LRAB Chapter 46 National-Level Alchemy Furnace
Chapter 46 National-Level Alchemy Furnace
The Seventh Base is a secret research center located 300 meters underground in Notting City.
The main laboratory's dome was thirty meters high, enough to accommodate an entire army. But at this moment, this enormous space was occupied by an even larger piece of equipment—a circular alchemy furnace, an industrial marvel that Li Fulan had poured three years of his heart and soul into creating.
Unlike the traditional bronze or stone furnaces in Douluo Continent, it has no trace of antiquity. The entire furnace has a ring-shaped structure with a diameter of over twenty meters. The main body is cast from titanium-silver alloy, which gleams with a cold, silvery-gray luster under the light.
Data transmission cables extend from the furnace body like blood vessels, connecting the twelve operating platforms around it, and finally converging at the central command platform directly opposite the furnace opening.
"Attention all units, the seventeenth simulation test has been successfully completed. The countdown to formal refining has begun. All indicators are normal; prepare to feed materials."
On the command platform, Elder Yuan's voice resounded throughout the hall through the loudspeaker array surrounding the dome. The voice, processed by the soul-guided amplifier, was steady and powerful, neither hurried nor slow, like the tolling of an ancient bell, its lingering resonance echoing in everyone's hearts.
Mr. Yuan's hair was so white it looked like it had been covered in frost, but every single strand was neatly combed and meticulously pulled back.
"Received. The A-group feeding system is ready, and the robotic arm has been calibrated with an accuracy error of less than 0.01 millimeters."
"The temperature control system in Group B is functioning normally, with the furnace temperature remaining stable at 1200 degrees Celsius, and the fluctuation range controlled within ±3 degrees Celsius."
"The pressure in the Group C soul power transmission pipeline is stable, currently reading 7.3 atmospheres. All valve sensitivity tests have passed."
"Group D's protective shields have been fully deployed. Personnel have been evacuated to a safe area, and emergency exits remain clear."
One voice after another came from each control panel, clear, concise, and without a single superfluous word. The scientists in front of the control panels ranged from elderly professors with gray hair to young apprentices in their early twenties, but at this moment their expressions were all exactly the same—focused, composed, and with a quiet flame burning in their eyes.
Their fingers danced rapidly across the control panels, made of soul-guided crystal, cool and smooth to the touch, with various holographic data projections floating on them. Green indicated normal, yellow indicated warning, and red indicated danger—at this moment, all the data was jumping around in the green area, like a swarm of docile fireflies.
No one spoke nonsense, no one chatted, and not even one coughed. The hall was so quiet that the only sounds were the low hum of the equipment and the soft tapping of keyboards. Everyone's breathing seemed to be synchronized to the same frequency: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, like a giant organism engaged in deep meditation.
This is a tacit understanding forged through countless trials and tribulations, an impregnable fortress built from countless days and nights of working side by side. Everyone here clearly knows their position, their responsibilities, when their colleague on the left will hand them what data, and what kind of cooperation their colleague on the right needs. They don't need eye contact or verbal communication, because they have ingrained each other's rhythm into their very bones through countless rehearsals.
"Start feeding the materials!" Elder Yuan gave the order, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
"Buzz—"
The feeding port at the top of the furnace slowly opened, and the six surrounding robotic arms started simultaneously. These were not ordinary iron arms, but precision instruments connected by soul-guided joints. Each arm was driven by hundreds of miniature soul-guided arrays, capable of performing delicate movements almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The ends of the robotic arms were equipped with specially made vacuum grippers, as well as temperature control chambers and humidity regulators, ensuring that the medicinal materials would not be damaged in the slightest during transportation.
The first robotic arm moved smoothly, sending a glossy black medicinal herb into the furnace. It was a top-grade Polygonatum sibiricum that had undergone nine steaming and nine drying processes over three years. Each steaming and drying had to be carried out at specific times, and each drying had to be done at noon when the sun was at its strongest. After repeating this process nine times, the originally yellowish-brown root turned into this almost pitch-black color. The entire herb was heavy, like a piece of solidified black jade.
Next came the second robotic arm, whose gripper had a special heat-insulating soul-guiding membrane inside, used to transport the Tian Shan snow lotus from the far north ice plains. The flower was pure white, its petals so thin they were almost transparent, with a faint blue fluorescent glow at the edges. Even when gripped by the robotic arm, the surrounding air visibly condensed into fine frost flowers.
The third robotic arm delivered a century-old ginseng root with intact roots shaped like a human. The main root, about the thickness of a thumb, was covered with fine lines, each line representing ten years of life.
"The pressure inside the furnace is rising, and the reaction is violent! The current pressure is 8.7 and it is still climbing!" a researcher reported loudly. His voice was tinged with tension, but his hands remained steady as he stared intently at the ever-increasing red curve on the screen.
"Stay calm! Increase coolant circulation! Open valve number three to its maximum!" Old Yuan's voice remained steady, without the slightest hint of panic, like a ballast stone firmly suppressing the turmoil in everyone's hearts. "Trust our calculations, trust our equipment, trust our efforts over the past three years!"
"Received! Fully open valve number three!"
"Adjust valves number four and five together!"
"Coolant circulation speed increased by 150%!"
The pale blue coolant flowed faster in the transparent pipes, like enraged blue serpents frantically darting around the furnace. The flashing frequency of the soul-guiding cores also suddenly increased, the light becoming even more dazzling, making the entire alchemy furnace look like a star about to explode.
But no one backed down.
Everyone was steadfast in their posts, sweat trickling down their temples, some dripping onto the control panel, others onto the floor, making soft "patter" sounds. But no one reached out to wipe it away. Their gazes were unwavering, their movements precise, like a series of precisely meshed gears, working together to propel this massive machine toward its finish line.
The young apprentice, barely twenty years old, had sweat soaking his back, but he didn't even blink as his fingers typed out a series of adjustment commands on the keyboard.
The elderly professor with gray hair had worked here for forty years and witnessed countless failures, yet his hands remained as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.
And then there was the female researcher with thick glasses, a mother of three who traveled between her home and the base every day. At that moment, her eyes were fixed on the fluctuating data, as if the whole world had ceased to exist.
More medicinal herbs were successively put into the furnace.
A century-old Ganoderma lucidum from Sunset Forest, its cap covered with golden spores; a coral spirit from the deep sea near Seagod Island, its entire body blood-red, still pulsating slightly; ambergris purchased at a high price from the Spirit Hall, emitting a mysterious musky scent; and the lightning-struck wood that only blooms during thunderstorms, its surface still bearing charred lightning marks…
These exotic flowers and herbs from all corners of the Douluo Continent are now gathered in this giant furnace. Their medicinal properties collide, merge, and transform with each other, releasing visible energy ripples.
"Pressure stabilized at 9.2! Temperature 1350 degrees! All indicators are within the predetermined range!"
"Drug fusion progress 73%...81%...89%..."
"The final step!" Yuan Longping's gaze fell upon Li Fulan, who stood before the furnace. Hope shone in his cloudy old eyes, and his voice carried an undisguised excitement. "Little Li, it's up to you! Only you can complete this final step!"
Li Fulan nodded without saying anything.
Today, he shed his usual languid teacher persona and donned a crisp white lab coat, the cuffs and collar buttoned tightly. His short, golden hair was concealed by a sterile cap, revealing his smooth forehead and sharply defined jawline.
Those black eyes, which usually held a playful smile, were now incredibly deep, like two ancient wells reflecting the raging flames inside the alchemy furnace.
He walked to the stove and stood still.
Behind him were dozens of eyes watching him, and in front of him stood the steel behemoth that embodied three years of hard work from the entire team. He could feel the scorching heat emanating from the furnace hitting him, smell the complex aroma produced by the mixture of medicinal herbs, and hear the muffled rumble of energy surging within the furnace.
He took a deep breath, filled his chest, and then slowly exhaled.
He mobilized the soul power within his body.
"Martial Soul, manifest."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
A mushroom appeared in his hand.
He pushed forward sharply, sending the ever-changing ball of light and shadow in his hand into the scalding hot feed inlet.
"boom--"
The alchemy furnace emitted a deep, muffled roar, the sound emanating from its depths, heavy like thunder before an earthquake, or like a colossal beast awakened from its slumber of millennia. The entire base trembled; the overhead lights swayed slightly, and the ground beneath our feet quivered subtly.
The previously dim runes on the furnace walls instantly lit up, the dense ancient characters spreading from the bottom to the top of the furnace like flames, circle after circle, growing brighter and denser. The light was so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it, illuminating the entire underground base as if it were daytime, even dispelling the shadows in the corners.
Everyone instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, but no one stepped back.
They held their breath, their hearts leaped into their throats, and their temples throbbed.
one second.
two seconds.
three seconds.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely, each second feeling like an eternity.
Then--
The violent energy fluctuations subsided slowly, like a receding tide.
The runes on the furnace wall gradually dimmed, returning to their original silence. The furnace's tremors ceased, and the deep hum became soft and steady, like a baby sleeping peacefully.
Instead, a unique and refreshing fragrance, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, filled my senses.
The aroma is hard to describe in words. It's not the bitterness of herbs, the sweetness of flowers, the heaviness of wood, or the intensity of spices. It's as if it's blended all the beautiful scents together and distilled the most essential parts. It's not strong, but it has an extremely strong penetrating power, like an invisible hand gently brushing across the tip of everyone's nose.
The aroma penetrated the thick metal walls of the furnace, permeating the entire laboratory. It spread like water through the ventilation ducts, reaching every corner of the Seventh Base. Even the logistics warehouse, three hundred meters away, could detect the faint scent.
Just one inhalation is enough to make every pore on your body open up, and every cell rejoices. The fatigue that has accumulated for so long is gently brushed away by a warm hand, disappearing without a trace. Some older researchers even felt that their backs and waists were less sore, and their eyes were much clearer, as if withered trees had come back to life and old trees had sprouted new buds.
"It's...it's done?"
A young researcher stared at the curve on the monitor, muttering to himself in disbelief. After a brief period of violent fluctuation, the curve had now become an incredibly smooth green straight line, almost without any movement, like a still lake.
"All indicators are perfect! The efficacy has reached 103% of the expected level!"
"100% drug compatibility! No rejection reaction whatsoever!"
No toxic residues detected! Heavy metal content is zero!
"Finished product stability test passed! Shelf life estimated to exceed fifty years!"
Reports came one after another, each number like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. But cheers didn't erupt immediately. Everyone looked at each other, as if they were in the middle of a beautiful dream and afraid that making a sound would wake them. Then, they all looked at Elder Yuan on the command platform, and then at Li Fulan by the furnace, as if waiting for confirmation.
As Yuan looked at the data on the screen, the numbers jumped into his eyes one by one, imprinted on his cloudy old eyes. He remained silent for a long while, and finally a smile appeared on his lips, a smile like ice and snow melting, or like the first ray of sunshine after the dark clouds dispersed.
He took off the old reading glasses he'd worn for decades and rubbed his slightly sore eyes with the back of his hand. In that instant, some liquid slid down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away, so fast it seemed like an illusion.
His voice was a little hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, but every word was clear and powerful:
"Comrades...we've succeeded. The Longevity Pill is complete."
At that moment, thunderous applause erupted.
The applause came from all directions. Although there were only a few dozen people, the sound reverberated throughout the dome, louder than a thousand troops. Some clapped, some cheered, some hugged each other, jumped and shouted, and some squatted on the ground, covering their faces, their shoulders trembling.
This is also a great declaration of scientific spirit in this fantastical world where martial spirit determines everything—it turns out that even without a martial spirit of extraordinary talent, even without heaven-defying aptitude, as long as we are united and down-to-earth, we can still create miracles.
Li Fulan leaned against the metal railing in front of the furnace, feeling the slightly warm touch. He looked at the group of cheering scientists, at the undisguised joy and tears on their faces, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He just stood there quietly, watching it all.
Is this the power of a nation?
A group of ordinary people, gathered together for a common goal, can unleash such amazing energy.
This feeling is really great.