Chapter 98

"Time's up!"

As the last ash from the tripod fell and the incense burned out, Meng Yue suddenly stepped forward and loudly announced.

Immediately, all the room doors opened at the same time, and the dozen or so disciples who had participated in the assessment filed out. The dozen disciples were divided into two extremes: some were elated, while others were dejected.

However, only two people were elated, while the dejected ones numbered over a dozen. Without waiting for the assessment, just by looking at their expressions, one could tell who would be the victors and who would be the losers.

Sure enough, when the assessment began, the two elated individuals approached with confidence, and their answers were completely correct. Among the dejected dozen, three or four left before the assessment even started, clearly not wanting to make a fool of themselves.

The remaining people, although they wanted to take a chance, no matter how hard they tried to recall, they couldn't remember the dozens of prescriptions they had just seen.

Those who guessed more correctly could remember about seven or eight out of ten, while those who guessed less could only write down two or three drug names. The white-robed alchemist Meng Yue, who was watching from the side, grew increasingly grim.

Finally, the assessment of everyone was over, and the final results were out. Only six people were victorious, including Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the rough young man in blue. The others all failed and left with pale faces.

The white-robed alchemist Meng Yue looked at the six people standing before him and said calmly, "Making you memorize the pill formula was not to test your memory, but to see if you can maintain a calm mind."

"Those who can calm their minds can endure the decades of tedium, monotony, and loneliness in the process of refining pills. This is a necessary quality for every alchemist. I don't care how you passed the previous assessment, but I congratulate you here."

"The next stage is pill refinement. Since there is a pill assessment, there is also pill refinement. The pill you will refine is the one you memorized. Follow me, and I will take you to the next assessment venue."

"Yes."

Everyone responded, somewhat apprehensive. The previous assessments had little to do with their alchemy skills, but this one would truly test their abilities.

Shui Xue was not afraid; this was a stage that everyone could imagine. Tang Gu, however, let out a slight bitter laugh. In the previous stages, he could pass by bluffing, but this one... he had no clue about the actual skills of refining pills.

He had never even touched a pill tripod in his life.

It seemed that he would definitely be eliminated at this stage. However, he hadn't expected to make it to the fourth stage, so he was already pleasantly surprised.

Therefore, he showed no signs of worry or depression, but rather was very calm.

The venue for the fourth stage was different from the previous three. It was the back courtyard of the Apricot Grove Manor's branch, a grand hall with a very ancient and elegant style.

When Tang Gu and the others entered the hall, they found dozens of white-robed young disciples standing on both sides, and in the center of the hall, dozens of ancient and uniform bronze pill tripods were neatly arranged.

These pill tripods were engraved with strange patterns of flowers, plants, and the sun and moon, and even scenes of immortals ascending to the heavens. Even from a distance, one could feel the ancient and profound aura and a unique fragrance of the tripod.

This was the unique pill aura formed by years of refining pills and cooking medicines.

Clearly, these pill tripods were not ordinary. Now, they were being used for the assessment, showing the grandeur of the Apricot Grove Manor.

"Third-grade ordinary pill tripods!"

Immediately, someone recognized them, showing a look of amazement and even obsession.

Like weapons, pill tripods were also divided into nine grades from ordinary to extraordinary. Above the ninth grade were the famous instruments.

Such pill tripods were extremely rare and valuable, even more so than weapons of the same grade. Even in the Apricot Grove Manor, only a few people possessed them, so it was impossible to see them here.

However, even just third-grade ordinary pill tripods were as valuable as some fifth- or sixth-grade ordinary weapons. Here, dozens of them appeared at once, and it was likely that no one in the entire Snowy Wheel Region, except the Apricot Grove Manor, had such a grand display.

After leading the six people here, Meng Yue did not leave but stood respectfully to one side. Outside, more alchemists like Meng Yue continued to lead disciples, some more and some fewer, into the hall, which gradually became lively.

Tang Gu looked around and saw that the number of people continued to increase, surpassing ten, twenty, and so on. He immediately had a guess. It seemed that after several rounds of elimination, the remaining people from the initial two thousand would all gather here for the fourth stage of the assessment.

Looking at the number of pill tripods in the hall, which did not exceed fifty, it meant that out of the two thousand people who participated in the assessment, only a few dozen made it to this stage.

This brutal elimination rate was shocking.

Finally, after a while, everyone had gathered, and no more people arrived. As Tang Gu had guessed, after three stages of elimination, the two thousand or so assessment disciples were now down to forty-nine.

And out of these forty-nine, only seven would ultimately pass the Apricot Grove Manor's assessment.

The other disciples, upon seeing that only a few dozen remained, also showed signs of shock. Clearly, they were all startled.

However, they soon felt a sense of relief, relieved that they had made it this far and were among the few dozen victors.

But the thought that only seven out of so many would ultimately stand out and gain the status of a disciple in the Apricot Grove Manor made most of them anxious.

They glared at each other with hostility, filled with enmity.

Only a few people, however, were completely unfazed by the tense situation, instead appearing eager or confident, standing out with a calm and composed demeanor or a radiant presence, drawing the most attention.

Among them, a young man in green, a young man in purple, and a woman in white were the most noticeable.

The young man in green had a refined and gentle demeanor, smiling and courteous, looking more like he was on a spring outing than taking an assessment.

The young man in purple, on the other hand, had a look of supreme confidence, not taking others seriously, and was one of the least likable people in the hall. However, his attitude also made people wary, as he must have some real skills to be so arrogant.

The last person stood in a corner, not drawing much attention, like a lily blooming quietly, its fragrance unnoticed.

If it weren't for the powerful soul force Tang Gu sensed from her, he might not have noticed her. However, that powerful soul force made him unable to look away from her the moment he saw her.

This woman in white seemed to be enveloped in a mist, appearing real yet illusory. She stood there, yet seemed far away. When you thought she was far away, she was still standing there, unmoving.

She was like a unique and beautiful flower, delicate yet noble, standing apart from the crowd but impossible to ignore.

Besides these three, there was also a young woman in green and a child in red, who were also noticeable and seemed extraordinary. However, compared to the first three, these two, though eye-catching, seemed to lack something.

In addition, Tang Gu, Shui Xue, and the rough young man in blue were also very noticeable in the crowd.

Shui Xue stood out because of her beauty, which was hard to hide even in male attire, with her delicate features and fair skin, gentle and pure like snow.

The rough young man in blue stood out because of his personality. Even in such a serious and tense situation, he had a carefree and innocent smile, making him stand out and almost inviting a beating.

As for Tang Gu... he was the opposite. He was the least skilled in pill refinement but the least concerned about the assessment.

Because of this, in the entire ancient hall, while others were either tense or pretending to be indifferent, he alone remained calm and composed from start to finish.

This calmness made him stand out among the crowd with various expressions, making it hard not to notice him. Even the woman in white, who had been standing in the corner, turned to look at him.

As time passed, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly tense. No one spoke, and the air seemed to thicken.

Many people could even hear their own heartbeats.

At this moment, three elderly men with white hair and youthful faces walked into the hall in a line. The two on the sides each had two small silver pill tripods on their chests, while the one in the middle, a man in purple, had two small golden pill tripods embroidered on his chest, vivid and lifelike.

"Second-grade high-level alchemist..."

Someone in the hall exclaimed, and everyone held their breath, looking at the man in purple in the middle. Such a person was beyond their reach.

In the alchemy world, the rank was determined by the number of pill tripods on the chest. For example, a first-grade alchemist had one tripod, a second-grade had two, and a third-grade had three.

The different levels within the same grade were determined by the color of the tripod.

The tripods on the chest of a beginner alchemist were copper, those of a mid-level alchemist were silver, those of a high-level alchemist were gold, and those of an extreme-level alchemist were purple, clearly distinguishable.

Now, seeing the golden tripods on the chest of the man in purple, representing a high-level alchemist, how could everyone not be surprised and even shocked!