The Alchemy Hell of the Master's Making
Though she had successfully crafted a low-grade Ohaengdan, Baek Cheong recalled the introductory and basic chapters of the Five Elements Taiji Alchemy Method and used jade stones to lay the foundation of a formation around the pill furnace. Then, drawing the energy of the five elements from her dantian, she ignited the furnace fire located at the base of the cauldron. "Hoo..." Taking a deep breath, she began the alchemy process in earnest. While the Ohaengdan was an unranked pill whose grade could not be measured, the complexity of its underlying principles and the difficulty of manipulating the five elements far surpassed that of most second-tier pills.
First, she tossed the leaves of the Hanbingcho, which held the water attribute, into the furnace. Simultaneously, she infused water-attribute energy, rapidly lowering the temperature inside the cauldron to liquefy the frigid essence of the herb. Onto the coldly congealed sap, she added the crushed stems of a hundred-year-old Cheongmokdeung, which possessed the strong life force of the wood attribute.
Sizzle! Following the principle of Water Generating Wood, the cold sap soaked into the Cheongmokdeung stems, and an explosive vitality rose in white smoke. She extended a portion of her energy into the cauldron, trapping the rising white smoke by rotating it into the shape of a Taiji to ensure it did not scatter.
'Next is the fire attribute.'
Pushing the furnace fire to its limit, she added the pulp of the Yeomhwagwa. Following the principle of Wood Generating Fire, the intense flames burned through the vitality of the Cheongmokdeung, heating the cauldron like a crimson blast furnace. In this process, the toxicity and turbidity contained within the herbs turned into black smoke and were expelled. A typical alchemist would have been desperate to open the lid to vent the impurities, but Baek Cheong rotated the Taiji inside the cauldron even more vigorously. Using centrifugal force, she pushed the heavy impurities against the furnace walls to burn them away, condensing only the pure essence of the herbs in the center.
When the flames reached their peak, she sprinkled in powdered Hwangtoji-jeong of the earth attribute. Following the principle of Fire Generating Earth, the intense flames subsided calmly, and the essence coalesced into a heavy, sticky form. Finally, she added the essence of Jueuncho, which was a crucial ingredient of the Ohaengdan and contained the metal attribute. According to the principle of Earth Generating Metal, the sticky mass of essence began to be molded into a firm, smooth sphere.
'This is the real hurdle.'
Without even a moment to wipe the sweat from her forehead, Baek Cheong focused all her Divine Sense on shaping the pill. It was time to apply the principle of Water Overcoming Fire—closing the cycle of mutual generation where the five elements chased each other's tails, and hardening the outer layer into a film to prevent the energy from leaking out. She drastically reduced the furnace fire while simultaneously squeezing every drop of water-attribute spiritual energy from her dantian to rapidly cool the interior of the cauldron.
Crack! The surface of the pill, which had been heated intensely, underwent a rapid temperature change and developed fine cracks. She suppressed the five-element vitality trying to escape through the cracks with her energy, fixing the shape. It was a precarious situation where a slight failure in energy control could cause the pill, which was forcibly holding back the medicinal properties, to explode and blow up the surroundings. However, Baek Cheong did not lose her focus until the very end, maintaining the rotation of the Taiji.
Finally, the turbulent energy inside the cauldron subsided, and the scent of the pill wafted out, brushing against her nose. "Whew... I survived." Baek Cheong gasped for air and opened the lid of the cauldron. As the thick smoke cleared, a single pill of five-colored light lay on the bottom of the cauldron. It was not dazzlingly lustrous like the top-grade Ohaengdan that Yakseon had made, nor was it inscribed with pill scripts. The surface was somewhat rough, and the five colors were rather dull. But it was undoubtedly a low-grade Ohaengdan, a heaven-defying pill capable of elevating the quality of five-element spiritual roots.
"I succeeded on the first try...!"
Just as she was about to reveal her joy while holding the Ohaengdan she had crafted, a familiar voice came from behind, causing Baek Cheong to jump in surprise and turn around.
At the entrance of the alchemy room stood Yakseon, hands behind his back, smiling broadly—she had no idea how long he had been standing there. Beside him, Wangsam stood watching with an intrigued expression.
"Hick! T-that's not what it looks like..."
She had been caught sneaking into an ownerless alchemy room and wasting precious spirit herbs. Baek Cheong rolled her eyes, frantically searching for an excuse, but she couldn't bring herself to speak because of Wangsam's presence. However, Yakseon had known from the start that Baek Cheong had entered through the formation he had set up around the room. He had been watching with interest to see what kind of trouble she would cause using the Five Elements Taiji Alchemy Method, and had brought Wangsam along to enter just as the alchemy reached its final stage.
"Let us see what you have crafted."
When Yakseon approached and held out his hand, Baek Cheong resigned herself and handed over the low-grade Ohaengdan she had made.
"Hmm."
Yakseon placed the low-grade Ohaengdan on his palm, smelled it, and examined its energy. "Although you were clumsy in controlling the energy, leaving the surface rough and failing to fully remove the turbidity, resulting in a low-grade quality, the principle of crafting it through the mutual generation and overcoming of the five elements was implemented excellently without a single error. For someone crafting an Ohaengdan for the first time, this is an achievement worthy of praise."
Baek Cheong looked bewildered at Yakseon's praise. She had expected a thunderous roar for stealing precious materials, but instead, he was patting her on the back as if she were a proud student. On the other hand, Wangsam, who had been quietly watching the situation from the side, was struck with internal astonishment. Wangsam alternated his gaze between the low-grade Ohaengdan in Yakseon's hand and the young girl who was only at the 5th star of Qi Refining.
Wangsam vaguely knew that the complexity of the principles contained in an Ohaengdan was a realm that even the most renowned alchemists in the cultivation world could not easily attempt.
"As you can see, the alchemy of this Ohaengdan is so demanding in energy management and Divine Sense consumption that even I find it difficult to craft them in succession. And..." Yakseon continued, explaining to Wangsam without hiding the difficulty. To make an Ohaengdan, one basically had to master the Five Elements Alchemy Method, which required the ability to handle the energy of all five elements; thus, one had to be a user of five-element spiritual roots or a great cultivator above the Golden Core stage to even begin. Even for a five-element spiritual root user, a minimum of Foundation Establishment mid-stage was required to enter the field of Ohaengdan alchemy. Considering that most five-element spiritual root users never escaped the early stages of Qi Refining, it was practically an extreme level of difficulty for entry.
'Indeed... she is worthy of being called the true genius of the Baek family.'"
Wangsam thought of the information about Baek Cheong and let out a deep sigh of admiration. The young girl before him had broken through a realm impossible for her low Qi Refining mid-stage level to craft an Ohaengdan. It was clear that once the Baek family's genius reached the Foundation Establishment stage, she would grow to a level that could overturn the landscape of the southern powers as an alchemist.
Her talent was greater than what she had shown at the social gathering, but he could not rashly show greed toward the Baek family's genius.
"...Although my disciple, Cheong, has shown great talent and managed to imitate a low-grade version, I am the only one in the entire cultivation world who can guarantee quality above top-grade."
Yakseon, having noticed this greed, openly called Baek Cheong his disciple to protect her. At the same time, he emphasized the scarcity and difficulty of producing Ohaengdan to firmly secure the upper hand in the negotiations. Wangsam bowed respectfully.
"Master Yakseon's words are correct. It would be the excessive greed of the Biun Sect to desire to be supplied with such a highly principled Ohaengdan like other pills."
He quickly finished his calculations and presented a compromise. "Then, how about this condition: one top-grade Ohaengdan, crafted personally by Master Yakseon, every three years, supplied to the Biun Sect through the Baek family as you said? We will promise the Yeonha Baek family appropriate spirit stones, rare spirit herbs, and the full protection of the Biun Sect."
The next power-holder of a great sect had lowered his posture while offering exceptional conditions. Yakseon stroked his beard and nodded, looking satisfied. "One top-grade pill every three years... that much will not interfere with this old man's cultivation, so that is acceptable."
Wangsam finalized the agreement with Yakseon and left the alchemy room with a polite greeting to deliver the news to Baek Muyeong. Only Yakseon and Baek Cheong remained in the alchemy room.
'I'm truly doomed.'
Baek Cheong hunched her shoulders, expecting a thunderous roar for wasting precious spirit herbs. However, instead of getting angry, Yakseon returned the low-grade Ohaengdan she had made and smiled kindly. "Haha, you are so scared. Thanks to you crafting the Ohaengdan at just the right time, I was able to show the Biun Sect the difficulty of crafting it."
Baek Cheong received the Ohaengdan with a bewildered expression at the unexpected praise. "Uh... then I'm not in trouble?"
"Trouble? Not at all. I should give you a reward instead." Yakseon showed a soft, kind smile.
"Really?"
Baek Cheong was excited and packed the low-grade Ohaengdan into a jade bottle. She then stored the jade bottle in her storage pouch, expecting a reward.
"Yes. Since I told the next sect leader of the Biun Sect that you are my disciple, shouldn't I pass on all of my alchemy knowledge and secrets to you?"
However, her small chest, which had been puffed up with expectation, was crushed by the answer that returned.
"I... I'm a little tired because I just crafted the Ohaengdan..."
When Baek Cheong looked up with a tearful face, Yakseon pointed toward the furnace with a benevolent smile. "If you're only a little tired, you should be able to do it two or three more times. You even crafted an Ohaengdan that I didn't ask for so excellently. How could I, as your master, just sit by?"
It was a low voice, but to Baek Cheong, it sounded like thunder striking her ears.
"Since your realm is still low, the advanced chapters are impossible, so let's start crafting the Foundation Establishment Pill, a second-tier pill, starting today! Since you've crafted an Ohaengdan, you'll definitely be able to do it!"
'Please, just scold me instead...'"
Baek Cheong despaired internally, shedding tears of blood. However, she had been told to rest for the New Year, but she had come to the alchemy room on her own and crafted an Ohaengdan that hadn't even been assigned as homework, so it was a case of her own making.