Chapter 6: Even failure can increase proficiency?

Pfft!

Looking at the pitch-black lump in the pot and smelling the acrid, burnt odor, Luo Chen’s eyes turned bloodshot, his face ashen.

Failure!

The sixth pot, another failure!

This was the sixth day of refining Zhongmiao Pills. He had been proceeding methodically, at a pace of one pot per day.

The final result left him deeply wounded.

Not a single success!

The best attempt had only yielded a pot of pale red mush.

He was certain that the pill formula stated the final product should be deep red—redder than his own patriotic heart!

With a dejected expression, he picked up the pot and dumped the black lump on the other side of the creek.

Then, by the water’s edge, he began scrubbing the pot with a loofah, his movements listless.

In his mind, he kept replaying the refining process.

"The proportions were definitely correct; I used a scale to be as precise as possible."

"The order of adding ingredients couldn't be wrong either; I added each one exactly when the symptoms appeared."

"Was it the heat? Or perhaps the firewood? But the formula said any peach wood would do. It’s just a first-tier pill; it shouldn't have such high requirements."

"Or is it my technique?"

The string of failures had Luo Chen starting to doubt himself.

He even wondered if he lacked talent for alchemy, and that his success with Bigu Powder was only because the original owner had talent and he had merely stepped through the door.

He was nothing more than someone who had stolen a game account already leveled up by someone else, sprinting along a path already paved.

*Splash!*

Water sprayed onto his face.

A large carp had swum by, jumping as it passed and splashing him.

There were more and more fish in the creek lately; they were probably washed down from the Lancang River when the water levels rose.

Glancing at the fish as it swam away, Luo Chen felt a surge of irritation.

*Bala-la energy!*

"Fireball Technique!"

A lump of charcoal floated up from the water's surface, drifting away down the creek.

He looked down at the clean iron pot in his hands.

"Could it be the equipment?"

Luo Chen couldn't help but let out the classic bitter laugh of a web novel protagonist. He knew all too well the predicament of his alchemy.

No master to guide him, no family to support him, not even proper alchemy equipment.

Others used fine magical pill furnaces, burning heavenly spiritual fires, while he was here using an iron pot to boil medicine.

But a good magical pill furnace cost ten times more than a flying sword of the same tier!

Even the defensive artifacts most favored by rogue cultivators weren't as precious as a pill furnace.

Just scraping together the raw materials for ten batches of Zhongmiao Pills had already bankrupted him; buying a furnace or cauldron was out of the question.

Moreover, even the trashiest pill furnace couldn't be heated with ordinary firewood.

At the very least, it required first-tier spiritual wood, and the alchemist had to constantly adjust the heat with their own spiritual power.

He couldn't afford first-tier spiritual wood, and he didn't have the cultivation level to constantly adjust the heat with spiritual power!

Sometimes he imagined those alchemists in rumors, who would produce a dozen pills rolling out of the furnace at once, rather than having to knead the scalding hot medicinal paste into balls by hand.

Who didn't know that stuff was hot?

Some medicinal pastes even had negative effects on the flesh!

It was just that he lacked the conditions!

After a bout of self-pity, Luo Chen put the pot back on the stove, untied his apron, and sat at the front door.

Facing the sunset, he slapped himself twice.

"Why think about all that useless stuff!"

"I've already bet my entire fortune on this. Even if I hit a brick wall, I have to break through it!"

"I'll take a break from refining tomorrow and adjust my mindset."

Everyone knows that haste makes waste.

But when things come to a head, one often only realizes they were too anxious after they've bumped their head and gotten a lump.

There was nothing to do that night, and a stifled fire burned in Luo Chen’s chest.

He had to vent it!

So...

Fireball Technique!

Fireball Technique!

Fireball Technique!

The creek suffered, and the fish in the river cried out in misery.

Nine consecutive Fireball Techniques cast at full power drained his spiritual energy completely.

With nine points of proficiency gained, Luo Chen returned to his room, exhausted, sat cross-legged, and began circulating the Changchun Technique.

One major cycle, and one-fifth of his spiritual energy was restored.

Another major cycle, and another fifth was restored.

Well, that was it.

Low-tier cultivators had weak physiques, and their spirits and souls hadn't undergone a qualitative change; practicing two or three times a night was about the limit.

In the second half of the night, Luo Chen fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up the next day, his spiritual energy had still not even recovered to half.

The limited spiritual energy was, in fact, the reason he couldn't use spell proficiency to break through barriers and gain achievement points.

Grinding the Fireball Technique for one day required five days to recover!

Even the low-energy Cleaning Technique required sufficient time.

Luo Chen didn't live in a particularly safe place; he had to keep some mana in reserve at all times to escape.

In fact, when he woke up that morning, he felt a lingering fear.

He had been crazy last night, actually using up all his spiritual energy. If a demonic beast had wandered by, he wouldn't have had the strength to resist.

"Can't do that again, must remember!"

He muttered to himself, sat cross-legged, and ran the Changchun Technique once more.

His spiritual energy recovered another fifth.

Then, he opened his attribute panel.

【Name: Luo Chen】

【Lifespan: 27/75】

【Spiritual Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth】

【Realm: Qi Refining Stage 3: 75/100】

【Cultivation Method: Changchun Technique Proficient: 249/300】

【Spells: Cleaning Technique Novice 51/100, Entanglement Technique Skilled 176/200, Fireball Technique Perfect 304/500】

【Skills: First-tier Alchemist: Bigu Powder Grandmaster 507/1000, Zhongmiao Pill Novice 3/100】

【Achievement Points: 1 (Can be used for corresponding realm cultivation methods, spells, and skill entry)】

Looking at the attribute panel, Luo Chen was dazed.

His lifespan was, unsurprisingly, his own from before he transmigrated. The original owner of this body had long since died; his lifespan should have been zero.

The reason he wanted to earn spirit stones so badly was for cultivation, for longevity.

Thinking that if he hadn't transmigrated, he would only live to 75 on Earth, he felt a bit sad.

He wouldn't even reach the age for a "happy funeral" at eighty, where his descendants could dance at his wake—though he had been a lonely bachelor before transmigrating.

So in this life, he must step by step cultivate to the highest level and live the longest!

Then, cold reality slapped him in the face. Half a month had passed, and he hadn't stopped his twice-daily Changchun Technique practice.

But his realm remained unmoved.

A balanced five-element spiritual root couldn't be this trashy, could it?

How did the original owner reach the third level of Qi Refining? Surely the owner of those remains hadn't left him several large bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills!

After the cold reality came the warmth brought by the transmigrator's welfare.

Changchun Technique proficiency had increased by 26 points, though he didn't feel much difference.

In the spells section, the Cleaning Technique had increased by two points—once for cleaning his robe, and once for cleaning the iron pot to remove the lingering odors from refining Bigu Powder.

The Entanglement Technique hadn't changed much, and he didn't want to go around using "Blue Silver Entanglement" to kill Golden Core cultivators above his level.

The Fireball Technique, however, had surged by 36 points due to his twice-daily maximum usage and last night's indulgence.

It had broken through the Proficient level and reached the Perfect level.

It even provided an achievement point for breaking through.

Hehe, he wondered what a Perfect-level Fireball Technique felt like?

But his spiritual energy wasn't fully recovered yet, so he had to suppress his excited heart and hands!

Thinking this, Luo Chen closed the attribute panel.

But before closing it, his gaze subconsciously flickered over the achievement points. He blinked and quickly reopened the panel.

"Wait!"

"【Skills: First-tier Alchemist: Bigu Powder Grandmaster 507/1000, Zhongmiao Pill Novice 3/100】"

He remembered clearly that after using an achievement point to start the Zhongmiao Pill skill, the proficiency should have been only 1 point, but now it was 3.

But he had never successfully refined a single Zhongmiao Pill!

"Failure can increase proficiency too?"