'Nine wisps? My Fire Spirit Root's aptitude improved by a wisp?'
Lin Changheng's initial shock quickly turned to joy.
It was a well-known fact that a person's Spirit Root was fated from birth.
This was a testament to an immutable law in the Cultivation Realm—
You absolutely could not practice Cultivation without a Spirit Root! And once set, a Spirit Root could never be changed!
But clearly, the existence of the Primordial Cauldron had shattered this law.
Lin Changheng could continuously improve his Spirit Root, progressing from a Mixed Spirit Root to a Lower Grade, Middle Grade, or Upper Grade Spirit Root…
Even to the point of an Earth Spirit Root! A Celestial Spirit Root wasn't impossible either!
When that time came, with the dual boons of Enhanced Enlightenment and an improved Spirit Root… just the thought of it made Lin Changheng feel his future was incredibly bright.
'This growth in my Spirit Root must be related to Refining the Treasure Seed into myself. Does this mean that for every Layer of a Treasure Seed I Refine, my Spirit Root improves by one wisp?'
Lin Changheng quickly zeroed in on the only thing that had changed and made a reasonable deduction based on it.
Moreover, this theory wouldn't be difficult to test. The moment the Treasure Seed reached the Second Layer, he would know for sure.
'I wonder how long the Treasure Seed Spirit Stealing will take. Is it going to be another thirty years?'
A cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation only had a lifespan of 130 years.
How many thirty-year periods does a person get in their life?
Lin Changheng couldn't just wait around.
Without an instruction manual, he would need to explore and figure out the Primordial Cauldron's uses and abilities step by step.
He took a deep, steadying breath.
Lin Changheng suppressed all his aspirations and joy deep in his heart, his expression returning to one of composure.
'The most urgent task right now is to break through to Entry Tier Alchemist.'
He crawled under the bed and retrieved his Alchemy Notes from a hidden compartment he'd deliberately covered in dust. The notes contained all the knowledge on Alchemy he had accumulated over the past ten years.
By the lamp's glow, Lin Changheng began to study and reflect.
As the saying goes: To learn without thinking is useless; to think without learning is dangerous.
Lin Changheng was adept at combining both learning and thinking.
He also marveled at how complex and difficult the Alchemy Skill of this Cultivation Realm was.
Unlike the novels from his past life, the process involved a whole series of steps: Igniting, Burning the Furnace, Adding Medicine, Purification, Liquid Transformation, Medicine Combination, Hidden Refining, Solidifying the Pill, and Extracting the Pill.
Each of these steps had to be performed at a precise moment, requiring the alchemist to apply Pill Formulas based on the specific condition of the medicinal materials in the furnace.
This was why watching the furnace and tending the fire were Lin Changheng's primary duties as an Alchemy Apprentice.
To refine a Tier One Lower Grade Elixir, each step required applying twenty to forty Pill Formulas, for a total of roughly three hundred!
Furthermore, one had to master the timing and sequence and be prepared to handle unexpected situations, making it a "systems engineering" project in the truest sense.
「An hour later.」
Lin Changheng rubbed his sore, aching eyes. Though he was exhausted, his heart was filled with profound relief.
With the [Enhanced Enlightenment Celestial Gift: General Knowledge] from his First Layer Origin Treasure Seed, many of the difficulties that had once blocked his success in Alchemy—problems he could never seem to solve—were now becoming clear one by one.
'If I tried refining it again, at least the furnace wouldn't explode during the Medicine Combination stage.'
He couldn't help but glance at the old cloth bundle on his desk, the one he had carried back tucked under his arm.
He reached for it, unwrapped it, and revealed two lumps of charred, black Wasted Pills.
They couldn't even be called Wasted Pills; they had no pill-like form and were merely a pasty substance.
He pinched some between his fingers and brought it to his nose. In addition to the pungent, burnt smell of medicinal materials, there was a faint scent of blood.
It was the Essence Blood of a Low Tier Demon Beast called a Fire Crow.
Though it was of a Mixed Grade Bloodline, it could be used in the refining of several types of Lower Grade Fire Element Elixirs, such as the Red Flame Pill and Burning Breath Pill.
As this thought crossed his mind, Lin Changheng suddenly froze.
At that moment, the Primordial Cauldron, which sat quietly in his sea of consciousness, began to vibrate softly as a Cyan Mist rose from the Tripod Mouth.
'Could it be…?'
A thought suddenly surfaced in Lin Changheng's mind, one he could no longer suppress.
He immediately tried to use his will to connect the Primordial Cauldron to the two Wasted Pills in his palm.
HUMMM!
Lin Changheng felt a flash of cyan light in his mind, as if something was instantly stripped away from what he was holding.
When he looked down again, the Wasted Pills showed no visible change, but when he brought them to his nose, the scent of blood had vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, at the Tripod Mouth in his sea of consciousness, the ethereal image of a Red Treasure Seed was slowly taking shape.
"Just as I thought!"
Lin Changheng was overjoyed. He reached out to it with his mind.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed: Spirit Stealing Metamorphosis]
[Spirit Stealing: 1/100]
[Utility: Mixed Grade Demon Beast Bloodline with an Innate Fire Attribute. Possesses the Lifebound Talents of Fire Control, Breath, and Beak Strike. Upon Spirit Stealing Success, one may be chosen and Refined into the host.]
Lin Changheng's eyes immediately lit up.
'Demon Beast Essence Blood really works! Even though it's from the lowest Tier One Early Stage Demon Beast, a creature extremely common in the Wilderness, it can still form a Treasure Seed!'
'And the Fire Crow has three Lifebound Talents: Fire Control, Breath, and Beak Strike! Beak Strike is obviously useless to me. And compared to its fire Breath, Fire Control is the most suitable for me right now! After all, Alchemy is the art of controlling fire!'
'With Fire Control, I'll have a much better chance of becoming an Entry Tier Alchemist within a year. Not only will that resolve my current crisis, but I'll also be able to earn Spirit Stones. Then I can use those Spirit Stones to advance my Cultivation and collect even more Demon Beast Essence Blood of various kinds…'
It was a self-sustaining cycle.
A unique path that could lead him, step-by-step, toward long life and Ascension!
Lin Changheng's eyes gleamed.
'Next, I need to collect as much Demon Beast Essence Blood as possible.'
'Right, Spirit Stones!'
He immediately began to search, rummaging through his house and his own pockets based on memory, finally turning up two crystal-clear, pale-red Spirit Stones.
This was his entire savings from the past ten years.
Not long ago, he had paid the annual rent of ten Spirit Stones for the D Level Cave Mansion he was now living in.
Add to that the cost of medicinal materials for practicing Alchemy, the resources needed for daily Cultivation, and the fixed expense over the years of replenishing his own Essence Blood…
His only income was the apprentice stipend from the Xu Family.
The fact that he still had two left could be considered a testament to his frugality!
'Just buying Fire Crow Essence Blood won't be enough. I have to find another way…'
Lin Changheng's gaze swept across his humble room, finally landing on the two black lumps on his desk. His eyes flickered as a plan began to form.
CREAK!
He stood up and pushed the window open. The night clouds had scattered, and the rain had stopped.
As the night breeze blew in, Lin Changheng suddenly realized that the heavy stone that had been weighing on his chest—
—had, at some unknown time, transformed into a handful of moonlight.
…
Early the next morning, Lin Changheng hurried out, heading for Xu's Pharmacy.
It had rained the previous night, and the bluestone pavement of the Marketplace was soaked through, glistening faintly like a copper mirror polished by the ages.
Drips from the eaves broke through the morning mist.
On both sides of the street, early-rising Loose Cultivators squatted beside their damp stalls, their shouts to hawk their wares a little more listless than usual.
They were all neighbors and knew each other fairly well, and several people immediately called out for Lin Changheng to take a look at their goods.
"Next time, next time!"
Lin Changheng glanced at the myriad of items on the stalls—Talisman Paper, Spirit Rice, Spirit Tea, books, and Jade Scrolls—waved his hand dismissively, and hurried away.
It wasn't that he didn't want those things; he was just broke. His remaining Spirit Stones had to be spent where they would count the most.
Cultivators were quite fast on their feet, and it didn't take him long to arrive at a two-story shop.
"Brother Lin."
"Brother Lin, you're here early today."
The juniors of the Xu Family who were doing odd jobs in the shop all smiled and greeted Lin Changheng.
"Yes, you're all early too."
Lin Changheng replied with a smile.
The classic scene of a ten-year apprentice being looked down upon, provoked, and belittled did not occur.
For one, it had to do with the upright principles of the Xu Family.
For another, Lin Changheng at least possessed a valuable skill. He was able to be an apprentice, whereas they, lacking the aptitude, could only handle menial tasks like cleaning the counters, selling Elixirs, and running errands. In their hearts, they were more envious of Lin Changheng than anything else.
He lifted the curtain and had just stepped into the alchemy courtyard in the back
when an old, teasing voice rang out,
"Changheng, did you blow up the furnace again last night?"