Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Forty-Five: First Glimpse of the Alchemy Department

Time passed swiftly. After finishing his cultivation, Ye Junze ended his meditation, stood up, and let out a long breath. “Phew~.” Then he said, “Cultivation’s over. I’ll go rest now. Good night, Meng Yuan.”

Meng Yuan’s voice responded in the air, “Good night.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Junze left the Vast Void Illusion. Having been busy all day, he was already weary. He lay down on his bed, let his mind go empty, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

The night passed without incident.

Ye Junze, who had slept especially soundly, woke naturally the next morning as the dawn’s light filled his room. Upon waking, he thought over his plans—there was nothing pressing today—so he decided that after breakfast, he would seize the time to continue his cultivation. With this idea set in his mind, he wasted no time and got up swiftly. After ordering breakfast, he went to the bathing room to freshen up.

After washing, Ye Junze examined himself in the mirror, quietly praising his own reflection. Only then did he leave the bathing room. As he stepped out, the breakfast he had ordered arrived right on time. Satisfied, he enjoyed his meal, and after a short rest, prepared to begin cultivating again.

Just then, a series of hurried knocks sounded at the door. Hearing it, Ye Junze—who was already on the bed, ready to cultivate—had to set aside his thoughts for the moment. Curious as to who could be visiting, he rose and went to open the door. To his surprise, the person outside was Wang Dongdong. As Ye Junze wondered what brought Wang Dongdong here, before he could even speak, Wang Dongdong greeted him first.

Wang Dongdong, ever polite, said, “Good morning, Brother Ye.”

“Morning,” Ye Junze nodded, then asked, “What brings you here so early?”

Upon being questioned, Wang Dongdong seemed a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and replied, “It’s nothing much. It’s just that classes officially begin tomorrow, so I thought I’d come by and see if you were in.”

“I see. And then?” Ye Junze looked at him, waiting for more.

“Do you have anything planned today, Brother Ye?” Wang Dongdong inquired.

“No, not really. Why?” Ye Junze replied.

“In that case, would you like to come with me to take a look at our Alchemy Department?” Wang Dongdong asked tentatively.

Ye Junze considered this for a moment. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know the other departments better—after all, he might need to interact with them in the future. With this in mind, he agreed readily, “Sure, let’s go. Now?”

“If you’re free, we can go now. What do you think?” Wang Dongdong responded.

“No problem, I’m free. Let’s go now,” Ye Junze said directly.

Having agreed, Ye Junze quickly dressed, locked his door, and set off with Wang Dongdong, who was waiting outside, heading towards the Alchemy Department.

On the way, Wang Dongdong chattered about everything he’d seen and heard over the past two days. Whenever he mentioned something interesting, Ye Junze would respond with polite interest.

After Wang Dongdong finished sharing a funny story and paused, seemingly about to start another, Ye Junze suddenly remembered something and asked, “How has your cultivation been these past few days?”

Wang Dongdong was caught off guard by the question but answered honestly, “After you left that day, I tried using the cultivation mode and managed to complete a small circulation. I haven’t slacked off since, and now I can run it smoothly. I think it’s only a matter of time before I break through.” There was an unmistakable note of pride in his voice.

Ye Junze nodded approvingly. “Not bad. Keep it up.”

Encouraged, Wang Dongdong asked curiously, “What about you, Brother Ye? Things must be going smoothly, right? After all, you grasped the technique from the start.”

“I’ve already broken through to the early Qi Refining stage,” Ye Junze replied, his tone calm and unruffled.

Wang Dongdong, on the other hand, was anything but calm. His mouth fell open in shock and stayed that way for a long moment before he finally closed it, rubbing his jaw as if it ached from hanging open too long. In a tone full of admiration, he said, “Brother Ye, you truly are remarkable. I knew you were extraordinary, but to break through in just a few days… I guess I really underestimated you.”

Ye Junze waved his hand dismissively, as if to say it was nothing special. “Just lucky, that’s all. If you keep working hard, you’ll get there too.”

“I will,” Wang Dongdong nodded earnestly.

“If you run into any problems, feel free to ask me. Even though we’re in different departments, the principles of circulating energy are the same in the end,” Ye Junze assured him.

“Okay.”

Their conversation continued as they walked, and soon they arrived at the Alchemy Department. Wang Dongdong said cheerfully, “Brother Ye, we’re here. This is the Alchemy Department.”

“Mm.” Ye Junze nodded, indicating he’d heard, and began to look around.

Unlike the ethereal tranquility of the Daoist Arts Department, the Alchemy Department was filled with a vibrant, bustling atmosphere. This wasn’t just a metaphorical description—Ye Junze could literally see it. All around, the air was thick with rising smoke, and some of it was so dense and black that it seemed more like billowing soot. Seeing these clouds, Ye Junze thought to himself, “That must be the result of failed alchemy attempts…”

Wang Dongdong, unaware of Ye Junze’s inner thoughts, simply watched as Ye Junze surveyed the scene with interest, choosing not to disturb him.