CH 107

Chapter 107: Alchemy Explosion

"We came in first this time and earned the qualification to enter the secret realm. We should all go in together," Xu Kaiyang said excitedly.

He had been interested in this secret realm for a long time, and he never expected to have the opportunity to enter so soon. It was really fantastic.

"When do you all want to go in?" Xu Kaiyang asked again.

Xiao Qingyang replied, "Can we choose the timing?"

Isn't the school being considerate?

"Of course. From the moment we obtained first place, within a year, you can enter the secret realm whenever you want. However, each person can only stay inside for seven days. Whether you encounter danger or opportunities, it will depend on each individual," Xu Kaiyang explained.

Some people who enter might encounter great opportunities and directly advance their levels when they come out. However, some might have bad luck and regress in strength. But these two cases are rare. Most people can obtain some treasures inside, but their actual strength doesn't increase much.

Nevertheless, everyone was eager for the secret realm.

"When do you want to go in?" Xu Kaiyang asked again.

"I don't know," Gu Xiaotian shook his head.

His physique and mental power level were not high. Even if he could enter the secret realm, he didn't require many things. He could only consider it a gain if he could find precious ingredients that were not available outside.

Therefore, it didn't matter to him when he went in.

Xu Kaiyang looked at Xiao Qingyang and Lin Weiran again.

"I'm fine with any time," Xiao Qingyang replied.

He still had a lot to learn about this world, so he would follow the majority and wouldn't go wrong.

"Let's discuss it later. There's no hurry right now," Lin Weiran also hadn't decided on the time to go in, so he decided to postpone this topic for now.

Xu Kaiyang didn't get a specific time, feeling somewhat disappointed. However, he also thought that Lin Weiran was right. There was no rush at the moment, and they still had a year's time.

Ever since Long Jingze returned to school, he would almost every day invite Xiao Qingyang to have meals together. Sometimes, he would even come to the 619 dormitory for a meal.

Xu Kaiyang and Lin Weiran were both devoted fans of Long Jingze. They were naturally thrilled and excited to have meals with their idol. Especially after knowing that their idol had a good relationship with Xiao Qingyang, they often asked Xiao Qingyang to bring him along for meals.

Long Jingze disregarded the opinions and judgments of others. Sometimes, he would even directly come to the entrance of Xiao Qingyang's classroom to pick him up. As a result, the entire new batch of pharmacy students came to know about Xiao Qingyang as a prominent figure, and they were well aware of his special relationship with their idol. This made many people jealous to the point of heartbreak.

Since then, more and more people have tried to get close to Xiao Qingyang.

However, Xiao Qingyang, who had been a cultivator in his previous life, was highly sensitive to people's emotions. He could generally discern whether others had good or malicious intentions towards him.

Therefore, he paid no attention to those who approached him or tried to get close with ill intentions. As for those who had no ill intentions, he was generous in befriending them and didn't care about their grades or abilities, treating everyone equally.

This further increased the genuine goodwill towards Xiao Qingyang from those who sincerely wanted to befriend him. And so, time passed, and another month went by. The new pharmacy students finally started their practical lessons in alchemical concoctions.

Xiao Qingyang had always been attentive during classes, and now that they were about to have practical sessions in alchemical concoctions, he became even more focused. He wished he could remember every word the teacher said.

Although he lacked mental power, understanding the process of alchemical concoctions in this world would allow him to improve formulas and refining methods more effectively, finding a way that suited him.

Currently, he could only rely on continuous experimentation with different formulas to find the most suitable one. However, if he could have a more systematic understanding of alchemy in this world, the trial and error process might be significantly shortened.

"All right, students, let's begin the class. I know you have been looking forward to this lesson for a long time, but if you don't lay a solid foundation first, even when you start making concoctions, you'll be less effective than others," the teacher stood at the podium and addressed the students below.

"After three months of studying, I believe you all have a certain understanding of alchemy. So, in this class, we will learn the simplest form of alchemical concoctions—restorative elixirs. Can anyone tell me which spiritual plants are needed for restorative elixirs?" the teacher asked the students below.

Restorative elixirs are the most basic type of elixir used to replenish people's physical strength, and they are also one of the most widely applied elixirs.

However, restorative elixirs can only slightly replenish lost physical strength and cannot improve a person's physique level. This is fundamentally different from the strengthening elixirs that Xiao Qingyang researched and developed.

Because there were no restorative elixirs or similar concoctions in his previous life's studies, and he didn't urgently need them back then, Xiao Qingyang had not learned how to concoct restorative elixirs up until now.

However, not being able to concoct them didn't mean he was unaware of such elixirs. On the contrary, he had a clear understanding of these elixirs—the required spiritual plants, their effects, and even the process of concoction. He simply hadn't experimented with them himself.

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, all the students below promptly raised their hands, clearly eager to answer the question.

"Let's have this student answer then," the teacher pointed to Xiao Qinglan, who was sitting in the front row.

Xiao Qinglan stood up with a smile and smoothly responded, "To concoct a restorative elixir, you need a total of five spiritual plants: Golden Thread Grass, Silverleaf Flower, Reed Orchid, Spirit Leaf Grass, and Wood Sphere. First, remove impurities from the Golden Thread Grass and Silverleaf Flower using mental power. Then, melt the Reed Orchid and Wood Sphere using the alchemical device, and add the impurity-free Golden Thread Grass and Silverleaf Flower. Strictly control the temperature at three hundred degrees Celsius. Once these four spiritual plants have melted into a liquid, separately process the Spirit Leaf Grass by grinding it into powder and adding it to the liquid. Finally, mix it using mental power to create the restorative elixir."

Xiao Qinglan not only listed the required spiritual plants for the restorative elixir but also smoothly described the process of concoction. After finishing, she raised her chin proudly, radiating an air of arrogance.

"The student's answer is excellent. It's evident that she has already attempted the concoction. Well done! I encourage all of you to be this brave in your attempts, not only during class but also outside of it. Practice making elixirs in your free time so that you can become more skilled and go even further on this path," praised the teacher.

Xiao Qinglan, who received the praise, wore an even more smug expression on her face.

Some people made sounds of admiration, but there were also classmates who didn't care much about her pretentious display, rolling their eyes at her ostentation.

With the backgrounds and identities of the students present, who hadn't tried to concoct such basic elixirs as restorative ones? What was there to boast about?

The only difference was whether they had succeeded or not.

"Tch, so pretentious," Meng Chenhan muttered in disdain.

In this class, Xiao Qingyang was still sitting at the same table as Meng Chenhan. Naturally, he heard the murmuring, but he just smiled and didn't express any opinions.

Although Xiao Qinglan mentioned the steps for making the restorative elixir, the teacher explained them again in detail, emphasizing some important points to note. The remaining time was left for the students to try their hand at concocting the restorative elixir.

Although most of the students present came from prominent families and had been exposed to potions since they were young or since their spiritual powers awakened, it wasn't an easy task to successfully concoct a potion before the age of eighteen.

And this was one of the reasons why Xiao Qinglan always looked down on others, considering herself superior.

For students majoring in alchemy, the potion experimentation class took place in the alchemy laboratory. The Imperial Military Academy, being the empire's top institution, had a well-funded campus, and just one alchemy laboratory occupied an area as large as a football field.

This spacious laboratory was only used by a dozen or so students, and there was enough distance between each student to prevent explosions from affecting others in case of failed potion concoctions.

Xiao Qingyang walked to his designated spot, and the table was already prepared with the spiritual plants needed to concoct five portions of restorative elixirs, which were the required plants for this class.

If these plants ran out and the students wanted to continue practicing, they would have to provide their own plants.

Xiao Qingyang looked at the spiritual plants in front of him and arranged them in a specific order. Then, following the steps the teacher had mentioned, he began processing the first plant.

He hadn't concocted a restorative elixir before, not in his previous life either. So he didn't have the sequence and methods from his past life to refer to. He could only follow the methods and steps of this world.

Everything went relatively smoothly until the final step of fusion. With a loud bang, Xiao Qingyang's furnace exploded first, drawing the attention of other students.

"Hahaha..." Once other students saw what happened to Xiao Qingyang, they burst into laughter uncontrollably, forgetting that they were still in the middle of their own potion concoctions. With this distraction, explosions one after another resounded in the laboratory, like firecrackers during a festive season, except these were strong explosions.

Amidst the continuous equipment explosions, a small exclamation was heard, "Qinglan, did you succeed? You succeeded on your first attempt! That's amazing!"

Xiao Qinglan's companions, her close friends, saw her successful concoction of the restorative elixir. Even though they knew she had done it before, they still praised her, saving face for her.

Other gazes immediately turned toward Xiao Qinglan, with various expressions of envy and jealousy.

Xiao Qinglan clearly enjoyed being the center of attention and humbly said, "Oh no, it's just luck. If you follow the correct steps, you'll definitely succeed as well. But if your spiritual power isn't enough, then it's hard to say."

Everyone understood who Xiao Qinglan's last sentence was directed at.