With another bellow, Elder Aika sent the three elders scurrying off. By that point, anyone who had come to spectate also rushed off, unwilling to get caught up in the old lady's rage.
"A bunch of useless good for nothings. I've never seen their faces around the library before, but they actually dare to come here like there's some sort of show to watch."
Elder Aika continued to grumble. She seemed just a half step away from spitting at the ground and grinding her sole into it like a true hooligan.
Seeing such a scene, Ryu couldn't help but smile. This woman somewhat reminded him of his Grandma Kunan. She would be soft and docile most of the time, but she also wouldn't hesitate to palm someone's head into meat paste in the next moment.
"What are you laughing about brat, I have a cane for you here too if you want it! I'm too old to be walking around, so I have no intention of protecting your safety after you've left. The other matters will be up to you."
Ryu smiled and shook his head. He never asked for this old lady's help to begin with, now she was acting like he owed her a favor.
Ryu wasn't the type of person to care about the thoughts of others. He didn't care about the optics so long as he, himself, knew the truth. The reason why he was alright with owing Old Wan a favor was because he had, indeed, needed Old Wan. However, this old lady was different. Whether she acted or not, he was fairly certain he would have been fine. At most, he was saved some hassle. But, it wasn't as though this hassle had vanished entirely.
Seeing that Ryu wasn't taking her seriously, the old lady was speechless. Did he see her powerful display? Did he feel her momentum? Did this brat have water between his ears? He should be shaking in his shoes right now!
Ryu turned back and guided the old lady into the library again. He didn't really want to, but he didn't have much of a choice with her clinging onto his arm like this. It was only after bringing her to her desk that she finally let go.
Once he was done, Ryu turned his attention back to his books.
'Right, alchemy.'
At this moment, though, another uproar was started in the Sect. News of Elder Aika protecting Ryu spread like wildfire. And, without a choice, Elder Li could only report this matter up to higher management.
The matter became like a hot potato in the hands of the disciplinary faction until it eventually made its way to their Head, the Grand Elder of the Radiant Star Sect.
Elder Li thought that these matters would be finally handled at that point, but when news of what happened got back to him, he was left speechless. The Grand Elder only said a few words.
'Leave this matter be.'
Under the shattered expectation of the disciples and elders of the Sect, someone had actually gotten away with murder in broad daylight. All the while, the person in question never shed even a single bead of sweat. He was simply enamored by his books.
…
The world of alchemy was quite vast and endless, but it could also be simple. So long as you could control a flame, you could probably concoct something.
There were two veins of alchemy, each with their different strengths. There were Pill Alchemists and there were Potion Alchemists.
The former group relied on flames, purifying Spiritual Herbs and fusing them together.
The latter group was more complex. They relied on unique waters and extracted from Spiritual Herbs instead. It was a different sort of refinement practice, but the function was similar enough.
Pill Alchemists were far more common than Potion Alchemists purely because the special waters needed were far rarer than the minimum requirement of flames used by the former group.
If Ryu wanted, he could take either path. He obviously had the flames, and even unique flames, necessary. And, he was also certain that the Yin Water of the Ice Phoenix that he could nurture into existence would meet the requirements as well.
If he wanted to maximize the usefulness of his knowledge as an Herbologist, becoming a Potion Alchemist was probably better. While Pill Alchemists were more ubiquitous, their paths were broader and their ability to shake free of normal constraints was better as well.
Potion Alchemists relied more heavily on the natural gifts of the Spiritual Herbs they used and deviated far less. It made the variables easier to control and the results more potent as well. In addition, it was easier to control things like doses and medicinal strength as a Potion Alchemist too.
However, the variables associated with Pill Alchemy also coincided with more freedom.
Ryu wasn't in a rush to make his decision, instead choosing to read everything he could about both. It was on the third day of his stay at the library that he ran into an ancient text that made his brows shoot up.
The first thing that caught his attention about this book was that it introduced the best flames and waters to use in alchemy. According to it, Phoenix Flames were among the strongest Alchemy Familiars you could have by your side.
This was good news for Ryu, but it wasn't enough to surprise him. He could have made this guess on his own long ago and he was already planning on using his Phoenix Flames over his Rage Flame.
What shocked Ryu about this text, then, wasn't this, but rather the mention of something entirely different, a practice that combined Pill and Potion into a new practice, one that applied the potency of Potion Alchemy and fused it together with the flexibility and freedom of Pill Alchemy. When placed together like this, a perfect balance could be achieved, it was just that those with the skill to follow this path were few and far between.
This discipline was known as…
Enlightened Alchemy.