Chen Pingchuan's gaze was locked on the attribute panel shimmering with a faint blue glow before him, where his four-dimensional attributes were clearly listed. Strength, Agility, Spirit, and Physique—all showed significant improvements, with the increases in Physique and Spirit being the most noticeable. Moreover, his physical condition had not only returned to its previous peak but had even seen considerable progress and breakthroughs. This was all thanks to his recent nightly operations.

Just as his mind began to wander, a loud female voice cut through the noisy environment, sharp enough to be heard where a softer one would have been lost. "A glass of Ocean's Heart, please."

A brightly dressed, heavily made-up young woman walked straight up to the bar. Her eyes were lively, and her red lips parted as she spoke to Chen Pingchuan. The crowd of beautiful women who had once surrounded him had thinned out drastically in recent days. The reason was simple: the price of his cocktails had become increasingly outrageous, far surpassing what ordinary people could afford.

Each drink started at 10,000 Federation Coins—and that was just the starting price, not the ceiling. The most expensive among them, the Ocean's Heart, cost a staggering one million! Many guests, upon seeing the price list, could barely stop themselves from shouting that Chen Pingchuan had gone crazy for money!

Meanwhile, the other bartenders in the bar had launched their own imitation versions of Chen Pingchuan's cocktails at much more affordable prices. Of course, what the guests didn't know was that Chen Pingchuan himself had taught them his techniques. It wasn't for free, naturally; they simply had to pay him a ten percent commission as an agency fee, and in return, he provided them with the 'soul-flavoring agent' for each drink.

As a result, the people who could now afford to sit around Chen Pingchuan's bar, whether male or female, were all individuals with significant assets in Hantan City.

"Sorry, it's sold out!" Chen Pingchuan said, giving the young woman an elegant nod of refusal. The 'sold out' was merely a pretext. In reality, he just wanted to avoid trouble and enjoy some peace and quiet.

"And what if I say I must have it today?" the girl demanded, raising her eyebrows, her tone tinged with imperious arrogance.

"My apologies, but we only serve one Ocean's Heart each night, and today's has already been sold. I'm truly sorry," Chen Pingchuan said, his voice remaining gentle, as if trying to placate her.

However, the girl wasn't buying it. Instead of backing down, she became even more aggressive, her brows knitting together as she snapped, "Are you taking my politeness for weakness? Do you even know who I am?"

"I am the third young miss of the Hantan City Mayor's family! Now, I'll give you one chance. Make me that pathetic Ocean's Heart right this instant. If you don't..." She trailed off, but her attitude made it clear to Chen Pingchuan that this situation would not end peacefully.

Was Chen Pingchuan the kind of person who would yield so easily?

The answer was yes.

"Of course. One Ocean's Heart. How would you like to pay?"

"Put it on my tab. Everyone here knows me," she said, even reaching out to pinch his cheek. "Hey, handsome, you must be new here if you don't even recognize me, right?"

Chen Pingchuan shifted his body slightly, easily dodging her presumptuous gesture. "My apologies. I'm here to sell my craft, not myself. Your cocktail is ready. Please enjoy."

"I have to step away for a moment," he added.

The girl giggled. "You're quite shy." She wasn't genuinely trying to harass him; she simply reveled in the thrill of teasing someone from a lower social standing.

A few minutes after Chen Pingchuan left, a group of lavishly dressed young men and women swarmed into the Ability User Bar. "Ling Yin, there you are! We were looking all over for you. What are you doing in a place like this?" they called out, making no effort to hide their disdain for the establishment.

Xu Lingyin raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I heard that this dump of a bar got a new bartender who makes some strange cocktails. One of them supposedly costs up to 1,000,000 Federation Coins, so I came to check it out!"

"What kind of drink costs that much? That's a total rip-off!" one of the young men in the group grumbled. The fine wines they usually drank weren't nearly as expensive. For a drink to be priced this high felt like a challenge; it meant that even the lower classes could potentially outdo them in extravagance.

"Really?"

"Third Sis, get us one, too! It's not like you ever pay for drinks anyway."

"Yeah, Boss! Get us a round to try. I've never had a drink that expensive before!"

The group of youths chattered endlessly, with Xu Lingyin at their center.

Xu Lingyin was inwardly pleased by their fawning, but she put on a troubled expression. "It's not that your big sister can't afford it, but the bartender had to leave for a bit. He's not here, so there's nothing I can do. When he gets back, I'll have him make you all one."

As she spoke, Xu Lingyin lifted her glass and took a delicate sip of the Ocean's Heart. To her surprise, the single sip delivered a wondrous sensation she had never before experienced.

First, there was its appearance. Under the bar's colorful lights, the drink shimmered with a dreamlike hue, like a fusion of the deep ocean and a brilliant starry sky. Lifting the glass, a refreshing aroma wafted toward her—the fragrance of a sea breeze mingled with a faint hint of sea salt.

Taking a small sip, the first thing she noticed was a cool sweetness on the tip of her tongue. It was a magnificent flavor crafted from carefully blended fruit pulp and a secret syrup, akin to the first rays of sunlight shimmering on the morning sea—bright and pure. Next, a hint of sourness gently spread across her palate, like the fine foam of waves crashing against rocks, adding a lively sparkle to the sweetness.

As the liquid glided down her throat, a subtle aroma of liquor bloomed, mingled with the faint, fresh bitterness of marine plants. It was like brushing against seaweed while diving deep, adding rich layers and profundity to the experience. Savoring it further, the flavor seemed to tell a story of the ocean. It spoke of the glittering, tranquil surface, the thrill of stormy waves, and the soothing caress of the sea breeze on one's face.

For a moment, Xu Lingyin was utterly captivated by the drink.

In truth, there was a very good reason Chen Pingchuan priced his drinks so high. Other bartenders simply followed conventional recipes, mixing liquors, juices, and fruits to create cocktails with interesting flavors. But he was different.

For Chen Pingchuan, this wasn't mixology; it was alchemy.

After all, Chen Pingchuan was no ordinary Alchemist.

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