Benefits of Being an Alchemist

"I finally managed it."

Su Luo took the scorching pill from the cauldron, unable to suppress the joy in his eyes.

Being able to refine a Third-grade Pill meant he was not far from becoming a true Third-grade Alchemist. All he lacked now was proficiency.

And for a Dou Zhe to be able to refine a Third-grade Pill meant that, as long as Su Luo kept working hard and gradually grew accustomed to refining Third-grade Pills, then once he broke through to the Dou Master realm, the increase in Soul Power from that breakthrough would naturally allow him to become a Fourth-grade Alchemist.

"I should get used to it first. Once I do, I can head to the Alchemist Guild in Black Rock City for the assessment."

After placing the refined pill into a jade bottle, Su Luo continued refining pills, intending to go straight for the Black Rock City Third-grade Alchemist assessment when the time came.

The strongest factions in the entire Jia Ma Empire were the Gamma Empire Royal Family, the Misty Cloud Sect, and the Alchemist Guild.

Su Luo could not obtain the assistance of the first two without joining them, so he immediately ruled them out.

After excluding those two of the three great factions, the only force in the Jia Ma Empire that could more or less speak to Jia Nan Academy and have it admit a student outside its normal enrollment period was likely the Alchemist Guild.

However, Su Luo was not certain how much influence the Alchemist Guild had at Jia Nan Academy. After all, the experts on the Strong Ranking in the original story all seemed to come from the Central Plains. Compared to the Central Plains, the Gamma Empire was simply far too insignificant. Thus, to be safe, Su Luo needed to make his talent seem sufficiently terrifying so that he would have more assurance when joining Jia Nan Academy.

Another half month of pill refining passed. After succeeding in his first attempt, Su Luo gradually went from needing several portions of medicinal ingredients to produce a single pill, to needing four or five portions for one pill, and eventually to reliably producing one pill from three portions of ingredients—the standard required for the Alchemist assessment. Yet his practice did not end there.

Three portions of ingredients for one pill was merely the lower limit for the Alchemist assessment. If he wanted talent so shocking that Jia Nan Academy would scramble to take him in after learning of it, then merely reaching the minimum was not enough.

Only after he could reliably produce two or even three pills from an average of three portions of ingredients did Su Luo finally let out a long breath, stopping his refinement session to rest.

After resting, Su Luo washed up, changed into a fresh set of clothes, then turned and opened his door, preparing to head for the Alchemist Guild in Black Rock City.

But when he opened the door, he discovered that a crowd had somehow gathered outside, packing the area so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Su Luo was not surprised. Alchemists were the sort of people countless factions flocked toward, especially since the Pill Fragrance released during his refining was something that only Third-grade Pills could emit.

The inn Su Luo was staying at was quite good, but being good did not mean it was airtight. Once he refined enough pills, some Pill Fragrance was bound to drift out and be smelled by those outside.

And after smelling such rich Pill Fragrance in a city with an Alchemist Guild, many people could naturally identify the grade of the pills Su Luo had refined.

Once they learned that there was a Third-grade Alchemist here, factions without a Third-grade Alchemist naturally wished to befriend him, or even invite him into their own clans.

"Young friend, I am Lin Dong, the Black Rock City Lord. Might I ask whether the person who refined that Third-grade Pill is..."

As soon as Su Luo's Pill Fragrance had spread for the first time, every clan in Black Rock City without a Third-grade Alchemist had begun to move. Before these influential figures of Black Rock City, the innkeeper did not dare hide anything about Su Luo. Especially since he knew little about Su Luo himself, and one of these important figures was his own employer, the fact that Su Luo was most likely the only person in his room was quickly uncovered.

As for why it was only most likely, these influential figures of Black Rock City were not fools. What they could inquire about—and dared to inquire about—was only information Su Luo had made no effort to conceal.

They would never dare dig into a Third-grade Alchemist's secrets. At most, their clans possessed Da Dou Shi and Dou Ling experts. They simply could not afford to offend a Third-grade Alchemist, much less any force that might stand behind him.

It was precisely because of this that no one disturbed Su Luo while he refined pills in his room. Only when he stepped outside did he learn that a whole crowd had been waiting for him.

"I refined it. What is it?" Su Luo asked casually.

The Black Rock City Lord opened his mouth. Based on what the innkeeper had said, he had suspected that Su Luo was the Third-grade Alchemist. Yet when Su Luo's young face truly appeared before him, his face was still filled with shock.

"Master, you truly are a young hero! I have a small token of appreciation. I hope Master will accept it."

The Black Rock City Lord took out a Storage Ring containing half the assets he had accumulated over the years.

This was something the Black Rock City Lord had prepared long ago. While waiting, he had already decided that if the Third-grade Pill had been refined by Su Luo's unseen teacher, then the wealth within this Storage Ring could be used to recruit that Third-grade Alchemist. Even if recruitment failed, it might still forge a good relationship and create an opportunity for cooperation someday.

But if Su Luo had truly refined the pill himself, then these things were only worthy of forming a good relationship. There could be no talk of recruitment, because he had already asked the innkeeper about Su Luo's apparent age.

At no more than fifteen years old, he was already a Third-grade Alchemist. Such a person was not someone a mere Black Rock City Lord like him was qualified to recruit. Being able to form a good relationship and perhaps ask for a pill in the future would already be the best possible outcome.

It was not just him. When Su Luo said that he had refined the Third-grade Pill, everyone else came to the same decision.

"I am Xue Beng, Family Head of the Xue Clan. This is a small token of appreciation. I hope Master will accept it."

"I am Tian Yuan, Family Head of the Tian Clan. This is a small token of appreciation. I hope Master will accept it."

"I am..."

Numerous prominent figures from Black Rock City took out the Storage Rings they had treasured and presented them with both hands. Su Luo did not refuse. Ye Fan had left behind a great deal of money, but no matter how much there was, it would eventually run out. This was especially true for an Alchemist like Su Luo, who relied on resources to force his way forward. Ten million gold coins might seem like a lot, but they would still be spent eventually. By Su Luo's estimate, once he became a Peak Third-grade Alchemist, he would need to find ways to earn money and acquire medicinal ingredients himself.

Thus, Su Luo accepted everything offered by the many Black Rock City clans, replenishing his increasingly depleted treasury.