Chapter 98: Progress
The black cauldron rumbled, releasing grey smoke that the cave quickly filtered away.
anwhile, Liam kept one hand on the burning log under the item, fueling the red fla with his Qi while his eyes were fixed on the black alloy, counting seconds, capturing every noise, sll, and heat it radiated.
Then, Liam released his true Qi, turning the alchemical fla and the cauldron’s smoke pitch-black, before slapping the item’s side to cause the sudden eruption of a dark cloud.
Liam kicked the burnt log away at that point, standing up to look inside the cauldron, uncaring of the dispersing cloud blowing on his face. He reached down, digging his fingers into the dark-brown layer at the item’s base, finding it a bit sticky.
Liam quickly drew the pipe from his robe and filled its bowl with that dark-brown powder, lighting it and inhaling from its bit, savoring every detail in the revitalizing sensation that spread inside him.
’Still not quite right,’ Liam concluded, blowing the dark smoke out. ’It’s strong, but tastes awful.’
Liam sat back down, crossing his legs while reviewing his concoction. He knew the alchemical fla wasn’t the issue, so that terrible taste had to co from sowhere else.
’Did I not account for the cauldron’s variables?’ Liam wondered. ’Or was it the ingredients? It’s probably both, right?’
The possible explanations could all be correct, and Liam only had one way of learning the truth. He had to concoct more to amass experience so that he could find answers by himself. Such was the current and eternal howork his Master had assigned him.
’Practice makes perfect,’ Liam repeated his Master’s words while standing up, reaching inside the cauldron again to scoop the poisonous power. ’And perfection is mandatory.’
Liam stored the powder in a wooden case he had prepared earlier before standing up, bringing it to one of the cave’s walls to place it on the shelves there.
The cave’s clutter had vanished during that mandatory seclusion, replaced by a series of shelves featuring a decent variety of items. Neatly arranged books, scrolls, logs, and containers filled them, almost ready to demand more space.
One of those containers even caught Liam’s attention due to its empty state, prompting a curse inside his mind. ’Did I run out again? How long has it even been?’
That forced seclusion had long since made Liam lose track of the passage of ti. He didn’t even know what day it was, especially since he did nothing but study and concoct. His Master always visited him at night, but he had also stopped counting how many lessons he had gone through.
’Inventory,’ Liam sighed internally, checking the other containers to review his remaining ingredients, drawing the cave’s tablet from his robe next.
’I need three batches of Fever Flowers’ petals left to wither for at least a week,’ Liam thought, sending Qi into the tablet to convey that request, ’And a flask of Plague Fruit’s juice. Filtered, no masses.’
Liam stored the tablet back into his robe, completely used to the function that had once been a shocking discovery. The item could work as a communication device, sending ssages to the Sect’s Halls, sothing he had found out later than he was willing to admit.
Yet, shaful event aside, Liam had to admit that everything was going well. He was still stuck in his cave, but his knowledge had grown by leaps and bounds, and he had finally beco a proper alchemist, albeit only at the level of an apprentice.
’What should I concoct before Master cos?’ Liam considered, glancing at his containers. ’More cloud pills? Will the Botanical Hall deny my request this ti?’
A Master’s guidance wasn’t everything. It could even risk hindering an apprentice’s progress. That was why Liam’s current task was to concoct nonstop on his own and review it in his lessons, but the practice had a steep price.
Grooming alchemists was no cheap endeavor. Each alchemical ingredient was precious, with high-ranking concoctions demanding increasingly expensive ones.
Normally, that was a lucrative investnt since the alchemical concoctions had far greater value than the sum of their ingredients. Still, Liam was only brewing for himself currently, aning that the Sect was operating at a loss.
Of course, Sects usually compensated for that by demanding contribution points in exchange for alchemical ingredients, which disciples could only earn by performing beneficial missions.
Yet, Liam was stuck in his cave, and his talent granted him a privileged status. He was also the Alchemy Elder’s personal disciple, so he had been able to get ingredients freely. Still, complaints had arisen once his number and variety of daily concoctions had increased.
’Maybe I should focus on the Alchemical Hall’s missions,’ Liam considered. ’Once I get good enough to receive Master’s approval, I can earn contribution points steadily by completing those concoctions.’
That sounded like a good plan, but Liam’s reasoning went even further. The Pale Moon Sect was an isolated system with unique sets of rules, but the real world didn’t work like that, and he would have to venture there at so point.
’How can I even earn spirit stones while I’m in the Sect?’ Liam wondered, thinking about the currency he had read cultivators used. ’Being an alchemist isn’t worth much if I can’t afford ingredients.’
Naturally, those were distant plans. Instead, Liam had a more imdiate goal. His gradually improving skills had a aningful milestone in sight. He had to beco a better alchemist so that he could concoct a poison to overco his bottleneck and enter the rooting stage.
’Rooting expert,’ Liam thought, eager to climb to the next level of his cultivation journey, a step that was finally in sight. He wasn’t there yet, but he saw the path as clear as day now.
Liam followed that eagerness and went to wash himself in his bath. All kinds of variables could affect concoctions, including the dark cloud’s leftovers that might have stuck to his body, so he had to be perfectly clean before approaching his loaned cauldron again.
Yet, sothing happened during the bath, sothing Liam hadn’t heard in a long ti. Loud knocks resounded from the entrance, as well as a familiar voice.
"Junior Brother, the three months are up!" Joel shouted from the other side of the circular boulder.
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