When the two-hour basic Alchemy course ended, Zhou Chen's notebook was already filled with key points.
In the noisy classroom, he seemed to have blocked out all the noise, staring blankly at his notes. Starting from the first page, he immersively reviewed the entire lesson in his mind.
Before he knew it, everyone else had left the classroom. He was the only one left, sitting there and staring dazedly at his notebook.
Half an hour later, with a SNAP, he closed the notebook. Having organized and understood the knowledge, a confident smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, I get it now!"
·
·
BOOM!
In the lab, a violent explosive reaction erupted from the workbench. Flames shot up several meters, nearly reaching the ceiling. Amidst the piercing sound of combustion, Zhou Chen hastily grabbed a rag and started swatting at them frantically.
After finally managing to extinguish the fire, a soot-covered Zhou Chen plopped down into a chair, slumping in defeat with a dejected look on his face, sighing endlessly.
"I understood jack shit!"
"Why is Alchemy so damn hard...?"
He had previously self-studied some of the material and had just taken a basic course, so he thought he was ready for some hands-on practice. He wanted to try whipping up a Flash Bomb for fun, but he had overestimated his own ability and underestimated the difficulty of Alchemy.
There was nothing he could do; Alchemy was just too prone to exploding.
Add a little too much or too little of a material, and it explodes. The temperature is a little too high or too low, it explodes. It's heated unevenly, it explodes. The timing is too early or too late, it explodes. And sometimes, it just suddenly explodes for no reason at all...
And this was while using professional equipment in a laboratory. If he tried to craft something by hand in battle, he'd probably blow himself up before he could kill the enemy.
Zhou Chen looked at the scorched tabletop and various pieces of equipment and let out another long sigh. Thankfully, these were made of special materials specifically for beginners and weren't easily damaged; otherwise, he'd have to pay for them.
He wanted to learn Alchemy for two main reasons.
The long-term reason was that Alchemists made good money. As long as he could become a registered Alchemist, he'd be set for life. Although the future was still a long way off—and he might not even have one—it was always good to have a plan.
The short-term reason was that he needed to improve his combat abilities and master more techniques.
Without splurging on equipment, Alchemy was undoubtedly the best choice.
He didn't need to become a full-fledged Alchemist. As long as he could learn to hand-craft Flash Bombs or low-spec bombs, his combat power would skyrocket.
Before he had delved deep into the study of Alchemy, Zhou Chen had wondered how one could possibly craft things by hand. Many alchemical procedures were incredibly complex and could only be performed in a lab. Even the simplest ones required tools at the very least.
Through his studies, he learned that to perform Hand Refining Alchemy, one must have an Alchemy Matrix called a "Transformation Array" implanted deep within their Soul.
As one of the most, most, *most* commonly used Alchemy Matrices in the field of Alchemy, the Transformation Array could convert the Essence within an Ascender's body into various Elements, or extract existing Elements from the surroundings to perform Alchemy.
Of course, using a Transformation Array required an extremely fine level of control. Otherwise, one small mistake could trigger a violent alchemical reaction, resulting in an explosion.
If someone like him, who had less than amateurish skills, had a Transformation Array implanted, the first thing he'd blow up would be himself.
The Alchemy Association had strict regulations regarding this and had even established an examination: only after successfully refining "Alloy No. 3" with a "Trial Version Conversion Array"—without the aid of any high-precision instruments—could one go to a branch of the Alchemy Association to have an Official Conversion Array implanted.
The so-called "Trial Version Conversion Array" had the same effect as a real Transformation Array, but it was a one-time-use item. It only allowed a person to perform Hand Refining Alchemy once. Regardless of success or failure, it would be destroyed after use. Alchemists typically used it for hand-refining practice.
Due to its ubiquity, the price was also quite affordable. A single Trial Version Conversion Array cost only 10,000, but one had to pass a strict review process to purchase it.
As for "Alloy No. 3," it was a stable alloy mixed with almost all metallic Elements, and since its creation, it has been considered the basic entry threshold for Alchemy.
Being able to hand-refine "Alloy No. 3" proved that one's knowledge and Control Power were up to standard. Only then could one be considered to have officially stepped through the gates of Alchemy.
Zhou Chen was still a long way from that level. He couldn't even get things right using instruments in the lab, let alone trying to do it by hand.
Besides, his current goal wasn't "Alloy No. 3," but the much simpler Flash Bomb.
After resting for a few minutes, Zhou Chen got up and tried again.
After a full twenty-nine failed experiments, his initial brimming confidence had turned into a state of numbness. He was even starting to take an interest in failure.
'It's going to blow up anyway, so I might as well make it a good one.'
'Let's see what makes it blow up next time, and what kind of explosion it'll be...'
BOOM!
A few minutes later, another explosion echoed from the lab.
"That's enough, buddy! It's already three in the morning, the lab's closing!"
The staff member on duty rushed over at the sound, saying irritably, "Man, you've caused thirty explosions already! Can't you be a little more careful? The lab is about to close. Come back during the day."
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Okay, okay, I'm leaving now."
Coughing, Zhou Chen fanned away the black smoke, hastily put out the fire, then packed up his things and left the lab just before the doors were locked.
And so, he began a strict and regimented life.
From 8 AM to 12 PM, and from 1 PM to 7 PM, he dedicated his time to learning practical Fighting Skill.
From 8 PM to 3 AM, he would grind out his knowledge of Alchemy.
He would return to his dorm a little after 3 AM and practice Meditation until 8 AM.
Getting beaten up by day, and blown up by night.
He also had to find time to browse the forums, find posts where he could be a hero, and farm for wish points, letting them accumulate bit by bit.
His life was, you could say, quite colorful.
As if aware that Zhou Chen was preparing for an undercover mission, Jiang Che didn't force any work on him. Instead, he even applied for a few free "Trial Version Conversion Arrays" for him, moving Zhou Chen beyond words.
'Now *that's* what you call a good leader! *That's* a good boss! *That's* seeing true quality in the details! This is it!'
'Sure, I'm just being raised as a disposable tool, but at least the benefits are good!'
「On the third day.」
After countless failures, Zhou Chen finally succeeded in creating a simple version of a Flash Bomb.
Once you've done it once, you can do it again. He struck while the iron was hot, practicing continuously to get the feel for it. Eventually, he stabilized his success rate at 100%, able to skillfully produce simple Flash Bombs with the equipment.
And so, he began to try hand-refining.
Then, as expected, he caused an explosion.
After failing at hand-refining several times in a row, Zhou Chen lost his nerve. He didn't dare to try again, instead constantly reviewing and reflecting on his process in his mind.
Because every attempt at hand-refining consumed one "Trial Version Conversion Array." Once he used up the ones Jiang Che had given him, he would have to buy them himself.
The thought of burning through 10,000 with each use made his heart bleed.
He had already failed hundreds of times over the past few days. Hand-refining would only be harder. If he failed hundreds of times at that too, it would be a loss of over a million...
Who could possibly afford that?!
'I must be careful, careful, and more careful. Cautious, cautious, and more cautious.'
—Poverty makes one cautious.