Alchemist In The Cultivator World

Chapter 10

The sizzling of food filled Xander’s ears as he stirred the large pot of vegetables, occasionally picking up a couple of logs to throw into the campfire he had made.

“Got anything, Flee?” he asked the little rat, earning a squeak in reply. Flee ran closer, a small plant filled with Qi in its mouth.

“Good boy!” Xander praised, petting him once before letting him scamper off again. He stored the herb into his pouch and returned his attention to his lunch.

He had come out into the small forest area near the backside of the sect. The Cloudy Peak Sect, quite aptly named, was situated on two cloudy hills. The smaller hill housed the outer sect where Yuan’s body resided, while the larger one contained the inner sect compound.

The amount of land under the sect’s control was massive, spanning both hills and stretching into a forest. All of it lay within the sect’s premises. The city outside was only a five-minute walk away.

Xander had decided to spend his ‘cultivation’ time doing something far more productive—gathering spirit herbs. Flee had proven his worth quickly, sniffing out spirit herbs among regular plants and herbs.

The spirit herbs he gathered were not potent like those from the spirit garden. These wild plants contained minimal Qi and were quite weak, but they were also relatively easy to find. That made them perfect for any testing he wanted to do.

He stirred the vegetables and meat fry once more, the scent filling his nostrils.

“Nothing quite like campfire food,” Xander muttered, smiling as he hummed a random tune under his breath. He sprinkled some of the spirit herbs into the food. Any outer disciple would have gasped in horror at that, but he didn’t care much. Flee had gathered quite a few herbs today—enough to create the pills needed for his deal with Su Lin, with some left over for testing.

He picked up his bowl, sitting beside him on the grass. With a flick of his wrist, he extinguished the fire. A smug smile formed as he recalled the trick he had learned from the old man for starting fires under a cauldron.

Starting the fire was simple. He only needed to focus on where he wanted to concentrate his Qi and envision it turning warm. The Qi would then provide enough energy to ignite the fuel.

The process made him wonder how the energy transfer worked, and how people controlled Qi in the first place. But he wasn’t going to solve every mystery in one day.

Putting out the flame had been trickier. He had to direct his Qi fast enough over the flames to form a temporary layer over the wood, cutting off the oxygen supply and extinguishing the fire instantly.

Xander served himself the fried meat and vegetables and set aside a small bowl for Flee. A gentle breeze swept through the grassy plains, bringing a smile to his face. The air here was fresher, and he could feel the Qi in the surroundings. Without a doubt, the sect had been built here because of it.

Flee returned with another squeak, carrying a cut herb. Xander noticed a few chewed leaves at the end and shook his head as he took it, giving the rat a grateful pat.

“You can eat the food too, if you want,” he said, holding out another bowl of his homemade stir-fry—poor college student edition. Flee’s nose twitched as he inspected it before digging in.

Xander sighed contentedly as he ate in the open. A few animals wandered nearby from the denser groves, but none ventured into the open fields.

He ate slowly, soaking in the scenery, marveling at the mystical Qi flowing through the land. Acting on a whim, he pulled out his notes and flipped to the section where he had been testing spirit herbs—specifically whether Qi could accelerate their growth.

He stared at the messy pages—drying leaves, shimmering energy, scattered scribbles. His eyes moved across the text without truly reading it.

An instinct stirred within him.

Xander began to channel his Qi. It swirled within his dantian, rotating in circles. The Qi of the land seeped into his veins as he continued scanning his notes, making idle observations.

Time slipped away.

The wind whispered something.

There was something wrong with his Qi.

He frowned, still caught in a strange trance as the sensation lingered. Absentmindedly, he held a quill and began writing as the answer surfaced.

Two circles. One flowing into the other. An infinite loop.

He adjusted the pattern.

Something shifted inside him.

One circle… Two circles…

The Qi swirled.

Fifteen circles… Sixteen circles…

Something began to form in his dantian.

Eighty circles… Eighty-one circles…

With a soft pop, everything settled.

His vision cleared.

The Qi within his dantian changed, and as if sighing in relief, the surrounding Qi began to flow into him more naturally. He sat there for a while, the wind brushing through his hair, until his mind finally broke free from the daze.

Looking down, he saw Flee sleeping quietly on his lap. Xander smiled, gently petting the rat before placing him into the herb basket. Stretching his limbs, he stood up.

He glanced at the sky and noticed the high midday sun. Hours had passed.

“Must’ve lost track of time… writing in my notes felt strangely meditative, but wow,” he said. Flee squeaked as he woke, peeking over the basket.

“Yeah, little buddy. Sorry about the delay. Let’s go,” Xander said as he packed his things and cleared the campfire. Then something caught his eye.

“Is the grass longer here?” he murmured, staring at the ground. For a few feet around him, the grass appeared slightly longer than elsewhere.

He looked around again. The wind bent the grass, blending it into a uniform green field. He shrugged, dismissing it as an optical illusion.

Flee chittered, playing with the spirit herbs. One rested on his head like a tiny crown made from a single leaf.

Xander laughed, feeling strangely at peace.

A smile formed as he looked at the basket of herbs in his hand.

It was time to do some alchemy experiments.