“Many, but for an apothecary, mastering the twelve divine flames is sufficient. They are: Civil-Military Sacred Flame, Samadhi True Flame, Solar Crimson Flame, Lunar Cold Flame, Death Dark Flame, Myriad Spirit Flame, Heavenly Punishment Annihilation Flame, Reincarnation Sky Flame, Chaos Ancient Flame, Life Divine Flame, Cosmic Light Demon Flame, and Destruction Fierce Flame,” Yang Danlin answered. “A word of caution: fully mastering these flames is impossible. Each divine flame is a martial soul, and no one can possess all twelve. Most apothecaries merely borrow these flames.”
“Even borrowing is limited to the Civil-Military Sacred Flame and Samadhi True Flame. The other ten, to be honest, I’ve only read about in books, never seen myself.”
Over the next two days, Ling Xiao memorized and digested the books Yang Danlin had introduced, including *Fire Control Art*. However, understanding was one thing; controlling flames required practice.
Yang Danlin’s advice was to start with mortal flames.
Mortal flames could be used for alchemy and medicine, but only with materials under a hundred years old. The process of mastering mortal flames was similar to the twelve divine flames, just simpler.
Moreover, mortal flames didn’t require a martial soul.
In just one hour, Ling Xiao condensed a “flame seed” within his body.
The flame seed looked like a tiny flicker, located in a martial artist’s dantian, typically possessed only by alchemists and apothecaries.
The flame seed’s potential depended on the apothecary’s achievements. Generally, a larger seed indicated greater potential. In ancient times, top apothecaries reportedly grew their flame seeds into solar seeds, their inner flames resembling a blazing sun, incredibly powerful.
Of course, that wasn’t the pinnacle. Some apothecaries speculated in their writings that a solar seed could evolve into a true sun.
Though only a theory, it followed a logical pattern, not mere conjecture.
Ling Xiao was eager about his flame seed’s future. Currently, his was only an inch tall, so faint it seemed it could extinguish at any moment, dimmer than a candle.
But with this seed, alchemy would be far more efficient, that much was certain.
Hearing that Ling Xiao had condensed a flame seed in two days, Yang Danlin’s weathered face showed both joy and astonishment, as if he couldn’t decide which expression to wear.
“Since you’ve condensed a flame seed, starting tomorrow, you’ll learn alchemy with Lan Yuer. Watch her every move closely. While her technique isn’t as refined as mine, her talent is exceptional, and her fundamentals are solid. Learning from her will do you no harm,” Yang Danlin said.
Yang Danlin was too busy, and his advanced alchemy techniques were too complex for a beginner. Lan Yuer served as a bridge, a logical arrangement Ling Xiao understood.
Tasked by Yang Danlin, Lan Yuer showed no resentment or reluctance.
This surprised Yang Danlin. Alchemy and medicine techniques were closely guarded secrets, rarely shared fully even with disciples, as masters often held back to avoid being surpassed.
Yet Lan Yuer taught Ling Xiao without reservation.
She believed Ling Xiao’s medical talent surpassed hers, making him worth nurturing.
But Yang Danlin, a seasoned observer, saw something more in Lan Yuer’s gaze. Since she didn’t voice it, he let it be.
For the next few days, Ling Xiao spent his days learning alchemy techniques and processes from Lan Yuer, while nights were devoted to his own cultivation.
Unbeknownst to others, two clones in his cave mansion trained continuously, progressing slower than his main body but making full use of time.
His martial soul clone, in the Mountain River World, practiced and refined the alchemy techniques learned from Lan Yuer, absorbing and mastering them as his own.
Even Dai Yuling, Lan Yuer’s disciple, didn’t receive such dedicated attention, though her focus was on cultivating herbs, not alchemy or medicine.
Dai Yuling’s unique martial soul allowed her cultivation to improve with each successful herb cultivation, especially with rare or exceptional herbs, compensating for her weaker martial talent. Lan Yuer found this remarkable.
Now at Martial Vein Ninth Layer Early Stage, Dai Yuling’s cultivation continued to advance.
Ling Xiao monopolized much of Lan Yuer’s time, not practicing himself since his martial soul clone had already run through every attempt.
What the clone learned, he knew, without question.
During lessons, Ling Xiao raised questions that surprised Lan Yuer, often about issues she hadn’t noticed or had noticed but couldn’t resolve.
Eventually, Lan Yuer was astonished to find that Ling Xiao had perfectly refined basic alchemy techniques, turning the tables so that she became the questioner, learning from him.
Later, Lan Yuer began teaching him her exclusive alchemy techniques, no less complex than Yang Danlin’s, with some innovations even surpassing his.
Even so, in his soul-immersed state, Ling Xiao mastered them effortlessly.
Beyond memorizing, his martial soul clone had tested these techniques repeatedly.
Even her exclusive techniques had flaws, which Lan Yuer mitigated through her skill, though her methods weren’t widely applicable.
Ling Xiao listed these flaws and offered his insights, leaving Lan Yuer stunned and a bit disheartened.
But she quickly cast aside her disappointment.
Through their mutual learning, her alchemy and pharmacological knowledge advanced rapidly. Previously obscure concepts became clear with Ling Xiao’s casual pointers.
Now, she wasn’t sure who was the teacher and who the student.
Lan Yuer genuinely felt she’d made the right choice in teaching Ling Xiao without holding back. He not only met her expectations but enriched her immensely.
Pills she couldn’t previously refine, she now had methods for.
She believed that, with a bit more experience, she might surpass Yang Danlin in every other aspect.
