Chapter 199 Alchemy
Xiao Ling waved his hand lightly, and the storage ring that Hai Bodong had placed on the table earlier fell easily into his palm.
He slightly released a wisp of soul power and carefully examined the ring.
Xiao Ling discovered that this storage ring not only contained the precious medicinal materials needed for three Huangji Pills, but also several other rare medicinal materials, which were obviously extra rewards given by Hai Bodong.
Although Xiao Ling did not explicitly mention the reward, the Mittel family took the initiative to prepare this gift, apparently with the intention of establishing a good relationship with Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling didn't say much about this unexpected gift, but just accepted it calmly.
After all, this is someone else's good intention. If you refuse, it would be too rude and even embarrassing.
Seeing Xiao Ling taking the ring, Hai Bodong was completely relieved.
After putting the ring in his arms, Xiao Ling nodded slightly and invited Hai Bodong: "Mr. Hai, please follow me. I will start refining the Imperial Pill for you immediately. You just need to watch from the side. The whole process will not take too much time."
Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong showed an expectant smile on his face, and he responded loudly: "That's great. I also want to see the style of "the first alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire" and see how you perform the art of alchemy."
"Okay, then follow me." Then, Xiao Ling stood up first and walked calmly towards the alchemy room deep in the courtyard.
Seeing Xiao Ling stand up, Hai Bodong followed closely behind him, with a barely perceptible eagerness in his steps.
Hai Bodong and Xiao Ling walked slowly side by side on the quiet courtyard path. The flowers and plants around them swayed gently in the breeze, accompanying their relaxed conversation.
Along the way, members of the Xiao family occasionally met Xiao Ling and Hai Bodong walking side by side. They all stopped and saluted respectfully to the two.
However, they all showed great manners, and no one stepped forward to disturb them, but only expressed their respect from a distance.
As a frequent visitor to the Xiao family, Hai Bodong was already familiar with many of the Xiao family members. They were not surprised by Hai Bodong's arrival, but instead showed a cordial and welcoming attitude.
Xiao Ling and Hai Bodong didn't put on airs and nodded slightly in response.
Suddenly, Hai Bodong brought up a topic of interest: "Master Xiao Ling, have you heard anything? Jia Xingtian of the royal family took the Po Zong Dan you personally refined, but failed to break through to the Dou Zong realm as he wished."
After hearing this, Xiao Ling's eyebrows flashed with surprise. It was obvious that he was not aware of this matter: "I have indeed never heard of this matter. It was beyond my expectation that Jia Lao failed to break through."
Hai Bodong smiled and added: "Haha, I thought Jia Xingtian would be the first one among us to break through to the Dou Zong realm, but unexpectedly, he failed to do so. Fortunately, he had the Dou Zong Dan you refined as a guarantee. Although he failed to break through, his strength was not damaged. It can be regarded as a blessing in disguise."
Xiao Ling just smiled faintly and didn't make any response. The Po Zong Dan that he had traded to the royal family before was definitely of top quality. The fact that Xing Tian failed to successfully break through to the Dou Zong level after taking it could only be due to his own reasons.
As they walked forward, Hai Bodong's curiosity gradually emerged. He turned to Xiao Ling with a questioning tone.
"Master Xiao Ling, forgive me for being so presumptuous, but I wonder what level of cultivation you have reached now? When I am next to you, I can hardly sense any fluctuations in your aura. Even when facing Jia Xingtian, who is at the peak of Dou Huang, I can still sense it."
Hearing Hai Bodong's question, Xiao Ling smiled faintly, without hiding his intention of cultivation, and answered calmly,
"I returned to Canaan College this time and got some opportunities. In addition, the college prepared some rare treasures for me. Fortunately, I was able to break through to the Dou Zong realm."
Hearing Xiao Ling say that he had reached Dou Zong, Hai Bodong immediately performed a wave of traditional arts from Dou Qi Continent and took a deep breath, "Master Xiao Ling, you are truly a natural talent. You have reached such a realm at such a young age. It is truly admirable."
At that time, Xiao Ling had just left Canaan Academy and returned to the Gama Empire. He was only a four-star Dou Wang.
However, time flies, and more than two years passed in a flash. His strength surprisingly leapt across two major realms and he became a Dou Zong.
If such a leap had not come from Xiao Ling's mouth, Hai Bodong would never believe it even if he was beaten to death.
In his opinion, such a speed of cultivation was simply a fantasy and unbelievable.
Facing Hai Bodong's praise, Xiao Ling just smiled calmly, his expression still as calm as water. For Xiao Ling, such praise has been common since childhood, and he has long been unperturbed by it.
The two talked as they walked, passing through winding corridors, bypassing several quiet courtyards, and finally came to an extremely elegantly decorated alchemy room.
In the room, all kinds of alchemy tools are available, each of which looks exquisite and professional, demonstrating Xiao Ling's ultimate pursuit of alchemy.
Xiao Ling gently pushed open the door, and a faint scent of medicine wafted in his face, which made people feel refreshed.
He turned around and made a gesture to Hai Bodong, indicating that he could come in.
Hai Bodong stepped in. Every tool he looked at was neatly arranged and every medicinal ingredient exuded the fragrance of herbs.
He looked around the alchemy room and was finally attracted by an object by the window.
It was a mysterious green bottle, standing quietly on the windowsill, illuminated by both sunlight during the day and moonlight at night.
The bottle was small and exquisite, emitting a soft green light. Even from dozens of meters away, the light was still clearly visible, as if the bottle contained some mysterious power.
The neck of the bottle is slender and elegant, and the body of the bottle is covered with delicate dark green leaf patterns. Every stroke reveals the craftsman's ingenuity.
Xiao Ling noticed that Hai Bodong's eyes were attracted by the Palm of Heaven Bottle. He smiled slightly and said nonsense: "The bottle contains some spiritual liquid that helps the growth of medicinal herbs. As an alchemist, sometimes you also need to cultivate some rare medicinal herbs."
When Hai Bodong heard this, a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes, and he immediately replied: "I see, that's how it is. I just saw that the bottle was quite extraordinary, and I thought it contained something extraordinary."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly and added: "Indeed, this spiritual liquid has a magical effect on the growth of medicinal herbs, but other than that, it has no other special features."
After learning the truth, Hai Bodong's interest suddenly waned. He originally thought that the bottle might contain some precious things, but he didn't expect it to be just spiritual liquid used to cultivate medicinal materials.
In fact, what Xiao Ling said was not false. The great creation dew produced by the Palm of Heaven Bottle, at present, does only have the effect of promoting the growth of medicinal materials.
Since Xiao Ling returned from the underground magma world, he tried to test whether the Heaven-Holding Bottle could still function. To his relief, despite being in a different world, the Heaven-Holding Bottle was still able to absorb moonlight and condense the towering Creation Dew. This might be the inherent characteristics of the bottle itself, or it might be the help of the system behind it.
Afterwards, Xiao Ling began to use the great creation dew produced by the Palm of Heaven Bottle, combined with the precious medicinal seeds obtained from Yao Chen, to carefully cultivate several rare medicinal herbs.
However, since it takes seven days for the Palm of Heaven Bottle to ripen the Godly Creation Dew, even if one has the Palm of Heaven Bottle, one cannot quickly ripen a large amount of medicinal materials.
Xiao Ling walked into the center of the alchemy room, calmed himself down, and then began the preparations for alchemy.
He first took out a batch of medicinal materials needed for the Huangji Pill. His soul power was like an invisible hand, gently lifting up these precious materials and suspending them in mid-air.
Then, Xiao Ling flicked his fingers lightly, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron fell to the ground, sitting steadily in the center of the room. This medicine cauldron was simple and mysterious, with various strange animal patterns carved on it. Even ordinary people could see its extraordinaryness at a glance.
Xiao Ling took a deep breath, and the strange fire in his body seemed to feel the call and poured into the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron through the fire inlet.
The flame burned fiercely in the medicine cauldron, the temperature rose rapidly, and the whole room was enveloped by a hot atmosphere.
When the temperature in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron rose to just the right level, Xiao Ling moved his mind, and the medicinal materials under his control seemed to be given life and flew lightly into the embrace of the alchemy cauldron.
As soon as the herbs entered the alchemy cauldron, Xiao Ling's mind changed slightly, and the strange fire seemed to have spirituality, transforming into dozens of tiny flames, each of which gently wrapped around a herb and began to refine them.
Xiao Ling was multitasking but he didn't seem to be struggling at all, his movements were still smooth and unhurried.
Under the high temperature refining of the strange fire, the essence of the medicinal materials was extracted bit by bit, condensing into drops of crystal clear liquid, as pure as morning dew.
And those medicinal residues that could not withstand the high temperature of the strange fire, under the baptism of flames, turned into wisps of light smoke, rising lightly and disappearing with the wind, leaving no trace.
When the essence of the last medicinal herb was extracted, a gleam of light flashed in Xiao Ling's eyes, and his hands began to form seals quickly, and each seal fell accurately on the medicine cauldron.
Under his control, the essence of the medicinal liquid began to condense and fuse, gradually forming an irregular prototype of a pill.
Afterwards, Xiao Ling adjusted the temperature of the strange fire and used a gentler flame to warm the pill.
This process requires great patience and precise control, and any small mistake may lead to the failure of the pill.
Hai Bodong sat quietly on a table and chair next to the alchemy room, his eyes sharp as torches, closely following Xiao Ling's every move.
An expression of disbelief involuntarily appeared on his face, as if he had seen such a magical alchemy skill for the first time.
It's not that Hai Bodong hasn't seen other alchemists' techniques. He has personally witnessed the process of Dan Wang Gu He's alchemy, and also witnessed the exquisite skills of the Alchemist Guild President Zhuma.
Even the masters who enjoyed a high reputation in the alchemy world of the Jia Ma Empire were far inferior to Xiao Ling's skills.
Xiao Ling's technique is so skillful that from the extraction of medicinal materials to the condensation of essence, every step is as smooth as a naturally flowing stream, without any hindrance.
His movements were not only extremely precise, but also so fast that it was dizzying, as if watching a visual feast.
In particular, his calm demeanor formed a sharp contrast with those alchemists who looked exhausted during the alchemy process.
Hai Bodong was filled with admiration. He thought to himself, "Xiao Ling is indeed worthy of being known as the 'No. 1 Alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire'. His alchemy skills are indeed incomparable to ordinary people. Now that he has broken through to the Dou Zong realm, what kind of unpredictable level has his alchemy skills reached? Perhaps, he has touched the legendary... the threshold of a seventh-grade alchemist, and has even become a seventh-grade alchemist!"
As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Hai Bodong was shocked by his own guess. Although this idea seemed absurd, if it happened to Xiao Ling, everything seemed so logical.
Hai Bodong was immersed in memories of the past. The scene of his first meeting with Xiao Ling a few years ago emerged in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart.
He chuckled and thought to himself with relief: "Haha, my vision is still as sharp as ever. Fortunately, I had a good relationship with him back then, otherwise, my current situation is really unimaginable."
Three hours later, with the landing of the last seal, the atmosphere in the alchemy room seemed to reach its peak.
Xiao Ling's hands slowly stopped, and with a slight wave of his hand, the fire in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron went out, leaving only a faint medicinal fragrance lingering in the air.
Then, Xiao Ling waved his sleeves lightly, and a round and translucent pill emitting a faint light seemed to be given life. It flew out lightly and landed steadily in his palm.
Hai Bodong's eyes were fixed on the pill, and a hint of excitement that was hard to conceal flashed in his eyes.
In his eyes, this pill was like a shining pearl, stirring up ripples in his heart.
His breathing became rapid unconsciously, and his eyes revealed his extreme desire for this pill.
Xiao Ling turned around, and with a gentle smile, he handed the shining Huangji Pill to Hai Bodong, and said with a hint of joking: "Mr. Hai, it seems that you are already impatient."
Hai Bodong took the pill with a satisfied smile on his face. He laughed heartily and said, "Haha, it is indeed as Master Xiao Ling said. I have been looking forward to the magical effect of this Huangji Pill for a long time."
Xiao Ling nodded gently, "I completely understand your feelings. When you have refined the medicinal power of the Imperial Pill, we will meet again."
Hai Bodong laughed out loud, his eyes sparkling with eager anticipation for future breakthroughs: "Master Xiao Ling's generous help will be remembered by me. If you need my help in the future, just let me know, and I will spare no effort."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly, his expression calm, and his gratitude to Hai Bodong was both humble and sincere: "Mr. Hai is too polite. Between us, friends help each other without saying too much."
Hai Bodong clasped his fists again, "Haha, I'll take my leave now." Then he turned and left the alchemy room. A pair of gorgeous ice crystal wings spread out behind him, and his figure quickly rose into the air and flew towards the direction of the Mittel family.
(End of this chapter)