The arrival of Azure Dragon, the scruffy stray Li Wei had dubbed his spirit beast, brought a new rhythm to his life in the hidden valley. The dog's presence, with its limping gait and eager appetite, grounded him, offering companionship amidst the solitude of his cultivation. Yet, the scroll's relentless call for progress pushed Li Wei to explore its deeper mysteries. The warmth in his dantian, now a steady pulse thanks to the valley's vibrant energy, urged him to take the next step. The scroll's latest passage spoke of "alchemy of the spirit," a practice to refine qi through elixirs and potions crafted from nature's essence. Inspired by Zhang Wei's enthusiasm for alchemy in the Order of the Jade Dawn, Li Wei decided to try his hand at creating a potion to amplify his cultivation.
The valley, with its lush flora and shimmering pool, seemed a perfect alchemical laboratory. The scroll described "elixirs of heaven's dew" made from rare herbs and imbued with qi, capable of purifying the body and enhancing spiritual power. Li Wei's supply of "Spirit Root Herbs" was nearly depleted, their silvery leaves wilted from overuse, but the valley teemed with other plants—ferns with glowing tips, berries that pulsed with faint light, and roots that smelled of earth and something sweeter. He spent the morning foraging, Azure Dragon limping at his side, sniffing curiously at each find. Li Wei's notebook filled with sketches and descriptions: "Golden Fern—radiates warmth, possible qi source. Moon Berries—glow at night, sweet but bitter aftertaste."
Back at his altar, Li Wei set up a makeshift alchemical station. He lacked the cauldrons and furnaces of legend, so he used a battered tin pot scavenged from a hiker's discarded trash, balanced over his campfire. The scroll's instructions were poetic but vague: "Blend the essence of earth with the breath of heaven, heat until the spirit awakens." Li Wei interpreted this as boiling his foraged ingredients with water from the valley's pool, which he believed was infused with spiritual energy. He crushed the golden ferns and moon berries with a rock, adding their juices to the pot, along with a few slivers of a gnarled root he'd dubbed "Dragon Vein" for its twisted, earthy scent. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as if skeptical of his master's experiment.
As the mixture simmered, a pungent odor filled the clearing, a mix of burnt grass and sour fruit that made Li Wei's eyes water. He stirred it with a stick, chanting the scroll's incantations to "infuse the elixir with qi." The warmth in his dantian stirred, and he visualized it flowing through his hands into the pot, imagining the liquid glowing with spiritual power. The potion bubbled, turning a murky green with flecks of silver that he swore sparkled like stars. After an hour, convinced it was ready, Li Wei poured the concoction into a cracked cup, its steam rising in eerie curls. The scroll warned of "testing the elixir's truth," but Li Wei, buoyed by his past successes, was eager to try.
He hesitated only a moment, the foul smell wrinkling his nose, before downing the potion in one gulp. The taste was vile, a bitter, metallic tang that burned his throat and made his stomach lurch. Azure Dragon whined, backing away as Li Wei coughed, his vision swimming. For a moment, nothing happened, and doubt crept in—had he misread the scroll again? Then, a wave of heat surged through him, not the gentle warmth of his qi but a chaotic, overwhelming fire. His head spun, colors bursting behind his eyes—vivid greens, blues, and golds, swirling like a cosmic storm. He staggered to his knees, clutching the jade slip, and saw visions: himself soaring through clouds, the ancient tree in the valley glowing like a beacon, its blossoms spiraling into the sky.
The visions were exhilarating, but the physical toll was immediate. His stomach churned violently, and he stumbled to the pool, retching into its crystal waters. His body trembled, sweat soaking his tattered shirt, and a feverish haze clouded his mind. The scroll had mentioned "trials of the elixir," but this felt like poisoning. Azure Dragon nudged his arm, whining softly, as Li Wei lay by the pool, gasping for breath. The warmth in his dantian flickered erratically, as if struggling to process the potion's chaotic energy. Had he succeeded, or had he pushed too far?
Hours later, as the fever subsided, Li Wei felt a strange clarity. The warmth in his core stabilized, stronger than before, though his body ached as if he'd run a marathon. He scribbled in his notebook: "First elixir brewed. Visions of ascension, but body rejected essence. Qi refined, but at a cost." He shared the experience with the Order of the Jade Dawn during their next video call, his voice hoarse but excited. Zhang Wei, the alchemist, was thrilled, bombarding him with questions about the recipe and offering to send his own herbal notes. Liu Mei, ever cautious, urged him to cleanse his system with plain water and rest. "The body is the vessel," she said. "Don't break it."
Under the valley's starry sky, Li Wei sat by his altar, the jade slip in his hands, Azure Dragon curled at his feet. The potion had been a risk, its visions possibly just hallucinations, but the strengthened qi in his dantian felt real. The scroll promised that alchemy was a path to immortality, fraught with danger but rich with reward. Li Wei, chastened but unbowed, vowed to refine his technique, to brew a purer elixir next time. With the valley's bounty and his sect's support, he would master the art of alchemy, one perilous sip at a time.