.....


    Lucifer was not one to waste time. With both the necessary materials and the equipment needed in hand and a clear purpose, he quickly locked himself in his room. After which, he settled down in a cross-legged position, before quickly taking out the alchemy cauldron from his spatial ring.


    BANG!


    The cauldron''s four-pronged bronze legs struck the mahogany floor with a resounding bang!


    The cauldron roughly measured two meters in diameter and upied a significantlyrge portion of the room. But despite its size, the designs on its sides weren''t particrly remarkable—it was a very ordinary pill furnace.


    But one might ask, why would a pill furnace be of interest to someone who was deemed a disappointment by the Devilduke family?


    Well, the answer was simple, naturally because Lucifer intended to… concoct pills!


    "On the path of cultivation, there are many disciplines one can pursue, and alchemy happens to be one of them," Lucifer mused aloud, his tone thoughtful as he carefully inspected that all of the ingredients for the pill were of good enough quality.


    ''Although they are nothing extraordinary, they should suffice for now…''


    With this thought in mind, he began organizing all the precious herbs together, arranging them in the order they would be used.


    ''Even though the previous owner of this body might have been ignorant about the knowledge of alchemy and often deemed ipetent, that didn''t mean this path is closed for me,'' Lucifer thought.


    He was well aware that this sudden interest in alchemy might raise a few suspicions among the other conniving snakes in his family, and there were sure to be a few who would take advantage of this discovery. But, as with all things, a well-executed cover-up was enough to hide even the most heinous of secrets.


    Lucifer''s mind stirred with thought, already devising what he had to do in order to make everything concerning his ''sudden'' alchemy talent seem natural. However, if he wished to achieve that, he would first need to increase his strength.


    To discreetly increase one''s strength, other than the expensive cultivation resources, the most optimal choice was to be the provider of cultivation resources yourself.


    ''As long as I can advance my cultivation to the Tempering Marrow Stages, I should have reached a sufficient level of strength to start experimenting with my clone feature.''


    Lucifer had learned from the system that each clone he purchased with Clone Essence would spawn with his current strength. Thus, to make the most of his Clone Essence, Lucifer came to the conclusion that it would be best to wait until he had reached the Tempering Marrow Stages before creating any clones.


    After all, the cost of the clones in the Body Refinement Realm was all the same, regardless of strength, which only further worked to reinforce his resolve to conserve his yet-to-be-gathered Clone Essence.


    Nevertheless, that was all a concern forter when he had actually acquired Clone Essence. Right now, the only thing he needed to focus on was his alchemy.


    _____


    WAAA!


    Faint Qi fluctuations filled Lucifer''s private quarters, nearly reaching the point where nearby servants might notice that something unusual was up. However, before that could happen, he forcefully drew in all the Qi before directing it into the confines of the Early Common Rank Alchemy Cauldron, causing a reaction to bubble up within it.


    "Time to add the materials," he murmured, his tone casual.


    Following that, a number of unusually shaped ginseng roots as well as an assortment ofrge and small flowers were plopped into the cauldron.


    Red Tiger Ginseng… Flying Goroloroo Flower… Moonstones… Aqua Regia…


    The names of a few alchemy materials echoed in Lucifer''s head as he identified a total of 16 different herbs, all of which were key ingredients in the pill form he intended to replicate.


    Szzzz…


    The Alchemy Furnace hissed as its contents boiled at a temperature surpassing that of a raging fire.


    ''I may not have a rare pill me, but the basic Common Tier me that all novice alchemists use will suffice for the time being…''


    With a wave of his hand, Lucifer conjured a light silver me.


    The me danced around his right hand before shooting itself toward the pill cauldron, further intensifying the heat beyond what the first wave of pill mes could aplish.


    ''The Silverson Pill me is the most basic one there is, and it needs constant fanning in order to remain aze, but it will serve my purpose.''


    Lucifer was crafting a pill called the Affirmation Marrow Pill—a pill of the Early Common Rank, typically used by aspiring alchemists.


    However, the one he was making was not the exact standard form of what all other alchemists aimed to make; he added his own unique twist to its simplicity.


    Harnessing the natural properties of the alchemy materials in order to affect the oue, he formted results which, in theory, should have been impossible…


    Yet for him, it was as effortless as breathing. He controlled the Silverson Pill me like a god of fire,manding it to extract the essence of the materials rather than simply melting them together.


    It was this unconventional approach of his that caused the Pill Cauldron to make sounds analogous to a steaming kettle. Still, not being enough to deter him from the art of Alchemy, he took the extracted essences and meticulouslybined them together in an order so precise that it bordered on perfection.


    It remained a mystery as to how he knew the exact cement of each glob of essence or which materials to use first, but the end oue was nothing short of spectacr!


    *Waf~*


    A medical scent, verging on divinity wafted out from the opened lid of the Alchemy Furnace. After which, a total of seven light silver pills shot out in rapid session.


    With the agility of a nimble monkey, Lucifer caught every single pill with his hands.


    He could feel the intense searing heat permeating off of them, slightly burning his rough palm, but that was not even enough to elicit a flinch from him. Instead, he opened his reddened hands and emotionlessly observed the fruits of his first alchemy session.


    "A light gray in color, as well as a single fully formed pill line running through its epicenter. It seems like my first pill batch was a failure—two failed ones and five of the lowest quality."


    If any seasoned alchemist had heard the words of this young man, then they''d surely have violently coughed up blood, because what he had just announced was unbelievable!


    For one to even sessfully concoct a single Low-Common Rank Pill on their first try would be considered a divine miracle!


    Yet Lucifer had managed to not only aplish that feat, but he was also capable of concocting five fully formed pills!


    This feat alone was worthy of granting him the title of Unparalleled Heavenly Genius!


    However, it seemed like the result wasn''t quite up to Lucifer''s standards….


    ''Time to try again… This time, I will have no failures.''


    With this ludicrous thought as the driving force, Lucifer immediately got right down to it and resumed his alchemy session, giving no respite for his exhausted mind.


    The Path of Alchemy was a grueling one, so to not even be in the Qi Condensation Realm while still attempting to concoct pills…


    Well, one would have to be utterly insane to even think of doing that.


    Luckily, there was a man who fit that exact description—a man who was profusely sweating from all pores while his gaze was locked on the bronze furnace before him.


    ...…