Chapter 91: Luo Chen, the Biggest Rat of the Broken Mountain Gang (First Update)

After practicing this morning, Luo Chen thought of a problem.

Or rather, it wasn't really a problem; it was something he had already considered.

Would he have to personally handle all the future alchemy in the Alchemy Hall?

If he did, he would surely be exhausted!

His previous solution was to delegate some tasks to others.

For example, watching the fire.

So when he started refining pills yesterday, he tried this approach.

However, the actual situation was rather unsatisfactory.

Even after emergency training, the cultivators still couldn't handle their tasks well.

This forced Luo Chen to run back and forth between the three alchemy rooms, frequently intervening.

The Qi-Condensing Pill was just a low-grade medicine, but the Wondrous Pill was a first-grade pill, which required even higher attention to detail!

To prevent himself from being overworked, Luo Chen carefully considered the situation in the morning and decided to make some changes.

That was to divide the tasks!

...

"Division of labor?"

Hearing this, the group of thirty people became somewhat restless.

They didn't understand what he meant. Wasn't alchemy supposed to be a continuous process? Could it be divided?

Luo Chen glanced at the speaker, a man named Luo Erduo, who seemed older than himself.

A member of the main family!

Unfortunately, he wasn't very friendly.

Behind him was Luo Wudi, the Tiger of the Mountain.

During the Bright Moon Hall meeting, Luo Wudi was clearly on Mi Shuhua's side.

Now that Mi Shuhua supported him, it didn't mean that Mi Shuhua's subordinates would support him as well.

His expression was cold, "Yes, division of labor is necessary. I know some of you are here to learn alchemy. Do you know the process of training a legitimate alchemist in the sect?"

Everyone was clueless.

Just as Luo Chen was about to start explaining, a gentle voice spoke up.

"Identifying herbs, mastering fire, reading a hundred classics, studying pill formulas, mastering techniques, and then gradually handling low-grade pills until one can refine mid-grade pills, before moving on to other pills."

Luo Chen's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He looked over and saw that the speaker had a pale face but remained calm under his gaze.

It was Mi Li!

Mi Junping's daughter, Mi Shuhua's granddaughter.

Forget it, he couldn't afford to offend her!

He didn't know her status in the family, but since she was sent to the Alchemy Hall, he had to give her the respect she deserved.

He cleared his throat, "Yes, Miss Mi is correct."

With his hands behind his back, Luo Chen paced in front of the crowd.

"Major sects do this, let alone you who have no alchemy experience."

"So, dividing tasks and focusing on one specific job is what you need to do now, and it's the only thing you can do."

After this explanation, no one objected.

After all, Luo Chen was the head of the Alchemy Hall!

Without further ado, Luo Chen divided the thirty people into six teams of five.

One team was responsible for processing several auxiliary materials, another for different auxiliary materials, and two more for processing the main materials.

The remaining two teams were responsible for mastering fire control, and they would take turns in the three alchemy rooms.

Perhaps he should consider appointing a fire control team leader at some point?

"The raw materials for the Qi-Condensing Pill and the Wondrous Pill, you must familiarize yourselves with them quickly. Then, follow the methods I teach you to process them specially."

"Also, I don't want you to try to understand the work of other teams before you are familiar with your own tasks. That will slow your progress."

"You might think I'm holding you back, but if you do that, don't blame me for not warning you."

After saying this, he waved his hand.

Gu Caiyi led a group of people, bringing him the various herbs he needed.

"This is the most common ginseng, artificially cultivated, ten years old. It contains very little spiritual energy but is an important auxiliary material for many low-grade pills."

"Therefore, the processing methods are varied. I'll teach you two methods first. A few of you, follow me to the medicine room!"

Five people eagerly followed Luo Chen into the room.

The rest stood outside, whispering to each other.

In the crowd, Mi Li's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, and her pale face showed a hint of confusion.

The standard process was indeed as the hall master said.

But was it necessary to divide the tasks so finely?

...

Was it necessary?

Luo Chen said, of course it was!

If he didn't divide the tasks so finely, you would all learn the entire pre-refinement process.

If you also learned the material ratios and the corresponding alchemy techniques for each batch of pills,

After failing a few dozen or a hundred times, you might succeed.

At that point, what would be the use of the Broken Mountain Gang's top alchemist?

Luo Chen was artificially creating a knowledge barrier.

Even if someone deliberately gathered these people together in the future and combined their knowledge, it would take a lot of effort.

Even if they understood it, Luo Chen planned to make some adjustments in the later alchemy details.

In short, he didn't want to teach his apprentices and starve himself.

...

Teaching these people the corresponding skills took Luo Chen five days.

It didn't seem like much, but some people were already getting impatient.

Mi Shuhua specifically asked Sikong Shoujia when he would start refining the Wondrous Pills.

After all, so many cultivators were consuming spirit stones in the Alchemy Hall!

After understanding the situation of the Broken Mountain Gang, Luo Chen learned that the logistics hall, unlike the combat hall, mostly paid a fixed salary, with no bonuses.

The combat hall was different; income depended on the harvest.

During major battles or significant harvests, there were often substantial rewards.

Therefore, most capable cultivators were in the three combat halls and Wang Yuan's Dragon Hall.

In response to Sikong Shoujia's probing, Luo Chen simply said, "No rush, no rush!"

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry. After training this group of people, his future alchemy work would be much easier.

Five days later.

Mi Shuhua personally came to the Alchemy Hall.

Luo Chen no longer delayed and immediately instructed his subordinates to start refining.

Steam rose from the three alchemy rooms, and the Light Rain Pavilion was once again in operation.

Seeing Luo Chen moving between the three alchemy rooms, directing the cultivators and adding herbs, Mi Shuhua's anxiety eased somewhat.

"Grandfather."

"Hmm."

Without turning his head, Mi Shuhua asked, "Have you learned anything under Hall Master Luo Chen these past few days?"

Mi Li said softly, "He is extremely proficient in the processing techniques for the herbs of the two pills, far surpassing the alchemists the family used to hire."

Mi Shuhua shook his head, "Those alchemists could only refine low-grade pills, so they naturally can't match Luo Chen."

Mi Li thought for a moment, "Hall Master is also very experienced in controlling the fire."

"I'm not asking about these things!"

"Other than that, he hasn't said anything and doesn't allow us apprentices to observe."

"Apprentices?" Mi Shuhua was curious about this term.

Mi Li immediately answered, "Currently, the Alchemy Hall is divided into apprentices and fire controllers. The specific tasks are self-explanatory."

After hearing this, Mi Shuhua's eyebrows furrowed.

After some thought, his eyebrows lifted.

"Go in and observe!"

Mi Li looked up, somewhat hesitant.

But under Mi Shuhua's determined gaze, she finally stepped into the alchemy room where Luo Chen was busy.

In the alchemy room.

Luo Chen immediately noticed the newcomer.

He looked directly at her, his gaze cold, and said nothing.

The woman froze in place.

The fire controller, who was watching the fire, also held his breath.

For a moment, the only sounds in the alchemy room were the crackling of the green steel wood and the bubbling from the pill furnace.

Outside the alchemy room, Mi Shuhua was closely watching.

He first raised his eyebrows, then frowned, and finally took a deep breath.

A mental message was sent in.

"Mi Li is the most talented alchemist in our family. Let her observe for a bit."

"This is how I make a living!"

"She..."

"No, unless... you give me an additional bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills every month!"

...

...

Can observing someone refine pills teach you the techniques?

The answer to this question varies.

For those with outstanding talent, a small technique or a single release of spiritual energy might be enough to help them understand and even gain insights.

But for most people without alchemy talent, even watching ten or a hundred times would be hard to learn anything.

Especially for those with a weak foundation in alchemy.

Luo Chen's proficiency in refining the Wondrous Pill had already reached the perfect level, and the pills he refined were at least mid-grade.

In other words, his alchemy skills for the Wondrous Pill had already reached the initial master level.

His techniques were already vastly different from the beginner stage.

Mi Li was now fully focused on observing his techniques. Even if she learned something, it would be for refining mid-grade Wondrous Pills.

The question is, could she directly refine mid-grade pills after learning these techniques?

The answer is no.

Because she would still need to start with low-grade Wondrous Pills.

The various techniques for refining low-grade Wondrous Pills had already been simplified by Luo Chen as his proficiency increased.

Without those basic techniques, Mi Li would never be able to refine mid-grade or even low-grade Wondrous Pills in her lifetime.

Therefore, Luo Chen wasn't really worried about his skills being stolen.

But with this reputation, he couldn't let it go.

An additional bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills every month was a good deal for him!

...

Being a first-grade pill, the refining time for the Wondrous Pill far exceeded that of the Qi-Condensing Powder.

It took the entire morning to complete the refining in the three alchemy rooms.

Under Mi Shuhua's watchful eye, Luo Chen dismissed everyone and began the pill collection process.

In the alchemy room, Luo Chen's expression was solemn as he used the牵引术 (traction technique) to open the furnace lid.

The low-grade Purple Cloud Copper Furnace produced ten pills, seven of which were mid-grade and three low-grade.

Luo Chen was satisfied; this was a result of his deliberate control.

If he did it himself, all mid-grade pills would be normal.

"Even though I dismissed everyone, Mi Shuhua's spiritual sense is probably secretly observing here."

"But I don't need to deliberately show off."

"Just do it as usual!"

Exiting the room, he opened the copper furnace in another alchemy room.

An instant burnt smell spread.

Luo Chen shook his head, without any regret.

Even at the perfect proficiency level, a 100% success rate couldn't be guaranteed.

Currently, his success rate was around 40%.

This was already very high.

Based on the experience with the Qi-Condensing Powder, the success rate at each stage was roughly fixed.

10% at the beginner stage, 20% at the proficient stage, 30% at the expert stage, and around 40% at the perfect stage.

At the grandmaster stage, the success rate could stabilize at around 50%.

As for a 100% success rate?

Luo Chen had never really considered it. Among alchemists, there was a saying that the higher the grade of the pill, the lower the success rate.

Even the legendary Central Plains Alchemy Sage, who could easily refine high-grade pills, occasionally failed when dealing with third or fourth-grade pills.

In Luo Chen's view, as long as the success rate was over 50%, the high profit margin of pills would make the returns extremely terrifying!

Outside, Mi Shuhua's eyebrows subconsciously furrowed when he sensed a failed batch.

That meant five spirit stones' worth of raw materials were wasted.

However, when Luo Chen opened the mid-grade pill furnace and the fragrance spread, his eyebrows relaxed completely.

Holding a large wooden tray, Luo Chen walked out of the alchemy room.

"This time, we were lucky. Thirty pills were successfully refined, mostly mid-grade, with a few low-grade."

"Mission accomplished!"

He casually handed the tray to Mi Li, patted his hands, and showed no concern.

The usually pale woman's face now had a hint of redness.

She was excited!

Three alchemy rooms, four batches of raw materials, three successful!

The success rate was over 50% mid-grade.

What did this mean?

It meant Luo Chen was a genuine first-grade alchemist, and an outstanding one at that, a true elite!

If Luo Chen could ensure all mid-grade pills and produce a few high-grade ones, he could be called a master in this pill!

Of course, the cultivation world never had such detailed classifications.

A master alchemist was at least someone who could refine third-grade pills.

No one would measure someone's level based on their achievements in a specific pill.

Seeing his granddaughter's excited expression, Mi Shuhua knew Luo Chen's alchemy skills had convinced her.

For himself, he was calculating the profit.

Thirty Wondrous Pills, how many spirit stones could they sell for?

"Luo Chen, you did a great job!"

Luo Chen smirked and waved his hand, "Today was a good start, but it doesn't mean every time will be this lucky."

"Hehe, I trust you the most."

"By the way, I still need more mid-stage cultivators. Send a few more over," Luo Chen said.

"Not enough yet?" Mi Shuhua was surprised.

Luo Chen pointed to the pills on the tray, "After refining, there's a period of settling the medicinal properties, which is very important. External factors could cause the pill's power to diminish. We need a group of people to constantly monitor them."

Mi Li also chimed