The next morning.
Jia Eighteen Alchemy Room.
"Your foundation is not as solid as Xiaohui's, so it's actually a bit premature for you to start learning Alchemy."
"However, the current situation is rather special. If we want you to solidify the wings of your Fire Eagle Illusion quickly, we have to let you start practicing your alchemy skills early."
"Don't worry about whether you succeed in producing a pill or not. Just focus all your effort on controlling the Fire Eagle Illusion."
Second Uncle Fang spoke softly, then gestured for Fang Yang to begin.
Before him, Fang Yang took a deep breath.
He followed the formula for the Gathering Essence Pill, taking out various medicinal herbs and Spiritual Liquids and placing them inside the alchemy cauldron.
The Gathering Essence Pill was a Tier One pill. Its main effect was to allow the user to accelerate the natural recovery of their True Essence.
Although it was a very simple formula, if one failed to control the temperature and couldn't gather the Primordial Qi from the herbs, the attempt would still end in failure.
Flames rose from beneath the alchemy cauldron.
Inside the cauldron, the liquid boiled.
'Alchemy...' Fang Yang's eyes gleamed.
It was his first time performing Alchemy, and his mind was filled with countless thoughts. This was a moment he had once dreamed of.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~
The inside of the cauldron began to vibrate, the shaking growing more and more intense, as if an invisible hand were stirring everything into chaos.
But Fang Yang knew this was the clash of Primordial Qi released as the different medicinal herbs were activated.
'Come out,' Fang Yang thought.
The Fire Eagle Illusion, slumbering within his Void Acupoint True Essence Sea, seemed to be granted a soul. It suddenly opened its eyes and slowly flew out.
Although Fang Yang had shrunk the size of the Fire Eagle Illusion, its wings were already nearly three-quarters solidified, which faintly indicated that Fang Yang's cultivation realm was approaching the peak of Tier One.
WHOOSH~
The Fire Eagle Illusion flapped its wings and flew toward the alchemy cauldron, stirring up a scorching wind.
As soon as it neared the cauldron, the Fire Eagle Illusion merged with the flames beneath it, allowing Fang Yang to control the fire's temperature with ease.
'Gather the Primordial Qi from the herbs, lock it in, and condense it into a pill.'
'Gather the Primordial Qi from the herbs, lock it in, and condense it into a pill.'
Fang Yang chanted this repeatedly in his mind, his face appearing fervent in the glow of the fire.
「An incense stick's time later.」
"That's enough."
At Second Uncle Fang's reminder, the flames died down. The Fire Eagle Illusion slowly returned, its wings seeming to have solidified a tiny bit more.
At this rate, it would take seven days at most for Fang Yang to complete the accumulation needed to solidify three-quarters of its wings!
But the cost was that the True Essence in Fang Yang's True Essence Sea had already dropped by seventy percent!
This method of cultivation would be truly arduous without an elder watching over him.
Second Uncle Fang flicked his fingers, and the large lid of the alchemy cauldron flew open, revealing its contents.
There was only a single finished pill, and it looked like a piece of shattered porcelain.
An investment of three hundred Yuan Stones had yielded a return of not even thirty...
Yet upon seeing this, Second Uncle Fang was greatly pleased. "Not bad, not bad at all. Your talent for Alchemy is such that even if Ancestor Fang Nian were resurrected, he could hardly do better."
Back in his day, Ancestor Fang Nian had relied on his mastery of Alchemy to leave the Profound Realm, travel to the Desolate Realm, and build a great reputation for himself all alone.
Therefore, Second Uncle Fang decided to increase the difficulty for Fang Yang, continuing to push him to his limits.
His goal was to allow Fang Yang to grow rapidly without his foundation becoming unstable.
...
After his second uncle's arrival, Fang Yang's schedule became much tighter.
Whenever he had free time, he would go to his second uncle's place.
As for his regular hours, he still had to fulfill his duties as an Alchemist Doctor, saving as many of the wounded as he could.
At that moment, warrior after warrior was retreating from the battlefield, returning to the medical hall in the rear.
"Second Lifebound Skill—Blood Rains Down!"
"Second Lifebound Skill—Return to the Field and Moisten All Things!"
"Third Lifebound Skill—Withered Wood Meets Spring!"
Alchemist Doctor after Alchemist Doctor used their ultimate techniques to save the suffering and relieve the distressed.
Of course, most of the time, the Alchemist Doctors wouldn't use their Magic so readily, at most giving out potions and elixirs.
However, today was special because the elite corps of the Thunder Punishment Banner—the corps formed by the Changkong clan—had been deployed.
And although Fang Yang's cultivation realm was low, as a moderately well-known Alchemist Doctor, he still participated in the healing efforts.
"Quick, save them first."
Suddenly, a warrior clad in white armor burst in. His name was Wei Rubao.
Behind Wei Rubao, a group of attendants pushed carts carrying one heavily wounded warrior after another.
It was clear they were all from the same corps.
It turned out that not long ago, their entire corps had been charged by a Griffin Ten Thousand Beasts King. They had been thrown into disarray, suffering heavy losses, and every single one of them was injured.
What was rather strange was that although Wei Rubao had clearly taken a direct hit just like his comrades, he was perfectly fine and full of energy, acting as if nothing had happened at all.
"If you keep this up, you'll most likely be dead soon. You need to come with me to Jia San Hall," Fang Yang said calmly to Wei Rubao.
To suffer a massive impact and seem fine on the outside actually means there's a massive problem on the inside.
It's like after a car crash: some people collapse, bleeding and in agony.
Others seem completely unharmed and even help with the rescue, only to suddenly drop dead in the middle of it.
In the medicine of his past life, this was called intra-abdominal organ damage.
Once it manifests, the bleeding is sudden and severe, making it especially difficult to save the person in time.
This Wei Rubao looked like he could still be saved, unlike that little girl from before.
If he saved Wei Rubao, Fang Yang's battle merits would increase, giving him more options later on.
If, by some chance, Sen Yue really became the final victor of the "Xuan Yu War," perhaps Fang Yang could use his accumulated battle merits to enter the Xuan Yu Blessed Land with him.
Although the Xuan Yu Blessed Land was called a Blessed Land, it was actually a great world created by the legendary Thunder Saint Venerable. It contained numerous opportunities for fortune that were enough to let one defy heaven and change their fate!
"What nonsense are you spouting, Fang Yang? Stop causing trouble," Chen Yuan, another Alchemist Doctor standing nearby, rebuked him, her face cold.
Ever since the Flying Fish Cloud Sea Hunting expedition, Chen Yuan had found Fang Yang irritating.
Now that Fang Yang was indirectly questioning her professional ability, she could tolerate it even less.
'? ' Fang Yang was bewildered. He didn't understand why Chen Yuan was giving him the cold shoulder for no reason.
'In his memory, he and Chen Yuan hadn't interacted much. How could she hold a grudge against him?'
Just then, a clear male voice sounded from behind him.
"Fang Yang isn't spouting nonsense, nor is he causing trouble. It is you who are deluded, unable to see clearly."
"Some doctors treat an illness before it even appears. Because ordinary people don't know that they can eliminate the cause of the disease in advance, their fame doesn't spread, and only those close to them know of their skill."
"Some doctors treat an illness at its very onset. Ordinary people think they can only cure minor ailments, so their fame is limited to a single city or clan."
"And then there are doctors who treat an illness when it has become severe. Ordinary people see them performing major procedures like piercing meridians to let blood or applying poultices to the skin, so they believe their medical skills are brilliant, and their fame spreads far and wide."
The one who spoke was none other than Hong Qishang.
At this, Hong Qishang gave Fang Yang a friendly smile, showing his goodwill.
This, however, made Chen Yuan's face burn as if she had been slapped.
Chen Yuan naturally understood the principle in the story Hong Qishang told, but she still felt that Fang Yang was just causing trouble.
"Rubao, go with Fang Yang to Jia San Hall. The sooner, the better."
"Yes, I understand, Brother Qi Shang."
Wei Rubao was completely convinced by Hong Qishang's words and sided entirely with Fang Yang.
Fang Yang nodded back to Hong Qishang in acknowledgment, then departed with Wei Rubao, ignoring Chen Yuan completely.
Both Chen Yuan's malice and Hong Qishang's goodwill had come so suddenly.
But Fang Yang continued to move forward at his own pace, methodical and unperturbed, unaffected by any of them.