Chapter 51
The Alchemist Association
As Lin Feng made his way through the first floor, he was approached by a young attendant.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I assist you?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face, not feeling weird about his dressing.
"Hmm, I'm here to purchase an alchemy cauldron," he said in a deep and raspy voice, simulating an old man's voice.
Hearing the stranger say he was there to purchase a cauldron, the woman's smile became even brighter, thinking about the commission she was going to earn even if she sold the cheapest one.
"Right this way, sir."
She bowed and gestured for Lin Feng to follow her upstairs.
The attendant led Lin Feng up a wide staircase to what he assumed to be another wing of the second floor. As he had gone through here on his way to the alchemist assessment earlier, compared to the bustling first floor and the other side of the second floor he had been through, this level was noticeably quieter, seeming to be some hybrid of a storage place and display area, as rows of display cabinets stretched into the distance, each containing alchemy cauldrons of different sizes and colours. Some were bronze, others black iron, while a few glittered with a faint silver or crimson glow.
The surrounding air carried a subtle medicinal fragrance.
Every cauldron rested on a jade pedestal, with a wooden plaque placed before it detailing its grade, material, and price.
Lin Feng's eyes swept across the room.
"So many..."
Even with the ninth-tier inheritance in his mind, he couldn't help but admire the collection.
The attendant smiled and politely explained.
"Sir, this floor contains all first-tier and second-tier alchemy cauldrons available for sale. If you require something of a higher grade, I'm afraid our Qinghe branch doesn't keep them in stock."
Lin Feng nodded slightly.
"That's more than enough."
He slowly walked between the displays.
The first cauldron was made of ordinary black iron.
"First-tier Black Iron Cauldron."
"Suitable for refining ordinary first-tier pills."
"Price: 1,200 silver."
Lin Feng merely glanced at it before moving on.
The second...
Third...
Fourth...
One after another, he inspected them carefully.
Although their appearances differed, the formation patterns engraved in them, as well as the prices, were almost identical.
"Hiss, so expensive. Each one is over a thousand silver apiece, while the monthly benefit I received from becoming both a first-tier and a second-tier alchemist combined is roughly 700 silver."
"Although the alchemist profession is a money-printing beast, that is only in the later stages. In the earlier tiers, where there is almost no shortage of tier-one and tier-two alchemists, it is in fact a money-burning machine. This is why budding alchemists often attach themselves to powerful factions and sects."
"No, even if I had the money, these things are..." he thought, then took an even closer look.
"The formations are too crude..."
"They waste nearly thirty percent of the spiritual energy supplied to them."
"This trash for 1,000 silver? They might as well be scrap metal."
He shook his head inwardly, then continued down the row of nearly infinite shelves.
After nearly half an hour...
He still hadn't found one that satisfied him.
The attendant became slightly nervous.
"Sir... is none of them to your liking?"
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"They're not bad."
"But..."
"They're not worth their prices."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Not worth their prices?
These were all inspected personally by the Alchemist Association before being sold.
No customer had ever made such a remark.
She hesitated before asking cautiously,
"May I ask... what exactly are you looking for?"
Lin Feng stopped before a large bronze cauldron.
"The material doesn't matter much."
"What matters is the stability of the internal formations."
"The fire distribution."
"The circulation efficiency."
"And the balance between the three."
The attendant blinked several times.
She understood every individual word.
But together...
She couldn't understand a thing.
Seeing her confused expression, Lin Feng simply smiled.
"It doesn't matter."
"Show me your damaged cauldrons."
"...Damaged?"
She looked at him in surprise.
"Yes."
"From what I've heard, the Association has a place where it keeps defective goods or failed products, which can also be sold."
"There should be some here as well."
The attendant hesitated.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
She hurried away.
Several minutes later...
She returned with an elderly man wearing the robes of a deacon.
The old man looked at Lin Feng curiously.
"I heard you wish to purchase damaged cauldrons?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"If possible."
"Are you aware of the dangers of purchasing them? They could cause excess impurities to flood the pill, lowering its grade, and in the worst case, they could explode, severely injuring you," he asked.
"Yes, old mister. I am aware, yet still I wish to purchase them," Lin Feng said, cupping his fists.
The old man smiled helplessly.
"Very well."
"Please follow me."
The three soon arrived at a storage room hidden behind the showroom.
Unlike outside, this place was covered in dust.
Broken weapons.
Cracked shields.
Damaged armour.
Even shattered pill furnaces were piled neatly against the walls.
The old man pointed towards a corner.
"These are all the damaged alchemy cauldrons we have collected over the years."
"They're normally melted down for materials. After all, only a few people like you dare to buy them."
Lin Feng slowly walked over.
One by one...
He inspected them.
Some had cracked bodies.
Others had shattered formations.
Several had completely collapsed furnace chambers.
None caught his attention.
Just as he was about to leave...
His footsteps suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Buried beneath several broken cauldrons lay an ancient furnace.
Its entire body was pitch black.
No patterns.
No decorations.
No inscriptions.
It looked utterly ordinary.
In fact...
It looked worse than ordinary.
Rust covered almost every inch of its surface.
The three legs were uneven.
Even the lid was slightly crooked.
The attendant immediately spoke.
"Sir, that one is completely useless."
"It has been here for over thirty years."
"No one has ever bought it."
"The formation inside has long since stopped functioning."
The old deacon also nodded.
"It was brought back from an ancient ruin decades ago."
"Unfortunately, no matter what methods were tried, no one could activate it."
"In the end, everyone concluded it was nothing more than scrap metal."
Lin Feng said nothing.
Instead...
He crouched beside it.
His fingers gently brushed away the thick layer of dust.
The moment his fingertips touched the surface—
A strange feeling surged through his mind.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Interesting."
Within the sea of knowledge left behind by the ninth-tier inheritance...
A faint sense of familiarity appeared.
Not recognition.
Rather...
An instinct.
Almost as though this inconspicuous cauldron possessed something hidden beneath its worn exterior.
Lin Feng extended a strand of spiritual energy into it.
Nothing happened.
The cauldron remained completely silent.
The attendant sighed inwardly.
As expected...
Countless people had tried exactly the same thing.
Including several third-tier alchemists.
None had succeeded.
Yet Lin Feng did not give up.
Instead...
He closed his eyes.
His spiritual energy withdrew.
Replacing it—
A trace of the mysterious perception granted by the system quietly entered the ancient cauldron.
Buzz...
A barely audible vibration echoed.
So faint that neither the attendant nor the old deacon noticed it.
Only Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.
For a split second...
He had seen it.
Deep within the rusted shell...
An unimaginably complicated formation flickered into existence before disappearing once more.
His heart skipped a beat.
"This..."
"This is no ordinary cauldron."
Although he had only glimpsed it briefly, the complexity of that formation far surpassed anything contained within his current formation inheritance.
Even the second-tier formation beneath his own examination furnace was insignificant compared to it.
The ancient cauldron...
Was hiding something.
Lin Feng slowly stood up and pointed towards it.
"I'll take this one."
The attendant froze.
The old deacon looked equally surprised.
"Sir..."
"Are you certain?"
"This cauldron cannot even produce a flame."
Lin Feng smiled calmly.
"That's fine."
"I like old things."
"You should be aware that whatever happens after you purchase this, the Association has no responsibility."
The old deacon said this in a solemn tone, his eyes narrowed.
"Haha, rest assured, Deacon. I am aware," Lin Feng said.
Hearing this, the old deacon's solemn expression lifted, still looking at him strangely before laughing.
"In that case..."
"I'll sell it to you as scrap."
"One hundred silver."
Lin Feng nodded without hesitation.
"Deal."
As the old deacon bent down to retrieve the ancient cauldron...
Neither he nor the attendant noticed the faint smile hidden beneath Lin Feng's mask.