight. He glanced down at the Eidle Root, the bright orange stems led down to a plump white root that was shaped like a sphere with a small point at the end. It was kinda cute, and looked even better when he considered that it would fill his crying stomach.
Aiden used the dagger to carefully chop the stems off from the root, and placed the stem and leaves aside for later use. Then he placed the radish on a thin stone he had found and pushed them both to the very edge of the burning wood, almost engulfing them in the flames. He wanted to try and roast it, maybe that would make it taste better.
His food had never been particularly appetizing, but now that he was the one who could control the cooking he wanted to experiment. Not that Aiden had any cooking experience or even knowledge about food preparation, but someone had to have figured it out the first time.
The outer edges of the radish began to turn a nice golden brown, occasionally charring a bit, so he rotated the stone plate carefully using a stick. Soon when he determined that the radish was properly cooked, or perhaps he was just so hungry that it felt good enough, he brought the plate out to cool. Aiden could hear the juices of the radish sizzling and popping as the tantalizing scent spilled out across the space.
He felt his mouth water, maybe I am a natural chef! After all, how else could it smell so good? That thought amused him as he waited for it to cool down.
The radish had a slightly spicy natural flavor and mixed with the taste of the wood smoke it was a unique pairing that delighted him. He didn't have much experience with fine dining and he was also extremely hungry, but this little roasted radish in this small dark cave next to a campfire was the best meal he had ever had. It tasted like hope and anticipation.
After his meal, Aiden slipped back into meditation for the next two hours grabbing colorless strands and strengthening the muscles of his body. After the two hours had passed his whole body ached and was filled with exhaustion. But he forced himself to stay awake, he still had the other books to read!
He focused on The Rising Phoenix Palms, his Alchemy technique. The first chapter of the book was split into two parts; an introduction of Alchemy and its different paths, as well as the first stage of the technique as well.
Alchemy is the study of transforming one or many materials into something completely different. This could be a healing medicine or a strange potion that turns your enemies into a road.
The path of Alchemy is boundless and ever changing. However, there are three main disciplines in Alchemy. They are divided in the way that the concoctions are prepared. Potions and Elixirs, Pills and Powders, and last but not least Cuisine.
Each discipline has its strengths and weaknesses depending on what type of concoctions you are creating. Perhaps a pill might be more expedient and convenient during battle to recover from a wound, but a potion would be more conducive to strengthening the body in a medicinal bath. The possibilities are endless.
Alchemists spend their cultivation primarily in the study and craft of different recipes, this can lead to their combat strength being lower than those that focus on training in a particular weapon. However, this doesn't mean that Alchemists are weak, there is no telling what crazy potion or poison an Alchemist has up their sleeves. Not to mention how heavily sought after they are. Offend an Alchemist and you offend their entire customer base, usually powerful warriors who need aid in cultivation or adventure.
The actual technique described the utilization of aura to melt and fuse different materials and reagents into a final product. The Alchemist uses the medium of specific hand gestures to focus the aura and guide its action. A cauldron is also needed to contain the energy that is released during the process. One wrong move and you could be blown sky high, so a decent cauldron is recommended.
At this point Aiden stopped, where was he supposed to get a cauldron in the middle of the woods? Will it to exist? That could be a problem.
The last note in the first chapter book is that while an Alchemist must hone their alchemy technique, they must also hone their mental strength as well. Mental strength was an integral part of becoming a truly powerful Alchemist.
After that the book was split into the three disciplines with an introduction on how to approach each methodology.
Aiden pondered for a while before turning to the last technique in the inheritance, The Soulfyre Spirit Sutra.
Mental strength was the foundation of a cultivator, it aided both warriors and craftsmen alike in sharpening the senses and even allowing for the creation of devastating attacks.
The Soulfyre Spirit Sutra begins with attempting to coalesce a mental presence. Similar to the way Aiden had used his will power to grab and pull aura strands, he needed to meditate, but this time turn inwards.
After a long time he sensed wisps in his consciousness. Barely present and hard to capture, nonetheless this was a good sign. He attempted to gather these wisps together, but they always slipped through his grasp.
Aiden changed tactics, attempting to change the shape of his 'will' into something more conducive for gathering them. He was met with limited success. A cultivator's will was an extension of themselves, and certain ideas were deeply ingrained. It was hard for someone to imagine their soul for example, as something completely different from their physical appearance.
Aiden was sure that this was the solution however and focused his efforts on reshaping his willpower. Soon he was able to gather a very minuscule amount of wisps together. When they touched they became like very thin threads, light and airy as if to blow away at any time.
Bolstered by his success, he kept gathering and forming threads until a sudden knife-like pain lanced through his head, disrupting his concentration and waking him from meditation.
Aiden glanced around, the sky outside of the cave was dark and the fire had died down to embers. He had clearly been meditating for many hours. His head still faintly stung as he added a bit of wood and rekindled the fire. Apparently mental cultivation was something to be done in moderation, at least right now. He curled himself up by the fire and drifted off to sleep, he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.