Chapter Sixty-Nine: Elemental Spirits

Every time Qi Xiao heard Melanie’s affectedly sweet voice, he felt as though goosebumps were about to break out all over his skin. Still, the reward was not something he could forgo—after all, it concerned the system’s bounty.

“Congratulations on successfully completing an alchemy supply. You have received—Stellar Materials Compendium (Volume One).”

A new scroll appeared in Qi Xiao’s mind. After many such responses from the system, a bookshelf was gradually taking shape within his spiritual sea. Living in Vestalia and receiving a compendium on stellar materials was, he supposed, well-suited to his circumstances.

Melanie, unable to contain her excitement, hurried off with the two brooches to find the elegantly dressed witch. At that moment, Midiel and his companions had just settled the remaining payment and returned to the private room.

Midiel ignored the others, his gaze falling on Qi Xiao. In an even tone, he said, “Let’s go.”

Qi Xiao quickly bid farewell to his new acquaintances, offered a formal salute to the two official witches, and hurried to Midiel’s side. Before he could even steady himself, he realized he was already back in the familiar study.

Though Qi Xiao had long known his teacher’s capabilities, this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand. He was inwardly awed, thinking, “It seems Teacher prefers not to take chances—better to teleport straight back. Spatial sorcerers, whatever their combat prowess, are unrivaled when it comes to escape and survival…”

Merck entered carrying two cups of hot tea. Midiel accepted one, taking a delicate sip, and said softly, “Go and rest in your room. Come back in two days—I’ll take you to Pat City to retrieve that vial of potion.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Qi Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, nodding respectfully. He was glad his teacher hadn’t forgotten; he had been pondering how to bring it up without causing awkwardness.

He exited the study, and as the door closed behind him, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a shimmering orb of light suspended in the air.

“So Teacher’s purchase of that mysterious object is indeed linked to Lord Deimos.”

Qi Xiao noted this silently but did not dwell on it. Such matters were far beyond his reach; for now, all he needed to do was focus on cultivation and study. In these early days, there was no sense in being distracted by affairs unrelated to himself—once he became a full-fledged sorcerer, he would have more than enough time to indulge his curiosity.

As Qi Xiao stepped into the great hall, a brown mushroom leapt down from the wall and landed on his shoulder, rubbing its cap affectionately against his neck. Two clusters of blood mist also materialized before him, gradually condensing into the forms of blood servants. In unison, they greeted, “Welcome home, young master.”

Qi Xiao was never quite comfortable with this form of address, but it was difficult to find a reason to correct them. Instead, he praised their progress in learning the Sorcerer’s Tongue and waved them off to attend to their own tasks.

Returning to his room, Qi Xiao sat cross-legged, held his breath, and began to meditate. Though each system reward seemed but a drop in the ocean, the accumulation was beginning to show—he estimated he was about a fifth of the way to advancement. If all went well, three or four months should suffice for him to reach the rank of Senior Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

But it was too fast—almost unbelievably so.

Qi Xiao decided to spend more time honing his alchemy and sleight of hand, aiming to pace his breakthrough over roughly six months. That would still be swift, but not so much as to defy belief. He had heard that Deimos himself had taken half a year to rise from intermediate to senior, and then three more years to become a full sorcerer. Compared to that, Qi Xiao’s speed was not excessive.

Having made his decision, Qi Xiao didn’t push himself to meditate through the night. Instead, he made some minor adjustments to recover from the mental fatigue of recent days. After about two hours, he ended his meditation and began reading the reward he had received from the system.

From his extensive reading, Qi Xiao speculated that the stars seen in the sorcerer’s world likely existed in other planes of the void. The principles governing the sun and moon, however, eluded him for now.

“After all, this world is round above and square below… There is even a world membrane; the firmament has its limits, and sorcerers have traveled to the ends of the sea, yet still the sun rises and the moon sets. It’s truly wondrous.”

Gazing at the various stellar materials described in his book, Qi Xiao felt a sudden yearning for the starry sky.

At dawn, he stepped out into the cool air and made his way to the long-unused alchemy laboratory. He lit three crucibles and the furnace, beginning to brew the basic potions whose recipes he knew by heart.

He adjusted the flames with meticulous care, watching the sparks fly and recalling Teacher’s collection of elemental spirits. When he had first arrived, Butler Merck had asked the spirits if any would be willing to assist him, but elementals were a shy and freedom-loving lot; none had volunteered.

Perhaps, when he had time, he could make a contract with one himself. Most alchemists coveted elemental spirits, especially those of fire—some even had more than one. With a fire elemental, both potion-making and equipment forging grew much easier; they were beloved by flame itself, their control over fire as natural as a flex of muscle. Some possessed unique flames that could react with alchemy in unpredictable ways, producing signature products that only a single alchemist could create. Many pursued this goal: an alchemical creation unique to themselves, impossible for others to replicate.

Alas, few ever achieved it. True uniqueness required not simply keeping a recipe secret, but reaching a point where, even if the formula was known to all, only you could produce the result—only then could it be called a signature alchemical product.

Qi Xiao had pondered this before. He thought that if the protagonist of a certain movie were to study alchemy, with his abilities, he would be quite suited to developing a unique product of his own.

Qi Xiao was also intrigued by the black box that contained the mysterious artifact—he wondered if he might someday borrow it for research.

Even while lost in thought, his hands remained steady, and each batch of potion emerged flawless. Yet he sold them at market price, which explained their brisk sales.

By noon, the laboratory doors stood wide open, flames leaping within, the heat almost suffocating.

But Qi Xiao was in his element, thoroughly enjoying himself as he mixed a specialty drink at the side. He took a tentative sip—it didn’t taste quite right. He had consulted Ling Wen at length, learning many recipes and techniques for making beverages.

One more sip, and he added plenty of ice, relishing the coolness.

“The mint is too strong, and it’s not sweet enough. And… too much ice can also blunt the flavor.”

Dividing his attention, Qi Xiao noted down the proportions for this batch, without neglecting the ongoing process—he removed the finished potions from the furnace, added the next set of prepared ingredients, and began simmering a new batch.