The Transmigrated Alchemist's Revenge System

Chapter 4

# **Chapter 4: "The Alchemist's Eye"**

The Xiao family's herb garden was a testament to generations of careful cultivation. Nestled in the eastern courtyard of the compound, it stretched across nearly an acre of carefully tended plots where hundreds of spiritual herbs grew in organized rows. Morning mist clung to the leaves as Alex made his way through the narrow pathways, his eyes taking in details that Xiao Feng had never noticed despite walking these same paths for eighteen years.

"Crimson Lotus petals," Alex murmured, kneeling beside a cluster of deep red flowers. "High concentration of what looks like natural alkaloids, but the molecular structure is... impossible."

He reached out to touch one of the petals, and immediately his vision shifted. The flower didn't just look different—he could *see* its internal structure, the way energy flowed through its cellular matrix like liquid light. It was as if someone had given him a microscope that could observe both physical and spiritual dimensions simultaneously.

**[MOLECULAR SIGHT ACTIVATED]**

**[ANALYSIS MODE: ENHANCED PERCEPTION]**

**[WARNING: ABILITY USE WITHOUT SYSTEM PURCHASE MAY CAUSE STRAIN]**

"I didn't purchase this ability," Alex said quietly, not wanting to alert the gardeners working in the distance. "How am I accessing it?"

**[HOST'S ORIGINAL RESEARCH CREATED NATURAL COMPATIBILITY WITH ENHANCED PERCEPTION]**

**[SYSTEM AMPLIFYING EXISTING CAPABILITIES RATHER THAN GRANTING NEW ONES]**

Alex nodded, understanding. His work with cellular regeneration had required him to develop an intuitive understanding of molecular structures that went beyond normal scientific training. Somehow, that enhanced perception had carried over to this world, allowing him to see the spiritual energy patterns that governed cultivation materials.

"Show me what you're really made of," he whispered to the Crimson Lotus.

The flower's structure unfolded in his enhanced vision like a three-dimensional blueprint. He could see the qi pathways running through the petals, the concentration of spiritual energy in specific cellular clusters, and most importantly, the way those energy patterns would interact with human meridians.

"Cardiovascular stimulant," Alex analyzed. "Increases blood flow and qi circulation, but with a side effect of... emotional volatility. That's why it's used in rage-enhancing pills."

He moved to the next plant, a delicate blue herb that Xiao Feng's memories identified as Serenity Grass. Under his enhanced perception, Alex could see that it produced compounds that would interact with neural pathways, specifically those governing emotional regulation.

"A natural anxiolytic," he breathed. "But the cultivation world uses it wrong. They're processing it at too high a temperature, destroying the active compounds."

**[ANALYSIS CONFIRMED: TRADITIONAL PROCESSING METHODS INEFFICIENT]**

**[ESTIMATED POTENCY INCREASE WITH PROPER TECHNIQUE: 340%]**

Alex stood up, excitement coursing through him. This was better than he'd hoped. The cultivation world's alchemists were working with incredibly potent spiritual materials, but they were using primitive techniques that wasted most of the active compounds. It was like watching someone try to perform surgery with a butter knife.

"Uncle Chen," he called out, spotting the gardener tending to a patch of Golden Root near the garden's center.

The older man looked up, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yes, Young Master? I've sent word to the herb merchants about the materials you requested. They should be available by tomorrow afternoon."

"Good," Alex said, approaching him. "But I need to ask you something. How much do you know about the family's alchemical traditions?"

Uncle Chen's expression grew cautious. "I know that your grandfather was considered a skilled alchemist before he passed. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think I understand why our family's pill-making has been declining," Alex said, gesturing to the herbs around them. "We have excellent raw materials, but we're processing them incorrectly."

"Young Master," Uncle Chen said carefully, "alchemy is a complex art. Even your grandfather spent decades learning—"

"My grandfather was working with incomplete knowledge," Alex interrupted. "What if I told you I could increase the potency of our healing pills by three hundred percent?"

The gardener's eyes widened. "That's... that's impossible. The recipes have been passed down for generations. They're proven methods."

"Proven, but not optimal," Alex said, kneeling beside a cluster of Healing Moss. Under his enhanced vision, he could see the spiritual energy concentrated in tiny crystalline structures within the plant's cellular matrix. "Look at this moss. Traditional processing involves drying it in sunlight, then grinding it into powder. But that destroys half the active compounds."

He carefully plucked a small sample of the moss, holding it up to the light. "The spiritual energy is stored in cellular structures that break down when exposed to heat and oxidation. If we could extract the active compounds without damaging them..."

"How?" Uncle Chen asked, his skepticism giving way to curiosity.

Alex smiled. "Cold extraction. Pressure filtration. Controlled atmospheric processing. Techniques that preserve the molecular integrity while concentrating the spiritual essence."

**[KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION SUCCESSFUL]**

**[TRADITIONAL ALCHEMY + MODERN CHEMISTRY = ENHANCED PROCESSING METHODS]**

**[ESTIMATED SUCCESS RATE: 89%]**

"I need to test this," Alex said, standing up. "Uncle Chen, do we have access to the family's alchemy laboratory?"

"The old laboratory in the western wing?" Uncle Chen scratched his head. "It's been closed since your grandfather passed. Your father said it was too expensive to maintain without a skilled alchemist."

"Perfect," Alex said. "Nobody will question why I'm spending time there. Can you help me clean it out and get it functional again?"

"Young Master, even if your theories are correct, creating pills requires significant qi manipulation. Your meridians—"

"Are damaged, not destroyed," Alex finished. "And I'm going to work around that limitation. Traditional alchemy requires qi to bind the spiritual essences together, but that's not the only way to create stable compounds."

Uncle Chen looked confused, but he nodded. "I'll help you, Young Master. But if your father asks—"

"Tell him I'm exploring the family traditions," Alex said. "Which is technically true."

As they walked toward the western wing of the compound, Alex's mind was already working through the possibilities. Traditional cultivation alchemy relied on the alchemist's qi to force spiritual essences to combine, but that was an incredibly inefficient process. Most of the energy was wasted, and the resulting pills were often unstable.

But with his understanding of molecular chemistry, Alex could approach the problem differently. Instead of forcing compounds together with brute spiritual force, he could identify the natural binding affinities between different substances and create conditions where they would combine spontaneously.

The old laboratory was in better condition than Alex had expected. His grandfather had been meticulous about maintaining his equipment, and most of the basic tools were still functional. Clay cauldrons of various sizes, measuring instruments, temperature regulation arrays powered by spirit stones, and shelves lined with empty bottles and containers.

"It's like a medieval chemistry lab," Alex muttered, examining a complex distillation apparatus. "Primitive, but workable."

**[EQUIPMENT ANALYSIS COMPLETE]**

**[UPGRADING EFFICIENCY: POSSIBLE WITH MINOR MODIFICATIONS]**

**[ESTIMATED COST: MINIMAL]**

"Uncle Chen," Alex said, "I'm going to need some additional materials. Nothing expensive, just some common items that most people wouldn't think to use for alchemy."

"Such as?"

"Ice. Lots of ice. Also, I need you to find me some thin metal pipes, preferably copper or silver. And if you can locate any glass containers with tight-fitting lids, that would be perfect."

Uncle Chen looked puzzled but nodded. "I can have those items by this evening. But Young Master, why ice? Traditional alchemy requires heat to activate the spiritual essences."

"Because traditional alchemy is wrong," Alex said simply. "Heat destroys as much as it creates. What we need is controlled conditions and precise timing."

As Uncle Chen left to gather the requested materials, Alex began examining the laboratory more carefully. His enhanced vision revealed traces of spiritual energy lingering in the equipment, residual essence from his grandfather's work. But more importantly, he could see the inefficiencies in the traditional setup.

"System," he said quietly, "can you analyze the spiritual energy patterns in this room?"

**[ANALYSIS INITIATED...]**

**[SPIRITUAL RESIDUE DETECTED: GRANDFATHER'S ALCHEMICAL SIGNATURE]**

**[ENERGY PATTERN: STABLE BUT INEFFICIENT]**

**[RECOMMENDATION: MODIFIED APPROACH WILL INCREASE SUCCESS RATE]**

"Show me grandfather's most successful formula," Alex requested.

**[ACCESSING HOST MEMORIES...]**

**[FORMULA RETRIEVED: BASIC HEALING PILL]**

**[INGREDIENTS: HEALING MOSS, CRIMSON LOTUS, SILVER VINE SAP]**

**[TRADITIONAL METHOD: HEAT PROCESSING, QI BINDING]**

**[SUCCESS RATE: 60%]**

**[POTENCY: MODERATE]**

Alex studied the formula, his scientific mind immediately spotting the problems. The traditional method involved heating the ingredients to activate their spiritual essences, then using the alchemist's qi to force them into a stable combination. But heating destroyed many of the delicate compounds, and qi binding was imprecise at best.

"What if we approached it differently?" Alex mused. "Instead of forcing the combination, what if we created conditions where the spiritual essences would naturally align?"

He began sketching modifications to the traditional process, combining his pharmaceutical knowledge with the spiritual principles of cultivation alchemy. Cold extraction to preserve delicate compounds, precise timing to take advantage of natural reaction cycles, and controlled atmospheric conditions to prevent degradation.

**[MODIFIED FORMULA ANALYSIS:]**

**[ESTIMATED SUCCESS RATE: 95%]**

**[ESTIMATED POTENCY INCREASE: 300%]**

**[RESOURCE EFFICIENCY: 150% IMPROVEMENT]**

"Beautiful," Alex said, looking at his notes. "But I need to test it on a small scale first."

He selected a small sample of Healing Moss from the garden, along with a single Crimson Lotus petal and a few drops of Silver Vine sap. Using his enhanced vision, he could see the spiritual energy patterns in each ingredient, the way they wanted to combine but were prevented by the crude traditional processing methods.

"Let's try something new," Alex said, placing the ingredients in a small clay bowl.

Instead of applying heat, he began with cold extraction. Using ice to lower the temperature, he created conditions where the spiritual essences would separate from the physical plant matter without being damaged. The process was slow, but Alex could see it working. The spiritual energy began to concentrate in the liquid, forming visible patterns that traditional alchemists would never have imagined.

**[PROCESS MONITORING: SUCCESSFUL]**

**[SPIRITUAL ESSENCE PURITY: 89% (TRADITIONAL METHOD: 34%)]**

**[CONTINUE CURRENT APPROACH]**

Next came the crucial step: combination. Traditional alchemy would use qi to force the essences together, but Alex took a different approach. He studied the natural resonance patterns of each essence, identifying the frequencies where they would spontaneously align.

"Vibrational harmony," he murmured, using a small metal rod to create precise sound waves in the liquid. "Every compound has a natural frequency where it achieves maximum stability."

The three essences began to combine, not through force but through natural affinity. Alex watched in fascination as the spiritual energy patterns merged, creating a compound that was far more stable and potent than anything traditional methods could produce.

**[PILL FORMATION: COMPLETE]**

**[ANALYSIS: SUPERIOR QUALITY DETECTED]**

**[POTENCY: 347% OF TRADITIONAL EQUIVALENT]**

**[STABILITY: MAXIMUM]**

**[CONGRATULATIONS: BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED]**

The final product was a small, perfectly round pill that glowed with soft blue light. Alex could see the spiritual energy patterns within it, organized and stable in ways that traditional alchemy never achieved.

"Incredible," he breathed, holding up the pill. "This is what alchemy should look like."

But as he studied his creation, Alex realized something else. The pill wasn't just more potent than traditional healing pills—it was fundamentally different. The spiritual energy patterns were so refined and concentrated that they would interact with human meridians in ways that no cultivator had ever experienced.

"This isn't just a better healing pill," Alex said slowly. "This is a completely new category of alchemical product."

**[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ALCHEMICAL INNOVATION]**

**[REWARD: 50 SYSTEM POINTS]**

**[NEW TITLE: PIONEER OF SCIENTIFIC ALCHEMY]**

"Fifty points," Alex said with satisfaction. "That's enough to buy some basic enhancements."

But before he could explore the System shop, he heard footsteps approaching the laboratory. Heavy, confident steps that belonged to someone who wasn't afraid of being caught where they didn't belong.

"So this is where the family waste has been hiding," came a familiar, mocking voice.

Alex turned to see Xiao Mei standing in the doorway, her beautiful face twisted with disdain. His cousin had always been one of his cruelest tormentors, but seeing her now with his enhanced perception, Alex could see something else: fear.

"Cousin Mei," Alex said calmly, slipping the pill into his sleeve. "What brings you to grandfather's old laboratory?"

"Curiosity," she said, stepping into the room. "I heard you've been telling people you're going to start making pills. I wanted to see the comedy for myself."

"Comedy?" Alex asked, his voice deceptively mild.

"A crippled cultivator trying to practice alchemy," Xiao Mei laughed. "It's pathetic, really. You can't even circulate qi properly, and you think you can create pills that work? The entire family is already laughing about it."

Alex felt Xiao Feng's memories stir—years of similar humiliation, cruel laughter, and public mockery. But instead of shame, he felt only cold calculation.

"Would you like to see the result of my pathetic attempts?" Alex asked, producing the pill from his sleeve.

Xiao Mei's eyes widened as she saw the glowing pill. "That's... that's impossible. How did you—"

"Make a pill that glows with spiritual energy despite having crippled meridians?" Alex finished. "The same way I'm going to defeat Liu Wei in six days. Through methods that people like you can't even imagine."

For the first time in three years, Alex saw genuine fear in his cousin's eyes. And he found that he liked it very much.

"Consider this a warning, cousin," Alex said, his voice carrying a promise that made Xiao Mei take a step backward. "The family waste is gone. What's taken his place is something far more dangerous."

As Xiao Mei fled the laboratory, Alex turned his attention back to the System interface. He had points to spend, techniques to learn, and a reputation to build.

The real game was just beginning.