I Have the Alchemy Emperor in My Head - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Passing the Alchemist Test
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chu Yunfan turned on the device after putting on the virtual glasses. The scene before him changed suddenly, and he appeared in a crude space. It was the default landing everyone would arrive in every time they logged into the virtual network.
Everything seemed so lifelike, but only his consciousness was in it. It was said that the virtual network could not have been created before. Even if it had been, it would not have been like what he was feeling, as if he was in another world.
People could even fight in it just like in the real world. It did not exist over 100 years ago, but it was said that people found Ancient Zenith civilization ruins during the process of moving to the Kunlun Realm a century in the past. They discovered a magic tool within the ruins and created the virtual network using the tool’s power.
The virtual network currently covered the entire world and the human base cities in the Kunlun Realm. One could go online whenever one desired.
Chu Yunfan had no idea what kind of magic tool it was. That was the confidential secret of the human government. Although it was a secret that everyone knew, they officially did not admit such a tool existed, making it even more mysterious.
Everyone would register an account when they were young. The account would be the only one they would have, and it was tied to their identity.
They would be scanned every time they connected to the virtual network. Their abilities would be reflected within the network.
It would mean that Chu Yunfan would also be at Tier-6 Physical Stage, Joint Popping in the virtual network, just like what he was in real life. It was no different from reality.
This could not have been done with technology. It was only made possible by that mysterious magic tool.
However, there were restrictions on such recreations in the virtual world. Under normal circumstances, only the Physical Stage would be recreated. Those at the Qi Sea Stage, the Energy Refinement Stage, or even the Acquired Stage and the Innate Stage would need to pay a fee to reflect their capabilities from reality in the virtual world.
The greater one’s abilities were, the higher the required fees. The cost was practically astronomical for those who were supremely powerful, but the powerhouses who could cultivate to that stage could most probably afford that.
The official explanation was that a lot of energy was required for the scanner to rebuild the body that accurately reflected real life in the virtual world. Therefore, anyone wanting a perfect recreation in cyberspace needed to pay, like Dong Fanghao who did martial arts battles in the virtual world.
When Chu Yunfan first learned of him, he was not amazed by his Energy Refinement Stage level but by his wealth. He was only stunned by Dong Fanghao’s incredible abilities later on.
After arriving at the default landing, Chu Yunfan did not choose to log out. Instead, he clicked on the virtual assistant and downloaded a software called the Alchemy Assistant. It was the software that Du Qingtao had launched. However, it did not come cheap, costing 5,000 coins. Although it was targeted at commoners, Chu Yunfan felt some pain when he purchased it. If Liu Yushu had not paid him 100,000 that day, he could not have downloaded the software.
Overall, it was value for money. If it had not been, software that cost 5,000 coins would not have survived and continued thriving for so long. Moreover, it had been improved and upgraded countless times over the years. Its current state was considered to be perfect.
A couple of seconds later, the Alchemy Assistant finished downloading. Chu Yunfan clicked on it and the environment around him suddenly changed. He had appeared in an alchemy laboratory. The lab was simple, no more than a basic room with an alchemical furnace in the middle. There was a cushion for someone to sit on in front of the furnace and nothing else.
One would have to purchase the herbs to refine medicinal pills. Although it was just virtual data, those herbs did not come free. They had to be bought from the shop through the Alchemy Assistant.
Naturally, the price was up to a hundred times cheaper than the real thing. However, the cost would be terrifyingly high if one refined medicinal pills repeatedly.
Given that there were so many users, nobody knew how much the owner of the software, Alchemy King Du Qingtao, had made throughout the years.
Although there were some hints of profiteering in the software, it was good enough for commoners. At least it provided a path for talented people to have a chance to stand out.
In reality, there were even many wealthy alchemy apprentices who liked using the Alchemy Assistant to refine medicinal pills. Although the experience gained could not be compared to reality, the deciding factor was that it was cheap.
It was a prudent choice to refine real medicinal pills only after practicing in the virtual network. Money did not grow on trees, even for wealthy people.
Chu Yunfan did not choose the pill refinement practice. Instead, he went directly to the option below, the alchemy apprentice test. To regular alchemists, they would need many practice runs to be familiar with it and understand it. In his case, he already had that since he obtained the Alchemy Emperor’s memories.
He had to admit that the Alchemy Emperor was indeed a genius in alchemy. He was much more skilled than the current greatest alchemist on Earth, Alchemy King Du Qingtao.
“Is this the first time you’re taking the test? Considering that you’ve never taken any tests before, you’ll have to take the beginner-level alchemy apprentice test! The test fee is 1,000 coins!” a robotic voice said into Chu Yunfan’s ears.
To prevent people from just trying their luck, there was a fee for each alchemist license test. The more advanced it was, the higher the fee.
“Begin the test!”
Chu Yunfan chose that without any hesitation.
“Random test question has begun!”
There was a ringing sound, and then a screen was projected before Chu Yunfan.
“Please refine a beginner-level Flow State Pill. You have two hours!”
Subsequently, a bunch of herbs appeared around Chu Yunfan. Clearly, they were the herbs to refine the beginner-level Flow State Pill.
At that moment, the information about the Flow State Pill emerged in his head. Meditation was the first step in a martial artists’ cultivation. It was the root and the beginning of Internal Energy, but not everyone could go into the flow state easily. Many people would spend a long time getting rid of the thoughts in their minds before they could begin to cultivate in peace. A lot of time would be wasted in the process.
Moreover, there was a big difference within meditation. The deeper the meditation was, the better the result. It helped cut the rigors of cultivation in half.
That was how the Flow State Pill came about. It could help one get into the flow state quickly. The pill could induce the flow state in someone in just a moment.
The Flow State Pill was categorized into beginner-level, intermediate-level, and advanced-level.
Beginner-level Flow State Pills were cheap at only 5,000 coins each. Although it was rather expensive to regular people, they could still afford it. However, an intermediate-level Flow State Pill would cost 100,000, and an advanced-level Flow State Pill would be up to a million. Not only could it help one to get into the flow state, but the Flow State Pill could also augment one’s body if consumed for a long time. However, even most rich people could not afford to spend such money.
Regular people would need the Flow State Pill to help with cultivation. His cousin, Chu Yuntian, consumed the Flow State Pill regularly, which cut his cultivation time in half. Getting into the flow state used to be a major issue each time he cultivated. In two hours of cultivation, he would spend at least an hour getting into the flow state in order to clear his mind and cultivate attentively.
However, it was different now. He felt that each time he got into the flow state whenever he cultivated was better than consuming the legendary advanced-level Flow State Pill. As soon as he got into the cultivation mode, he would focus immediately. It was amazing.
He could save a lot of time and money from that alone.
However, Chu Yunfan did not need it. His parents and sister did. After he made enough money and got his sister treated, he would refine Flow State Pills for them so that they could cultivate.
He had never refined any medicinal pills. He actually never learned anything about it since alchemy was elective and not mandatory in school. Only a fraction of students with money and time would take it. He did not even have time for cultivation, so he certainly would not have time to take the alchemy course. This was because he knew that he would not stand out in the industry.
Nevertheless, Chu Yunfan started the alchemical furnace. When the fire was burning, a familiar feeling spread through his body. One would understand everything by understanding the underlying principle. The modern alchemical furnace had a fire state underneath it instead of requiring wood be used as in the Ancient Zenith civilization. Though the furnace was modern, the familiar feeling made him master the pill refinement quickly.
He added water, lit and added fuel to the fire, and added all sorts of herbs!
The process was smooth as silk to Chu Yunfan, as if he had practiced it tens of millions of times. He did not pause or hesitate at all.
He knew when to add fuel to the fire, how big of a fire it should be, when to add the herbs, and how much to add. Those were not in the recipe. The recipe only had the combination of the most basic herbs and the basic process.
The so-called secret inheritance was not detailed. It was the thing that all alchemists passed down verbally through generations.
Regular alchemists could only learn to refine medicinal pills with the highest efficiency after practicing it for many years. In modern times, they would not be as narrow-minded as they were in the Ancient Zenith civilization. Back then, they would take their secrets to the grave with them. There were still many uncertainties since the alchemist system had only been excavated and documented for 200 years. It was far behind compared to the masters of the alchemist system in the Ancient Zenith civilization, such as the Alchemy Emperor in Chu Yunfan’s memory.
An hour later, the medicinal pill was successfully refined. Boiling steam spread out, and one could even smell the pill’s fragrance.
“Congratulations, you’ve successfully refined the Flow State Pill. You’ve obtained the Alchemist Association’s beginner-level alchemy apprentice certification. Please head over to the local Alchemist Association to pick up your license!”