"If your comprehension isn't sufficient," Grando said calmly, "then I suggest you directly join the Virtual Universe Company's core through the Alchemist Division."
Hearing this, determination flickered in Luo Fan's eyes.
"Thank you for your advice," he replied, "but I have confidence in my own strength."
Grando looked at him with a trace of appreciation in his gaze.
"Good. Confidence is a fine thing."
"In that case, I'll make the decision, until the end of the Cosmic Genius Battle, you'll hold the rank and privileges of a Doomsday Secret Realm member."
"If you perform well in the battle, you'll be granted even greater benefits."
"But if you fail to rank among the top thousand in the Cosmic Genius Battle…"
"Then you can still join the Doomsday Secret Realm afterward through the Alchemist Division."
The middle-aged man standing nearby had a complicated expression.
He seemed as though he wanted to speak, yet hesitated.
Luo Fan, however, was ready to agree immediately.
After all, this arrangement was entirely to his advantage.
He could enjoy the treatment of a core member in advance.
At that moment, Grando continued speaking as if he hadn't noticed the man's expression at all.
"But—"
"There's a condition."
A trace of curiosity appeared on Luo Fan's face.
"Please, go on."
"All of this," Grando said with a faint smile, "depends on whether you can, before the Cosmic Genius Battle ends, successfully craft a C7-grade Bloodline Potion."
"Also, until the end of the Genius Battle, your status and privileges as a Doomsday Secret Realm member will only apply within the Alchemist Division," Grando continued.
"After all, you are not yet a true core member of the Virtual Universe Company."
"I reviewed your potion refinement process earlier, this time frame should be more than enough for you to craft a C7-grade Bloodline Potion."
A C7-grade Bloodline Potion was one that could allow an ordinary person to reach seventh-level Cosmic rank upon adulthood.
Without hesitation, Luo Fan agreed immediately.
"No problem!"
Grando's eyes gleamed with amusement at his quick answer.
"Are you sure you won't regret it?"
"If you choose not to participate in the upcoming Cosmic Genius Battle, you could join the Doomsday Secret Realm right now."
"I won't regret it!" Luo Fan said firmly.
In his mind, whether it was refining a C7-grade Bloodline Potion or ranking within the top thousand in the Cosmic Genius Battle, both were matters of near certainty.
Being able to secure the position and privileges of a Doomsday Secret Realm member within the Alchemist Division ahead of time would greatly smooth his future path as an alchemist.
Lately, Luo Fan's primary focus of study had been Bloodline Potions.
Through this research, he had gained many new insights into the bloodlines of various lifeforms.
He was certain that these insights would one day aid him greatly when he embarked upon the path of divine power.
"Good!"
"That's the spirit!" Grando said approvingly.
"This is my Virtual Universe account," Grando said, passing over a contact code. "You can take note of it."
"If you have any questions regarding alchemy, or even cultivation, you may contact me directly."
"When you're able to refine a C7-grade Bloodline Potion, reach out to me."
"Xiao Qi, help Luo Fan complete his identity registration."
With that, Grando turned and left.
The middle-aged man could only shake his head with a wry smile, offering no objection.
"I'm Watson, one of the stewards of the Alchemist Division, and a Four-Star Alchemist," he said.
"Since my teacher has already made the decision, I'll make sure everything is properly arranged for you."
"Once I finish registering your identity, you'll gain access to the core section of Alchemist Continent."
"That's the headquarters of the Alchemist Division under the Virtual Universe Company."
"At the same time, your permissions will be activated. If you need anything, your intelligent assistant can help you locate it directly."
After saying this, Watson stopped speaking and began processing Luo Fan's registration.
Before long, the identity setup was complete.
Luo Fan gave a polite bow, then turned and left.
Watching his departing figure, Watson's expression turned thoughtful.
He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before their paths crossed again.
…
The moment Luo Fan's identity registration was finalized, his inbox filled with new messages.
In just an instant, he fully grasped their contents.
After all, his intelligent assistant was essentially himself, more precisely, his Mechanical Race clone.
The Mechanical Race were intelligent lifeforms who had evolved through merging consciousness with metal bodies.
Therefore, whatever an intelligent lifeform could accomplish, the Mechanical Race avatar could naturally do as well.
As for Dumpling, he had entrusted her to Fang Xueyi.
After becoming a member of the Pharmacist Department, Luo Fan also gained a residence on the Pharmacist Continent.
Or rather, a villa.
In the next instant, he teleported there directly.
The villa was quite large, practically a manor.
The entire area within a one-kilometer radius around it belonged to his private estate.
He made some modifications according to his personal taste.
This villa was a privilege exclusive to members of the Doomsday Secret Realm.
As for Rain Image Mountain and the Doomsday Secret Realm itself, since he wasn't yet an official member, he couldn't go there for now.
However, within the Pharmacist Department, his authority, status, and benefits were equivalent to those of Doomsday Secret Realm members.
In an instant, he had completely absorbed the department's regulations.
If he could become a Three-Star Pharmacist before reaching the Domain Lord level, then he would qualify to join the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.
If he could advance to a Four-Star Pharmacist before reaching the World Master level, then he could enter the Primordial Secret Realm.
However, that was also the ultimate limit within the Pharmacist Department.
To enter the Primordial Secret Realm, one would need to pass through Primordial Tongtian Mountain or earn qualification through the Qualification Battle.
At present, Luo Fan had one hundred points, which could be used to purchase pharmacist ranks, medicinal materials, formulas, or even secret techniques and advanced levels.
To earn points, he needed to complete tasks assigned by the Pharmacist Department.
He glanced through the list and saw that producing ten portions of Cosmic-level Bloodline Potions could earn anywhere from one to one hundred points.
There were also many other tasks available.
Before starting on those, he could first purchase a Pharmacist Inheritance.
The first purchase of any Pharmacist Inheritance could be bought at ten percent of its normal price.
Luo Fan eagerly opened the inheritance list.
A large selection of inheritances appeared before him.
Because his current status was equivalent to that of a Doomsday Secret Realm member, the inheritances he could purchase were of higher quality.
He looked over the options and saw that he could now purchase Five-Star Inheritances.
Without hesitation, he clicked to acquire a Five-Star Pharmacist Inheritance.
In reality, there weren't many Five-Star Pharmacist Inheritances available, only a little over one million copies existed.
It was worth noting that pharmacists were already rare, and high-level pharmacists were even rarer.
A Five-Star Pharmacist had the ability to craft potions capable of influencing King-level Immortals.
Pharmacists with such capabilities were extremely scarce, like phoenix feathers or unicorn horns.
Moreover, some of the lower-quality inheritances weren't even accepted by the Virtual Universe Company.
So, having such a large selection of inheritances was actually quite impressive.
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