Chapter 9

Passing the initial Alchemy Master examination!

The voice of Chief Alchemy Master Ye Jian of Jingyun Alchemy Academy echoed in everyone's ears, and the junior disciples suddenly snapped back to their senses, starting to chatter among themselves.

For the hundreds of disciples in the small courtyard of the Alchemy Academy, the Alchemy Master examination was a huge hurdle, one that kept most people out. Every year, only a few of the few managed to pass the examination.

One's own insight, hard work, and substantial financial support were all indispensable for advancing to the upper academy!

And Wei Changfeng actually passed the Alchemy Master examination smoothly in less than half an hour, and even did so in a competition, which was truly unbelievable.

But no one could doubt Ye Jian's authority, and everyone had seen Wei Changfeng successfully refine the second-grade Tiger Strength Pill, with nine pills in one furnace, four of which were of medium quality!

This was not something that could be explained by luck alone.

"My goodness!" a disciple muttered, "Who said Wei Changfeng was a waste? He's clearly a genius!"

"He usually works very hard. Maybe his previous exams were just unlucky. This time he burst out!"

"Hehe, Liang Tian is in trouble. I don't think he can continue in the Alchemy Academy from now on."

The direction of the disciples' discussions completely changed. Initially, they had all mocked Wei Changfeng for overestimating himself, believing he would surely lose in the competition. Now, they were all praising and cheering.

Many people gathered around, smiling and congratulating Wei Changfeng.

Passing the initial Alchemy Master examination, it was a sure thing that Wei Changfeng would enter the upper academy. His future was undoubtedly bright, and this was the perfect time to curry favor.

As for Liang Tian, who had collapsed and spat blood in the alchemy room, only his two close friends showed some loyalty by helping him back to rest. Hardly anyone paid attention.

Even Ye Jian's attitude towards Wei Changfeng became much warmer.

After taking two Tiger Strength Pills, he returned the remaining pills and the medicine box to Wei Changfeng, smiling and saying, "The Alchemy Master badge will be sent over shortly. I will discuss your promotion to the upper academy with the Dean tomorrow."

The cost of the Alchemy Master examination was paid by Wei Changfeng himself, so the pills he refined naturally belonged to him. Ye Jian kept two as proof of passing the examination, which was a rule of the Alchemy Academy.

After passing the Alchemy Master examination, the Alchemy Academy would issue a special badge to the Alchemy Master, which would be registered with the government. This badge was valid throughout the entire Eternal Continent.

The junior disciples beside him looked at Wei Changfeng with envy and jealousy. Advancing to the upper academy was like a step to the sky, and from then on, his status would be vastly different from theirs.

An initial Alchemy Master was already a person of some standing in Jingyun City, let alone Wei Changfeng, who was so young!

But what they never expected was that Wei Changfeng hesitated for a moment and said, "Thank you, Master Ye, but I don't plan to go to the upper academy."

"What?"

Ye Jian was greatly surprised and asked, "If you don't go to the upper academy, where will you go?"

Wei Changfeng answered without hesitation, "I plan to return to the Martial Academy!"

"The Martial Academy!"

Ye Jian's expression became strange, still unable to believe it. "Wei Changfeng, have you thought this through?"

In twenty years at Jingyun Alchemy Academy, this was the first time he had encountered a disciple who did not want to go to the upper academy.

On the Eternal Continent, the number of martial artists far exceeded that of alchemy masters, but the latter's status was not inferior. An initial Alchemy Master might not be much, but if one could advance to the middle or high ranks, fame, wealth, and fortune would not be lacking.

Most importantly, alchemy masters did not need to fight and take risks like martial artists. Their lives were comfortable and easy, and many people dreamed of nothing more!

Therefore, Ye Jian found it hard to understand Wei Changfeng's choice.

The junior disciples were even more puzzled, looking at Wei Changfeng as if he were a fool.

If he wasn't a fool, why would he give up the opportunity to advance to the upper academy?

But Wei Changfeng was unmoved and insisted, "I have made my decision!"

"Then do as you wish!"

Ye Jian was disappointed, but he could not force Wei Changfeng to change his mind. He said with a sigh, "I hope you don't regret it. Missing this opportunity, it will be difficult to enter the upper academy again."

Wei Changfeng smiled without answering.

As a grandmaster of alchemy from a thousand years ago, he did not think he could learn anything in the upper academy of Jingyun Alchemy Academy. Even in the entire Eternal Continent, no one had the qualifications to be his teacher in alchemy!

After a moment, a young alchemy assistant brought the Alchemy Master badge.

Ye Jian handed the badge and the coiled dragon jade pendant that Liang Tian had lost to Wei Changfeng, saying earnestly, "Wei Changfeng, take care of yourself!"

Receiving the badge and the jade pendant, even Wei Changfeng felt a bit excited. The former meant he had the qualifications to open a shop in Jingyun City to sell alchemy pills, and the latter could be exchanged for a substantial amount of money he currently needed.

He bowed to Ye Jian, "Thank you, Master Ye!"

After saying that, Wei Changfeng turned and left, leaving everyone with a carefree back view.

Someone muttered, "He doesn't know how to appreciate it!"

Ye Jian frowned, displeased, and "hmmphed" loudly, making the surroundings instantly silent.

This chief alchemy master looked at Wei Changfeng's retreating figure and suddenly felt as if he had missed something.

......

Leaving Jingyun Alchemy Academy, Wei Changfeng strolled alone on the long street of Jingyun City.

Although he had inherited the soul memory of his predecessor, Wei Changfeng was not very familiar with the city. Looking at the bustling, crowded streets, he still felt a bit curious and fresh.

As the only decent city within hundreds of miles, Jingyun City, with more than 50,000 households, was quite prosperous and lively. The long street was lined with buildings, and there were countless taverns, teahouses, and shops.

On the street, in addition to ordinary people, there were also many merchants from the south and north, and armed soldiers patrolled from time to time. There were also brightly dressed ethnic minorities.

In a pawnshop, Wei Changfeng easily pawned the coiled dragon jade pendant for 900 taels of silver. Liang Tian had not been exaggerating; the jade pendant was of excellent quality and craftsmanship, and even the strict pawnshop owner did not dare to undervalue it too much.

However, with nearly a thousand taels of silver in his pocket, Wei Changfeng found that achieving his goal was not an easy task.

Because in the bustling streets of Jingyun City, there were very few shops available for rent. The few that had "For Rent" signs were extremely expensive, and the environment was far from satisfactory.

So, after wandering around the city for half a day, Wei Changfeng found nothing, but he became more familiar with the city and had a better grasp of the situation.

As he wandered, Wei Changfeng arrived at the open-air market outside Jingyun City.

The open-air market outside Jingyun City had existed for many years. At that time, Jingyun City charged an entry tax for travelers, merchants, and farmers. To save money, many farmers and hunters set up stalls outside the city, and over time, a market formed.

Although Jingyun City later abolished the entry tax, the market continued to exist and even grew larger. In addition to various agricultural products such as grains, fruits, and vegetables, there were also animal skins, bones, blood, and medicinal herbs.

Even some martial artists and treasure hunters sold various items they had obtained, such as weapons, secret manuals, antiques, and alchemy pills, in the open-air market.

These items often had unknown origins, and many were mixed with fakes. Whether one could find genuine and valuable items depended entirely on one's discernment. Many traveling merchants also engaged in similar businesses.

Due to the wide variety of items and relatively low prices, many disciples from Jingyun Martial Academy and Alchemy Academy often came to the open-air market to look for goods. Wei Changfeng had bought medicinal herbs here several times.

Today, he came for the same purpose, planning to buy a batch of herbs to refine alchemy pills suitable for martial cultivation.

Five-year-old Green Stem Grass, three-year-old Purple Vine Flower, tiger bones, deer blood, bear paws, and tendons... in less than half an hour, Wei Changfeng spent over a hundred taels of silver, filling his bag to the brim.

As the saying goes, the poor are in literature, and the rich are in martial arts. To continuously break through in martial arts, one needs to spend as much as in alchemy. However, after reaching a certain level, alchemy masters can earn money through refining pills, while martial artists need to either serve others or go on dangerous treasure hunts to make ends meet.

Don't think that the silver he now had, enough to make an ordinary family live comfortably for ten years, would be sufficient for martial cultivation. It was like a drop in the bucket.

Wei Changfeng stopped in front of a stall.

The stall owner was a thin old man, wearing tattered clothes that hadn't been changed for who knows how long, and the items he displayed in front of him also emitted a foul smell.

Old, broken containers, strange-looking vines, animal bones, and rotten short swords and daggers looked like a pile of garbage.

The only thing that caught Wei Changfeng's attention in this pile of junk was a fist-sized alchemy cauldron.

This cauldron had been buried in the ground for who knows how many years, covered with thick copper rust, green and yellow in patches. The ventilation holes were filled with dirt, and the carved patterns on the body were obscured.

When Wei Changfeng's gaze fell on the cauldron, the old man, who had been half-asleep, suddenly woke up and quickly reached out, grabbing the cauldron with agility that belied his age.

Then he smiled at Wei Changfeng, "Young master, you have a good eye! This alchemy cauldron is a fine item!"

The old man blinked his small eyes, his greedy gaze quickly scanning over Wei Changfeng's bulging bag. His thin, withered face twisted into a smile, revealing a mouth of yellow, uneven teeth.

Wei Changfeng was taken aback, then laughed, "Then tell me, what's its origin?"

He was willing to bet a tael of silver that this old man had no idea about the cauldron's history!

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