146: Chapter 146 Alchemy Master

As his consciousness withdrew from the vast sea of stars, Chen You snapped his eyes open. Deep within his pupils, it seemed as if hundreds of millions of stars were still flickering into existence and fading away.

In the illusion just now, that white-clad figure had used a single stroke to turn the entire universe's sea of stars into the sword move 'Chaotic Stars'.

Chaos, fury, disorder.

But beneath that extreme chaos, Chen You's Spiritual Sight had captured a sliver of absolute regularity hidden in the deepest depths!

Every trajectory, every collision, followed some profound and ultimate logic.

They appeared to be destroying each other, but in reality, they were using the most violent means to construct a brand-new, absolute web of order!

And 'Startled Swan' was the most precise point struck amidst ten thousand possibilities.

'Chaotic Stars' used ten thousand disordered trajectories to construct a lethal web of order.

Different paths leading to the same destination.

At this moment, Chen You's understanding of the Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique was no longer of two independent skills; he was truly beginning to touch upon the 'Dao' contained behind them.

The sword intent within his body flowed accordingly, becoming more solid and harmonious.

"Whew..."

Exhaling a long breath, Chen You's thoughts instantly returned to the present.

He glanced at the time.

"Crap, it's time to harvest!"

With a thought, Chen You exited the training room directly.

Then, without pausing, he entered the guild territory.

The morning sun had just crested the Qinling mountain ridge, plating this grand city standing amidst the sea of clouds and immortal realm with a warm golden edge.

Inside the city, squads of defenders clad in dark iron armor were conducting routine patrols with synchronized steps. The clanging of metal was clear and solemn, filled with a sense of order.

Within the white mist, over a dozen figures were active.

They wore uniform cyan-gray tight-fitting suits, their movements carrying the characteristic efficiency and discipline of soldiers.

Some were sitting cross-legged in the center of the plaza, breathing in and out, sensing the rich spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Others were on the martial arts field, practicing Purple Heart Seven Scenes with meticulous precision.

Though the moves were simple, everyone was incredibly focused.

These were the first batch of candidates for the 'dragon scale project'.

Chen You didn't disturb anyone, heading straight to the herb garden area.

At this moment, the fields were misty with rich spiritual energy. Three different types of medicinal herbs were emitting a faint, precious glow, clearly fully matured.

He walked to the edge of the herb garden, having no intention of bending over to do it by hand. With a mere thought, he opened the guild system menu.

[Herb Garden] - [Harvest]

[Confirm].

Buzz!

Above the vast herb garden, a soft white light swept across like a ripple of water.

In the next second, those thousands of matured spiritual herbs instantly vanished, as if wiped away by an invisible giant hand.

[System Prompt: Obtained 'dew condensing grass' x48.]

[System Prompt: Obtained 'green sun flower' x48.]

[System Prompt: Obtained 'earth dragon root' x48.]

Afterward, he skillfully spent gold coins again to buy a full stock of seeds and replanted them.

Only after finishing all this did he turn and walk toward the nearby alchemy room.

The alchemy room of the White Jade Capital fused the ancient styles of Taoism with the precise layout of a modern laboratory, filled with a sci-fi aesthetic unique to Huaxia.

In the center, a giant three-legged bronze cauldron with two handles stood tall. Its body was engraved with complex cloud patterns and star maps; this was the core facility for alchemy.

Chen You walked to the cauldron and opened the alchemy interface.

The recipe for the qi gathering pill had long been unlocked. The required materials were exactly three portions each of dew condensing grass, green sun flower, and earth dragon root.

He had 48 portions of each herb in his backpack, meaning he could perform 16 refinements.

"Doing it one by one is too slow."

Looking at the 'Single Refinement' and 'Batch Refinement' options on the interface, Chen You chose the latter without hesitation and maxed out the quantity.

[Please confirm whether to consume 'dew condensing grass' x48, 'green sun flower' x48, and 'earth dragon root' x48 to perform 16 'qi gathering pill' refinements?]

"Confirm!"

[Continuous Refinement Mode activated. Alchemy is about to begin. Please be prepared.]

As soon as the words fell, the scene before Chen You's eyes changed abruptly.

The ancient cauldron disappeared, replaced by a highly technological interface.

In the center of the screen was a long track. Light spots of various colors were rushing from the end of the track to the beat of exciting background music.

Below the track were several judgment zones corresponding to different colors.

“Oh? Isn't this a rhythm game?”

Chen You was amused.

He understood the rules at a glance.

Wasn't this just the kind of rhythm-hitting game he had played countless times in arcades back in the day?

There were also scoring rules at the top of the screen.

[Judgment: Perfect, Great, Good, Miss]

[The higher the Combo count, the more stable the pill fire temperature, and the higher the success rate.]

['Perfect' ratings will accumulate 'Alchemy Insight' energy. Once the energy bar is full, 'Heavenly Fire Descent' can be released, significantly improving pill quality.]

"Interesting." Chen You's lips curled up.

To other Cultivators, this might be an unheard-of trial.

But for a modern corporate slave like him who had been baptized by all sorts of games, this was basically free points!

The music intro ended, and the first light spot came whistling in.

Chen You's gaze instantly became focused. His finger tapped lightly on the judgment zone in the air following the rhythm.

Dong!

[Perfect!]

A golden "Perfect" character exploded in the center of the screen.

Then, the second, the third...

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

On the screen, a series of [Perfect] judgments kept popping up, and the combo count below soared.

[Combo x10]

[Combo x50]

[Combo x100]

Chen You's fingers seemed to turn into phantoms, precisely tapping at the exact moment every light spot fell.

His expression didn't even change in the slightest; his whole being had entered a state of absolute focus.

"Triple left, right slide, long press..."

He didn't have the concept of alchemy in his mind at all; it was entirely muscle memory and game experience taking the lead.

The background music grew faster and faster, and light spots poured down like a rainstorm.

[Combo x300]

The 'Alchemy Insight' energy bar at the top had long been filled, flashing with a piercing golden light.

"Now!"

Chen You spotted a node in a magnificent passage and heavily pressed that special skill key.

[Heavenly Fire Descent!]

Boom—!

The entire game interface seemed to be burning. A brilliant golden flame descended from the sky, instantly swallowing all the light spots on the track and converting them all into [Perfect] judgments!

The combo count exploded instantly!

[Combo x500]

The song ended. As the last note fell, Chen You's finger also stopped in mid-air.

In the center of the screen, the final score settlement screen slowly emerged.

[Final Evaluation: SSS (Super God)]

[Max Combo: 520]

[Evaluation Analysis: Incredible skill. You are not refining pills; you are performing the Dao of Alchemy itself!]

In the next second, the game interface faded away.

The bronze cauldron before him vibrated violently, and the lid was pushed open with a 'clatter'.

Dazzling rays of light burst out from within, illuminating the entire room as bright as day!

A pill fragrance so dense it almost turned physical permeated the air. Just taking a single breath made one feel the spiritual energy throughout their body become several times more active.

A series of system prompt sounds rang out like a scrolling screen.

[System Prompt: Alchemy successful! You obtained 'qi gathering pill' x3.]

[System Prompt: Alchemy successful! You obtained 'qi gathering pill' x2.]

...

[System Prompt: Due to your Super God level performance, 'Alchemy Resonance' has been triggered. The pill success rate has significantly increased!]

[System Prompt: Since you activated 'Heavenly Fire Descent', 'Quality Sublimation' has been triggered. Some pill qualities have received an epic-tier boost!]

...

As the light dissipated, Chen You looked at his backpack.

One type was the ordinary qi gathering pill, round and full, emitting a faint blue light.

[qi gathering pill]: After consumption, spiritual energy absorption efficiency increases by 300% for 1 hour.

The other type was completely different.

They were a transparent purple-gold color throughout. Their surfaces seemed to have rivers of stars flowing within, emitting a mysterious and profound Dao charm.

[Immortal Grade · qi gathering pill]

[Type]: Pill

[Quality]: Mythical

[Effect]: After consumption, spiritual energy absorption efficiency increases by 600% for 2 hours. There is a very small probability of directly entering an epiphany state during cultivation.

[Note]: When mortal fire touches divine charm, a miracle is born. This is no longer an object of the mortal world.

Ordinary qi gathering pills, 26 in total.

But there were a full 9 Immortal Grade · Qi Gathering Pills!

"Holy crap..."

Even Chen You couldn't help but swear at this moment.

It was just refining some pills; even this could be so over-the-top?