Li Feng sat cross-legged in his secluded alchemical chamber, the dim glow of spiritual flames casting flickering shadows across the walls. The cauldron before him bubbled, releasing thin wisps of alchemical vapors. Yet, his mind was not on the pill he was refining. Instead, it was consumed by an idea—a radical, impossible, yet tantalizing idea that had struck him like a bolt of lightning.

  Creating a sect was not something he could achieve overnight. Even if he assimilated smaller sects, it would still be an uphill battle. If he was to force the world to acknowledge his theory, he needed power—undeniable strength that would make even the most stubborn elders bow before him. He needed an advantage, and his model of the atom would be that advantage.

  The realization was exhilarating, but ideas alone were worthless. He needed a way to apply this understanding to cultivation and alchemy, a method that would allow him to turn theory into undeniable results.

  As the thought settled in his mind, a sharp crack echoed through the chamber. His cauldron let out a hiss of failure. The pill he had been refining—one that he had crafted hundreds of times before—collapsed into a mass of wasted residue.

  Frustration flared within him. Even with all his knowledge and precision, pill refinement was still a gamble. Despite his skill, he was forced to rely on intuition, on the fickle guidance of experience. If only he could see the composition of the pill in real-time, he could correct it before it was too late. If only he had absolute certainty over the ingredients' state at every moment of the process.

  His mind raced. Spectral lines. He had long known that different substances emitted distinct spectral lines when subjected to alchemical flames. Until now, they had been mere curiosities—mysterious patterns without explanation. But with his model of the atom, he could finally decipher their meaning.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  If he could determine the energy levels of electrons at each orbital, he could map the spectral lines to the exact composition of a substance. The thought sent a thrill down his spine. With this, he could analyze every ingredient, track every reaction, and perfect his pill refinement to an unparalleled degree. He would no longer be refining blindly—he would wield absolute control over the alchemical process.

  To make this realization into an alchemical theory, he had to imagine the atom. He closed his eyes, visualizing its structure. The nucleus—small, dense, and charged with power—stood at the center, its presence defining the atom’s very nature. The electrons, bound to it by an invisible force, orbited in set paths. Using his assumption that angular momentum was an integer multiple of h2π\frac{h}{2\pi}, and that the electrostatic force acted as the centripetal force, he derived their motion.

  He saw it clearly—each electron restricted to specific, quantized distances from the nucleus. The smallest orbit had a radius rr, the next 4r4r, then 9r,16r9r, 16r, following a pattern of perfect squares. The fundamental unit, rr, was minuscule—only 0.53×10?100.53 \times 10^{-10} meters for a hydrogen atom. But as the nuclear charge increased, the electrons were pulled in tighter, forced into smaller orbits, their speeds growing faster with the increasing attraction.

  The first orbital of hydrogen alone had an electron velocity of 2.18×1062.18 \times 10^6 meters per second. For heavier elements with greater nuclear charge, the electrons moved even faster, their orbits constricted by the force of the nucleus.

  This explained why spectral lines were unique to each element—why no two substances emitted the same patterns. The energy transitions of electrons were discrete, and each jump between orbits produced a distinct signature. If he could decode these signatures, he would hold the key to absolute alchemical precision.

  Li Feng’s eyes snapped open, burning with newfound determination. He had found the path forward. Quantum Pill Refinement—the first step toward the future sect he would build, the foundation of his inevitable rise.

  This was just the beginning.