by Feng Yise
However, Ye Yuan did not seem to see it like that. Instead, he smiled and then said to Chairman Wang, "This Junior has heard clearly, and I want to stand on the right side. I want to participate in the Alchemy Master test."
"You, a Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm, wants to join the Alchemy Master test?" Chairman Wang indeed became angry.
"That's right." Ye Yuan remained fearless.
"Whose family's brat are you?! To actually be so impertinent! Did you come here today to beguile us elders?!" Chairman Wang was already on the edge of exploding. If it was not for the sake of Feng Ruoqing's face, he would have thrown Ye Yuan out long ago.
At this time, Wan Yuan came forward very naturally to follow up. "Please calm down, Chairman Wang. This person has always been arrogant, and he never respects his elders. But speaking of his family, I believe Chairman Wang also knows his father."
"Oh? Do say, Honorable Nephew. Who is his father?" Chairman Wang asked curiously.
"His father is Ye Hang, the owner of the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion," Wan Yuan replied respectfully.
Hearing that, Chairman Wang frowned and said, "He is actually Old Brother Ye's son? Old Brother Ye is a tiger father, how could he possibly beget such a shallow and frivolous son?"
Ye Yuan was around the same age as Wan Yuan but was only at the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm. Clearly, he was someone who made no effort to seek progress.
If he was only at the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm, then forget it. But he actually did not know what was good for him and wanted to participate in the Alchemy Master test. Did he think that Alchemy Masters were like cabbages?
He had gradually advanced along the Alchemy Path for so many years now, but he had never heard of any Ninth Level Essence Qi Realm becoming an Alchemy Master, let alone a Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm.
God knew how many Spirit Condensation Realms were stopped outside the gate of Alchemy Master, yet a Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm shamelessly boasted that he wanted to participate in the Alchemy Master test. If this was not causing trouble on purpose, then what was?
"I'm not bored enough to be here and entertain you. I just feel that taking the test one rank at a time wastes too much time, so it's better to just take the Alchemy Master test directly." Ye Yuan's words shocked everyone greatly.
"Humph! Taking into account that you are Ye Hang's son, I will overlook this sin of disrespect, but I think you can forget about this test. Miss Feng, it's not that this old man isn't giving you any face, but this brat is too mischievous. Men, throw this person out for me!" Chairman Wang finally lost his temper.
Wan Yuan was bursting with joy right now and thought to himself that the evil that people brought on themselves were the hardest to bear.
"Hold on!" at that moment, Feng Ruoqing finally called out to stop this.
Chapter 59 - Test Starts!
"Hold on!" Feng Ruoqing went forward without any hesitation.
Feng Ruoqing's action sparked a wave of murmuring among the students. It seemed like the relationship between these two was becoming more apparent.
"Please calm down, Chairman. May I speak with him?" Even though Feng Ruoqing was an instructor in the Dan Wu Academy, her qualifications were still somewhat lacking in the Alchemist Association's territory.
Chairman Wang pondered for a moment before nodding his head.
Feng Ruoqing looked at Ye Yuan with complicated eyes, trying to see if whether he really had a plan or he was messing around. But after staring for a long time, she could not see anything.
"Let me ask you, Ye Yuan. Is our agreement earlier still valid?" Feng Ruoqing asked in a low voice.
It was just that this question seemed a little ambiguous, so apart from Feng Zhirou who knew the details, everyone's imaginations ran wild.
Ye Yuan replied somewhat helplessly, "If it wasn't for keeping our agreement, do you think that I enjoy being looked on by them like I'm a freak?"
Hearing Ye Yuan say this, Feng Ruoqing's state of mind somehow became relaxed.
Other people did not know Ye Yuan's Alchemy Dao prowess, but Feng Ruoqing was very clear on it.
To be able to casually instruct her, a middle-rank Alchemy Master, what Ye Yuan was lacking was most likely just cultivation realm.
Feng Ruoqing had the feeling that what she saw was only a tip of the iceberg of Ye Yuan's abilities.
Just what kind of a freak was this fellow? He was only fifteen years old!
"You mean . . . you are confident?"
Even though she had confidence in Ye Yuan, what Ye Yuan was about to do was too subversive of common sense. So she had to confirm again.
"Uh. That I'm not too sure," Ye Yuan replied very irresponsibly.
Seeing that Feng Ruoqing was about to storm off, Ye Yuan immediately followed up and said, "Will simply refining any kind of Tier 2 medicinal pill work?"
"That's right. As long can you can refine any kind of Tier 2 medicinal pill within four hours, it counts as passing the low-rank Alchemy Master test!"
"I see. If that's the case, then it shouldn't be an issue," Ye Yuan said nonchalantly as if refining a Tier 2 medicinal pill was as simple as drinking water and eating rice.
"Since that's the case, I hope you don't disappoint me!"
After Feng Ruoqing finished, she pulled out a bottle of medicinal pills from inside her sleeves, and then said to Chairman Wang, "Chairman, I have three Soul Nourishing Pills that I will place here as collateral for Ye Yuan. If Ye Yuan is really here to cause trouble, then these three Soul Nourishing Pills will be an apology to the association."
When these words were said, shock could be seen on everyone's faces.
The Soul Nourishing Pill was a genuine Tier 3 medicinal pill. Furthermore, it was a highly sought and precious Tier 3 medicinal pill!
That was because the effects of the Soul Nourishing Pill was to strengthen a martial artist's divine soul. It was able to make a martial artist's soul more powerful!
This type of medicinal pill was something that alchemists dreamed about.
Chairman Wang was also astonished. He did not expect Feng Ruoqing to pull out such a precious item for Ye Yuan.
As one of the major heads of the Alchemist Association, he knew Feng Ruoqing's true identity. That was why he was so courteous to her.
If someone else were leading the team today, then with his status, he would not be bothered to talk so much crap with them.
"Miss Feng really wants to take out such a precious item for an ignorant brat?" Chairman Wang asked disbelievingly.
"Ruoqing knows that Ye Yuan's actions are unconventional, but I believe that he has the ability! Just because we have never seen something before, that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Things that we can't do doesn't mean that others can't do it as well!" Feng Ruoqing said firmly.
"Fine. Since Miss Feng insists on it, then this old man won't be the bad guy today. But Miss Feng needs to know that I only agreed for your sake. If it were another person, I wouldn't accompany her to mess around even if she took out this Soul Nourishing Pill," Chairman Wang said seriously.
"Thank you, Chairman Wang!" Feng Ruoqing bowed slightly to express thanks.
She knew that Chairman Wang was not lying. Even though the Soul Nourishing Pill was precious, this kind of medicinal pills was not overly scarce with the Alchemist Association's might.
The main reason why he agreed was still taking into account that she was the Head Imperial Princess.
"Since Miss Feng is so insistent, then Ye Yuan, stand on the right. But this old man will say some nasty words first. If you are really making fun of old me, I can forsake these pills, but you will pay for this! Otherwise, if this matter spreads, people will think that my Alchemist Association has become a place for children to mess around!"
Chairman Wang's did not speak quickly, but each word was loud and clear. It was evident that he made up his mind to give Ye Yuan a good one.
Ye Yuan could not be bothered with him and went to stand beside Feng Zhirou.
>
"Hey! Did you make a mistake? Don't harm my aunt! How can you, a Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm, possibly refine a Tier 2 medicinal pill?" Feng Zhirou said indignantly.
Ye Yuan glanced at Feng Zhirou and then retracted his eyes. He said indifferently, "You better take care of yourself. I think you are going to fail this time. Why is the academy's Alchemy Roll of Honor so weak?"
"You!" Feng Zhirou did not expect Ye Yuan to rebuke her and was so infuriated that she was speechless.
On the other side, Wan Yuan gnashed his teeth as he looked at Ye Yuan hatefully.
Why? Why did Teacher Feng take out such a valuable thing for him? Just what capabilities does he, Ye Yuan, have? Just wait and see. Right now, you are unbelievably arrogant. In a while, I will see just how you intend to wind up. Wan Yuan was yelling in his heart.
. . . . . .
Individual pill refinement rooms were used for this test. There were a total of ten pill refinement rooms. Five refinement rooms in a row at the east side, and another five at the west side. At the center was a great hall, and at the north of the hall was a light screen. The examiner could see everything happening in the refinement room through this light screen. At the south of the hall was a herbal warehouse.
Alchemy involved many things such as controlling fire, medicinal theory, array formations, and etc. But in the end, it was all for refining the medicinal pill.
No matter how strong in one aspect a person was, if they could not refine out a medicinal pill, then it was useless. There would not be any recognition.
Hence, the Alchemist Association's tests had always taken a completed medicinal pill's grade as the benchmark.
Whatever pill one could refine meant that they belonged to that alchemist rank. This was the most straightforward way, as well as the most persuasive.
Four hours were neither too long nor too short. It required the success rate of refining a medicinal pill to not be too low. This also reduced the likelihood of the alchemist being lucky.
In this place, everything was decided by strength!
"The test officially begins now. Examinees can start choosing the herbs. The first two groups of students, make your way into the herbal warehouse."
The host of the test changed to a middle-aged Alchemy Master. Under his instructions, the first two groups of students went into the herbal warehouse to choose their herbs.
Selection of herbs being included in the four hours was actually also a form of test for the students.
It was a basic skill for an alchemist to find the required herbs in the shortest amount of time, in order to save time for the preparation of the herbs and refinement process later.
As a matter of fact, one could tell the strength of the students from this herbs selection stage.
The faster and more accurate a person was when choosing the herbs meant that they had a more skillful understanding of medicinal theory. It also meant that they had a better grasp on the attributes of the various herbs when refining. The success rate of refinement would naturally also rise significantly.
Feng Ruoqing's gaze involuntarily looked towards Ye Yuan, and she thought to herself that with Ye Yuan's extreme understanding towards herbs, he only needed to spend a short while inside the herbal warehouse.
When she was refining the Qi Returning Pill, he could actually use his hands to flawlessly grab and prepare various herbs. It was truly heaven-defying!
He was clearly only fifteen years old. Even if he started training alchemy in his mother's w.o.m.b, how was it possible to reach such a level?
Thinking up to this point, Feng Ruoqing gained a little more confidence in Ye Yuan.
Perhaps Ye Yuan could really create a miracle?
Chapter 60 - Your Level Is Too Low
In the first two group, the main focus was naturally Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun.
Reality had proven that these two people truly could best the Dan Wu Academy's students.
When the two of them walked out of the herbal warehouse, everyone else was still looking for herbs.
As for Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun, the two of them were pretty much neck-to-neck and exited the herbal warehouse together.
Watching Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun standing out like cranes among chickens, both Elder Wang and Elder Sun felt a pleasant warmth on their faces. Especially Elder Wang who was vexed by Ye Yuan earlier. Right now, he felt his mood turn for the better.
Elder Wang was named Wang Jinfu, and Elder Sun was Sun Jianming. The two of them were veterans in the Alchemist Association and also highly respected Alchemy Grandmasters who were second to none in the State of Qin.
Both of them were the Alchemist Association' deputy chairmen, but they were secretly competing by bringing their disciples to take part in this test this time around.
"Oh Old Sun. I didn't think that Keyun this lass would improve so quickly. I'm afraid you expended no little effort on her!" Wang Jinfu said as he stroked his beard.
"Haha. Your family's Feng-er isn't bad either. I remember that you only took her in as your last disciple the previous year. I didn't think that she was going to become a high-rank Alchemy Apprentice this quickly."
"That's right. Feng-er this lass is quite intelligent. Just a little bit, and she would understand. She is a good seedling. During this herb selection stage, it counts as a draw between the two of them. But this is just the appetizer. The key point is still the refinement."
Sun Jianming nodded in approval.
It was apparent that between these two old men, Wang Jianfu was more talkative, while Sun Jianming was taciturn.
After Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun entered the refinement room, they immediately started preparing the herbs.
During the preparation stage, their actions were very swift and proficient. One could see that the two of them were frequently assisting the two old fogeys outside.
However, these basic skills were normally not visible. The effects would only show itself when it really came down to it.
Aside from some students who had greater emphasis placed on them, the Dan Wu Academy's students rarely had the opportunity to do miscellaneous tasks for the instructors. Thus, they obviously could not be compared to how fast Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun were.
Furthermore, Wang Jianfu and Sun Jianming were Alchemy Grandmasters. With them teaching step-by-step along the way, it would be impossible for these two girls not to stand above the rest.
The Dan Wu Academy students were worse off once again during this segment.
What amazed everyone was that the two of them progressed in a synchronized manner without any clear distinction between them. It was like Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun discussed it beforehand.
From selecting the herbs to finishing the preparation of the herbs, these two girls took around an hour. One could see just how solid their fundamental skills were.
Each student had three chances in the Alchemist Association's test. So everyone would prepare three sets of herbs.
Xu Feng-er and Sun Keyun finished preparing their herbs and started on their first refinement.
In the hall, Feng Zhirou watched the light screen in utter boredom. She was already a high-rank Alchemy Apprentice since long ago, so she obviously lacked interest in watching this kind of matches again.
"Hey, Ye Yuan. Who do you think will win between those two girls?" Feng Zhirou moved over to Ye Yuan's side and started talking with voice transmission.
In this hall, no matter how quiet she was, those two old men would definitely hear it with their strength.
"Sun Keyun," Ye Yuan similarly replied using voice transmission without even thinking about it.
"Eh? You already knew it? Why?" Feng Zhirou was surprised.
Feng Zhirou did not doubt Ye Yuan's words. She knew that Ye Yuan was really amazing. Feng Ruoqing's eyes were always at the top of her head. A youth that was so highly regarded by her aunt was absolutely no ordinary man.
It was just that no matter how amazing she felt Ye Yuan was, she did not think that he cou
ld pass through the Alchemy Master test with his Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm.
"Because Chairman Sun is a notch above," Ye Yuan replied nonchalantly.
"Chairman Sun? What has it got to do with Chairman Sun?" Feng Zhirou was confused by Ye Yuan.
"Chairman Sun is a man of few words and is more infatuated with Alchemy Dao. His abilities should be a notch above Chairman Wang's. Chairman Sun is pragmatic, so he is logically more strict when teaching apprentices. Sun Keyun inherited her predecessor's style, so she is obviously a cut above."
"No way. Just because of this?"
Ye Yuan rolled his eyes at Feng Zhirou. "When they were choosing the herbs, the two of them seemed to be on par. But Sun Keyun was actually slightly faster than Xu Feng-er."
Feng Zhirou was dumbfounded. "How did you tell?"
"Xu Feng-er is refining the Fierce Tiger Pill, while Sun Keyun is refining the Profound Clarity Pill. The Profound Clarity Pill has one more secondary ingredient than the Fierce Tiger Pill, but the two of them finished at the same time. The winner and the loser are clear at a glance."
Ye Yuan's words left Feng Zhirou wide-mouthed for a moment. "Y-you aren't talking rubbish, are you? You can tell what kind of pill they are refining just from the light screen?
Ye Yuan gave a faint smile. "Won't you know whether I'm talking rubbish or not after they finish refining?"
"Fine then. I want to see if you are the real thing! If I find out that you were talking crap, no need for Chairman Wang to take action. I will throw you out first!" Feng Zhirou threatened him.
"Whatever!" Ye Yuan said indifferently.
"Tch. Talked until it sounds so incredible. The final result of the test still lies on the refined medicinal pill. Even if they really refined the Fierce Tiger Pill and the Profound Clarity Pill, it still wouldn't be easy to determine the winner between these two pills, right?" After a short while, Feng Zhirou found it boring and transmitted her voice over again.
"No, the winner has already been decided."
"Acting! Carry on acting! I don't believe that you can tell which one of them won from the light screen! Both of their herbs are only half-way refined and haven't condensed into a pill yet!" Feng Zhirou was triggered by Ye Yuan's posturing attitude and felt even more strongly that Ye Yuan was talking nonsense.