Alchemy Advancement: Three Grades

【You still remember the Great Demon saying that he had the ability to split open the heavens and enter the True Realm directly, but every time he tried, he would be knocked back by some inexplicable force.】

【At first, he thought it was a heavenly tribulation. Later, he became convinced that someone else was interfering with him.】

【That was why, after entering the True Realm, you had refrained from going around proclaiming that you were an ascender from the Void Realm.】

【As it turned out, your caution had been justified.】

【“Anyone capable of entering the True Realm from the Void Realm is no ordinary person. No wonder Young Friend Chen has already knocked on the door of Core Formation despite his young age and merely average immortal-root aptitude.

“Precisely because of that, people like you are bound to become thorns in the side of certain alien races.

“Of course, there are good people among the aliens, and some who don’t care where you came from or how much potential you possess.

“But there are countless alien races. Even if only a tiny fraction of them still harbor prejudice against us humans, that alone is enough to make danger lurk all around you.

“So remember this well…”】

【Shen Yifeng had spoken earnestly and at length.】

【Yet you were deeply puzzled by the treatment humans received in the True Realm.】

【“Why are the alien races so hostile toward us humans? There are so many intelligent species—why does it seem as though they all assume humans are the easiest to bully, and the ones who deserve to be bullied most?”】

【Shen Yifeng shook his head.】

【“I don’t know. It has always been this way. The situation on Blazelight Star is already considered relatively good. I’ve heard that on some planets, humans are born as slaves to the alien races, living lives worse than dogs. Now that is truly miserable.”】

【You gave an awkward laugh.】

【What a coincidence. You had come from exactly that kind of planet.】

【For a moment, you thought of Liu Ying and the others.】

【The faces and voices of the rebel warriors still lingered before your eyes.】

【Your Dao heart grew even firmer.】

【Suppressing humanity?】

【Bullying humanity?】

【Just wait until I stand on top of all of you and see who’s doing the bullying then!】

【Cultivate!】

【The forty-first year. Age sixty-five.】

【You devoted yourself to studying the art of core condensation while diligently practicing Qi Refinement to strengthen your true qi.】

【The forty-second year. Age sixty-six.】

【Just as Shen Yifeng had said, you could feel that your progress toward forming a core had improved considerably, but it was extremely time-consuming.】

【With a lifespan of more than a thousand years now, you weren’t particularly anxious.】

【Still, breaking through sooner would certainly be better.】

【“The Grand Void Return-to-Origin Pill…”】

【The forty-third year. Age sixty-seven.】

【You temporarily left Firewood Sect and traveled to Mount Moxu.】

【You had heard that a second-grade alchemist was living in seclusion there, so you wanted to seek his advice.】

【He wasn’t difficult to find.】

【The alchemist belonged to the dwarf race and was named Taige. He lived alone, tending half a mountainside of medicinal fields.】

【He occasionally practiced medicine in the surrounding area, so the locals all knew him. After a few inquiries, you found him.】

【The dwarf race looked exactly like humans, with only one difference: they were extremely short. Under normal circumstances, even the tallest dwarf was less than a meter tall.】

【Like the other alien races, the dwarves held an innate prejudice against humans, despite looking so comical themselves.】

【“A human? Hmph! Humans can’t possibly know how to refine pills, much less reach the fourth grade. What a load of nonsense! Leave! I don’t want to see you!”】

【Taige was also at the Core Formation realm. Moreover, as an alchemist who wasn’t skilled in combat, he would be utterly helpless if you really attacked him.】

【But you had come to seek his advice on alchemy, so you decided to endure it for the time being.】

【Taige was stubborn and had absolutely no interest in welcoming you.】

【After thinking for a while, you remembered someone.】

【“Chen Five, is Know-It-All still following us?”】

【In the clone network, Chen Five—who was separated from you by an unknown distance but was certainly still on Blazelight Star—answered.】

【“He is. That guy’s been traveling around and sightseeing, so keeping up with him hasn’t been difficult.”】

【“Show yourself and ask him whether he knows Taige and can get us an introduction.”】

【You remembered that when you had first met Know-It-All, he had claimed to have an extensive network of connections on Blazelight Star and plenty of friends.】

【Maybe he really could help?】

【After a while.】

【“He says he knows Taige. He even claims that he and Taige are sworn brothers who would live and die for each other.”】

【“Excellent! Bring him here!”】

【Several months later.】

【On Mount Moxu, the moment Taige saw Know-It-All, he grabbed his alchemy furnace and hurled it at him.】

【“You thief! You actually dare come here again?! What did you steal this time? Hand it over!”】

【Know-It-All was chased all over the mountain, clutching his head and fleeing in utter disarray.】

【“Master Taige! I didn’t steal any of your medicinal plants this time! I don’t even have a storage pouch anymore. Search me if you don’t believe me!”】

【You were speechless at the green-skinned fellow with his supposedly impressive physique.】

【So it had all been a load of hot air.】

【Know-It-All was eventually caught by Taige.】

【Seeing that there was no hope of discussing alchemy with Taige, you had no choice but to leave.】

【Just as you were preparing to pluck some medicinal plants from his garden and take them with you, Taige suddenly came over and said,】

【“Human, for bringing this vermin to me, I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself.”】

【You hurriedly put down the medicinal plant you had only half picked.】

【“Please, Master Taige, tell me what you require!”】

【“Refine a Snow Maple Pill. If you can do that, I’ll believe that you’re a fourth-grade alchemist. After that, we can discuss alchemy.”】

【“No problem!”】

【“By the way, what were you doing here?”】

【“I noticed that your medicinal plants were short of water, so I was about to water them.”】

【“Not bad. At least you have a little observational skill.”】

【Taige’s facilities were fully equipped, and he had all the necessary materials.】

【You refined the Snow Maple Pill he requested without much trouble.】

【“I never expected that there would really be a human on Blazelight Star who understood alchemy—and whose attainments weren’t low, either.”】

【You and Taige could now be considered acquainted.】

【The two of you interacted as equals; there was no talk of becoming his disciple or anything of the sort.】

【You didn’t mind that, of course. After all, one could learn from the enemy in order to defeat the enemy!】

【But Taige had no interest in taking disciples. He merely suggested that the two of you exchange insights. His higher grade didn’t mean he couldn’t make progress through discussions with you.】

【Poor Know-It-All was detained.】

【There was no way a cultivator at the Qi Condensation realm could defeat Taige, who was at the Core Formation realm.】

【Taige punished him by making him work as a gardener in the medicinal fields until all the plants he had stolen had grown back ten times over.】

【“Master Taige! Please spare me! Ten batches?! Each batch of these medicinal plants takes more than a century to mature!”】

【Know-It-All had truly been dragged into misery by you this time.】

【Still, you couldn’t really be blamed. Who told him to boast so recklessly?】

【The forty-fourth year. Age sixty-eight.】

【Your alchemy had already improved while you were aboard the starship.】

【Now, after exchanging knowledge with a second-grade alchemist, your skills naturally rose to the level of a third-grade alchemist.】

【Afterward, you asked Taige where you could obtain the materials for the Grand Void Return-to-Origin Pill, then left Mount Moxu.】

【At that moment, Know-It-All was still up on the mountain, hoeing weeds.】

【“Senior! You absolutely have to keep an eye on me! When you have the time, please come back and buy my freedom!”】

【Behind him, Taige jabbed him with a pestle.】

【“Get back to work! What are you shouting for?”】