The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Jiazi Alchemy Understanding_1

”I’ll take the elixir recipe and medicinal materials. Please find someone to deliver this cauldron to Riverside Sect for me.”

After paying the bill and collecting his receipt, Shen Mo addressed the Shopkeeper.

He possessed a Universe Bag.

However, the Universe Bag he used was of the lowest quality issued by his sect. Its interior space was only several decimeters in size, sufficient for regular materials like medicinal herbs. However, it was inadequate to store the cauldron. Therefore, he had to ask the Shopkeeper to arrange delivery.

”Certainly.”

The Shopkeeper nodded and called out, ”He Er, come out quick, I have a delivery for you!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly laborer promptly emerged from the backyard.

”This customer ordered the Red Cloud Cauldron. Follow him and deliver it.” The Shopkeeper pointed at the cauldron and issued his order.

”Okay.”

The laborer promptly hefted the cauldron onto his shoulder and exited the shop.

Seeing this, Shen Mo left Baodan Pavilion with him, heading outside the Market.

Upon reaching the Market barrier, Shen Mo had to cross-check his selling items and the received Spirit Stones with the Keeper.

After confirming everything was correct, the middle-aged Keeper said, ”Your sales amounted to forty-one Spirit Stones. According to the Market’s ’one-in-a-hundred’ commission rule, this is the remainder of your deposit.” He then handed over five and a half kilograms of spiritual rice to Shen Mo.

Before entering the Market, Shen Mo had deposited one Spirit Stone as surety. Now, after deducting the Market’s commission, around half of Shen Mo’s Spirit Stone remained. Of course, a Spirit Stone can’t be split. Transactions of this size are often settled in spiritual rice of equivalent value. While not as much of a hard currency as Spirit Stones, spiritual rice is still relatively good at retaining value. Five and a half kilograms of spiritual rice was worth exactly half a Spirit Stone.

Shen Mo accepted the spiritual rice, put it into his Universe Bag, and then, along with He Er, the laborer carrying the cauldron, they set off.

「Returning to Riverside Sect.」

By evening, Shen Mo returned home.

After tidying up his home, he began to tally up his current assets.

After all those expenses, I’ve exhausted all my Spirit Stones again.

Shen Mo looked at the remaining five Spirit Stones and sighed.

He had sold talismans in the Market for forty-one Spirit Stones. Taking out the Market’s commission, he had forty in total. Together with the twenty low-grade Spirit Stones Chen Mengze had given him, and his existing savings, he had a total of sixty-six low-grade Spirit Stones. Today, after his shopping spree at Baodan Pavilion, he had spent most of them. Out of his sixty-odd Spirit Stones, only five were left.

However, those Spirit Stones were well spent.

He had the cauldron and the necessary medicinal materials. Now, he was ready to venture into the realm of Alchemy at any time.

But before that, I need to inspect this cauldron...

Shen Mo recalled the moment when he first saw the Red Cloud Cauldron in the Market, and the fleeting glint of light.

I hope there’s a pleasant surprise awaiting!

At that moment, Shen Mo was filled with a sense of anticipation, like unveiling a mystery box—a mixture of nervousness and expectation.

He lit a candle in his room and began to meticulously explore the cauldron, trying to find any hidden items.

Despite a thorough search, he found nothing.

Let’s clean it and have another look.

He fetched a bucket of water from the backyard, cleaned the dust off the Red Cloud Cauldron, and searched it again, but still could not find anything.

Let’s roast it over a fire and see.

Shen Mo made a bonfire in the house and set the cauldron above it. After being heated, the cauldron finally revealed some differences.

WHOOSH!

As the flames danced, the Red Cloud Cauldron gradually emitted plumes of smoke. After dispersing the dense white smoke, small lines of text seemed to intermittently appear and disappear at the bottom inside the cauldron due to the heat of the fire.

Indeed! It truly holds a secret!

Shen Mo’s heart leaped. He promptly began deciphering the text.

[Alchemist Red Cloud, Jiazi Alchemy Understanding...]

Shen Mo slowly read aloud the deciphered text, word by word.

[I started practicing alchemy at the age of seven, became an accredited alchemist at twenty-three, and finally a Grade II Alchemist at sixty. I obsessed over the Alchemy Path for half my life....]

The text in the first section detailed the life experiences of an alchemist. According to the descriptions, the alchemist named Red Cloud lived until he was seventy-two. He was a Grade II Alchemist and was extremely obsessed with the Alchemy Path.

This Alchemist Red Cloud must have been the previous owner of the cauldron.

As Shen Mo thought this to himself, he continued reading.

[Now that my Lifespan is almost gone, I regret not having a disciple. Without any successor to inherit my Jiazi Alchemy Understanding, I will leave this life’s Alchemy Understanding here. If someone sees it, it will be considered a stroke of destined fortune.]

The text in the first section ended there. The second section was filled with numerous lines of text, outlining various experiences and understanding of Alchemy.

Looking at these words, Shen Mo etched them into his memory.

[You examined Alchemist Red Cloud’s Jiazi Alchemy Understanding, enhancing your Alchemy Path attainment.]

[You examined Alchemist Red Cloud’s Jiazi Alchemy Understanding, enhancing your Alchemy Path attainment.]

...

After thoroughly studying these insights, Shen Mo noticed that his information panel had already displayed several notifications.

Alchemy Path... Shen Mo quickly opened his status bar, noticing that his previously nonexistent Alchemy Path cultivation had experienced a remarkable increase.

[Alchemy Path (Grade V): 124/500]

I haven’t even officially refined a single batch of elixirs, yet I’ve gained over a hundred experience points out of nowhere!

Looking at this data, Shen Mo couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. This Jiazi Alchemy Understanding left by Alchemist Red Cloud is truly the best primer for the Alchemy Path!

The boost from the Alchemy Path understanding isn’t over yet! This is just the beginning!

Based on Shen Mo’s estimates, the insights from this Grade II Alchemist should keep providing him experience up until he reached Grade II on the Alchemy Path.

I bought a cauldron, and inscribed upon it are the lifelong alchemical insights and experiences of its former owner, a Grade II Alchemist. It’s truly a buy-one-get-one-free deal!

While this might not be considered a major stroke of fortune, for Shen Mo, who was planning to embark on the Alchemy Path, having Alchemist Red Cloud’s recorded insights as a guide was undoubtedly a significant boon. It would help him take his first steps on the path of Alchemy much more smoothly.

It seems it wasn’t an illusion after all. When encountering good treasures, my Special Destiny, ’Observe’, really does provide hints.

After memorizing this alchemical knowledge, Shen Mo paid more attention to his Special Destiny, ”Observe”.

I’m glad I trusted my judgment and didn’t dismiss it as my eyes playing tricks on me. Otherwise, I would have missed this opportunity to gain these insights into the Alchemy Path!

After a moment of reflection, Shen Mo eagerly rubbed his hands together and laid out the medicinal materials he had purchased.

”Let’s get started. Tonight, I will refine my first batch of Elixir!” he muttered to himself with great ambition.