ATG : NCF Chapter 4 : Alchemy (Patreon)

The walk back to the compound felt heavy as the translucent blue notification hovered persistently at the edge of my vision.

[System Notification: Supreme Knowledge System has been activated]

I maintained a neutral expression, acutely aware of Bai Ning Ning's occasional glances.

"Young Master, are you unwell?" she finally asked as we approached the compound gates. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were evaluating.

I met her gaze with just the right amount of discomfort. "A slight headache from the sun and too much information at once. Nothing serious, but I should rest."

"The young master is indeed diligent in his studies," she replied with a hint of approval. "I'll escort you to your chambers, then inform your mother you've returned safely."

Perfect. The headache explanation provided both a reason for my distraction and an excuse to isolate myself.

The system was an unknown variable—potentially the greatest advantage I could have in this world, but also the most dangerous secret to possess.

Once inside my private chambers, I checked for any signs of surveillance.

I locked the door, inspected the windows, and even checked beneath furniture.

Paranoid, perhaps, but in a world where cultivation could enhance senses beyond mortal limits, paranoia was merely prudence.

Only then did I settle on my meditation cushion and whisper, "System."

The blue notification expanded into a stark interface with not even the slightest decorative element:

[Supreme Knowledge System]
[Host: Lin Tian]
[Current Cultivation: Mortal Realm]

[Available Career Paths]
- Alchemist
- Array Master
- Blacksmith
- Body Cultivator
- Sword Master

[These paths are divided into 9 stars. Select one path to begin.]

No explanations.

No guidance.

Just the cold, impersonal presentation of options—a tool, not a companion.

The interface didn't even clarify what the stars represented, though I could infer they mapped to cultivation realms in some way.

I assessed each option with detachment.

In the entire Against the Gods series, alchemy had been woefully underdeveloped. Only five or six pills had been prominently featured despite their immense value.

Unlike sword arts or body refinement techniques, alchemy was pathetically vague in the novel.

Extremely scarce.

That scarcity represented opportunity.

Sword Master would grant combat prowess, but progress would be instantly visible.

How would I explain suddenly knowing sword techniques I'd never been taught?

Body Cultivator had similar issues—physical changes would raise immediate questions.

Arraymaster required expensive materials and a perfect memory for complex formations, while Blacksmith demanded a forge and materials that would be impossible to hide.

But Alchemist—that could be concealed.

Knowledge of herbs could be attributed to reading.

Initial failures could be dismissed as a child's experimentation.

And most importantly, in a world where pills could accomplish the miraculous, an alchemist held power that transcended their cultivation level.

The math was simple. The risk-to-reward ratio heavily favored alchemy.

"Alchemist," I stated firmly.

The interface shifted with no ceremony:

[Alchemist path selected]
[Knowledge transfer initiating]

Pain lanced through my skull without warning.

It felt like molten metal being poured directly into my brain—a violent, invasive force carving neural pathways where none had existed before.

I bit down hard on my sleeve to muffle my scream, tasting the copper of my blood as my teeth broke skin.

For three excruciating minutes, I endured what felt like having my skull split open and reassembled. When the agony finally receded, leaving me curled on the floor in a cold sweat, new notifications appeared:

[Skill acquired: Fire Mastery (F)]
[Skill acquired: Analyze (F)]
[Skill acquired: Basic Pill Refinement (F)]
[Skill acquired: Soul Power (F)]

[1-Star Alchemist (0%)]
[Knowledge Scope: Elementary → Spirit Profound Realm]

Then the interface disappeared entirely, as if considering its job complete.

I remained on the floor, breathing heavily, organizing the torrent of new information now residing in my mind.

Hundreds of herb profiles—their appearances, scents, medicinal properties, growing conditions, and harvesting methods.

Dozens of refinement techniques—temperature control, material processing, essence extraction, and energy infusion.

Pill formulas—their ingredients, proportions, preparation methods, and effects.

And yet, despite this comprehensive theoretical knowledge, I immediately recognized a critical limitation: I had no cultivation base.

No profound energy to control flames, manipulate essences, or stabilize reactions.

In the novels, that limitation had been glossed over, but now I understood the practical reality—a mortal alchemist was like a chef without a stove.

I struggled to my feet and tested my Fire Mastery skill, focusing intensely on my palm.

After three attempts, I produced only the faintest warmth—not even a visible spark. Without profound energy to fuel the skill, it was nearly useless.

"Analyze," I murmured, focusing on a jade paperweight on my desk.

[Common jade. Minor spiritual conductivity. Value: 5 yellow profound coins.]

The information appeared instantly in my mind—accurate but limited.

At higher ranks, this skill would reveal far more detailed information. For now, it barely exceeded what a merchant might determine through experience.

I spent several minutes testing my other skills with similar disappointing results. Basic Pill Refinement was purely theoretical without equipment or materials. And Soul Power...

That's when I noticed something interesting.

Unlike the other skills that required profound energy to execute, Soul Power seemed distinct.

The knowledge transfer had included a specific method for developing this power—one that didn't require cultivation.

I closed my eyes and followed the mental technique, sensing inward until I detected the faintest wisp of ethereal energy distinct from the motes of profound energy.

Soul power—the force that alchemists used to stabilize and enhance pills during refinement.

The method to strengthen it was elegantly simple in concept, if tedious in execution: absorb the balancing energies of sun and moon through specialized meditation.

Yin energy from the moon. Yang energy from the sun.

Day by day, these cosmic energies could nourish and expand one's soul power without requiring profound cultivation.

A slow process for a mortal, but not impossible.

And crucially, this soul power could compensate somewhat for my lack of profound energy in the early stages of alchemy. 

While I couldn't control flames without cultivation, enhanced soul power would allow me to sense the properties of materials, and eventually stabilize simple concoctions.

I smiled grimly. 

The system has provided me with knowledge, and using that knowledge, I can chart my own path.

Since I can't cultivate before turning twelve, I can fully concentrate on cultivating my soul's power, and maybe, just maybe, it might help me start cultivating earlier.

A knock at my door interrupted my planning.

"Young Master? Your mother asks if you'll be joining for dinner."

"I'll have it in my room," I called back. "And inform my father, I wish to speak with him tomorrow morning. I have decided to accept his offer."

Father's offer of a thousand purple profound coins monthly would provide the resources I needed. 

While most of it would be a saving for the resources I might need in the future and the stuff I require to strengthen my body, I would still need to be judicious. 

Buying too much, too quickly, would raise suspicions.

As the servant's footsteps faded, I began calculating the timeline ahead.

Six months to establish interest in medicine and herbs through careful questions to tutors and selective reading from the family library.

Another six to formally request alchemy training under the guise of medical interest.

One year to "progress" to basic herbal preparations—not pills yet, just medicinal concoctions that required no profound energy.

All while secretly advancing my soul power.

I reviewed the knowledge of pills now residing in my mind. 

The Against the Gods world featured remarkably few pill types compared to other cultivation novels. The Overlord pills are designed to help a peak Emperor cultivator break through to the Tyrant Profound Realm.

Fire Spirit Pellet, Profound Recovering Pellets, Star Concealing Pill etc were also there.

The number of pills used in the story was awfully less. 

In a world where cultivators were present like ants, pills would become so vital, and I now possessed formulas for dozens of pills not even mentioned in the original story.

But without profound energy to control flames, I couldn't refine even the simplest pill. 

Not yet.

That would require cultivation, the Elementary Profound Realm at a minimum.

The irony wasn't lost on me. The system had made me an alchemist who couldn't create pills.

Still, this was a great start.

The Supreme Knowledge System had provided no shortcuts—just a different path with its own challenges and advantages.

It wouldn't guide me or protect me. It had simply dropped knowledge into my mind and left me to determine how to use it.

The real work had just begun.