Had Heaven Not Brought Forth Elder Lu, the Dao of Alchemy Would Be a Long Night for All Eternity
Three thousand Contribution Points? That doesn't seem like much.
[You retrieve the list and turn to leave.]
[The Hundred-Blade Rings Hundred-Blade Ring is, let's empty the Thousand Mechanisms Sect's inventory first.]
[To gather materials, you need to accept sect missions just like a regular disciple.]
[You left the Myriad Treasures Hall and went to the Alchemy Hall.]
[While the Merit Hall offers a wide variety of tasks, none are as lucrative as those within the Alchemy Hall.]
[Furthermore, it's not cost-effective for an Alchemist you to go out and fight with disciples from other halls.]
Dozens of Alchemists were crowded in front of the task wall of the Internal Affairs Department.
The low-level quest was snatched up immediately after it refreshed.
"Ten Qi-Gathering Pills, I accept."
"Ten Heart-Cleansing Pills, I'll take them!"
"I've been eyeing this mission for three days. Anyone who tries to steal it is a fool!"
[A young Alchemist had just reached out his hand when an older Alchemist stopped him by the arm.]
"New guy, don't you know the rules?"
The young Alchemist blushed, but withdrew his hand.
[You stood there watching for a while.]
["Ten Qi-Gathering Pills," worth 10,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the market, are only worth two Contribution Points.]
[Three thousand Contribution Points, converted into Spirit Stones, are worth fifteen million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]
[It's so dark!]
[Of course, Contribution Points and Spirit Stones are not directly equivalent.]
[For example, tasks involving the collection of materials.]
[The materials themselves aren't valuable, and the task poster will give one or two Contribution Points.]
[Although the Alchemy Hall the Thousand Mechanisms Sect is small, its internal competition is no less intense.]
[Low-level tasks are stable, low-risk, and offer few Contribution Points, but the sheer volume of them makes up for it.]
[The high-level quest is just sitting there untouched.]
[Looking at the routine tasks that reward one or two Contribution Points, you fell into deep thought.]
[How long will it take to accumulate this much contribution?]
[Until you see a few dusty jade tablets in the far corner of the quest leaderboard.]
[Task objective: Refine three top-grade "Spirit-Congealing Barrier-Breaking Pills "Pills. Materials are rare, success rate is extremely low, but rewards are generous.]
[Task posted three years ago.]
[Contribution Points: 10]
[Putting this task on the wall, ten points is already considered a high price.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Accept all the high-level quests in the corner.]
[B: Activate the "Bully at Home" mode and accept all the tasks on the task wall. Today, you'll see who dares to compete with you for Performance Assessment in the Alchemy Hall.]
[C: The "Lu Ping Task-Snatching Studio" was established on the spot. Low-level missions are charged per attempt, while high-level missions are guaranteed with a refund. Internal employees of the Alchemy Hall can enjoy a 2% discount.]
Little B is just what I wanted.
Lu Ping sighed. "Forget it, let's play it safe."
He chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You raise your hand and pluck over a dozen high-level quests from the quest wall in one go.]
The voices of the surrounding Alchemists paused mid-sentence.
[Someone stared at the mission board in your hand, their Adam's apple bobbing.]
"Elder Lu, that's a high-level mission."
"Two of them were hung up by Hall Master Yi for three years without anyone answering."
[You put the quest card into your sleeve.]
"I'll give it a try."
A tall, thin Alchemist curled his lip.
"High-level missions can't be completed simply by having a certificate."
[You ignored it and went straight back to your cave abode.]
[The Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace lands on the Earthfire Vent.]
[Four Azure Toads swallowed the ghostly blue Earthfire.]
[The Artisan Spirit is now in effect.]
[Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement, effective.]
[I Love Working, effective.]
[Overtime pay tripled, effective.]
[Your Moon Palace Fire-Devouring Furnace, burns almost day and night.]
[Within ten days, the entire Alchemy Hall was in an uproar.]
"Have you heard? The new Elder Lu single-handedly cleared out three years' worth of backlogged task lists!"
"Impossible! Even Hall Master Yi himself struggles to refine the Spirit-Congealing Barrier-Breaking Pill; he might not even be able to complete one batch out of three!"
"What do you mean it's impossible! I saw him turn in the quests with my own eyes, and they were all top-tier items! Top-tier items!"
[You submit your tasks faster than the Internal Affairs Department updates its inventory.]
[In just one month, you single-handedly cleared out the high-level mission list of the Alchemy Hall.]
[You wiped out a whole group of local Alchemists in the Alchemy Hall.]
Oh no, you and they're not on the same track.
[For a moment, the Alchemists in the Alchemy Hall unconsciously shrank back when they saw you.]
Even so, you only earned a little over 100 Contribution Points a month.
[No more quests available.]
[You start to hesitate. Maybe you should go to the Internal Affairs Department, Bully at Home, and just grab the task that costs one Contribution Points.]
On this day, Hall Master Yi personally paid a visit.
"Elder Lu, do you... perhaps have some time to impart some alchemy insights to the disciples in the hall?"
[Without even looking up, you controlled the alchemical fire and replied with just two words.]
"I'm busy."
[Hall Master Yi clearly came prepared.]
He smiled and held up one finger.
"One lesson, 100 Contribution Points, three lessons per month."
[Your hand, which was controlling the flame, stopped abruptly.]
[How many?!]
[You've cleared out three years' worth of high-level quests, and after a month of hard work, you've only earned a little over a hundred points.]
[One lesson, one hundred?]
[Three lessons a month?]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Prepare lessons immediately, ready to use modern exam-oriented education principles to deliver a devastating blow.]
[B: The alchemists of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect Alchemist are too trash; they're not qualified to listen to your lectures.]
[C: Inquired about the possibility of live-streaming classes and enabling the tipping function.]
Little B, don't go crazy.
These are our true feelings, how can we say them out loud!
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You abruptly extinguished the fire in your alchemy, turned around, and wore a warm smile.]
"Hall Master Yi, I was just teasing you!"
"It is our inescapable duty to cultivate talent for the sect!"
Hall Master Yi left satisfied.
[You watched his retreating figure, a feeling of melancholy washing over you.]
[Indeed, paid knowledge products are the key to success.]
[Three days later, you arrive at the Teaching Hall of the Alchemy Hall.]
[You walk up to the podium and look down.]
A dense, overwhelming crowd.
[Over three hundred Alchemists have actually come.]
[Great Sects, it may not have much else, but it has a lot of people.]
[You cleared your throat and began the lesson.]
[You didn't talk about those esoteric and mysterious theories of Dao of Alchemy.]
[You should directly target the exam questions from the Heavenly Certification Alliance.]
"Why should the heat be reduced by three-tenths when refining this Withered Star Grass?"
"Because the straw provided in the examination room was of inferior quality, it would definitely explode if cooked according to standard heat."
[Take the contents of the "Pre-Exam Tutoring Package" you bought from the Azure Dragon Merchant Association for 1,000 Spirit Stones, add your own practical experience, break it down, and feed it to them.]
[The lecture ended an hour later.]
[The audience was completely silent.]
[Then, a deafening roar of cheers erupted.]
"Elder Lu explained it so clearly!"
"Especially the research section, every sentence hits the nail on the head!"
"If Heaven had not given birth to Elder Lu, the Dao of Alchemy would have remained shrouded in eternal darkness!"