Chapter 35 – Data-Driven Alchemy

Although Lu Chen had visited the Alchemy Hall at Danyang Peak several times already, he was still awestruck by the bustling scene each time he came.

This “bustling” referred not only to the atmosphere but also to the actual visual spectacle.

Because the fires in the Alchemy Hall… truly reached for the heavens!

In the vast Alchemy Hall, a massive fire pool resembling a volcanic crater stood at the very center.

Golden Earthfire flowed within the fire pool, releasing wave after wave of scorching heat.

This fire pool was naturally not just for show—it served a special purpose.

Alchemy furnaces were arranged around the edge of the fire pool, and many of the hall’s Alchemists channeled the Earthfire into their furnaces to aid in their Alchemy.

Describing the scene as “bustling” was no exaggeration at all.

After all, the flames in the fire pool… really did seem to shoot skyward!

Using Earthfire for Alchemy was both a distinctive feature of Danyang Peak and the origin of its name.

The “Dan” in Danyang Peak referred to the fact that the majority of Cultivators on this peak were Alchemists.

The “Yang” in Danyang Peak referred to the Yangming Earthfire hidden beneath the mountain.

While using Earthfire for Alchemy was undoubtedly dangerous, it also significantly increased the success rate of Alchemy.

After all, if ordinary fire were used to refine many medicinal materials, there would be no guarantee of completely removing all Impurities.

Only a natural Spirit Fire like the Yangming Earthfire could reliably ensure the proper refinement of medicinal materials.

This situation created the remarkable spectacle of hundreds of people gathered in the Alchemy Hall, practicing Alchemy around the fire.

Although Lu Chen didn’t need the Yangming Earthfire to assist his Alchemy, as an Outer Sect Disciple, he didn’t yet have the means to purchase his own Alchemy furnace.

Therefore, he always used the free Alchemy furnaces available in the Alchemy Hall.

After all, Alchemy furnaces—items that could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of Spirit Stones—were far too expensive for him.

Moreover, he needed to use his limited Spirit Stones to purchase various medicinal materials.

It had to be said—the path of an Alchemist… really burned through money!

After waiting in the Great Hall for a while, Lu Chen finally found an unoccupied Alchemy furnace.

When he reached the furnace, he quickly took out the ingredients needed to refine the Qi Gathering Pill from his Storage Bag.

The process of refining the Qi Gathering Pill wasn’t particularly complex, with Spirit Immortal Grass being the most crucial ingredient.

As a relatively fragile Spiritual Plant, Spirit Immortal Grass required extreme care during the essence extraction process.

If the heat control was even slightly off, not only would the essence of the Spirit Immortal Grass fail to be extracted properly—the entire plant might even be burned away completely.

Thus, the greatest challenge in refining the Qi Gathering Pill lay in this first step of extracting the medicinal essence.

This step was also the essential first stage that the vast majority of Elixirs had to undergo.

There was good reason why Danyang Peak used the refinement of Qi Gathering Pills as a test for Outer Sect Disciples.

If someone could skillfully refine Qi Gathering Pills, it meant they had truly begun to grasp the fundamentals of the Alchemy Dao.

Although this wasn’t his first time practicing Alchemy, Lu Chen still felt quite nervous.

After all, what he was refining now wasn’t just pills—he was refining pure, gleaming Spirit Stones!

“Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones are needed to purchase one set of ingredients for the Qi Gathering Pill, and one set can produce at most ten to fifteen pills.”

“With my current monthly income of fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, I can only attempt refining at most five times per month.””With the price of Qi Gathering Pills being five Low-Grade Spirit Stones each, as long as I succeed just once out of five attempts, I won’t lose out. Every additional success is pure profit.”

After taking a deep breath, Lu Chen raised his hand.

Whoosh!

As the pale purple Purple Dawn Divine Fire left his hand, the Azure Darkwood beneath the Alchemy Furnace was instantly ignited, bursting into roaring flames.

Before long, the originally bronze-colored Alchemy Furnace gradually turned fiery red.

The temperature inside the furnace began rising at an astonishing rate.

Lu Chen raised his hand again, sending various medicinal herbs into the furnace.

But the next moment, a strange interface appeared before his eyes:

[Qi Gathering Pill]

[Flame Completion: 50%]

[Extraction Completion: 0%]

[Fusion Completion: 0%]

[Skill Bonus: 10%]

[Current Success Rate: 23%]

Alchemy can be quantified now?!

Lu Chen stared blankly at the alchemy interface that had appeared before him, momentarily stunned.

This brief moment of distraction caused him to lose control of the furnace, resulting in violent fluctuations in temperature.

The immediate consequence was a sharp drop in both “Flame Completion” and “Alchemy Success Rate.”

[Flame Completion: 25%]

[Current Success Rate: 17%]

Does “Flame Completion” refer to the flame temperature I need to control when refining Qi Gathering Pills?

As Lu Chen watched the constantly changing alchemy interface, numerous ideas gradually formed in his mind.

Guided by these thoughts, Lu Chen began continuously testing his theories.

One hour later.

Bang!

With a burst of flames erupting from the furnace, Lu Chen’s alchemy attempt ended in failure.

Despite this, his expression showed no disappointment—instead, he appeared quite excited.

Through this failed attempt, he had completely deciphered the meaning behind the alchemy interface.

‘Flame Completion’: Refers to the optimal heat control required for refining Qi Gathering Pills.

‘Extraction Completion’: Indicates how much medicinal essence has been extracted.

‘Fusion Completion’: Reflects how thoroughly Lu Chen integrates the medicinal essences into pills during the final fusion stage.

‘Skill Bonus’: Represents the success rate enhancement provided by his current Proficient-level Basic Alchemy skill.

These four metrics transformed the previously intuition-based alchemy process into a quantifiable, visual representation.

What did this mean?

It meant Lu Chen could now use data fluctuations to precisely identify errors in his alchemy process!

To further verify this method’s feasibility, Lu Chen decided to strictly follow the data during his second attempt.

After all, people might deceive themselves, but data never lies!

Another hour later.

[Qi Gathering Pill]

[Flame Completion: 70%]

[Extraction Completion: 70%]

[Fusion Completion: 70%]

[Skill Bonus: 10%]

[Current Success Rate: 80%]

Success!

As the final fusion step completed, Lu Chen eagerly opened the furnace to reveal eight smooth, perfectly round pills.

With trembling excitement, he carefully extracted the eight Qi Gathering Pills using his Spiritual Power.

Floating before him, the eight pills filled Lu Chen with exhilaration.

Exactly as he’d theorized—the so-called 80% success rate didn’t mean he had only an 80% chance to succeed per batch.Rather, it means that 80% of the herbs in a single batch of ingredients can be condensed into an Elixir.

Once he raises this success rate to 100%,

it would mean that every time he practices Alchemy, he can maximize the full value of a single batch of ingredients!

Not wasting even a single Spirit Stone!

Thinking of this, Lu Chen’s mood grew even more excited.

This data-driven Alchemy panel not only greatly reduced the difficulty of his Alchemy but also further increased his success rate!

What he was refining here wasn’t just Elixirs—it was piles of gleaming Spirit Stones!

With this data-driven Alchemy technique, would he ever lack Elixirs in the future?

At this moment, Lu Chen felt as if a bright and broad path was laid out right before his eyes.

This Alchemist path… I really did choose right!

(End of Chapter)