Chapter 898 Unequaled-grade Elixirs
“This guy was no joke, he really is a legendary genius.”
Chen Fan had been a laughing stock when he took part in the level one exam. However, there and then, he had impressed everyone with his skill. In less than half a day, he had gained nine levels and was on his way to challenge the t.i.tle of Alchemy Master. Cavorting and cheering, Qiao Qiao rooted for Chen Fan’s success.
“I haven’t met a worthy opponent for decades, I hope you don’t disappoint me. ”
A light glinted in Yan Wuw.a.n.g’s eyes.
Wu Qinyan cracked a smile and said, “Be careful Brother Chen.”
As for Jiang Han and Situ Cheng, they stood with serious faces.
They had thought they would only compete among themselves, not expecting another compet.i.tor to show up out of nowhere. Worse, after the nine exams, no one knew exactly how powerful he was since he had been using the most basic techniques. Did he know any special Alchemy methods? No one knew.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan was relaxed. He took the exam in order to enter the Alchemy Guild, not to prove himself.
A moment later, the exam for Master Alchemist finally began.
Only a few took part in this exam. In addition to Chen Fan, Situ Cheng and Yan Wuw.a.n.g, a few other examinees had joined them. They were all elite Alchemists in the thirteen states of the Northern Barren Land.
By then, no one held back their abilities, and revealed their most advanced moves.
Once the examiner announced that they were going to create a Heavenly Spirit Pill, Yan Wuw.a.n.g started first. He didn’t use the Earth Fire; instead he summoned a pale green flame out of his sleeves. It burned with such intensity that the s.p.a.ce around it seemed to have caught on fire.
An elder on the tall platform said, “Yan Wuw.a.n.g’s is called Alchemy Master of Seven Forbidding not because of his alchemy abilities, but his encounter and taming of the Poison Flame of Seven Forbidding. The Poison Flame of Seven Forbidding is perfect for crafting elixirs and can enhance the effect of the Poison Pills.”
The others nodded.
High level alchemists adopted more or less the same brewing methods. However, what made one better than the other was their special arts, type of fire, and their control of fire. These elements gave birth to the various sects of Alchemy.
The other alchemist quickly followed suit.
Jiang Han spat out a cold flame from his mouth. It’s blue light cast an icy spell on the surrounding, encasing everything around it in a layer of thin ice.
Wu Qinyan moved her fingers and formed a Dharma Art, summoning a ball of dark water that surrounded the cauldron. Was she going to use water instead of fire? Meanwhile, the other alchemists revealed their own unique methods. The Young Elixir Lord, Situ Cheng’s method was the strangest. He forsake the cauldron all together and used a Dharma Array instead. Within the array, Five-Elemental Essence Qi burned brightly, transforming the raw ingredients slowly.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan’s method seemed mundane. He heated up the cauldron using the Earth fire and placed the herbs in it…
“Yan Wuw.a.n.g’s Poison Flame of Seven Forbidding is marvelous; Jiang Han’s Cold Flame of Aether Fire has the influence from Master Xuanhe; The water refining method of the Wu family is extraordinary and unique, not to mention the Young Elixir Lord’s incredible skills. I say he looks like a Grand Alchemist already. No wonder people call him the one in a hundred year talent. As for the others, they are all capable in their own right,” a white hair elder commented.
The guild master and other elders smiled in agreement.
Seeing so many talents among the younger generation made them happy.
“However, Alchemist Chen seems a bit disappointing.”
The elder paused a second.
Everyone looked over to the platform and saw Chen Fan had used the most basic methods of Alchemy. Although he had carried out each and every step with perfection, the elders were not impressed by this drab performance.
A hint of disappointment flickered in the Guild Master’s eyes.
“What a shame, I thought he would surprise me but he fell short after all. Nonetheless, he is a solid alchemist.”
“A shame indeed.”
An elder wearing a grey robe also heaved a sigh.
Qiao Qiao asked the old man in confusion. “Grandpa, I don’t see anything wrong with his methods. He is much faster and smoother this time, if anything. Why would they say that?”
The Alchemy Master from DonYang City pulled a serious face and said, “You are too young to understand.”
“A level nine Alchemist is only standing at the beginning of alchemy. In order to become an Alchemy Master, you will need to have your own unique skills. Using the most fundamental techniques without adding personal flavors will not carry him far in this compet.i.tion. ”
“So, you think he will not win this round?”
Qiao Qiao asked.
“It will be difficult.”
The old man shook his head.
As the elder had expected, although Chen Fan had created the pills in time, he didn’t rank first in the compet.i.tion.
“Jiang Han from the Xuahe State had created the Supreme Ice Spirit Pills. It could boost an ice element cultivator’s power by thirty percent. The pill is of superior-grade.”
“Yan Wuw.a.n.g from the Tianhai Region has created Seven Poison Spirit Pills. They can boost a poison element cultivator’s power by forty percent. The pills are of supreme-grade.”
“Wu Qinyan from the Zhenhai State created a Heavenly Pill of Xuanyou. It can boost a water element cultivator’s power…”
As the examiner Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang read out the results of other examinees, Chen Fan’s elite superior-grade pills seemed nothing extraordinary.
When Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang announced Situ Cheng’s results, the entire city boiled over with excitement.
The elder in grey rob said in excitement. “He created an unequaled-grade pill! This is unbelievable! He really lived up to his Young Elixir Lord name.” Even Qiao Qiao was stunned by the revelation.
An unequaled-grade pill was one of its kind and could not be replicated. An unequaled-grade pill could be three times more effective than its normal counterpart. Only Grand Masters could have crafted one of such a grade.
In addition, to create an unequal-grade Heavenly Pill was much more difficult than crafting an unequal-grade Essence Gathering Pill. Only the most powerful Alchemist could have done that.
“I hereby announced that the champion of the contest is Situ Cheng, the Young Elixir Lord!”
The Guild Master rose to his feet as the crowd cheered underneath him.
Situ Cheng was surrounded by fellow Alchemists who showered him with praises. They had already forgotten Chen Fan who had escalated nine levels that day.
Such was the fickleness of people’s minds. They only cared about the most powerful.
“Don’t be sad, you’ve achieved a lot.”
Qiao Qiao held Chen Fan’s hand and comforted him
“I’m fine.” Chen Fan cracked a smile.
Wu Qinyan also approached him. Her slender body swayed gently from side to side.
“Situ Cheng has come prepared. He joined today’s test only to become the Elixir Lord’s disciple. It’s not shameful to let him win.”
“Thanks,” Chen Fan said.
“You have a solid foundation, but lack a special technique, so you can’t stand out among elite alchemists. If you’d like to further your training, you are welcome to join the Wu family,” Wu Qinyan said lightly.
Chen Fan nodded.
Once Wu Qinyan was gone, the other elites all approached Chen Fan and expressed their interest in having Chen Fan as one of their faction members. Although Chen Fan didn’t win that day’s compet.i.tion, he had proven himself as a solid Alchemy Master.
After a while, Situ Cheng left with many elders in tow. Meanwhile, Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang approached Chen Fan and asked him if he wanted to join the guild. Chen Fan agreed.
After some paperwork, Chen Fan had finally become an official member of the Alchemy Guild.
“Members are ranked solely based on their Alchemy skills, and there are three ranks. Those who were below level nine are in rank one; average Alchemy Masters are in rank two and the elite Alchemy Masters are in rank three. Each rank has a different level of access to the Guild Resources. You are rank two, so you can access most of them,” said Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang.
“Is there any rank beyond rank three?” Chen Fan wondered.
“That would be the elders and the Guild Master. You will be promoted automatically to that rank once you become a Grand Alchemist. By then, you will be among some of the most powerful men in the city,” Perfected Cultivator Wei Huang replied with a smile.
Chen Fan nodded thoughtfully.
For the next few days, he moved into the headquarters and spent his time in the library. He skipped the technique manuals and focused on past Alchemist’s journals and collections of legends.
Chen Fan was confident that the Guild had been actively searching for Heavenly Medicines all the time, and would doc.u.ment even the slightest hints to the whereabouts of such treasures. That information was the reason behind Chen Fan’s decision to join the guild. Those doc.u.ments would be his map; he would be lost in his search without them.
He met Wu Qinyan and Jiang Han who had joined the guild to further their skills under different elders. However he never saw Situ Cheng again. Rumor had it that Situ Cheng had already become the Elixir Lord’s Final disciple.
Over the last few days, Chen Fan had also learned a lot about the Elixir Lord.
He was the most powerful alchemist in the Northern Barren Land and was said to have already reached the level of Heavenly Alchemist. No one knew how powerful he was, but having the w.a.n.g Family’s deep respect spoke loudly of his clout.
To be a disciple of such a mighty power meant Situ Cheng would have a great future ahead of him.
However, Chen Fan didn’t care about his fate.
He had been staying at the library ever since he moved in, going through thousands of scrolls and papers. Over time, Chen Fan exhausted all the records about Heavenly Medicines.
“My study is finished, time to leave the guild. But I will s.n.a.t.c.h those Heavenly Medicines first.”
Chen Fan’s eyes were glittering.