“Mr. Charles, you may not be aware, but I am here representing the Taylor family.” Carter pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a hint of disdain flickering in his gaze.
He regarded Charles as a bumpkin from a backwater place, possessing some talent but lacking the vision to understand the power of the Taylor family in Genosha.
“I know, and so what?” Charles replied nonchalantly.
He had no interest in the Taylor family whatsoever. Accepting their business cards and invitations was merely a matter of courtesy.
“Hmph.” Carter scoffed.
A surge of anger had already risen within him, but it was inappropriate to express it in front of so many people. He could only respond with sarcasm, saying, “Charles, there are plenty of high-level blacksmiths in Genosha, so don’t get too arrogant!”
Carter paused for a moment and continued, “While you, Charles, may have some talent, there’s no guarantee that you can pass the advanced alchemist certification assessment.”
Charles asked with some curiosity, “What does my ability to pass this advanced alchemist certification assessment have to do with you?”
“Well, it actually has nothing to do with me.” Carter admitted, unsure of what to say next. He hadn’t expected Charles to have such a sharp tongue.
The members Charles asked with some curiosity, “What does my ability to pass this advanced alchemist certification assessment have to do with you?”
“Well, it actually has nothing to do with me.” Carter admitted, unsure of what to say next. He hadn’t expected Charles to have such a sharp tongue.
The members of the Allen family and the Robinson family nearby looked on with surprise.
They were also part of prominent families, but they were still somewhat inferior to the Taylor family.
They couldn’t believe that Charles showed no regard for Carter at all.
“Charles, I wonder if you’ve ever heard the saying, ‘A tree standing out in the forest will be struck by the wind?'” Carter pondered for a moment before continuing, “A young person being too arrogant is not a good thing.”
“Is that a threat?” Charles asked, locking his gaze onto Carter’s eyes as he spoke slowly.
For some reason, Carter felt a flicker of fear within him. It was as if he sensed a chill creeping up his back, as if something was making him uneasy.
Charles didn’t want to say anything further. From Carter’s attitude, he could tell that the Taylor family was not easy to deal with.
Generally, prominent families are those that hold themselves above others, not only self-righteous but also quite arrogant.
Having already wasted a considerable amount of time, Charles showed no hesitation as he turned and walked into the alchemist guild.
Behind him, Carter’s expression darkened as he stared at Charles’s retreating figure.
He wanted to say something more, but the memory of Charles’s earlier gaze made him instinctively close his mouth.
He had a feeling that provoking Charles would lead to very serious consequences. However, looking at the crowd of onlookers, Carter couldn’t remain silent, otherwise, people would think he was intimidated by Charles.
After all, he represented the Taylor family!
Carter gritted his teeth and shouted, “Charles, just wait! You’re disrespecting the Taylor family!”
Charles’s figure showed no signs of stopping as he navigated through the bustling crowd with Catherine.
Every now and then, someone pulled out their phone to take pictures, clearly fans of Charles.
“Charles, are you ready?” Owen was already waiting in the main hall.
“I’m ready, we can start at any time.” Charles replied.
Owen nodded and went over some important points regarding the certification assessment. “The miracle drug you concoct must meet the required standards, it cannot be too simple. Additionally, once it’s successfully made, it must be verified on-site to ensure the miracle drug is without issues.”
Furthermore, Owen added, “The entire assessment will be recorded. If any violations are found afterward, the alchemist guild reserves the right to pursue accountability!”
Charles nodded, he was already aware of all this.
“The advanced alchemist certification assessment will take place in the alchemy room. You can now take out your alchemy materials, I need to check them.” Owen said.
Even though Owen had a good opinion of Charles, he still needed to conduct this essential check.
With a flash of the jet ring on his hand, the materials for the revival pill appeared before Owen’s eyes.
Second-tier resurrecting serpent beast core ×1, wood in spring ×2…
After carefully inspecting and recording the materials, Owen directly led Charles into the assessment-specific alchemy room.
Among the crowd watching in the alchemist guild hall, someone complained, “What’s going on? We can’t see anything like this.”
“Why are you staring? There are so many people watching, what if it affects Charles?” someone defended Charles, retorting.
“That’s true, alchemy can easily be influenced by external factors. Conducting the certification assessment in the hall might lead to mistakes.” another person added.
A staff member from the alchemist guild quickly stepped forward to explain, “Everyone, please remain calm. We have prepared projection equipment in advance. Once we obtain Charles’s consent, we can allow everyone to witness the assessment process.”
Inside the alchemy room, Charles was about to begin the refining of the revival pill when Owen spoke up, “Charles, I wonder if we could live-stream your assessment process? Many people outside are keenly interested in this matter.”
Charles nonchalantly nodded to indicate his agreement.
In addition to Owen, there were several other alchemists present in the alchemy room. These individuals were all significant members of the alchemist guild, and they were equally invested in this assessment.
The formal assessment for senior alchemist certification commenced!
Separation, solution, apparatus, cold fire…
Charles skillfully manipulated various tools in the alchemy lab, and the entire process was remarkably smooth, flowing like water!
Inside the alchemy room, a profound silence enveloped the atmosphere, everyone was intently focused on Charles’s hands, their expressions filled with astonishment.
Although it was anticipated that Charles possessed the level of a senior alchemist, witnessing him refine the revival pill was still a jolt to their senses.
Every single one of Charles’s movements was impeccably precise, without a hint of error—truly flawless, worthy of being showcased in an alchemy textbook.
In stark contrast to the tranquility within the alchemy room, the hall outside was abuzz with excitement, filled with exclamations of astonishment.
“My goodness, it looks like Charles can truly pass the alchemist assessment! An eighteen-year-old genius blacksmith, a brilliant alchemist—it’s simply unimaginable!”
“I concede, Charles is undeniably the best!”
“I’ve heard that his Beast Master skills are also quite formidable, it seems he is a student from Cyber Academy.”
“Charles is among the strongest of this year’s new students, and he will be participating in the finals this afternoon!”
“How impressive!”
Jace listened to the murmurs surrounding him, feeling an unusual exhilaration, as if the discussions were not about Charles but rather about himself.
Catherine, however, wore a stoic expression, yet her azure eyes remained firmly fixed on the projection screen, clearly concerned for Charles.
Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, Charles successfully concocted the revival pill, completing the most critical portion of the advanced alchemist certification assessment. What remained was the final step.
That was to test the drug, ensuring that the revival pill’s effects would meet the required standards.
Owen took the revival pill from Charles’s hand and carefully scraped off a small amount of powder to taste.
After a moment, Owen looked at Charles with a complex expression and announced, “Congratulations, Charles, the miracle drug is flawless, and you have passed the assessment.”
Charles was not at all surprised by the outcome, after successfully concocting the pill, an information prompt had appeared before his eyes, indicating that the revival pill had no issues whatsoever.
Once the alchemist guild members had gathered their equipment and departed.
Only Owen and Charles remained. Owen hesitated for a moment before asking, “Charles, can you tell me why you are unwilling to be my apprentice?”
Charles had originally been contemplating how much he could save with the discounted prices on alchemy materials as an advanced alchemist.
Hearing Owen’s question, Charles replied, “President Owen, the reason for my refusal is that someone else has already invited me to learn alchemy.”
“Someone else invited you before I did?” Owen said in disbelief. He continued, “I mean, is there really anyone in Genosha Calivia who possesses better alchemy skills than mine?”
Charles understood that Owen was a master-level alchemist and the president of the alchemist guild, but Colton was a grandmaster-level alchemist, and of course, his skills surpassed Owen’s.
“President Owen, there is another alchemist at Cyber Academy named Colton, and I have already agreed to study alchemy under him.”
Charles was actually quite curious about the relationship between Owen and Colton.
Upon hearing Charles’s response, Owen was taken aback, his expression becoming even more complicated as he slowly explained, “Colton and I were originally brothers, but due to certain events, we have become estranged and have not communicated for years.”
“So, you have accepted his terms?” Owen clearly knew his brother’s requirements, which involved reaching master-level alchemist status within a year to participate in the Valley of the Herb King secret realm.
“Yes, I have already agreed.” Charles replied.
Owen sighed and said, “It seems your talent is even greater than I imagined, however, becoming a master-level alchemist within a year is nearly impossible!”
“Should be doable, right?” Charles pondered for a moment, after all, he had only been practicing alchemy for a short time and had already reached the status of advanced alchemist.
In his eyes, alchemy was not particularly difficult.
Charles voiced his thoughts, “Is it really that hard to become a master-level alchemist within a year?”
“Of course it’s difficult! I can’t even count how many people are stuck at the senior alchemist level, let alone reaching master level. I originally thought that if you could achieve master-level alchemist status within ten years, that would be impressive!” Owen responded.
“I see, but I’ve only been practicing alchemy for a few months.” Charles revealed an unbelievable fact.
“What! A few months? Are you serious?” Owen staggered slightly, almost losing his balance.
A few months to become an advanced alchemist?
He had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it!
It was impossible, utterly impossible!
His own talent was considered quite good, and it took him several years to become an advanced alchemist, while Charles claimed to have achieved it in just a few months.
Owen reached out to steady himself against the nearby table and, feeling somewhat uncertain, continued to ask, “Charles, you’re not joking, are you?”