225: Chapter 225 Why the Shaking Head?

A ripple of good-natured laughter echoed through the hall, easing the originally solemn atmosphere.

Great Master Changming raised his hand in a calming gesture, and the laughter naturally subsided.

"There are familiar faces and new faces here today."

His gaze swept slowly across the hall, pausing briefly on the few Earth-tier Alchemists in the front row before landing on Lu Jinghan and his companions seated near the front on the left.

It lingered for a split second on the qiankun furnace at Zhou Tianchen's waist, a flicker of indiscernible emotion flashing in his eyes, before he withdrew his gaze and continued speaking.

"The rules for my lecture remain unchanged: the first three days will be dedicated to discussing the principles of Alchemy, and the last two days will be for demonstrations at the Pill Furnace. If you have questions, wait until I finish a section before asking; do not interrupt in the middle. As for those seeking Medicinal Pills..."

He glanced at the Cultivators outside the hall clutching jade boxes and brocade pouches. "After the lecture concludes, I will receive you one by one."

With a flick of his hand, the bronze Pill Furnace on the sandalwood table trembled slightly, and the lid flew open on its own. A fist-sized, pale cyan flame rose from within, hovering in mid-air and rotating slowly.

The flame was not scorching; instead, it emitted a cool, jade-like gentleness. At its center, a faint, extremely thin thread of silver-white light could be seen moving, as if it were a living creature.

"Today, I will speak about Alchemical Fire." Great Master Changming's voice was unhurried.

"This Alchemical Fire of mine is called the Green Jade Cold Flame. It was harvested from the Green Jade marrow at the bottom of a ten-thousand-year-old cold pool in the Northern Territory. It was refined using thirty-three types of cold-natured Spirit Medicine as supplements, and it took forty-nine years to reach Minor Achievement."

"Although this fire is cold in nature, it can refine pills of extreme Yang. The key lies in the four concepts: Monarch, Minister, Assistant, and Envoy."

He extended a finger and gently reached into the cyan flame.

The flame did not burn his finger; instead, it wrapped around it like a docile pet, slowly dancing across his fingertip.

The Earth-tier Alchemists in the front row watched intently, some even leaning forward slightly, fearing they might miss a single detail.

Zhou Tianchen sat on his cushion, his gaze fixed on the Green Jade Cold Flame, and he nodded inwardly. With his discernment, he could naturally see that the quality of this Alchemical Fire was indeed extraordinary.

That sliver of silver-white light was the essence of cold marrow, which could only be found occasionally at the bottom of cold pools over ten thousand years old; it was extremely rare.

That Great Master Changming could refine it into his Alchemical Fire showed that his attainments in refining Alchemical Fire were indeed profound; he was not an ordinary Earth-tier Alchemist who only knew how to follow standard procedures.

However, in his view, this level of Alchemical Fire control had only just crossed the threshold of "Technique" and was still some distance from the level of "Dao." He leaned back on his cushion and continued to listen with a calm expression.

Great Master Changming withdrew his finger from the flame, his fingertip completely unharmed.

He scanned the people in the hall and continued: "To an Alchemist, Alchemical Fire is like a sword to a Sword Cultivator. Sword Cultivators attain Dao through their swords, and Alchemists attain Dao through their fire; the principle is the same."

"I have seen many young Alchemists who blindly pursue Advanced Pill Formulas and rare Spirit Medicine, while neglecting the most fundamental aspect: Alchemical Fire refinement. This is like a Sword Cultivator who does not Cultivate Sword Intent but only learns sword Moves; no matter how flashy the Moves are, they are merely for show when facing a true, powerful enemy."

As these words were spoken, many young Alchemists in the hall wore expressions of contemplation, while the Earth-tier Alchemists in the front row nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with these sentiments.

Great Master Changming continued to explain the specific methods of Alchemical Fire refinement in depth, from the timing of quenching and the mastery of heat to the influence of Spirit Medicine with different attributes on the Alchemical Fire, analyzing everything clearly and making complex concepts easy to understand.

His speaking pace was unhurried, yet every word was clear. Occasionally, he would use the Green Jade Cold Flame on the table for on-site demonstrations, making abstract theories intuitive and tangible.

After speaking for about half an hour, Great Master Changming picked up the teacup on the table to moisten his throat, then suddenly changed the subject: "On the path of Alchemy, after reaching the Earth Rank, moving further upward can no longer be achieved by hard cultivation alone."

"The reason Heaven-Tier Alchemists are so rare is not just because they require a massive amount of accumulated practice, but more importantly, because of one's 'enlightenment' regarding the Dao of Alchemy. I have been stuck at the Earth Rank Advanced level for hundreds of years and have yet to take that step."

"If, among you, anyone manages to step into the Heaven Rank before me, please do not hesitate to offer your guidance."

Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads and smiled bitterly. They had not even touched the Earth Rank Advanced level, so how could they step into the Heaven Rank?

After Great Master Changming finished these words, the hall fell into a moment of silence.

Even this Senior, who had been stuck at the Earth Rank Advanced level for hundreds of years, admitted he was unable to break through. What qualifications did they, the juniors who hadn't even touched the threshold of the Earth Rank, have to speak of the Heaven Rank?

Zhou Tianchen sat on his cushion, his face impassive, but he was secretly contemplating.

He cultivated the Scripture of Alchemy, and the path he walked was completely different from the vast majority of Alchemists in this world.

Ordinary Alchemists use their own spiritual power as fire and the power of their Divine Soul as a guide. Without reaching the Tribulation Transcendence Stage in cultivation, their Divine Soul strength is simply insufficient to support the refining of Heaven Rank Medicinal Pills.

But the Scripture of Alchemy is different. From the very beginning, it does not follow that path; instead, it uses Alchemy to enter the Dao, using Heaven and Earth as the furnace and the Law as the fire.

This path is not limited by cultivation Realm, but it has much higher requirements for the power of the Divine Soul.

The Scripture of Alchemy does indeed record a method for cultivating the Divine Soul, known as the Nine-Fold Soul Refining Technique.

This technique uses Alchemical Fire to repeatedly refine the Divine Soul, much like forging refined iron; every refinement makes the Divine Soul more condensed and purer.

However, he had only been cultivating the Nine-Fold Soul Refining Technique for a short time and had barely mastered the basics. His Divine Soul strength was much stronger than Alchemists of the same rank, but if he wanted to refine Heaven Rank Medicinal Pills with this, it was far from enough.

He made a rough estimate: at his current rate of progress, to Cultivate the Nine-Fold Soul Refining Technique to Minor Achievement and reach a level of Divine Soul strength sufficient to support Heaven Rank Alchemy, it would require at least several more years of hard work.

However, he was not anxious. The path of Alchemy is long by nature. With the Scripture of Alchemy in hand, and the qiankun furnace and countless Heaven And Earth Treasure gifted by his Revered Master, breaking through to the Heaven Rank was only a matter of time.

What was more important right now was to advance steadily and solidify his Foundation.

Zhou Tianchen gathered his focus and turned his attention back to Great Master Changming's lecture.

By now, Cultivators in the hall had begun to stand up one after another to ask questions. Great Master Changming answered them one by one, sometimes citing classics, other times demonstrating with the Green Jade Cold Flame, answering in detail and with composure.

The Earth-tier Alchemists in the front row also joined the line of questioners, asking about extremely profound points in Alchemy. Great Master Changming answered fluently, occasionally posing counter-questions that caused the old Alchemists to fall into deep thought, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly enthusiastic.

When the ninth question—asked by a Profound Rank Alchemist regarding the contraindications of cold-natured Spirit Medicine in compound pills—was answered by Great Master Changming in a clear and analytical manner, his gaze inadvertently swept across the front left side of the hall, landing precisely on Zhou Tianchen.

Zhou Tianchen was shaking his head slightly. The movement was so small that others could barely notice it, but Great Master Changming had lived for hundreds of years and had such sharp discernment that he caught this subtle action at a glance.

He had always been rigorous with his answers and asked himself if there were any errors or omissions in his recent discussion on cold-natured compatibility; why, then, was this strange young Alchemist shaking his head?