Sigh… Sitting behind the counter, Xiao Yan watched Ye Lingyu concoct yet another batch of potent poison from ordinary healing herbs. He couldn't help but fall into deep contemplation. At this point, he wasn't even sure whether he should praise this girl for being talented or scold her for having no talent at all.
If he said she had talent, she couldn't even make a basic Coagulation Powder. But if he said she had none, she could somehow transform low-grade medicinal herbs into extremely toxic substances. At one point, Xiao Yan even began to suspect that this girl might also possess the Woeful Poison Body. He had secretly observed her while she bathed just to confirm it—but there was no sign of the body constitution on her. That meant this so-called "talent" was purely natural.
"Xiao Yao, what do you think I should do to properly train this girl?" Xiao Yan asked helplessly. As a Dou Sheng, he couldn't even teach a mere alchemy apprentice effectively. It was becoming frustrating, and he was already considering whether to bring her back to Starfall Pavilion and have Yao Lao teach her instead.
"Master… don't you think you're a little too concerned about this little girl?" Xiao Yao hesitated before speaking.
"Am I?" Xiao Yan paused, confused.
"I mean, come on. Since when have you ever gone shopping so earnestly without trying to squeeze out some hidden benefit?" Xiao Yao waved her hand in exasperation. "And the Master I know would never waste this much time on something with no obvious payoff."
"…"
"Besides," she added, "her problem isn't about talent at all. If it were, it'd be easy to fix. With your abilities, you could solve it ten different ways. The truth is, she's got plenty of talent—she just doesn't want to learn."
"Didn't you notice? Every time she's brewing a potion, her eyes are wandering. She's clearly not focused. Without concentration, how can she succeed in alchemy? If it were me teaching her, I'd have slapped her awake already."
"You're not wrong…" Xiao Yan sighed. It was true—his concern for her stemmed from his past life. Otherwise, with his current status and strength, he would've never taken a disciple with such lazy habits, not when there were far more talented options out there.
"Forget it. Let's stop worrying about her. Xiao Yao, the Life Spirit Flame's aura on us should be thick enough by now, right?"
"It was more than enough days ago." Xiao Yao rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You were busy coddling your precious little disciple. I didn't want to ruin your romantic mood." Her tone was so thick with sarcasm that Xiao Yan nearly snapped. Still, she wasn't wrong—he had gotten a bit too invested. So he let it go. "Alright then. Let's go."
"Finally! I've been craving that flame for a while now," Xiao Yao said excitedly, rubbing her tiny hands together.
Xiao Yan glanced back at Ye Lingyu, who was still fussing with herbs in the shop. He sighed, a bit exasperated by her wasted potential, and told her he was heading to the medicine field to gather ingredients. Then he left.
Once he arrived at the back field behind the shop, Xiao Yao appeared beside him. She hovered over the area, closed her eyes, and took a moment to sense carefully. Then she pointed to a specific patch of earth.
"It's over there."
Xiao Yan nodded and clenched his palm slightly, silently sealing the space around them to avoid letting any spiritual energy leak out once the flame was released. With the area locked down, he tiptoed over to the indicated patch and gently parted the soil. Beneath it lay a root that looked exactly like an ordinary ginseng.
"So this is the Life Spirit Flame?" Xiao Yan muttered as he carefully pulled up the root. There was no heat coming from the herb, but the rich vitality it radiated was unmistakable. That, more than anything, confirmed for him that this seemingly ordinary ginseng was actually the fifth-ranked Heavenly Flame—Life Spirit Flame.
This flame might not excel in raw combat power, but for any alchemist, it was a dream come true. With the Life Spirit Flame, one would no longer need to painstakingly search for rare herbs. As long as they had a root or seed, the flame could rapidly grow and mature it.
More importantly, it possessed a property that could tempt even the most stoic of cultivators—its life essence. If one successfully refined the flame, it would greatly extend their lifespan, placing them on par with ancient magical beasts known for longevity. In addition, its vitality-enhancing effects would allow its wielder to recover from injuries at an astonishing rate. It was no surprise it had earned the nickname "Flame of Longevity."
Even though he hadn't refined it yet, just touching the flame was enough to make Xiao Yan feel completely rejuvenated. If he managed to fully refine the Life Spirit Flame and combine its properties with the Three Thousand Burning Flame, it might become nearly impossible to kill him. Combat power was secondary—he already had plenty of flames suited for that.
As his soul power flowed into the ginseng, its form began to warp until it morphed into a shimmering, liquid-like green flame. Xiao Yan opened his mouth and swallowed it whole, allowing it to settle inside his body.
Of course, that didn't mean it was refined yet. Being the fifth-ranked Heavenly Flame, refining it would take time. For now, he simply sealed it within his body and left a soul imprint on it. Once his affairs in Ye City were wrapped up, he would begin the refining process in earnest.
Sigh… This is probably the last unclaimed Heavenly Flame I'll find before the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame appears, Xiao Yan mused. That particular flame wouldn't emerge for another decade or so. Who knew what would change by then? Perhaps he'd find a way to access the Heavenly Flame Realm early...
"Teacher! I did it!" a loud shout snapped him back to reality.
Turning around, he saw Ye Lingyu running toward him with her usual excitement, hugging her scorched alchemy cauldron like it was a precious treasure. Xiao Yan lowered his gaze to the dark, foul-smelling liquid inside. One whiff told him it was even more toxic than her previous failed brews.
'This won't do… At this rate, she's going to become a grandmaster of poison-making instead of alchemy. If I want to set her back on the right path, I'll need to take drastic measures…'
(End of Chapter)
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