The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

A week passed, and Li Lang was hit with a cold hard truth.

Brushweaver tools were expensive.

The Elemental Serpent fang and Silver Thorn Lion mane he used for his Moon Brush were way out of his budget. They each cost hundreds of Qi stones and thus, out of Li Lang’s means.

This was because both these materials came from peak Energy Gathering Qi beasts. Only those in the Foundation Establishment realm could reliably hunt for them.

The new information made Li Lang appreciate his mentor more and more because he casually gifted him these valuable materials. Even the talisman paper and ink sticks weren’t cheap, as they were all products from esteemed Woodsmiths.

While Yi Lin could easily afford it, as he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Lang was a different story.

When Yi Lin finally had to leave town, he naturally had to lock up his abode and Li Lang now had to buy his own resources to practice with. Luckily, his friend Wei Ping had the connections he needed to purchase at a discount.

Good thing I only need to buy them once since I have Ruby around. Now I can focus on searching for an alchemy mentor.

With that in mind, Li Lang went back to The Orchid Covenant’s headquarters and requested a list of all Alchemists currently taking in students.

This time, he had fewer mentors to choose from. Only two were currently accepting students, and Li Lang could understand why.

Unlike in Brushweaving, where the mentor had a good idea of how much they had to invest in an apprentice for their work to bear fruit, alchemy was a whole different matter.

In Brushweaving, one needed patience, memory, proper tools, and techniques to become an apprentice. All of these qualities could be attained through hard work.

In Alchemy, one had to rely on natural talent much more. The nature of working with materials that had slight variances, controlling the heat, and adjusting on the fly based on the minute difference in the environment, were skills that were hard to learn.

In both cases, more practice would help. However, the material cost of alchemy in this case was much higher, as it was uncertain when the apprentice would grasp these soft skills. In comparison, Brushweaving’s bulk of the expenses were in the tools, and they wouldn’t evaporate into nothingness when one failed.

This meant there were many more apprentice Brushweavers than Alchemists!

This resulted in talisman stores flourishing with many successful Brushweavers running their own stores, while alchemists were much rarer, mostly selling through the guild. Alchemists were just too busy researching their techniques and pill recipes to be able to mass-produce cheaper pills. They also lacked enough apprentices to take over this task.

That was why Li Lang had been so valued back in the Yellow Qilin province and had been recruited to Spirit Grove. The demand always outstripped supply. This was true regardless of low-tier or high-tier pills.

Reading over the profile of the two alchemists recruiting, Li Lang quickly selected the one who seemed to have a deeper foundation in the craft. What he needed were tried-and-true techniques that he could learn from, not novel techniques that added complications. That way, it would be easier for him to unravel them.

The two mentor candidates were between two one star alchemists where one of them was an old established member of the Alchemist guild while the other was a newer independent cultivator that had recently joined the covenant.

Wasting no time, Li Lang headed straight to see his prospective mentor. They were located in the Alchemist Guild itself, so Li Lang was familiar with the path there.

“Excuse me, I would like to see Senior Zhao Longwei.”

The receptionist glanced over at Li Lang’s ring for a moment before responding.

“I can contact him. Was there a message you wanted to pass along?”

“Yes, tell him a disciple from The Orchid Covenant has come to visit him.”

“Very well.”

Soon, a middle-aged man with a full beard that ran all the way down to his chest descended the stairs and headed straight toward the counter where Li Lang was.

“An apprentice alchemist at such a young age?” the man muttered as he stroked his beard. ”Follow me.”

They quickly went onto the second floor and entered a break room. There was a tea set sitting on the table in the middle, and various fruits beside it.

The man gestured for Li Lang to get seated before fetching some water from a porcelain jug. The alchemist filled the teapot with some tea before pouring the cold water straight into the teapot. However, what surprised Li Lang was how the water that came out was steaming hot.

There are no traces of anyone nearby, and the jug of water should’ve sat there for some time. This must be his fire Qi art!

The man only spoke once he finished pouring two cups of tea and took a sip himself.

“Tell me, I believe you should be looking to find a mentor if you’re looking for me and from the covenant, but why? You’re already an alchemist apprentice. Don’t you already have a master?”

“I’ll be honest with you, Senior Zhao. I came here from the Yellow Qilin province, and I had no proper teacher before this. I had received some guidance, but no proper inheritance.”

The middle-aged man calmly took another sip of tea and laid back in his seat, staring at the ground.

“You have read my requirements for taking students, correct?”

“Yes, to be your personal disciple and spread your techniques far and wide. However, I have a different offer for you.”

At those words, Zhao Longwei looked up at Li Lang.

“You want to make an offer to me?” he smiled in amusement. “What could you possibly have that could entice a Violet Core cultivator like me?”

“Senior Zhao, I am not foolish enough to believe anything I own would draw your attention, but I do have something I may attain very soon.”

“Oh? You’re talking about what’s in the pocket realm?”

Li Lang smiled and nodded.

“So you knew about that?”

“That competition was our covenant’s event, after all. I at least know the names of those who venturing into the pocket realm.”

“Great, then I won’t have to explain. What I want to offer you is the knowledge I will gain from the pocket realm. I plan on challenging the alchemy trials within.”

Li Lang had heard all about what the pocket realm had to offer. It was an ancient training realm made by some large organizations. That meant it offered valuable resources and knowledge on every facet of cultivation.

While numerous disciples had ventured into the pocket realm over the years, almost all of them received different benefits that catered to their needs. It wasn’t surprising that there would be unknown tomes on alchemy lying in wait within the pocket realm.

“You know, I would’ve sent my other disciples in if I thought they had a chance to pass those trials. I know of at least a dozen alchemy geniuses from other organizations that will be heading in this time. Why should I believe you will be able to attain something I could use? You’re only in the fifth stage of the Energy Gathering realm. You might be able to get some mortal-level techniques at best.”

“I can’t say how I will place when compared with those other geniuses, but I can say I am a safe investment for you. I am already an apprentice alchemist, so you won’t have to spend a large amount of resources to get me up to speed. You’ll only have to share your guidance and techniques with me. Think about it. You won’t be losing much, even if I fail.”

“...”

Zhao Longwei didn’t answer and instead closed his eyes for a few moments. When he reopened them, he stared straight at Li Lang.

“Very well, but we will have to sign a contract first. The spoils are often intangible or cannot be taken out of the pocket realm, so I will need reassurance that you will be sharing the authentic article.”

“Understood, no problem. Shall we head to the merchant guild?”

The middle-aged man nodded, and the two swiftly departed. The merchant guild was always bustling, but with Zhao Longwei’s identity as a one star alchemist, they were fast-tracked immediately.

After both drafting and signing the contract, the representative from the merchant guild stowed away the pieces of paper, and the agreement was settled. It was one of their many services, so it went without a snag.

The next day, Li Lang found himself inside a private refining room with his new alchemy mentor.

“Before we start going over any techniques, let us review what you know so far. You don’t have to reveal any sensitive techniques, just the basics are fine.”

“Umm…I used a strange method that allowed me to refine pills ever since I was in the third stage of Energy Gathering. I don’t think I’m familiar with any basic technique at all.”

“What?!” Zhao Longwei’s tone instantly became more serious. “You know nothing at all and have been certified as an apprentice alchemist?”

“Well…a certain elder did walk me through the steps. I at least know the importance of using Qi sense to monitor the pill and Qi arts to control the fire, but not actually how to do it properly.”

“...I see, a natural alchemy genius,” the man muttered. “I will go over the basics then. Bring out your pill furnace.”

“Umm…I don’t have one either. I normally use the ones available in the refining room.”

“...”

An exhausted sigh could be heard from the middle-aged man as he stroked his beard.

“Very well. Since I have decided to invest in you, there’s no point in skimping. Here, you can take one of my spare furnaces.”

At the wave of the hand, Zhao Longwei materialized a brand new pill furnace. It greatly resembled what Li Lang had once seen in the various stores he had visited.

“Thank you so much, Senior! How do I stow it away and bring it out like you did?” Li Lang immediately asked.

“That…you’ll have to figure out yourself. Spatial rings aren’t something I can afford to hand out. Even if I did, it would only put a target on you. It is a disaster to have wealth you cannot defend.”

“...”

I guess I’ll have to carry it around?