Two days after the public demonstration, the Azure Serpent Sect was still buzzing about the Harmonizing Catalyst. Rayen Wu and Lin Xue had become minor legends in the alchemical circles—and thorns in the side of every traditionalist who thought pills should be made with intuition and incense, not iterative simulations and quantum equations.
"I can't believe we got fan mail," Rayen muttered, flipping through a folded letter sealed with gold wax.
:: Clarification: Three letters are fan mail. Two are marriage proposals. One contains powdered rat spleen and a passive-aggressive haiku. Response pending. ::
Lin Xue leaned over his shoulder. "At least no one's tried to poison us yet."
"Statistically, that's due next week."
Before Q.E.D. could comment, a gong sounded across the sect—low, solemn, and loud enough to rattle windows.
"That's not a dinner bell," Rayen muttered.
A disciple burst into the lab, red-faced and panting. "Lab 3A! Emergency duel challenge! Sect edict!"
Rayen blinked. "A… what now?"
The scene in front of Lab 3A looked like a spiritual carnival. Disciples crowded the perimeter, murmuring with anticipation. In the center stood Jin Taoran—an Inner Disciple, robe pristine, sleeves embroidered with silver sigils. Behind him glowed a gold-rimmed furnace, clearly enchanted and very smug-looking.
"This," Jin declared, gesturing to his setup, "is a True Flame Meridian Furnace—passed down from the Crimson Fire Pavilion."
He smirked at Rayen, who had just arrived with Lin Xue.
"And I challenge Wu Rayen to a Furnace Duel. Let the best alchemist win."
Rayen blinked. "That's a thing?"
:: Verification complete. Sect regulation 11.3: Furnace duels are permitted under trial clause 9-B. Criteria: time, purity, and novelty of results. Secondary criteria: explosions. ::
Lin Xue gave him a side-eye. "He's baiting you."
Rayen cracked his neck. "Let's hope he packed marshmallows."
Furnace duels were divided into three stages: Ingredient Assembly, Refinement, and Demonstration. The first phase began with a bell.
Rayen and Jin stepped into mirrored alchemy platforms. An overseer dropped a silk-draped basket between them—identical ingredients, no outside tools allowed.
Rayen stared at the list: Ice Petal Root, Blackscale Vine, Drifting Ember Dust, and three unmarked herbs.
"Classic," he muttered. "Mystery round."
:: Initiating chemical profile scans. Compound identification in progress. ::
Jin was already heating his cauldron, flame rising high.
Rayen, by contrast, activated low-heat differential control, using microburst pulses to dry-shift alkaloid ratios.
:: Compound volatility stabilized. Begin recursive fractionation. ::
Steam hissed from both furnaces. Jin poured his first mixture into a jade mold with practiced flair. It shimmered crimson.
"Let's see you top that, soup boy," he called.
Rayen didn't answer. His furnace glowed silver-blue.
He twisted his hands through a formulaic spiral, added the Dust, and dropped in a droplet of his own blood.
Lin Xue gasped. "What are you—"
Rayen whispered, "Adaptive resonance lock."
The contents in his furnace flared, then calmed.
:: Pill formation complete. Class: Intermediate-grade Dual-State Regulator. Effect: Converts environmental Qi into dual-aspect energy streams. ::
The referee stepped forward to evaluate both entries. Jin's pill was potent—a solid A-rank purification draught. Rayen's, however, began to glow faintly when placed near elemental talismans, shifting color with ambient Qi.
The crowd held its breath.
Then the referee bowed. "Victory: Wu Rayen."
Jin stood frozen. "You cheated."
Rayen raised an eyebrow. "I used science."
Jin's face twisted. "You used trickery."
Lin Xue stepped between them. "He used innovation. Try it sometime."
The crowd parted as Elder Fan arrived.
"Well," she said, sipping from her ever-present teacup. "That was satisfying."
She turned to Jin. "You issued the challenge. You lost. You will now submit your alchemical notes for public peer review."
Jin paled.
Then she turned to Rayen and Lin. "As for you two—prepare. The Sect Elders have voted unanimously. You're being sent to the Intersect Alchemical Symposium next month."
Rayen's jaw dropped. "That's... that's the biggest cross-sect research conference in the entire region."
Fan's eyes twinkled. "Yes. Time to test your methods against the rest of the continent."
:: Notification: Reputation tier upgraded. New title unlocked: 'Alchemical Disruptor'. ::
Rayen exhaled slowly. "Looks like this just went continental."
**[Rayen Wu – Cultivator Status Sheet]**
• Cultivation Stage: Foundation Establishment – Layer 2
• Core Stability: 91%
• Martial Techniques:
⁃ Ember Pulse Palm
⁃ Thermal Weave Breathing
⁃ Kinetic Feedback Reversal
⁃ Steam Qi Displacement
⁃ Thermal Refraction Layer
• Alchemy Techniques:
⁃ Recursive Alchemy
⁃ Quantum Fractional Distillation
⁃ Pill Matrix Harmonization
⁃ Adaptive Resonance Lock (New)
• Pill Formulas Mastered:
⁃ High-tier Body Refinement Pill
⁃ Ember Spark Draught
⁃ Soup of Enlightenment (banned)
⁃ Dewfire Insight Tonic
⁃ Harmonizing Catalyst (Stabilized)
⁃ Dual-State Regulator (New)
• Reputation: Sect-Ranked Alchemist, Quantum Oddity, Alchemical Disruptor