Chapter 29 – Why are you shaking your head?
"Yes," Alchemist Qian nodded, "First question: why is preheating the alchemy furnace necessary before starting the alchemy process?"
"Preheating the furnace before alchemy ensures that the alchemy furnace is ready, preventing difficulties in material fusion during the actual alchemy process," Timothy Jiang quickly answered.
Alchemist Qian nodded in satisfaction, "Second question: why is fire attribute talent crucial for an alchemist?"
"Because an alchemist must first master fire control, thus having a fire attribute talent is essential. Without a strong fire attribute talent, becoming a qualified alchemist is merely a fantasy," Timothy Jiang answered promptly again.
"Third question..."
Alchemist Qian continued asking questions one after another, and Timothy Jiang could answer most of them. Even if he was unfamiliar with some, he could still manage a decent response.
Alchemist Qian was very pleased, "Last question."
"Which is more suitable for refining the Divine Transformation Elixir, the Eight-Leaf Root or the Blue Stool?" Alchemist Qian asked.
Timothy Jiang tensed up; this question was difficult. He searched his memory for related information from books and analyzed it in his mind for a long time before deciding, "It's the Blue Stool!"
"Why?" Alchemist Qian asked.
"Because... because the Blue Stool has a calming effect and can neutralize the slight toxicity of the main ingredient, the Divine Transformation Herb," Timothy Jiang explained.
Alchemist Qian shook his head, "Wrong."
"What?" Timothy Jiang was dumbfounded.
"Don't panic. Although you answered incorrectly, this question was very difficult. I didn't expect you to get it right," Alchemist Qian's usually stern face showed a rare smile, "You did well on the previous questions. You passed."
Timothy Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. Robert Jiang quickly said, "Timothy, hurry and perform the apprentice ceremony to formally acknowledge your teacher!"
Timothy Jiang immediately knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and performed the grand apprentice ceremony, "Student greets the teacher!"
With this, Timothy Jiang officially became Alchemist Qian's named disciple.
After the ceremony, Timothy Jiang, still curious, asked, "Teacher, why wasn't the answer the Blue Stool?"
Alchemist Qian, showing a hint of appreciation for Timothy Jiang's thirst for knowledge, explained, "The Eight-Leaf Root is more suitable for refining the Divine Transformation Elixir. Although the Blue Stool has a calming effect, it conflicts with the properties of the Little Jade Grass, making it difficult to form the elixir."
"While the Blue Stool can neutralize the slight toxicity of the Divine Transformation Herb, the Eight-Leaf Root can also do this, albeit less effectively. However, compared to the Blue Stool's drawback of making elixir formation difficult, the Eight-Leaf Root's shortcomings are negligible."
"Student has learned much!" Timothy Jiang listened intently, completely absorbed.
"Indeed, Alchemist Qian is a formal alchemist of the Alchemy Guild, full of knowledge."
"It's said that Alchemist Qian is one of the top alchemists in the Clear River City Alchemy Guild, second only to Master Mo. Seeing him today, it's true."
The guests in the banquet hall were full of praise.
Timothy Jiang's eyes were filled with excitement. With such a knowledgeable teacher, becoming an apprentice alchemist seemed within reach.
Just as Timothy Jiang was basking in his success, his gaze inadvertently swept over a nearby table and saw Terra Su sitting there, resting his chin on his hand, listening to Alchemist Qian's talk while shaking his head.
Terra Su's subtle head shake was immediately noticed by Timothy Jiang.
Wanting to embarrass Terra Su, Timothy Jiang loudly said, "Terra Su, why are you shaking your head? Do you have any objections to my teacher's alchemy knowledge?"
This statement immediately drew everyone's attention to Terra Su.
Even Alchemist Qian's sharp gaze shot towards Terra Su, seeing a teenager, he frowned.
Alchemist Qian was a serious person, and he detested anyone disrespecting the Dao of Alchemy. Now, a mere teenager dared to shake his head at his alchemy teachings, making his face darken.
But what Alchemist Qian didn't know was that Terra Su was feeling quite helpless. He had just been dozing off, and his head had tilted as he was about to fall asleep, which Timothy Jiang mistook for shaking his head.
Facing the scrutinizing gazes and Sophia Xu's slightly worried expression, Terra Su calmly said, "I didn't shake my head."
Timothy Jiang sneered, "It's too late to deny it now. Many people saw you shaking your head. Ask those around you if you don't believe me."
The people around Terra Su nodded; they had indeed seen Terra Su's head tilt while he was dozing off, which looked like shaking his head.
Timothy Jiang, with a look of disdain, said, "Terra Su, my teacher was imparting alchemy knowledge, and you were shaking your head. Are you ignorant of the rules, or do you not respect my teacher?"
This statement caused an uproar among the guests, "What? Who does Terra Su think he is, daring to disrespect Alchemist Qian?"
"Even if he has some Martial Dao talent, disrespecting an alchemist in such a setting shows his ignorance and lack of potential."
"Alchemist Qian is a distinguished guest of our Jiang Family. Is he trying to disgrace us?"
Robert Jiang quickly stood up and said to Alchemist Qian, "Master Qian, this person is just a distant relative of the Jiang Family, and he's not very bright. Please don't take offense! I will discipline him strictly after the banquet!"
Hearing that Terra Su wasn't very bright, Alchemist Qian's expression softened, and he nodded, "In that case, I won't hold it against him."
Timothy Jiang, however, smugly said, "Terra Su, my teacher is magnanimous. Shouldn't you quickly apologize to him? Be sincere, I think you should kneel and kowtow to apologize."
Terra Su glanced at Timothy Jiang indifferently, thinking he was a complete fool, only focused on making him look bad, which was a waste of time.
Recalling Alchemist Qian's lecture, Terra Su, despite dozing off, had an extraordinary soul power that allowed him to multitask, so he had memorized everything Alchemist Qian said.
"The one who should apologize isn't me."
After recalling Alchemist Qian's lecture, Terra Su smiled faintly and said.
"What?" Timothy Jiang almost thought he misheard, "The one who should apologize isn't you? Then who? Do you mean my teacher should apologize to you?"
"That's right." Terra Su nodded calmly, "If anyone should apologize today, it's your teacher. He should apologize not only to me but to everyone present."
Wow—
Terra Su's words caused an uproar among the guests.