With his initial purchases made, Lin Yun's mind was already calculating the next steps. Equipment was secured, but his own skill was the biggest variable. Curiosity pulled him to another tab in the system interface: [Alchemy Proficiency].
The screen shifted, displaying a list that was heartbreakingly short.
[Alchemy Proficiency]
• Qi Gathering Pill: Level 1 (48/100)
• Body Tempering Pill: Level 1 (41/100)
Lin Yun stared at the numbers, utterly speechless.
48? 41? All level 1?
A bitter, disbelieving laugh escaped him. "This guy... he really was the definition of trash."
He was the Third Young Master of the Lin Clan, a family that lived and breathed alchemy! He should have been swimming in pill recipes since he could walk. Even with mediocre talent, sheer repetition should have pushed these proficiencies into the hundreds, maybe even to Level 2, by now.
The memories of the original Lin Yun confirmed it. The boy had viewed alchemy as a tedious chore, a subject forced upon him by his family. He did the bare minimum to avoid punishment, his heart never in it. His mind was always elsewhere, likely daydreaming or worrying about his poor cultivation. The pitiful proficiency numbers were a perfect reflection of his apathy.
Lin Yun shook his head in dismay. It was one thing to inherit a weak body, but to inherit such a profound lack of skill was another level of misfortune. He had his work cut out for him.
He navigated next to the [Missions] tab, seeking more avenues for growth. The two beginner quests to refine the basic pills were still there, glowing patiently. But below them, a new section caught his eye: Daily Quests.
His heart gave a little leap. Of course! The daily grind!
In Alchemy to Immortality, aside from the main story and crafting quests, players received 5 random daily quests that refreshed every 24 hours, usually at 5 AM server time.
The rewards were a mixed bag—EXP, random equipment, occasional skill books or rare ingredients. But the key was their randomness and varying difficulty.
The difficulty was graded on a scale from F (easiest) to SSS (near-impossible for low-level players).
Lin Yun vividly remembered his very first day in the game, a decade ago. He'd logged in, received his daily quests, and one of them had been a mind-boggling S-rank task: Refine a Heaven Shaking Pill.
He'd laughed at the time. The Heaven Shaking Pill was a top-tier, end-game item. He'd had no choice but to abandon the quest, a frustrating but common new player experience.
His eyes scanned the list of five quests that had populated his daily tab.
• D-Rank: Gather 10 Spirit Larkspur flowers from the Academy's eastern gardens. Reward: 15 EXP.
• E-Rank: Successfully refine any pill 5 times. Reward: 10 EXP.
• B-Rank: Achieve "High-Grade" quality on a Body Tempering Pill. Reward: 50 EXP, Random Low-Grade Equipment.
• F-Rank: Meditate for one hour. Reward: 5 EXP.
• C-Rank: Purify 10 low-grade spiritual herbs to a 75% purity threshold using only spiritual energy. Reward: 30 EXP, Skill Book: Enhanced Ingredient Purifier (Level 1).
"Hiss…" Lin Yun's breath hitched. His focus zeroed in on the C-Rank quest.
Enhanced Ingredient Purifier!
This was it! This was a foundational skill, a absolute must-have for any serious alchemist in the game!
At Level 1, it wasn't much, maybe removing 5% of impurities. But at its maximum Level 10, it could purify ingredients to a staggering 50% purity before you even started concoction!
This dramatically increased the success rate and the potential grade of the final pill. It was a passive skill that worked automatically once learned.
Every single top-ranked player had this skill maxed out. It was non-negotiable. And here it was, available on his first day, as a reward for a C-Rank quest!
Excitement surged through him, but it was quickly tempered by cold, hard analysis. He read the quest description again carefully.
[Purify 10 low-grade spiritual herbs to a 75% purity threshold using only spiritual energy.]
The problem wasn't the task itself; it was the timing. The quest would vanish at the next reset. If the game's mechanics held true, that was in just a few hours, at 5 AM.
And "using only spiritual energy" was the killer. Normally, disciples used specialized tools—purification basins, spirit needles—to carefully draw out impurities from ingredients.
Using raw spiritual energy to do it was an incredibly delicate and advanced technique. It required fine control he likely didn't possess and a depth of spiritual energy his 2nd Level Qi Condensation Realm dantian probably couldn't sustain ten times over.
This was a classic C-Rank quest: not impossible, but a significant challenge for a new player. A test of skill, patience, and resource management.
He looked at the other quests. The B-Rank one was enticing for the EXP and equipment, but achieving a High-Grade pill with his pitiful proficiency and a beginner's cauldron was a pipe dream right now. The others were simple but offered meager rewards.
The Enhanced Ingredient Purifier skill, however, was a game-changer. It would pay dividends for his entire career. He had to get it.
Lin Yun rubbed his hands eagerly. Logically, he couldn't complete this quest with his current condition. The injury wasn't bad but it wasn't light either. Not to mention that his proficiency was extremely low.
However, he had a "cheat code" with him—the Heavenly Eyes skill.
He quickly accepted all the quests. Whether he could complete all of them or not, he wasn't worried at all. It would eventually be refreshed anyway.
Without hesitation, he got up and walked to the side room, a training room.
Stepping inside, he closed the door softly. The air here was still, expectant. With a focused thought, he reached into his system's inventory.
A shimmer of light coalesced in his hands, resolving into the solid, slightly cool form of the Beginner's Iron Cauldron. It was heavier than it looked, its surface rough and unadorned.
He ran his fingers over the dark iron, feeling the faint, almost imperceptible bumps and imperfections. It was a far cry from the legendary cauldrons of his game avatar, but it was his. A starting point.
"Not bad." Lin Yun nodded with a smile. He was a bit excited to actually concoct a pill by himself. It wasn't just clicking and waiting like he did in game…