Tower of Heaven

The Formation Spark had been relatively ignored in these past years. Atlas was used to being a cultivator alone, so it was only natural for him to delay such learning.

However, it really did represent an amazing opportunity. Alchemy, Forging, and Formation Arts, all three secondary professions, were laid bare before Atlas. Unlike his other aspects, he did not need a teacher or master, as the information they could provide him with and more was already present in his head.

Still, Atlas wanted to do his best. Before learning forging, he at least wanted to find a worthy forge. Before learning Formation Arts, he had to forge the proper equipment. With those two professions on a temporary hold, alchemy was all that remained.

Vanatos, like all of the Neutral Zones, was practically a world of its own. It was massive and uncrossable for someone at Atlas' level unless decades were sunk into the journey. It was filled with many cities and populations, however, there was only one city that the entire world considered its center.

That city was called Vanlandi. It was the same place where the teleport portal connecting the inside of the Tower to the Neutral Zone was located.

It was quite a ways away. There was an entire ocean between it and the Tatsuya Clan. Luckily for Atlas, the same array technology that brought him to this territory allowed him to return to Vanlandi. With a little help from Adella, he reached it quickly.

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Alchemy was not a small study. It was actually the main secondary profession that cultivators could practice. Alchemists were just as valuable to the world as cultivators themselves, so people who were less attracted to the idea of fighting for eternity gravitated towards such work.

Vanlandi, as a hub of Vanatos, was not only home to alchemy shops, but also several alchemy associations and societies where like-minded people could gather.

There were more than enough choices when it came to furnaces.

'Despite the wealth of knowledge in my mind, I am still a beginner. There is no point in wasting an absurd amount of money on an alchemy furnace before I've gained some skills.'

Nevertheless, his first furnace could not be shoddy. After spending several hours searching the various shops in the medicinal district, he finally set his eyes upon something that appeared worthy.

"The [Resplendent Cauldron], so it says," Atlas muttered to himself.

The craftsmanship was admirable and the cauldron itself had an appealing look to it. Its color was a rough chromatic bronze and there was a detailed etching of sunlight shining down from the heavens decorating its side.

'Not bad. It will last me a good while if I use it well.'

It was relatively cheap as well. Atlas only spent 600 Gold on the cauldron. Another four hundred or so was spent on materials.

Using the Formation Spark's power, Atlas chose ten recipes out of the countless in his mind to start his practice. Taking the cauldron and materials back to the Tatsuya Clan, or more specifically, the Sanctum, he began without wasting a moment.

Atlas found peace in the Sanctum. He had a sort of assurance that Veradon would always be willing to support him. It was strange, but if there was a place where Atlas felt most secure while training, it had to be the Sanctum.

The area was filled with the qi of nature, making it optimal for his current goals as well.

'First is the Clear Lotus Pill.'

The Clear Lotus Pill was meant for cultivation. It had the effect of deepening the mind so one could perceive what was just barely beyond their boundary and was best for people who just entered Earth Sage and needed some support when contacting the Dao.

'Second will be the Qi Condensing Pill.'

It was a self-explanatory pill that helped a specific amount of condensed qi in their dantian.

'And finally, a common Tier 1 Healing Pill.'

All three pills were Mortal Grade, the lowest rank of pill. Mortal Grade pills were useful for those in the Warrior Realms.

They weren't very complicated, using 2-5 ingredients at most. However, alchemy was an art that wasn't just based on the number of herbs. The skill and talent to become an alchemist were relatively uncommon, so even if a Law Sea realm cultivator without talent for alchemy wanted to create a Mortal Grade pill, he would most likely fail.

Naturally, Atlas was past the point where Mortal Grade Pills could benefit him, but he had to start with the basics.

'The three aspects of alchemy are flame control, extraction, and recondensing.'

No matter whether one was a beginner or an expert, these three things would be their main strengths.

'In terms of flame control, I'm fine as I am. Extraction and recondensing, however, will take work to master.'

Atlas sat down in front of the cauldron and lit a flame underneath it. As he waited for the heat to gather, he arranged the ingredients he bought earlier.

'For the Clear Lotus Pill, I need a vial of Clear Spring Dew, a Glistening Lotus Seed, and a Mud Flower.'

The three ingredients were placed beside him. It took some time for the cauldron to warm, which was normal as it was a cheap product. When it finally did, Atlas inserted the Glistening Lotus Seed first.

His eyes closed as his spiritual sense surrounded the cauldron.

'The unsaid fourth pillar of alchemy, and the true strength of all alchemists, Spiritual Sense.'

To an ordinary cultivator, it was just a means of scanning the environment and other people, but to an alchemist, it was so much more. The spiritual sense of an alchemist was almost like the qi of an ordinary cultivator, filled with limitless potential.

Atlas wasn't at that level. He had difficulty concentrating on the cauldron and even more difficulty controlling the ingredient.

The first step of the process of creating a Clear Lotus Pill was to extract the essence of the Glistening Lotus Seed and combine it with the root of the Mud Flower. Atlas tried several times to grasp the Glistening Lotus Seed with his spiritual sense, but it was almost impossible for him to make it tangible.

But wasn't that why he bought an excess of ingredients?

Atlas failed his first attempt. He failed his second, third, and fourth as well. Only after trying five times was he finally able to form a grasp with his spiritual sense and touch the Glistening Lotus Seed for the first time.

From there, it became simpler and simpler.

Extracting essence was a matter of perception. One had to sense the essence within, use spiritual sense to bring it out, and ensure that not even a single drop remained inside.

To combine ingredients within a cauldron was no different from the steps taken to evolve one's dantian, and to condense into a pill also had similarities to such processes.

What was most difficult was doing everything while maintaining a steady flame that became hotter or colder when it needed to. It was because Atlas couldn't do this that even his successful products were half-baked.

Pills were separated into classifications such as Mortal, Earth, Heaven, etc, but within those categories they were still separated into three tiers. A Tier 1 Mortal Grade Pill like the ones Atlas was producing was practically worthless and filled with too many impurities to be used safely.

It was a slow start. It really was.

But, like everything, practice meant perfect.

Atlas tried and tried and tried again. He visited Vanlandi so many times that the alchemy shop owners started looking forward to his visits and preparing his usual orders ahead of time.

He didn't have much time to practice alchemy compared to his other skills, but he made it work regardless.

And by the time five years passed since Atlas arrived in Vanatos, he had already made great strides.