97: Chapter 97 Problem Solved, Elixir Initially Formed

They had thought success was within reach, but just as the progress bar advanced to 99.7%, it suddenly got stuck, like a bone stuck in the throat.

Chen Wuwang's fingers were still resting on the control lever, neither letting go nor pushing it further.

In the field of view of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye, data streams slid by quietly; there were no red error lights and no fuse blowout warnings, but the response curve of the third mechanical arm on the left wing still had a trace of lag—

The 0.003-second delay had been compressed to 0.001 seconds, but it was precisely this final tiny deviation that made the entire System feel like someone wearing shoes that fit but still couldn't walk steadily, each step awkward.

"It hasn't passed yet," he said in a low voice.

Chen Tiezhu crouched by the inspection port and wiped the grease off his face, leaving a black smear when the back of his hand brushed across his chin.

He stared at the slightly trembling energy waveform line on the monitor, gritting his teeth:

"I've recalibrated the guide rails three times, replaced the buffer pads with new ones, and even leveled the hydraulic valves of the Worker Ant Mecha, yet it still can't catch its breath."

Ling Zhenzi sat cross-legged on the array eye stone platform, eyes closed and silent, his fingertips still stained with dried blood.

He probed his Divine Sense deep into the Womb Array, sensing the rhythm of the seventh resonance ring. A moment later, he opened his eyes, his voice raspy: "It is hiding."

"Hiding?" Chen Tiezhu turned his head abruptly.

"It's not out of control."

Ling Zhenzi slowly stood up, walked to the main console, and traced his fingers across the rune projection. "It's that we send commands, it hears them, but it doesn't want to follow immediately. It's like when you tell an ox to plow the field; the ox understands, but it insists on being a half-beat slow and looking up at you—it has a temper."

Chen Wuwang's eyes lit up.

He suddenly smiled, very lightly, as if he had finally touched the handle of the door that he had been unable to knock open all this time.

"Then don't force it," he said. "Make it feel like it's the one that wants to move."

The three of them exchanged glances, saying nothing more.

Chen Tiezhu turned and left, shouting outside:

"Old Six! Take the men and dismantle all three sections of the main arm! This time I'm personally using the laser calibrator; get the error margin down to below 0.04 microns for me! Not a single old gasket is allowed!"

The Worker Ant Mecha hummed as it slid out of the wall slot, its metal tracks grinding against the ground, sparks flashing and vanishing at the joints.

Ling Zhenzi did not move; he sat back down cross-legged on the stone platform, formed hand seals, and silently chanted incantations.

A layer of pale golden spirit patterns spread from his fingertips, flowing along the earth vein conduits into the core of the Womb Array.

This time, he no longer forcibly stabilized the frequency, but instead used his vital blood as a guide to carve a brand new rune—the Synchronous Frequency-Locking Curse—on the periphery of the seventh resonance ring.

This was not suppression; it was communication.

"Before, we were dragging it along," he whispered as he carved. "Now, we must make it follow our beat and take steps on its own."

Time passed bit by bit.

Outside the window, the sky turned from dark to bright, and then from bright to gray.

Inside the Alchemy Workshop, there was only the low hum of machines, the crisp sound of metal striking metal, and the subtle crackling of spiritual power tearing through the air as the runes were carved.

Twelve hours.

A full day and night.

When Chen Tiezhu walked back, covered in sweat and burn marks, he was carrying a piece of guide rail debris he had just dismantled, its edges shimmering with blue light.

"It's done," he said, placing the fragment on the console. "0.038 microns, I stared at it until I got it."

Ling Zhenzi opened his eyes; blood seeped from the cracks in the corners of his mouth, but there was a smile on his face:

"The seventh ring is also stable. It has started to actively align with the beat; its breathing rhythm differs from the control System by no more than 0.0005 Hertz."

Chen Wuwang didn't speak; he just reached out and pressed the start button.

The current surged in once again.

This time, there were no twitches, no fluctuations, and no alarms.

The reaction chamber lit up layer by layer, the temperature control film in the pill condensation zone emitted a soft white light, and the mechanical arms slowly lifted, their movements as smooth as flowing clouds and water.

The waveform of the energy ring was as steady as a lake, and the breathing of the Womb Array was perfectly synchronized with the commands.

The progress bar continued to advance.

75%... 80%... 85%...

No one spoke; no one even dared to breathe loudly.

Until 90%.

Suddenly, the temperature curve in the pill condensation zone showed a slight downward trend—in the final stage, the medicinal potency condensation entered a critical window; if energy couldn't be replenished in time, the crystallization would be uneven, the Medicinal Pill would be ruined, and the furnace would cool.

"The sixth auxiliary ring!" Chen Wuwang raised his head abruptly. "Increase the energy supply ratio by 2.3%! Quick!"

Ling Zhenzi's fingers trembled, and he immediately performed a hand seal; threads of spiritual power instantly pierced into the sixth junction point, making precise adjustments.

"Pump pressure, keep up!" Chen Wuwang roared again.

Chen Tiezhu grabbed the control lever and started the backup spiritual energy pump; pulse-style energy supply surged toward the pill condensation zone like a tide, the pressure remaining as constant as iron.

95%... 98%... 99.7%...

Hum—

A clear chime rang out from the depths of the reaction chamber, as if an ancient bell had been lightly struck, its lingering sound reverberating.

Immediately afterward, a golden-patterned light spilled out from the gaps in the pill condensation zone, illuminating the entire Alchemy Workshop as bright as day.

An extremely rich medicinal fragrance permeated the air; it was not a pungent, sharp scent, nor a cloyingly sweet fragrance, but an aroma that made one's muscles and bones relax and one's Divine Soul become clear, intoxicating to smell.

Success.

The vacuum seal valve opened automatically, and a jade bottle slowly rose, floating quietly at the pill extraction port.

Chen Wuwang stepped forward, put on sterile gloves, used tweezers to gently grip the jade bottle, and took it out.

Seven Medicinal Pills were shaped in a nine-turn spiral, with fine golden patterns flowing on their surfaces; each one was crystal clear, without any Impurities.

He held up the jade bottle, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye scanned it—

[Purity: 98.7%]

Far exceeding the average level of manual Alchemy.

"It... it really succeeded?" Chen Tiezhu muttered, his voice trembling.

He slowly walked to the side of the cooling box and sat down with a thump. His hands were still trembling slightly, covered in grease and burn marks, but he grinned, smiling like a child.

Ling Zhenzi remained sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, eyes closed and regulating his breathing, but the corners of his mouth were lifted. The remaining bloodstains appeared particularly stark and especially real under the lights.

Chen Wuwang stood where he was, looking down at the jade bottle in his hand.

He didn't jump, didn't shout, didn't cheer.

He just stood there quietly, his fingers gently rubbing the edge of the jade bottle, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

A long-lost, heartfelt smile, one of relief after exhaustion.

He knew that this small bottle of Medicinal Pill was not just medicine.

It was the first step for the Chen family to move from brute force fighting to technological dominance.

It was the reward for getting up and trying again during countless nights of furnace explosions.

It was the path he had trodden step by step over three years of Transmigration, carrying the System and bearing the skepticism of others.

Outside, the wind blew through the high window, rustling the uncollected blueprint.

The small text in the corner of the blueprint was clearly visible: [Pending Verification | Needs to be coordinated with the Womb Array].

Chen Wuwang looked up and gazed into the distance.

There, more technologies were waiting to be conquered, and more difficulties were waiting to be overcome.

But for now, he just wanted to stand for a little while longer.

Inside the Alchemy Workshop, the medicinal fragrance permeated the air, and the lights were soft.

The three of them were in their own corners, silent, yet their hearts were in sync.