The final administrator came in to collect the papers and they gathered them over. After a while I heard the discussion between the disciples, some were arguing on some of the names of the herbs and some complained that they only wrote 900 instead of the full 999, some bragged that they had most right, and some were outright crying.
This highly reminded me of my days once after finals, we all talked about what happened, and how we did but were always surprised by the outcome. As it turned out the ones who cried the most and said they did the worst always 'miraculously' end up with the best results...damn hypocrites.
In my opinion, this was a good exam, its purpose was to make sure the alchemists have a good memory, and without a good memory, no alchemist can be true to their trade.
The group of alchemists started bickering amongst themselves as I saw the oldest man among them holding my two papers, looking at me then back at his colleagues, then continued arguing. Suddenly, the female cultivator spoke to them, and they all nodded to her words.
The group turned and began speaking.
"The test results are out. Any student that didn't receive this token, please exit the premise of the competition, you have been disqualified." The old man said and threw a hundred tokens, I received mine immediately, and so did Meng Hao, and Yan Song, as did many other kids that I remembered having a confident look on their faces.
As for the rest, they began grumbling and complaining.
"Thankfully, no case of cheating had been realized, as for the lowest score in this test, it's for Zhu Yoru, of 923 correct answers. Anyone that scored below it has been disqualified."
Zhu Yoru was a young man that looked no older than twelve, and when the rest of the group heard how high his score was, they were shocked still. Many thought that getting at least 800 would mean that they qualified, but they severely underestimated the capabilities of the participants.
"As for the first five disciples. We have Yan Song fifth place with 994 points."
'Not bad, she has a good memory, I didn't expect the little princes to be so capable." A few spectators from the Spirit Sword sect clapped and cheered when they saw their beloved little girl greeting such high ranking.
"Fourth place! Laofei Sao 995 points." This was a boy with dark skin and had a savage handsomeness to his presence, bare-chested, perked pecks and muscles thumping, he would look more like a barbarian brawler than an alchemist but appearances are deceiving.
"Third Place Ming Du, 996 points," this boy looked like a disgruntled young noble, he was tall and had a presence that matched his noble and clearly expensive robes, but the look on his face was that of a sour loser.
"Second place, with a remarkable score, Meng Hao, 999 points." The old man spoke.
'Oh, little Meng Hao scored so high.
However, the man's words didn't make the audience cheer or speak up, they were all surprised and shocked.
'How come he has a perfect score and is only a second-place?' This was definitely the question running through everyone's head."
As people's murmurs grew louder, the old alchemist held his hand up, "I know what you're all thinking but we have made many trick questions within the test hoping that the participants would catch on. Other than one person, no one managed to figure out the tricked herbs. Though we have scored everyone on their memorization ability, we made a secret rule that if anyone was to recognize the mistakes within the description they would be given additional points. And only one competitor managed to figure out the mistakes…and most impressively, he found all of them."
"Shen Bao, first place 1256 points!"
The adoration cheers and shocked looks on the people around me were only natural. But the most interesting thing was these alchemists.
I grinned, not because I got first place, but how these shameless alchemists just outright added a 'secret rule' just to save their face for their own lack of knowledge about the very test they had given.
"Shen Bao, who is your alchemy master?" I received a message right through my head.
I couldn't use telepathy yet, but I wrote a line on my hand and the owner of the said voice used his divine sense to read my palm.
"Secret," it said. and I heard a sigh in my head before the divine sense disappeared no longer bothering me.
"The rewards for this test shall be awarded once the competition is over. For the hundred participants that have succeeded please proceed to the tables in front of you. You have proven yourself capable and can continue on to the next part."
We approached the testing area where everyone was assigned a table that had several herbs alongside it.
"Do you all have your cauldrons or do you wish for us to present you with one?" asked the alchemist. Though his question was not needed to even be uttered, because no one in their right mind would come here without their own cauldrons.
Everyone pulled out their cauldrons, and I was amazed at the quality of some of them. Some cauldrons were made of extremely rare materials, such as the one Ming Du had, it was a crystalline Purple Jade cauldron, the temperatures that material can sustain are amazing, and it would be nigh impossible to make it explode using hearth fire.
Yan Song also brought a beautiful Omni-Boxit Cauldron, a dark-colored almost cup-looking cauldron, it was a good material that circulated Qi perfectly within it and made the pill-making process less taxing. As for Meng Hao, his cauldron was the most inconspicuous, but at the same time the most mysterious.
It was a cauldron that had a demon's head on one side and an angel's head on the other, one handle was made of thorny barbed nails and the other handle had a soft feather design on it. It looked dangerous, and if one didn't understand well about the material that made it, they'd think this was just a well-decorated cauldron as it didn't give off any Qi. This was a metal of the fourth tier, comparable to the metal that made my own sword Creeping Demise.
Meng Hao had some nice treasures, a greedy thought wanted to infest into my mind but I quickly shook it away. That's his own treasure and I'll never take what doesn't belong to me especially not from my own friend.
Suddenly all eyes were on me, as I was the last one to pull my cauldron, I was actually so amazed by the cauldrons that everyone had, that I have forgotten to pull my own.
And when I pulled my pot like cauldron made of the not so rare and easily found Meteorite Ore, even the administrators had a look of pity on me.
"Hah, so much for a grand alchemist, you're so destitute you can't even afford a good cauldron." Ming Du, the third-place owner spoke.
I grinned at the little kid, "Well, you'll need all the disadvantages you can get. After all, it's not the cauldron that makes an alchemist's skill." My words were heavy on the kid's heart as he hmphed unable to retort again.
I received a mental message, this time from the emperor himself, "Shen Bao, I do believe now that you only started alchemy a few months ago, a meteorite cauldron is not even fit for amateur alchemists. Do you wish for me to procure a better alchemy cauldron for you?"
I shook my head and smiled while nodding at the emperor thanking him for his gesture.
The emperor shrugged and I placed my pot in front of me.
"Your test starts now, your first task is to make a good quality spirit rejuvenating pill…"
This was something simple as most of these kids will be able to make it.
"On one condition," said the alchemist. "You can only use the herbs you have in front of you, nothing more." Said the alchemist as he smiled.
As I looked at the herbs, I frowned, what condition? there was nothing wrong here, that's not even a test this is a simple pill-making process.
"That's impossible, without the Fickle Grass Blade, the pill will dissolve immediately after it's created." One of the competitors, if I remember correctly didn't get a good score.
'Oh, the Fickle Blade Grass, it's not really needed to make a simple Spirit Rejuvenating Pill. Though it can help the quenching and pill formation, it's not really needed good handling of the cauldron's flames can have the same effects and with even better results as it would mean that you'll need one less grass to use, and fewer impurities and fewer risks for a defected pill.'
But no one among the top competitors even complained. They definitely knew how to make the pill without the Fickle Blade Grass.
"You may begin now," the administrator said and the group began almost immediately, lighting the heart fire wood and starting to heat up their cauldrons as for me… well, this was going to be really annoying to everyone here and I can't help but suppress a giggle.
It's time for it, Shock and Awe baby ! shock and awe!