Liam instinctively removed his hand from the flame, which soon went out without his Qi fueling it. The log even crumbled into burnt dust, but neither Liam nor the Apothecary Elder noticed that since their gazes were on the ceiling.
'How does this keep happening?' Liam thought. 'Should I even be surprised anymore?'
The goo that had slammed on the ceiling kept sizzling for a few seconds before stretching down, revealing its slimy properties until it couldn't remain attached to the rocks anymore.
The Elder moved quickly, pushing the cauldron away so that the goo could crash on the uneven floor. He even put his arm in front of Liam to protect him from eventual splashed drops, but nothing of the sort happened.
When the dark goo settled on the floor, Liam could get a better sniff of its terrible smell. It looked like the unhealthiest substance in the world, but that didn't stop the Elder from scooping it into a flask he had drawn from his robe.
The Elder eventually raised the flask toward the brazier on the ceiling, highlighting the faint green streaks in the otherwise completely black goo. Still, he quickly sealed the item before storing it inside his robe.
"Apothecary Elder, was that what was supposed to happen?" Liam asked, hoping that his blood or Qi might have done something right for once.
"Any result is a good result in this case," The Elder threw a cryptic response, smiling at Liam reassuringly.
"Huh?" Liam exclaimed. "So, did I do alchemy?"
The Elder didn't reply immediately this time, dwelling in his smile to choose his words carefully.
"I believe this matter must be brought to the Alchemy Elder," The Apothecary Elder eventually said. "He will know what to do."
"Isn't the Alchemy Elder in seclusion?" Liam recalled.
"He is," The Elder confirmed. "Hopefully, he will come out soon."
Liam smelled that something was off. The Apothecary Elder looked gentle, but his agreeability reminded Liam of the politeness everyone had begun to show him after the test.
"Does it mean I won't do alchemy until the Alchemy Elder comes out?" Liam asked instead of trying to probe the truth out of the Apothecary Elder.
It wasn't that Liam was eager to start studying. Truth be told, he was still partial about the idea of becoming an alchemist, and what he had just seen didn't do much to change his mind.
However, Liam didn't want to forget about his core. The circulation technique was definitely exciting, giving him access to the true strength of a cultivator, but his foundation was more important since everything stemmed from there.
Liam wanted to actually cultivate, and he needed poison to do that, which meant delving into whatever that alchemy was.
Besides, the more Liam learned about the cultivation world, the more he realized how little he knew about it, and studying alchemy could act as a temporary solution for that problem.
"I know you must be eager," The Apothecary Elder answered. "I see it in your eyes. You must have trained hard to learn to summon Qi in just a week."
Liam nodded. He felt he had done nothing special, especially not compared to the torturous training the Divine Cult had put him through, but he had still focused solely on the circulation technique in those days.
"However, you should also give yourself the time to rest," The Elder continued. "Pacing ourselves is key in avoiding Qi deviation and other issues that strenuous training can cause."
"So, I shouldn't work too hard?" Liam wondered. Despite some exhaustion, he felt fine, but the warning came from an Elder, giving it great value.
"Cores are powerful but fragile things," The Elder explained. "Your talent grants you great resilience, but abusing it can lead to ruin."
Liam knew what the Elder was talking about. After all, of the ten kids who had undergone the Divine Cult's training, only five had survived, and more could have died if Liam hadn't killed the jailer.
At the same time, Liam's survival in that torturous training made him believe that he wasn't as brittle as the Elder thought.
'Am I unique due to my bloodline?' Liam considered. 'Did the Divine Cult mess up with my mind more than I realize?'
Before Liam could decide what to blame for his current state, the Elder voiced a suggestion. "Why don't you accept a mission in the meantime? It might provide a much-needed break where you can test the results of your training."
Liam's tired eyes lit up at that suggestion. Isolated training was bringing results, but they were only effective if he could use them in real-life situations, and a mission could provide the opportunity to test that.
"Can I?" Liam asked, excited. "Can I take missions?"
"Of course," The Elder chuckled. "The Sect will issue the new mission board tomorrow, so you can even rest today."
Liam didn't hesitate to stand up, ready to return to his cave and prepare, only to remember to abide by the Sect's customs.
"Apothecary Elder, thank you for today!" Liam exclaimed, cupping his fist, before finally running away.
Meanwhile, the Elder watched the door to that rocky chamber close before his hand slipped inside his robe, retrieving the flask while his smile disappeared.
The Elder unsealed the flask, bringing it to his nose, only to immediately retract his head and close it again. Whatever Liam had concocted, it was dangerous.
"How can such deep affinity to poison exist in this world?" The Elder muttered to himself, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that only the Alchemy Elder could understand how to tackle the issue.
As for Liam, a far more crowded scene welcomed his return to the plateau. Many disciples had left their caves during his short absence, and all of them stopped whatever they were doing at his arrival to greet him.
Of course, it never crossed Liam's mind that those disciples had come out just to get the chance to greet him, but his thoughts were already elsewhere. The annoying series of salutes delayed him, but he eventually returned to his cave and closed himself inside.
'The Elder said that rest is important,' Liam thought while hurrying to his pouch to retrieve something, 'But strength is more important.'
The square container quickly ended up in Liam's hands, and his gaze grew colder as he looked at it. That tiny item was an undeniable reminder of the experience that had broken him. Yet, he needed it until alchemy became an option.
So, Liam drew some of the transparent drug and smeared it on his face, appreciating the warmth that spread from it and the rejuvenating feeling that it created inside his body.
Then, Liam lay down, finally taking the nap he had been planning since Kyle had interrupted him, lulled by the eagerness that the idea of joining a Sect's mission brought.