Chapter 2: The Dragon’s Breath and the Alchemist’s Challenge
Three days later, Lin Yue stood in the sect’s herb garden, his basket filled with qingxin grass and frost flowers. According to Long Xuan, these herbs were key to making “Dragon-Boosting Pills”—low-grade elixirs that would speed up his cultivation of dragon qi. But to refine them, he needed access to an alchemy cauldron, which meant facing the sect’s alchemist, Master Liu.
Master Liu was a short, portly man with a permanent scowl, known for favoring disciples from powerful families. When Lin Yue approached his workshop, the alchemist didn’t even look up from grinding herbs.
“Go away,” Master Liu grumbled. “I don’t waste cauldrons on disciples who can’t even channel qi.”
“I can channel qi now,” Lin Yue said, holding out his hand. A wisp of blue dragon qi curled around his fingers—subtle, but impossible to miss.
Master Liu’s head snapped up. His eyes narrowed as he examined Lin Yue’s qi, then he laughed. “A trick. You’ve got some cheap talisman, don’t you? Get out before I call the guards.”
Lin Yue clenched his jaw. He’d expected resistance, but not this outright contempt. Just as he was about to argue, a voice called from the doorway: “Master Liu, let him try.”
It was Xiao Yu, a fellow inner disciple with a reputation for kindness. She was holding a basket of rare snow lotus petals, her eyes soft as she looked at Lin Yue. “If he fails, he’ll clean your workshop for a month. But if he succeeds… you owe him a favor.”
Master Liu hesitated, then shrugged. “Fine. But if you break my cauldron, boy, you’ll regret it.”
The workshop was filled with the smell of sulfur and mint. Master Liu pointed to a small, dented cauldron in the corner—“the worst one we’ve got,” he said with a smirk. Lin Yue rolled up his sleeves, recalling the alchemy instructions from the Azure Dragon Codex.
First, he lit the fire beneath the cauldron, using a strand of dragon qi to control the flames—hot enough to melt metal, but steady enough not to burn the herbs. Then he added the qingxin grass, grinding it into a paste with a wooden pestle, and stirred in the frost flowers. The mixture bubbled, turning a sickly green.
“Pathetic,” Master Liu scoffed. “You’ve ruined—”
He stopped. Lin Yue had closed his eyes, channeling more dragon qi into the cauldron. The green mixture began to glow, shifting to a bright blue, and a rich, medicinal aroma filled the room. When Lin Yue lifted the lid, three round, blue pills rolled out, each pulsing with faint dragon qi.
Xiao Yu gasped. “Dragon-Boosting Pills! And they’re high-grade, too!”
Master Liu’s mouth hung open. He grabbed one of the pills, examining it closely, then looked at Lin Yue with newfound respect—or was it fear? “How… how did you do that?”
Lin Yue didn’t answer. He just picked up the pills, nodded to Xiao Yu, and headed for the door. Master Liu’s voice called after him: “Wait! I’ll let you use the cauldron anytime—just… make me more of those pills!”
Outside, Xiao Yu fell into step beside him. “You’re different now,” she said, smiling. “Not just stronger. Braver.”
Lin Yue felt his cheeks warm. “I couldn’t have done it without you sticking up for me.”
They walked in silence for a while, then Xiao Yu’s smile faded. “Be careful with Zhang Hao. He heard you’re cultivating again. He’s angry—and scared. He’ll try to hurt you.”
Lin Yue’s hand tightened around the pills. “Let him try.”
That night, Lin Yue retreated to his tiny, drafty room and swallowed one of the Dragon-Boosting Pills. The dragon qi in his dantian exploded, surging through his meridians. He groaned, falling to his knees as the pain hit—like thousands of needles piercing his skin—but he didn’t stop. He followed the Azure Dragon Codex’s instructions, guiding the dragon qi to repair his locked meridians.
When he opened his eyes at dawn, his cultivation had jumped to the late Qi Refining Stage. And in his dantian, the blue light of Long Xuan’s soul glowed brighter.
“Good,” Long Xuan said. “But this is just the start. In a week, the sect will hold the Inner Disciple Tournament. Zhang Hao will be there. And if you want to survive, you need to be ready to fight.”
Lin Yue stood, stretching his arms. His muscles hummed with power, and for the first time in years, he felt unstoppable. “I’ll be ready.”