Alchemy / The Disassembly Cannon and the Prototype Sealed Milk Bottle

"I'll wait for you here."

"Fine, whatever you want."

Bai Chen shrugged and turned back to resume forging.

The enhancement of the metal and the Blood Sacrifice had already been completed. All that remained was shaping it.

For a blacksmith like him, this was the simplest step, but also the most time-consuming.

Second by second, time passed. Before he knew it, the sky outside the window had darkened.

Xuan Ziwen had already returned to his room, while Ning Tian and Jing Ziyan had left early. Only Bai Chen and Ji Juechen remained in the vast laboratory.

Finally, as the last hammer fell, Bai Chen put away his forging hammer and spoke to Ji Juechen, who was still seated in the corner.

"It's done, Brother Ji. Your sword."

"..."

Ji Juechen silently rose to his feet, walked over to Bai Chen, and accepted the dark sword.

It was truly strange. This was clearly his first time touching this sword, yet the sense of familiarity it gave him surpassed even that of the broken one, as though he had wielded it for decades.

Ji Juechen suddenly bent at the waist toward Bai Chen.

"Thank you. If you ever need my help in the future, I will give it everything I have."

"Alright, I'll remember that."

Bai Chen did not refuse. Just from the look in Ji Juechen's eyes, he knew that declining would be useless.

The Sword Maniac was the type to stubbornly cling to his convictions. Since he had already made up his mind, Bai Chen could not change it.

This meant he had taken another step forward.

Alchemy

Before he knew it, Bai Chen had already spent a month at the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

That day, he and Ning Tian received a package from the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect.

When they opened it, they found several jade bottles and jade boxes filled with medicinal herbs and pills, along with instructions on how to consume them.

As a sect famous for its wealth, the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect naturally would not be stingy with resources for its young sect mistress.

As Ning Tian's guard, Bai Chen's treatment should have been somewhat inferior to hers. However, after Ning Jingchen explained the situation to the council of elders, they unanimously decided to increase their investment in Bai Chen's resources, raising his treatment to Ning Tian's level—the highest standard currently offered by the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect.

Upon receiving the herbs, Ning Tian was overjoyed.

She had just broken through to Level Nine a few days ago. With the medicinal effects of these herbs, she could make a single push to Level Ten and obtain her first Soul Ring.

Once she had her first Soul Skill, she would no longer be helplessly standing behind Bai Chen and watching. The percentage-based enhancement of the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda would provide Bai Chen with tremendous support.

However, Bai Chen stopped her and did not allow her to immediately take the medicine according to the instructions.

He went to find Xuan Ziwen.

"Teacher Xuan, can you make a small alchemy furnace?"

"Hm?"

Hearing this request, Xuan Ziwen raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I can, but what do you need it for?"

Bai Chen answered without hesitation.

"To refine pills. What else would an alchemy furnace be used for besides refining pills?"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Xuan Ziwen rubbed his brow with a headache.

"What I mean is, you brat, you know how to refine pills too?"

"Mm, yeah."

While researching how to detoxify poison, Bai Chen had also studied the techniques of pill refinement.

Besides technology, the Tang Sect was most renowned for its pharmacology. Naturally, its attainments in alchemy were not lacking.

At least in Bai Chen's eyes, the consumption methods proposed by the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect were far too primitive and inefficient. They would waste a great deal of energy, and as the one consuming the medicine, he certainly could not truly allow such waste.

Seeing Bai Chen's indifferent expression, Xuan Ziwen could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

After Soul Master abilities, forging techniques, and Soul Engineer talent, now there was alchemy too?

Wonderful. Just wonderful...

Ever since coming into contact with Bai Chen, he felt that he had suffered no shortage of blows.

With a dark expression, Xuan Ziwen held out his hand toward Bai Chen.

Bai Chen blinked in confusion.

"Uh, Teacher Xuan, what is it?"

Xuan Ziwen said irritably,

"What do you mean, what is it? An alchemy furnace is a top-tier Level-Seven Soul Guide Device. I can make it for you, but where's my payment?"

"Hmm..." Bai Chen pondered for a moment. "How about ten pieces of First-Grade Thousand Forging metal?"

"Deal!"

Xuan Ziwen immediately agreed.

First-Grade Thousand Forging metal was the strongest material he had encountered so far. With those materials, he could even create works approaching the level of a Level-Nine Soul Guide Device.

During this period, he had made quite a few transactions with Bai Chen. A single piece of First-Grade Thousand Forging metal was valued at over one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Ten pieces meant one million Gold Soul Coins, which greatly exceeded the price of a Level-Seven alchemy furnace.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Xuan Ziwen happily got to work.

Less than three days later, he delivered the finished product.

Thus, a small crimson-gold alchemy furnace appeared in Bai Chen and Ning Tian's laboratory.

After briefly familiarizing himself with the alchemy furnace's various properties, Bai Chen began refining pills.

Relying on pharmacological knowledge far beyond this era, Bai Chen completed the pill refinement in less than two days.

During the process, he could not help but sigh. The resources of this era truly were far more abundant than those ten thousand years later.

In the Douluo III Era, he had investigated the heavenly treasures provided by the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect. In that era, nearly all of them were treasures among treasures, and some were even worth over one hundred million Federation Coins.

Just this single resource shipment would cost more than three hundred million Federation Coins to purchase in the Douluo III Era.

The gap was simply terrifying. Bai Chen suspected that he and Ning Tian might consume resources worth tens of billions of Federation Coins during their years in the Sun-Moon Empire.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt fortunate.

Perhaps having the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Martial Soul awaken in the Douluo II Era was not a bad thing.

Of the three eras, this one had the most abundant resources. Although the total quantity of resources could not compare with the Douluo I Era, humanity's efficiency in extracting them was far higher than in the Douluo I Era.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Martial Soul would definitely follow a body-tempering path, and body tempering inevitably required resources such as heavenly treasures.

Obtaining these resources in the other two eras would require paying an enormous price. Only in the Douluo II Era was the cost at its lowest.

As for the efficiency of medicinal utilization, he had already completely addressed that weakness through the Medicine Canon.

Only by combining the resource advantage of the Douluo II Era with the technological advantage of the Douluo III Era could the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Martial Soul be cultivated in the best possible way.

"Whew, done."

Before the alchemy furnace, Bai Chen wiped away his sweat and handed the refined pill to Ning Tian.

"Here, this is yours."

"Mm..."

Ning Tian accepted the brilliant golden pill, glanced at Bai Chen, swallowed it in one gulp, then sat down where she was and began absorbing it.

Throughout this time, Bai Chen watched her from the side. Only after confirming that she had finished absorbing the pill did he swallow his own portion and begin absorbing it.

The heavenly treasures Bai Chen received differed from Ning Tian's. The Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect also knew that his physique was much stronger than hers, so the medicinal effects of the treasures prepared for him were far more intense.

However intense they were, the medicinal power could hardly cause Bai Chen much of an impact. Before the strength of his Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, it only stirred for a short while at the beginning before being forcibly absorbed by him.

When he opened his eyes again, his Soul Power Level had risen two levels in a row, reaching Level Eighteen.

That was merely a side benefit. The heavenly treasures provided by the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect this time were all meant to enhance physical strength, and the improvement to his body was even greater than the increase in Soul Power.

Bai Chen was certain that the upper limit of his strength had likely reached the level of a power-attack Soul Emperor. If he sparred with Ji Juechen again now, he would probably put up a much better fight than last time.

The only regrettable thing was that Bai Chen could not maintain such speed forever. After all, medicine carried poison in some measure. Even immortal-grade pills like the Heaven-Earth Creation Pill would truly affect one's foundation if consumed continuously without pause.

According to the letter, the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect would send the next batch of resources three months later. During that time, he needed to work hard to digest the improvements brought by these heavenly treasures.

However, compared with considering how to handle the next batch of heavenly treasures, Bai Chen had a more urgent matter to deal with now.

Ning Tian had reached Level Ten. It was time to take her hunting for her first Soul Ring.

The Prototype of the Disintegration Cannon and Sealed Milk Bottle

"Hm? You're going to hunt for a Soul Ring?"

So that day, when Jing Ziyan came by Xuan Ziwen's laboratory again, Bai Chen told everyone about the matter.

Jing Ziyan immediately raised her hand enthusiastically.

"Then I'm coming too! I've been cooped up in the academy for a while. I want to get out and have some fresh air!"

Ji Juechen crossed his arms over his chest and said succinctly,

"Take me."

"Hold it."

Seeing the two of them eagerly wanting to drag Bai Chen out immediately, Xuan Ziwen hurriedly stopped them and said helplessly,

"Do you even know where you should go to hunt Soul Beasts, rushing off in such a hurry?"

Jing Ziyan waved her hand dismissively.

"What are you talking about, Senior? It's not like I've never gone hunting Soul Beasts with teachers before. Of course I know the Soul Beast gathering areas near Mingdu."

"That's why you're an idiot."

Xuan Ziwen pushed up his glasses and said irritably,

"Different Soul Masters require different types of Soul Rings. Soul Engineers do not need to be too particular about it, but they are Soul Masters from the Douluo Original Three Kingdoms. Do you think they can just absorb any Soul Ring they want?"

Only after he said that did Jing Ziyan realize her mistake. She asked blankly,

"Uh... then, Senior, what should we do?"

"Wait for me a moment."

Xuan Ziwen quickly left the laboratory. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with a map.

"Here, this is an internal map of our academy. It marks the Soul Beasts found in different Soul Beast gathering areas. Use the information marked here to decide where to hunt."

"Mm..."

Bai Chen gave Xuan Ziwen an admiring look.

He truly had not chosen the wrong person. Xuan Ziwen was far more reliable than those two.

Though he was only two years older than Jing Ziyan, judging by how they actually interacted, no one would doubt it if Xuan Ziwen were called Jing Ziyan's teacher.

He searched the map, and soon found a suitable Soul Beast gathering area.

"Qiling Mine Cave, fifty li from Mingdu. It contains a wide variety and large quantity of rare metals, suitable for mining in the upper layers. Meanwhile, the deeper layers contain groups of metal-element and gemstone-type Soul Beasts, making it suitable for Soul Masters with related attributes to hunt Soul Beasts within."

Bai Chen read the note marked on it aloud, then asked Ning Tian,

"Ning Tian, what do you think of this place?"

As far as he knew, gemstone-type Soul Beasts should be the most suitable for the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda.

Ning Tian nodded gently.

"I think it's fine."

Before coming to the academy, Ning Jingchen had also told her about the attributes and types of Soul Beasts suitable for her.

In fact, for Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda Soul Masters, hunting Soul Beasts in the Sun-Moon Empire was actually easier than in the Douluo Original Three Kingdoms.