The Feng Manor was vast, with three kitchens in total.
The smallest one was dedicated solely to preparing feed for the livestock kept within the estate. Of the two larger ones, one served the servants' meals, while the other was reserved exclusively for the masters.
The irony was laughable! Feng Wuxie, as the legitimate daughter of the Feng Family, should have been the foremost among masters—yet she ate worse than the pigs!
For the first three days, her third sister Feng Wuxia had put on a token show of a bodhisattva's face before the servants, sending food to Feng Wuxie's quarters twice. But after those three days, Feng Wuxia seemed to tire of the charade, and Feng Wuxie's provisions were cut off entirely.
Feng Wuxie was furious!
The dilapidated room she was forced to live in—that she could still endure for now. Back when she had followed the troops into battle, saving lives amid the smoke and gunfire, she had even slept among piles of corpses. The hardship she had endured then was a thousand times more brutal than her current situation!
But the food delivered to her room was sour and reeking of rot—so foul that even pinching her nose couldn't block out a stench more acrid than the filth of a latrine. That, she could not tolerate!
However, her body had not yet recovered, she had never cultivated any Soul Power, and her only trump card—her pistol—was still locked away inside the Space Tower, beyond her reach. Even self-defense was a problem!
So she didn't want to burn bridges with those wretched family members just yet. She could only suppress her anger for now and first solve the problem of filling her stomach before dealing with anything else.
And so, she began sneaking into the kitchen to steal food!
"Don't you know medicine? Why worry about money or going hungry?"
A lazy voice sounded out of nowhere.
It was Ya Sha!
"That's right, I do know medicine, but this Tianqi Continent is different from the world I came from. It seems I'll have to start from scratch to master the medical arts of this world."
Ya Sha explained:
"Here, Alchemists hold a status above all Soul Artists and are held in the highest reverence. However, the process of Alchemy is arduous—one must use one's own Spiritual Sense to command the Heavenly Fire in order to refine pills. Only those with powerful Spiritual Sense can become Alchemists."
After a pause, Ya Sha added another explanation:
"You must first cultivate your Spiritual Sense and learn to control Spirit Fire. Then you can refine a Seal Breaking Pill to unlock the seal within your body, release your Soul Power, and gain access to the Spatial Realm."
Feng Wuxie understood: "So you're saying my Soul Power is sealed, but my Spiritual Sense remains intact. As long as I learn to use it, I can command the Heavenly Fire with my Spiritual Sense to refine Spirit Pills and become an Alchemist."
Ya Sha let out a cold laugh: "Correct. Just remember this—on the Tianqi Continent, almost anyone can cultivate Soul Power and become a Soul Artist, but only a rare few can cultivate their Spiritual Sense to become Alchemists! That is why Alchemists hold such an exalted and revered position."
After hearing this, Feng Wuxie sensed something amiss:
"Becoming an Alchemist is that difficult? Then if I truly learn Alchemy and break the seal to release my Soul Power, wouldn't I be both an Alchemist and a Soul Artist?"
Ya Sha, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the Spatial Realm, suddenly snapped open his sharp eyes at Feng Wuxie's words from outside. A glint of light flashed through his crimson pupils.
Through the illusions within the Spatial Realm, he watched Feng Wuxie's face—that bold, determined expression of one who would stop at nothing…
He realized—this woman who might one day become his master had ambitions as vast as the heavens!
Ya Sha answered her: "It will be extremely difficult, but having such a goal is a good thing. Because you must first become an Alchemist, then a Soul Artist! Only then will you have the right to step through the gates of the Spatial Realm! Feng Wuxie, you have no other choice—you can only bet on this!"
After hearing this, Feng Wuxie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
Only bet on this, is it?
Either continue being the number one waste in the world! Or reach the pinnacle and become a genius revered by all!
Two paths lay before her—which one to take needed no further deliberation!
Feng Wuxie had only one creed: Even if blown to ashes by enemy artillery fire, she would never lay down her arms and surrender!
She—absolutely—must—learn—Alchemy!