CRACK!
The tiny fracture across the dicinal pill widened slowly. Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed as the crack extended. Inside the cauldron, the compressed essence began trembling violently. The green dicinal sphere rotated faster and faster as unstable essence fluctuations leaked into the surroundings.
HISSSSS!!
The dicinal fragrance within the chamber suddenly beca chaotic. The nearby disciples instinctively stepped backward.
"Lin Yuan," Chen Ming muttered nervously.
Lin Yuan imdiately reduced the fla intensity, then increased it again. He was trying to stabilize the collapsing structure, but the instability had already spread through the entire pill. The compression balance was broken.
Dan Zhenren silently observed from the center of the hall, his expression remained calm and gentle, but his eyes were sharp and focused.
Lin Yuan’s beast essence slowly flowed toward the pill again, trying to heal the fracture carefully.
For a brief second the crack stabilized, but it is for a second—
BOOOOM!!
The dicinal sphere exploded vehently inside the cauldron. Thick smoke and green essence burst outward, forming a cloud greenish-smoke. Lin Yuan calmly stepped backward before the smoke reached him. The entire hall beca silent. Chen Ming froze, petrified.
’Failure,’ Lin Yuan stared quietly at the ruined cauldron.
His first pill refinent attempt failed, because the structure rejected excessive interference during the final phase. Lin Yuan’s mind instantly began analyzing the reason.
’The pressure synchronization timing was late, it is very slight, but enough to destroy the entire structure.’ Lin Yuan thought, clicking his tongue.
Around the chamber, the remaining disciples continued struggling desperately. Yun He’s dicinal pill trembled in her cauldron while sweat crawled down her forehead. Lian Nichang gritted his teeth while carefully maintaining compression. Ying Yue looked increasingly frustrated as her flas beca unstable once again. Gu Shiyan remained calm, devoid of any emotion, his movents were cold and steady, but even his sphere showed faint signs of instability.
Dan Zhenren slowly folded his arms. The room temperature itself felt heavier now.
BOOM!!
Another explosion echoed across the hall. Ying Yue failed again. And a bit later, Yun He’s dicinal pill collapsed into burnt residue. Then, Lian Nichang’s structure destabilized halfway through compression.
BOOM!
One after another every disciple’s pill exploded due to instability, the disciples began failing consecutively. The entire hall slowly filled with smoke and scorched dicinal fragrance. Even Gu Shiyan’s expression finally changed slightly.
CRACK!!
A fracture appeared across his dicinal pill too. He imdiately tried to stabilize the pill, but the compressed essence had already beco chaotic enough to burst.
BOOM!!
His cauldron also exploded expeditiously. Every disciple had failed the second alchemy trial. Dan Zhenren slowly swept his gaze across the ruined cauldrons, his expression darkening gradually. The Fla Panther aura behind him opened its burning eyes sluggishly. A heavy pressure spread across the refinent hall. All the disciples lowered their heads imdiately.
"Pathetic," Dan Zhenren slowly walked between the destroyed cauldrons. The sound of his footsteps echoed heavily throughout the hall, then he stopped. "Everyone failed!"
Dan Zhenren’s calm voice echoed across the chamber like cold water. But, nobody dared to respond. Dan Zhenren suddenly kicked one of the ruined cauldrons, a loud clatter echoed across the hall. The bronze furnace crashed, splattering across the floor.
"You people understand nothing." Dan Zhenren’s eyes slowly swept across them. The disciples quietly lowered their heads further. "You believe alchemy is fla control. No!! You believe alchemy is essence manipulation. No! Alchemy ans understanding reaction."
His beast aura leaked faintly into the room. The chamber beca silent again.
"You," Dan Zhenren pointed toward the ruined dicinal pill residue inside Lin Yuan’s cauldron. Lin Yuan calmly raised his head. "You stabilized the pill too much."
Lin Yuan’s eyes flicked once.
"You interfered with the structure again and again during final compression," Dan Zhenren continued coldly. "The pill was already stabilizing itself. You disrupted natural synchronization."
Lin Yuan remained silent, but he imdiately understood. ’Too much correction becos interference. Exactly like unstable magical structures in Noir’s previous world.’
"You hesitated during compression." Dan Zhenren then turned toward Yun He. "The mont fear enters refinent, the instability follows."
Yun He quietly clenched her fists.
"You forced beast essence aggressively," Dan Zhenren glanced toward Ying Yue next. "Trying to dominate the structure which is not refinent, It is stupidity."
"Compression does not an force." Dan Zhenren continued walking, his robes fluttering against the deliberate wind. "It ans balance. Pill refinent is a living thing. The ingredients, beast essence and the fla react naturally."
He suddenly stopped walking again. Then looked toward the entire chamber sharply. "Your role is rely guiding them."
The hall was filled with an eerie silence instantly. The disciples finally began understanding the difference. Potion refinent tolerated imperfection, but pill refinent should need perfection.
Dan Zhenren slowly exhaled. Then, unexpectedly his gaze landed on four disciples.
"Gu Shiyan, Lin Yuan, Yun He, Chen Ming." The four disciples imdiately raised their heads. "You four."
"Repeat the refinent." Dan Zhenren narrowed his eyes slightly.
The other disciples widened their eyes instantly. ’A second attempt?’ Murmurs followed across the hall.
"??" Chen Ming flabbergasted, his eyes widening.
"You stabilized fastest after panic." Dan Zhenren whispered calmly, his eyes flickered with intensity. "Your control is poor, but your adaptation is acceptable."
Chen Ming imdiately straightened his posture proudly. Dan Zhenren ignored the reactions entirely. With a flick of his hand new ingredients floated before the four disciples. Fresh spirit herbs, beast core powder, crimson Heat Flowers, and another empty jade bottle.
"The rest of you." Dan Zhenren’s cold voice echoed through the hall. "Observe silently."
The atmosphere instantly beca tense again. Lin Yuan slowly stood before the cauldron once more. This ti, his eyes were calr, and Lin Yuan’s mories continuously replayed the failed structure collapse. The mistake was obvious now. He treated instability as an enemy, but controlled instability itself was part of the reaction.
"Begin!" Dan Zhenren’s voice bead once again.
WHOOSH!!
The flas reignited beneath the four cauldrons simultaneously. Gu Shiyan moved first, his movents remained cold and efficient. Yun He carefully began reducing her fla intensity compared to earlier. Chen Ming looked like he was trying not to explode ntally from nervousness.
Lin Yuan calmly crushed the Green Spirit Herb again. This ti he observed longer. The dicinal liquid slowly ford naturally. He did not interfere imdiately; he just simply watched. anwhile, Gu Shiyan had already reached the beast core integration stage smoothly.
The surrounding disciples quietly murmured.
"He’s fast..."
"Too stable..."
"His control is insane..."
Gu Shiyan ignored the surroundings entirely, his expression remained emotionless. The dicinal sphere inside his cauldron rotated smoothly without visible instability.
Dan Zhenren quietly observed him, then glanced toward Lin Yuan briefly. Lin Yuan remained slower than before, but calr. anwhile, Chen Ming nearly failed imdiately again.
"AHH—" Chen Ming scoffed, his eyes frowned. "Too much heat!"
"Reduce the lower fla," Lin Yuan calmly said without even turning.
Chen Ming hurriedly adjusted the fire. The structure stabilized barely. Yun He slowly reached the compression phase deliberately. Thin beads of sweat crawled down her forehead continuously. The pressure inside the chamber beca increasingly heavy.
After a few minutes, Gu Shiyan began final compression. The dicinal sphere inside his cauldron swirled faster and faster. The concentrated dicinal fragrance spread outward instantly. The surrounding disciples widened their eyes.
’Stable... Very stable.’ Dan Zhenren’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Gu Shiyan calmly reduced fla intensity by a tiny margin, then allowed the structure to settle naturally. The dicinal sphere slowly condensed completely. A faint blue-green glow erged from within the cauldron, then the pill stabilized. Gu Shiyan slowly extended his hand and lifted the dicinal pill from the cauldron calmly. The surrounding disciples imdiately beca a cacophony of murmurs.
"He succeeded!"
"A stabilization pill!"
"Damn..."
The pill emitted smooth dicinal fragrance while faint green patterns flowed across its surface.
"Eighty-seven percent purity," Dan Zhenren slowly nodded once.
The remaining disciples inhaled sharply. That level was already extrely high for beginner disciples. Gu Shiyan calmly placed the pill into the jade bottle, his expression never changed.
Dan Zhenren darted his eyes calmly. The shimring Blue Essence Fruit slowly floated toward Gu Shiyan. "You win."
The blue fruit landed within Gu Shiyan’s hand calmly. A collective of envious gaze crept through Gu Shiyan’s spine. Chen Ming sighed dramatically.
"We’re finished..." Lin Yuan quietly stared at his own dicinal sphere. It was still unstable, but not stabilizing fully either. "I lost!"
Gu Shiyan won this trial, not because Gu Shiyan possessed a better understanding, but because Gu Shiyan trusted the structure earlier.
But, Lin Yuan still analyzed too much. Lin Yuan’s previous life habits from magic experintation remained rooted within him. Magic required domination. Alchemy required guidance. The difference was subtle, but fatal. The dicinal sphere inside Lin Yuan’s cauldron slowly rotated while tiny cracks appeared once again.
This ti, Lin Yuan did not interfere imdiately. He simply observed. Allowing the structure to stabilize itself. The surrounding essence slowly cald, and the dicinal sphere continued its unstable rotation inside the bronze cauldron while Lin Yuan silently stared at the sphere with ticulous concentration.
"Tsk... Co on..." Lin Yuan whispered, clicking his tongue in anger.
A pale-green shimr erged from within the cauldron, then the pill stabilized. But he was late. Gu Shiyan already won the trial.
"Ninety percent... Magnificient... Lin Yuan," Dan Zhenren appreciated, strolling toward him. "But you are a bit late... Better luck next ti, Lin Yuan."
"Hahaha... its fine, master," Lin Yuan sneered, his eyes gleaming with a faint green glow from the cauldron. "I just wanted to learn it. Winning doesn’t matter. No one can win again and again, a person should learn to lose... Then one can understand life more ticulously, master."
Dan Zhenren stared at Lin Yuan’s calm, smiling face. "Okay! Today’s alchemy class is concluded. You may all return to the city. The academy will be closed for the next two days because there is an auction at the Thousand Lantern Auction House in the Green Hollow district. We need to claim so rare resources needed for the academy."
User Comments
0 comments from readers