Liu Mei hadn't expected for Shun Long to go to the 'Alchemist's Guild'.
After all, Shun Long didn't really have a need to become a certified alchemist, nor did he need to ask for a high-level alchemist's help.
Although Liu Mei wasn't an alchemist herself, she clearly understood that the top-grade rank 3 'Blood combustion pills' that Shun Long had refined, were probably enough to set him on par with other rank 2 silver grade alchemists.
Entering inside the guild, the peak rank 5 'Silver-winged panther king' immediately attracted the crowd's attention.
Shun Long however, ignored the gazes of the people around him, as he directly headed towards the registration counter.
Looking at the young receptionist behind the counter, Shun Long smiled lightly as he said
''I would like to take the test for a silver grade alchemist.''
The receptionist looked at Shun Long in puzzlement, since she couldn't detect the slightest bit of aura coming from his body, as she then asked
''May I ask if you are already a rank 3 bronze grade alchemist?''
Shun Long was slightly stunned, before he shook his head
He didn't know the rules of the 'Alchemist's Guild' and hence, he wasn't aware that he had to be a bronze grade alchemist before taking the test for the silver grade.
The receptionist looked at Shun Long in a daze, before she shook her head and replied
''If you are not an official alchemist registered in the 'Alchemist's Guild', then you must start with the test for rank 1 bronze grade alchemists.''
Afraid that Shun Long wouldn't understand, the receptionist explained
''This is done in order to avoid any cheating. After all, if an alchemist can refine a low-grade rank 3 pill, but they can't refine a rank 1 pill, then they can't be considered a proper alchemist.''
Shun Long nodded his head, as he also agreed with this. Looking at the woman in front of him, he then asked curiously
''Then, can I take the test for a rank 1 bronze grade alchemist now?''
The receptionist nodded her head, as she pointed towards a large door with the word bronze on it before she said
''If you enter through that door, you will find yourself in a large room, where our 'Alchemist's Guild' conducts the tests for the bronze grade alchemists.
The rules are very simple. For the rank 1 bronze grade alchemist test, you only have to pay 1 low-grade spirit stone before taking the test.
Once you enter inside the room, you will have to refine a low-grade rank 1 pill, in front of the overseeing alchemists.
Of course, you can refine any rank 1 pill you want, as our guild doesn't place any restrictions on this. Additionally, if you don't have the medicinal herbs needed for your pill, you can purchase them directly from our 'Alchemists' Guild'.
As long as the alchemists who oversee your test, can verify that you have successfully completed your pill refinement, then you will officially become a rank 1 bronze grade alchemist.''
Shun Long nodded his head at the young receptionist, before he turned to look at Liu Mei, as he then smiled lightly and said
''I won't take long''
''Mhm''
Liu Mei nodded her head, as she and the black panther watched Shun Long entering inside the 'Bronze' door.
As soon as Shun Long entered the door, he found himself in a large room with many bronze grade cauldrons spread around.
In front of each cauldron, there was a black meditative pillow, for the alchemists to sit on while they were refining their pills.
A young man who seemed to be in his early 20s walked towards Shun Long, the moment that he entered the room.
This man was dressed in white robes, and had a small white badge on his chest with a single star on it.
Shun Long knew, that this was the badge of a rank 1 bronze grade alchemist.
Aside from this young man, there were more than 20 other people in the room, who were currently using the bronze grade cauldrons on the floor.
There were also 3 middle-aged men dressed in white robes, with the badge of a rank 3 bronze grade alchemist on their chests.
The rank 1 bronze grade alchemist walked in front of Shun Long, and stretched out his right hand as he said in an emotionless tone
''If you want to take the test for a rank 1 bronze grade alchemist, you must pay 1 low-grade spirit stone. If you want to take the test for a rank 2 bronze grade alchemist, you must pay 20 low-grade spirit stones. In case you want to take the test for a rank 3 bronze grade alchemist, then you have to pay 100 low-grade spirit stones.''
Nodding his head, Shun Long handed a low-grade spirit stone to the man in front of him, who then pointed at the cauldrons on the floor and said
''You can choose any of the cauldrons here to use for your pill refinement, but you only have 2 hours to refine a low-grade rank 1 pill, if you wish to pass the test. The esteemed overseers will also judge your pill in the end.''
As soon as he finished speaking, the man immediately left without waiting for an answer.
Shun Long didn't seem to have paid any attention to this young man however, as he walked in front of a random cauldron in the front row.
With a smile on his face, he took out 4 rank 1 medicinal herbs from the 'Stone of Time'.
A stalk of 'Blue striped grass', a 5-leafed flower, a 'grisly growing root' as well as a 'Honey fruit'.
The rank 3 bronze grade alchemists weren't paying any special attention to Shun Long.
When they saw the medicinal herbs that he took out, they could immediately guess which pill he was going to refine.
Although the 'Qi barrier-breaking pill' was a comparatively harder rank 1 pill to refine, it was still a rank 1 pill in the end.
With a light smile on his face, Shun Long reminisced how this was the first pill that he had refined in the 'Floating Cloud sect'.
His movements were extremely practiced, as he first added the 'Blue striped grass' inside the cauldron. As the grass had started to wither, he then added in a leaf from the 5-leafed flower, and watched as the half-withered grass coiled itself around the flower leaf as they were being refined at the same time.
If the rank 3 bronze grade alchemists were paying attention to Shun Long's cauldron, their eyes would pop out of their sockets.
Not only was the sequence in which he placed the medicinal herbs inside the cauldron 'wrong', but the result was something unbelievable.
5 breaths of time later, Shun Long put the rest of the 5-leafed flower inside the cauldron, when a sizzling sound was suddenly heard.
One of the rank 3 bronze grade alchemists, turned to look at Shun Long and frowned when he heard this sizzling sound, certain that Shun Long had already failed in his refinement.
Shun Long didn't pay attention to anyone else while he was refining the medicinal herbs, as he slowly lowered the flames of the cauldron, before he placed the 'grisly growing root' inside.
Shun Long then used his spiritual strength, to guide the medicinal essence from the 'Blue striped grass', the '5-leafed flower' and the 'grisly growing root' in a circular motion inside the cauldron.
Nobody inside the room, including the 3 bronze grade alchemists had noticed, that time had gone completely still for a moment.
After activating the 'Monarch's Domain' for less than a breath of time, Shun Long extracted the 'Honey fruit's' juice, as he mixed the 4 essences into one.
Less than 5 minutes had passed since he had started his pill refinement, when his alchemy cauldron exploded with a sudden burst of medicinal fragrance.
The three rank 3 bronze grade alchemists immediately turned to look at him with eyes filled with disbelief, as Shun Long slowly opened the lid of his cauldron.