As the daughter of the Heaven Wolf Sect’s leader, being in Chi Ze region was indeed a prestigious status. However, it was strange for the manager of the Pill Pavilion to be so enthusiastic.
Li Tan thought for a moment and roughly understood the manager’s intentions, probably related to romantic feelings.
“What a bore.”
Li Tan couldn’t quite understand; after all, it was just a woman.
Was it worth groveling like that?
It was truly disgracing the Pill Pavilion. If Zuo Qingchun were here, he would probably be kicked out immediately.
Speaking of Zuo Qingchun, Li Tan touched the jade pendant at his waist.
This was the item Zuo Qingchun had given him before leaving. Actually, if he had wanted to, back at the training hall, merely showing this token would allow him to stay for a few more days or even months without anyone daring to interfere.
However, Li Tan had no intention of using it like that. Using this token for such matters was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. Not only would it lower his own standards, but if Zuo Qingchun found out, he would probably regret befriending such a junior.
Enough digression.
In any case, after a while, the manager came down, running eagerly with a face full of flattery.
Stopping in front of Miss Zhang, who was sitting at the entrance, he said, “Please follow me upstairs. Everything is already prepared; we can start immediately.”
“Hey, you over there, come along too.”
The manager led the way upstairs. Li Tan followed Miss Zhang and her attendants to the third floor. The manager respectfully pointed at two rooms on the right and said, “Everything is already inside. What needs to be refined is the Grade One Blood Pill.”
Miss Zhang confidently snorted.
“With Senior’s skills, a mere Blood Pill is as easy as pie!”
“Haha, I think Senior can directly take the Two-Star Alchemist exam after passing the One-Star Alchemist exam.”
“At eighteen, becoming a One-Star Alchemist is extremely rare even throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Senior is amazing!”
The young men around her lavishly praised her, and indeed, what they said was true. A One-Star Alchemist at such a young age was indeed exceptionally talented.
However, Li Tan frowned and asked strangely, “Grade One Blood Pill, you seem to have made a mistake. I’m here for the Two-Star Alchemist exam.”
“What? Two-Star Alchemist?
Are you out of your mind?”
The manager was taken aback, looking at Li Tan with disdain, “Don’t you know that to participate in the Two-Star Alchemist exam, you must first pass the One-Star Alchemist exam?”
A young man beside Miss Zhang sneered, “With that little brain, you dare to come out and show off? I bet you know that my Senior is coming to take the One-Star Alchemist exam today and specially came here trying to get close to her?”
“Hahaha!”
Several young men laughed joyfully.
“Hey, I advise you, young lady, one should be down-to-earth. You should go back and study with your master for a few more years. Even a One-Star Alchemist is not something I’m particularly confident about.”
Li Tan glanced at them, silently took out his light yellow alchemy robe from the wasteland tower, shook it, and unfolded it in front of the manager.
The golden star emblem on the chest was very conspicuous. The scene instantly fell silent.
The manager’s eyes nearly popped out as he quickly grabbed the robe, brought it close to his eyes, and carefully examined it. After a moment, he swallowed hard and said in disbelief, “This… this is real.”
“What!”
Miss Zhang, who originally thought Li Tan was just putting on a show and felt somewhat disdainful, had her expression drastically change. She asked in disbelief, “You… you really are a One-Star Alchemist?”
Li Tan asked sarcastically, “What benefit would I gain from lying to you?”
Miss Zhang hesitated, realizing that what Li Tan said made a lot of sense.
“In that case, Manager, when can you arrange things for me? I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
Li Tan turned to ask the manager.
After learning of Li Tan’s identity as a One-Star Alchemist, the manager deeply regretted his previous behavior. At that moment, he was extremely nervous, sweat forming on his forehead.
Earlier, he had said that Li Tan was out of his mind. Now it seemed like the one out of his mind was himself. Li Tan looked about eighteen or nineteen years old. An eighteen or nineteen-year-old One-Star Alchemist was already extremely rare in the Great Xia Dynasty, a rare genius indeed. Moreover, Li Tan seemed to want to take the Two-Star Alchemist exam. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not, Li Tan’s status was definitely not simple.
Because alchemists differ from ordinary cultivators. Advancement in pill-making skills has no shortcuts and can only be achieved through accumulating experience from repeated successes and failures in refining pills.
Therefore, the cost of nurturing an alchemist is incredibly high. Ordinary families or sects cannot afford it! Especially nurturing a quasi-Two-Star Alchemist like Li Tan, the resources consumed could support the entire Chi Ze region.
Thinking this way, how could Li Tan’s background be simple?
It was probably at least not inferior to Miss Zhang’s Heaven Wolf Sect, right?
So who was the real fool? He dared to scold Li Tan for being foolish?
He was an idiot, alright.
“Eh, that… eh, you, I…” Flustered, the manager was already at a loss.
Li Tan roughly knew what he was thinking and sighed, “Just hurry up and get things sorted out for me.”
“Understood, I’ll do it right away. Excuse me, Miss Zhang.”
The manager hurried away again.
The young men looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
They had just spoken quite arrogantly towards Li Tan.
But Li Tan didn’t care about them. He found a nearby chair and sat down.
“What’s your name?”
Miss Zhang curiously asked, “Why don’t I remember you at all?”
Among the younger generation of influential factions near Chi Ze, she believed she knew all the outstanding ones. However, she had no impression of Li Tan, which made her feel strange.
Li Tan thought for a moment and casually replied, “Probably because we haven’t met. I don’t remember you either.”
“But—” Miss Zhang wanted to say something else but stopped herself, considering it impolite to press further. Instead, she stood aside, secretly observing him.
After a long while, the manager came running over again, respectfully saying to Li Tan, “Young Master, everything is ready for you. Please come to the fourth floor.”
“Alright, take me there.”
Li Tan stood up.
“Of course, of course.”
The manager hastily replied, then turned to Miss Zhang and apologized, “Please forgive my absence. You may now enter to begin the test. You have one incense stick’s worth of time.”
“Alright, you all wait outside.”
Miss Zhang cast a few curious glances at Li Tan, thinking that he might just be here for a try and probably wouldn’t pass, then entered the room.
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