NOVEL NEXT Ch. 9
Chapter 9: Alchemy Revolution — Attempting the Assembly Line!
Standardization? Assembly line? KPI?
These strange terms—she didn’t understand a single one. Yet she could sense within them a terrifying core idea—one that pursued ultimate efficiency.
This… this was blasphemy against traditional alchemy!
It was heresy! The theory of a devil!
But… why, deep inside her heart, did she faintly feel that this theory might… actually work?
If it really could be realized, then what kind of terrifying number would the production of pills reach?
“No… impossible…”
Leng Yanran murmured to herself, face pale, instinctively wanting to reject such thoughts.
“There’s nothing impossible.”
Chu Feng saw her wavering and decided to administer the final dose of medicine.
“Words are empty. Practice is the only standard for testing truth.”
“Senior Sister Leng, how about we make a bet?”
“You can pick any three of the least talented, most clumsy apprentices from the Pill Pavilion for me. I’ll use my method, and you’ll use yours. We’ll use this pile of the worst ingredients, compete for a single day, and see who refines more ‘qualified’ Qi Nourishing Pills in the end.”
“The standard for qualification is simple—if the pill contains seventy percent of the spiritual energy of an ordinary Qi Nourishing Pill, it counts as qualified.”
“If I lose, I’ll disappear from your sight immediately and compensate you with one hundred pieces of lower-grade spirit stones.”
“But if I win…”
Chu Feng looked at her, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
“I hope you’ll join my ‘Heavenly Dao Mutual Aid Association’ and become the general supervisor of our pill production line.”
This wager was filled with temptation and provocation.
Leng Yanran gazed into Chu Feng’s confident eyes, her heart surging with waves of shock.
She didn’t believe it. She absolutely refused to believe that the alchemy she had devoted over ten years to could be defeated by such a heretical method.
Her pride wouldn’t allow her to back down.
“Fine!”
Leng Yanran gritted her teeth, her cold eyes blazing with fierce battle intent.
“I’ll bet with you!”
Once the wager was set, the entire Pill Pavilion erupted in commotion.
The alchemy genius Leng Yanran was going to compete in pill refinement against an obscure outer disciple?
And the stakes were whether she would join that newly rising “Heavenly Dao Mutual Aid Association”?
This was definitely the biggest gossip in Qingyun Sect in recent days.
Soon, the manager of the Pill Pavilion approved the competition and even “generously” provided them with a venue and plenty of inferior ingredients—clearly intending to see Leng Yanran make a fool of herself while suppressing Chu Feng’s “heretical” arrogance.
Leng Yanran quickly found three apprentices in the Pill Pavilion who were unanimously acknowledged as “idiots” and threw them to Chu Feng.
These three were famous in the pavilion—one’s hands trembled when adding materials, another got distracted when controlling fire, and the last was a “furnace-exploding specialist.”
It was clear Leng Yanran had no good intentions in giving them to him.
Chu Feng, however, didn’t mind at all. On the contrary, he cheerfully led the three aside.
The competition officially began.
On Leng Yanran’s side, she was still alone, occupying the best pill furnace (temporarily provided by the manager—clearly meant to humiliate Chu Feng).
Her expression was focused, her movements fluid and graceful, every step filled with artistic beauty, drawing admiration from the onlooking alchemists.
“Look, Senior Sister Leng truly deserves to be called a genius. That purification technique—so elegant!”
“Indeed, her fire control rhythm—one degree more and it would burn, one degree less and it wouldn’t form—absolutely flawless!”
Meanwhile, Chu Feng’s side looked entirely different.
He didn’t even touch the furnace, instead acting like a foreman, hands behind his back, issuing orders to the three clumsy apprentices.
“Zhang San! You have only one task—grind the herbs! I don’t care how you do it, just remember—grind each stalk a hundred times, no more, no less!”
“Li Si! You’re in charge of proportions! Follow exactly the sequence and quantities I’ve written on this paper! If you get even one thing wrong, you’re skipping dinner tonight!”
“Wang Wu! You’ve got the simplest job. Watch this hourglass! When the sand reaches this line, throw that batch of medicinal liquid into the furnace, then use the highest flame until all the sand runs out! Got it?”
Chu Feng’s instructions were crude and simple, seemingly devoid of any technical merit.
The three apprentices were dumbfounded but still did as told.
Thus, an absurd scene unfolded in the Pill Pavilion.
On one side was Leng Yanran’s graceful and elegant “solo art performance.”
On the other was Chu Feng’s noisy, chaotic “makeshift sweatshop.”
Zhang San panted as he ground herbs, Li Si trembled as he weighed ingredients, and Wang Wu stared nervously at the hourglass, sweating profusely.
The whole process was noisy and chaotic—utterly lacking in aesthetics.
The watching alchemists couldn’t suppress their laughter.
“Hahaha! Is this guy serious? He calls that alchemy?”
“Ridiculous! It’s an insult to the Dao of Pills!”
Leng Yanran cast a disdainful glance at him and then ignored him completely—she was certain of her victory.
Time passed bit by bit.
After an hour, Leng Yanran’s first batch of pills emerged—ten pills, three superior grade, seven mid-grade, earning rounds of applause.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng’s side produced its first batch as well.
With a muffled bang, the lid popped open, and a wave of burnt smell filled the air.
Wang Wu nervously dug out eight black, uneven pellets.
“Hahaha! As expected—waste pills!”
“I told you, if that method could make pills, I’d eat my furnace!”
The laughter grew louder.
Chu Feng, however, didn’t care. He walked up, picked one of the black pellets, broke it open, sniffed it, and nodded.
“Not bad. The appearance is rough, but seventy percent of the medicinal energy is preserved. That counts as qualified. Wang Wu, good work. Keep it up.”
Praised, Wang Wu’s confidence soared.
As time went on, Leng Yanran continued producing high-quality pills at her usual elite level, batch after batch.
Chu Feng’s team, though still making occasional waste pills, became increasingly skilled at their divided tasks. Their coordination improved, and their production efficiency and success rate visibly rose!
By the time the day-long competition ended, the manager began counting their results.
“Leng Yanran—total of one hundred and twenty Qi Nourishing Pills refined. Among them, thirty-five superior grade, eighty-five mid-grade! Not a single waste pill! Outstanding results!”
The manager announced loudly, earning her the admiration and respect of all present alchemists.
Everyone believed the result was decided.
The manager turned to Chu Feng’s side, gazing disdainfully at the heap of ugly, black pills piled like a small mountain.
He picked a few at random, tested them, and reluctantly announced:
“Chu Feng… team—refined one thousand three hundred and fifty qualified Qi Nourishing Pills!”
“What?!”
The moment the number came out, the entire hall fell silent!
Every single person’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads!