Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Continue the Evaluation
Translator: 549690339
A statement that was supposed to bring joy, instead left Li Chong feeling grudging and disgruntled.
It could not be helped, this alchemist examination that had been quite peaceful was thoroughly disrupted by Fang Lin. Even though he successfully passed the examination and became an official One Cauldron Pill Refiner, Li Chong still felt like he had lost to Fang Lin.
Fang Lin’s face remained calm and did not show any signs of joy due to Elder Su’s words. His demeanor was not arrogant nor impatient, causing Elder Su to appreciate him even more, and he silently nodded his approval.
Elder Su said, “Our Pill Alliance has influences among the Nine Countries and
Seven Seas, and all the pill refiners in the world fall under our jurisdiction. When you join our Alliance, you will receive its protection. With each of your respective statuses in the Alliance, you will receive a certain amount of cultivation resources per month. But remember the rules of the Alliance; if you break them, and our enforcers find out, you will be duly punished.” Both Fang Lin and Li Chong bowed and promised, “We will take note.”
Elder Su nodded and motioned to a steward of the Pill Alliance beside him.
The steward took out two badges that had been prepared for their status as One Cauldron Pill Refiners and was about to give them to Li Chong and Fang Lin.
But then, Li Chong suddenly said, “Elder Su, I wish to continue and take the
Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam.”
Fang Lin also gave a fist and palm salute, saying, “I also wish to take the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam, just like brother Li here, and I hope Elder Su allows it.”
Li Chong glared maliciously at Fang Lin, while Fang Lin returned with a smile which was not quite a smile.
Elder Su was slightly surprised at their requests but quickly agreed.
Ouyang Jing was not expecting Fang Lin to continue with the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam. Even though he had chatted with Fang Lin before, Fang Lin did not mention anything about taking the Second Cauldron exam.
It seems that Fang Lin probably conceived this idea even before he arrived at the Pill Alliance, rather than doing so just to compete with Li Chong.
Of course, to others, it did seem like Fang Lin was trying to compete with Li Chong.
“Since both of you want to continue with the examination, make your preparations and we shall begin soon,” Elder Su stated.
Li Chong gave Fang Lin a provocative glance. Even though he couldn’t surpass Fang Lin in the previous exam, his real goal was to become a Second Cauldron Pill Refiner.
As long as he became a Second Cauldron Pill Refiner, that would mean he had stepped on Fang Lin.
In Li Chong’s eyes, Fang Lin couldn’t possibly surpass him in the Second
Cauldron Pill Refiner exam. After all, he had been immersed in the Alchemy Tao for ten years, started crafting pills at the age of fifteen, had the full support of his family, and even possessed the Soul Commanding Pill Fire. Despite Fang Lin being a talent in Alchemy Tao, his age was still too tender. How many years could he have under his belt of crafting pills? And he dared to take the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner examination?
There was a significant difference between a Second Cauldron Pill Refiner and a One Cauldron Pill Refiner. Much like the difference between a Human Origin martial artist and an Earth Element martial artist, representing a fundamental gap.
The One Cauldron Pill Refiner exam consists of only two parts, Q&A and pill refining. Generally, as long as you have a sound foundation, have been refining pills for three or four years, possess decent talent, and are not foolish, you can pass.
But the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam is entirely different.
The Second Cauldron Pill Refiner examination was divided into three parts.
First was the Pill Formula, second the herbs, and thirdly, pill refining.
If you fail in any of these three parts, you would immediately fail the whole exam and be ineligible to retake it within a year.
Also, the difficulty of these three parts was almost the same.
Every year, many pill refiners failed these exams.
Compared to the One Cauldron Pill Refiner exam, the Second Cauldron exam required far more from the basic foundations of pill refiners, as well as substantial background knowledge and accumulative experience.
For instance, the first part, the pill formula, was extremely demanding and typically more than half of the candidates failed this part.
Li Chong did not believe that Fang Lin’s basic skills or background were as profound as his, thus he did not think that Fang Lin could pass the Second
Cauldron Pill Refiner exam.
Ouyang Jing looked worried and wanted to remind Fang Lin about the content of the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam. However, with so many people around, he had no chance to pass on any advice.
The older man from the Li Family stood with his hands behind his back.
Although his demeanor still appeared cold, it was far better than before.
He too does not believe that Fang Lin could pass the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner examination. Judging from the looks of it, Fang Lin doesn’t seem even twenty years old. At such a young age, unless he started refining since he was in the womb, there was no chance that Fang Lin could beat Li Chong in foundation and depth.
A solid foundation was incredibly important to both a Martial Artist and a Pill
Refiner. Without adequate foundational skills, one would not be able to go far.
Li Chong had practiced refining for ten years, and several elderly pill refiners from the Li family personally tutored him. He knew hundreds of pill formulas, had distinguished countless medicinal materials, and he believed that few young pill refiners in Qian Country, even in the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect, could match his profound foundation.
Although Fang Lin had recently gained some fame with his Shaking three Mountains and Micro Gold Pupil skills, he was, after all, still very young, and that was a significant drawback in terms of foundational skills.
Even Elder Su, who greatly appreciated Fang Lin, didn’t hold much hope for Fang Lin passing the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner exam.
He had seen too many talented and ambitious young individuals, who easily passed the One Cauldron Pill Refiner exam and then desired to take the Second Cauldron exam in one fell swoop.
But what were the results?
Ninety percent of them failed. Not because they weren’t talented or skilled in pill refining, but because their foundations were weak, and their knowledge was shallow.
Fang Lin was indeed impressive, but in Elder Su’s eyes, all that he had was better luck, getting Shaking Three Mountains, and wasn’t genuinely a one-in-a-generation genius.
However, they were all oblivious to the fact that Fang Lin’s profound knowledge surpassed Li Chong’s by thousands and millions of times.
The preparation for the Second Cauldron Pill Refiner’s examination was completed rapidly.
Since the test was stricter, the examination procedure was more stringent. Fang Lin and Li Chong were led separately into different side halls, with no one else allowed inside.
After stepping into this enclosed hall, Fang Lin glanced around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
After a while, a grim-faced middle-aged steward entered, holding a Nine Palace Bag in his hand.
“Fang Lin, the first item on the exam is the pill formula. If you are ready, we can begin now,” the middle-aged steward said, expressionless.
Fang Lin nodded, his face showing no sign of nervousness but rather a hint of anticipation.
The middle-aged steward then patted the Nine Palace Bag, and instantly ten jade slips flew out, hovering neatly in front of Fang Lin.
“These ten jade slips each contain a pill formula. Among them, five pill formulas have flaws. Your task is to find the flaws in these five formulas. Any less means failure.” The middle-aged steward explained..