After finishing his explanation, Yin Shixiu glanced around and said, “Is everything clear to everyone? If there are no questions, the test will begin in half an incense stick’s time.”
“Remember, after half an incense stick’s time, the timing hourglass will be inverted. The activated array will block outside sound. Furthermore, do not attempt any sneaky gestures or whispers. Anyone caught will be eliminated immediately.”
“One hundred and eighty-eight spiritual plants, and we have to identify twelve of them... That is certainly no easy task.” Listening to the rules, Yin Wenzhou looked at Qin Qingmu standing not far from him and smiled. “Having returned from Shiyan Academy, Miss Qin will surely make a stunning splash this time.”
Feigning a sigh, he added, “To possess such attainments at such a young age truly puts the rest of us to shame.”
Qin Qingmu offered a dazzling smile. “Please don’t tease me, Senior Brother Yin. My alchemy skills can hardly compare to yours. Besides, speaking of youth, that girl from Lingtai Prefecture is far younger than I am.”
Yin Wenzhou cast a distant glance at Shi Yu and chuckled softly. “Just a little girl brought along to broaden her horizons. How could she possibly compare to Miss Qin?”
Qin Qingmu pressed her lips together in an endless smile, her beautiful eyes darting about with breathtaking radiance, causing the nearby alchemists to steal frequent glances, nearly spellbound.
The time of half an incense stick passed quickly. The giant timing hourglass was inverted, and simultaneously, the arrays within each square activated, cutting off all outside sound.
On the elevated stage, the expressions of the alchemists shifted as they all set to work.
With time pressed tight, Shi Yu wasted no time. Holding her small jade bottle, she walked straight up to the rack.
There were a total of one hundred and eighty-eight wooden boxes on the rack. Opening them to take a look, she found that each box contained a different spiritual plant.
Each box was marked with a numerical label. The proctors had distributed paper and brushes; once the competitors had their answers, they merely needed to write down the corresponding numbers. They could record as many as they identified, to be collected together when the three hours expired.
Shi Yu first opened all the wooden boxes and skimmed through all the spiritual plants inside.
“Luo’e Grass.”
“Purple Monkey Flower.”
“Half-Sided Orchid.”
...
None of these spiritual plants were particularly rare.
Changyuan Prefecture was vast, and because each prefecture had different geography, the natural treasures they produced varied. To ensure fairness—considering that the competing alchemists came from all over, some even from outside Changyuan Prefecture—the spiritual plants chosen did not include local specialties. All of them were widely produced across the Five Continents of the Origin Realm.
After reviewing all the spiritual plants, Shi Yu unstopped her small jade bottle and tipped out the smooth, round pill inside.
“Only one?” Then she would have to use it sparingly.
Meanwhile, as the other alchemists tipped out their pills and saw there was only one, most of their expressions turned unsightly.
With only a single pill, their margin for error in deducing the recipe was drastically reduced.
Shi Yu lowered her eyes to look at the pill in her hand.
It was a green pill that emitted a fresh herbal aroma. She pinched the pill and bit off a tiny piece. Instantly, a cool surge of spiritual energy rolled across her mouth before seeping into her body, refreshing her mind.
The effect is similar to a Tier-3 Heart-Clearing Pill, capable of calming the mind and bolstering spiritual power, Shi Yu thought to herself.
Concocting pills was not merely a matter of throwing spiritual plants into a pill furnace to refine them. One had to consider mutual generation and restraint between plants, balance of medicinal properties, heat control, and numerous other factors. Selecting the wrong plant or using an improper ratio would lead to failure.
And from a finished pill, these factors could likewise be reverse-engineered.
Shi Yu carefully examined the remaining half of the green pill in her hand. “The pill fragrance is fresh and light, laced with a hint of aquatic balance and sweet fragrance. The color is bright and translucent, mild and tranquil, lacking even a trace of violence or sharpness. As for the taste...”
Savoring the lingering taste in her mouth once more, Shi Yu blinked softly. “Deeply refreshing with a sweet aftertaste... Mmm, there is at least one spiritual plant with a cold nature and a sweet flavor.”
Based on this information, Shi Yu could already conduct an initial screening of potential candidates.
First, eliminate the plants that were definitely impossible.
“Blazing Wind Grass—its nature is fierce, with far too dense a Fire attribute. A pill refined from it would inevitably carry a sensation of scorching heat and spiciness. Excluded.”
“Golden Horn Fruit—its sharpness is far too intense, and among these one hundred and eighty-eight spiritual plants, hardly any can harmonize such sharpness. Excluded.”
...
After ruling out all the completely unsuitable options, over one hundred and ten of the one hundred and eighty-eight spiritual plants remained, drastically narrowing the scope.
Up to this point, all of this had been deduced rapidly in her mind. Shi Yu was fully immersed, moving forward with swift, decisive efficiency.
And barely fifteen minutes had passed.
In the center of the platform, sand trickled steadily down the giant timing hourglass, forming a thin layer at the bottom.
...
A massive shadow-recording stone mirror projected clear images from the platform, allowing spectators both near and far to see the competition clearly.
Consequently, those alchemists who harbored lucky thoughts and tried to make sneaky gestures were also laid bare for all to see.
By now, more than half of the sand in the hourglass had fallen.
Some alchemists, completely clueless and making slow progress, grew anxious and scratched their heads in frustration. Unable to contain themselves, they began making covert hand signals to nearby peers, attempting to exchange their findings.
The array could only block sound, not line of sight. Thinking that with so many people on stage, no one would necessarily notice them, these individuals stealthily gestured and pointed. Little did they know that their actions were captured completely by the shadow-recording stone.
In a split second, proctors stepped forward and drove them off the stage, declaring them disqualified on the spot.
Even as they wept, begged, and expressed bitter regret, it was all to no avail.
Seeing this, the remaining alchemists who had been harboring similar urges felt a pang of bitterness and quickly abandoned such thoughts.
The audience, on the other hand, was thrilled by the sight, cheering in delight. Seeing usually lofty alchemists reduced to such miserable begging was both surprising and hilarious, driving the atmosphere into a fever pitch.
Shi Yu paid no attention to any of this, remaining fully immersed in her thoughts.
By now, she had a rough range in mind.
“Azure Lotus Flower, Mystic Ice Fruit, Wood Dragon Vine, and Jade Dew Grass...”
Around thirty-some spiritual plants had made it into her "finalist pool." While this range was already quite small, the final verification step was the most difficult.
In her mind, Shi Yu repeatedly deduced the collisions of medicinal properties and the catalytic effects of flame, simulating the concoction steps and plugging the potential spiritual plants in one by one to verify them.
Had she used the light-point space of the 《Illusory Resemblance Art》 to personally refine and simulate within that space, she could have reached the answer with rapid efficiency, but Shi Yu had no intention of doing so.
This pill was not high in tier. If she had to rely on a cheat even for a pill like this, she would truly need to engage in some serious self-reflection.
“Wood Dragon Vine carries a bitter quality, which seems at odds with the pill’s properties. However, if paired with both Mystic Ice Fruit and Clear Wind Leaf, that bitterness can be neutralized, achieving the effect of calming the mind.”
“On the other hand, the Azure Lotus Flower, which seems like a perfect fit, would actually disrupt the balance of medicinal properties. It’s a trap.”
...
At the very front of the spectator seats, President Yin Shixiu of the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association and City Lord Qin Yu of the City Lord's Mansion sat together. Several beauties clad in gorgeous gowns attended to them, pouring tea and serving wine.
City Lord Qin Yu lifted his teacup, clinking the lid against the rim, and laughed. “That kid Yin Wenzhou seems to be making good progress. I see he has already begun transcribing onto his paper.”
Beside him, Yin Shixiu took a sip of tea and picked up a pastry. “It seems to me that your daughter looks even more full of confidence. No doubt her performance will be superior.”
Qin Yu offered a faint smile. “Twelve spiritual plants... I wonder how many those two will manage to get right.”
On the surface, the two were chatting harmoniously, but beneath it all, undercurrents raged.
The Alchemist Association and the City Lord's Mansion were two separate factions. The outcome of the grand competition would determine how long Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu could remain in the Yanyang Spiritual Realm, and perhaps even... decide who would claim ownership of the Yanyang Xuancang Flame.
If the Yanyang Xuancang Flame were taken by the other side, it would mark a shift in the balance of power between them.
Thus, both sides were quietly competing against each other.
Meanwhile, the rest of the spectators were also making guesses.
President Song looked toward the stage and asked, “Who do you think will score the highest in this first round?”
Master Ji tapped his fingers lightly on the back of his chair and pondered briefly before saying, “Most likely Yin Wenzhou. His talent is extraordinary. Over ten years ago, he was already being groomed with all their resources to be the next president, and he has entered the Yanyang Spiritual Realm several times...”
President Song's eyes deepened. “That girl from the City Lord's Mansion pursued advanced studies at Shiyan Academy for ten years. The foundation of Shiyan Academy is far beyond what even the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association can compare to.”
“Be that as it may,” Master Ji shook his head helplessly, “Yin Wenzhou is seven or eight years her senior, after all. Experience counts for a lot here, so Qin Qingmu will likely fall slightly short.”
President Song nodded gently, though he sighed inwardly. “Girl Yu...”
He caught himself just as he brought up her name.
Speaking of gaps in age and experience, Shi Yu was at even more of a disadvantage. It was best not to mention it further.
Rate on N.U.
