CHAPTER 120: CHAPTER 109: CLUES TO PROFESSION FUSION_2

In the afternoon, Ron arrived on time at the "Alchemy Practice" classroom.

The classroom was a spacious hexagonal space, with a massive alchemy workstation in the center, surrounded by twelve smaller student stations.

Each station was equipped with basic alchemy tools and some commonly used materials.

The trainees arrived one after another, most of them wearing the gray robes of an Elementary Apprentice, with only a few wearing professional badges.

Ron noticed that among the trainees present, the youngest still seemed several years older than him.

Once everyone was seated, an elderly man with silver hair entered the classroom.

He wore a dark brown robe, with silver trims on the cuffs and collar, clearly identifying him as the lecturer here.

"Welcome to ’Alchemy Practice’." The old man’s voice was deep and powerful:

"I am the professional Alchemist, Thompson, and I will be guiding you into the world of Alchemy over the next month."

His gaze swept over every trainee present, and when he looked at Ron, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

"Today, we will learn the first basic skill of Alchemy—Material Purification,"

Thompson said, while taking out what appeared to be an ordinary black stone from the inside of his robe:

"Ensuring the purity of materials is the most basic requirement before any alchemical transformation."

He placed the stone on the workstation and made a peculiar gesture above it with his hands, causing the stone’s surface to start glowing, gradually separating into different colored substances.

"A seemingly simple stone actually contains various elemental components," Thompson explained: "The first step in Alchemy is to learn to identify and separate these components."

For the next two hours, Thompson explained in detail the basic principles of Material Purification and several common methods, personally demonstrating some fundamental operations.

Ron focused intently, recording every detail. As an Alchemist, he already had a deep understanding of materials, making it relatively easy to learn the basic knowledge of Alchemy.

"Now, each of you has a piece of stone to work with," Thompson announced: "Please attempt to use the methods I’ve just taught to perform preliminary elemental separation."

Ron looked at the gray stone in front of him and took a deep breath.

He had previously read similar operational descriptions in "Alchemy Basics," but this was his first time performing it.

He followed the gestures he had just learned, simultaneously mobilizing his Spiritual Power, and carefully touched the stone’s surface.

At first, there was no response.

Ron adjusted his method of outputting Spiritual Power, attempting to guide the energy more gently.

Suddenly, the stone’s surface began to glow faintly, and strands of different colored lights appeared.

[New Skill Detected]

[Alchemy (Beginner 1/50)]

[Alchemy (Beginner) Experience Points + 1]

"Very good, Ron the Alchemist." Thompson’s voice suddenly came from behind:

"Your control of Spiritual Power is very precise, which is the most critical fundamental in Alchemy."

Ron was somewhat surprised that the old man remembered his name, but he still humbly nodded in thanks:

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Thompson. Magic Potion Refining also requires precise control of Spiritual Power, which might give me some advantage."

"Magic Potion Making and Alchemy indeed have many similarities,"

Thompson agreed, his eyes shining with approval:

"Both seek to achieve specific purposes through changing the form of matter, but they focus on different aspects."

The old man pointed to the few lines of light appearing on the stone:

"Do you see these? The red represents the Fire Element, the blue is the Water Element, and these tiny golden particles are the extremely rare Light Element."

Ron observed carefully and indeed felt that the energy fluctuations emitted by the different colored lights were distinct.

Thompson seemed pleased with his ability to comprehend, and continued to explain:

"The next step is to learn how to separate these elements and preserve them. In advanced courses, we will teach you how to recombine these elements to create new substances with specific properties."

"Is that the core of Alchemy?" Ron asked, a questing light in his eyes.

"You could say that," Thompson nodded slightly:

"Decomposition and recombination, understanding the makeup of the world, and then reshaping it according to your will—that is the essence of Alchemy."

The old man’s words reminded Ron of the Simulation Battle Device, undoubtedly a product of Alchemy combined with Spiritual Magic, creating a virtual yet real experience by altering the perception of reality.

"Master Thompson."

Ron hesitated for a moment, but then asked a question lingering in his mind: "How much do you think Alchemy can change reality?"

Thompson’s eyes flashed with a deep light as he looked at Ron meaningfully:

"That’s a good question. Where is the limit of Alchemy? This is the ultimate question that every Alchemist explores."

He slowly said:

"Some say Alchemy can only change the form of matter; others believe it can touch the essence of reality. If one day you can fuse all three major Wizardry Skills into one, becoming a legendary [Ancient Alchemist], you might find the real answer."

[Ancient Alchemist] requires fusing all three major Wizardry Skills into one?

The information provided by the other party fully piqued Ron’s interest.

Perhaps the advancement path of future high-tier professions lies in this kind of fusion... he speculated to himself.

In the subsequent time, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to learning Alchemy Basics, not missing any detail.

[Alchemy Experience Points + 1]

[Alchemy Experience Points + 1]

[Alchemy Experience Points + 1]

...

[Current Progress: Alchemy (Beginner 6/50)]

By the end of the class, Ron’s understanding of this new skill in Alchemy had also reached the preliminary stage.

It was indeed like Holt had said before, these Wizardry Skills are transferrable, as his foundation in Magic Potion Making allowed him to quickly get started.

"Today’s class ends here."

Thompson concluded:

"I hope you all review what you learned today when you go back. In the next class, we will learn how to preserve the separated elements and study their basic properties."

The trainees began to leave one after another, and Ron was about to pack up his tools when Thompson approached him.

"Ron the Alchemist."

The old man’s voice was deep: "You seem to have an extraordinary understanding of Alchemy. If you’re interested, you can stay after class for some extra practice."

Ron understood this was a rare opportunity—Master Thompson had obviously noticed his potential and was willing to offer more guidance.

"Thank you very much for your proposal, Master Thompson." He said sincerely: "I would love to take this opportunity."

Thompson nodded in satisfaction: "Very well. Alchemy is a field that requires constant practice, theory alone is far from enough."

After the other trainees had left, Thompson took out a small metal box from inside his robe: "I think you might be interested in this."

Ron took the box and carefully opened it, revealing a crystal that emitted a faint purple glow inside.