In Martial Universe, Signed in at the Start with Yao Lao's Ring

Lin Yan had exceptional comprehension, and Yao Lao's earlier explanations had been extremely thorough.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yan asked Yao Lao a few questions.

Naturally, Yao Lao answered them without holding anything back.

After summarizing everything, Lin Yan felt that he had gained a solid grasp of the fundamental knowledge of alchemy.

"Alright, Senior Yao Lao, let's begin."

Lin Yan finally expressed his readiness.

"Then let me first teach you how to recognize a cauldron."

Yao Lao nodded and pointed at the cauldron in front of Lin Yan.

"This type of cauldron is called a Two-Port Cauldron. It's one I used long ago during my early training, but for a beginner like you, it's a perfect fit. Cauldrons are classified by grade. The more fire ports a cauldron has, the higher its rank, making pill refinement more efficient."

"However, the higher the grade, the harder it is to control. That's why most alchemists don't blindly choose the best cauldron but instead select one that suits them."

After explaining the principles behind the cauldron, Yao Lao instructed Lin Yan to try operating it himself.

"Get familiar with the cauldron first. Place your hand on the fire port and channel your Wood-attributed Yuan Power into it."

Lin Yan immediately followed the instructions, pressing his hand against the cauldron's fire port while searching for the Wood attribute Yuan Power inside him.

This was the mystical advantage of the Qi cultivation methods from the Battle Through the Heavens world.

The techniques from that world allowed practitioners to identify and control specific elemental attributes within their Yuan Power.

In contrast, most techniques from the Wu Dong Qian Kun world simply mobilized all Yuan Power at once, making it difficult to separate and control individual elements.

Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Lin Yan quickly found his Wood-attributed Yuan Power and guided it into the cauldron.

Immediately, a vigorous flame erupted!

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

"Little friend, your soul perception ability is truly remarkable! You might actually be a natural-born alchemy genius!"

Yao Lao clapped his hands in praise, unable to hide his excitement.

Lin Yan's performance genuinely shocked him. Even when Yao Lao had attempted this step in the past, it had taken him nearly half an hour to succeed.

But Lin Yan?

He did it in mere seconds!

This completely caught Yao Lao off guard. At this moment, his expectations for Lin Yan soared even higher.

If Lin Yan's talent was this monstrous, just how far could he go once he fully mastered alchemy?

The more Yao Lao thought about it, the more excited he became.

However, he quickly composed himself and handed two pill recipes to Lin Yan.

"These are my personally designed Cold Dispelling Pill and Healing Pill formulas."

"Read them carefully, and then begin refining. I will guide you throughout the process—adjusting the flame temperature and monitoring the ingredients."

Lin Yan nodded seriously, then turned his attention to the pill recipes.

"One Scarlet Flame Grass, two Coagulated Blood Flowers, and two Three-Colored Fruits…"

He memorized everything instantly.

Then, without hesitation, he gathered the required ingredients and tossed them into the cauldron.

Whoosh!

A fierce flame burst to life.

However, before Lin Yan could react, the ingredients were instantly burned to ashes, completely ruined.

"You need to add the ingredients one at a time in the beginning."

"Also, the temperature is too high."

Yao Lao calmly pointed out the mistake.

Lin Yan nodded and tried again.

But once again, the flame was too hot, and the second batch of ingredients was completely incinerated.

Seeing this, Lin Yan felt a pang of pain in his heart.

After all, this was no different than burning money!

However, Yao Lao remained completely unfazed.

"Continue."

Lin Yan gritted his teeth and pressed on.

At first, he struggled immensely.

When he had watched Yao Lao refine pills earlier, the smooth and effortless process had deceived him into thinking that alchemy was easy.

Now that he was trying it himself, he realized that even extracting medicinal essence was a difficult challenge.

Still, he refused to give up.

He kept experimenting and adjusting.

Finally, after more than ten attempts, he found the perfect temperature...

Lin Yan held his breath, focusing all his attention on the cauldron.

Under his intense concentration, he successfully extracted the essence from the ingredients.

Whoosh!

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Little friend, you are truly remarkable!"

"Now, there is only one final step remaining."

"You must merge the medicinal essences together and form the pill!"

Once again, Yao Lao showered Lin Yan with praise.

He then instructed Lin Yan to combine the extracted essences in the cauldron.

Lin Yan immediately followed through.

The various medicinal essences started to fuse within the cauldron.

However, this was the most difficult stage of pill refinement.

It required constant adjustments to the flame's temperature and intensity. After all, different ingredients had different heat resistances, and their positions within the cauldron varied.

This meant that some areas needed high temperatures, while others required low temperatures.

Constantly monitoring and adjusting multiple variables at once made this process incredibly taxing.

This was why forming the pill was considered the hardest part of alchemy.

However, Lin Yan's natural talent and powerful soul perception gave him an edge.

After maintaining precise control for several minutes, something miraculous happened.

Boom!

A faint light flickered from within the cauldron.

Lin Yan eagerly opened the lid and swept his hand inside.

A smooth, jade-colored pill landed in his palm, releasing a rich medicinal aroma that filled the entire room.

"Senior Yao Lao, look!"

Lin Yan excitedly presented the pill to Yao Lao.

Yao Lao took it and examined it carefully.

After a few moments, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Little friend, your talent is simply terrifying! I rarely praise people—especially when it comes to alchemy."

"But you…"

"You have surpassed all my expectations!"

"This was your very first attempt at pill refinement—not only did you succeed, but you also produced a pill of such high quality!"

Yao Lao's voice was filled with genuine astonishment.

"Little friend, I am not exaggerating—"

"With your talent, as long as you dedicate yourself to this path, surpassing even me will be as easy as drinking water!"

Lin Yan felt extremely pleased with himself.

However, he knew better than to be arrogant, so he humbly replied—

"Thank you for your praise, Senior Yao Lao."

"Regardless of how far I go in alchemy…"

"I will never forget that it was you who guided me on this path."

"Allow me to express my deepest gratitude!"