Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time

As Han Yu clutched his new robes, the fresh scent of spirit-thread cotton still clinging to them, Han Yu made a silent vow.

'Even if my robes burn to ashes every week, I'll still walk this path.'

He grinned to himself and turned back toward the Outer courtyard, eager to visit the next place on his list.

Han Yu walked through the long corridor of the Pill Refinement Chambers, his white robes fluttering slightly behind him, the bronze Alchemy Peak insignia gleaming in the light of the softly glowing spirit lanterns. Each room bore a number on a wooden plaque above its door, with inscriptions beneath indicating their grade: Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced.

The corridor gradually curved along the slope of the peak, following the natural lay of the mountain, and even as he walked, he could feel the faint heat in the air—the product of the massive Flame Formation Array that extended beneath the entire peak.

It provided the controlled fire arrays used in every pill room here, and it made Han Yu feel as though he were walking just above the surface of a buried volcano.

"Feels almost nostalgic..." He muttered thinking back to his time at the Slumbering Caldera.

As he passed a set of Intermediate rooms, he instinctively turned to peer through the spirit-forged glass window of one. Inside, a disciple with a focused gaze was channeling his spirit sense into the node of a Pill refinement flame array, controlling the fire that licked up around a black cauldron with green inlays.

Han Yu's eyes widened.

Then he looked to the plaque mounted on the wall just beside the door.

Intermediate Pill Refinement Room – 50 Merit Points per Hour

He winced.

"Fifty...?" he whispered under his breath.

Another plaque not far ahead read Advanced Room – 100 Merit Points per Hour.

Han Yu stopped.

He turned back to look again at the disciple working away, sweat pouring down his brow even as his spirit qi controlled the flame. Then he imagined what would happen if the process failed.

The pill exploded.

The fire backlashed.

The ingredients were wasted.

And the merit points…

Han Yu clutched his chest as if physically wounded.

"A single failed session could cost thousands of points…"

He finally understood why Li Mei preferred to work in her little hut in the Outer Court. Her talent as an alchemist wasn't in question, but even someone like her wasn't willing to gamble merit points on unpredictable experiments here. The Alchemy Peak's pill refinement rooms were clearly meant for stability and commission work. Not creative combustion.

Shaking his head and snapping out of his thoughts, Han Yu headed further down until he reached the section marked Basic Pill Rooms. This was where the fresh blood like him began.

The wooden doors here were simpler, unadorned save for a metal formation lock that glowed faintly. A small panel next to each door showed whether the room was Occupied or Available, and also included a spirit token reader.

Han Yu found an empty one, Room 7, and held up his identity token to the panel. It flashed with a soft light before the locking array clicked open. His name appeared on the door's side.

Authorized Entry: Han Yu | Outer Court Alchemy Disciple | Basic Pill Room Rental – First Weekly Use (Free)

He stepped inside.

The room was a square chamber, five meters wide, the walls made of smooth stone engraved with faint runes to dampen heat and suppress volatile qi fluctuations. The room was small, yes, but it was functional—clean, practical, and centered entirely around the pill cauldron in the middle.

The cauldron was a mid-tier spirit tool, made of burnished bronze with engraved wave patterns curling along its surface. It had three short legs and a heavy, flat lid resting to the side. The moment Han Yu stepped closer, he could feel a slight pressure from it—proof that it had been refined with spiritual materials and possessed its own qi resonance.

Just below the cauldron was the flame array node: a round spirit formation disk embedded into the floor, carved with complex overlapping lines of script. The node glowed faintly red, pulsing like a heart, ready to awaken once Han Yu channeled his spirit sense into it.

Around the room, a small alchemist's workstation had been built into the walls—shelves with measuring cups, drying trays, qi-insulating containers, wooden and metal spatulas, and a few jade tablets with minor inscriptions for heating time monitoring or temperature check.

Han Yu's fingers lightly trailed over one of the measuring spoons. Everything was here—real, tangible, and ready.

"So this is the real deal…" he murmured.

He set down his storage pouch, pulling out a small bundle of ingredients he had been given by Li Mei for cheap practice.

His goal wasn't to make any complex pills just yet—just to get a feel for controlling the flame array. Compared to the talisman-based flame he had used before, the difference in control and responsiveness would be critical.

Standing before the array node, Han Yu closed his eyes and extended his spirit sense.

It was like dipping his awareness into warm liquid light.

The array came to life under his guidance. The runes flared with heat and qi, and a flame burst to life beneath the cauldron—a quiet, focused red flame that hovered just within the basin, like a breath held in restraint.

Han Yu opened his eyes.

"Now… let's see what you can really do."

He reached down mentally and twisted the flame's intensity. It responded.

Not with sluggish resistance like the talisman flames—but with refined precision.

A smirk grew on Han Yu's face.

He lowered the flame. It obeyed.

He split it slightly into two tongues. The flame obeyed again.

This was the difference. This was why true alchemists needed Flame Arrays. He hadn't even started refining yet, but already he could tell that this one factor alone would take his control to the next level.

"I could… I could really become an alchemist," he whispered.

His thoughts drifted back to those merit-point hungry advanced rooms.