Book 6: Chapter 60:1: Good Luck, Special Forces, Part 1
Chen Heng had originally planned to brew the Micro Mana Recovery Potion. However, after numerous unsuccessful attempts at alchemy, he found himself sitting on the floor, pondering his situation.
Alchemy was a field where repeated failures were the norm, and Chen Heng was well aware of this fact. While he could have used the Absolute Precognition for assistance in raising the success rate, he believed in his innate talent and thought he didnt need such help. And thenhe was proven wrong.
After being proven wrong, Chen Heng began to contemplate whether he could improve this infuriating alchemical potion. That was when he remembered the alchemy that had been passed down for countless years in his world, the art of concocting medicinal pills.
After countless attempts, Chen Heng managed to merge the two types of alchemy, effectively combining them.
[TL Note: While the words for the two types of alchemy are the same in English, they are different in Chinese, and the distinction is clearer. The alchemy from Full Metal Alchemist can be translated literally as metal-refining technique and the alchemy from Chen Hengs worldand most Xianxia novelscan be translated literally as pill concocting technique. The metal-refining technique refers to the transmutation of a substance into another substance, which extends to turning lead into gold or brewing potions. The pill concocting technique is more like medical chemistry, combining various ingredients to get a specific effect. From here on, Ill use pill alchemy and transmutation alchemy to differentiate the two in English when needed.]
In simpler terms, he turned the alchemical tools used for brewing into a pill furnace. When choosing the form, he condensed the small blue potion further, turning it into a concentrate. Using his consciousness, or rather Will Energy, he compressed the concentrate into small pills.
Surprisingly, Chen Heng had created something new. He used his alchemists passive skill to appraise it. He had acquired this skill after his alchemist class had reached level 5.
Micro Mana Recovery Medicinal Pill? Not bad, not bad. According to my skills evaluation, this Micro Mana Recovery Medicinal Pill is about as effective as the Micro Mana Recovery Potion. Chen Heng gazed at the small blue pill in his hand with excitement.
This little blue pill was no larger than a pinky nail, yet it could replace 150 milliliters of potion. Truly, concentrated essence.
Chen Heng didnt need the little blue pill to be more potent than the small blue potion, just as effective.
However, the small blue potion had a hidden drawbackit was a liquid, and each bottle contained 150 milliliters. Drinking one or two bottles wouldnt have any significant effect, but if you drank several during battle, you might not die at the hands of your enemy but from being too bloated.
Chen Heng was forming Will Energy swords, and the slight recovery from one small blue potion wouldnt be enough. He would need at least ten or eight doses, so the size was crucial.
Chen Heng popped the small blue pill he had just concocted into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times like candy, and swallowed it to experience its effects.
Surprisingly, the Micro Mana Recovery Medicinal Pill lived up to its name. It indeed only provided a slight recovery, but better than nothing.
Moreover, the pill had a pleasant taste, like blueberries. Since it was made from medicinal liquid, its texture was more like soft candy than hard candy, almost like a liquor-filled chocolate.
Satisfied, Chen Heng nodded, picked up ten more sets of materials for the Micro Mana Recovery Medicinal Pill, and tossed them into the pill furnace.
One reason Chen Heng liked using pill alchemy to craft potions was that it allowed him to work on multiple sets at once, greatly improving efficiency.
I really am a natural talent.
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The next day, Chen Heng appeared at the breakfast table with prominent dark circles under his eyes.
Little Heng, what were you doing? Did you stay up all night playing games? Wait, I remember that using the game device puts you in a sleep-like state and even helps you recover from mental fatigue. What happened? Fu Hua stared at Chen Heng with astonishment; his dark circles were quite alarming.
Do I have such noticeable dark circles? Chen Heng rubbed his eyes and patted his cheeks to make himself look more energetic.
Elder Brother, your dark circles are very noticeable.
Ah, I see. Yesterday, while playing the game, I triggered a hidden class called alchemist, so I got obsessed with alchemy and couldnt stop.
Indeed, Chen Heng had been engrossed in alchemy, using up all the materials he had intended to last a long time. The result was over a thousand blue pills stored in his spatial storage.
Elder Brother, are you alright? Do you want to eat breakfast and then take a nap? Ryougi Shiki asked in a slightly concerned tone.
Theres no need. I might have big dark circles, but Im not actually tired.
Although Chen Heng sported panda eyes, he was indeed not tired, merely mentally fatigued.
Pill alchemy and transmutation alchemy were slightly different. To brew potions, one only needed to control the heat precisely. However, for pill alchemy, one had to use Will Energy to control the flame temperature of the pill furnace and continually adjust the heat, based on the progress of the concoction.
Chen Hengs Will Energy was currently at 80 percent. The creation of the Micro Mana Recovery Medicinal Pill required little Will Energy, as it was a beginners potion with only four ingredients. Crafting larger recovery potions, whether small, medium, or large, would be more complicated because of the increased number of ingredients.
After breakfast, Chen Heng returned to his room to continue cultivating. He focused on forming the Will Energy swords while also cultivating Spiritual Energy, a technique he had recently grasped.
This way, Chen Heng would not fall behind on cultivating his Will Energy and Spiritual Energy. Furthermore, the Spiritual Energy could nourish his Will Energy, slightly accelerating the recovery of Will Energy.
After two hours of cultivating, an alarm broke Chen Hengs concentration, bringing him back to the real world.
Chen Heng opened the interface for the Dimension Administrators Associations livestream and searched for his target.
Got it.
Currently, the Dimension Administrators Association had only two livestreams. One was the livestream showing Merlin, which Chen Heng dared not enter. The second was the livestream of the Holy Grail Carnival.
The alarm had gone off at 9 a.m., the same time as the Holy Grail Carnival. Chen Heng entered the livestream room and began watching.
This time, the competition was slightly different from previous ones; it took place within a game.
The game was called PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds.
[TL Note: PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG: Battlegrounds, is a game where players parachute in with no or minimal equipment. The players then have to scavenge the location for equipment while taking down the other players. The last surviving player or team wins. This game is of the battle royale genre. Here is more information on the game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PUBG:_Battlegrounds.]
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