Chapter 277: Fantasy Transmutation
Beginner level alchemy could only change the structure of an object.
Only by continuing to raise alchemy proficiency and advancing to higher levels could one further alter the elements and properties of matter.
The forging of Imperial Relics stopped at that level.
Because of that, both their power and their effects were fundamentally different from Divine Relics.
Every Divine Relic was essentially the manifestation of some extreme or concept of this world. It was not merely a material object.
The alchemists from the early days of the Empire were far inferior to those from the ancient kingdom era.
Naturally, they could not produce things on the level of Divine Relics.
Even so, during the ancient kingdom era, only seven Divine Relics were ever born.
That alone showed how difficult it was to reach the level of manifesting fantasy and concepts.
Caelum did not need to worry about that.
All he had to do was practice every day.
As long as he kept practicing, his alchemy proficiency would keep rising at a visible pace.
His level improved at an astonishing speed.
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 1
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 1
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 1
...
"Understand. Decompose. Reconstruct..."
Caelum pressed both hands onto the transmutation array and murmured softly, focusing his mind as he began a deeper transmutation.
As his spirit poured in, alchemy could now be performed with stability.
A faint hum spread.
Light rose from the transmutation array.
A plain, ordinary stone completed the reorganization of its basic elements in the blink of an eye, turning into a clear and flawless crystal.
Caelum picked up the crystal and held it under the sun.
It refracted the sunlight into rainbow colored spots, beautiful enough to seem unreal.
"With this, material reconstruction is complete."
He glanced at the proficiency panel.
Swordsmanship Proficiency: 90,000,000
Observation Haki Proficiency: 18,000,000
Armament Haki Proficiency: 18,000,000
Conqueror Haki Proficiency: 18,000,000
Alchemy Proficiency: 7,200,000
Time passed quickly.
A year had gone by since Caelum began learning alchemy.
During that year, he had completely stopped training his swordsmanship and the three forms of Haki.
As long as he raised alchemy proficiency, sooner or later he would be able to realize every fantasy and manifest every concept.
There was no need to keep training swordsmanship and Haki.
Practicing alchemy required intense mental focus.
Perhaps because his Haki was abnormally powerful, even using alchemy for long periods rarely made Caelum feel mental fatigue.
Once he focused all his time and energy on alchemy, his daily proficiency naturally rose extremely quickly.
In less than two months, his alchemy proficiency broke through 1,000,000.
At that level, alchemy could not only reconstruct matter. It could also step into the forbidden field of alchemy.
Human transmutation.
Whether it was freely changing the structure of the human body, or creating new life from other materials, Caelum could do it.
However, life created from other materials was only a shell.
A body without a soul had no wisdom at all.
Blade light flashed.
Caelum drew Cloudrend and decisively cut off his own left hand.
Then human transmutation activated.
The severed hand reattached to the wound, and in the blink of an eye, it was fully restored.
He clenched his fist.
No difference from before.
"Human transmutation. Done."
Caelum brushed the dust from his left hand and continued raising alchemy proficiency.
For now, this was the limit of what he could do.
In most cases, alchemy absolutely followed the principle of equivalent exchange and the law of conservation of energy.
It could not produce matter from nothing, nor could it carry out unequal transmutation.
The reason alchemists liked using materials from Danger Beasts to forge Imperial Relics and Divine Relics was not that they were unable to transmute certain materials.
The main purpose was to attach the special abilities of Danger Beasts to those Imperial Relics and Divine Relics.
According to the book, the alchemists of the ancient kingdom had studied this field very deeply.
Human transmutation had been forbidden even then, but those mad alchemists never cared. They had caused more than a few horrific disasters.
Above human transmutation was the field of the Philosopher’s Stone.
That thing could break the principle of equivalent exchange and the law of conservation of energy.
Its raw material was the human soul.
Creating a Philosopher’s Stone required a large number of human souls.
Hundreds or thousands of people were needed to create one the size of a finger.
In return, a Philosopher’s Stone was extremely durable.
However, if one stepped into a still higher field, then even without a Philosopher’s Stone, it was still possible to break equivalent exchange and the law of conservation of energy.
The alchemists of old called that field fantasy transmutation.
Once Caelum reached that level, it would mean he possessed the ability to manifest fantasies and concepts.
Breaking through 1,000,000 proficiency had brought him into human transmutation.
Then Caelum estimated that 10,000,000 proficiency should be the field where one could transmute the Philosopher’s Stone.
Above that.
100,000,000 proficiency should be the field of fantasy transmutation.
Caelum calculated it.
At a pace of 20,000 proficiency per day, he would need around thirteen more years to break through 100,000,000 proficiency and gain the ability to raise his own alchemy proficiency on the conceptual level.
"Thirteen years is not that long."
To Caelum, it truly was not long.
He had no interest in the Empire’s situation, and he cared even less about the future of this world.
And so, Caelum continued devoting himself to alchemy.
Spring passed. Autumn came.
For fourteen full years, he vanished once again without a trace.
In the second year, Caelum’s alchemy proficiency broke through 10,000,000.
The result was exactly as he expected.
He stepped into the field of Philosopher’s Stone transmutation.
The third year.
The fourth year.
Until the fourteenth year.
Alchemy Proficiency: 100,000,000
Caelum’s alchemy proficiency finally broke through 100,000,000.
He truly stepped into the field of fantasy transmutation and gained the ability to manifest fantasies and concepts.
At the same time, entering fantasy transmutation meant his alchemy could now break the principle of equivalent exchange and the law of conservation of energy.
More than that.
At such a profound level, Caelum no longer needed to draw a transmutation array for support.
With a single thought, he could activate alchemy and perform any transmutation he wished.
On the day his proficiency broke past 100,000,000, even after fourteen years, his appearance remained that of a young twenty year old.
Since the conditions had been met, he decisively activated alchemy on himself and raised his proficiency exponentially.
A faint hum spread.
With no array, transmutation arose from empty air.
An invisible ripple moved over Caelum’s body, and a deep light flashed through his bright eyes.
Understand.
Analyze.
Transmute.
Alchemy capable of manifesting fantasy could, simply put, become an infinite wishing machine.
The instant Caelum performed transmutation on himself, the concept of proficiency was fully analyzed by him.
Then his own fantasy began to manifest.
In that moment, his alchemy proficiency rose at an utterly terrifying speed.
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 100,000,000
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 1,000,000,000
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 10,000,000,000
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 100,000,000,000
Alchemy: Proficiency plus 1,000,000,000,000