In the quiet hall, Chaimir and the others sat in chairs on the high platform with their eyes closed, meditating. On the table before them, a sandglass was slowly sifting through the grains… After an unknown duration of tranquil atmosphere, Chaimir was the first to open his eyes, glancing at the nearly depleted sandglass, and then shifted slightly, coughing lightly. As Chaimir’s cough broke the silence, Otto and the others also opened their eyes, looking around the hall before laughing, “It seems that this examination is quite difficult. Even now, no one has come out yet.”
“Those who are capable want to improve the purity of the refined ingredients as much as possible, while those who are slightly less skilled are troubled by how to refine the materials within the given time. Therefore, naturally, no one has come out yet,” Chaimir chuckled lightly.
“Do you think who will achieve the best result this time?” Otto nodded, picking up the teacup in front of him and taking a sip, then asked with a smile.
“It’s hard to say…” Chaimir’s bony fingers tapped lightly on the chair, and after a moment’s thought, he said, “But in my opinion, Liu Ling’s chances are the highest. He is not lacking in talent, and over the years, he has learned almost three or four levels of Gu He’s skills. This is enough to make him stand out among his peers.”
“Haha, the little princess isn’t weak either. The royal family’s foundation is extremely strong. If we are to believe they didn’t prepare a trump card for her, no one would buy it,” Otto laughed.
“Although the girl has decent talent, her experience is far inferior to Liu Ling. If she doesn’t use those trump cards, she should still be a step behind Liu Ling. This is only the preliminary test, so the chances of her using the trump card are small. Therefore, Liu Ling has the highest chance of achieving the best results…” Speaking of his prized disciple, a smile appeared on Chaimir’s face as he continued with amusement.
Otto smiled, glancing at the black-curtained room where Xiao Yan was, sighing inwardly, “I wonder what kind of results Xiao Yan, this little guy, will achieve. I hope it won’t be too low; his talent is no less than Liu Ling’s and the little princess’s.”
“What? Old Otto, still holding out hope?” Otto’s movements, though subtle, did not escape Chaimir’s notice. He shook his head helplessly. A Second Grade Alchemist, even with the best talent, could hardly compete with these Third Grade Alchemists.
Otto chuckled, not arguing with Chaimir, and placed his hands on his knees, rocking his tilted chair, quietly waiting for the examination results. Seeing Otto silent, Chaimir no longer spoke, sighing softly and then casting his gaze back to the empty hall, counting the ticking of the sandglass in his heart…
When the grains in the sandglass were only a quarter left, a black curtain suddenly moved. Instantly, the eyes on the high platform were fixed on the curtain. An arm emerged from the curtain, lifting it. A handsome young man, with a soft and sly smile, stepped out gracefully.
“Indeed, it’s him…” Otto and the others were slightly taken aback at the sight of the tall young man. They exchanged a glance with Chaimir and sighed, shaking their heads; Gu He indeed had a few tricks when teaching disciples.
Liu Ling walked out of the black curtain and stopped in the center of the hall, smiling faintly at Chaimir and the others on the high platform, then elegantly bowed, behaving like a gentleman.
Not long after Liu Ling came out, a graceful figure quickly darted out from the black curtain. Upon seeing Liu Ling already standing in the hall, a hint of disappointment crossed her delicate face. She slowly made her way to the center of the hall, pouting, “Brother Liu, I didn’t expect you to be so fast.”
“Haha, the little princess isn’t slow either,” Liu Ling smiled.
“Hmph, although you’re faster than me, the purity of your refined herbs may not be higher than mine!” The little princess lifted her white fist, huffing.
Liu Ling nodded, smiling without a word. Just a few minutes after the little princess came out, the silent black curtains began to move one by one, with figures emerging and finally standing in the hall. The first thirteen people to emerge all wore the badge of a Third Grade Alchemist, clearly surpassing the Second Grade Alchemists in refining.
After these thirteen appeared, the black curtains stopped moving until about ten minutes later, when more people started coming out, all of whom were Second Grade Alchemists. When they saw the thirteen Third Grade Alchemists standing proudly in the center, they all shook their heads ruefully and stood dispiritedly in the back row, obviously realizing the gap between themselves and the top contestants after this initial test.
As the black curtains kept moving, the sand in the hourglass was about to spill completely, but Otto’s brow was tightly furrowed because Xiao Yan had still not emerged…
“What is this boy up to? Could he still not be finished with the refining? It’s impossible; with his strength, even if he can’t match Liu Ling’s speed, he shouldn’t lag behind this much,” Otto clenched the chairback, murmuring anxiously in his heart.
“A sigh…” Next to him, Chaimir, noticing his friend’s anxiety, sighed, patting his shoulder to offer some comfort.
At the forefront of the crowd, Liu Ling, with a faint smile, surveyed the hall, and when he failed to spot Xiao Yan, a sneer of ridicule rose in his eyes.
As time passed, the once-empty hall filled again, though everyone remained silent, their gazes unconsciously fixated on the black curtain where Xiao Yan entered. Now, he was the only one who had not come out…
The grains in the hourglass fell rapidly, and Otto’s brows knitted into a single line…
“Heh, Brother Liu, is this your friend? Seems quite incompetent, huh?” The little princess, noticing Otto’s worried expression, turned to Liu Ling and whispered with a smile.
“Haha, the little princess jests; we have only met a few times, far from being friends,” Liu Ling replied softly with a smile.
“That’s true. With your skill and pride, you’ve never befriended anyone without potential,” the little princess said, her words sharp. In her view, coming from the scheming royal court, only those with strength worthy of her acknowledgment deserved to be called friends. A mere Second Grade Alchemist wasn’t worth her lowering herself.
Liu Ling nodded, smiling, and cast another glance at the motionless black curtain, sneering. Finally, he ceased his attention and turned his gaze elsewhere.
On the high platform, the grains in the hourglass had almost completely fallen. Seeing this, Chaimir shook his head helplessly, disappointed that Otto’s recommended contestant might fail the initial test. Sighing, he stood up, ready to announce the end of the refining. Otto, sensing Chaimir’s intent, had no way to stop him, shaking his head despondently and leaning back in his chair, exhaling deeply.
“Well, everyone, I declare that the time…”
“Sorry, I’m late…” Just as Chaimir was about to declare the end, a calm voice suddenly emerged from the remaining black curtain. A shadow then lifted the curtain, revealing a composed figure who calmly walked out, bowing slightly to the startled Chaimir.
Otto, hearing the calm words, immediately looked down, fixing his gaze on the slightly rushed Xiao Yan emerging from the curtain. The heavy burden in his heart finally lifted.
“Tsk, tsk, managed to rush out in the last bit of time. Truly lucky, but I doubt the hastily refined material will be of good quality,” the little princess observed quietly, watching Xiao Yan with interest.
“Not good means elimination; it’s quite normal. The assembly lacks nothing but contestants…” Liu Ling glanced at Xiao Yan with a slight smirk, shrugging indifferently.
Chaimir, on the high platform, looked at the finally appearing Xiao Yan and then at the relieved Otto, thinking, “Sigh, even though he managed to come out, looking at his struggling state, the result likely won’t be ideal. Poor old Otto…”
Turning, Chaimir clapped his hands, drawing the curious gazes away from Xiao Yan, and cleared his throat, saying, “Since everyone has come out on time, let’s begin the next phase of the examination.”
With that, Chaimir stepped forward and lifted a black cloth covering a platform, revealing a precise machine glowing faintly.
“This is a purity measurement instrument, crafted by renowned smelting masters invited by our alchemist guild. It can accurately measure the purity of the materials you’ve refined.” Chaimir touched the dark machinery, pointing to a recess, “Here is where you place the refined materials.”
He then pointed to a screen flashing with characters, “And here, the purity will be displayed, graded on a scale of ten, with ten being the highest and one the lowest. Four is the passing mark.”
“Alright, now, place your Ironwood Spirit Leaves inside. Remember, before you do, please state how many times you’ve refined them.”
Each refinement cycle increases the difficulty several times. For example, even with Chaimir’s strength, he could only refine the Ironwood Spirit Leaves ten times before further efforts became futile.
“Let’s begin!” Chaimir clapped, and the Fourth Grade alchemist masters all rose, approaching the testing machine, eagerly awaiting the results.
Following Chaimir’s instructions, the hall’s attendees exchanged glances, and a Third Grade alchemist, gritting his teeth, stepped forward, taking out a jade bottle containing the Ironwood Spirit Leaves and placing it in the recess.
“Vice Guildmaster, I managed to refine the Ironwood Spirit Leaves three times,” he respectfully reported.
Chaimir nodded; three effective refinements were a commendable result. He estimated the youth’s purity to be around five. As expected, after a few flashes, the screen displayed a large ‘five’.
“Five points. You pass. Congratulations.” Gazing at the blood-red characters, Chaimir smiled.
“Next…”
“Four points… pass.”
A Second Grade alchemist was pushed forward, setting everything up swiftly. Shortly, the screen displayed ‘four’, and he sighed in relief, stepping aside.
“Next…”
“Five points, pass.”
“Next…”
“Three points, fail.”
After a few successes, an unfortunate Second Grade alchemist, with a dejected look, stepped back. As the examination proceeded, Liu Ling, under everyone’s watch, calmly approached the testing machine, retrieving a jade bottle from his ring and carefully placing it in the recess, then looked up and smiled at Chaimir, “My strength is limited, but I managed to refine it six times.”
His statement caused a stir. The crowd, including Chaimir, exchanged surprised glances. Refining Ironwood Spirit Leaves five times required at least peak Third Grade alchemist strength.
Chaimir sighed and directed his gaze to the screen. After a brief glow, a large ‘seven’ appeared.
“Seven points. Congratulations… you pass.” Chaimir exhaled, smiling.
Liu Ling, with a smile, moved to the side, his gaze casually shifting to Xiao Yan, who was meditating at the back.
After the excitement caused by Liu Ling, the subsequent tests seemed dull. The two or three rounds of refinements barely caught the attention of Chaimir and the others.
The monotony was broken by the appearance of the little princess. Despite her young age, she managed to refine the leaves five times. However, perhaps due to inexperience, her score was 0.5 points lower than Liu Ling’s.
Several other contestants, also scoring six, still fell short compared to Liu Ling, making it seem like he was the clear frontrunner.
As the tests continued, the central area of the hall gradually emptied, leaving Xiao Yan alone.
“Yanxiao, it’s your turn…” Chaimir, seeing Xiao Yan seemingly asleep, urged him.
Hearing the call, Xiao Yan opened his eyes, lazily surveying the hall, then paused on Liu Ling, who was smiling, and gave a faint smile, sending a reassuring look to the nervous Otto.
Striding up the steps, Xiao Yan reached the testing machine, took a jade bottle from his ring, and casually tossed it into the recess, ignoring the bewildered looks of Chaimir and the others.
“Young man, how many times did you refine?” Chaimir, seeing Xiao Yan’s unresponsive state, asked.
“Times?” Xiao Yan frowned, hesitating, “I think… eight times.”
Silence. The hall became deathly quiet.
“Hmph, foolish boy, do you think such things can be claimed so easily?” The little princess, incensed by Xiao Yan’s claim, scoffed, refusing to believe a Second Grade alchemist could refine eight times.
However, her sneer faded as, on the screen, a large, crimson ‘nine’ slowly appeared.
“Nine points…” Gazing at the red number, Chaimir felt his heart tighten…
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