“Firstly…” The elderly alchemist looked to Jun Li, who waited patiently a few steps away, on the other end of the podium. “What is your… history, with alchemy?” The elderly man’s gaze made his suspicion clear, something he had no intention of hiding.

  He held enough respect towards the local Sect that he would not deny Jun Li a chance, but that didn’t mean he seriously believed Jun Li was anything close to being considered an alchemist.

  This elder was a local, and despite becoming more worldly since joining the Alchemist’s Association, he still held fast to ideals regarding propriety and nobility.

  To his eyes, Jun Li was the lowest a human could be. The grey robes identifying Jun Li as a Cultivator only made her appear to be someone incapable of accepting their place in life. Such was the nature of the prejudice pervasive in the Zhao Kingdom.

  Having her alchemical history questioned wasn’t something Jun Li had anticipated, and having no history at all… “Uh… I’ve studied in a number of… unorthodox alchemical techniques, though I never really had an opportunity to actually… practice alchemy hands-on.” She felt forced to lie, at least in part.

  Jun Li wasn’t averse to admitting where her knowledge came from; she simply feared the embarrassment of not being believed. “Unorthodox, is it…?”

  Hearing ‘unorthodox techniques’ and ‘no hands-on experience,’ the elderly alchemist rubbed his eyes, feeling fatigue greet him in advance. ‘…Let’s just go through the motions…’

  “Then… let’s start by testing your knowledge of the basics.” The elderly alchemist paused in thought for a moment before turning back to Jun Li. “What would you describe as the most basic method of alchemical refinement?”

  It took the elderly alchemist a moment to find an appropriate subject, as all others that had crossed his mind before felt too complex and refined for the creature in front of him.

  This aptitude test was not a specific series of questions and trials, as one might expect; instead, it is as simple or complex as the presiding instructor makes it.

  All that matters is that the individual taking the test convinces the instructor that they are an alchemist of promising talent.

  Being interrogated on the basics of alchemy, Jun Li went stiff, as she felt it was her least robust layer of alchemical knowledge.

  Jun Li closed her eyes and tried to visualize the alchemical process, hoping to rouse memories to the surface. “To start… prepare a Pill Furnace, carefully clean your medicinal ingredients and… prepare a volume of water…” Hesitation was evident in every step of Jun Li’s speech.

  “Fluid is vital for the alchemist to adequately control the contents of a sealed alchemical vessel… The quantity used is also important, and should be determined both by the natural moisture of the ingredients being used, and the length of time it will take to complete the refinement process…”

  As Jun Li continued to expound upon the process, the man overseeing her test raised an eyebrow, quite surprised to hear such an adequate description of the alchemical process from such a lowly person.

  “Once the water has been added to the vessel, it needs to be heated, typically with a Formation inscribed on the vessel itself, activated by pushing Qi through it…”

  “Then… uh…” As Jun Li continued her speech, beads of sweat formed on her brow, every sentence tediously dredged up from muddled memories. “Then… the prepared ingredients are added while the water heats up, at different temperature intervals, depending on the particular ingredients…”

  “When all ingredients are added, you seal the vessel and raise the internal temperature to the boiling point. Then… you use your Qi however you can to manipulate the contents, drawing out the medicinal essence of your ingredients as they dissolve, intermittently releasing water vapor from the apertures of the vessel, taking care not to allow any medicinal essence to escape with the moisture.”

  As Jun Li continued to speak, she found the discomfort that had plagued her was fading away, her speech shifting from ‘translating someone else’s knowledge’ to ‘explaining her understanding.’

  “After repeating the last two steps of drawing out medicinal essence and releasing vapor from the vessel, the completion of the Pill should coincide with the extraction of the last vestiges of moisture from the vessel.”

  Jun Li’s countenance brightened as she reached the end of her speech. “At the end of the process, you shape the contents of the vessel into a sphere, and raise the temperature, baking the contents into a solid shape and creating what can finally be called a Medicinal Pill.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Well then…” The elderly alchemist overseeing Jun Li’s test spoke up, seeing she had finished her explanation. “I wouldn’t call that the ‘most basic’ method, but… it’s certainly adequate. Indeed, a versatile and reliable method.”

  Even though it didn’t feel directed towards her, hearing some praise for the first time in recent memory, Jun Li felt the tension that had built inside her through the day slowly fade.

  “With it established that you do indeed have… some knowledge of the alchemical process…” The instructor spoke up once more. “You should understand that techniques for manipulating Pill Furnaces count for only so much, the truest measure of an alchemist’s proficiency is in their ability to identify and properly make use of Medicinal Plants.”

  As the instructor spoke, he produced a single large leaf, seemingly from thin air. The moment it appeared, the air in the room seemed to become more dense as a strange stench emanated from the leaf, the likes of which Jun Li could not relate to anything she had smelled before.

  “I’m going to present you with a number of Medicinal Plants. I want you to identify each of them as best as you can, names, properties, potential uses, whatever you can give me.” The instructor, who had been entirely disinterested at the beginning of this trial, felt his attention piqued by Jun Li’s surprising competence and had finally begun to consider this a legitimate aptitude test.

  Jun Li, on the other hand, felt her confidence wane upon hearing what would be required of her as the test continued. Alchemical Techniques were but methods of using universal physical concepts to create medicine; Medicinal Plants themselves, however, were anything but universal.

  Jun Li could not count on her inherited memories containing any knowledge of local Medicinal Plants whatsoever. With that in mind, Jun Li stepped closer to the pedestal that the instructor had laid the Medicinal Plant on.

  “Let’s see…” Jun Li looked down to the Medicinal Plant, a large, pale-yellow leaf, though it looked unassuming in a visual sense, just by standing near it, Jun Li could feel how exceptional it was; the very taste of the air was infused with the uncanny potency of the leaf.

  Taking in the presence of this Medicinal Plant, Jun Li felt her memories writhe, drawing her closer to an understanding of the leaf. “This Medicinal Plant… has a strong ‘earth’ aspect to it, and would be best used… hmm…”

  As Jun Li stood over the plant, she felt a sense of ‘knowing’ wash over her, a distant, formless memory becoming something more as it found a place in Jun Li’s mind.

  “Hmm… despite the strong earth aspect, I don’t think I’d use it as the key ingredient for a Pill. And I don’t think I’d use it at all for an Elixir.” Jun Li’s demeanor shifted as she spoke, her interest drifting away from the aptitude test and towards the Medicinal Plant in front of her.

  “Ideally, I’d use it to enhance the effects of a more powerful Medicinal Plant, one decently aspected towards metal. Under normal circumstances, that should result in a Pill that would strengthen the lungs, on top of being an excellent source of Qi for Cultivation.” Jun Li, apparently finished with her speech, took a step back, away from the podium.

  The instructor, seeing this, raised an eyebrow. “And… the name?” Hearing the question, Jun Li went stiff.

  “Oh, I don’t… know, actually.” Jun Li shifted uncomfortably as she spoke; the instructor, on the other hand, pinched his brow and let out a sound between a sigh and a groan. “I see... I suppose I can put that aside for now, in deference to your otherwise thorough identification.”

  The instructor swept his hand over the leaf on the podium, which disappeared without a trace, the aroma disappearing with it, as though the leaf had simply ceased to exist.

  Though Jun Li was fascinated by how the instructor had made the leaf vanish, she didn’t have the time to contemplate it, as a small bundle of Medicinal Plants had taken its place.

  “I’ll have you identify a few more Medicinal Plants. Go ahead.” As the instructor said this, he stepped back from the podium and crossed his arms, an odd expression lingering on his face.

  Jun Li approached the podium once again and slowly separated the medicinal herbs, taking her time to memorize the appearances and aromas laid out before her.

  Identifying these Medicinal Plants wasn’t an intellectual process for Jun Li, instead, as though it was a process she had gone through tens of thousands of times, simply looking over the plants gave her enough information to ascertain their properties.

  The subtle differences in coloration, the shape of their veins, an acridity in their scent, all these and more told Jun Li everything she needed to know.

  Each time she identified the nature and uses of a certain Medicinal Plant, Jun Li would relay this information to the instructor, yet every time, she was unable to identify them by name, and the instructor’s expression sank deeper into a mixed state.

  As Jun Li moved on to identify the last of the Medicinal Plants, the instructor stepped forward. “Stop. That’s… enough.”

  As he stepped forward, he swiped his sleeve overtop the podium, causing all the Medicinal Plants to vanish, a single thin green leaf replacing them. “Now then, please identify this last item.” As the instructor said this, he had an unusually tense expression on his face.

  “Ah, yes, sir.” Jun Li looked down at the thin leaf in front of her before freezing for a moment. This leaf didn’t fill the air with any particular scent, at least, not nearly as strongly as with the other Medicinal Plants.

  As she inspected the leaf, she could scarcely identify anything about its nature. “It looks like… uh…” Jun Li felt she had little recourse and looked to the instructor. “... I'm not sure, I suppose it would… add a certain flavor to a pill?”

  Hearing this, the instructor looked a little dizzy and began to walk out of the room. “I can’t manage- just... You just wait here.” As the instructor left, he let out a sigh, concerned by the implications of Jun Li’s performance.

  ‘She can identify the properties of any Medicinal Plant I put in front of her, but can’t even realize when they’re looking at a mundane blade of grass…?’

  LORD OF THE SEAS

  The sea does not bow… it judges.

  Julien Fronterra, had everything—fame, legacy, and a shot at immortality in the world of combat sports. But in his moment of triumph, his body betrayed him. As his vision faded and regret swallowed him whole, he made one final plea—to live again, to find his own people, to carve out a life worth more than just titles. The gods listened.

  “A saga with mythic depth and tidal stakes.”

  Chapters being posted 7 days a week, Monday to Sunday (For the Time Being)