In My Head There is an Alchemy Emperor
Chapter 17: The Association of Alchemists
In the Ancient Zenith civilization, alchemy was a rare profession. A person needs a lot of knowledge, as well as a large amount of resources, to support himself. The main factions and sects were usually the only ones capable of sponsoring alchemists.
It was impossible for even talented alchemists to take it as soon as they started refining medicinal pills. They could only get used to it during the medicinal pill refinement process. That's how they improve their abilities.
Meanwhile, it was a huge cost for one to refine a medicinal pill each time. Everything cost a fortune, including alchemy furnaces, laboratories, medicinal pill recipes, herbs, and all sorts of inheritance methods. Not just anyone can provide that.
It is the same in modern society. Although herbs could be grown on a large scale and alchemy furnaces could be mass-produced with modern technology, the number of alchemists was even lower than during the period from the memories of Alchemy Emperors.
The reason for this is that modern alchemists do not have all their knowledge. In reality, it wasn't just alchemy that happened. Even the information about Martial Dao was incomplete. That was because humans had only dug up a portion of the ruins of the Ancient Zenith civilization for now. The Martial Dao knowledge deciphered from the ruins could not compare to the time when the Ancient Zenith civilization flourished, the time when many Emperors fought in the memory of Chu Yunfan's legacy.
Even so, the standard of Martial Dao in modern times cannot be booed. Instead, it was constantly increasing, and there were always new ruins being excavated. More and more information from the Ancient Zenith civilization is revealed.
Hence, the top human powerhouses advanced at an astonishing speed. Every ten to a hundred years, an elite powerhouse would break through to a new stage. They would soon find a suitable cultivation method to do.
When the Kunlun Era had just begun, only powerhouses in the military could reach the Qi Sea Stage, but everyone could get there now. As long as one cultivated vigorously for decades, even the most untalented person could break through to the Qi Sea Stage.
The discovery of the alchemy system came at a slower pace compared to the Martial Dao system. That information was just set into the system 200 years ago. Therefore, even though the Federation government supported the research with all its might, its development was still relatively slow. To Chu Yunfan, who had the memories of an Alchemy Emperor, his standards were low. It was far from the peak of the Ancient Zenith civilization.
It did not even compare him to the genius Alchemy Emperor, the master of the field, in Chu Yunfan's mind.
In the Federation, the Alchemist Association handled many matters relating to alchemists. It is considered a semi-official association. Although the Federation government paid and provided for it, the president of the association was the legendary alchemist, Du Qingtao, known as the Alchemy King.
Du Qingtao was a free man among people. He does not work for the federal government. His alchemy skills were unrivalled in the entire human race for the time being. Every medicinal pill he refined would be contested by countless rich people.
The pills he refined had helped many powerhouses, so some of them owed him a favor. No one dared to offend him for fear of facing the wrath of the large number of powerhouses supporting him.
Moreover, he himself was a Martial Dao powerhouse. Although Du Qingtao was not the strongest among them, he would always be chosen as one of the most influential people by the Federation government every year.
Even the government was afraid of the Alchemist Association he led, so they did not dare to interfere with his business.
The alchemists who joined would usually enjoy great benefits, including a stockpile of all sorts of herbs for pill refinement. They also had a wide variety of ancient medicinal pill recipes. Given that it was a great power, countless alchemists would flock to the association.
Of course, not every alchemist would join the Alchemist Association. This is because, although there are a number of benefits, there are various limitations as well. Some alchemists set up their own companies and made their own fortunes through them. Some work for Federation governments, Holy Lands, organizations, corporations, and so on.
Whether one decided to join the Alchemist Association or not, one had to obtain the qualifications to become one of them. This meant that they had to pass the examination given by the Alchemist Association.
Without passing the association examination, one could not even hire an alchemy furnace.
If one worked in the private sector, the Federation government, or some large corporation, even without the Alchemist Association certification, they could purchase their own alchemy furnace and sufficient potions to refine medicinal pills.
Chu Yunfan did a little research on the way home that day. According to the documents provided by the Alchemist Association, the certification was divided into several categories, namely alchemy apprentices, alchemist, alchemist, and alchemist trainees. Meanwhile, each category is divided into beginner level, intermediate level, and advanced level. Apart from the three levels, Du Qingtao was the only one who had reached the level of an Alchemy King.
There were many alchemy apprentices registered as qualifications for that category relatively simple. They only needed to master the refinement of a few simple medicinal pills. The Body Refining Pill was one of them.
Of course, although the recipe is said to have been widely available, the success rate of refinement differs between individuals. Naturally, Du Qingdao, the Alchemy King, had a 100% success rate when refining a Body Refining Pill. In contrast, the success rate of an internship is less than 10%, very low by any measure.
Even to reach the 10% success rate of an alchemy apprentice, one would have to go through a lot of pill refinement efforts right away.
There were only three to five students from No. 13 Secondary School that Chu Yunfan had visited who had obtained an alchemy apprentice license.
All of those students came from rich families!
His good friend, Gao Hongzhi, had enough wealth to support him in alchemy, but that was not his ambition. Not everyone has the talent to refine medicinal pills.
That's not just for the less well-known No. 13 High School. Even top schools like High School No. 1 Calm Ocean City only had a small percentage of people who obtained an alchemy apprentice license. It's just that the number is more than in SMA No. 13, and the quality is better.
Thus, those who obtained an alchemy apprentice license when they were still in high school were valuable students. All modern universities have a faculty of alchemy that specializes in training those who have a knack for it. Anyone who graduated from the alchemy faculty would be in great demand wherever they went. The Federation government, the military, and the Nine Holy Lands needed such talent.
High school students who get a practical license are guaranteed a place in the alchemy faculty of ordinary universities. It was a bonus if his pay made it into one of the top ten schools.
It is said that there are some students from top schools in Donghua City who have obtained an alchemy training license when they were in high school. They would definitely pass the examination for the top ten alchemy faculties. Having such unique talents at the professional level would make them desirable by the Federation government.
Meanwhile, most alchemists were either rich or quickly became rich. Even if they were poor before, they would become rich overnight after becoming an alchemist. It was possible for an ordinary person to become an alchemist. It was just that it was obviously much more difficult for them compared to those who were born into rich families.
Du Qingtao was an extraordinary one. He was born poor, and he inherited from the Ancient Zenith civilization. He started on the path of an alchemist and eventually became a famous Alchemy King.
Since founding the Alchemist Association, he promoted many reforms in the alchemy world, giving opportunities to many ordinary alchemists who were struggling. Although most alchemists were born wealthy, the number of ordinary alchemists grew gradually. They cannot be underestimated.
Most importantly, virtual alchemy software was launched on the virtual network. Relying on the simulated alchemy conditions and situations in the network, even ordinary people could learn basic alchemy.
It was only virtual and could not compare to the speed of live practice. However, it was enough to determine if one had talent. If one was talented, the Alchemist Association would pay attention to them no matter their financial situation. The talented one might even be trained by the Alchemist Association. Many companies and large groups will recruit people that way.
Although these people were nothing, the main faction was willing to give them enough resources to advance. That being said, the price is signing a contract of employment with their sponsor. After they graduate, they have to work for them.
This might be the only way for commoners to stand out!
Although it was clearly unfair, such an opportunity was the best option available to commoners.
Due to the virtual alchemy software, potential apprentices could take the test on the virtual network instead of being dropped by the Alchemist Association itself.
There was no limit to what kind of medicinal pill they wanted to refine in the future, at least for an alchemy apprentice. Those who do not obtain a license will be considered illegal and not protected by the Federation government.
Meanwhile, the tests for the trainees had to be conducted in the Alchemist Association, as the alchemy trainees were considered official alchemists. It was different for alchemy apprentices, given that they were only beginners.
Chu Yunfan obtained the virtual glasses used for virtual networking in the Kunlun Era. It was a necessity for everyone in modern society, as was the case for personal computers in the Common Era.
Of course, he was using the old version from ten years ago.. It is said that the latest version can install network terminal equipment under one's skin, allowing one to explore the virtual network at any time.