126 A Savage Survivor

Now I only had one more refinement left until I would pass out. I brought out a little bit of extra Green Ganja I had leftover and lit it up to clear my mind. I relaxed, inhaling the Green Ganja as I tried to glean some insights into the Alchemy Dao. With new insights, I could make the greatest last attempt.

The soothing Green Ganja really eased my fears about the whole inch away from death thing. With a clearer mind, I could make much better decisions.

I thought about why I had failed both times as I came to a startling conclusion!

Why was I adding Green Ganja first? Although it was the core ingredient Green Ganja was probably the easiest ingredient to stabilize out of the 4 ingredients needed for this pill core. It would be much better if I started with the most chaotic ingredient, then added the rest.

Although the initial forming of the embryo would be much more difficult with this type of crafting, it would make it so the chances of failure at the later stages were much lesser. I took another hit of the Green Ganja and thought about it more.

Why is my fire control so subpar here? It probably had to do with me learning with the furnace before. With a cauldron, I could only use my own Fire Essence. My personal control of my Fire Essence was good, but it still left a lot to be desired. From now on I will no longer rely on the furnace, I believe using it is hindering my Dao path.

Fire Essence control is something I should be training and practicing every day, not attempting to get by mastering by using a fancy machine. It was crucial to a great Alchemist to have amazing fire control. Luckily I was already a Baron level blacksmith, so although my fire control was a bit rusty, it still could meet the minimum level for this crafting.

From now on I will work more diligently on this aspect of Alchemy. By attempting to rush through the trial I had blinded myself to what was important to me. Thinking over the time I had spent so far learning alchemy, I was quite sure I would make it out of this trial with time to spare.

As long as I improved my fire control and herb lore skills, there should be no major setbacks on my path to becoming an Indigo Alchemist. I will be more diligent in my studies, becoming a more well-rounded alchemist.

Another one of my biggest faults is I haven't had the time to truly experiment during alchemy. The only reason I am experimenting now is that I'm sitting in the middle of a life and death crisis. Although it will slow down your progress in advancing in alchemy a bit, experimentation is none the less a valuable and essential skill to any alchemist.

If I don't experiment and find my own way through the Alchemy Dao, I am forcing myself to be shackled by the accomplishment of my predecessors. I need to form my own opinions and ideals regarding the Alchemy Dao to really and truly call it my own.

Although the formula I made had an unconventional approach to creating the pill-core, the tweaking I did I believe is essential to making a stable pill-core.

I thought over every decision I had made that brought me to this moment of life \u0026 death. From leaving the safety of the Hudson Estate to charging recklessly into an unfavorable battle. If I could do it all over again, I would make the same decisions.

I rather die chasing my ambitions than live a comfortable life of mediocrity. I felt something change within my devil heart from the powerful emotions of my resolve. It was as if invisible shackles holding me back from advancing my devilry had been removed. Though my willpower had been tested in the hallway, it was another thing to have unimpeded resolve.

I got up and unsheathed Destiny \u0026 Freedom, stabbing them into the ground at the entry of the cave.

"I've made my peace over this refinement. This last refinement will determine whether I live or die. If I live I will valiantly come out from this cave and reclaim you two. If I do not, you are to guard this cave eternally. Let no one sully the tomb of your young lord," I said as I looked upon my cursed weapons.

'Yes… My… Lord…' said Destiny.

'Messa guardian now! Wessa together forever!' said Freedom.

If Destiny could make a face right now, it would be one of extreme sadness. To spend eternity with the talkative merfolk would be eternal torture. He hoped his young lord made it out of his life \u0026 death refinement so he would not have to be faced with such a torturous existence.

Sadly, there was nothing either of the weapons could do to assist their young lord. Destiny felt helpless. He promised himself he would work harder for his young lord if he survived.

I walked back to the part of the cave where I had placed 'Little Mac', cracked my knuckles and dived back into refining. The fire essence I ignited this time was different. It held my hopes, dreams, and aspirations about the Fire Dao, as well as my longing to improve with the Alchemy Dao.

"My Fire Dao is now right on the border of breaking into Viscount. If I had time to study and understand it I know I could push it to the next level. If I can't craft a Baron level pill with a quasi-Viscount fire essence, I don't deserve to live," I said.

I threw all the ingredients together into the cauldron for my final refinement.

"So it's like this," I said in amazement as I watched the medical efficiencies act obediently under my quasi- Viscount fire essence.

With the stronger fire essence driving my refinement, it was much easier to control every step of the refinement. After what seemed like an eternity of careful precision, I looked at the finished pill core that lay in the cauldron. It was a small Dark Violet pill core. This young lord had succeeded and broken through to become a Grape Alchemist!

I quickly took out the Dark Violet pill core and mixed it with a bit of Tier-2 ointment I had available to make a topical salve. After I finished the salve I happily rubbed it over my body. My fatal wounds healed in front of my very eyes.

I live!