With the experience of his previous success, this time the process was even smoother. He proceeded with the separation, the medicinal liquid, the tools, and the cold flame…
Colton watched intently from the side, carefully observing Charles’s separation technique, his control over the medicinal liquid’s state, and the temperature management—these were the crucial elements.
When the bone-chilling cold appeared, Colton’s stooped posture straightened, and he leaned in slightly to get a better view. However, he remained at a respectful distance, careful not to disrupt Charles.
After some time, Charles concluded the alchemy, and the process went flawlessly—the Revival Pill was successfully refined once again.
“Was the flame you used a dual-attribute ice and fire?” Colton asked.
Charles nodded in affirmation, “That’s right, it’s a dual-attribute ice and fire.”
“No wonder Ezra took you on as a disciple; that path isn’t an easy one,” Colton said with a sigh, sensing Charles’s thoughts. “Just wait here a moment, and that Wind Falcon will be yours.”
As Colton turned to leave, Charles reflected on Colton’s earlier words about becoming a full-attribute Beast Master. He understood that compared to other single-attribute Beast Masters, a full-attribute one would be much stronger, but the journey was fraught with challenges. A divine beast? That was an incredible hurdle!
Before long, Colton reappeared before Charles and Hale, a Wind Falcon perched confidently on his shoulder. The mystical beast stood around thirty to forty centimeters tall, compact and agile, exuding an elegant yet powerful aura. Its long, sharp wings resembled weapons, while its claws, curved and razor-sharp like daggers, gripped tightly onto Colton’s shoulder.
“This is the Wind Falcon; it’s yours now,” Colton announced.
Charles didn’t reach out immediately. He glanced at Hale, then turned to Colton with a hint of confusion. “Senior, are there no other conditions? Is it really that simple?”
“Simple? It’s already incredibly difficult to refine a green-quality Miracle Drug at just eighteen,” Colton replied, having anticipated Charles’s concerns. He continued straightforwardly, “Of course, there are a few things I’ll need your help with.”
“What is it? Please explain clearly, Senior,” Charles responded, feeling a wave of relief. He really wanted the Wind Falcon, as long as there weren’t any excessive demands.
“Don’t worry, I just hope you can study alchemy with me to elevate your alchemist level, ideally reaching master level within a year!” Colton stated earnestly.
“A year to become a master alchemist? Senior Colton, you didn’t mention this beforehand,” Hale interjected, surprised since he had brought Charles here and didn’t know about the additional requirements.
Colton remained unperturbed. “Hale, don’t rush. This is the follow-up requirement, but there will be even better rewards. This Wind Falcon is your reward for refining the green-quality Miracle Drug!”
“Follow-up rewards?” Charles noted, realizing that the Wind Falcon was undoubtedly his. Curiosity sparked within him about what these additional rewards might be. Whatever it was, it had to be more valuable than the Wind Falcon!
Hale sighed in relief; he hadn’t known about the follow-up either when he first spoke to Charles.
“Yes, if you can study alchemy techniques under me, reach master alchemist in a year, and retrieve an item for me, I will give you a diamond-quality mystical beast egg!” Colton said calmly, confident that any Beast Master would find this hard to refuse. A diamond-quality mystical beast egg was nearly impossible to find elsewhere in Genosha!
Even in the Abyssal Depths, such a diamond-quality mystical beast egg was an exceedingly rare and valuable treasure. Even Hale was tempted; if it were to be put out in the open, it would undoubtedly attract countless powerful Beast Masters vying for it!
Charles took a few deep breaths to steady himself. He needed to think rationally. Generally, the more precious the item, the harder it was to obtain. Achieving master alchemist status within a year might seem nearly impossible for others, but for Charles, it was worth a shot.
What intrigued him more was the “item” Colton mentioned. What could be more precious than a diamond-quality mystical beast egg?
“Senior Colton, is it really that simple to retrieve just one item?” Charles inquired.
Colton shook his head, satisfaction growing within him. Most Beast Masters, upon hearing about the diamond-quality mystical beast egg, would have jumped at the opportunity without a second thought, without considering other factors. Rationality and precision were essential qualities for an alchemist!
“It’s not that simple. A year from now, there will be an alchemist convention for the entire Ethereal Grove held in the Haunted Marsh, where all alchemists under the age of twenty will enter a secret realm to compete,” Colton explained, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “The secret realm is known as the Valley of the Herb King! The item I need is located within that valley.
If you can retrieve it for me, the diamond-quality mystical beast egg will be yours, and I’ll also help you refine three Miracle Drugs for free.”
Charles realized that the Wind Falcons was merely a tool for Colton to find talented alchemists; what he truly sought was something from the [Valley of the Herb King].
“Colton, are you saying that I need to reach the level of a master alchemist within a year to participate? By then, you and I would both be master alchemists, so the three free [Miracle Drugs]…”
Charles trailed off,
Colton calmly interjected, “I am already a Master Alchemist; I can produce [Golden Quality Miracle Drugs].”
A Master Alchemist?
Charles was somewhat taken aback. He knew that alchemist ranks included: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Special, Master, and then there was the Master rank above that—Master Alchemist!
He was unfamiliar with what came after that.
However, a Master Alchemist was already at the pinnacle within the [Abyssal Depths]. Top-tier Master Alchemists, besides consistently creating [Purple Quality Miracle Drugs], could also attempt to produce [Orange Quality Miracle Drugs]. The success rate for that, of course, wouldn’t be very high.
Master-level alchemists could reliably create [Orange Quality Miracle Drugs] and also experiment with [Golden Quality Miracle Drugs]!
Hale quickly caught on and said, “Congratulations, Colton, on becoming a Master Alchemist! I suspect there’s no one stronger than you within the [Abyssal Depths].”
Colton didn’t seem pleased; instead, he sighed and said, “Hale, you’ve been outside too. Within the [Ethereal Grove], the [Abyssal Depths] is just a remote area. Each of the other three realms is far more powerful, let alone the central [Haunted Marsh].”
Hale seemed to think of something and nodded involuntarily in agreement.
“Alright, Charles, here are the terms: if you agree, I will dedicate myself to training you, aiming for you to reach the level of a master alchemist within a year,” Colton paused before continuing,
“Of course, if you don’t agree, that’s fine too; you can leave with this[wind falcon].”
Charles pondered for a moment. Regardless, he had obtained the emerald-quality[wind falcon]. As for whether he should follow Colton to learn alchemy and enter the Valley of the Herb King, he still needed to think it over.
“Colton, can I take some time to consider this and get back to you in a few days?” Charles asked.
Colton waved his hand dismissively, “Of course, just come find me in the bamboo forest once you’ve made your decision.”
“Thank you, senior.” With the[wind falcon]in hand, Charles followed Hale out of the bamboo grove.
With Hale’s help, Charles effortlessly contracted the[wind falcon]; the difficulty of contracting a mystical beast’s young was not high, making it a relatively successful method apart from the mystical beast egg.
On the screen in front of Charles, information about the mystical beast appeared:
—[wind falcon]—
[Attribute]: Wind
[Level]: Lv13
[Quality]: Emerald
[Skills]: [Quick Travel], [Sharp Claw Strike]
[Weakness]: Abdomen/Lightning Attribute
[Hobby]: Alcohol
[Emotion]: Sad
[Health]: Good
[Loyalty]: 61
[Evolution]: 4 Paths
[Description]: This is a young quick travel falcon; feeding it a large amount of meat can accelerate its growth, seemingly due to drinking.
As expected of a mystical beast of emerald quality, it was only in its youth, yet it had already reached level 13 and possessed two skills. Charles looked at the information displayed about the skills.
[Quick Travel]: Increases speed and evasion, allowing the user to move or dash towards a target at incredible speed, as elusive as the wind, enabling rapid repositioning in battle to dodge enemy attacks.
[Sharp Claw Strike]: Wields sharp claws from the air, channeling wind energy into the claws to deal heavy damage to enemies.
After reading the information, Charles was quite satisfied with the [Wind Falcon]. After all, it was an emerald quality mystical beast, and the [Quick Travel] skill was quite practical. However, it still didn’t have a name; the [Name] field was empty, and he couldn’t think of anything nice. How about just calling it Mia, like Max did?
“I’ll call you Mia from now on.”
[Ding! You’ve given the Wind Falcon a nickname, and it doesn’t like this name, loyalty -1.]
Seeing the loyalty drop to 60, Charles quickly added, “I’ll buy you a drink later; this name sounds nice.”
[Ding! You’ve given the Wind Falcon a nickname, and it likes this name, loyalty +5.]