Chương 13: Elder Shoa and His Free Lectures

Returning to the main hall, An decided to explore the left corridor. He went up to the second floor and immediately decided to check if he would be allowed onto the third. To his surprise, he passed through without any resistance. However, when he tried to reach the fourth floor, he once again encountered a barrier. After poking around a bit more, An returned to the third floor. The third floor was decorated in softer, eye-pleasing colors, somewhat reminiscent of a school or university.

The floors were made of pale wood with soft shades, while the walls were a light brown. Walking down the corridor, he guessed that the rooms on this floor were intended for lectures. The doors here were double, wide and tall. Passing by one of them, he saw disciples sitting inside, talking among themselves. Realizing that a lecture was likely about to begin, An looked around the room and noticed several new disciples who had arrived on the giant swan with him.

Seeing a few free spots at the edge, he quietly entered and sat down. He took out a blank sheet of paper left over from the Evergreen technique and the crushed seal that had been wrapped around it. Looking around and finding no container, he took a Kavana fruit, cut it in half with his sickle, and removed the pit. After eating one half, he placed the crushed seal into the other half. He transformed his Qi into fire, completely wrapped one finger in flames, and lowered it into the seal.

After a short time, the seal melted into something resembling ink. Maintaining a low temperature, An removed his finger and continued to control the heat of the ' ink' with one energy flow, preventing it from hardening. He then reached under the table with his sickle and cut two sticks from the leg, making them slightly larger than an ordinary pen. He transformed his Qi into a thin thread and frayed the ends of both sticks to resemble brush tips.

Satisfied with the result, he put away the sickle and focused his energy solely on keeping the ink liquid. Suddenly, he realized it had become quiet around him. Raising his head, he saw an elder standing before him. The man had white hair tied back in a ponytail and piercing green eyes. He appeared to be about fifty years old and was dressed in black robes with green patterns. A white metal emblem, a cauldron with two pills, was pinned over his heart.' Oh! A Grandmaster!'

An straightened up immediately and cleared his desk, putting on the most naive and innocent face possible as he looked at the old man. The elder glanced at the makeshift ink, the two brushes, and the paper. He smiled, turned around, and walked to the podium.

"Many of you know me, but since I see new disciples among you today, I will introduce myself. My name is Shoa Ediso, but you can simply call me Elder Shoa." He paused, smiling as he looked over the new faces in his class, "Today's lecture will cover the basics of alchemy and its four main techniques." Elder Shoa began explaining the material An had already read in the book from Elder Doshu.

Throughout the lecture, An learned a few new things, certain tricks for using Qi more productively and different types of fuel for maintaining fire. Elder Shoa also touched superficially on Immortal Flames, sentient spiritual fires, but An decided that was far beyond his current level and didn't pay them much mind.

"Excellent, the material for today's lecture is finished," Elder Shoa said, looking over the new disciples, "Who among you has already tried their hand at Alchemy?" More than half of the new disciples raised their hands.

"And who has succeeded in actually forming a pill?" The elder smiled, glancing at those who still had their hands up. In the end, only three hands remained. An was one of them. The second was a boy with a perfectly symmetrical face and a heroic aura, sporting blue eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail with a small crown at the base. The third was a girl of icy beauty, with perfect features, large green eyes, and curly orange hair with soft green tips. Both were from the same group as An.

"Excellent! Come up and bring your pills!" Elder Shoa beckoned the three of them forward. When they approached, he turned to the rest of the class "You are all dismissed! The next lecture will be in two weeks at the same time. Disciples, do not be afraid to practice, and do not forget to read the materials in the Scripture Pavilion!" Elder Shoa waited for everyone to leave before sitting at his desk. The two other disciples stood as far from An as possible, while An occupied the opposite corner.

The elder noticed this and exhaled quietly.

"Your names, disciples?" he asked with a smile.

"Elder Shoa, I am the new outer disciple Chen Ho!" the boy said, bowing slightly.

"Elder, I am Xia Ji of the Xia Clan. It is an honor to be in your presence!" The girl bowed slightly deeper. The elder nodded after each of their bows, his smile diminishing slightly as he turned his head to An.

"Elder Shoa, my name is An. Just An, no family name." An simply nodded as he introduced himself. The elder smiled and nodded back. Beside him, Chen Ho and Xia Ji made no effort to hide their dislike the moment An spoke, though they didn't even bother to glance in his direction.

"Good! Now, show me what you've accomplished!" The elder clapped his hands and shifted comfortably in his chair.

"Elder, this is Pure Blood, a first-rank pill! I prepared it just this morning. Please examine it, Elder!" Xia Ji presented her pill in a small, ornate box. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Taking the pill, Elder Shoa began his examination, nodding occasionally. As he scrutinized the object, An's eyes widened in surprise. He noticed that the Qi flows surrounding the pill were being slightly drawn toward the elder.' So this is how they do it.

Then why isn't it mentioned in the books?

'He watched closely as the elder' touched' the energy. An realized there was a vast difference in their methods; unlike the elder, An didn't need to draw the Qi toward himself. He could simply see and read it where it flowed, which felt far more direct.

"Hmm, wonderful. A medium-quality pill. Splendid work, Xia Ji!" the elder praised. He placed the pill back into its box and turned his gaze toward Chen Ho.

"Elder, in this vial are two Qi Enlightenment pills from the same batch." Chen Ho handed over a small glass vial containing two white pills. The elder uncorked it, took out the pills, and studied them with a keen eye.

"Excellent, truly excellent! Even though they are low quality, refining two successful pills from a single batch is quite a feat. Very good, Chen Ho!" The elder placed the pills back, set the vial on the table, and finally turned to An.' My pills don't even have names. I need to come up with something catchy like theirs,' An thought, his nerves beginning to fray. Seeing the professional presentation of the other two, he realized how amateur his own work looked.

Exhaling to steady himself, he reached into his pouch and placed two cloth-wrapped packages in front of the elder. Elder Shoa's smile vanished, replaced by a frown and a strange glint in his eyes. Chen Ho and Xia Ji noticed the change and exchanged smug smirks. An swallowed hard but pushed forward.

"Elder Shoa, this pill is... um... the first-rank Poisonous Silence. It calms the consumer before the poison begins to take effect." He invented the name on the spot, embellishing the description since he wasn't entirely sure how potent the toxins were.

"The second is the first-rank Long Dream of Slumber. It has a powerful calming effect and causes complete paralysis." He unwrapped the second pill. Hearing his descriptions, the other two couldn't help but snicker, poorly hiding their mockery behind their hands. An ignored them, his eyes fixed on Elder Shoa, hoping he wouldn't face harsh consequences for his ' creations'. <" An, can you actually see and read the Qi flows around you?

"> The voice echoed directly in An's mind. His eyes widened in shock, and he gave an involuntary, stiff nod. <" Just as I thought. You managed to refined two pills without a single recipe, simply by following the Qi... Remarkable, An.

"> Hearing this, a wave of relief and delight washed over him. <" But listen closely, never speak of this to anyone! Only Grandmasters and above can read information directly from Qi. Only after reaching the Golden Core stage can a cultivator truly see the hidden energy flows of the world. It is far too early for you to even know these concepts... You are incredibly lucky. Thanks to your single element, you can sense that Qi and even use it, despite having only just stepped onto the threshold of cultivation.

Other disciples do not have this gift.

"> An felt the color drain from his face as the weight of the secret sank in. Seeing this, the elder continued. <" Do not worry. No one will be able to tell you have this vision. I only guessed it because of the nature of your pills. No Grandmaster in our sect would use this against you, but the same cannot be said for those at the Master rank or below the Golden Core... You will understand why when your cultivation is higher. For now, keep silent, but do not be afraid to practice and forge your own path.

"> The elder looked at the boy's dazed face and decided to clarify <" Imagine Qi as a mountain. At its base lies one type of soil, then another, layer by layer. Qi is exactly the same, it has different layers of depth. Mortals and cultivators below the Golden Core only see the first, most superficial layer. Upon breaking through to the Golden Core, a cultivator is forced to perceive a new layer, otherwise their path ends there. The higher the cultivation, the more layers become visible.

Why do you think everyone can see energy when techniques are used? It is because the very foundation of Qi is being used… well, and also a few absolute rules of Qi... but again, that is advanced knowledge. We are getting sidetracked.

"> The elder paused, realizing he was explaining cosmic truths to a child. <" My main advice is this: since you can read the Qi, do not use standard recipes. Create your own. Invent them. Listen to what the Qi tells you and follow its lead. Do not 'pollute' your unique path with the rigid methods of others. You may not understand the reason now, but in the future, you will thank me.

Also, go to the main Hall and buy a reference book of all first and second-rank pills and their ingredients, but find one without step-by-step instructions.

"> Elder Shoa stared deeply into An's eyes. <" And one more thing. I will take these two as my personal disciples, even though their talent is... lacking. It is an order from above, their families were very generous to the sect. I am telling you this so you do not get discouraged. Attend all my lectures. I will help you if you ever have questions. Understood?

"> An nodded twice, conveying both his understanding and his gratitude. Elder Shoa gave a subtle nod in return.

"That's enough," the elder said aloud, his voice turning sharp as he looked at the laughing Xia Ji and Chen Ho. They immediately straightened up and fell silent, though the look of pure disgust remained in their eyes as they glanced at An's raggedly wrapped pills.

"Not bad for a first attempt, An. Even though they are below even low quality, they are still refined pills with a clear effect. Good job. Keep practicing, and sooner or later, you will succeed!" The elder placed the pills back onto the scraps of cloth. An carefully wrapped them up and tucked them back into his pouch.

"Here, take these first-rank spirit plants. They will be useful for your practice. Now, you may go." Handing An a small bundle, the elder turned his attention back to the other two. An nodded, gathered his makeshift brushes and paper from the table, and headed toward the exit. As he walked away, he heard Elder Shoa's voice echoing behind him, "Xia Ji, Chen Ho... would you like to become my personal disciples?" He left the room before hearing the rest, he simply wasn't interested.

Glancing down at the bundle in his hand, he could see a vibrant tangle of different Qi flows emanating from the herbs.' Heh, turns out I have something like a cheat code after all... but again, it's all thanks to my single element.' After a moment of thought, An tucked the bundle away and decided to check the other rooms on the floor to see if anyone else was around. Most of the doors remained closed, and the few open rooms he found were empty. Having explored the third floor, An descended to the second.

The decor here was similar to the floor above, maintained in the same elegant style. Before him opened a vast, spacious hall without any doors, just the floor, ceiling, and walls. The room was semicircular, with a single straight wall facing the staircase. Looking around, An realized this was a Hall of Fame. Portraits of legendary cultivators hung everywhere, each with a caption beneath it. He approached the nearest one, which depicted a woman about thirty years old with vibrant green hair and matching eyes.

The caption read: ' Es Tsu, an outstanding alchemist who achieved the rank of Alchemy Grandmaster at nineteen years old...' As he walked past the portraits, he understood that the purpose of this room was to ignite a competitive spirit among the disciples and to glorify those who had earned their place on these walls. However, to his surprise, he couldn't find a portrait of Elder Shoa anywhere.