That's Not How It's Done

The Alchemy Competition in the Tianlan Sea Region.

Qin Ran silently analyzed the situation. If Mr. Zhai's alchemy skills represented the high-level standard of the Tianlan Sea Region, then securing first place in the competition shouldn’t be too difficult for him. After all, Mr. Zhai, the personal alchemist of the Dragon Whale Island’s master, was only a fourth-grade alchemist, whereas Qin Ran could refine sixth-grade pills without issue.

However, an alchemy competition might not solely focus on pill refinement…

“An alchemy competition for the entire Tianlan Sea Region?” He eyed Pang Xuan’s narrowed gaze and probed indirectly, “Are the rewards that generous? Worth organizing a risky participation?”

“That’s not for you to consider…” Pang Xuan caught his drift and warned, “What you should be thinking about is how to win the competition.”

“Understood!” Qin Ran quickly nodded and replied, “I’ll secure victory. But you’ll need to clarify what exactly the competition entails so I can prepare in advance.”

“The event is hosted by the Hailang Sect, a traditional grand occasion in the Tianlan Sea Region held once every sixty years,” Pang Xuan explained carefully.

“The festivities last anywhere from half a month to a full month, but the actual competition spans only four days. Four days, four rounds—or rather, four assessments:

“On the first day, competitors are tested on their knowledge of medicinal herbs, as familiarity with spiritual plants is fundamental for any alchemist. The second day evaluates an alchemist’s control over their pill-water and pill-fire, another basic skill. On the third day, the Hailang Sect typically assigns a specific pill to refine, assessing the alchemist’s practical ability. The fourth day requires participants to independently concoct a batch of pills.

“Each day’s performance is scored by high-grade alchemists serving as judges. The cumulative score over the four days determines the final ranking.”

“Sounds like a standard competition…” Qin Ran sighed in relief. “If that’s all, I shouldn’t have any problems. I just need some reference books on medicinal herbs from you to brush up on my knowledge.”

“Hahaha…” Pang Xuan laughed heartily at Qin Ran’s confidence. “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Of course, I’ll have the books delivered immediately.”

Pang Xuan had recruited Qin Ran into the “Fate” organization precisely for this competition. His visit today was solely to relay this task.

Once the matter was settled, he didn’t linger and soon took his leave.

Not long after Pang Xuan departed, someone delivered a stack of herbology books to Qin Ran—impressively efficient.

The study of alchemical ingredients was a vast and profound discipline. Even the most skilled alchemists began by memorizing herbs.

Zhang Junyi, after over a year of training, was still memorizing plants. Li Shiyin had once stumbled at this very first step when learning alchemy.

Qin Ran’s foundation was naturally solid—his grasp of spiritual herbs was thorough. However, his expertise was largely limited to the Lingnan Region’s flora. Though he had studied extensively in the sealed space of the Divine Hua Demonic Ancestor, his knowledge of the Tianlan Sea Region’s basic herbs was still lacking. He needed to systematically relearn from scratch.

Now safely embedded within the “Fate” organization and with no intention of stirring trouble, he wasn’t in any hurry.

The one who needed to act was his true self—let that version of him worry. What did it have to do with this clone?

He settled comfortably into his undersea chamber, spending his days reading, gazing at the ocean, counting fish, and occasionally meditating. It was as if he had entered seclusion, preparing for the competition five years later.

For over ten days, he lived this leisurely life. To someone like him, who was essentially a homebody, reading in an undersea room was no different from reading in the Alchemy Peak.

But as the saying goes, while the tree may desire stillness, the wind refuses to cease. Though he wished to focus on his studies, someone wasn’t content to let him relax.

Who?

The old man—the Chief Alchemist.

Why? Why would the Chief Alchemist trouble him?

Consider this: What was the Chief Alchemist’s role?

The Chief Alchemist of Demon Island oversaw all alchemists within the base. Their lives, their work, their methods—everything related to alchemy fell under his jurisdiction.

And what was the role of a specially appointed alchemist?

To provide technical guidance in pill refinement.

Before the specially appointed alchemist existed, who handled technical guidance?

The Chief Alchemist.

In other words, Qin Ran had encroached on the old man’s authority.

Moreover, the sudden appearance of a specially appointed alchemist sent a clear message: the Chief Alchemist wasn’t competent enough.

The very existence of this position was a slap to the Chief Alchemist’s face!

One day, as Qin Ran brewed tea in his room—

BANG BANG BANG!

Someone rudely hammered on his door.

Activating the identity token with his spiritual sense, he made the stone door transparent through its embedded formation. Outside stood the Chief Alchemist, accompanied by a petite, delicate young woman. Though the old man’s demeanor was hostile, Qin Ran remembered his assistance during the altar incident. With a thought, he opened the door.

He plastered on a smile and asked, “Chief, what brings you here?”

The old man glanced at Qin Ran, then back at the magically opened door. “You’ve got some talent, figuring out the identity token so quickly.”

The “Fate” organization’s identity tokens were far more advanced than those of the Dao Sword Sect. Not only could they link to the base’s teleportation formations, allowing seamless movement between the alchemy and living quarters, but they also granted control over every aspect of one’s room.

“Heh.” Qin Ran chuckled. “I’ve had nothing to do these days but study the token.”

He gestured for them to sit. “I was just brewing tea. Perfect timing—care for a cup?”

The Chief Alchemist clearly hadn’t come for idle chatter. Remaining by the door, he motioned to the girl behind him. “This is Tan Yan, a third-grade alchemist. She encountered a minor issue during pill refinement and has come to seek the specially appointed alchemist’s assistance.”

“Third-grade alchemist… Tan Yan…” Qin Ran studied the delicate girl and smiled. “Alchemy is meticulous work—no need to rush. Come, sit. We’ll discuss it over tea.”

“You’re certainly unhurried,” the old man sneered. “But if she fails to refine the pill, she’ll face punishment.”

“Oh?” Qin Ran shot the Chief a look—What’s that to me?—but asked Tan Yan politely, “What pill are you refining?”

“Cloud Spirit Vein Pill,” the girl replied softly.

“Ah… the Cloud Spirit Vein Pill.” Qin Ran nodded, though he didn’t recognize it. “Do you have the recipe?”

“Yes—”

Before Tan Yan could finish, the Chief cut in, “This pill was assigned by the Holy Maiden. There is no recipe!”

The Holy Maiden? Qin Ran’s mind flashed to those eyes.

"No pill formula?" He looked at the old man. "How do you refine it without a formula?"

"By relying on the Holy Maiden's verbal instructions about the medicinal ingredients and the pill's effects," the old man replied.

Qin Ran took out paper and a brush, gesturing to Tan Yan. "What did the Holy Maiden say? What are the ingredients, and what are the requirements?"

Again, the old man interrupted. "The Holy Maiden's decree is not to be carelessly shared with outsiders! What are you scheming, trying to pry into her affairs?"

"Hmm…" Qin Ran tapped the brush against the paper, then asked Tan Yan, "Miss Tan, did you keep any records of your refining attempts?"

"What?" Tan Yan was confused. What refining records? What was he talking about?

"You're having trouble refining this pill," Qin Ran continued. "Have you already attempted it?"

Tan Yan glanced at the old man, who hesitated but didn't deny it. If they hadn’t tried refining it, Qin Ran would have told them to come back after attempting it. Besides, how could they claim there was a problem if they hadn’t even tried?

"Yes," Tan Yan nodded.

"Show me the failed pills," Qin Ran held out his hand.

"Why do you want the failed ones? These are pills for the Holy Maiden—confidential sect matters!" The old man still refused.

Qin Ran looked past the old man at Tan Yan and smiled. "Pill formula, the Holy Maiden’s decree, or the failed pills—if you want my help, you must give me at least one. If you have none, then you may leave. I can’t help you."

"Aren’t you the specially appointed alchemist? Can’t even handle something this simple?" The old man sneered. "What use are you?"

"And aren’t you the chief alchemist?" Qin Ran shot back. "Can you solve it?"

If the old man could solve it, he wouldn’t be here trying to make things difficult for Qin Ran.

"If you want my help, bring out the pill formula or the failed pills," Qin Ran said. "If not, please leave. I’m busy."

He gestured with his identity token, ready to forcibly eject them.

"You—!" The old man hadn’t expected Qin Ran to be so blunt. He pointed at him, speechless.

It was Tan Yan who finally acted. Since she would be the one punished if the pill wasn’t refined, she glanced at the old man, then took out a pill formula and a porcelain bottle. She stepped past the old man and approached Qin Ran.

"The formula isn’t the problem, and the pill isn’t either. The issue is, the Holy Maiden suddenly demanded Golden Cloud Vein Pills. I can only refine white Cloud Vein Pills, not golden ones."

Qin Ran accepted the formula and the pill, placing them on the table beside him. He poured Tan Yan a cup of tea before carefully examining the formula.

He studied it meticulously, analyzing and deducing as he read. He took so long that Tan Yan finished her tea before he was done.

After refilling her cup, he finally finished reading.

Next, he poured out one of the pills. It had a sky-blue base with snow-white cloud-like veins—quite beautiful.

He sniffed it, and the scent alone made his head spin from the intense stimulation. "For the Holy Maiden’s cultivation?" he asked.

Tan Yan stiffened, then quickly shook her head. "I don’t know."

Her reaction betrayed her—she knew. The pill was meant to aid the Holy Maiden’s cultivation, likely by stimulating life force for some kind of charm-based technique.

Qin Ran understood pills and had some knowledge of cultivation techniques. He could roughly deduce its purpose.

Thinking of those mesmerizing eyes, he sighed inwardly. To Tan Yan, he only said, "Your refining method isn’t wrong. The issue is the purity of the extracted medicinal essence. Golden veins are simply the highest-grade Cloud Vein Pills. Yours are only mid-grade."

"You figured that out just by looking at the formula?" The old man scoffed.

"True or not, why not refine a batch of the highest-grade Cloud Vein Pills and see?" Qin Ran replied.

"Highest-grade…" The old man laughed mockingly. "As expected of a small-islander who stumbled upon some lucky opportunity. Talking about casually refining highest-grade pills—do you even hear yourself?"

"What rank are Cloud Vein Pills?" Qin Ran asked Tan Yan.

"Fourth-rank."

"Fourth-rank pills—what’s so hard about refining the highest grade?" Qin Ran was puzzled.

Tan Yan opened her mouth but weakly said, "We really can’t."

"We can’t, but the specially appointed alchemist seems to think it’s easy," the old man said with a smirk. "Why don’t you refine a batch for us to see?"

Qin Ran looked at Tan Yan, then at the old man, and suddenly understood. They weren’t ignorant about refining Golden Cloud Vein Pills—they just couldn’t do it. They wanted him to take the blame.

They were setting him up!

But he only smiled and shook his head. This was the perfect opportunity to establish his authority. "Why not refine a batch?" he said.

The old man’s laughter died abruptly. He thought he’d misheard. "What did you say?"

He hadn’t expected Qin Ran to agree so readily.

Qin Ran sipped his tea calmly. "This pill might be difficult for you…"

He set down the cup and stood gracefully. "But for me, it’s nothing."

"Let’s go," he said to Tan Yan. "Take me to your refining area."

Things were going too smoothly. Tan Yan hesitated. "Really?"

Qin Ran nodded with a smile.

Tan Yan quickly took out her identity token and led Qin Ran and the old man into the refining area below.

The three entered Tan Yan’s refining chamber. After inspecting the spiritual herbs and equipment, Qin Ran turned to the old man by the door. "Chief, please close the door."

"Should I leave?" Tan Yan asked.

"Up to you," Qin Ran replied. "It’s not some critical pill."

Tan Yan hesitated but stayed.

Once the door was shut, Qin Ran began refining.

He worked effortlessly, explaining each step to Tan Yan as he went.

The old man watched from the side, sneering inwardly. He still didn’t believe Qin Ran could refine a highest-grade Golden Cloud Vein Pill.

Highest-grade…

Perfection in anything was difficult.

Even eating—to eat at the highest level was no small feat.

Even first-rank pills required considerable skill to refine at the highest grade.

Let alone fourth-rank?

The old man was content to wait for Qin Ran’s failure.

But gradually, he began to feel uneasy.

The way Qin Ran refined with such ease, his clear and insightful explanations to Tan Yan—something felt off.

This guy… really seemed to know what he was doing.

As time passed, Qin Ran used his Divine Brilliance Immortal Condensation technique, enveloping all the herbs to extract their essence.

The old man’s eyes widened. "So that’s Divine Brilliance Immortal Condensation!" This kid had inherited the legacy of the Divine Brilliance Demon!

Once the extraction was complete, Qin Ran began merging the essences. The old man watched as the liquid, now an extremely pure golden hue, took shape. His expression grew increasingly strained.

After the fusion, Qin Ran effortlessly withdrew the Divine Brilliance Immortal Condensation, revealing seven radiant golden Cloud Vein Pills in his palm.

"Highest-grade Cloud Vein Pills!" Tan Yan gasped.

The old man stared at the pills, then at Qin Ran, and finally understood—they were not on the same level.

Someone like him… would never remain in a small place like Demon Island or the Tianlan Sea Region.

"Just what tier of alchemist are you?" he asked Qin Ran.

Qin Ran clenched his hand, gathering the pills within his grasp, then picked up a porcelain vial with his other hand and dropped the pills into it one by one.

He grinned at the old man and said, "Celestial-tier."

The old man was stunned, his mouth hanging open. He wanted to refuse belief, but the sight of those golden pills, one after another, muddled his thoughts.

Without a second glance, Qin Ran tossed the vial to Tan Yan and strode out of the alchemy chamber, as if brushing off his sleeves after a deed well done.

Tan Yan held the pills in his hand, staring at Qin Ran’s retreating figure, utterly baffled. "Are supreme-grade pills really this easy to make?"