After waking up and finishing his morning cultivation, a question crossed Luo Chen's mind.
Or rather, it wasn't a question so much as something he had considered long before.
Was he really going to handle every single step of the Pill Hall's future alchemy all by himself?
If he truly did that, wouldn't he work himself to death?
His earlier solution had been to delegate certain tasks to others, such as tending the fire.
That was why he had tried operating that way when he fired up the cauldrons yesterday.
In practice, however, the results had been rather dismal.
Even after his crash course, that group of cultivators still struggled to perform the work competently.
As a consequence, Luo Chen had been forced to run frantically between three alchemy chambers, stepping in to help at every turn.
Fasting Pills were merely unranked medicine, but Myriad Wonders Pills were Tier 1 pills, demanding far stricter attention to every detail!
To keep from running himself ragged, Luo Chen gave the matter careful thought throughout the morning and decided to introduce another change.
He would establish a division of labor!
***
“A division of labor?”
Hearing those words, the squad of thirty stirred with commotion.
They didn't understand what he meant. Shouldn't alchemy be performed in one continuous, seamless flow? How could alchemy be divided up?
Luo Chen glanced over. The one speaking was a man named Luo Erduo, who appeared to be older than Luo Chen himself.
A clansman by surname!
Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly friendly toward him.
Behind him stood Luo Wudi, the Descending Mountain Tiger.
Back during the meeting in Bright Moon Hall, Luo Wudi had clearly stood on Mi Shuhua's side.
Now that Mi Shuhua supported Luo Chen, that didn't necessarily mean Mi Shuhua's vassals supported him as well.
With a cold expression, Luo Chen said, “Yes, there must be a division of labor. I know some of you came here hoping to learn alchemy. Do you know what process an orthodox sect uses to cultivate a proper alchemist?”
At this question, everyone went completely blank.
Just as Luo Chen prepared to spin them a tale, a soft, gentle voice chimed in.
“Identify herbs, master fire, read hundreds of scriptures, study pill recipes, and master refining techniques. Then, start slowly with low-grade pills until one can reliably produce mid-grade or better before ever touching other pills.”
Luo Chen's brow furrowed slightly. Glancing over, he found that the speaker was a young woman with a pale face, whose expression remained placid under his gaze.
It was Mi Li!
Mi Junping's daughter, Mi Shuhua's granddaughter.
Never mind—this was someone he couldn't afford to provoke!
He didn't know her standing within the family, but since she had been assigned to the Pill Hall, he still had to give her proper face.
He cleared his throat. “Yes, Miss Mi is entirely correct.”
Clasping his hands behind his back, Luo Chen paced slowly before the crowd.
“Even great sects must proceed this way, let alone a group like you who lack any alchemy experience whatsoever.”
“Therefore, dividing your labor to cooperate on pill refining and focusing on a single task is the thing you need most right now—and the only thing you are currently capable of doing.”
After this speech, no one raised another objection.
After all, Luo Chen was the master of the Pill Hall!
Without another word, Luo Chen split the thirty-person squad into six teams of five.
One team was responsible for processing certain auxiliary ingredients, another for processing other auxiliary ingredients, and two more teams were each tasked with handling one main ingredient.
The remaining two teams were dedicated entirely to familiarizing themselves with fire control; when the time came, those ten people would rotate shifts across the three alchemy chambers.
Perhaps he could consider picking a suitable time to appoint a head fire-tender from among them?
“You must all familiarize yourselves as quickly as possible with the raw materials for Fasting Pills and Myriad Wonders Pills. Then, handle them using the special processing methods I teach you.”
“Furthermore, I do not want anyone meddling in another team's affairs before you have mastered your own assigned area. Doing so will only slow your progress.”
“You might think I am trying to prevent you from advancing, but if you truly do that, don't say I didn't warn you.”
With that, he waved toward the entrance.
Gu Caiyi led a group inside, carrying up all the medicinal herbs he had requested.
“This is the most common ginseng, cultivated and grown for ten years. It contains very little spiritual energy, but it serves as an important auxiliary ingredient in many low-tier pills.”
“Consequently, the methods for processing it are varied. I will teach you two first. You five, follow me into the herb room!”
The five eagerly followed Luo Chen inside.
The rest remained outside, whispering among themselves.
In the crowd, Mi Li's slender willow-leaf brows knit slightly, a hint of confusion touching her pale face.
The orthodox process was indeed as the hall master described.
Even so, was it really necessary to divide things so finely?
***
Was it necessary?
In Luo Chen's eyes, of course it was!
If he didn't divide things so finely and let them all learn every step, they would end up mastering almost all the preliminary preparations for alchemy.
If they then managed to obtain the exact ingredient proportions for each cauldron and learned the corresponding hand techniques, they might actually succeed after failing a few dozen or a hundred times.
When that time came, what would the Mountain Breaker Gang need their number-one alchemist for?
Luo Chen was deliberately constructing knowledge barriers.
Even if someone tried to gather these people later to piece the knowledge together, it would certainly require immense effort.
And even if they figured it out, Luo Chen intended to tamper with the finer details of the later refining process.
In short, he had no desire to teach the apprentices only to starve the master.
***
Teaching these people their individual skills took Luo Chen five full days.
It didn't sound like a long time, but certain people were already growing anxious.
Mi Shuhua went out of his way to have Sikong Shoujia ask him when he would finally begin refining Myriad Wonders Pills.
After all, with so many cultivators tied up in the Pill Hall, the gang was paying out spirit stones every day!
Having developed a deeper understanding of the Mountain Breaker Gang, Luo Chen knew that logistical halls, unlike combat halls, mostly received fixed stipends and rarely saw bonuses under normal circumstances.
Combat halls were a different story; their income depended entirely on their spoils.
When casualties were heavy or the harvest was massive, there were often handsome rewards.
That was why the vast majority of capable fighters were concentrated in the three combat halls and Wang Yuan's Flood Dragon Hall.
Whenever Sikong Shoujia probed him, Luo Chen simply said, “No rush, no rush!”
Of course he wasn't in a rush. Only after training this batch of people to proficiency would his future refining work become effortless.
Five days later.
Mi Shuhua came to the Pill Hall in person.
Luo Chen delayed no longer and immediately ordered his subordinates to begin refining.
Steam rose once more from the three alchemy chambers, and the Pale Smoke and Sparse Rain Pavilion hummed back to life.
Watching Luo Chen move among the three chambers, directing the cultivators while adding ingredients, Mi Shuhua finally felt some of his anxiety ease.
“Grandfather.”
“Mm.”
Without turning his head, Mi Shuhua asked faintly, “Have you learned anything under Hall Master Luo Chen these past few days?”
Mi Li said softly, “His ingredient-processing techniques for both pills are exceptionally skilled, far surpassing the alchemists our family hired in the past.”
Mi Shuhua shook his head. “Those alchemists could only produce inferior-grade pills at best. Naturally, they can't compare to Luo Chen.”
Mi Li thought for a moment. “The hall master is also very experienced in controlling the fire.”
“That isn't what I'm asking about!”
“He hasn't spoken of anything else, nor does he allow us herb apprentices to watch.”
“Herb apprentices?” Mi Shuhua looked curious at the title.
Mi Li answered at once, “Currently, the Pill Hall is divided into two roles: herb apprentices and fire-tenders. Their duties are just as their names suggest.”
Hearing this, Mi Shuhua's brow couldn't help furrowing.
After a moment's thought, his eyebrows lifted.
“Go inside and observe!”
Mi Li looked up, hesitating.
Yet under Mi Shuhua's firm gaze, she ultimately stepped into the alchemy chamber where Luo Chen was busy at work.
Inside the chamber.
Luo Chen noticed the entrant immediately.
He looked straight at her, his gaze chilling, uttering not a word.
The woman froze on the spot.
The fire-tender tending the flames also held his breath.
For a moment, aside from the crackle of burning azure steel wood and the bubbling within the cauldron, complete silence reigned in the chamber.
Outside, Mi Shuhua naturally kept his attention fixed on the room.
He raised an eyebrow, then frowned, and finally took a deep breath.
A voice transmission was sent inside.
“Little Li is the most talented in alchemy among my family. Let her watch for a bit.”
“This is how I earn my living!”
“She—”
“Out of the question. Unless… you add another bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills each month!”
***
Could someone actually learn the craft just by watching someone else refine pills?
The answer to that varied from person to person.
For someone with exceptional natural talent, perhaps a single small hand technique or a specific burst of spiritual energy would allow them to draw connections and gain an epiphany.
For the vast majority without innate alchemical talent, however, watching a hundred times over would yield almost nothing.
Especially for someone whose fundamentals in alchemy weren't solid enough.
Luo Chen's proficiency in refining Myriad Wonders Pills had long reached the Perfect level, consistently yielding at least mid-grade pills.
In other words, his mastery over the Myriad Wonders Pill had already brushed the threshold of a master.
His hand techniques were now worlds apart from the rudimentary entry stage.
Even if Mi Li concentrated fully on observing his movements and managed to learn something, it would be techniques for refining mid-grade Myriad Wonders Pills.
That raised the question: could she immediately refine mid-grade pills just by learning those?
The answer was no.
Because she still had to start with inferior-grade Myriad Wonders Pills.
And the various techniques for refining inferior-grade pills had long been simplified and streamlined as Luo Chen's proficiency climbed.
Lacking those foundational techniques, Mi Li would never be able to produce mid-grade pills in her entire life—or even inferior-grade ones, for that matter.
Precisely for this reason, Luo Chen wasn't genuinely worried that his livelihood would be stolen.
Even so, there was no way he would pass up the pretext.
An extra bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills a month—he had fleeced the old man once again!
***
Being a ranked pill after all, the refining time for the Myriad Wonders Pill far exceeded that of Fasting Powder.
The refining work across the three chambers lasted the entire morning before finally coming to an end.
Under Mi Shuhua's watchful eyes, Luo Chen dismissed everyone and began the pill-retrieval process in private.
Inside the chamber, Luo Chen wore a solemn expression as he cast the Attraction Art and opened the cauldron's lid.
From the low-grade Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace, ten pills were formed: seven mid-grade and three inferior-grade.
Luo Chen was very satisfied; this was the result of his deliberate restraint.
Had he refined them without holding back, producing an entirely mid-grade batch would have been perfectly normal.
*Even though I dismissed the others, Mi Shuhua's spiritual sense is probably watching this place in secret.*
*Still, there's no need for me to put on a deliberate show.*
*Things will be as they are!*
Exiting the room, he opened the bronze furnace in the second chamber.
A scorched smell instantly billowed out.
Luo Chen shook his head without any sense of vexation.
Even with Perfect proficiency, one couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success rate.
Currently, his success rate hovered around forty percent.
That was already remarkably high.
Based on his experience with Fasting Powder, the success rate for each mastery tier was roughly fixed.
Beginner was around ten percent, Competent around twenty, Proficient around thirty, and Perfect around forty.
Once he reached Grandmaster, it would stabilize around half.
As for a hundred percent success rate?
Luo Chen had never really entertained the thought. A saying had long circulated among alchemists: the higher a pill's tier, the lower its success rate.
Even the legendary Alchemy Saint of the Central Continent, who could casually refine high-grade and top-grade low-tier pills, occasionally slipped up when dealing with Tier 3 or Tier 4 pills.
In Luo Chen's view, as long as his success rate exceeded half, the high profit margins of pills would yield terrifying returns!
Outside, when Mi Shuhua sensed the failed cauldron, his brow furrowed instinctively.
That meant five spirit stones' worth of raw materials had gone down the drain.
However, when Luo Chen opened the lid of the mid-grade pill cauldron and a rich fragrance wafted out, Mi Shuhua's brow smoothed completely.
Carrying a large wooden tray, Luo Chen walked out of the alchemy chambers.
“Our luck was pretty good this time. Thirty pills formed, mostly mid-grade, with a few inferior-grade.”
“I did not fail your trust!”
He casually handed the wooden tray to Mi Li beside him, dusted off his hands, and acted as though it were nothing out of the ordinary.
The woman, whose face was perpetually pale, now showed a flush of red.
It was from excitement!
Three chambers, four portions of ingredients, and three had succeeded!
Furthermore, more than half of the yield was mid-grade.
What did that signify?
It signified that Luo Chen was a genuine Tier 1 alchemist, and an elite among them at that!
If Luo Chen could ensure every pill was mid-grade and occasionally produce a high-grade pill or two, he could be called an alchemy master in this specific pill!
Of course, the cultivation world never made such granular distinctions.
A so-called alchemy master was at least someone capable of refining Tier 3 pills.
No one judged an alchemist's overall standing based on their achievements with a single pill.
Seeing his granddaughter's excited demeanor, Mi Shuhua knew that Luo Chen's alchemy had completely won her over.
As for himself, he was calculating the profits.
Thirty Myriad Wonders Pills—how many spirit stones could that fetch!
“Luo Chen, you have done splendidly!”
Luo Chen curled his lip and waved a hand. “Today was just a lucky start. That doesn't mean our luck will be this good every time.”
“Haha, I have the utmost faith in you.”
“By the way, I still don't have enough hands. Transfer a few more mid-stage cultivators over to me,” Luo Chen said.
“Still not enough?” Mi Shuhua asked in surprise.
Luo Chen pointed at the pills on the tray. “After the pills are formed, there is a period of medicinal settling. That phase is very important; unfavorable ambient conditions might cause the pills' potency to bleed away. I need a group of people to watch over them constantly.”
Mi Li chimed in from the side, “It is true, Grandfather. The *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition* mentions similar details.”
Mi Shuhua realized with a start, “Now that you mention it, I do recall that many pills degrade in quality over time if improperly stored.”
Having been persuaded, Mi Shuhua wasn't stingy.
He immediately instructed Gu Caiyi to head over to the Medicine Hall and transfer a few more cultivators.
“Alright, dismissed!”
Luo Chen yawned. “I've been busy all morning. I'm going to take a midday nap. Send my lunch to my door later.”
Seeing his indolent attitude, Mi Shuhua couldn't resist saying, “You aren't going to keep refining?”
Luo Chen stared back at him. “Gang Leader, I am a flesh-and-blood person, not a puppet. I get tired. I don't even have spiritual sense yet, and I have to watch three chambers simultaneously. Do you really think I can keep that up?”
“Besides, even if I don't rest, shouldn't they rest?”
Following Luo Chen's pointing finger, Mi Shuhua noticed that the cultivators responsible for tending the fires looked thoroughly worn out.
A few older female cultivators were flushed bright red, sweat dripping down their faces.
“On top of that, the cauldrons can't take it either!” Luo Chen said with a curl of his lip. “Two low-grade artifacts and one mid-grade cauldron can't support round-the-clock refining. Unless you procure a magic treasure cauldron or a top-grade cauldron for me.”
Mi Shuhua gave a wry smile. “Then you had all better go rest!”
What a joke—a magic treasure cauldron?
He didn't even have a life-bound magic treasure of his own yet.
Among his handiest top-grade artifacts, his Purple River Daoist Robe had already been ruined by Qin Liangchen on the Dao Discussion Platform.
***
When he stepped out to collect his lunch, Luo Chen learned that Mi Shuhua had already left Crescent Moon Valley.
Good riddance. With the old man around, everything felt constrained.
Luo Chen glanced at the lunch and grinned.
“Hey, not bad at all. Spirit rice, spirit vegetables, and the meat is all from Tier 1 demon beasts.”
The Mountain Breaker Gang's treatment of him was unquestionably top-tier!
It was even better than what the other hall masters received.
After all, Luo Chen was set to become the gang's cash cow; naturally, they had to pamper him.
Dumping all the dishes over the rice in a large bowl, he had himself a hearty rice bowl!
Luo Chen retrieved the green gourd from his storage bag and hung it at his waist.
Then, shoveling down his meal, he strolled around the Pill Hall to see what else his little domain was missing.
After inspecting the grounds and getting a clear picture of things, he sauntered leisurely out of the Pill Hall, continuing to wolf down his food.
Following the gravel path paved with slag from the old mines, he slowly made his way into Crescent Moon Valley.
Several massive stone buildings stood in neat rows beneath the valley's cliffside.
These were the Medicine Hall's workplaces.
At midday, there were relatively few people around, but several cultivators could still be seen turning over medicinal herbs so they could dry thoroughly in the sun.
When he found Murong Qinglian, she was busy writing and drawing notes.
“Sister-in-law, busy?”
Murong Qinglian looked up at him, exasperation flaring in her eyes.
“You still have the nerve to come here?”
“What's wrong?” Luo Chen paused his chopsticks, looking bewildered.
Murong Qinglian said helplessly, “Just look at how many people your Pill Hall has poached from us over the past few days. Now we're the ones left short-handed.”
So that had happened?
Luo Chen hadn't considered that.
Still, looking at Murong Qinglian's expression, she wasn't truly angry with him.
“I'm busy vetting suitable cultivators from the peripheral gang members. These are all their backgrounds; I need to pick those with relatively clean records.”
Murong Qinglian pointed to the pile of bamboo scrolls and books on the table.
Understood—they were resumes!
“Although the Medicine Hall's duties are tedious, they are safe. So there are plenty of cultivators in the gang who want to work here,” Murong Qinglian explained.
As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at the massive bowl in Luo Chen's hands.
“My, your meals are certainly lavish. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were eating spirit stones!”
“Of course! I'm the Mountain Breaker Gang's cash cow. If they don't give me top-tier treatment, who would they give it to?”
Luo Chen rested a hand on his hip, beaming with pride.
He had to admit, when he first decided to join the Mountain Breaker Gang and become the master of the Pill Hall, he had felt somewhat aggrieved. But now that he was enjoying all the perks, he felt it had been the best decision he ever made!
Food and drink were taken care of, and he had bodyguards escorting him to and from work.
He didn't have to procure raw materials or process them himself.
Once he trained those herb apprentices and fire-tenders properly, refining pills would become even easier.
On top of that, his monthly salary of four bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills was downright delightful.
*Still, it's not enough!*
Greedy as he was, Luo Chen wouldn't settle for just this.
The Mountain Breaker Gang was a massive enterprise, and Mi Shuhua, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was exceptionally wealthy.
He had to find ways to fleece more out of them!
*How should I fleece them next?*
Luo Chen, the fat rat, rolled his eyes slyly.
Chapter 90