From his chair, Lin Canghai let out a dismissive "Hmph!"
He put on a stern, patriarchal expression. "Careless! An alchemist's first duty is to respect his tools and his craft! To actually make a cauldron explode... it's a disgrace! You need to be more focused!"
Mu Qiuxue rolled her eyes at her husband, a familiar, long-suffering gesture. "Shut up, you old man. Don't listen to him, Yun'er. He's just grumpy."
She turned her warm gaze back to her son. "You must be tired from the journey. Tell me, what would you like to eat? I'll have the kitchen prepare it, or I'll make it myself."
Lin Yun couldn't help but laugh softly. The dynamic was so familiar. The stern, outwardly disapproving father and the nurturing, protective mother—their personalities were a perfect mirror of his parents back on Earth. The surreal feeling faded, replaced by a comforting sense of belonging.
Lin Canghai, clearly embarrassed at being undermined, coughed slightly to regain control of the conversation.
"Ahem! Enough of that. Yun'er, your grandfather's birthday celebration is tomorrow. Have you prepared a gift?"
Lin Yun nodded calmly. "I have prepared it, Father. I will present it to Grandpa tomorrow."
Satisfied, Lin Canghai grunted in acknowledgment.
After a brief, surprisingly comfortable chat about his life at the academy—where Lin Yun carefully omitted any mention of sabotage or systems—he was dismissed to settle in.
A different maid, not Yu Tao'er, guided him to his private courtyard within the vast manor. It was a quiet, spacious compound with a small garden, much larger and more luxurious than his academy residence.
Yu Tao'er was nowhere to be seen, likely already beginning her "training" under her father's stern supervision.
Several other maidservants were waiting to attend to him. He dismissed them all with a wave. "I wish to be alone. Do not disturb me."
Once the door to his bedchamber was closed, the quiet finally settled around him. The emotional rollercoaster of homecoming was over. Now, it was time for business.
He had claimed to have a gift prepared. It was time to actually make it. He wasn't going to just hand over the recipes on a piece of paper; he needed proof of their efficacy.
But first and foremost, he must check today's missions.
He navigated to the [Daily Missions] tab. The list had refreshed with the new day:
• F-Rank: Meditate for one hour. Reward: 5 EXP.
• F-Rank: Perform 100 cycles of basic Qi circulation. Reward: 5 EXP.
• F-Rank: Identify 10 common spiritual herbs from memory. Reward: 5 EXP.
• E-Rank: Successfully purify a single low-grade spiritual herb to 90% purity. Reward: 15 EXP.*
• D-Rank: Successfully concoct any low-grade pill. Reward: 25 EXP.
A slow, genuine smile spread across Lin Yun's face. This was perfect. The F-Rank missions were trivial warm-ups he could complete almost without thinking. The E-Rank purification mission dovetailed perfectly with the first step of pill concoction. And the D-Rank mission was his primary objective.
The EXP rewards were meager—only 55 EXP in total—but he wasn't complaining. In the early game, every point counted, and these missions aligned perfectly with his immediate goals. It was a lucky roll of the daily quest RNG.
"Accept all," he commanded mentally. The mission texts glowed, signifying they were active.
Now, it was time to begin. His first-ever pill refinement in this new world.
He focused and willed his Beginner's Iron Cauldron and a Basic Fire Crystal from his system inventory. With a soft shimmer, the simple, dark iron pot and the glowing red crystal appeared on the stone floor.
Buzz—
He slotted the crystal into the base and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy. A steady flame erupted, licking the bottom of the cauldron, its heat warming the room.
Next, he summoned the Qi Gathering Pill herb bundle. A cloth pouch materialized, filled with the raw ingredients: the brittle Frost-veined Leaf, the gnarled Stonehide Root, the vibrant Firebell Root, and the chalky Spirit-chalk Stone.
He took a deep, centering breath. This was the moment of truth. He wasn't just following a recipe; he was executing the system's optimized code, a program for transforming matter and energy.
His first step was the E-Rank mission: purification.
He selected the Frost-veined Leaf. Activating his Heavenly Eyes, the golden overlay revealed the leaf's internal structure—the vibrant blue spiritual veins and the murky grey impurities scattered throughout.
[Target: Frost-veined Leaf. Purity: 62%]
[Recommended Action: Apply gentle, oscillating spiritual pressure...]
He followed the system's instructions precisely, his spiritual energy pulsing in a specific, delicate rhythm.
The process was far smoother than his first, agonizing attempts. His control had improved, and the Enhanced Ingredient Purifier passive skill was silently at work, subtly boosting his efforts.
Minutes passed in focused silence. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, but his hands were steady. Finally, the last grey blotch dissolved.
[Purification Successful. Frost-veined Leaf Purity: 91%]
[Progress on Daily Quest (E-Rank): 1/1 - Completed!]
[Reward: 15 EXP.]
A wave of satisfaction washed over him. One mission down. The leaf in his hand now hummed with pure, potent energy.
He repeated the process for the other three main ingredients, purifying each one to well above the 90% threshold. The Stonehide Root reached 89%, the Firebell Root 92%, and the Spirit-chalk Stone, the most difficult, reached 87%. His Alchemy Art Knowledge and the hours spent studying were clearly paying off.
With all ingredients purified, the real alchemy could begin. This was for the D-Rank mission.
He carefully placed the ingredients into the warmed cauldron in the sequence dictated by the system's recipe. The Heavenly Eyes remained active, providing a constant stream of data.
[Cauldron Temperature: 185 degrees. Optimal for fusion.]
[Spiritual Energy Saturation: Low. Increase input by 12%.]
[Ingredient Resonance: Detected. Maintain current heat.]
It was like having a real-time debugger and performance monitor for a chemical reaction. He wasn't guessing; he was adjusting variables based on live feedback.
He channeled his spiritual energy into the cauldron, guiding the process. The ingredients began to melt and merge, their spiritual essences swirling together in a complex dance.
He followed the system's "code"—a specific sequence of energy pulses and temperature modulations that was far more efficient than the standard Lin Clan recipe…