C1 Rebirth

In the dead of night, as the first snowflakes began to gently blanket Castlebury, a serene hush enveloped the city. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the House of Haynes on South Street, the warm glow of candlelight flickered.

Inside the room, a young man with delicate features, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old, sat cross-legged on his bed, his bare torso adorned with a pattern of silver needles. Beside the bed, the brazier crackled with flames, and he remained as still as a seasoned monk deep in meditation.

It wasn't until the candle had burned down to its last ember that he opened his eyes. With a furrowed brow, he spoke in a grave tone, "What a deplorable state this body is in! Yet, no matter how poor its constitution, I have the power to transform it completely."

The youth was none other than Barachias, the foremost earth-level alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire and the esteemed Chief Great Elder at the Imperial Hospital. Granted a rare privilege by the emperor himself, he was never required to kneel before anyone.

Utilizing the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell and the ninth layer of Purple Earthfire, he had crafted innumerable precious spirit pills for the royal family, earning him an exalted status and unparalleled glory. His disciples, too, were influential figures capable of altering the course of dynasties.

Yet, fate had other plans, and Barachias found himself entangled in a vicious struggle for the throne. In a tumultuous fray, he was slain by a single blow from a martial arts master. As he lay dying, his bloodied finery trampled beneath indifferent feet, the brilliance of his life's work crumbled to dust. The shame of such a defeat ignited a blaze of anger within him.

Barachias' life had been like a fleeting dream. Upon awakening, he discovered he had assumed the identity of Lloyd, the young heir of the Haynes family. Rumor had it that Lloyd had met with misfortune, drowning during an excursion, only to be miraculously revived after being pulled from the water, coughing up its depths.

Barachias was certain that Lloyd had perished before being rescued. Yet, consumed by bitterness at the time of his own death, his spirit traversed to a neighboring realm, finding refuge in the body of the young Lloyd.

From that moment on, the preeminent alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire ceased to exist. Now, he was Lloyd Haynes, ready to embark on a new chapter of life, determined to master the art of alchemy once more.

His tragic demise in a past life had ingrained in him the critical importance of mastering martial arts.

He practiced alchemy using the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell. While the world recognized it merely as a fire control technique, few realized its true nature as an advanced offensive skill.

Yet, his dedication to pill refining came at the cost of neglecting his martial skills.

Despite this, in his previous life, he had ascended to the eighth level within the ninth tier of martial arts, marking him as a master among men.

But in the end, he was effortlessly slain by a mere underling from the Spirit Land—a humiliating and crushing blow to his legacy.

This time, he was determined to exact his revenge.

The Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell demanded an exceptional bone root and a formidable physique.

Lloyd, however, was inherently frail with an inferior bone root, rendering him incapable of martial training. Moreover, he had no interest in martial arts, preferring to wander the mountains and rivers. Consequently, at thirteen, he was scrawny and devoid of Genuine Qi.

He was years behind his peers in starting his martial training.

Nonetheless, Lloyd was the premier alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire, with the rare ability to transform the worthless into the valuable. He was resolute in his vow to transform his bone root and ascend to the pinnacle of martial prowess.

In recent days, Lloyd had experimented with numerous techniques. That very night, he had employed the ancient art of silver needle acupuncture to regulate his meridians, only to confront the stark weakness of his bone root.

Thus, he resolved to concoct the Abyss Pill.

Starting anew without the ninth layer Purple Earthfire and having not yet begun the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, he was limited to crafting only the most basic yellow level pills.

Yet, the Abyss Pill, though insufficient to fully reverse his bone root, promised to enhance its quality.

With an improved bone root, he could pursue the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, and eventually, the crafting of profound and earth level pills would become more accessible.

To create the Abyss Pill, he required a substantial sum—dozens of silver taels for the necessary herbs.

While the Haynes family had assets, the cost was significant. Securing such funds from his parents proved a formidable challenge.

Recalling his past, Lloyd remembered someone named Joshua.

Joshua, a member of the Haynes family's collateral branch in Castlebury, ran a highly successful business. Among their ventures was the sizable Haynes Apothecary.

Joshua was also Lloyd's childhood friend.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Lloyd set out early and made his way to the House of Haynes on North Street.

Upon entering the courtyard, he spotted a chubby boy perched on a stool, panting heavily.

The boy's cheeks were a rosy red, and he was drenched in sweat, clearly having just wrapped up his morning workout.

Upon catching sight of Lloyd, the boy exclaimed with great exaggeration, "Good heavens! Lloyd, you're always the last one up, but what got you out of bed at the break of dawn today?"

With a slight smile, Lloyd replied, "I have matters to attend to, so I rose with the sun."

"What could possibly rouse you so early?" Josh inquired, his curiosity piqued, his voice echoing with surprise.

"I'm going to refine some pills," Lloyd stated nonchalantly.

"What? You're going to refine pills?" Josh's eyes bulged in disbelief, followed by a burst of hearty laughter. He teased, "Lloyd, if you told me you wanted to hit the books, I might spare you the mockery. But Alchemy? That's not a path just anyone can tread."

Josh was known for his bluntness. Yet, Lloyd had his response ready. "It's precisely because my bone root is weak that I've turned to Alchemy. I plan to use pills to purify my meridians and improve the quality of my bone root."

Seeing Lloyd's earnest expression, Josh was taken aback. Then, slapping his thigh, he declared, "Lloyd, you've truly come into your own. I'll support your pill refining venture wholeheartedly! And you'll need herbs, right? Let's head to the apothecary now."

Josh was refreshingly decisive, and Lloyd gave a small nod in agreement.

He never liked being in someone's debt, so he planned to offer Josh some martial arts guidance in his spare time.

Before long, they arrived at the Haynes Apothecary, marked by two towering red pillars at the entrance and a gilded signboard above the door. Inside, the shop bustled with physicians attending to a long queue of patients.

Upon Josh's arrival, the shop assistant hastily went to notify the shopkeeper. Meanwhile, Lloyd approached the medicine cabinet to check if all the necessary herbs were in stock.

In the background, he overheard snippets of conversation from a few whispering assistants.

One remarked, "I can't fathom what our Young Master is thinking, associating with such a loser."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. The Haynes family has a proud military lineage. Yet Lloyd, despite being a young master, is unable to learn martial arts. It's utterly absurd."

A third added, "Looks to me like he's just sucking up to our Young Master."

Unfazed, Lloyd ignored their chatter. He had neither the interest nor the time for it. However, his attention was captured by something in the corner of the counter, causing his eyes to brighten subtly.

There lay a large basket of Black Wood, short and unremarkable in its dark hue. But among it, he spotted a piece of Blood Timber.

Black Wood was cheap—a whole basket for just half a silver.

Blood Timber, on the other hand, was a rare variant of Black Wood. Though this piece was valued at a mere hundred silver, its scarcity made it precious.

Lloyd's passion for alchemy was matched only by his love for collecting treasures. His former mansion's treasury had been filled with countless valuables, many of which had been ancestral secrets and spiritual treasures given to him in exchange for his spirit pills.

Now, those treasures he had painstakingly amassed were in others' hands. But he was determined not to let them go so easily. Once his cultivation was complete, he vowed to reclaim them all.

Without hesitation, he informed Josh of his desire for the Blood Timber. Josh promptly instructed a servant to retrieve and package the Blood Timber.

Just then, a man in his fifties emerged from the back room—the shopkeeper, Levi.

Josh presented him with the prescription and requested, "Uncle Levi, please prepare several batches of the herbs listed here."

Levi scanned the prescription, his curiosity piqued. "This is for the Abyss Pill. Are you planning to find an alchemist to concoct it?"

"No, it's for Lloyd's use. Just gather the herbs. And please, include some extra," Josh replied.

Upon hearing this, Levi's face contorted with contempt. He shot Lloyd a scornful look and let out a derisive snort.

The Abyss Pill is notoriously difficult to refine among yellow level spirit pills, a challenge not even a second-grade yellow level Alchemist would dare undertake.

Yet, Lloyd, with his apparent lack of knowledge and skill, had the audacity to attempt such a feat. He was truly biting off more than he could chew!

It wouldn't matter if he had a handful or dozens of herb sets; he was bound to squander them all.

Nonetheless, the matter wasn't pressed further. Instead, the herbs were promptly retrieved.

To Josh of the affluent Haynes family, the cost of a few decoctions, mere dozens of taels of silver, was trivial.

Once the herbs were in hand, Lloyd borrowed a furnace from Josh. He also took some Blood Timber and made his way home.

Upon arriving, Lloyd wasted no time. He shut the door behind him and set to work on the pill refining process.

In under an hour, the Abyss Pills emerged from the furnace.

Out of the four pills crafted, three were of top grade quality, and one was of supreme grade.

Had Levi witnessed it himself, he would have been in disbelief.

Yet, Lloyd showed no signs of contentment. Shaking his head, he sighed, "The beginning is always the hardest. Were I still an earth level Alchemist, all four of these pills would be of supreme grade."

With that, he leisurely picked up the supreme grade pill and popped it into his mouth.

The moment the pill met his tongue, it unleashed a deluge of power. This surge, akin to a bursting flood, charged through Lloyd's meridians.

Those with superior bone roots have clear meridians.

Lloyd's inferior bone root meant his meridians were twisted, leading to turbulent Qi flow.

Now, the pill's immense energy worked to straighten his convoluted pathways.

The intense onslaught brought with it an excruciating pain that was almost too much for Lloyd to bear.

It felt as though knives were carving through his meridians, a pain not even the most robust warrior could withstand, let alone him.

Aware of the pill's potent effects, Lloyd gripped his fists tightly. Supported by his formidable willpower, he endured.

Fifteen minutes passed before the Abyss Pill's power finally subsided.

Soaked in sweat, Lloyd took a deep breath and allowed a slight smile to cross his face.

Since his rebirth, his breathing had been erratic. But now, with each smooth breath, he reveled in the comfort it brought.

Just one Abyss Pill had already wrought such a transformation in his bone root. Lloyd was convinced that by taking three Abyss Pills, he could potentially develop a martial arts bone root and begin training in martial arts.

With the Blood Timber in hand, Lloyd stepped into the courtyard.

He carefully cleaned off the dirt from the Blood Timber's surface. In the sunlight, the unique crimson streaks on the wood, absent on the Black Wood, were vividly visible.

The interplay of red and black lines on the Black Wood created a pattern of intricate and flawless beauty. The only imperfection was a bulge in the middle of the wood, marring its appearance.

As he absentmindedly ran his fingers over it, he felt an unexpected give in the area.

"Could this actually be a hidden compartment?" Lloyd wondered.