Chapter 92

In the time it took for a single breath, several people had already submitted their answers, and the others were almost finished as well.

Seeing others complete their tasks, the rest became even more anxious, hastily finishing their writing and quickly walking over to the alchemy child by the side to submit their answers, along with the herbs.

Qibaiyun, a second-rank alchemist in a light yellow robe, stood in place, his eyes slightly lowered, observing each disciple who submitted their answers, but his expression remained unchanged, and no one could discern anything from his face.

Before the incense had burned halfway, nearly nine out of ten of the hundred disciples in the room had already submitted their answers, leaving only about fourteen or fifteen still hesitating in place.

Tanggu and Suixue were among them.

After a moment, seven or eight more of these fourteen or fifteen people submitted their answers. At this point, Suixue seemed to have made a decision, and her pen began to move.

"Swish, swish, swish..." She quickly wrote on the white paper beside her. After a few strokes, she stood up, picked up her answer sheet, and passed Tanggu, giving him a worried glance. However, just as she was about to speak, she noticed Qibaiyun staring at her intently from the front, and her words died in her throat.

In the end, she still bypassed him, submitted her answer sheet, and stood to one side.

After Suixue submitted her answer, the other few people finally made up their minds. After a moment, they all submitted their answers, leaving only Tanggu in the room.

The silver Zhu incense in the bronze tripod was now almost completely burned, with only a small bit left, and it was about to go out.

Suddenly, a loud burst of laughter erupted in the room. Everyone could now see that Tanggu was just an outsider, completely clueless about identifying herbs.

The three herbs distributed by Xinglin Manor were extremely common. If he couldn't even recognize these herbs, it was hard to imagine how he had grown up.

Those who had submitted their answers early were even more delighted, treating it as a joke.

At this moment, Qibaiyun, who had been looking down, opened his eyes for the first time, staring at Tanggu with interest.

The time for the exam was drawing to a close, but Tanggu remained motionless.

In front of him, three herbs lay quietly.

The first was a dull white, resembling the root of a tree, thick and fleshy, with clearly visible roots.

The second was dark red, palm-sized, shaped like a cat's ear, with silver-white spots on it.

The third was light green, shaped like an orchid, or like an open human hand, with six finger-like parts.

Tanggu's eyes flickered with thought.

To be honest, these three herbs could be recognized by any ordinary person, as they were very common and not even considered medicinal herbs.

Even ordinary households would use them frequently, and they were easily found everywhere, with no rarity at all.

The first, called "Gexian Root," was a common herb found on mountains, growing under a certain type of flowering tree. When dug up and ground into powder, it could stop bleeding and quench thirst.

The second, called "Blood Spirit Ear," was a special type of fungus that grew in deep forests and appeared everywhere after rain. It had the functions of invigorating the spirit, dispelling evil, and detoxifying, as well as promoting blood circulation and enhancing vital energy. It was commonly prepared by farmers and hunters.

The third, while not a medicinal herb, was close to being one. It was called "Six-Petal Orchid" and had the effects of strengthening the body and warming the meridians. It was often used by martial artists during their physical training, boiled in water to enhance their constitution and unblock their meridians.

To be honest, if Xinglin Manor had used some obscure medicinal herbs for the exam, he would have had no chance of passing, as he was not an alchemist.

However... using these common herbs to test him... he was, after all, a Qi Dao practitioner and often needed to come into contact with medicinal herbs. How could these common herbs stump him?

Not to mention the many alchemists present.

But, was it really that simple?

If so, what was the point of Xinglin Manor's exam? Therefore, even though he had already recognized the three herbs, he had not moved his pen at all.

The laughter in the room grew louder, and the incense was almost completely burned.

It seemed he would become the only disciple to be eliminated for not writing a single word and running out of time. But at this moment, he finally picked up his pen and wrote the first character, "Six."

The laughter in the room abruptly stopped, and everyone stared at him tensely.

For some reason, this last person to submit his answer had captured everyone's attention, and Suixue's gaze was particularly worried.

However, Tanggu's hand suddenly paused.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled and, just as the incense was about to turn to ashes, he lightly moved his brush, quickly erasing the "Six" and writing the name of another herb.

Then, he walked forward and submitted his answer sheet to the green-robed alchemy child waiting on the side.

At the same time, there was a light "puff" as the silver Zhu incense in the bronze tripod finally burned out, turning to ash and falling to the ground.

Time's up!

Tanggu approached Suixue, who glanced at him. They exchanged a smile, understanding each other without words.

All the answer sheets were gathered in front of Qibaiyun, the alchemist, who quickly reviewed them one by one. Soon, only a few remained.

"Ah!"

Finally, he let out a soft "ah," a smile appearing on his face. He pulled out one of the sheets and placed it on a separate tray.

After a moment, another sheet was pulled out.

Everyone stared tensely at Qibaiyun's hands. Although the three herbs were very common and the exam was about speed, the results still weighed heavily on everyone's minds.

Without the results, no one could be sure if they had won.

However, the crowd was not too worried. They all knew the time they had submitted their answers was faster than most, not to mention the fool who submitted his answer just as the incense burned out.

Looking at the few sheets that were pulled out, they were all from those who submitted their answers last. They must be the unlucky ones, while the large stack of sheets that were not pulled out must be the winners. They were certain they were among them.

After a moment, only one sheet remained in the original tray, which was Tanggu's.

Qibaiyun, in his yellow robe, picked it up, glanced at it, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He turned to look at Tanggu, who was standing at the back of the crowd, and nodded. Then, he picked up the five sheets that had been pulled out and walked back to the front of the crowd.

Those who had submitted their answers early stood tall, full of confidence, eagerly looking up at Qibaiyun, the alchemist, waiting to hear their names.

At this moment, the mysterious Qibaiyun finally returned to the front of the crowd. His stern gaze swept over the hundred disciples below, and he slowly said:

"Alright, I will now announce the results."

He waved the five answer sheets in his hand and said calmly, "Number 28, 47, 65, 91, and 92. Apart from these five, everyone else is eliminated!"

"You can leave now!"

"What, what?"

"I must have heard wrong!"

Everyone looked at each other, almost unable to believe their ears, and the room erupted in chaos.

A fat man in a purple robe stood up from the crowd, shouting angrily, "Impossible! You must mean that only these five are eliminated, right?"

Another disciple in a green robe stood up in support, "Exactly! I am not convinced. We submitted our answers early, so why are we eliminated? The last few who submitted their answers are the winners? I, Lin Lu, will not accept this without an explanation."

"Agreed, we will not accept this either. Are you saying we are even worse than the last one to submit his answer? Are you selecting disciples based on the worst performance? I protest!"

Instantly, the crowd was in an uproar.

It was no wonder.

Everyone had traveled thousands of miles, enduring countless hardships and making firm resolutions. The earnest advice of their elders before they left still echoed in their ears. If they had lost due to lack of skill, that would be one thing, but this was so inexplicable that no one could accept it.

"Ha ha."

Qibaiyun, the old man in the yellow robe, smiled slightly and said, "I knew you wouldn't accept it. Xiao Si, come, explain it to them."

"Yes!"

Behind him, the green-robed alchemy child standing in the fourth position respectfully bowed to him and then stepped forward, facing the crowd.

He looked at everyone expressionlessly and said coldly, "The first test was not about your experience in identifying herbs, but about the attention to detail that the teacher mentioned earlier.

Xinglin Manor values not just skill but also method.

Perhaps some of you already had good skills and were decent alchemists before coming here, but this is of no use to Xinglin Manor.

Because, in Xinglin Manor, there are many with more experience than you. If you are not even as good as apprentices, what use are your previous experiences?

What we need is not your previous experiences but whether you are meticulous. This is the first criterion for determining if you can become a high-level alchemist.

Just now, among the three herbs given to you, two were indeed common herbs, but one was disguised.

You all quickly gave your answers, but unfortunately, they were all wrong."

After saying this, the green-robed alchemy child named "Xiao Si" walked to one of the trays, picked up the most inconspicuous "Gexian Root," and gently broke it with his hand.

"Snap," instantly, the "Gexian Root" broke into two pieces, revealing a cluster of silver fine roots inside, resembling dragon whiskers.

These fine roots were half vibrant and half lifeless, as if they existed in two completely different worlds but were still tightly connected.

PS: Second update, seeking monthly votes. (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for better and faster updates!)