Chapter 897 Legendary Alchemis
Alchemists were divided into nine levels and the last two levels were extremely difficult to achieve. Those who could pull it off were considered high ranking Alchemist Masters. It was at these high levels where the difference between a Cultivator and an Alchemist would start to show.
With the same amount of ingredients, an average cultivator might only be able to create one or two Spirit Pills, but an alchemist could brew an entire batch. This was the gap between a professional and a layman.
“He wants to pa.s.s the level seven test?”
Jiang Han was taken aback.
Although those talented elite alchemists didn’t feel threatened by Chen Fan, they were taken aback by his surprising abilities. “I remember the last person who pa.s.sed seven levels in one go was Yan Wuw.a.n.g,” Jiang Han said with a smile.
Yan Wuw.a.n.g was from the Tianhai Region. He remained silent and didn’t comment on the matter.
His shrunken face and small frame suggested nothing of his incredible talent. Only in the occasional glint in his eyes could one sense the enormous power inside of him.
“Brother Yan’s test was much more memorable than this. That day, Brother Yan had just turned twenty nine and he pa.s.sed nine levels in a single day. He didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the Master Level exam, but created superior-grade Spirit Pills nonetheless. After that, he simply left and didn’t even look back. He’s a legend!” another elite alchemist put in.
Even Wu Qinyan’s face darkened a little when he gazed at Yan Wuw.a.n.g.
Unlike the other elites, Yan Wuw.a.n.g was a true genius. He had been born in a minor cultivation family, but his humble beginning didn’t dampen his interest in Alchemy. He was entirely self-taught before he rose to become a Grand Alchemist. On the contrary, the other elites were from renowned family clans who had access to unlimited resources during their studies.
Training to become an Alchemist was much more expensive than training a cultivator. Usually, only the blue-blooded princes and princesses could afford such a high cost.
Situ Cheng, the Young Elixir Lord said in a cold voice, “Even if he can pa.s.s nine levels, so what? He is far from becoming an Alchemy Master. We all know why we are here. The Elixir Lord is going to choose his final disciple. That’s why! And it has to be me.”
Mentioning the Elixir Lord’s name filled the air with a certain heaviness. He was everyone’s idol.
“Situ Cheng, I know you became an Alchemy Master ten years ago, and you’re well on your way to becoming a Grand Alchemist. However, it doesn’t mean that you will be chosen.”
Wu Qinyan’s elegant body swayed slightly in the air as she spoke.
“Is that right? We shall see,” Situ Cheng scoffed.
The exam for the seventh level had already started while the elite alchemists bickered with each other. Chen Fan sauntered onto the platform, silencing the crowd immediately.
The Alchemy Guild Exam was one of the biggest events in the State of Ancient Medicine. Alchemy was the bread and b.u.t.ter of the State’s main business, and a talented Alchemist was a prized a.s.set to the region, an idol of many aspiring alchemists.
Therefore, the level seven exam was broadcast across the state. A powerful Perfected Cultivator summoned an enormous silver screen in the sky that mirrored every moment on the platform. This silver screen could be viewed from thousands of miles away.
An attractive female alchemist exclaimed, “That’s Lin Mengchen from the Hundred Herb Sect. He is a rising star in the State of Ancient Medicine. He’s only twenty three this year. I bet he’ll be the number one of this year’s test.”
The examinee who had the highest mark would receive extra rewards. Although there were a thousand examinees for the level eight exam, Lin Mengchen stood out right away.
The rising star didn’t let anyone down. He had completed a batch of Heavenly Marrow Pills in less than half an hour. The extraordinary quality of the batch even surprised himself.
However, the number one in that test was not Lin Mengchen.
“Alchemist Chen was ten minutes faster than you,” the examiner explained.
Lin Mengchen glanced at Chen Fan. He was seized by a pang of indignation after realizing that he had been defeated by a stranger. However, he saw a sliver of hope after knowing that Chen Fan was going to enter round eight with him.
“I will beat you this time,” Lin Mengchen thought to himself.
The eighth level exam was much more challenging than the seventh level. It required the examinees to create a spirit pill called Forbidding Spirit Pill. This kind of pill was extremely difficult to create. As talented as Lin Mengchen was, he struggled for nearly half an hour and created only one pill. However, when he looked over to Chen Fan’s side, he saw that he had already been resting for a while.
He sat in a chair, languorously sipping a drink served by a cute little girl.
“Time is up! Of the five hundred and twelve examinees, a hundred and seventy pa.s.sed the test. The number one is Alchemist Chen from the Beihan Region.”
Lin Mengchen was shocked when he heard the announcement.
How could he, the rising star of the State of Ancient Medicine be bested by a no name from the Barren Region?
“Sir, I appeal your decision. Did he create elite inferior-grade pills?” Lin Mengchen spoke out. His face darkened and was awash with embarra.s.sment.
An inferior-grade Forbidding Spirit Pill was very difficult to create, much less an elite inferior-grade. Such pills would have the most intense aroma and extremely potent effects. He was not convinced that such a nondescript character could have done that.
The examiner was Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang. He gave Lin Mengchen a sidelong glance and said, “He didn’t make an elite inferior-grade, his pill is elite mid-grade.”
“What?”
Lin Mengchen was dumbfounded.
The word “elite mid-grade” rang in his ears continuously. Lin Mengchen was from a renowned alchemist family, therefore, he knew how precious an elite mid-grade spirit pill was. It was nine times more potent than average spirit pills. It would be nearly impossible to create an elite mid-grade batch of normal spirit pills, much less the Forbidding Spirit Pill.
“Did he really craft an elite mid-grade Forbidding Spirit Pill?”
Lin Mengchen walked off the platform unwillingly, with a heart filled with shock and disbelief.
Unknown to him, that exam had a much greater implication than him losing the number one t.i.tle.
Millions of residents who had watched the live broadcast didn’t pay much attention to Chen Fan at first. However, he caught everyone’s eye when he took the number one place away from Lin Mengchen during the level seven exam. Later, when he created the Forbidding Spirit Pill with elegance and great economy of movements, everyone was shocked by his display of skills and abilities.
“Heavens! Who is he? He’s better than Lin Mengchen.”
“Watch his movements and timing. It’s unbelievable. He doesn’t look like a level seven Alchemist; he should be a Grand Alchemist.”
“Since when did the Barren Region improve their Alchemy skills this much? ”
Many people were discussing.
When Chen Fan stepped into the level nine exam, the crowd was sizzled with excitement.
“If he can pa.s.s all nine levels at once, he would break Yan Wuw.a.n.g’s record. It took Yan Wuw.a.n.g a full day to finish the nine exams, but it only took Alchemist Chen half a day.”
“I sense the rise of another extraordinary talent.”
By then, even the elite alchemists couldn’t hold back their interest. Wu Qinyan’s fixed his wide innocent eyes on Chen Fan for a while before she looked at the Young Elixir Lord.
“Brother Situ, don’t you remember someone thought that Alchemy Chen should just go home and toil in the field? It looks like he’s as talented as us.”
Situ Cheng’s face darkened as a hint of embarra.s.sment flickered in his eyes. He quickly pulled himself together and said, “A level nine Alchemist, big deal. If he can’t become an Alchemy Master, he is still an amateur. Only the superior-grade spirit pills are the true testament of one’s skills. Mid-grade and inferior-grade are all child’s play.”
Wu Qinyan cracked a smile and did not refute.
The Alchemy Guild Exam continued.
The number of people taking part in the level nine exam was significantly fewer than in previous rounds. A level nine alchemist was almost able to dabble on superior-grade spirit pills. It was a divide between the capacity of an alchemist and a cultivator.
Without spending a significant amount of time on Alchemy, no Connate Cultivator could craft superior-grade spirit pills.
“For the level nine test, you need to create a Divine Sea Pill. It has to be at least of mid-grade. The test starts now,” the examiner announced.
Everyone’s faces became serious.
Although the Divine Sea Pill was not a superior-grade spirit pill, it’s crafting required as much attention and skill nonetheless. The pill had only one function: to elevate a cultivator’s level of attainment to the Divine Sea.
A single pill was able to elevate a mortal to the Divine Sea realm. Just imagine its power! If a cultivation family was lucky enough to produce one level nine alchemist, they would see the number of their Divine Sea Cultivators swell in a few years, giving them an edge in the compet.i.tion against other families.
If a level nine alchemist had such power, one could imagine what the case would be for an Alchemy Master. As for Grand Alchemists, or Heavenly Alchemists, they were revered as much as Heavenly Lords.
Lin Mengchen tried to remain focused on his test, but his eyes couldn’t help but wander toward Chen Fan. What he saw shocked him deeply.Chen Fan’s movements were free and spontaneous, like the brush strokes of master painters. There were no restrictions in his technique, and only his imagination was the limit. He reminded Lin Mengchen of his own master, the guild elder, Grand Alchemist Qinteng.
“Who am I fooling? I am no match against him.” Lin Mengchen’s heart sank to the bottom as his confidence shattered.
An hour later, the exam was over. Chen Fan created an elite superior-grade Divine Sea Pill in less than half an hour, outperforming all the other examinees by a wide margin.
By then, Chen Fan had officially become a level nine Alchemist.
Under everyone’s incredulous stares, Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked into the exam room for Alchemy Masters.
As the weight of such a development sunk in, everyone’s faces became heavy. The leaders of the Alchemy Guild narrowed their eyes as they examined Chen Fan attentively. Feeling threatened, Situ Cheng let out a gasp of cold air. All the city residents held their breath and waited for the exam to start.
“I am going to witness the rise of a great alchemist,” Lin Mengchen looked up and murmured to himself.