"The most pressing issue for you right now is money, yes?"
Yunfan nodded.
"The ingredients I had you obtain are for one of the most simple One Star recipes, which just so happens to be the most cost-efficient recipe as well: the Body Refining Pill."
Chu Yunfan's face scrunched up in confusion. He had seen Body Refining Pills in advertisements and online before, so he was familiar with them. However, something stuck out to him:
"Wait. How can you make a One Star pill out of only Half Star ingredients???"
Even Chu Yunfan, who had never even touched alchemy before meeting the Alchemy Emperor knew that One Star recipes required One Star ingredients, Two Star recipes required Two Star ingredients, and so on and so forth. Whether it was alchemy or blacksmithing or spirit enhancement, the same rule applied.
"You're talking to an alchemical genuis! When I was nine, I had already become adept with basic alchemical skills. Through many experimentations, I discovered that complementary Qi within ingredients can strengthen each other to create One Star properties!"
"You can do that?!?!"
The Emperor rubbed his nose, smiling pridefully at Yunfan's astonished expression. "This was a well-known concept in spell formations, which inspired me. An alchemical furnace is basically a small spell formula! The timing and preparation of ingredients are like the careful activation and preparation of the hexagram lines!
"That's why I call this phenomenon Alchemical Hexagram Reactions!"
Yunfan was stunned. How incredible! And he discovered this when he was only nine years old???
"Anyways, that's why the specific ingredients aren't important to alchemists at my level— I simply require natural ingredients with dense reservoirs of attributed Qi. The biggest problem is finding or raising ingredients that have enough Qi."
Yunfan nodded, enlightened by the Emperor's explanation.
"I see… while that's incredible, Body Refining Pills aren't very useful for me at this stage…" he muttered to himself. "Wait, are going to sell them?"
"Correct. One set of ingredients, if perfectly concocted, will create ten pills in one batch!"
Chu Yunfan frowned. "That seems… incredible. I don't really have a point of reference, but that seems heaven-defying…"
"Most recipes for Body Refining Pills can produce five pills at once. However, I've perfected the recipe with the Alchemical Hexagram Reactions."
Yunfan shook his head in amazement. However, he suddenly became away of the clock on the wall, which told him that it had already been three minutes. He winced. "Let's get started— I'm bleeding money right now.
"First, prepare your ingredients. Take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the equipment. Every set of alchemy tools will always feel slightly different, whether it is the weight, balance, texture, etc cetera."
Chu Yunfan dilligently began preparing the ingredients as the Alchemy Emperor observed. Occasionally, the Emperor would correct his form or give advice on how to do something more efficiently. Yunfan would change his methods and he would continue.
As anyone who has ever learned something before can tell you, it is hard to break habits. Most people have a hard time making corrections and revert back to old mistakes. However, Yunfan did not do this once!
Combined with some lingering muscle memory from the recent possession ritual and his soul constantly being intertwined with the Alchemy Emperor's, learning alchemy turned out to be particularly easy— Yunfan took to it like a duck to water.
"This level of talent is necessary of a disciple of the Alchemy Emperor," the Emperor smiled.
Chu Yunfan chuckled self-deprecatingly to himself. "I can't compare to your expertise… I can only follow instructions, not create revolutionary discoveries."
Soon, he had finished with the first ingredient set and placed it into the pill furnace. The roaring flames caused the iron belly of the furnace to start glowing orange and gouts of steam to erupt from the lid.
Carefully controlling the flames with the dial on the wall, he began cooking the pills. At some points, the flames were so high that they went from the floor to Yunfan's thigh, while at others, it was so low that it was barely visible.
After several minutes of painstaking focus, he allowed the flames to dissipate. The furnace quickly cooled at an unnatural speed, turning from red-hot to dull matte gray within half a minute. There must be something unique about the material…
He reached into the furnace and retrieved nine pills. Each was about the size of a marble and the color of jade streaked with brown stripes. They gave off an earthy smell, like soil and grass after rain.
"Not bad at all for your first try!" exclaimed the Alchemy Emperor, tearing up at Baby's First Pill Concoction. "The quality is around 90% purity as well!"
Yunfan frowned. "All I'm seeing is lost profits."
The whole process took him about ten minutes. The entire time, the Alchemy Emperor had been providing a steady stream of useful advice.
Yunfan wiped the sweat from his brow, before returning to prepare the next set without any rest.
He finished the next set in approximately nine minutes.
The third set took him eight minutes.
He glanced at the clock.
[00:29:12]
Oh fuck.
With less than half of his allotted time already gone, he had only finished three out of ten sets.
I really don't want to waste another 5,000 credits to rent the room longer…
He gritted his teeth, with coins flashing in his eyes.
I just have to work faster!
A dim spark of starlight flickered to life in his eyes. Time seemed to slow down slightly and Yunfan's movements grew even quicker than before!
Chu Yunfan's flame control became much more rough— at some points, the flames soared higher than Yunfan was tall and completely enveloped the pill furnace! He pushed the pill furnace to its very limits, causing it to tremble and shake. However, no matter how close he got to exploding the furnace, it never happened!
This risky method was for maximum speed!
He finished the fourth ingredient set in seven minutes.
The fifth set only took him six minutes.
At around this point, the Alchemy Emperor's jaw dropped. He had only ever competed with this level of speed at the Outward Projection Realm and the use of telekinesis!
The sixth set was finished in five minutes!
The seventh set only took four!
The eighth set took three minutes!
The ninth set took only two minutes!
Out of the corner of his eye, Yunfan could see the clock:
[00:01:07]
Faster!
The starlight in his eyes intensified. A thick aura of otherworldly energy descended on the room like a magnification of gravity. The flames that enveloped the pill furnace and the sweat dripping down Yunfan's forehead seemed to freeze in place.
His hands blurred as time seemed to slow down. He finished preparing the ingredients within 25 seconds and threw them into the furnace.
Yunfan cranked the dial on the wall, causing the flames to change from fiery red to an explosive blue! The blast of heat nearly made him lose his footing, but he readjusted and turned the heat up even higher!
A little faster! Just a little faster!
[00:00:10]
He rapidly lowered the fire to enter the cooling phase. Gouts of steam emerged from the lid, filling the room with a thick fog.
[00:00:05]
Suddenly, he cranked the flame up again! As he tempered the pill, the slowing effect around him seemed to fracture; cracks seemed to appear in Yunfan's vision.
Almost there!
[00:00:03]
He flicked the flame off.
[00:00:02]
The furnace rapidly cooled.
[00:00:01]
Yunfan opened the furnace and snatched the pills. He hissed as the pills singed his fingers before tossing them into his bag.
[00:00:00]
[Times up! Would you like to redeem another hour?]
He looked behind him at the closed door with the message flashing across the keypad.
"No thank you…"
He smiled with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the Alchemy Emperor stared at him in disbelief.
"All of that… for 5,000 credits?????"