The Second Test

When the first test ended, Shi Yu glanced at the token in her hand and saw that the score displayed on it had changed to thirty-nine points.

Without giving the alchemists any time to rest, Yin Shixiu and Qin Yu jointly announced, “The second test is about to begin. Everyone, please return to your positions.”

Looking across the vast high stage now that hundreds of alchemists had been eliminated, just over eleven hundred remained.

Shi Yu returned to her designated booth. Raising her eyes to scan the area, she saw that with so many people gone, the stage looked noticeably sparser.

Just the first test alone had weeded out so many people. She thought to herself, I wonder how many will remain on stage after the second test.

In any case, she was determined to stay until the very end.

Once everyone had taken their positions, Yin Shixiu spoke, beginning to explain the contents of the second test: “By now, everyone already knows the recipe for the Mind-Soothing Pill.”

As he brought up the Mind-Soothing Pill from the first test again, many alchemists felt their hearts jump, an ominous foreboding rising within them.

Below the stage, President Song raised an eyebrow and voiced what everyone was thinking: “Could it be that the second test is to refine the Mind-Soothing Pill?”

“...” Master Ji clicked his tongue. “Good grief.”

Sure enough, scanning the crowd, Yin Shixiu said calmly, “For the second test, please refine the Mind-Soothing Pill based on the recipe. The supply of spiritual plants is unlimited, and the time limit is three days.”

These words stirred universal outrage. As soon as his voice fell, a chorus of wails erupted across the stage.

You call that a recipe?! It has nothing but the required spiritual plants! How can that be called a recipe?!

At least give a detailed plant ratio, wouldn't you?!

Most of the alchemists participating were Tier-2 alchemists, along with a small number of Tier-1 alchemists filling out the ranks. Having survived the first round of elimination, those left on stage possessed exceptionally solid and outstanding skill.

However, even for them, trying to deduce and refine a pill they had never touched before filled their hearts with deep anxiety. There was no other reason—the difficulty was simply far too immense.

It was not strange at all for an alchemist to only master a handful of pill types in their entire lifetime, precisely because the cost of learning a new pill recipe was astronomically high.

The higher the tier of the pill, the more terrifying the resources and energy required to learn it. Furthermore, there was no guarantee they would actually learn or successfully refine it. For most alchemists, it was better to perfect and improve the pills they already knew, as that made it much easier to accumulate cultivation resources.

The saying “master one trick and rule the sky” was entirely true.

Now, with no detailed recipe and such a harsh time limit, how could they possibly complete this test?

If not for Yin Shixiu's exalted status, people would have probably started cursing aloud. The crowd complained bitterly in secret, eager to curse but not daring to, their expressions full of aggrieved resentment.

The spectator stands erupted into a frenzy of heated discussion.

“The difficulty of this year's exchange conference is truly a bit excessive, isn't it?”

“In previous years, even if everyone was asked to refine a new pill, they would always provide an exceptionally detailed recipe. Right now, with only the required spiritual plants listed, it's practically like groping in the dark.”

“After all, this is a grand competition held once every decade. Only with this level of difficulty is it worth watching.”

“Hahaha, interesting, very interesting!”

The audience wasn't suffering; the greater the difficulty, the more thrilling it was to watch.

President Song frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before saying, “This test is exceedingly difficult. I'm afraid in the end, fewer than one in ten alchemists will pass.”

Master Ji nodded, looking at Shi Yu and the other alchemists from Lingtai Prefecture on stage, sighing, “I wonder how many of our people will be left after this round.”

On the high stage, most alchemists looked terrible. Some were pale, some were dripping with sweat, and others looked terrified while gnashing their teeth. Not daring to curse openly, they could only curse Yin Shixiu in their hearts for intentionally making things difficult for them—a test like this was simply impossible to complete.

Meanwhile, looking at Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu, although they frowned slightly in thought, their expressions remained relatively steady. They appeared to maintain their composure and confidence.

In the first test, I lost first place only because I underestimated my opponent, cold light flashed in Yin Wenzhou's eyes as he glanced at Shi Yu, then turned his gaze toward Qin Qingmu and Pei Yanji, thinking, That girl named Shi might have some clever tricks when it comes to identifying herbs, but when it comes to refining pills, there's no room for shortcuts.

Thinking this, Yin Wenzhou's eyes met Qin Qingmu's, both seeing fighting spirit in each other's eyes. Clearly, Qin Qingmu harbored the exact same thought.

As for Pei Yanji, the corners of his lips curled upward, looking completely indifferent to the impending difficulty of the test.

Yin Shixiu observed the varied expressions of the crowd. Waiting for them to calm down slightly, he spoke once more: “Producing a finished pill counts as passing the test, allowing you to proceed to the next round. Three days from now, scores will be evaluated based on the quality of the finished pill. The maximum score for this test is one hundred.”

With that said, he waved his sleeve, and baskets of spiritual plants previously stored in his space ring were arranged in neat rows at the center of the high stage. Each basket contained one type of spiritual plant, stacked to the brim, totaling exactly thirteen baskets.

“For the sake of fairness, the quality of every spiritual plant in these baskets is essentially identical.” Yin Shixiu signaled to the proctors waiting on the side. “Now, the proctors will distribute them to everyone. Each person will receive a total of five sets of spiritual plants. Over these three days, if you run out of spiritual plants, you may raise your hand, and a proctor will deliver more.”

As his voice fell, the proctors bustled into action, delivering spiritual plants to their respective assigned alchemists one by one.

Shi Yu glanced at them a few times. These spiritual plants were indeed as Yin Shixiu had said—their quality was essentially identical.

At this moment, someone suddenly spoke up and asked, “President, during the refining process, may we use pills to restore our spiritual energy and spiritual sense, or utilize external fire sources?”

Hearing this, Yin Shixiu nodded slightly and said in a clear voice, “I nearly forgot to mention. Starting from this test, you may consume pills to assist in recovery, but you are not permitted to use array formations, spirit talismans, artifacts, or the like. As for the fire source used for alchemy, it is not limited to what you catalyze yourself.”

Hearing this, Shi Yu thought to herself that this was quite reasonable.

What would it look like if a bunch of array formations, spirit talismans, and artifacts appeared at an Alchemy Exchange Conference?

Allowing pills for recovery was only natural. Otherwise, relying solely on self-regulated meditation, let alone three days, they wouldn't even last a single day.

As for the flames used for alchemy, when alchemists refined pills daily, if the cultivation technique they practiced was not of a high enough tier, the flame catalyzed by their spiritual energy would always fall short. Thus, relying on earth fire or bringing along flame seeds was unavoidable. In this competition, personal background and resources were also part of what was being tested. If one possessed a good flame, it was natural to use it.

When Yin Shixiu's words fell, the expressions of the alchemists on stage shifted once again.

Those who carried high-grade flame seeds were naturally overjoyed. Meanwhile, those lacking depth who could only rely on flames catalyzed by their own spiritual energy realized the gap between them had widened even further, making them feel dejected.

Much of the irritation Qin Qingmu felt from her loss in the first round dissipated. A charming smile returned to her lips as she thought, The spiritual charcoal Father specifically found for me happens to come in handy now. Although this spiritual charcoal's flame is inferior to the flame I catalyze myself, preserving spiritual energy and stamina for the later rounds is what matters most.

She glanced at Shi Yu again, secretly thinking, Even if your talent is extraordinary, coming from a small place like Lingtai Prefecture, whether it's your fire-controlling technique or the flame seed you brought, neither can match mine. The foundation of the City Lord's Mansion is something far beyond your imagination...

Thinking of the plentiful medium-grade and high-grade Qi-Restoring Pills stored in her space ring, Qin Qingmu grew even more brimming with confidence.

Below the stage, the members of the Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association—who knew Shi Yu possessed a Heavenly Fire—were not worried at all about the flame Shi Yu would use.

It was just that...

Activating a Heavenly Fire also required consuming one's own spiritual energy. If Shi Yu exhausted most of her spiritual energy and spiritual sense during the second test, what would she do for the third test?

Although pills could be taken to recover, digesting and refining them took time. If she waited for the pill's power to disperse naturally within her body, the recovery rate would be far from ideal and could never keep up with the consumption.

President Song stared intently at the graceful young woman standing on stage, unsure whether he was comforting others or comforting himself: “Let's just watch. Little Yu is smart; she will know what she's doing.”

By this time, the proctors had finished distributing all thirteen types of spiritual plants and returned behind Yin Shixiu.

Yin Shixiu nodded toward Qin Yu. With that, the City Lord raised his hand with a wave: “The second test begins now!”

Shi Yu gazed at the spiritual plants neatly arranged before her, not planning to use the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame. As useful as the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame was, catalyzing it consumed a non-negligible amount of spiritual Qi.

President Song and the others had repeatedly emphasized beforehand that she needed to preserve her strength and stamina. The later rounds accounted for an increasingly higher proportion of the total score, so energy had to be saved for the later stages.

Leaving the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame aside, using ordinary mortal fire—such as the Jade Light Charcoal she had used when she first began refining pills—was not impossible, but it was truly... unnecessary.

Blinking her eyes, Shi Yu immediately thought of an extremely suitable flame.

Inside the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell, the Seven-Color Luan playing around sensed Shi Yu's intention and instantly let out a cheerful chirp inside the bell.