"Jiang Chen… how did you know that adding two leaves of Yanyang Grass would stabilize the furnace?"
Su Lingxiang finally broke her silence, her voice trembling with a mix of astonishment and curiosity.
Her beautiful eyes locked on Jiang Chen, as if trying to see through him.
"Intuition."
Jiang Chen's answer was light, almost casual.
"The fire had dropped too low. The pill's medicinal energies were clashing instead of blending. This technique—balancing fire with medicinal power—was something our alchemy ancestors left behind. Since the wind disrupted the flame, naturally, I had to compensate with the right herb."
It sounded so simple when he said it.
But in truth…
Once his system's hundredfold success rate triggered, the optimal solution for every alchemical mishap appeared in his mind like instinct.
That "intuition" wasn't instinct—it was cheating at the highest level.
Of course, he couldn't exactly tell Su Lingxiang: "Oh, I've got a system in my head that makes me perfect at this."
Su Lingxiang was silent for a long moment.
"Intuition? This… this isn't intuition. This is monstrous."
Even a third-rank alchemist like her knew the principles Jiang Chen mentioned.
But in practice, under a sudden crisis, even she couldn't guarantee the right choice of herb—or the precise dosage—to rebalance the pill furnace.
That wasn't skill. That was genius-level instinct.
No—worse.
This wasn't a genius.
This was… a monster.
Her lips curved into a bright, excited smile.
"Jiang Chen, you're a rare alchemical prodigy. If you're willing, I can recommend you to my teacher, Master Yan Qingxuan, to become his closed-door disciple."
The classroom erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"Yan Qingxuan? The Yan Qingxuan?!"
"Holy crap… that's a sixth-rank alchemy master. In the entire Great Xia Kingdom, there are only a handful of people at that level!"
"If he becomes Yan Qingxuan's closed disciple, his future is limitless!"
Even Lin Yang forgot to be angry. His jaw hung open.
Yan Qingxuan—just the name alone carried enough weight to make most alchemists tremble.
Countless people dreamed of even meeting him once in their lifetime…
And Su Lingxiang was offering Jiang Chen a chance to become his only closed-door disciple.
But Jiang Chen?
He just smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, Teacher Su. But I want to achieve my goals in martial arts. Alchemy… is just something I do on the side."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
"Did he just… refuse?!"
"This man is insane. Absolutely insane."
Even Su Lingxiang froze, her elegant composure cracking.
"Y-you… refused?"
Yan Qingxuan's name was enough to make seasoned alchemists grovel for a chance to learn under him.
But this boy—this bronze-class nobody—had just tossed the offer aside like it was nothing.
"Jiang Chen," she said finally, her tone sharper, almost scolding, "You have an alchemy talent that defies heaven itself. If you don't pursue this path seriously, you'll be letting down yourself… your parents… even the world that could benefit from your pills!"
Jiang Chen only chuckled softly.
If only she knew—alchemy, martial arts, whatever… with his system, he didn't have to choose.
He could have everything.