Ch598 - Obtaining an Alchemist Identity Badge

Qu Yang’s group arrived at the Alchemist Association. Qu Yang took everyone to the second floor to have his Fifth Senior Brother register Liu Xuan for the competition.

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Eldest Grandson of the Dragon Clan. I wonder which competition Your Highness wishes to participate in?” Li He, the Fifth disciple of the Alchemist Emperor, asked as he looked at Liu Xuan.

“Senior Li, I wish to participate in the ninth-level alchemist competition.” Liu Xuan said courteously with a smile.

“Okay, to participate in the ninth-level alchemist competition, you need to pay a registration fee of 3,000 immortal crystals and present your ninth-level alchemist identity badge.” Li He smiled in a formulaic manner.

Liu Xuan frowned at these words. “Senior Li, I’ve always been in the Dragon Domain and have never come to the Alchemist Domain before, so I don’t have a ninth-level alchemist identity badge.”

“Aiya, that’s a problem for Your Highness. How about you make do and participate in the eighth-level alchemist competition instead?” Li He said helplessly as he looked at Liu Xuan.

Hearing this, Liu Xuan awkwardly rubbed his nose. “I don’t have an eighth-level alchemist identity badge either.”

“Then may I ask what level of alchemist identity badge you have?” Li He asked helplessly.

“Can’t he participate without one? My Nephew is very skilled at pill refining.” Long Zhe asked dejectedly as he looked at Li He.

Li He smiled wryly. “Your Highness, the rules for registration are set. Without an alchemist identity badge, you can’t be considered an alchemist and thus can’t participate in the competition.”

“This…” Long Zhe was very unhappy to hear this.

“It’s fine, Uncle.” Liu Xuan tugged on Long Zhe’s sleeve and turned his head to look at Qu Yang.

“Senior Qu, I wonder if it’s too late for me to take the test to become an alchemist.”

“Mm-hm, it’s not too late. The alchemist examination is on the third floor. I can take the Imperial Grandson there.” With a smile, Qu Yang indicated that he was willing to take them there.

“An exam? How do you take it?” Long Zhe asked as he looked at Qu Yang.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry. It’s actually very simple. It’s just an exam to refine pills. As long as the alchemist who takes the exam can refine the pill that the Elders have given as the topic, they can obtain their alchemist badge.” With a smile, Qu Yang earnestly explained.

“Oh. That doesn’t sound too bad.” Long Zhe was quite confident in his Nephew’s alchemy skills. He had eaten quite a few of Xuanxuan’s pills over the years and knew what he was capable of.

“Do we have to take the test level by level? Can’t we just take the tenth level test?” Liu Xuan asked.

“This test requires an identity badge. For example, if an eighth-level alchemist wants to take the ninth-level test, they must present their eighth-level alchemist badge. So, you have to take the test level by level.” Qu Yang explained helplessly.

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He was clearly a ninth-level alchemist, so why was he being questioned? He had to take this test and get his alchemist badge. Even if he wasn’t going to participate in the pill-refining competition, he wanted to use his pill-refining skills to prove to everyone that he was a real alchemist with real skills. He wasn’t some random person who didn’t even have an alchemist badge.

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Seeing them leave, Li He looked over with a look of scorn. “Hmph! Dragon Clan alchemist? A kid who doesn’t even have an alchemist identity badge? How dare he try to participate in the pill-refining competition. What a joke.”

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“Hmph! They think they can just waltz in here and fish around in muddy waters? No way.”

“That’s right! Our Master is managing the registration desk. Nobody’s going to get in here without being checked.” The disciple nodded in agreement.

“Mnn. You guys all keep your eyes open. I’m going upstairs to take a look around.” After glancing at the thirty or so disciples who were responsible for registration, Li He stood up and left.

As soon as he left, the second floor of the registration hall became abuzz. The people who had been so scared of the Dragon Clan Immortal Emperor that they hadn’t dared to breathe loudly were now chatting back and forth.

“I knew it! There’s no way the Dragon Clan has any alchemists. What a fraud!”

“Maybe not. Maybe he’s never left the Dragon Domain before and hasn’t had a chance to get his alchemist identity badge.”

“How could that be? That kid is over two thousand years old. Even if he hasn’t had a chance to get his ninth-level alchemist badge, he should have his eighth-level one at least.”

“That’s right. Judging by the way he looks, he probably doesn’t even have a first-level alchemist badge.”

“I bet you’re right!”

“He doesn’t even have an identity badge, yet he’s here trying to join the competition? Isn’t he embarrassed?”

“That’s right! We’ve been standing in line here since before dawn, and he just waltzes in with special treatment. Two Immortal Emperors are clearing the way for him, and we’re all being pushed to the side.”

“Aiya, don’t get so worked up over this guy, Brother. Who knows if he can actually refine pills or not? But he sure is good at flattering people. He’s the Dragon Emperor’s Grandson.”

“That’s right! He’s the Eldest Grandson of the Dragon Emperor.”

“Bah! Eldest Grandson of the Dragon Emperor! Who knows what crooked methods he used to fool the Dragon Emperor into thinking he was worthy of that title?”

“How would we know?”

“It would take skills to fool the Dragon Emperor.”

“You’re right about that.”

**********

On the third floor, Liu Xuan paid the required amount of immortal crystals and received his test token. Because the pill-refining competition was about to begin, there were many more people than usual applying for their alchemist identity badge. If they followed the normal process, Liu Xuan would have to wait at least two hours before it was his turn.

Qu Yang knew how temperamental the Dragon Clan cultivators were. If they had to wait two hours, the Dragon Crown Prince would probably take the two Elders and blow the roof off of the entire examination hall. Left with no other choice, he could only ask for help from his own Senior Uncle.

This time, it was his Third Senior Uncle who was in charge. As long as he brought Liu Xuan to his Senior Uncle, Liu Xuan would be able to take the test immediately.

After receiving Qu Yang’s message, the old man responded quickly. He was willing to open a backdoor for this Young Master of the Dragon Clan.

With his Senior Uncle’s permission, Qu Yang took everyone to the fourth floor, where his Senior Uncle pill-refining workstation was located.

When they walked in, they saw an old man with white robes, white hair, and a white beard. He looked like a cultivator with a long life and a noble air. Liu Xuan bowed his head in greeting.

“Greetings, Senior!”

“Greetings, Senior!” The Dragon Crown Prince also bowed his head in greeting. The two Elders didn’t bow because they were all Immortal Emperors and didn’t need to bow to each other.

“So it’s you, Your Highness the Dragon Crown Prince. Long time no see. You’ve become even more heroic and valiant.”

“You flatter me.” Long Zhe replied with a modest smile.

The old man nodded toward the two Elders before turning to look at Liu Xuan. After examining him from head to toe, he nodded again. “Mm-hmm, you’re the Dragon Clan alchemist, Liu Xuan.

Not bad, not bad at all. You’re quite young.”

“Senior is too kind.”

“Third Senior Uncle, His Highness the Imperial Grandson is here to take the test to acquire an alchemist identity badge. Please come up with a test.” Qu Yang said, looking at his Uncle.

“Very well.” The old man nodded and waved his sleeve, causing a table and chair to appear in the pill-refining workstation. He sat down and looked over at Liu Xuan. “What level of alchemist identity badge do you want?”

“Senior, I wish to test for the first to ninth levels of alchemist identity badge. Please come up with a test.” Liu Xuan looked respectfully at the old man.

“Very well.” The old man nodded and waved his sleeve again, causing a jade box to fly out towards Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan caught the jade box and opened it up. Inside was a set of medicinal plants that could be used to refine a level-1 Rejuvenation Pill.

“The medicinal plants are provided by the Alchemist Association, and any medicinal pills you refine will belong to the Alchemist Association. You only get one chance to test for the level-1 alchemist identity badge. If the medicinal plants are ruined, then you won’t be able to test for three years.” The old man explained the rules of the test.

“Yes, I understand.” Liu Xuan nodded and produced his pill furnace, then began to work on refining the pill.

Refining a level-1 medicinal pill was no problem at all for a ninth-level alchemist like Liu Xuan. He quickly finished the task.

The old man looked over at the medicinal pill on the table and nodded in satisfaction. “To test for the level-2 alchemist identity badge, you must pay 300 low-grade immortal crystals.”

“Yes!” Liu Xuan immediately paid the immortal crystals and continued on with his testing.

Seeing how easily Liu Xuan passed from level 1 all the way up to level 8 without even breaking a sweat, Qu Yang couldn’t help but look at him with more admiration.It seems that His Highness the Imperial Grandson is actually pretty skilled!

“Liu Xuan, it’s not easy to refine ninth-level medicinal pills. Why don’t you rest for a bit first?” Seeing Liu Xuan looking at the immortal herbs, the old man kindly reminded him to take a break.

“Many thanks, Senior. I’ll rest for fifteen minutes.” As he spoke, Liu Xuan put away the immortal herbs in his hand and walked to a corner of the room where he sat down cross-legged on the ground. After consuming a Soul-Regulating medicinal pill, he began to adjust his soul power.

Seeing that Liu Xuan had sat down, Xiaoyue immediately went over to protect him. The Dragon Crown Prince and the two Dragon Elders also immediately went over to shield him behind their own bodies.

Liu Xuan only needed to make a slight adjustment before he began to refine the ninth-level medicinal pill. The old man had given him three chances to pass the test for ninth-level alchemist identity badge, and he had failed once. His second attempt was successful.

Seeing that Liu Xuan had passed all nine tests, the old man nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad, not bad at all. Your pill-refining technique is very good, and your methods are very professional.

Who was your Master?”

“Ah, this Junior learned from my family. I learned pill-refining from my Grandfather and Father.”

“Oh! It seems that the Second Imperial Prince is also an expert in the Dao of Alchemy.”

“Senior is too kind. Thank you for your hard work today.” Liu Xuan hurriedly bowed.

“We’re all fellow alchemists here, so there’s no need to be so formal. Here you go, this is your alchemist identity badge.”

“Many thanks, Senior.” Liu Xuan happily accepted his ninth-level alchemist identity badge. Xiaoyue, Long Zhe, and the two Dragon Elders were also very happy and felt as if they had raised their heads high in pride.