CHAPTER 561: NOVICE ALCHEMIST

Han Yu’s token lit up with a faint pulse.

He checked it.

A new title had been added under his Outer Court Disciple designation.

Novice Alchemist.

Han Yu allowed himself a rare real smile. It felt like a small victory in a place that wanted to devour him whole.

He left the exam chamber and headed directly back to the External Alchemy Hall. There was no need to pretend to be cautious now. He could act with confidence and purchase supplies reserved for beginner alchemists.

He walked up to the counter where tools were sold. The clerk saw him coming and visibly stiffened. Han Yu ignored the reaction and presented his token.

"I need a mid tier cauldron," he said simply.

The clerk swallowed. "Any particular model?"

Han Yu thought for a moment. Then he remembered the list he had read earlier and chose one that was expensive enough to fit Ju Fan’s personality yet not suspiciously high grade.

"The Crimson Bronze Flame Vein Cauldron."

The clerk flinched slightly.

"That one is... costly."

Han Yu stared at him until the man hurriedly retrieved it. The cauldron was elegant, made of tempered red-black metal with faint swirling patterns that indicated it had been refined with the essence of fire attributed ores.

It was far superior to the iron scrap he had been using earlier.

He paid without hesitation. Tossing away nearly ten thousand merit points might seem foolish for a novice, but the persona of Ju Fan made it believable. This was exactly the kind of arrogant, impulsive decision Ju Fan would make if he believed he had found a new obsession.

And with that, the clerk relaxed.

’He’s gonna regret this then make it everyone else’s problem, isn’t he?’ He thought Ju Fan was simply being reckless.

Han Yu also bought proper measuring tools, specialized glass containers for storing refined ingredients, and several boxes of higher quality Flame Talismans. He could feel the eyes of other disciples watching.

Most of them had curious expressions, but none dared to approach.

Ju Fan was still feared.

Han Yu’s cold face only reinforced that.

When he finally returned to his cave, he shut the door behind him and breathed deeply. The cave had changed drastically from its earlier nightmarish state. With the cleaning and new furniture, it now looked like an actual living space.

He organized his new tools, setting the Crimson Furnace Cauldron in the center. Its polished surface reflected the dim light and gave the chamber an almost sacred alchemy atmosphere.

Han Yu sat cross legged for a moment, calming his mind.

Then he whispered to himself, "Now... I begin."

He activated a flame talisman and fed the cauldron herbs. He slipped into the flow of alchemy with ease. The cauldron responded smoothly, its refined materials allowing for better heat distribution and control. Making the Blood Flood Pills became a lot more efficient.

He produced multiple batches in a fraction of the time it took before.

Within a day, he had dozens of perfect pills.

But he did not rush to sell them. Doing so would only draw unwanted attention. Instead, he sealed them in jade bottles and stored them inside his spatial ring.

He would release them into the market slowly.

One by one.

Patiently.

Strategically.

He had plans spanning months, maybe even years.

Plans that would shift the alchemy economy of the entire sect without anyone realizing the source until a long time later.

Han Yu looked at his growing stockpile and felt a wicked satisfaction curling in his chest.

In a sect built on blood, slaughter, and madness, he would bring chaos of a subtler kind.

And he would profit from every step.

A few days passed...

Han Yu sat quietly in his newly organized cave, his mind churning with a purpose he had set aside for far too long. Months had passed since he had been thrown into this murderous sect and forced to become Ju Fan.

He had survived. He had adapted. He had carved out a place for himself without attracting suspicion. But there was something he had avoided confronting.

The fate of his companions.

His fellow disciples from the Twin Leaf Peak sect. The ones who fell through the cracks. The ones who vanished into this nightmare place. He had hoped, prayed even, that at least some survived. At least a few.

And now that he had some stability, he could no longer ignore the question.

He exhaled slowly.

"It is time."

He had made enough Blood Flood Pills to keep selling for several days. He had no immediate financial concerns. His cultivation was stable. His identity was secure. And he had earned some small measure of maneuvering space within the sect.

Now he could focus on gathering information.

In the past few months, while pretending to be a clueless alchemy newbie, he had overheard fragments of conversations. Some disciples had been bragging about new slaves obtained during the great mission to reclaim their ancestral grounds. Others complained about the poor quality of this batch. A few laughed about how fragile the slaves were.

No names. No details. But the casual cruelty was unmistakable.

The slaves had been sent to the Slave District for something called training.

Han Yu remembered the book he had found in the common library near his fifth rib peak. He had begun visiting that library frequently, acting like a novice alchemist desperately trying to improve. But he had also used the opportunity to gather random information.

The details about slave training were among the darkest things he had read so far.

According to the book:

All slaves must undergo training in the Slave District.Training includes breaking the will.Branding the body.Conditioning the mind through formation arrays.Erasing defiance.Replacing it with obedience.

Han Yu had nearly torn the page in disgust.

He had wanted to storm into the district, find his friends, and break them free. But even the impulse felt stupid. He could not enter without raising suspicion. The training area was restricted to only the Slave and Logistics division.