The Potion Revolution: When Modern Chemistry Meets Dou Qi Alchemy

The copper furnace in the Xiao family's alchemy room billowed with white mist. Xiao Feng stared at the churning green medicinal liquid within, his brows tightly knit. The Collection of Yellow-Tier Alchemy Recipes spread across the stone table had curled corners, and a certain page featured a cinnabar circle around the ratio for "Qi Gathering Pill"—the Xiao family alchemists of three hundred years ago clearly did not know that if the mixing ratio of Fire Spirit Grass to Ice Silkworm Fluid exceeded 7:3, it would produce corrosive, flocculent residue.

"System, redeem the Periodic Table of Elements." He murmured in his heart. A blue light flashed across his palm, and a transparent virtual screen emerged, with elemental symbols dancing across his retina. Calculating the proportions, Xiao Feng retrieved purified Fire Spirit Grass essence from the system space and used a burette to precisely control the drop count.

"Third Brother, what are you doing?" Xiao Yan pushed the door open and entered, his nose twitching. "Why does this smell different than usual?"

"Improving the Qi Gathering Pill." Xiao Feng did not look up, slowly injecting three drops of Ice Silkworm Fluid into the furnace. "Traditional recipes have too many impurities; I'm trying to refine the essence and discard the dross."

The young boy squatted to the side, watching curiously as he used a glass test tube to conduct a flame test. When he saw the medicinal liquid turn from murky to clear, finally condensing into five pills glowing with purple light, Xiao Yan exclaimed: "Five-Star Qi Gathering Pill! You can actually refine high-tier pills?"

Xiao Feng chuckled, collecting the pills into a jade bottle. "Just good luck. Little Yanzi, help me deliver these to the younger generation in the clan, and just say... Father ordered them to be distributed."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. As he took the jade bottle, his fingertips brushed the "Xiao" clan crest carved into the body of the bottle, and he suddenly lowered his voice: "Third Brother, are you... hiding something from me?"

Their gazes met, and Xiao Feng saw a sharpness in those clear pupils that did not belong to a child. Just as he was about to speak, a commotion erupted outside the alchemy room—the Great Elder burst in with two gray-robed elders, followed by a grim-faced Xiao Zhan.

"Xiao Feng, do you know your crime?" The Great Elder flicked his sleeves and shouted, his gaze landing on the messy alchemy room. "How dare you modify the clan's ancestral recipes in private? If something went wrong and a clansman was harmed, what would you do?"

Xiao Feng stood up and bowed, his peripheral vision sweeping over the alchemist badges on the gray-robed elders' waists—they were, shockingly, Three-Star Alchemists from the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild. It seemed news had already reached the outside world.

"Replying to the Great Elder, this nephew simply felt the old recipe was too inefficient." He spoke calmly, taking out an improved Qi Gathering Pill. "This pill removes the impurities from the Fire Spirit Grass and adds a small amount of Wind Spirit Fruit to harmonize it; it not only increases absorption speed but also reduces the backlash of Dou Qi."

One of the gray-robed elders took the pill, and after probing it with his Dou Qi, his pupils shrank: "It is indeed as pure as water! This refining technique... it actually looks like the legendary 'Liquid Phase Separation Technique'?"

Xiao Zhan's gaze darkened. Although he did not understand alchemy, he could see the pale blue flame lingering on his son's fingertips—that was not the Xiao family's Flame Control Art, but rather seemed like a much more advanced flame manipulation technique.

"Audacious!" The Great Elder, however, mistook the gray-robed elder's words for an accusation. "How could a mere child master high-tier alchemy? He must have stolen techniques from an outside clan!"

He raised his hand to grab Xiao Feng's wrist, only to see Xiao Zhan step across to block him. "Father, Feng'er is a member of my Xiao clan. If he has committed a fault, I should be the one to punish him."

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the alchemy furnace suddenly hummed. Xiao Feng turned to look and saw the remaining medicinal liquid automatically condensing in the furnace, forming three more pills—this time glowing with a golden luster; they were clearly Grade 6 "Breakthrough Pills"!

"Six... Grade 6 pills?" The other gray-robed elder's voice trembled. "These are high-tier pills that only a Five-Star Dou Emperor can refine! Who exactly are you?"

The system notification chime rang at the perfect moment:

Ding! Host has refined a Grade 6 pill for the first time, triggering a check-in reward: Origin of Alchemy True Explanation (Fragment) ×1.

Xiao Feng's fingertips trembled, and a vast amount of alchemical knowledge flooded his sea of consciousness. Forcing down his ecstasy, he turned to Xiao Zhan and said: "Father, this nephew had a fortuitous encounter in the library previously and learned some rudimentary purification techniques. If these pills can be mass-produced, the cultivation speed of the Xiao clan's disciples could increase by more than thirty percent."

Xiao Zhan stared at his son for a long time before slowly nodding. "Good. From today on, the alchemy room is under Feng'er's full responsibility. Great Elder, since the two distinguished guests from the Alchemist Guild have come from afar, why not go to the front hall for tea?"

Watching the crowd leave, Xiao Yan suddenly tugged on Xiao Feng's sleeve: "Third Brother, are you... like me, not from this world?"

The young man's gaze was burning, and Xiao Feng felt a jolt of alarm. The system alarm blared, and he immediately circulated "Soul Movement Three Thousand" to shield their surroundings before daring to speak in a low voice: "Little Yanzi, I will tell you some things later. For now, you only need to remember—"

He pressed down on Xiao Yan's shoulder, speaking solemnly: "The Xiao family will no longer be bullied by anyone. I promise."

When night fell, Xiao Feng sat on the roof of the alchemy room, the blue light of the Plane Store reflecting off his profile. He swiped through the screen, his gaze lingering on modern instruments like "centrifuges" and "electronic balances," finally selecting an "elemental analyzer."

Ding! Redeemed elemental analyzer, consumed 1000 system points.

The instrument condensed in his palm, the metallic texture bringing a real sense of coldness. Xiao Feng suddenly remembered the white lab coats of Earth's laboratories, and a wry smile tugged at his lips—he never expected that in this lifetime, he would be using HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) to analyze the components of Dou Qi herbs.

Inside the alchemy room, Xiao Zhan looked at the Five-Star Qi Gathering Pill on the table, his fingertips tracing the Xiao clan crest on his jade pendant. Whispers drifted from next door, containing strange terms like "molecular formula" and "catalytic reaction." He shook his head with a smile and pushed the door open: "Feng'er, there is something I must tell you."

Xiao Feng turned to see his father take a roll of parchment from the jade pendant. The moment it was unfurled, an ancient wave of Dou Qi swept through the room; the paper clearly depicted a topographical map of the Xiao family's ancestral grounds, with a certain spot marked in cinnabar as "Dou Emperor Bloodline Seal."

"This was given to me by your grandfather before he passed," Xiao Zhan said in a low voice. "He said that when a clansman with awakened special abilities appeared, we could head to the ancestral grounds. Feng'er, your wind-attribute Dou Qi and talent for alchemy might be the key to opening the seal."

Xiao Feng's pupils shrank, and the system notification sounded almost simultaneously:

Warning! Dou Emperor bloodline energy fluctuation detected. A Soul Hall transmigrator is moving toward the Xiao family ancestral grounds!

"Father, where are the ancestral grounds?" He asked urgently, and the elemental analyzer in his palm suddenly emitted an alarm—high-concentration Soul Hall energy was approaching.

Just as Xiao Zhan was about to speak, the roof of the alchemy room exploded! A black shadow swooped down like a vicious bird, the Blood Soul Hall tattoo on his black robe looking hideous and terrifying. Xiao Feng's pupils reflected the Soul Hall secret technique in the intruder's palm, but at the critical moment, he saw a smartwatch peeking out from the man's sleeve—it was one of Hun Dan's subordinates!

"Hand over the relics of Xiao Xuan!" The black-robed man roared, and soul-devouring insects surged out like black mist. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Feng used the wind pressure of the Heavenly Demon Wings to sweep Xiao Zhan into a safe zone, simultaneously channeling the "Burning Heaven Purple Flame," though he deliberately used only Dou Ling-level power.

"Is that all you've got?" The black-robed man sneered, his fingertips condensing the Soul Hall's signature "Soul Hand Seal." Xiao Feng pretended to be overwhelmed, retreating step by step, but as he backed up to the alchemy furnace, he suddenly smashed the elemental analyzer into the man's face.

"What the hell is this?" The black-robed man retreated in shock, the metal instrument leaving a bloody gash on his face. Xiao Feng seized the opportunity to throw an improved "Explosive Flame Pill"—a special pill mixed with potassium nitrate that detonated in mid-air, turning the training grounds a brilliant red with firelight.

When the smoke cleared, the black-robed man had vanished without a trace, leaving only a fragment of a blood-stained smartwatch on the ground. Xiao Feng picked up the fragment, and the name "Hun Dan" was vaguely visible on the screen. The system notification rang:

Ding! Seized transmigrator technological item, triggered Devour System, obtained "Quantum Acceleration Talisman" ×1.

Xiao Zhan hurried forward to check if he was injured: "Are you alright? This person's aura... it felt like a branch of the Soul Hall."

Xiao Feng nodded, his gaze falling on the ancestral ground marker on the parchment—the Star Fall Mountain Range. Wasn't that where Xiao Yan obtained the Fallen Heart Flame in the original story? Could it be that Xiao Xuan had calculated long ago that his descendants would form a bond with Heavenly Flames?

"Father, I want to go to the ancestral grounds and see," he said, gripping the parchment tightly. "Perhaps I can find a way to revitalize the Xiao family."

Xiao Zhan gazed at his son, suddenly remembering thirty years ago, when Xiao Xuan had that same look before attempting to break through to Dou Emperor—firm as iron, burning with an undying fighting spirit. He patted Xiao Feng's shoulder heavily: "We depart tomorrow. I will go with you."

Late at night, Xiao Feng stood at the door of the alchemy room, looking at the light in Xiao Yan's room. On the system panel, the "Gift Return" function flickered again. He took out a smartphone redeemed from the Plane Store and tossed it over the wall.

Ding! Host gifted a smartphone, triggered billion-fold return, obtained "Space-Time Locator" ×1.

"Little Yanzi, the road ahead... might be very rough," he whispered, his fingertips brushing over the Dou Saint Experience Card in his system space. "But Third Brother will clear the obstacles for you and let the Xiao family stand once again at the peak of the Dou Qi Continent."

In the distance, a bolt of purple lightning flashed in the direction of the Star Fall Mountain Range. Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes; that was the system fluctuation of Hun Dan—it seemed the villain couldn't sit still either. He raised his hand to recall the "Burning Heaven Purple Flame," the purple flames condensing into a vortex in his palm, reflecting a burning fighting spirit in his eyes:

"Hun Dan, you think you can win easily by relying on knowledge of the original story and a system? Unfortunately, you've encountered a transmigrator armed with modern technology. In this duel across time and space, my Xiao family will surely prevail."