Now fifteen days had passed since John first stepped into the Apothecary Chamber.
Time flowed like sand slipping between his fingers, and the countdown to the Blue Cauldron Sect Examination now showed only fifteen more days.
He sat cross-legged on a thick fur mat inside the chamber, his eyes half-lidded in contemplation.
A faint trace of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, mixing with the metallic tang of spirit stones.
John opened his eyes slowly, the amber light of the spirit lamp casting a flicker across his irises.
"So… this year's examination won't just be about pill refinement, but combat as well," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.
The news had first trickled through the bustling streets of Nine Sky Clan, through idle gossip and hushed conversations in tea stalls, but over the past ten days, it had become increasingly clear.
The Blue Cauldron Sect, known across the Wild Southern Continent for its alchemical prestige, had suffered a devastating beast tide last year.
Waves upon waves of spirit beasts had descended upon their mountain stronghold, and while their alchemists were skilled in concoction and theory, few had the martial experience to survive direct combat.
Dozens of lives had been lost, promising pill refiners, herbologists, and even instructors.
The aftermath had shocked the sect to its roots.
To prevent such a tragedy from repeating, they had adjusted their recruitment standards, this year's entry exam would include both alchemy assessment and a strength evaluation, testing not just intellect, but blood and bone.
John exhaled deeply and leaned back, resting one arm on the stone table beside him.
"My cultivation is decent… Spirit Seed Realm, and with the boost from Slow Toad Breathing, I'm faster than most in my realm," he thought.
"But I don't have any combat-specific techniques… not even one. Just endurance and brute skill."
A headache prickled at the edge of his temple.
He was powerful, but raw.
Like an untamed blade with no edge. In a battle where others would summon techniques and unleash martial arts honed for years, he would be left relying on instinct.
Then, like lightning in the dark, he suddenly remembered.
"Wait… I took some scrolls from Giant Sorrow's body, didn't I?"
Without hesitation, he pulled out a small leather pouch from his spatial bag and began rummaging through it.
Soon, his fingers brushed against the aged scrolls, rough parchment sealed with faint, worn insignias.
He unrolled them slowly, eyes narrowing.
The first was a Basic Hammer Technique, thick and aggressive, clearly designed for someone like Giant Sorrow.
The second, however, was different. Its strokes were cleaner, its script elegant yet sharp.
The title gleamed faintly under the light:
Twelve Circle Slashes
John studied the diagram inked on the scroll,twelve flowing arcs, each designed to flow seamlessly into the next.
A saber technique meant for speed and precision, with momentum building through circular motion.
His heartbeat quickened.
"This… suits me. It's fast, fluid, and doesn't rely on brute strength like the hammer one. I already rely on speed, this could refine it even more."
He closed the scroll and took a deep breath.
The decision was made.
"I'll learn the Twelve Circle Slashes to level three for now… After that, I can return to raising my Alchemy skill further."
As he channeled his focus, a soft chime echoed inside his mind, and the system responded.
---
[System Panel]
Name: John Coral
Age: 25
Cultivation: Spirit Seed Realm (1003/3200)
Upgrade Slot: Empty
Skills:
• Meditation (Level 6 – Max)
• Breathing (Level 5 – Max)
• Spatial Awareness (Level 5)
• Slow Toad Breathing Skill (Level 10 – Max)
• Double Face Lizard Technique (Level 7 – Max)
• Basic Flame Control (Level 3)
• Alchemy (Level 4)
• Twelve Circle Slashes (Level 0)
---
He tapped the interface mentally, placing Twelve Circle Slashes into the Upgrade Slot, and set the level cap to three.
Almost instantly, he felt a tickle of information begin to spread through his consciousness, tiny flashes of memory not his own, echoing with motion and combat.
He saw hands wielding a saber in wide arcs, dashing forward, pivoting, leaping in tight formation, like a dance of blades.
"So this is what it means to download a martial art…"
The whispers of steel began shaping his body, one movement at a time.
As John sat there, his hand unconsciously mimicked the arcs in the air, practicing the motions over and over until they felt like an extension of his own soul.
After spending several more hours refining the gestures and motion sequences of Twelve Circle Slashes, John eventually paused, letting the energy in his limbs settle.
Sweat dampened his forehead, and his fingers ached from repeatedly mimicking the saber arcs etched into the scroll and now, engraved into his memory.
"That's enough for now," he muttered, placing the scroll back into his spatial bag with care.
"I'll come back to this once the fundamentals have sunk deeper into my muscle memory."
His eyes turned toward the thick alchemy manual still resting on the stone table, the Basic Pill Formulas and Their Energetics, a compilation of rudimentary yet essential alchemical knowledge for any aspiring pill refiner.
He reached for it and slowly flipped through the worn pages, stopping on the section about the Beautification Pill.
The recipe was written in fine calligraphy, accompanied by hand-drawn diagrams of each herb and how they should interact during the refining process.
John traced the images with his finger as he whispered,
"Let me begin with the Beautification Pill… a Grade One pill, easier than the Stone Body Pill and perfect to test my control."
He stood up and walked to the far side of the room where he had stored all the alchemical herbs inside a reinforced spirit herb case.
One by one, he began to pull out ingredients, White Lotus Root, Jade Leaf, Crimson Berry, Dewdrop Flower, and a few others.
Each was precisely labeled and preserved.
He brought them over to the pounding stone and began sorting them according to their sequence in the recipe.
His eyes flicked over the instructions again and again, visualizing each step in his mind. His Level 6 Meditation skill allowed him to absorb and retain this knowledge with uncanny efficiency.
"All of these herbs belong to the Yang-aligned spectrum… they enhance external skin clarity and purge impurities from the blood.
It's a pill popular among noble ladies and disciples of sects who care about appearance," he recalled from the manual.
John's hands moved with measured confidence.
He crushed, ground, and mixed the ingredients, keeping his breathing even and steady.
Once everything was ready, he lit the blue stone flame in his palm using Basic Flame Control (Level 3) and fed it into the cauldron's ignition array.
The cauldron trembled slightly as the fire activated.
He took in a slow breath and added the herbs in the correct order, maintaining a narrow flame consistent in temperature. This was where the real challenge began—timing and energy infusion.
"The heat has to remain constant for seven minutes," he thought, "then I need to infuse my Qi in a soft spiral to bind the properties together."
His body was still, but internally, his Qi began circulating precisely.
Slowly, tendrils of spiritual energy slipped into the cauldron, curling around the melting herbs like ribbons in water.
The room filled with a sweet, almost floral scent, and for a moment, even the stress that had gripped his shoulders seemed to fade.
"It's working…" he muttered, watching the mixture swirl into a soft golden hue.
A faint glow pulsed at the heart of the cauldron.
He maintained the flame for a few more minutes before cutting the heat completely.
The moment the fire died, silence took over, broken only by the faint bubbling from within the sealed cauldron.
A few minutes later, he opened the lid slowly.
Inside, nestled among the residual essence, was three round, pearl-colored pills, their surface smooth, aroma mild and elegant.
"My first refined pill in this world…" John whispered with awe as he gently picked them up.
Even though it was just a Beautification Pill, he couldn't help but feel proud.
It was the first tangible proof of his journey as an alchemist.
He sat down again and took a moment to reflect.
"The Stone Body Pill will be harder. It's a Grade Three pill… denser, more volatile, with stricter ingredient synergy," he thought. "But if I can make one during the exam… it'll guarantee my admission into Blue Cauldron Sect."
He placed the Beautification Pills inside a jade container, securing it inside his spatial bag.
"Step by step, I'm carving a path through this world, cultivator, warrior… and now, an alchemist."
John closed the book gently and looked at the cauldron still glowing faintly in the dim chamber.
The warmth of success lit something deep inside him.
"I have successfully refined a batch of Beautification Pills on my first try and they are pretty pure. Hmm... Three complete pills in just first attempt, it's good. I should be able to make Grade three pills." John thought and nodded.