"Stop! Stop immediately! Don't burn down my Spirit Pill Pavilion!" An old man appeared out of nowhere, hurriedly shouting.
The flame in Shen Xiang's hand vanished, and the people in the Spirit Pill Pavilion snapped out of their shock. They had all felt the intense fury coming from the flame Shen Xiang had conjured moments earlier.
"Shen Zhenhua, you're afraid of the fire that even a 'waste' like me can summon? So what does that make you? Worse than trash?" Shen Xiang sneered.
Shen Zhenhua's face turned an ugly shade. No sane person would dare to test such a flame. The city lord's daughter, who had been standing beside him, now stared wide-eyed at Shen Xiang, astonished. She had looked down on him earlier, but now she could clearly see the power in that fire. Slightly lowering her head, she felt a bit of shame for her previous attitude, realizing Shen Xiang had hidden depths.
"Pavilion Master… this young man," a middle-aged man approached Shen Xiang, speaking to a short, white-robed elder behind him.
The elder simply stared at Shen Xiang, his eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and delight.
This elder was the Pavilion Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion, a well-known alchemist, though he had some history with Shen Xiang's grandfather.
"Young man, would you like to become my disciple?" the elder asked, and the entire first floor of the pavilion collectively gasped.
The Pavilion Master had offered to take him as a disciple!
The Pavilion Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion, who could have any noble child as a student, had personally extended this invitation. Those who sought to become his disciple could line up to the city gates.
Everyone was stunned, recognizing Shen Xiang's potential. Despite lacking spiritual veins, he had been able to produce true qi fire, something highly valued by alchemists.
Shen Xiang scratched his head and casually replied, "As much as I'd like to, you and my grandfather don't get along, so I can't accept."
With that, Shen Xiang turned and walked away, showing no hint of regret on his face. The crowd couldn't believe how decisively he had refused! After hearing the Pavilion Master's sigh of disappointment, they had to accept the reality: someone had truly refused to become the Pavilion Master's disciple.
Everyone thought Shen Xiang was foolish, giving up such a golden opportunity due to a personal grudge between his grandfather and the Pavilion Master.
Shen Zhenhua was consumed with jealousy. Even though Shen Xiang had humiliated him, all the attention was now focused on Shen Xiang. People had completely forgotten about him, and instead, many now looked at him with disdain. In their eyes, an alchemist was far more valuable than a so-called prodigy.
An alchemist, even without spirit veins, could become a powerful martial artist through the pills they created!
Of course, Shen Xiang not only possessed divine veins but also aspired to become an alchemist. He already had the ability to grow herbs and control true qi fire; all he needed now was experience and a sharp mind to master alchemy.
Shen Xiang knew that the Pavilion Master was his grandfather's sworn enemy. His grandfather had always been kind to him, frequently giving him pills, allowing him to reach the third stage of the Mortal Martial Realm even without spirit veins.
When Shen Xiang returned to the Shen family home, he immediately sought out Shen Tianhu and told him everything about what happened at the Spirit Pill Pavilion.
"Well done! That old fool from the Spirit Pill Pavilion is clueless! He's been selling us overpriced pills. Now that you can control true qi fire, becoming an alchemist won't be hard! I'll support you with everything I've got," Shen Tianhu said, his heart brimming with excitement. His son's ability to produce true qi fire meant he had a bright future ahead, even brighter than many who possessed superior spirit veins.
Shen Xiang returned to his small courtyard and planted the herb seedlings. That night, he sat cross-legged and began to absorb the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth, circulating the Taiji Divine Art and Dragon Saliva Technique to quickly absorb the energy.
By activating the Dragon Saliva Technique, a special dew forms on his tongue. This dew, when used to water the herbs, can speed up their growth.
At dawn, Shen Xiang stuck out his tongue, revealing a small droplet of green dew. This was "Dragon Saliva!"
Overjoyed, Shen Xiang, who had attempted this technique for the first time, was thrilled that it had worked. He quickly dropped the green dew into a bucket of clean water. The water immediately turned green and began to emit a faint green glow.
Carrying the bucket, Shen Xiang carefully watered the seedlings.
Green Spirit Grass, Blood Yuan Flower, Mysterious Bright Flower, and Spirit Leaf Grass—these four herbs were only of the lowest grade, but under normal conditions, they would still take at least three years to grow to maturity!
However, thanks to Shen Xiang's use of the "Dragon Saliva Water" to accelerate their growth, it only took one month for them to mature!
"The green grass brimming with spiritual energy is Green Spirit Grass. The red, fist-sized one is Blood Yuan Flower. The white, snow-like one that glows at night is the Mysterious Bright Flower. And the one with small leaves everywhere is Spirit Leaf Grass."
Shen Tianhu marveled at the fully grown herbs in the small courtyard, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He clearly remembered that just a month ago, these had been tiny seedlings.
"This… Son, don't tell anyone about this ability! Keep it between us—never show off!" Shen Tianhu's expression was extremely serious, and he didn't ask how Shen Xiang had gained this power.
Shen Xiang nodded. The courtyard was Shen Tianhu's private domain, where no one could enter freely, so Shen Xiang wasn't worried about others discovering his secret.
"Alchemy isn't easy. Even though you have the potential to become an alchemist, learning it on your own is extremely difficult. Try experimenting on your own first. If that doesn't work, I'll find an alchemist to teach you." Shen Tianhu handed over a large, black alchemy furnace, about the size of a water barrel.
"This furnace may not be the best, but it's the only one I could afford for now. When I become the family head, I'll get you a better one," Shen Tianhu said.
An alchemy furnace is essential in refining pills. Shen Xiang felt satisfied with the black furnace and smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Once I make some pills, I'll let you be the first to try them."
Shen Tianhu laughed heartily before hurrying off.
Over the past month, Shen Xiang had not only tended to the herbs but had also been learning the basics of alchemy from Su Meiyao. The seductive woman had patiently taught him many alchemical techniques and pitfalls, which Shen Xiang found very useful.
Though Shen Xiang knew the general process of alchemy, there were still many things that troubled him, such as controlling the heat, managing the flow of true qi, and mastering the critical moment of pill condensation. These steps required extremely precise mental focus.
"Sister Meiyao, I'm about to start refining pills. How long do you think it will take me to succeed?" Shen Xiang asked as he mentally communicated with Su Meiyao, while simultaneously harvesting and processing the matured herbs for alchemy.
The preparation of the herbs required great care, but thanks to Su Meiyao's previous guidance, Shen Xiang handled it with ease.
Su Meiyao's playful voice replied, "At least a year or more!"
"What?! But I only have a little over a month before the competition with that talented guy from the Yao family!" Shen Xiang exclaimed, panicking.
Bai Youyou snorted coldly. "Idiot. Why bother competing in alchemy? Just use your strength and kill him."
Shen Xiang's mouth twitched. If he killed the Yao family's prodigy, it would certainly lead to war between the Shen and Yao families. And if his father became the family head, it would be even more troublesome.
After processing the herbs, Shen Xiang placed them into the furnace, knowing that every subsequent step was crucial.
The basic steps of alchemy involved first using true qi fire to heat the herbs inside the furnace, allowing them to release their unique spiritual essence. Then, by controlling these essences with his mental energy, Shen Xiang would fuse them together and condense them into pills.
Shen Xiang placed his hands on two places specifically for injecting flames, and at the same time used his mental power to peek into the situation inside the alchemy furnace.