What upgrade did it want now?
Chen Mu had every reason to suspect that this system simply had a little hobby: constantly pushing past its own limits and using him as an excuse.
This was getting far too frequent!
[System upgrade attempt 6 failed!] [System upgrade attempt 15 failed!] [System upgrade attempt 21: data acquired successfully! Upgrading...] [Upgrade successful! One-click alchemy module bound! New feature unlocked: One-Click Alchemy!]
One-Click Alchemy?
Even pill refining could be done with one click?
Chen Mu knew just how demanding pill refining was for an alchemist. Temperature control alone could ruin a batch with the slightest mistake.
At best, the pills would crack or turn to charcoal. At worst, the furnace would explode.
A furnace explosion was the most terrifying outcome. The enormous amount of spiritual energy accumulated inside would burst out in an instant, no different from a bomb.
And far more powerful!
Most of the time, that pressure far exceeded what an alchemist could withstand.
Destroyed buildings and lost lives were hardly uncommon.
Thus, before fully mastering pill refining, many alchemists chose to wear protective magical treasures.
They feared losing their lives before they could even finish a pill.
Chen Mu asked inwardly, System, how exactly does this One-Click Alchemy work?
The system replied:
[Host, simply prepare the corresponding ingredients according to the catalog and click One-Click Alchemy to refine them instantly!] [This system has also thoughtfully prepared quality options for the host. You may freely choose low-grade, Middle-Grade, high-grade, top-grade, or Pill Veins!]
Even the quality could be freely controlled?
At first, Chen Mu had thought it merely guaranteed successful pill formation with a single click, skipping the entire process.
"Mu, what do you think?"
Hearing her, Chen Mu came back to his senses.
He looked at his sister-in-law Sun Yu's expectant gaze, knowing she meant well.
But he still had no desire to waste his brainpower and energy memorizing tens of thousands of pill formulas and herb combinations.
Nor did he want to shut himself inside a scorching Alchemy Room in the blazing summer heat.
Just thinking about it made the drums of retreat pound furiously in his heart.
"To be honest, Sister-in-law, I have a few insights of my own into pill refining," Chen Mu said after a moment's thought.
He had figured out a very simple principle.
If his mastery of a field reached its pinnacle and surpassed the other person's, that would be the best way to turn them down.
"Oh! You know how to refine pills?" Sun Yu and Chen Xiao looked excited.
They mistakenly assumed that Chen Mu was interested in alchemy and intended to accept their suggestion.
"I don't have..."
Chen Mu had been about to say that he had neither an alchemy furnace nor herbs.
He wanted to ask whether Sun Yu or Chen Xiao had any he could borrow.
Yet before he could finish, the system's voice rang out in his mind again.
[Signing in...] [Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host! You have received a gift pack of one hundred thousand top-grade herbs!] [Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host! You have received the Divine-Rank Alchemy Furnace, the Primordial Medicine King Cauldron!]
What else could he say?
All he could say was that this system really knew how to behave and read the room.
"Nothing." Chen Mu shook his head and swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Then, with a thunderous bang, he produced the Primordial Medicine King Cauldron out of thin air and set it on the bluestone floor.
"..." He lifted his gaze.
This alchemy furnace was much larger than Chen Mu had imagined.
It stood twice his height!
Sure enough, in a fantasy world, bigger was always better!
"Th-this is?!"
The instant Chen Xiao saw the Primordial Medicine King Cauldron, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
Even Sun Yu, whose family owned countless top-tier alchemy furnaces, looked shocked and astonished.
"A Divine-Rank Alchemy Furnace! The Primordial Medicine King Cauldron!"
"Divine rank? The Primordial Medicine King Cauldron?" Hearing those words from his wife, Chen Xiao grew curious about the furnace's origins.
"That's right. According to legend, this Medicine King Cauldron is one of the twelve Divine Cauldrons forged by the Alchemy Ancestor. I always thought it was only a legend. I never imagined it actually existed!" Sun Yu said, looking honored to witness it.
"A legendary Divine Cauldron! No wonder its name never appeared in the alchemy furnace rankings." Understanding dawned on Chen Xiao.
He was even more astonished and puzzled over where Chen Mu had obtained such a Divine Cauldron.
No matter how vast the Tianyuan Holy Land's resources were, acquiring a Divine Cauldron like this would still be no easy feat.
Next, Chen Mu raised both arms, spiritual energy spilling out.
Then the spiritual energy changed color, becoming flames that coiled around his arms.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like two pythons, they surged toward the alchemy furnace!
They spiraled up the entire Medicine King Cauldron, covering it completely.
"Is this the flame released by a Heaven-Rank Supreme Fire Spiritual Root? It would rank in at least the top ten on the alchemy flame rankings!" Chen Xiao exclaimed.
"Yes, it rivals the Phoenix Fire our Sun Family uses!" Sun Yu agreed.
With a Divine Cauldron and divine fire, wouldn't forging divine pills be child's play?
But Chen Xiao and Sun Yu were worried about whether Chen Mu could control this primordial Divine Cauldron.
A Divine Cauldron used by the Alchemy Ancestor was bound to have developed sentience. How could taming it be easy?
They feared Chen Mu would suffer a backlash from its spiritual energy.
They turned, exchanged a glance, and nodded.
They were ready to act at any moment and shield Chen Mu from anything!
Chen Mu did not give it much thought. Following the catalog provided by the system, he browsed for a pill to refine with one click.
How long was this catalog?
It included every pill in all of Great Cang!
In other words, every pill created since the birth of alchemy in Great Cang up to the present, including all known, lost, and hidden formulas, could be refined by Chen Mu with a single click!
Many of those formulas alone could serve as the foundation of an alchemy clan!
In the end, Chen Mu chose a ninth-grade pill called the Beauty-Preserving Pill.
The system replied:
[The corresponding herbs have been quickly selected for the host!]
Well done!
It was only natural for Chen Mu to praise the system. After all, finding a dozen or so herbs among a hundred thousand would take quite some time.
The system replied:
[Thank you for the praise, host. Hehe~]
After that.
Chen Mu took the dozen or so medicinal herbs out of his system inventory and placed them into the Medicine King Cauldron one after another.
The Medicine King Cauldron was merely a cover.
It made One-Click Alchemy seem a little more reasonable.
Refining pills out of thin air?
Chen Mu worried that it would frighten Sun Yu and Chen Xiao and shatter their understanding as alchemy prodigies.
If their Dao hearts were destroyed, rebuilding them would be far harder than gathering up spilled water.
"Wait! That's top-grade Jade Glory Herb! Top-grade Mint Lotus! Top-grade Fire Hemp Seed! Top-grade Sea Breeze Vine..." Chen Xiao identified them one by one.
"They're all high-quality alchemy ingredients that are rarely seen!" Sun Yu likewise marveled.
Their hearts rose even higher into their throats.
A primordial Divine Cauldron, Heaven Rank supreme flames, and the finest top-grade herbs...
This...
Even if they took over themselves, they would not dare guarantee that they could keep everything under control and successfully form the pill.
And Chen Mu was a newcomer who had only just entered the world of alchemy.
His chances of forming the pill?
Judging by Chen Xiao and Sun Yu's personal experience, less than 0.001%!
Yet they could not bear to speak up and damage Chen Mu's confidence.
Spiritual energy had already begun swirling around the hands they held behind their backs.
Both were ready to act at any moment to suppress the rampaging alchemy furnace!
Before you continue