Two hours had passed, and Zhiyan lay on the grass in the spatial bracelet, exhausted. After constant fire manipulation testing, a majority of her yang energy had been depleted, and her soul power had nearly been spent. It's no wonder alchemists are so admired; such intense training truly isn't for the average person.
After resting for half an hour, Zhiyan flashed out of the spatial bracelet and sat on the bed to meditate and cultivate. Since her breakthrough in foundation establishment, she could not only freely enter the Qiankun Bracelet but also freely use the spiritual energy within. Even when not in the Qiankun Space, she could have the energy surround her endlessly to aid her cultivation as long as she wished.
"Yanyan, may I come in?" Shasha's voice sounded from outside the door, causing Zhiyan to open her eyes and wake from her meditation.
"Come in!" As her words fell, a figure in a purple dress flashed into the room, with a bewitchingly beautiful smile on her face. Her eyes shone with admiration as she looked at Zhiyan, almost ready to pounce on her.
"How about it, are you rested enough to go out for a meal?" Shasha habitually took Zhiyan's small hand. If not for the fact that Zhiyan needed to rest, she would've wished to stick with this little cutie every moment.
Zhiyan nodded slightly, helplessly letting herself be led by the hand. She didn't mind this enchanting young lady—in fact, she kind of liked her. Perhaps it was because of her overflowing enthusiasm, or maybe it was the sincerity and concern in her eyes, or maybe it was because she had been lonely for too long and now just wanted a friend. Either way, so far, her impression of Shasha was pretty good.
"Come over, the dishes are all set." Sharon, clad in a blue robe, was seated in the prime seat and called out to Zhiyan and her companion with a gentle and handsome smile on his face. He was like the brother next door, instantly giving one a warm feeling.
"Thank you!" Zhiyan nodded and looked into those emerald green eyes, smiling gracefully. Her lovely, delicate face bloomed like spring flowers, her watery eyes sparkling, exuding a fascinating charm that shook the hearts of both onlookers.
"Wow, Little Yanyan is so cute, and her smile is truly beautiful." Shasha exclaimed with an infatuated expression, looking at the smiling Zhiyan with admiration. As a princess of Longteng Country, Shasha herself was incredibly beautiful and had encountered many people, but she had never seen someone as exquisitely perfect as Zhiyan.
Distant and cool, with an adorable laugh, graceful in every way, calm and composed, every expression she wore was captivating, every move she made pulled at the heartstrings. It seemed as if she was the center of attention, drawing everyone's gaze to her. For the first time, Shasha cared this much about another girl, for the first time, she wanted to be close to someone, willingly giving without expecting anything in return...
"Cough cough, let's eat!" Zhiyan coughed dryly, interrupting Shasha's infatuated ramblings and urged her. After the meal, she needed to continue cultivating, aiming to recover enough by the next morning to continue controlling fire.
"By the way, Yanyan, what level are you now?" Shasha, who had just lowered her head to start eating, suddenly looked up curiously at Zhiyan. Sharon also looked over strangely, because although she ought to be a sage, he couldn't sense any spiritual power from her. Could she possess some type of Spiritual Artifact that hid her true strength?
Youlan Academy's enrollment required candidates to be between nine and fifteen years old. At nine years old, one must be at least at the high-grade primary-level sage, and at fifteen, one must be at least at the primary-level mid-stage sage. Aside from these requirements, candidates are admitted based on their exceptional abilities, with some exceptions. It can be said that the academy gathered the most outstanding talents from all over the mainland.
To stand out among such a group of exceptional individuals was undoubtedly a feat.
"Mid-grade mid-level sage." Zhiyan casually replied as she ate, her tone nonchalant. There was no need to hide it since they would find out sooner or later.
Uh, Sharon and Shasha were both stunned in unison, mid-grade mid-level sage?
Their mouths slightly agape, a look of suspicion simultaneously flashed across their faces. They hadn't misheard, had they? It was not a primary-level Sage at the high stage, but a mid-level Sage at the mid-stage?
"Um, Yanyan, are you sure it's a mid-level Sage at the mid-stage?" Shasha forcefully swallowed a mouthful of saliva and confirmed, not that she doubted Yanyan was lying, but because it was truly hard to believe. The person before her was at the mid-stage of a primary-level Sage? She looked to be no more than ten years old at most.
A ten-year-old at the mid-stage of a mid-level Sage? Such an achievement, probably not a second could be found throughout the Mainland.
This year, Shasha just turned fifteen, her cultivation base at the mid-stage of a mid-level Sage. Such an accomplishment would definitely give her immense pride among her peers. Yet now, she was on par with this delicate individual?
"Mhm!" With a light reply, Zhiyan continued eating, paying no attention to the anxiety and doubts in some people's hearts.
After greeting the siblings, Zhiyan returned to her room to continue her cultivation. A night passed, and the Yang Energy and Soul Power within her body had mostly recovered. She flashed into the Qiankun Space, nodded at Elder Fei, and continued with flame control.
After a night's replenishment, she was in excellent spirits. With a thought, scorching flames erupted and violently crashed towards the cauldron, hissing before extinguishing in less than five seconds.
Nodding, a look of clarity passed through her bright pupils. Zhiyan's lips curled up slightly, her face shining with a faint confidence. Although the flames had just extinguished, in that instant of snuffing out, she caught that subtle relationship between the flames and the cauldron. As long as she maintained it well, successfully controlling the fire wouldn't be a difficult task.
"Ice within fire, burning within cold, though seeming opposites, they actually depend on one another. Everything is like this..." Floating in mid-air, Elder Fei nodded with satisfaction. He had originally thought it would take her another day, but she had apprehended the mystery between them so quickly.
The cauldron was extremely cold, associated with Yin, while the flames were a transformation of Yang Energy, associated with Yang. Ice and fire, cold and burn were nothing but manifestations of the Yin Yang opposition. To her, who possessed Yin Yang Qi, it really wasn't anything significant. In another sense, as long as it involved Yin and Yang opposition, she could adjust and control it.
After apprehending this relationship, the subsequent flame control sessions went incredibly smoothly. The orange flames, under her thought control, grew larger and smaller, blooming like flowers, dazzling and brilliant.
"Alright, that's about it. These are the herbs needed to concoct the Qi Blood Pill." With a sweep of his sleeve, Elder Fei made the herbs that appeared yesterday float in front of Zhiyan again: Gourd Lanterns, Dragon Fruits, Shanhu Mushrooms, Thousand Leaves, Hundred Grains...
The Qi Blood Pill was a first-grade elixir with the effect of replenishing Qi and blood. It had great benefits for warriors, as it could instantly enhance a person's spirit, allowing them to continue battling, or for those who'd suffered heavy blood loss, it could quickly nourish the body and replenish blood to extend their lives.
It involved as many as fifteen different herbs, and the concoction process was extremely intricate. Therefore, among first-grade elixirs, the Qi Blood Pill was known as the "crown of first-grade," with its difficulty approaching that of second-grade elixirs. Even a second-grade alchemist wouldn't have a hundred percent certainty of successfully concocting it. Elder Fei had set such a difficult challenge for her at the start to test her flame control ability and to deliberately remind her, to prevent the emergence of arrogant complacency.
With a thought, the orange flames boomed inside the cauldron, threads of cold air permeated, wrapping the heat of the flames within the cauldron. Zhiyan touched the shallow golden gourd-shaped Gourd Lantern, her heart overflowing with excitement. After waiting for four months, she could finally officially start alchemy. This feeling was like the first time she encountered traditional Chinese medicine in her previous life: novel and nervous, yet filled with the thrill and satisfaction of longing to partake.