Rayen quickly discovered the best way to test alchemical success: controlled ingestion.
But he also didn't want to risk his own life. Or his stomach lining.
So, naturally, he turned to group sampling. Dinner in the Azure Serpent Sect was a communal affair—hundreds of disciples eating together in the Great Dining Hall.
It was also terribly bland.
Rayen, seeing an opportunity, crushed his experimental pill into powder and stirred it into a vat of soup.
Q.E.D. issued a minor warning.
:: Ethical flag triggered. Human trials without consent may reduce social favorability. ::
"Relax," Rayen murmured. "At worst they get enlightened. At best, free advertising."
Five minutes into the meal, the results were… dramatic.
A disciple on the far end of the hall spontaneously achieved a minor Qi breakthrough and started glowing. Another began levitating his rice bowl while reciting an epic poem in three ancient dialects. Several simply started giggling uncontrollably. Someone's eyebrows caught fire—but in an elegant, symmetrical way.
"What's in this soup?" one disciple asked, voice warbling.
"Destiny," Rayen muttered proudly.
A thundering voice interrupted. "WHO SPIKED THE BROTH?!"
Elder Fan, the Sect's Head Alchemist, stormed into the hall. Her eyes were narrowed; her robes slightly singed—standard for an alchemist of her age and skill.
She surveyed the room with practiced fury. "Identify yourself, culinary criminal!"
Rayen raised a polite hand. "Technically speaking, I improved it."
A few hours later, Rayen stood inside a steamy, herb-scented chamber on the sixth floor of the Alchemy Pagoda. Elder Fan was pacing.
"You understand that what you made wasn't just a pill—it was an alchemical modifier. It enhanced Qi assimilation, mental clarity, and triggered spontaneous inspiration."
Rayen smiled. "I call it Soup of Enlightenment. Side effects may include rhyming and aggressive breakthroughs."
Elder Fan massaged her temples. "You turned lunch into a spiritual catalyst. Do you even realize how dangerous that is?"
"Dangerous? Maybe. Revolutionary? Absolutely."
:: Risk matrix confirms. Probability of sudden sect fame increased by 73%. Probability of being poisoned by jealous peers: 18%. Suggest enhanced vigilance. ::
Elder Fan squinted at him. "You're not a cultivator. Not in the traditional sense. But you're not a common alchemist either."
"I'm a quantum alchemist," Rayen said.
Fan blinked. "Is that a new sect?"
"Sort of. It exists in superposition until formally recognized."
A long pause.
"…I don't understand half of what you say, but you're effective. And more importantly, you're insane enough to try things even I wouldn't dare." She tapped a rune-inscribed clipboard. "Welcome to Lab 7B. Don't blow it up."
Rayen blinked as a sect badge was slapped into his hand. It glowed faintly with inscription magic.
"Outer Disciples don't usually get direct access to a lab," she added. "Don't abuse the privilege."
"Define 'abuse,'" he said cheerfully.
She gave him a look. "Do not test that."
Lab 7B was small, but beautiful. An isolated side chamber overlooking a spirit herb garden, it was stocked with high-grade furnaces, enchanted crucibles, and a library of pill formulas.
Rayen entered, eyes gleaming.
:: Q.E.D. scanning environment. All systems optimal. Time to disrupt conventional understanding of pillcraft. ::
He knelt before the furnace, pulled out a recipe scroll, and began comparing it to Q.E.D.'s real-time thermodynamic projections.
"Let's make alchemy rational," he said.
Q.E.D. pulsed.
:: Affirmative. Let us alchemize the irrational. ::
By the end of the night, Rayen had produced four enhanced Body Refinement Pills, two Qi harmonization capsules, and one glowing sphere that briefly caused Q.E.D. to stutter.
:: Unknown compound detected. Caution advised. Possible sentience. ::
Rayen labeled it: Do Not Eat Unless Very Desperate.
Later that night, curiosity won. He ingested the second refinement of his Ember Spark Draught in the quiet of Lab 7B. Q.E.D. activated quantum stasis monitoring as the energy surged.
:: Qi harmonization peak approaching. Dantian simulation locked. Microfusion sequence initiated... ::
Rayen's eyes widened. His core space, previously dormant, suddenly ignited with swirling sparks. The sensation was like holding a small sun in his gut.
Then—
Boom.
A shockwave of warmth pulsed from his abdomen. The cauldron rattled, and a nearby candle flickered wildly. He clutched the ground, breathing hard.
:: Core formed. Foundation Layer 1 achieved. Designation: Ember Core. Stability: 38%. Side effects: spontaneous poetry urge. ::
Rayen laughed aloud, breathless.
"Now that... was a proper soup."
**[Rayen Wu – Cultivator Status Sheet Update]**
• Cultivation Stage: Foundation Layer 1 (Ember Core Formed)
• Core Stability: 38% (Unstable)
•Martial Techniques:
• Ember Pulse Palm (basic form)
• Alchemy Affinity: Moderate
• Pill Formulas:
• Ember Spark Draught (prototype)
• Soup of Enlightenment (unstable catalyst)
• Tools Available: Quantum Entangled Drive (Q.E.D.)