The major flaw of this novel is the MC.
It is almost like there are two different people living inside him. The Master and the Child.
The Master is calm and composed, remembers the life and experience of the alchemy emperor and is generally well adjusted.
The Child appears every time the author needs to show just how awesome the MC or his Chinese heritage is. I really don't get why glorifying yourself and your country is such a big deal. The child is also a attention seeker.
But, a split personality is not really a no go for a novel. The trouble starts when the Child does stupid things that only serve to delay the progress of the story as well as causing troubles for the Master to solve.
In one moment the MC is composed and knows when to act, but in the next he seeks trouble everywhere.
But don't take my word for it. Let me give you an example.
MC needs to take a basic alchemy exam to be able to rent a furnace. It is a 24h available online only exam.
What the MC needs to do is get it done. What he does is take the maximum number of available exams in one go.
There is literally no benefit, as far as we and the MC at that point in time know, to taking more exams. But the child seeks attention.
At school the avarage grade MC shows of knowledge about seals he should not know, but because of his lucky chance he is now a native speaker of the otherworldly language. As a result he gains scrutiny by his teacher and classmates, a rival who will continue to antagonize him and a possible one sided love interest. There is no benefit to standing out, no grades no additional resources. He literally does it to show off and embrace the class monitor (antagonist).
The MC lack of common sense, the stupid attention seeking and his desperate pleas for other to notice his unusual increases in strength do not fit his background as a hard working poor student who is used to being disadvantaged.
Anyone who has been overlooked and disadvantaged by the extended family and the public at large will gain at least a little bit of maturity and a sense of caution. Not to mention his father shows how to keep quiet while working towards a better future.
Even the younger sister shows a very mature attitude. An attention seeker would have never had a good relationship with a disabled sibling who by default would have needed much more care and attention.
All of this before the MC gained centuries of experience and knowledge.
The idea and framework of the novel are wasted by the author because he desperately tries to increase word count by creating useless conflicts while regularly destroying his own characterization of the MC.
