Chapter 68

Well... I'm asking for recommendations. I sincerely ask for recommendations...

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They naturally couldn't see through Ji Ran's level. But at his age, no matter how talented he was, it was impossible for him to surpass those alchemy masters!

This was the most firm belief in the hearts of Yister and the others.

There was no way around it; alchemy could be considered an empirical science. No matter how good one's talent, without experience, one would still accomplish nothing. And experience was built up with large sums of money and vast amounts of time.

Every alchemy master was of considerable age. The youngest alchemy master was over forty.

At their current age, it was possible for them to become初级 alchemists. But a初级 alchemist, even when refining low-level magic items that had already formed a fixed pattern, had a pitifully low success rate. How could they possibly modify magic items?

That was something only an alchemy master could do!

Yister and the others looked at Ji Ran, unable to believe that this kid could really do such a thing.

Ji Ran ignored them and just looked at Sergei.

"Probably it's talent. I like to daydream and enjoy taking things apart and reassembling them according to my own ideas. Of course, I've also broken a lot of things... A few days ago, I listened to your lecture, then I looked up some information in the library. I always felt that these magic items could be refined according to another set of rules... By luck, I succeeded."

Ji Ran's words made Yister and the others sigh with relief. That's right, it was a fluke! It must have been a fluke! That guy, without any family or other forces backing him, what could he use to practice alchemy? What could he use to modify the established methods of making magic items?

But Professor Sergei gave Ji Ran a deep look. The magic item in his hand was still emitting a faint light. It seemed he had been probing the internal structure of the magic item all along.

"Is that so... Although luck played a big part, you did create a magic item that surpasses the level of others. Your score for this experiment is a perfect score." Sergei gave Ji Ran a meaningful look and placed the pendant on the table.

"What!" Yister and the others exclaimed again.

There was no way around it; this was a perfect score! Although one experiment score didn't count for much and hardly influenced the final exam results, it was still a perfect score!

With this perfect score, Yister's excellent grades didn't seem like much. His face turned ashen, and he glared at Ji Ran with malice.

It was this kid who had taken the top spot in his course! A kid with no background, relying on a bit of luck, had actually gotten a perfect score!

Yister looked at Ji Ran and deeply etched his face into his memory. Just wait, there will be plenty of time to trample you underfoot in the future!

Ji Ran didn't care about Yister's attitude. A guy who wore his jealousy on his face wasn't worth being afraid of. The most important thing now was that Sergei seemed to have understood his meaning.

His words were never intended to hide anything from Professor Sergei. An alchemy master, could he not see through the secret in that pendant?

This was no longer something that could be explained by luck. The only explanation was an alternative alchemy tradition!

Only this possibility could explain how a magic item that should have only one attribute could have three! Without making significant improvements to alchemy, it would be impossible to achieve such results with the same materials!

Of course, Professor Sergei understood. This student seemed to have a secret. His words in front of the other students also meant he didn't want to expose the secret... but he still wanted to communicate with him.

Understanding all this, Sergei didn't make a fuss and continued his rounds in the experimental class. But at the end, when he evaluated all the students' works and announced the end of the class, he tapped Ji Ran's desk.

"Stay if you have time."

Ji Ran smiled slightly and nodded. His goal had finally been achieved.

In the past half month at the academy, he hadn't been idle. Besides attending classes and cooking, he had done a lot of other things.

For example, he had inquired about Professor Lawrence and Professor Sergei's reputation and character.

The results were very satisfying. Professor Lawrence was a well-known figure in the academy, with a strength that was said to be unfathomable. His few disciples also had considerable fame outside, one of whom was said to possess a lost gold-level sword technique.

As for Professor Sergei's alchemy level, it was also among the best in the academy. He had presided over multiple large-scale alchemy experiments and developed many achievements. Most importantly, he placed great emphasis on the cultivation of the next generation. Once, in a large-scale alchemy experiment, he willingly served as his disciple's assistant, attributing all the experimental results to his disciple's discovery.

"Humanity progresses from generation to generation. If disciples can never surpass their teachers, then there is no hope for humanity's future." This was a saying by Sergei, which was also regarded as a motto by alchemists in many countries.

An alchemist with such a reputation would hardly covet his alchemy techniques, right? Of course, he wouldn't reveal everything.

His goal this time was to attract Sergei's attention.

Ji Ran wanted to refine new magical artifacts, but he had discovered that the alchemy in this world had its own unique characteristics. After all, a civilization that had developed over thousands or even tens of thousands of years wouldn't be inferior to other worlds.

Combining alchemy and artifact refinement techniques might greatly increase the power of the things he refined!

So, he decided to make Professor Sergei notice him in this experimental class. And, as expected, he succeeded.

An alchemy master would be interested in an alchemy tradition that he almost couldn't understand... These old guys' lifelong goal was to advance further, to become grandmasters, or even higher beings. How could they let go of an alchemy tradition they had never seen before?

Especially one that was vastly different from the current system and could produce better results with the same materials!

Ji Ran didn't want to reveal his secrets, but he had no choice. Studying the integration of alchemy and artifact refinement on his own would take too long. Professional matters should be handled by professionals. With Sergei's help, this process would be greatly shortened.

It might even help with his peculiar energy. This strange energy was clearly due to his transmigration to this world and the conflict with the two systems in his body, leading to a strange transformation. Alchemy, which was closely related to artifact refinement, could also be of great help.

Fortunately, Sergei understood his intentions.

The other students had left the classroom, leaving only Ji Ran and Sergei. Yister, noticing this, showed a jealous expression again, but he had no choice and had to leave.

"Do you have an alchemy tradition, right?" After the others had left, Sergei came to Ji Ran and slowly asked.

Ji Ran respectfully stood up. It was appropriate to show respect to an alchemy master.

"Yes, I once accidentally obtained an alchemy tradition. But without guidance, I could only explore on my own, and progress was too slow. So I think seeking guidance from Professor Sergei is the right choice."

Professor Sergei smiled, his beard trembling slightly.

"You're a smart kid. An alchemy tradition is something that can tempt a person to fall, especially one that is completely different from other alchemy traditions... To be honest, I am very interested in your alchemy tradition. If you are willing, we can certainly exchange ideas."

Sergei's response made Ji Ran very happy. He knew his goal had been successfully achieved.

Ji Ran left the alchemy classroom very late, even missing lunch. But he didn't mind, because he had gained a lot.

Professor Sergei, being an alchemy master, could enlighten him with just a few words about many of his previous confusions. He also revealed a bit of his artifact refinement knowledge to Sergei—of course, not all of it. Even if he revealed everything, Sergei wouldn't be able to understand.

The interplay of the five elements, which even Ji Ran only partially understood, couldn't be fully explained to Sergei.

But even revealing a bit was enough to excite Sergei. To him, it was a completely different approach! A significant transformation in alchemy, a hope for advancing the current alchemy to the next level!

Of course, it was also the key to his advancement to grandmaster.

What Ji Ran revealed was not much, just about the transformation and arrangement of elements, which could be done in a more scientific—well, in this world, the term was a bit strange—way to make the materials more effective. Just this much was enough to make Sergei extremely excited.

"In the future, whenever you have time, you can come to me! We can work together to bring about a revolutionary change in the alchemy of this world!" The usually calm and composed Sergei actually said this at the end.

It seemed that his value in Sergei's eyes had already changed completely...

Of course, Ji Ran also gained a lot from Sergei. The things taught in class were the most basic, but lacked an analysis of the essence of alchemy.

Lower-grade students were not yet qualified to study these things. Even if they did, they might not understand.

It's like how kindergarten children know that one plus one equals two, but studying why one plus one equals two is already beyond the scope of ordinary mathematicians.

But Ji Ran could accept these concepts. His knowledge of atoms and molecules from the previous world made it much easier for him to understand the essence of alchemy. Just a short conversation seemed to have lifted the veil on the most mysterious aspects of alchemy.

If he were to refine a magical artifact now, it would be vastly different from before!

Ji Ran was excited and couldn't wait to try it out.

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