Qin Ruolan remained standing before the table, silently observing Yun Che. The three spiritual herbs were still laid out before them, carefully separated, while the gentle fragrance emanating from the leaves filled the Refinement Room.
Yun Che recognized the herbs, but only superficially. He knew how to identify some of their properties thanks to the knowledge he had acquired previously, but he lacked enough experience to be considered a true alchemist.
Qin Ruolan noticed this immediately and showed no disappointment. Instead, she pointed toward a door at the back of the room.
"Come with me."
Yun Che stood up and followed her. The door led to a private library belonging to the Refinement House. As soon as he entered, Yun Che stopped.
No matter which direction he looked, there were books everywhere.
Tall bookshelves occupied practically every wall, some reaching all the way to the ceiling. Hundreds of volumes were arranged in different compartments. Some were bound in leather, while others were protected by wooden covers or thin jade plates.
In the center were several tables covered with manuscripts. Yun Che stared at the scene for several seconds.
"Master, how many books are there here?"
Qin Ruolan crossed her arms.
"In this room alone, there are approximately six hundred alchemical books."
Yun Che fell silent. Six hundred?
She pointed toward the first bookshelves.
"These books deal with the properties of spiritual herbs."
Then she pointed toward another.
"Those explain modern alchemical purification methods."
Farther ahead:
"Flame control."
Another bookshelf.
"Formation and stabilization of the pill core."
Finally, she indicated an older section.
"And those are treatises on alchemy schools, experiments conducted by ancient masters, refinement methods, and mistakes recorded throughout the generations."
Yun Che slowly breathed in. Now he could begin to understand. This was not merely an ordinary library.
It was the accumulation of generations of alchemical knowledge from the Profound Flower Sect.
Qin Ruolan walked toward one of the tables and picked up a book.
"If you truly want to become my disciple, you must first understand the foundation of this profession."
She placed the book on the table.
"Alchemy isn’t simply about putting herbs into a furnace and making pills."
Yun Che nodded.
"I understand, Master."
"No, you don’t."
The answer came immediately. Qin Ruolan looked directly at him.
"You know how to recognize some herbs. That’s different from understanding alchemy. After all, this is a sect well-versed in alchemy."
She opened the book.
"A single herb can possess dozens of different properties. Some only appear when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold. Others disappear when exposed to flames for too long."
Yun Che paid close attention.
"When two ingredients are combined, their properties can strengthen each other, neutralize each other, or come into conflict."
She turned several pages.
"And even when the ingredients are compatible, the order of refinement can determine whether you obtain a perfect pill or a piece of burnt trash."
Yun Che began to understand the weight of his master’s words. Qin Ruolan closed the book.
"Therefore, before you touch a furnace, I want you to learn the theory."
She pointed toward the hundreds of books.
"Memorize them."
Yun Che raised his eyebrows.
"All of them?"
"All of them. Just do as much as you can."
"How much time do I have?"
Qin Ruolan looked at the spiritual clock on the wall.
"You can study here until I come to get you, or send someone to do the same."
Yun Che remained standing, organizing his thoughts. Qin Ruolan smiled slightly.
"Yun Che, is there a problem?"
"No."
"Good."
She turned to leave.
But before crossing the door, she stopped.
"Yun Che."
"Yes, Master?"
"You don’t need to memorize every word."
She gave him one last look.
"You need to understand them. Even if you only understand one of the books here, as long as you grasp the principles, that is enough."
The door closed.
Yun Che was left alone.
Silence filled the library. He looked at the bookshelves again. According to his master, there were approximately six hundred alchemical books.
For any ordinary disciple, that could represent months or even years of study.
Yun Che slowly walked toward the first bookshelf and took out a volume.
He sat down and opened the first page. For several minutes, he simply read.
Then an idea occurred to him.
This wasn’t the world where he had to work hard just to learn something. This was a cultivation world, and he had a system.
The system had already demonstrated abilities that went far beyond simply distributing rewards, and it had only required him to perform dual cultivation.
Yun Che closed his eyes.
"System."
The interface appeared before him.
[At your service.]
"Can you analyze knowledge?"
[Yes.]
"Memorize it?"
[Yes.]
"Understand it?"
[Yes.]
Yun Che looked at the mountain of books, and a small smile appeared on his face.
"Then let’s find out how far you can go."
He placed his hand on the first book.
[Knowledge field identified.]
[Alchemy.]
[Begin analysis?]
"Yes."
The change was immediate.
The words before his eyes no longer seemed like simple ink on paper. Each concept began to be separated.
Organized.
Compared.
Connected.
The first thing the system analyzed was spiritual herbs.
According to the book, a herb was not simply a herb.
It possessed spiritual nature, temperature, energy concentration, medicinal properties, flame resistance, compatibility, and possible reactions.
Then came the preparation methods.
The manuscript he was currently reading stated that some herbs needed to be dried, while others had to remain fresh.
Some had to be crushed, while others could not be touched directly.
Yun Che continued.
The system advanced page after page.
Book after book.
The principles began forming a structure within his mind.
Alchemy possessed a logic.
First came ingredient selection, followed by preparation, then purification, and finally fusion.
Spiritual energy needed to be controlled throughout the entire process. If the flame was too strong, the ingredients would be destroyed. If it was too weak, the impurities would remain.
Then came pill formation and finally stabilization.
Yun Che realized that the true secret was not simply in the fire.
It was balance.
Hours began to pass.
One.
Two.
Three.
The sunlight entering through the windows slowly changed position. The Refinement House remained busy outside.
Disciples entered and left, furnaces were lit, and spiritual flames illuminated the corridors, but Yun Che remained seated.
Four hours.
The first group of books was completely analyzed.
[Basic alchemical knowledge assimilated.]
[Progress: 21%.]
Yun Che did not stop.
The second group dealt with purification methods. There, he found an enormous amount of information.
Different schools used different methods. Some advocated direct purification, while others used spiritual formations.
Some used the alchemist’s own energy to separate impurities.
Yun Che began comparing everything.
He discovered that certain methods considered fundamental by the Refinement House had limitations.
He also found ancient methods that were no longer used, not because they were necessarily inferior, but because they were difficult to execute.
[Theoretical contradiction identified.]
[Comparing methods.]
[Result: three traditional methods present limitations under certain conditions.]
Yun Che opened his eyes.
"Interesting."
He continued.
Five hours.
Six.
Seven.
The fatigue that should have appeared never came.
With every page, the system transformed scattered information into organized knowledge.
Temperature.
Spiritual pressure.
Exposure time.
Compatibility.
Purification.
Stabilization.
Everything began to fit together.
What had once seemed like a complicated profession gradually became a logical sequence of processes.
Eight hours.
Nine.
On the tenth hour, Yun Che closed the final book.
The library was immersed in the dim light of late afternoon. For several seconds, he did not move.
Then the system appeared.
[Analysis complete.]
[Books analyzed: 612.]
[Basic alchemy principles: assimilated.]
[Refinement methods: assimilated.]
[Properties of spiritual herbs: assimilated.]
[Purification theory: assimilated.]
[Fusion theory: assimilated.]
[Pill formation and stabilization: assimilated.]
[Intermediate alchemical knowledge: assimilated.]
[Alchemical analysis ability: unlocked.]
Yun Che took a deep breath.
He felt a difference.
It did not seem to be simple memory. He could understand every foundation, theory, and procedure.
If someone mentioned an herb, its properties would immediately appear in his mind.
If a recipe were presented to him, he could imagine the necessary sequence.
If an error during refinement were described, he could mentally search for its probable cause.
Yun Che looked at the hundreds of books again.
Hours earlier, they had seemed like an impossible ocean to cross.
Now...
They were merely knowledge.
He finally stood up.
At that moment, his master also entered, and the door opened.
Qin Ruolan walked in.
She had expected to find her new disciple still buried in the first few volumes.
Instead, she found Yun Che standing before the table.
"Finished?"
"Yes."
Qin Ruolan looked at the bookshelves.
Then at the books.
Finally, she turned her eyes back toward Yun Che.
"How many did you manage to read and understand the fundamentals of?"
"All of them."
She froze.
"All of them? You’re joking, aren’t you?"
"I read them all. Why would I joke about that?"
Qin Ruolan slowly approached.
"Are you saying you simply glanced through them?"
"No. I really read them, understood them, and comprehended the fundamentals."
Yun Che picked up one of the books.
Qin Ruolan narrowed her eyes.
That was impossible.