Chapter 6

At the same moment, in the Ye family residence on the other side of Jingyun City, the lights in a certain room were still brightly lit.

Ye Quan, the manager of the Ye family’s alchemy workshop, sat at his desk, staring intently at a pill in his hand that emitted a faint glow, seemingly lost in deep thought.

A young man in blue standing beside him felt very puzzled and somewhat dismissive.

The pill that Ye Quan held was just a second-rank Yang Fire Pill, although it was of middle quality, the alchemists revered by the Ye family could easily achieve this, and even better.

So why was Uncle Quan so focused on this pill?

"Xiaohai, did you really see Wang Yang break into the alchemy room and have a conflict with Wei Changfeng?"

While the young man in blue was lost in thought, Ye Quan suddenly asked, "How much time was left before the competition ended?"

The young man in blue quickly replied, "Yes, I was outside the alchemy room at the time, and I heard their argument clearly. There was at most two hours left before the competition ended."

"Two hours..." Ye Quan's gaze sharpened, and he praised, "Impressive!"

But the young man in blue felt a bit annoyed and said, "It's not that big a deal, he failed twice before. If it were me, I would definitely be better than him!"

Ye Quan laughed and shook his head, not taking it seriously.

This made the young man even more不服气 (unconvinced), and he argued, "Wei Changfeng has studied in the Alchemy Academy for three years and hasn't even passed the high-rank alchemy apprentice examination. He can barely refine first-rank pills. How could he have the ability to refine a second-rank Yang Fire Pill? I think he just got lucky today!"

Sometimes, under fortuitous circumstances, an alchemist can refine a pill beyond their usual capabilities, although such cases are rare. The young man in blue believed that Wei Changfeng was just extremely lucky.

Ye Quan was not angry at the young man's rebuttal.

He had no children of his own and had always treated his nephew Ye Chaohai as his own, investing a lot of effort in his cultivation, hoping he would inherit his legacy.

And Ye Chaohai's performance did not disappoint him. At a young age, he was already a high-rank alchemy apprentice, and advancing to a first-rank alchemist was just a matter of time. However, he was a bit arrogant and didn't look up to his peers.

Originally, Ye Quan did not want to go into too much detail, but he thought a little setback for Ye Chaohai would be beneficial.

He held up the Yang Fire Pill and said solemnly, "Look at this pill. It is perfectly round, with a tight and solid texture, and the pill essence is pure without any disorder. If the control of the alchemy energy had not reached a high level, it would be impossible to achieve such excellence by luck alone."

"The most important thing is that, besides this middle-quality pill, he also refined four completely qualified lower-quality Yang Fire Pills. I have seen them, and their quality is good. Do you still think this is just luck?"

Ye Chaohai was speechless. After a moment, he muttered, "But everyone says he's a waste of space..."

"I know that too!" Ye Quan smiled.

"Perhaps the old Wei Changfeng was really no good at alchemy, but he has now enlightened and broken through. His future prospects are great!"

It is not uncommon for someone who was originally dull to suddenly enlighten and break through in martial arts or alchemy, reaching a realm they could never have achieved before.

Such people, if they persist and do not lose their way, often achieve greater success than ordinary people.

Such people cannot be missed!

The manager of the Ye family's alchemy academy thought to himself and quickly made up his mind.

...

Wei Changfeng, the "waste of space" and "scum" in others' eyes, was unaware that he had been remembered by the well-known Ye Quan of Jingyun City. He was just waking up from the deepest state of meditation.

It was just dawn, and the distant rooster's crow could be faintly heard. The pale morning light filtered through the gaps in the windows and doors, illuminating the room.

Wei Changfeng, sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

The Nine Heavens True Yang Heart Sutra, a supreme secret technique for alchemy cultivation, was indeed remarkable. After a whole night of cultivation, his middle dantian was now filled with alchemy energy, a pale yellow pill essence the size of a chicken egg floating within.

This was the embryo of the alchemy fire. Once it was condensed, it could refine pills even without the aid of earth fire.

Typically, a talented alchemist would need to spend ten years of hard cultivation and master a high-level alchemy heart method to condense true alchemy fire.

Although Wei Changfeng could not condense the fire in one night, his progress was absolutely beyond the reach of ordinary alchemists, far surpassing his previous self!

Of course, for Wei Changfeng, this was nothing impressive. In the past, he had cultivated the Nine Heavens True Yang Heart Sutra to the seventh level, with alchemy energy and alchemy fire unmatched by anyone.

Now, reincarnated and cultivating again, everything was familiar. As long as he had enough time, he would eventually recover his original cultivation.

The real challenge lay in martial arts!

A sharp light flashed in Wei Changfeng's eyes as he reined in his energy and got out of bed.

He put on his outer robe and quietly left the room, coming to the small courtyard outside.

The night was still cold, and the thin-clad Wei Changfeng shivered involuntarily, exhaling a long white breath, his face slightly pale.

This body originally had a good constitution, but it had become increasingly weak after abandoning martial arts for alchemy. He walked straight to the old tree in the corner of the courtyard and stood facing east.

His legs slightly bent, his body sank as he raised his arms, clenching his fingers into fists and striking forward.

In the next moment, Wei Changfeng suddenly straightened his chest, his muscles tensing, and his strength surging. His fists breaking through the air produced a faint sound of wind and thunder!

The Bear Strike!

The martial technique Wei Changfeng was practicing was called the True Extreme Five Forms Technique, consisting of Bear Strike, Tiger Claw, Crane Body, Fox Step, and Snake Wrap, a total of forty-nine moves in five routes. It was a body-strengthening technique created by the martial arts grandmaster Yan Beihui a thousand years ago and the only martial arts technique he knew.

The True Extreme Five Forms Technique had no requirements for the practitioner's talent. Even ordinary people could learn it, and with persistence, it could strengthen the body, forge bones, and toughen tendons. It was also very powerful in close combat.

Yan Beihui exchanged this self-created technique for an eighth-rank Yang Revitalization Pill from Wei Changfeng. At the time, Wei Changfeng treasured it and practiced diligently, somewhat compensating for his inability to cultivate martial arts.

This pure external technique was easy to learn but difficult to master. However, once deeply cultivated, it could give one a chance to defeat opponents up to the ninth level of body cultivation.

The Bear Strike focused on defense, the Tiger Claw on attack, the Crane Body and Fox Step complemented the fists and claws, and the Snake Wrap was suitable for engaging and entangling enemies. In the past, Wei Changfeng had often used this technique to spar with guest experts, so now, re-practicing it was also familiar.

As he performed the Bear Strike and Tiger Claw, his muscles and tendons rubbed against each other, and his limbs and bones moved intensely. At first, his movements were a bit stiff and awkward, but soon they became smooth and natural.

Sweat began to seep through his skin, quickly soaking his clothes. In less than two hours, Wei Changfeng was already panting heavily and staggering, with his entire body's bones and muscles aching and tingling.

He wisely stopped practicing.

After all, this body was not up to it. The True Extreme Five Forms Technique was very energy-consuming, and regular practice required a lot of fish, meat, and delicacies to replenish energy, along with qi and blood-enhancing pills.

If he continued to practice beyond his limits, it would not only fail to strengthen his body but also damage his essence and bones.

"Changfeng!"

At that moment, Wei Changfeng heard Murong Wan's voice from behind.

He turned around and saw Murong Wan smiling as she walked over, handing him a towel. "Wipe your sweat first. Breakfast is ready. Eat while it's hot."

"Thank you, Mother!"

Wei Changfeng took the warm towel and wiped the sweat from his face, feeling a long, comfortable sigh as the fatigue in his body quickly dissipated.

After eating breakfast, he left home and headed to the Jingyun Alchemy Academy.

Jingyun City had three major academies: the Martial Academy, the Alchemy Academy, and the Literary Academy. Any eligible young men and women in the city and surrounding areas could enter the three academies to study, with no restrictions.

However, while it was easy to enter, it was very difficult to learn real skills. Besides the daily tuition and living expenses, whether studying martial arts or alchemy required a large amount of money.

Moreover, the three academies had annual exams, and only the outstanding students who passed the exams could advance from the lower academy to the upper academy. The most outstanding would be recommended to higher academies or even selected by major sects.

But the lucky ones were always a minority. Wei Changfeng's predecessor had stayed in the lower academy of the Jingyun Alchemy Academy for three years, failing the annual exams twice. Although he still had one more chance, he could not even afford the tuition for the fourth year.

The Jingyun Alchemy Academy was located on the southern slope of Qingmang Mountain. The entire academy was built along the mountain, with buildings and houses stretching for several miles, mostly hidden under lush trees, surrounded by beautiful scenery.

After showing his badge to the guards at the gate, Wei Changfeng entered the academy.

Among the three major academies in Jingyun, the Alchemy Academy had the fewest students, as alchemy cultivation required good talent and insight, and the costs of purchasing herbs, formulas, and renting alchemy rooms and earth fires were very high, which poor families could not afford.

Moreover, most of the students were in the alchemy rooms, so the front hall of the academy was cold and quiet, with few people around.

But as Wei Changfeng took a few steps toward the direction of the alchemy rooms, four or five fellow students came toward him.

One of them, upon seeing Wei Changfeng, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately stopped Wei Changfeng.

He asked with a smile, "Wei Changfeng, I heard you competed with Senior Brother Wang Hongyan from the upper academy at the Ye family's alchemy workshop yesterday to refine the Yang Fire Pill. How did it go? Did you win or lose?"