Chapter 493

Xiao Zining gasped, a chill running down his spine. Alchemists were ranked by grade. A first-grade alchemist was little more than an assistant, unable to practice independently; attempting to do so usually resulted in failure or, at best, low-grade pills. A second-grade alchemist required a ninety percent success rate in producing low-grade pills, meaning at least nine out of ten pills in a batch had to be successful. A third-grade alchemist could attempt mid-grade pills, but the success rate for those was a mere fifty-fifty split against low-grade ones. Fourth-grade alchemists had a decent success rate with high-grade pills, though it remained unstable, as high-grade pills were significantly harder to craft than mid-grade ones and carried a much higher failure rate. Fifth-grade alchemists were rare in the Ningzhi Kingdom and even across the Dongling Continent; they could produce high-grade pills with a ninety percent success rate. While alchemists below the third grade were common in the kingdom, those at the third grade or higher were typically recruited by major factions. Fifth-grade alchemists were generally highly respected masters or reclusive sages.