Chapter 45: A Master’s Resolve

#### Chapter 45

He glanced at Ruolin beside him. It seemed this novice alchemist still had her uses.

“Well done,” he praised generously. Then, taking little Meilin by the hand, he strode inside.

Ruolin was left behind, flustered and abandoned.

It felt as though a master, venturing out without a ticket, had been excitedly handed one by a servant. The master would then pat the servant’s head, praising them with a simple, “Well done.”

Only to casually abandon the servant at the entrance afterward.

‘This is outrageous!’

“Hey!” Ruolin quickly followed, huffing with indignation. “Don’t run off! If you break anything inside, we’ll have to pay a fine!”

Ruolin suddenly realized that whenever she was with Lu Yuan today, he inexplicably drove her to a furious rage.

Upon entering, it was indeed different from the Alchemist Guild.

The moment he stepped inside, Lu Yuan felt a refreshing aura. This was undeniably a remarkable place.

Unlike the Alchemist Guild, with its rustic decor steeped in strong medicinal scents, this place exuded an air of mystery at every turn.

Dark, bluish floors stretched out before them, adorned with strange magical artifacts brimming with immense energy. All around, people in dark robes moved with profound gazes.

In the distance, several young children enthusiastically demonstrated newly learned spells, drawing a chorus of reprimands from a few adults.

Little Meilin’s eyes were already captivated by the dazzling array of magic, her gaze filled with longing.

“Do you want to learn magic?” Lu Yuan asked.

“Hmm…” Little Meilin blinked, her small mouth opening slightly before she simply smiled. “I don’t think so… Uncle once said I have a great talent for alchemy. The alchemical path is a profound discipline, requiring one’s full energy and unwavering focus to achieve anything. Uncle is the most powerful alchemist in the world, and I want to inherit his legacy. I don’t want to disappoint him…”

“She’s right,” Ruolin said, drawing closer. “Whether it’s alchemy or magic, both require immense dedication. You can’t succeed by being half-hearted.”

“Hmph…” Little Meilin merely cast a sidelong glance at Ruolin’s words.

Lu Yuan, however, had a question. “What about you then? Aren’t you a mage yourself?”

Ruolin sighed, a wry smile touching her lips. “It’s precisely because I cultivate both that I truly understand the hardship involved…”

‘So that’s it,’ Lu Yuan mused, gaining a slight understanding. In his previous life, as a rogue cultivator with no family or friends, he had delved into all his Daoist arts and artifacts independently after his revered master’s passing.

He had cultivated myriad techniques simultaneously, naturally comprehending the suffering inherent in such a path. Yet, it was precisely his cultivation of myriad techniques that forged his incredibly stable foundation.

With the humble aptitude of dual water-wood spirit roots, he had painstakingly toiled for a thousand years, eventually reaching the Tribulation Transcension stage.

He was, in essence, an inspiring anomaly within the cultivation world. Alas, beneath the final, purging lightning of tribulation, Lu Yuan ultimately achieved enlightenment: he was never destined for the immortal path, and the Tribulation Transcension stage was his absolute limit.

“Hmm…” Little Meilin watched the children her age in the distance.

Their parents were draping small, custom-made black magic cloaks over their shoulders. Children were easily pleased, and wearing the tiny cloaks felt wonderfully novel.

Their faces lit up with joy as they bounced and skipped, eager to show off their new garments to their parents.

Ruolin waved her hand dismissively. “So, what exactly are you two doing here, my esteemed Arch-Alchemist Lei Yin?”

“Hmm,” Lu Yuan nodded. “If one wishes to learn magic, what steps are required?”

“What?!” Ruolin stared at Lu Yuan, her eyes wide with disbelief. She wondered if her ears had deceived her. “Are you serious? Let me get this straight: you are Arch-Alchemist Lei Yin of the Alchemist Guild, aren’t you? You’re not some clown impersonating him, are you?”

Little Meilin also looked at Lu Yuan, bewildered. “Uncle? Why do you suddenly want to learn magic?”

Lu Yuan gently ruffled little Meilin’s hair. Its silky softness was a sensation he could never tire of, no matter how many times he touched it.

“If I don’t learn magic first, how can I teach you?”

Ruolin froze. She was utterly dumbfounded, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long moment.

“Uncle…” Little Meilin gazed at Lu Yuan, a blush rising on her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with adoration.

“While dual cultivation can indeed divide one’s focus, that problem is inconsequential,” Lu Yuan continued. “Anything you wish to learn, you should pursue wholeheartedly. If you were to abandon magic simply because I am an alchemist, then wouldn’t that problem become irrelevant if I were to become the strongest mage myself?”

Ruolin desperately wanted to retort, yet she couldn’t find a single starting point for her complaints. Lu Yuan’s words made her head ache. “I mean… if your apprentice wants to learn magic, you don’t need to learn it yourself, do you? Couldn’t she just find a teacher here in the temple?”

“No,” Lu Yuan refused without hesitation. “Once a teacher, always a father. My apprentice can only be taught by me. How could she possibly take someone else as her master?”

“And I won’t go find anyone else to be my master!” Little Meilin declared, clenching her small fists, her face resolute. “My master can only be Uncle!”

“Meilin!” Lu Yuan looked at Meilin.

“Uncle!” Meilin looked at Lu Yuan.

‘Damn it… these two idiots!’ Ruolin clutched her head in agony.