Terra Su couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. He had only heard the old fellows in the Alchemy Domain say that the Innate Fire Spirit Body was naturally suited for becoming an alchemist. Today, he finally realized that those old fellows were indeed telling the truth.
Not only did Gu Qianxue have a strong affinity for fire attributes, but her grasp of basic alchemy theory was also remarkably swift, far exceeding Terra Su’s expectations.
This little booklet Terra Su had was no ordinary booklet. It contained his understanding of basic alchemy theory, essentially condensing the essence of basic alchemy into this single booklet.
Ordinary alchemy apprentices might need to read through dozens of thick theoretical books to get started in alchemy, but with Terra Su, digesting this one booklet was enough.
However, Terra Su didn’t notice that while he and Gu Qianxue were quizzing each other on alchemy theory, an old man sitting in another corner of the carriage was listening to their conversation with a furrowed brow, constantly shaking his head in disapproval.
It was no wonder; Terra Su’s alchemy theories were too advanced, many of which didn’t exist in the current era and would only appear in the future. Naturally, people of this time would find them full of errors.
Additionally, many of these theories came from the profound knowledge of the Alchemy Domain, which often contradicted the current alchemy theories of the Cloud Abyss Empire.
The old man was evidently an alchemist. At this moment, he had been listening with a frown for quite a while, seemingly speechless at these “error-ridden” alchemy theories. He shook his head and closed his eyes to rest.
Terra Su didn’t notice the old man’s reaction, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. After quizzing Gu Qianxue on alchemy theory for a while, he jokingly took out a small bronze cauldron and asked Gu Qianxue to try her hand at alchemy.
Since Gu Qianxue hadn’t yet condensed her Alchemy Flame, Terra Su didn’t want to summon his own flame in public to avoid drawing attention. So, he summoned the little Celestial Fire to release flames under the cauldron, allowing Gu Qianxue to perform alchemy inside the cauldron.
In this way, it seemed as if Gu Qianxue and the little Celestial Fire were collaborating in alchemy. If others saw it, they would only think it was a little girl playing around with her pet monster beast, without thinking too deeply.
—Although the little Celestial Fire was humanoid, its fiery appearance could easily be mistaken for a monster beast pet.
“Try making a Minor Origin Elixir,” Terra Su instructed Gu Qianxue. The Minor Origin Elixir was the most common first-grade elixir, not too difficult to make, and very suitable for beginners.
“Alright, Brother Terra,” Gu Qianxue nodded obediently, picking out the necessary materials for the Minor Origin Elixir from the pile in front of her and began the alchemy process in the cauldron.
At this moment, the old man not far away couldn’t help but open his eyes to watch.
Alchemists were like this; they couldn’t resist watching others perform alchemy. If the other person did well, they could learn from their techniques. If there were mistakes, they could learn what to avoid in their own practice.
So, watching others perform alchemy had almost become an instinct for alchemists.
However, after watching Gu Qianxue for a few moments, the old man couldn’t remain calm. His eyebrows shot up; this girl wasn’t performing alchemy at all, she was just messing around, breaking almost every rule of alchemy and committing nearly all the taboos.
Nonsense, utter nonsense.
With such a method, it was a miracle if the cauldron didn’t explode, let alone produce any real elixir.
The old man shook his head in displeasure. He couldn’t stand people like this; they were simply insulting the Elixir Path.
Initially, he didn’t want to interfere, but when he saw Gu Qianxue pick up a few more herbs to add to the cauldron, he couldn’t stay calm any longer.
Those herbs were incompatible with the ones already in the cauldron, and adding them would almost certainly cause an explosion!
The carriage was only so big, and if the cauldron exploded, it would definitely affect everyone else.
The old man couldn’t hold back anymore. He immediately stood up and walked toward Gu Qianxue, scolding her in a reproachful tone, “Little girl, didn’t your elders tell you that you can’t play around with cauldrons and herbs? If the cauldron explodes, who will bear the responsibility for the damage?”
As he spoke, the old man reached out to the small bronze cauldron, intending to remove the herbs Gu Qianxue had just added.
However, just as his hand was halfway there, a swift hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist.
Terra Su smiled faintly, “Old man, it’s one thing to talk, but isn’t it a bit much to make a move?”
“You dare talk back?” The old man glared, scolding, “This little girl is so young, and you let her play around with alchemy? Alchemy is a serious matter, not a child’s game.”
“These herbs are incompatible with the ones already in the cauldron. Heating them will definitely cause an explosion!”
“If you’re her companion and you know a bit about alchemy, as I heard earlier, you should stop her. How can you just let her mess around?”
The old man grew more and more agitated. He had obviously mistaken Gu Qianxue’s alchemy attempts for child’s play. But it was understandable; in Anyang County, very few people could use a cauldron for alchemy, as it required one to condense their own Alchemy Flame. Naturally, the old man assumed Gu Qianxue was just playing with the cauldron.
“First, do I need to explain my actions to you?” Terra Su retorted, not giving the white-haired old man any face. “Second, how do you know these herbs will definitely cause an explosion?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” The old man frowned, “The Golden Cicada Skin and Blue Mountain Herb in there are incompatible with the Green Dew Fruit already in the cauldron. This is basic theory; do I need to explain further?”
“Qianxue, tell him,” Terra Su said, not bothering to explain himself.
“Alright, Brother Terra,” Gu Qianxue nodded, then pointed to a bit of silver powder in the cauldron, “Grandpa, you don’t need to worry about an explosion. I added Silver Luster Powder, so the cauldron won’t explode.”
“Silver Luster Powder?” The old man was taken aback. He looked into the cauldron and saw the silver powder, just as Gu Qianxue had said.
He was stunned. Gu Qianxue was right; adding Silver Luster Powder would indeed prevent an explosion, as it could neutralize the conflicting properties of the herbs.
But how did this little girl know? Adding Silver Luster Powder was a very obscure technique. Where did she learn it?
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