One-Eyed Monster

Contract Beasts are constrained by time, but Exchange Beasts are different. They are solely controlled by Alchemists (after all, they cannot be considered Living Entities, simply fabricated imitations). As long as the Alchemy Equation allows, Exchange Beasts can be "summoned" without restriction. However, controlling the Exchange Beast after summoning and making it part of oneself is what distinguishes the abilities of Alchemists.

Like most professions, the strength of one’s Spirit Power determines an Alchemist’s capability. Those with powerful Spirit Power can imbue their manufactured Exchange Beasts with their own Spirit Power, making them their eyes, their ears, and ultimately, their doubles.

For Alchemists with weak Spirit Power, however, the Exchange Beasts they create can only serve as decorations. Dead Objects lacking Spirit Power are merely ornaments.

The alchemical technique of transforming Exchange Beasts into one’s own doubles is called Master Controlling Exchange Beasts. This technique demands considerable Spirit Power. Alchemists who master it, sometimes known as Master Controllers, need an intimate understanding of the habits of the Exchange Beasts they create. For instance, if a bat Exchange Beast, after being imbued with the master controller’s Spirit Power, still attempts to observe its surroundings with eyes like a human, then that Alchemist has merely wasted their Spirit Power. Not only would they observe nothing, but they would also lose that bat Exchange Beast. Therefore, every Alchemist who masters the skill of Master Controlling Exchange Beasts has their own specific type of Exchange Beast, as simultaneously mastering and flexibly applying the life habits of two different organisms is quite challenging.

Master Controlling Exchange Beasts is a High Rank skill for Alchemists. This skill is even one of the marks distinguishing if an Alchemist is a general Alchemist or a high-ranking Alchemist. On the Yowein Continent, both Alchemists and Wizards have complex Level Divisions, unlike Hunters and Fighters who are broadly classified into High Rank and ordinary based on actual combat strength. The Level Division system for Alchemists and Wizards employs a mature assessment system.

This mature assessment system is primarily due to the powerful support these two professions receive. For instance, Alchemists have the sponsorship of the Imperial Royal Family to establish the Alchemy Workshop. The Alchemy Workshop serves the Empire, even becoming an integral part of it. During the defensive wars of the Kayne Empire, the Alchemy Workshop contributed significantly to defending the territories. Today, every young person cultivating Alchemy strives to enter the Alchemy Workshop.

Those who cultivate Alchemy can be called Alchemists. Alchemists are further divided into Alchemy Apprentices and Alchemy Servants. Alchemy Servants are merely beginners in Alchemy, having only elevated their perception of Spirit Power to the Alchemist-specific "Discernment Stage." This means they have only progressed in their perception of Spirit Power without mastering any specific alchemical techniques. Alchemy Apprentices are a level higher than Alchemy Servants. Apprentices have completely mastered the "Discernment Stage" skill of perceiving Spirit Power and have begun to engage with the fundamentals of Alchemy: the Alchemy Equation. Any Alchemist who reaches the level of an Alchemy Apprentice can already use simple Alchemy Equations to exchange simple objects of equal quality.

Stepping beyond the level of Alchemy Apprentice signifies entry into the High Rank of Alchemists—the rank of Alchemist. The Alchemy mastered by these high-ranking Alchemists is not as simple as exchanging objects of equal quality; they master more complex Alchemy Equations. Compared to Alchemy Apprentices, Wizards can not only use Alchemy Equations to exchange equivalent items anytime and anywhere but can also create their own exchange equations. The ability to create exchange equations is the threshold for an Alchemist to advance to become a high-ranking Alchemist.

The Alchemy Workshop classifies these high-ranking Alchemists by seats. The Golden Twelve Seats represent the highest level within the Alchemy Workshop, with each seat corresponding to one of the Stars. In addition to the Golden Twelve Seats, there are also the North Sky Twenty-nine Seats and the South Sky Forty-seven Seats. Alchemists ranked beyond these eighty-eight seats in the Alchemy Workshop are designated by numbers greater than eighty-eight. All Alchemists in the Kayne Empire strive to attain a seat in the Alchemy Workshop, and the competition for these limited eighty-eight seats is incredibly fierce.

Those fortunate elders who retire from the Golden Twelve Seats are promoted to become elders of the Alchemy Workshop. People show great respect to Alchemists who create astonishing Alchemy Equations. If not for their advancing age, these Alchemists could still wield considerable influence within the Empire. These elders pass on their skills and manage the Alchemy Workshop based on their vast experience. They are the guiding minds of the Alchemy Workshop, directing all its operations.

This time, Kuyi Tulan, despite being the Chief of the Golden Twelve Seats in the Alchemy Workshop, disregarded the opposition of the workshop’s elders and deployed seven high-ranking Alchemists, including himself.