In a small room inside the dormitory, a faint smell of burnt herbs lingered in the air. Bai Tian stood upright in front of his alchemy furnace, his face full of determination.Today was the first day Bai Tian truly embarked on the path of alchemy.
Although he had tried making pills before, the results were almost worthless—like a drop of water, not worthy to be called a pill.
"After more than a month of practice… this is the moment."
He took a piece of Spirit Stone from his pocket and threw it into the furnace. Instantly, the spiritual flame roared with crackling sounds, illuminating the dim room.
With trained movements, Bai Tian opened the furnace lid. The essence of various herbs immediately poured in: Spirit Grass, Sun Spirit Fruit, Frost Hundred Herbs Dew…
The fire raged, the temperature soared. Bai Tian channeled external spiritual energy to control the furnace, trying to maintain the stability of the flame. His hands trembled slightly, but he forced himself to stay focused.
As all the ingredients mixed, he began applying the Pill Formation Technique he had just learned. Yet his control wavered. The fire in the furnace became unstable, fluctuating wildly.
The medicinal liquid in the furnace decomposed into specks of light, spinning as if about to merge into a pill core. Bai Tian watched with a racing heart.
"Maybe… I've succeeded!"
But in the next instant—
BOOOM!!!
The explosion shook the room. The spiritual fire burst in all directions, walls trembled, and dust filled the air. The alchemy furnace shook violently, almost collapsing.
Bai Tian was thrown backward, his face and clothes smeared with soot. He stared at the still-smoking furnace, his eyes wide with shock, then gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Impossible! How could I fail so spectacularly that the furnace explodes?!"
The explosion wasn't huge, yet it left Bai Tian's face covered in ash, and his hair disheveled.
"Ugh…", he sighed and relit the furnace, which now emitted only a thin wisp of smoke.
He waited patiently. For half a day, he repeated the process. Eventually, he realized his mistake: at the final stage of pill creation, his control faltered. He was too hasty, causing the medicinal energy and fire to surge, and the furnace could not withstand the pressure.
Just as he was about to figure out how to improve himself, his thoughts were jolted.
"Wait! The furnace!"
He dashed to the alchemy furnace, panicked, and knelt to inspect its exterior.
"Furnace… no… please don't break."
His fingers traced the surface until he found a small crack at the base. His heart sank immediately.
In his memory, the words of the merchant who sold him the furnace echoed:
"Furnaces of this level can generally withstand only a dozen explosions. If you're not careful, don't blame me if it breaks."
The merchant had looked at him meaningfully. Now, Bai Tian truly understood that gaze.
"So it's true… the path of poverty. Those without talent, especially the impatient, will destroy countless furnaces."
He smiled bitterly.
"Do I really lack talent?"
However, giving up was not an option. With renewed determination, he relit the furnace. The spiritual flame flickered faintly, and he tried to control it cautiously.
Time passed for half an hour.
BOOM!
A second explosion occurred. Bai Tian coughed, slapped ash off his face, and thought,
"Damn… am I going to destroy the furnace?"
His eyes began to redden, yet he did not stop. He cleaned the room, removed the ash and debris, and started again.
Half an hour later—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three explosions in succession. The furnace even emitted a long crackling sound, as if it were screaming.
Over the next few hours, he had triggered eleven explosions.
Yet strangely, Bai Tian no longer panicked. He closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and sat cross-legged in front of the still-smoking furnace.
"Calm… don't panic."
He observed the remaining medicinal essence carefully. With caution, he tried to feel the medicinal and spiritual energy within. He pressed his palms against the furnace, examining every detail, even the tiny cracks.
"It turns out my mind was too chaotic from the start. I was only focused on wanting to make the pill quickly. But my mental state was unstable, leading to total failure."
He took a deep breath.
"In alchemy… the state of mind is far more important than technique."
He closed his eyes, recalling the entire process: lighting the fire… adding herbs… controlling the energy… uniting the essence… reorganizing…
At the final stage, Bai Tian focused all his attention.
Seconds passed. Finally—
"Succeeded!"
The essence finally formed. Bai Tian quickly retrieved the prepared jade bottle. The furnace lid opened automatically, and a tiny pill, the size of a bead, floated into the bottle.
He gazed at it for a long time, then smiled in satisfaction.
"Not bad… even if it's only a half-finished pill."
The pill emitted a faint spiritual glow, though its flaws were obvious.
"If I want to sell it, I must at least make a second-grade intermediate pill."
He recalled the number of Spirit Stones consumed to maintain the fire, so many that his chest ached.
"At this rate, I'm losing money."
However, after thinking, his eyes gleamed.
"If someday I can use my own spiritual energy to ignite the flame, wouldn't the cost be reduced? That would mean tremendous profit."
He stroked his chin, swallowing.
"Alright. Keep practicing first. Once I break through to the Essence Gathering Realm and become a Level Two Alchemist, then I can start a business."
Meanwhile, the nine other students in his class faced similar fates. They stared at the fragments of their furnaces, eyes filled with sorrow, as if their entire future had crumbled with the cracked metal.
Some even whispered mournfully,
"My furnace… all my tubes are gone…"
"Master, I destroyed more than one furnace."
"Master, I almost lost my life."
The next day, Bai Tian came to class with a face full of enthusiasm.
At the front, a middle-aged man stood with Shaniang. He was Sha Jingtian—the main teacher guiding them.
Once all students sat, Sha Jingtian slowly spoke,
"Did anyone manage to perfect a pill?"
Silence. No one dared answer. Bai Tian bowed his head, remaining humble. The other students looked sullen.
Sha Jingtian smiled faintly, as if recalling his youth.
"Terrifying, isn't it? Furnace explosions are a bitter first experience. As I expected, those who are too eager will end up destroying their furnaces."
He swept his gaze across the room.
"How does it feel… to be poor?"
Complaints emerged.
"Master, all my tubes are gone."
"Master, I destroyed more than one furnace."
"Master, I almost lost my life."
Sha Jingtian chuckled softly, then said:
"It's natural. Don't doubt yourselves. The path shown is harsh. An old saying goes: ten furnaces produce a pill, fifty furnaces form a pill, a hundred furnaces create an alchemist, a thousand furnaces produce a grandmaster."
"To become a basic alchemist, you must be able to make ten ungraded pills, and one first-grade intermediate pill. Only then are you considered worthy."
"If you have resources, you can practice slowly. If not… give up early. Without support, the path is merely a chasm of suffering."
He paused, looking at Bai Tian. There was a faint, unusual glint in his eyes.
"Enough. Now explain your mistakes in perfecting the pill."
All morning, the class was filled with explanations and reprimands. After everyone finished and the students dispersed, Sha Jingtian turned to his daughter.
"Shaniang, do you know that student?"
"He's an outer sect student, ordinary. Humble, unremarkable."
Sha Jingtian shook his head slightly.
"Observe him more. I sense something from him."
"Why?"
"Earlier when he entered class, I smelled traces of pills mixed with a burnt scent. Even if only half-finished, it's surprising. If my guess is correct… he might be a genius. And if so, you won't be alone anymore."
In alchemy, pills and potions are divided into nine levels, from first to ninth. Beyond these are two legendary levels rarely reached by humans: Earth Pill and Heaven Pill, symbols of an alchemist's ultimate skill. Each level of pill is further divided into low, medium, and high quality. The higher the level, the greater the risk and power contained. Pills from level eight upward are considered dangerous, often causing suffering known as the Regression Curse, a calamity that can destroy the body or soul of a failed alchemist.
Furthermore, high-level pills may form Pill Veins—thin lines resembling energy flows on the pill's surface. Each vein indicates a density and quality beyond ordinary pills. The more veins, the greater the potency and effectiveness. For example, a level-eight Healing Pill with two veins can heal wounds instantly, even twice as fast as a level-eight pill without veins. For this reason, high-level pills are always highly sought after by experts and warriors, though crafting them risks the life and soul of the alchemist.