Chapter 281: Chapter 281

"HEH HEH HA HA HA..." Great Mentor Guzan was still laughing to himself.

The bitterness in his laughter might have been a form of self-mockery; he had not expected such an outcome.

There was also a hint of relief in his laughter. He suddenly felt that this rapidly changing world had not completely fallen; at least some children were still preserving their pure, original intentions.

Great Mentor Guzan laughed heartily; he had not been this happy in a long time. Even though he might not be able to take on a disciple now and fulfill his wish, he was even happier than if he had accepted one.

"Who would have thought my invitation would be rejected? This truly is a first!" Great Mentor Guzan exclaimed. This development stirred his heart somewhat; even though he had lived a long life, he was still a little surprised.

Perhaps he had grown accustomed to flattery over the years. Such a sudden change was not easy to adjust to, or perhaps he was simply unwilling to accept it.

"I have seldom taken students in my life. Currently, only three people have formally become my apprentices. Although these three have very different personalities, they all possess excellent aptitudes; you could say they were born to be Alchemists." Great Mentor Guzan began to speak of his experiences with his apprentices. These experiences were his precious treasures, matters he did not usually share with others.

"But many people regard you as a Great Mentor!" Igor did not understand why Master Guzan said he only had three apprentices. Clearly, so many people called him Great Mentor; how could he only have three? That didn't make sense.

"I am merely flattered by their esteem. I also can't explain why everyone calls me Great Mentor; I didn't teach them any Alchemy skills." Guzan did not know that his every word and action were respected by people. Sometimes, people called him a Master not because he taught them Alchemy skills, but because he pointed out a path forward for them. This path was far more important than skills because skills could not give direction to the lost or help the dejected rediscover hope.

However, Master Guzan didn't understand this. He just felt that he was only doing what he ought to do.

He was this kind of person, one who impacted others with his silent contributions while remaining completely oblivious to it.

"I usually don't take in apprentices easily because I think I'm a terrible teacher."

"Why do you say that?" Not only Igor but even Kadi found this a bit strange, wondering why Guru Guru would consider himself such a terrible teacher and in what way he was awful.

"Because I really am a lousy teacher." Guzan sighed and continued talking about his three apprentices.

"My first student was Milo. He was sincere and diligent. He had unknowingly worked as an Alchemy Servant in the Alchemy Workshop for eleven years. Many people said that he didn't qualify to advance to an Alchemy Apprentice in his lifetime. But he never gave up; he kept doing what he should, methodically and without any complaints."

"So you were moved by this quality of his?" Igor made his judgment. He felt that when people shared their stories, occasional interjections would aid the narration.

"You're right. This is both Milo's quality and his innate ability. The most important thing to become an Alchemist is patience, and Milo possessed a patience that ordinary people lacked. This patience allowed him to control minute substances during exchanges."

"So he naturally became your student?"

"Yes. At the time, many people thought it was an incredible thing. They all felt Milo was too old, almost twenty, long past the golden age for learning skills. His Spirit Sensing Skill had already taken shape, so they believed there was no value in cultivating him further." Guzan showed a satisfied smile; he suddenly realized that in accepting students, he had often encountered situations deemed impossible by ordinary people. This text is hosted at novｅlfire.net

However, reality was always different from what everyone imagined. After Guzan accepted Milo as his student, Milo quickly demonstrated his advantage in patience and soon became Master Guzan's right-hand man. In the testing grounds, he could excellently discern the differences between various minute substances. Under the guidance of the Great Mentor, Milo became one of the foremost Exchange Beast controllers in the Alchemy Workshop. Soon he attained the Golden Seats in the Alchemy Workshop, and this entire process took only a short span of two years.

Milo's success astonished everyone. They unanimously believed it was due to the Great Mentor's miraculous touch, so people aspiring to study under the Great Mentor flocked to him.

People felt that the Great Mentor possessed a miraculous power to turn decay into something magical, which was precisely the true essence of Alchemy. Hence, more and more people started seeking to learn from the Great Mentor.

However, Grand Master Guzan knew that Milo's success stemmed from his own talent, diligence, and patience; he himself had merely provided a little guidance. So, facing so many prospective students, he still chose them in his usual way.

The Great Mentor's approach unintentionally motivated many Alchemy Servants. These individuals began to work earnestly, and in no time, the Alchemy Workshop flourished, with many diligent apprentices emerging. This was also one of the reasons why many who were not his students still respectfully called him a Mentor.

"My second apprentice is Asmon. He is a child who survived a war." After finishing the story about Milo, the Great Mentor began to tell of his second student, Asmon.

The war had caused little Asmon to lose his family and one of his hands. Asmon was taken in by Master Guzan. Guzan felt that Asmon possessed an Alchemist's natural sensitivity—an understanding of the essence of exchange. War had made Asmon understand cruelty at a very young age; at the same time, he also understood that acquisition requires sacrifice. Great Mentor Guzan felt that the boy had a serenity ordinary people could not comprehend, a calmness that could only come from having seen through the essence of exchange.

Therefore, he resolutely accepted this war orphan as his second student, regardless of everyone's opposition.

A man with only one hand becoming an Alchemist? Impossible! Many people thought so at the time. They felt that Asmon could never be a second Milo; one miracle was enough.

Yet, these people were disappointed once again. Although Asmon only had one hand, his understanding of the essence of exchange far surpassed that of ordinary people, and his insight into sacrifice was also unique. This innate ability allowed him to make great strides in the field of Alchemy Equations. The experimental labs of the Alchemy Workshop suddenly became bustling with activity because of Asmon. New Alchemy Equations constantly emerged from Asmon's mind. To verify these equations, those unconvinced Alchemists repeatedly conducted experiments, ultimately discovering that Asmon's equations were entirely correct.

Asmon's success made the outside world admire Grand Master Guzan even more, and more and more people, drawn by his reputation, came to him. But the Great Mentor still did as he always had, selecting students based on their innate abilities.

"Although Asmon only has one hand, he possessed an intellect as if he had several brains combined; that was something I never expected," Master Guzan said, full of praise for his second student.

"Your third student must be Kuyi Tulan, the one you've been mentioning, right?" Igor scratched his head, resuming his speculations.

"Yes, the third student, Kuyi Tulan." Master Guzan sighed, as if the story to follow were filled with sorrow.