Qin Ran's Purpose

The room was quite luxurious, complete with a living area, bedroom, and bathroom—everything one could need, and spacious at that, no different from a grand chamber on the surface. This made it clear that within the "Fate" organization, when one's status was high enough, the treatment matched accordingly.

Qin Ran wandered through each room before finally returning to the living area. He walked to the window and gazed outside.

The living room window was large, offering a breathtaking view of the underwater scenery. The seawater was pristine and clear, a vivid azure, teeming with marine life swimming about. From inside the room, the sight was crystal clear.

For those without thalassophobia, the view was truly magnificent, almost therapeutic. Living in such a place was nothing short of a delight.

Occasionally, nameless little fish would swim up to the window. Blocked by the array restrictions on the glass, they couldn’t enter, so they would wag their tails and swim off in another direction.

Of course, it was precisely these restrictions that kept the seawater at bay, preventing the room from being flooded.

"Living here is actually quite nice," Qin Ran mused aloud.

His eyes followed a school of fish as they drifted away, mesmerized by the way the underwater creatures shifted and swirled into various formations.

Just then, the stone door of his room was suddenly knocked. Snapping out of his reverie, he went to answer it and found the old man from across the hall standing there—the chief alchemist of the "Fate" organization in this place.

The old man was no longer displaying his withered, bark-like muscles. Instead, he was dressed impeccably, his hair tied up in a topknot and crowned, clad in a black brocade robe embroidered with golden threads at the hem, exuding an air of noble elegance.

The robe made Qin Ran look twice, though he refrained from scanning it with his divine sense. Still, he suspected it might be a magical artifact.

"Chief, please come in…" He ushered the old man inside.

The old man strode to the main seat in the living room and sat down, his demeanor lofty as he scrutinized Qin Ran. "What should I call you, young friend?"

"My name is Li Feiyu," Qin Ran replied with a smile, taking a lower seat.

"Little Yu, eh?" The old man nodded and continued, "Where are you from? Which sect or school did you study under? What kind of alchemy do you practice? Which classics have you mastered?"

"I was born on a small island called Penglai. I doubt the Chief has heard of it. As for alchemy, I’ve never formally studied under any master." For some reason, Qin Ran adopted an unusually humble tone, a far cry from his bold haggling with Pang Xuan. "My knowledge of pills comes purely from luck—I stumbled upon the legacy of the Divine Essence Old Demon and absorbed the Divine Essence Condensation."

"Divine Essence Condensation?" The old man’s expression flickered with surprise, but it was quickly replaced by even greater disdain. "So you’re just a poor brat who tripped over an earth-shattering opportunity. And here I thought you actually had some skill to warrant being a specially appointed alchemist here."

"Not at all. I didn’t even understand alchemy before this," Qin Ran chuckled sheepishly before asking, "Might I ask, Chief, what exactly does a specially appointed alchemist do?"

"Specially appointed alchemist?" The old man sneered and stood up. "It means you must know how to refine pills that others can, and also those they can’t. When other alchemists come to you for help, you can’t say you don’t know. You aren’t assigned specific pills to refine, but any pill no one else can handle falls to you. That’s what ‘specially appointed’ means."

"Ah…" Qin Ran understood. "So, a technical consultant!"

He pressed further, "Then where do I go to refine pills? Where’s the alchemy chamber?"

The old man pointed downward. "Below."

"Below? How do I get there?"

"With an identity token."

"But I don’t have one."

"The tokens are issued by the Holy Maiden. When she comes again, she’ll give you yours."

"Holy Maiden?" The image of those mesmerizing, soul-stirring eyes flashed through Qin Ran’s mind. "When will she come?"

"No idea," the old man replied with a shake of his head.

Qin Ran pondered for a moment before asking, "What do the alchemists here do when they’re not refining pills?"

The old man saw right through him and let out an odd laugh. "You’ve only just arrived, and already you’re scheming to leave. Let me tell you—you’re not getting out. You lucked into a legacy, but what do you really know about alchemy?

"Do you know what the alchemists here do when they’re not refining pills? They study alchemical knowledge, cultivate their strength, and prepare for the next round of refining. That’s all."

"So we’re supposed to refine pills here for the rest of our lives?" Qin Ran’s heart sank.

"What else?" The old man, having completed his introductory duty, headed for the door. "Just wait. Wait for the day they need you. Until then, you’d better work hard to improve your alchemy skills…"

He shook his head repeatedly. "I thought we’d gotten someone remarkable, but it turns out you’re just this kind of trash.

"Treasure what little time you have left."

With that, he left.

After seeing the old man out and closing the door, Qin Ran analyzed the information he’d gathered:

"Surviving in this ‘Fate’ organization isn’t too hard—just refine pills, and you’ll live. Aside from immortal pills, I should be able to refine anything as long as I have the recipe. For other alchemists, this would be hell mode, but for me, it’s easy mode.

"But survival isn’t my main goal. I need to understand the inner workings of the ‘Fate’ organization—how they operate, how they refine and sell pills, how they kidnap and brainwash alchemists. Most importantly, the strength of this branch…

"An organization like this—different branches may vary in power, but their structure won’t differ much. Once I figure this place out, my main self in the Land of Immortal Legacy won’t be fumbling in the dark when dealing with their branch there."

As he mulled it over, he moved a chair to the living room window, sat down, and pulled out a book from his storage ring, reading while admiring the beautiful underwater scenery.

After finishing the book, he closed his eyes and visualized the "Raging Tides Visualization Diagram" to strengthen his soul and improve his control over his body.

He hadn’t fully mastered the Divine Essence Condensation yet—otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost control before. By enhancing his soul power and mental state, his mastery over the Divine Essence Condensation would grow, and so would his strength.

Twice, the underwater world outside darkened. By the third time, his door was knocked again, and the chief alchemist’s voice rang out: "The Holy Maiden has arrived. Proceed to the altar at once for worship."

"Holy Maiden?" Qin Ran opened his eyes, stowed the book back into his ring, and rose to open the door. "Does this mean I’ll get my identity token?"

"Perhaps," the old man replied noncommittally, leading the way toward the altar.

Qin Ran followed him, and as they walked, he noticed other doors along the corridor opening, people emerging and joining the procession. Soon, the group had swelled considerably.

When they reached the previously spacious altar, Qin Ran saw that it was now packed. Not all were alchemists—some were bare-chested, their muscles solid, clearly blacksmiths.

But whether alchemists or blacksmiths, they all shared the same fervor, their eyes burning with fanaticism as they stared at the altar, like starstruck fans gazing at their idol.

Qin Ran's gaze followed the direction toward the altar, where a woman stood with her back turned to him, draped in black gauze. Even from just her silhouette, she exuded an irresistible allure, making his heart skip a beat erratically.

"Something's not right..." He knew full well that he wasn't a lustful man, yet every time he saw this woman—whether it was her eyes the last time or her back now—he couldn't control his own emotions. "There's definitely something off about her!"