Chapter 63: Trial Of Knowledge II

Seana could feel the medicinal properties fusing into a delicate equilibrium. The fragrance had become clean, sweet, and intoxicatingly pure.

She reached toward the cauldron to seal the refinement—

Without warning, the entire bronze cauldron began to shake violently.

Seana’s face paled.

"What?!"

BOOM! BOOM!

The medicinal liquid inside turned pitch-black and erupted. A cloud of toxic smoke blasted through the chamber as thick, corrosive foam spilled over the rim.

Seana crossed her arms in front of her body.

BOOOOOOOM!

The cauldron exploded.

The shockwave struck her like a battering ram, launching her across the chamber.

BANG!

She slammed into the stone wall and slid heavily to the ground.

For several seconds, Seana couldn’t move. Her ears rang, her vision doubled, and every breath tore through her chest. She coughed violently, spitting a thin trail of blood onto the floor.

"Ugh... what..."

She forced her head up.

The entire chamber had disappeared beneath thick, suffocating smoke.

The old man sitting beside the cauldron slowly opened his eyes. He showed no surprise as he raised one hand and waved.

WHOOSH!

A gentle wave of Qi swept through the room.

The smoke vanished instantly.

The corrosive foam dissolved. The ruined herbs disappeared, and the bronze cauldron returned to its original spotless condition, as if the explosion had never happened.

Seana stared at the old man in disbelief.

He looked back at her without emotion before glancing toward the hourglass beside the wall.

"You have less than an hour remaining."

Seana’s pupils contracted.

Less than an hour? That much time passed during one attempt?

She pressed her bloodstained hand against the floor and slowly pushed herself upright. Her gaze locked onto the spotless cauldron.

Her first attempt had failed.

And now she had less than sixty minutes before the All-Annihilation Flame burned her soul.

Seana forced herself to stand, her mind racing through every step of the refinement.

Moonheart Grass... correct.

Serenity Orchid... correct.

Soulcalming Lotus... correct.

Then her thoughts stopped.

Her breathing caught.

The Moonheart Grass...

Her fingers tightened.

"No..."

She remembered the herb’s texture. The faint silver veins running through its leaves. The subtle chill contained in its spiritual energy.

Her eyes widened.

"It wasn’t Moonheart Grass..."

The realization struck her like lightning.

"It was Moonshade Grass."

Seana immediately returned to the table and examined the herbs again.

She picked up the plant she had identified as Moonheart Grass. Looking at it more carefully, she noticed another herb lying nearby that looked almost identical.

Both plants had the same-colored leaves, stems, and roots. Even their spiritual signatures were similar.

But when Seana compared them side by side, the difference became clear.

The herb she had used during the first refinement carried a faint, cold Qi that the other plant lacked.

Moonshade Grass.

Seana’s expression tightened.

Moonshade Grass wasn’t used to calm the mind. It created hallucinations and aggravated mental instability.

That explained the explosion.

But another question troubled her.

If the medicine had failed because she had used the wrong herb, why hadn’t she fallen into a hallucination?

She pushed the question aside.

I don’t have time to think about that now.

Seana placed the correct herb between her fingers and brought it to her lips. The taste was sweet, and a faint warmth spread toward her mind.

Her suspicion was confirmed.

"This is Moonheart Grass."

She placed it with the other ingredients.

Then she began again.

The roots were crushed. The leaves were ground into powder, and the flower petals were carefully separated before being added to the mixture.

Seana poured the ingredients into the cauldron according to the sequence she had established earlier. This time, she paid even closer attention to the temperature of the purple flame.

Sometimes, she used her Crimson Qi to raise the heat.

At other times, she reduced the flow to keep the reaction stable.

The medicinal liquid slowly changed color.

Clear.

Pale green.

Then emerald.

Seana’s movements remained precise despite the pressure pressing against her soul.

Time passed.

The old man watched silently from beside the cauldron. Eventually, he closed his eyes again, apparently losing interest.

Then a sweet, calming fragrance began to fill the chamber.

The scent was gentle and refreshing. It carried a soothing quality that made the mind feel lighter.

The old man’s eyes opened immediately.

For the first time, shock flashed across his face.

He had expected Seana to succeed eventually.

But he hadn’t expected her to produce a Perfect Quality, Earth-Grade Mind Cleansing Elixir on her second attempt.

Seana could feel his gaze but didn’t look back.

The refinement had reached its most critical stage.

She carefully guided Crimson Qi into the cauldron. The energy entered like a mother’s gentle hands guiding a child, stirring the emerald liquid without disturbing its balance.

The liquid slowly rose from the bottom of the cauldron.

Seana’s Qi lifted it into the air.

"Shouldn’t you give me something to store the elixir in?" she asked without looking back. "It would be a shame to let the fragrance escape."

A transparent bottle appeared on the table.

Seana guided the emerald liquid inside and immediately sealed the lid.

At that moment—

Ping!

[Host has demonstrated exceptional talent in Alchemy Mastery.]

[Would the Host like to unlock the Alchemy Mastery Subclass?]

"Yes," Seana answered without hesitation.

The refinement had been exhausting, but it had also awakened something inside her.

She wanted to learn more.

She wanted to refine more pills and elixirs.

The more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became.

Ping!

[Host has successfully selected the Alchemy Mastery Subclass.]

[Host has successfully refined an Earth-Grade Mind Cleansing Elixir at Perfect Quality.]

[Refinement information has been added to the Host’s database.]

Inside Seana’s Soul Manor, a massive red book suddenly appeared.

Its cover was plain, with no title or decoration.

The book opened by itself.

Its pages recorded the entire refinement process in perfect detail. Every herb, every property, every temperature change, and every adjustment of Qi was documented.

Even the herbs Seana had identified but rejected were recorded, along with their effects and possible uses.

The information was more detailed and refined than anything she had learned in her previous life.

Ping!

[Host has entered the first stage of Alchemy Mastery.]

[Rank: Earth-Grade Alchemist.]

[Beginner Stage Reward Packages has been issued.]

Seana could immediately feel several changes taking place inside her Soul Manor.

The red book released a gentle wave of energy that spread through the entire space. The information within it began merging with her soul, becoming instinctive knowledge rather than simple written records.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Her path as an Alchemist had officially begun.

Gazing at her soul manor, her mental eye widened in shock at what she was seeing.​