After finishing his meal, Raed went to the family's back mountain because his room wasn't big enough for practicing alchemy. An explosion in the furnace could destroy the simple wooden house he lived in.
Once Raed reached the back mountain, he was ready to practice alchemy. The first thing he needed to do was absorb the Pill Fire.
For practicing alchemy, Pill Fire is essential; without it, how can you heat the furnace and melt the ingredients?
There are various types of spiritual flames used in refining pills, varying in strength. There are Beast Flames, Earth Flames, Sky Flames, and other strange and powerful flames that can melt any practitioner if they are not strong enough or lack a method to control them.
There are also Flame Practitioners, individuals who use fire for combat in various ways rather than using it for alchemy. They are incredibly powerful.
The process of absorbing Beast Fire is extremely painful. It's typically done with the help of elders, but Raed only had his third uncle and his grandfather, who was fighting on the barbarian border. He didn't want to bother his uncle or burden him with too many questions, so he decided to endure the pain.
He also knew from the memories in his mind that the most important thing for a practitioner is their willpower, which should be strengthened by enduring pain and hardships, walking a path of blood, defying the heavens, and ultimately possessing an unwavering Dao heart despite any tribulations.
Raed took out a pale yellow orb radiating intense heat; this was a second-level Beast Flame he had obtained from the Alchemy Pavilion. He looked at it briefly but didn't hesitate and swallowed it directly.
Had any alchemist been present, they would have been shocked at Raed's recklessness. The flame should be absorbed slowly through the pores, or else the pain would be tenfold, and he might burn to death.
In fact, Raed knew this, but he didn't have the time. There was a death match with Saeed in a month and the entrance test for the Sky Path Academy in a year.
As expected, in the next moment, Raed's face turned red, and he let out a loud scream.
".... Aaaah...."
The pain almost made him lose consciousness; his vision darkened slightly. But then, he recalled what his mother had said when she left:
"..... No matter the hardships, follow your will; be worthy of your name 'Judgment'... I am waiting for you...."
Then his eyes became determined again, a sharp light shining from them, and he thought to himself:
".... No, I won't die. I have to find my mother and punch that damn father of mine who left her. I have to find out what happened at the time that Old Man Shuan was talking about. I have to discover the truth of the Tyrannical Heavenly Emperor Technique. I have to know.... who I am!!!..."
He gritted his teeth and kept repeating this, enduring the intense pain for nearly three hours until he fully absorbed the flame. He then collapsed on his back, panting. After a stick of incense time, Raed sat up, controlled the flame with his soul, and a yellow flame emerged from his hand without harming him. He smiled broadly; the pain disappears when you see success.
"...Haha, now the alchemy begins..."
Raed took out an alchemy furnace, ignited the fire, took some materials from his bag, and placed them over the furnace to melt them. The process continued for a few breaths until the herb melted into a heavenly liquid, followed by five more herbs.
Raed took a deep breath, controlled the temperature, closed the furnace, and controlled the ingredients with his soul, slowly combining them inside the furnace. After about an hour, a fragrant aroma wafted from the furnace.
Raed had used only a basic and simple pill-refining technique, as his soul power was still pitifully weak. Soul power is essential for practicing alchemy, even more so than Pill Fire.
".... Now..."
Raed opened the furnace, and nine pale blue pills emerged. These were Soul Recovery Pills. Since he was still at the first level of Qi Gathering, his soul was weak and unable to refine Heavenly Sacrifice Pills.
"..... Four medium-grade pills and five low-grade pills, hmm... not bad for my first attempt."
Raed reflected, then sat down again and started making more furnaces of Soul Recovery Pills. He completed five furnaces, totaling 45 pills—20 medium-grade, five high-grade, and 20 low-grade. Good, there was some improvement.
Exhausted again, he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Then he took a high-grade Soul Recovery Pill. The moment it entered his mouth, it melted, and his soul quickly rejuvenated, making him feel better.
He then sat down, ready to refine the Heavenly Sacrifice Pill needed to open the Heavenly Sacrifice Gate in his right hand and obtain its accompanying first ability. He placed the ingredients in the furnace after melting them, but one herb took three hours to melt—a demonic herb called the Life-Devouring Herb, a second-grade herb. He then lit the furnace.
The alchemy process began, with Raed carefully controlling the process inside the furnace with his soul. But after ten breaths, his soul power was exhausted, so he took a medium-grade pill to restore his soul. However, it only lasted for another ten breaths. The refining process continued in this manner until he had only one high-grade pill left, making his face grim.
"Boom.... Boom.... Boom.."
But fortunately, the furnace made a noise, and three black pills emerged.