Chapter 1728: Excellence in the First Battle

Not far away, a light flickered in Ming Qi’s beautiful eyes as well. Though she hadn’t had much contact with Li Yan, his performance during the previous assessment to enter the inner valley spoke volumes about his character. He was no ordinary individual.

Thus, refining a pill without inscriptions was quite intriguing.

Elder Liu and Deacon Li finished verifying the pill and immediately returned it to Li Yan.

Seeing this, Li Yan maintained his respectful demeanor, but the heavy weight in his heart lightened slightly. This pill was a product of a bait-and-switch. The actual pill he had refined had already been silently stowed away in his “Earthen Patch” via his wide sleeve.

The black pill he presented for inspection was definitely one he had just condensed, so it couldn’t be an old pill, but he had feared they might notice other issues. Although the pill looked poorly made, Li Yan had refined it using his most familiar Kui Water True Scripture to ensure nothing went wrong.

His heart had been pounding, and he had been frantically considering all possible scenarios and responses.

“Place the antidote in the beast’s mouth. The assessment begins now!”

As Elder Liu spoke, another crystal cage appeared in front of Li Yan. Inside was another Azure Fire Earth Dragon, also radiating a fourth-rank aura.

Only when these words reached his ears did Li Yan truly breathe a sigh of relief. In the next moment, he didn’t hesitate to flick the bottom of the bottle. The black pill shot out, entering the mouth of the frozen Azure Fire Earth Dragon.

Yan Qingchen and Ming Qi, having reasoned through some of the possibilities, remained confident in themselves. Nevertheless, the strange pill Li Yan had produced kept their eyes glued to the beast, refusing to blink. They wanted to see the beast’s reaction immediately to make a judgment based on the fine details.

Once the black pill entered the beast’s mouth, Elder Liu flicked another red pill. The moment the seal on the Azure Fire Earth Dragon’s body shattered, its aura instinctively began to recover, as expected. But then, a look of confusion replaced the clarity in its eyes, and it stood there dazed.

‘He only refined one pill. Even if he succeeds, it will probably take at least fifty breaths. It might even have no effect at all…’ Yan Qingchen relaxed when he saw the expression in the beast’s eyes and began to speculate once more.

Although he didn’t look down on others, he still felt that none of these people behind him could compare to him. For this internal selection, he had been suppressing his cultivation for years and hadn’t taken the test for Alchemy Grandmaster precisely for this singular moment of success.

The appearance of Ming Qi had been an accident. The fact that she had passed the Mysterious-rank Alchemist test three years ago only showed she had possessed that level of skill even then. External cultivators who came to Huangqi Valley usually had a decent alchemical foundation, and after studying in the valley, their strength would naturally skyrocket. Thus, while Ming Qi was technically a Mysterious-rank Alchemist, her true strength likely reached the Earth-rank level…

As Yan Qingchen’s thoughts drifted, weighing Li Yan’s alchemical skill, an event suddenly occurred.

“Ow!”

A beast’s roar erupted from the front, shattering the silence of the hall.

“Wh… What?”

The roar was so sudden that it startled Yan Qingchen, whose mind had been wandering. The other three watching were also stunned.

Deacon Li violently waved his sleeve. A figure that had just lunged forward to flee was instantly enveloped by his magical power.

“Five breaths!”

Elder Liu’s voice finally rang out, though there was a noticeable delay and a distinct change in her tone.

This Li Yan had actually neutralized the illusion within the red pill in just five breaths. Even she and Deacon Li hadn’t expected this. It wasn’t that they didn’t think anyone could neutralize it so quickly, but they never expected Li Yan to be the one to do it!

Fortunately, Deacon Li was always meticulous and rigid in his duties. He had remained cautious today, preventing the beast from making a laughingstock of them by escaping.

‘We need to verify those raw materials he requested later!’ Deacon Li thought as he resealed the Azure Fire Earth Dragon and looked at Li Yan.

Of course, a detoxification pill of this level was nothing to them. They could make the red pill completely ineffective. However, neutralizing the poison so quickly was something even Heaven-rank Alchemists would find difficult. Naturally, they wanted to check the materials Li Yan had requested to see if there was a problem or if he had simply struck gold.

Although the red pills were specially refined, it was hard to ensure that others hadn’t encountered a very similar illusion poison elsewhere. Toxins varied infinitely across the world, and Huangqi Valley was only one of the sects researching this path. They could ensure most cultivators hadn’t seen their special pills, but they couldn’t encompass everything; if they could, they would be the greatest sect in the world.

Li Yan had already anticipated this. Using the materials he had requested to formulate an antidote would indeed have some effect on the red pill. But he had only managed to simulate a general direction after several hundred years of understanding the Fragmented Poison Body. He couldn’t have formulated the black pill himself, let alone anyone else.

‘This person’s alchemy is actually so high. He’s been keeping a low profile these years. Could he have the level of a Heaven-rank Alchemist or even a Grandmaster? Yet his name never appeared on the alchemist leaderboards. Was he planning to succeed in one go during the selection?’ Ming Qi’s heart stirred.

Her beautiful eyes carefully studied Li Yan. Not only was he exceptionally intelligent, but he had also hidden such an alchemical trump card, beating her by a full ten breaths.

“Not bad, not bad. Neutralizing the poison so quickly was a result we didn’t expect!” Elder Liu spoke again, her voice filled with admiration.

At the same time, another line appeared on the blue screen in the void.

“First stage: Li Yan. Refined the pill within the allotted time. Neutralized the poison in five breaths. Pass!”

This line appeared at the very top, pushing Yan Qingchen and Ming Qi down by one row each.

Yan Qingchen’s pupils constricted. He suddenly felt that the line of text was stinging his eyes. He couldn’t imagine that the medicinal power of a single pill could be stronger than the combined power of his three pills.

‘Beating me by seven breaths… How on earth did you do it? Are you a true alchemical genius, or have you encountered this poison before…’ The shock in Yan Qingchen’s heart was almost more than he could handle. After finishing in twelve breaths, he had felt no one today could surpass him, but the result had changed so abruptly.

It felt as though someone had suddenly climbed over his head, forcing his proud neck to tilt back to see them. But he didn’t shout that there was a problem with the other party. To do so would only make him look like he was the problem…

He merely narrowed his eyes for a moment before returning to normal. With a smile, he looked at Li Yan and cupped his hands without saying a word.

Seeing this, Li Yan quickly returned the gesture. Though he didn’t know Yan Qingchen, since the other was being so polite, he couldn’t appear too arrogant.

After that remark, Elder Liu said no more. Deacon Li turned his gaze back to the void screen. Li Yan’s performance had merely surprised them; for an alchemy assessment of this level, even if someone refined a pill that neutralized the poison instantly, they wouldn’t dwell on it for long. Their own alchemical attainment had reached a much higher and stronger level.

Li Yan walked to the side. He could feel the occasional glances from Yan Qingchen and Ming Qi. Although he remained calm and focused on the screen in the sky, he felt uncomfortable being watched. His favorite state was standing quietly in a corner, forgotten by everyone no matter how heated the discussion became. He hadn’t neutralized the poison instantly, but even reaching this point after careful measurement was a first for him.

Over the next few hours, other disciples emerged from their stone rooms. Two of the people around Yan Qingchen appeared right after Li Yan. Among them was the beautiful woman. They all succeeded in neutralizing the poison. The beautiful woman took fifteen breaths, and the male disciple following her took nineteen.

Li Yan also saw the woman’s name—Liu Siyu. She was another competitive disciple in this assessment. Although she also took fifteen breaths, like Ming Qi, she had taken longer to refine the pill and thus ranked below her. Overall, her alchemy was not much inferior to those in front.

After those two, a Spirit Transformation cultivator emerged and took eighteen breaths, actually beating the male disciple from Yan Qingchen’s side. Among the subsequent disciples, many failed their first attempt and had to return to their rooms to continue refining…

By the time the Hour of the Dragon arrived, the top ten list for the first stage was essentially decided. The chances of those behind succeeding were extremely slim. However, there was still a chance for an upset, making the disciples at the bottom of the top ten anxious.

When the Hour of the Snake arrived the following day, Elder Liu refused to delay even for a moment and declared the first stage over. As expected, even if those who emerged later succeeded, they couldn’t beat the previous times.

In the end, the top ten consisted of eight Spirit Transformation cultivators and two Nascent Soul cultivators.

Though Yan Qingchen kept a warm smile on his face, a hint of coldness appeared in the depths of his eyes when he looked at the five people by his side. He had put great effort into gathering them, helping them with spirit stones and raw materials, all so they could aid him once they became core elite disciples. Yet, aside from himself, only two had made the top ten in this stage. The other three hadn’t even beaten the Nascent Soul alchemists.

This made him uncomfortable, but he kept his smile and even encouraged them to be cautious in the next two stages and to catch up. However, it had to be said that Huangqi Valley’s alchemy was indeed powerful. It wasn’t a matter of what you thought; quite a few disciples who kept a low profile had been hiding in the sect.

In particular, the two Nascent Soul disciples were quite stunning, taking only twenty-two and twenty-five breaths respectively. Elder Liu and Deacon Li even looked at those two with more warmth than they did the Spirit Transformation cultivators. They were younger and had more potential; naturally, they were more worthy of the sect’s attention and nurturing.

Ming Yu also made the top ten. Although she was several ranks below Ming Qi, she had made the cut. Li Yan’s name remained firmly at the very top of the list, which shocked many. They didn’t even know who this man was!

“The list for the first stage is up. There is no need for further explanation. Prepare for the next stage. Those who emerged later have half an hour to rest. The next assessment begins then.”

Elder Liu swept her gaze over the disciples and didn’t bother to say more, announcing the start time for the next stage. She then slowly closed her eyes. Deacon Li stood up and left the moment all assessments were complete, going who-knows-where.

…

Li Yan had long since sat down cross-legged in a corner. Many of those who emerged later didn’t even know who he was and were asking around about him. This was all because his time was too short; he had beaten the second place by seven breaths. Those who had taken dozens of breaths to neutralize the poison were initially skeptical upon seeing the result.

However, they only voiced their doubts in private transmissions; no one dared challenge the final judgment of Elder Liu and Deacon Li. To do so would only invite trouble. Everyone here was sharp and wouldn’t do something so foolish.

As the crowd in the hall grew, more and more gazes fell upon Li Yan. They wondered where this person had come from and why he was so powerful. Ultimately, the consensus of their private discussions was similar to what the two overseers thought: Li Yan had likely struck gold and had seen a pill very similar to the red one before.

The six on Yan Qingchen’s side and the Ming sisters looked at Li Yan from time to time, their eyes filled with surprise, jealousy, disbelief, and suspicion… Li Yan could sense them whispering about him!

Half an hour later, everyone gathered before the high platform again. When Li Yan approached, he felt many gazes once again fixed on him. With only about thirty people here, it was easy to find out his identity.

This made Li Yan feel waves of discomfort. He felt he should have controlled his time to around ten breaths, but he hadn’t known if anyone would beat him, so he had acted as he did.

At this time, Deacon Li reappeared. He gave a subtle nod to Elder Liu. During the break, he had verified the situations of the disciples he suspected, checking their requested materials. After a quick verification, he had reached a preliminary conclusion. For the time being, he found no abnormalities, so he had returned immediately.

Seeing this, Elder Liu began to announce the contents of the second stage. As she spoke, Li Yan felt the pressure on him ease significantly. This was why he preferred walking in the dark and staying in the shadows; when no one noticed him, he had much more room for maneuver. In a public setting like this, his every move was scrutinized.

“The second stage of the assessment is identifying raw materials. You will be given three thousand stalks of herbs, and you must find fifty specific ones among them. You will be given a jade slip containing the names of these fifty herbs. You have twenty-four hours to pick them out and label them. The one who finishes in the shortest time wins; if times are equal, the one who identifies more correct herbs wins.

“In this stage, you may use any means except for spirit pets—techniques, magical treasures, and exotic fires are all permitted. If you need to refine some pills or medicinal liquids to test certain herbs, we will provide the necessary materials. These materials will not include the rare ones mentioned before, nor the fifty specific herbs in your jade slip.

“Furthermore, if you have any of these fifty herbs in your storage spaces, you are strictly forbidden from taking them out. This is a point you must remember. If we discover any violations, Deacon Li will personally take you to the Law-Enforcement Hall for verification and interrogation. If you survive the Law-Enforcement Hall’s treatment, you will be expelled from the inner valley and stripped of all alchemy rankings for three hundred years.

“Finally, you must sort the three thousand herbs into two provided storage artifacts: one for the identified herbs and one for the remaining ones. After that, hand both artifacts in. Do you understand?”

Elder Liu spoke unhurriedly, her gaze sweeping slowly over the crowd. Her eyes weren’t particularly stern, but they were filled with authority. This time, no one had any questions.

This was a test of the most fundamental skills of a pharmacist. Such assessments frequently appeared in the tests for spirit pill disciples. But everyone knew the difficulty today wouldn’t be comparable; the simpler the question, the harder it was to pass. However, they were all confident in their fundamental skills, though the punishments mentioned by Elder Liu sent a chill down their spines.

Violation meant more than just being expelled; it meant going to the Law-Enforcement Hall first. What kind of place was that? It was a place where death was a luxury. Disciples who had been there had nightmares about it for the rest of their lives.

“This disciple understands!” Everyone bowed in unison.