[A/N: I'm not at home, so the chapters may take a while, or not come out for a week or more. I'm on a trip with my family, and I only have time at night to write. If there's anything, I'll let you know here.]
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"Ah? Of course!" Xiao Lan replied immediately, her tone lively, though a slight look of confusion soon appeared on her face.
"Wait... what?" she blinked, tilting her head slightly in surprise.
Her eyes locked onto Xiang Yun, studying him more closely.
Without a doubt, that young and handsome face was impossible to forget. After all, she was the one who had attended to him a few days ago when he came in looking for an alchemy furnace.
At the time, she hadn't even known that the Association sold such equipment, and it was thanks to him that she found out—right before receiving a mild scolding from her supervisor after he left. Since then, the memory of him had returned to her mind more often than she cared to admit.
Even so, hearing that the same boy—who barely looked thirteen—wanted to take the exam to become a Primary Alchemist sounded absurd. As much as she wanted to be kind, it was hard not to doubt him.
She stared at him for a few seconds, searching for any sign of a joke, but Xiang Yun looked completely serious. Confident—far too confident, in her opinion.
With a quiet sigh, Xiao Lan crossed her arms but kept a small smile on her lips.
Her voice, though professional, now held a softer tone. "Well… of course you can try. But you do know that becoming an Alchemist isn't exactly simple, right? Besides years of practice, there are hundreds of books on theory and just as many on herbs and compositions. It's a long road to get here."
"Yes, I'm aware of that… As for my knowledge in alchemy, there's no problem." — Xiang Yun replied, without the slightest change in his expression.
She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. It was rare to see someone so young speak with such conviction—especially without sounding arrogant. And yet…
"He probably hasn't even lit a furnace before…" she thought, giving him another once-over.
Still, she didn't want to make another mistake. She had already been caught off guard once, and she didn't want to underestimate someone again, even if everything inside her said he didn't stand a chance.
"Well..." she said, letting out a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "You definitely have confidence. I'll give you that. Just remember—confidence alone doesn't refine elixirs."
She watched him once more, searching for any sign of hesitation. But Xiang Yun remained still, his eyes calm and resolute.
"To participate in the Alchemist Master exams, you'll need to pay a fee of two hundred demon spirit coins in advance," Xiao Lan said, looking at him.
"Two hundred demon spirit coins? Alright, show me the way!" Xiang Yun nodded and replied to her.
"Very well." She smiled, keeping a friendly expression. "The whole process will be supervised by two of our Alchemy Masters. Do you agree?" asked Xiao Lan.
Xiang Yun nodded immediately and followed her to register. Shortly after, he followed her to the testing site. The exam for a Primary Alchemy Master was held in a long corridor that stretched a considerable distance.
On either side of the corridor were small rooms. Each candidate had to enter one of these rooms to complete the complex alchemy knowledge exam. After the test, their answers would be evaluated by several Primary Alchemy Masters before moving on to the next round.
After arriving at the designated room, Xiang Yun saw the two Master-level Alchemists—both elderly men with thin white hair and shining eyes, each highly respected.
The entire Association held great respect for them. They were two of the most renowned Master-level Alchemists and were responsible for producing a large quantity of pills for the Alchemist Association. Both were above Gold Rank, Three-Star level.
Xiang Yun gave a respectful bow, bending with the precision of someone who knew formalities. "It's an honor to meet you, Masters," he said, his voice firm but polite.
The two elders usually spent their time refining pills or cultivating and rarely ventured out. They knew little of what was happening outside. Upon learning that the immature brat in front of them was there to take the Master Alchemist exam, they couldn't help but show a disdainful expression.
The two elders, Master Zhao and Master Li, exchanged glances. Master Zhao, the older of the two with a long, white beard, frowned. "A kid?" he muttered, not even bothering to lower his voice. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Master Li, whose eyes were sharp as blades, crossed his arms. "You're the candidate? How old are you, boy?"
"Thirteen," Xiang Yun answered without hesitation, keeping his gaze fixed on the elders. He had expected this. After all, it wasn't every day that someone his age took the Master Alchemist test.
"Thirteen?!" Master Zhao let out a dry laugh, almost choking on the answer. "In all my years supervising exams, I've never seen a brat this young thinking he could become a Master Alchemist. Have you ever even touched a furnace, or are you just here to waste your own coins?"
Xiao Lan, watching from the door, covered her mouth to hide a smile. Xiang Yun, however, remained unfazed. "Yes, I've handled a few furnaces," he replied calmly. "And as for the coins, I don't intend to waste mine… or yours."
Master Li raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the boy, but still skeptical. "Very well, kid. Let's see if your confidence is enough to pass the test. The first part is theoretical. In front of you are over three hundred and sixty pages. You can choose some. On each page, there are all kinds of questions about alchemy. You must choose at least twenty pages and write your answers within two hours. If you pass, you move on to the practical test. Understood?"
"Understood," said Xiang Yun with a slight nod.
Master Zhao scoffed, pointing to the desk in the center of the room, where several sheets were stacked, with a pen and inkwell beside them. "Sit down, boy. And don't expect us to go easy on you just because you're young."
Xiang Yun clasped his hands, a barely visible smile on his lips. He then walked to the desk, sat down, and picked up the pen with a confidence that made both Masters narrow their eyes.
His gaze scanned the questions on the pages. The corner of his mouth lifted. These questions were just too easy for him. It was like a Master Alchemist writing an apprentice's quiz.
The pen seemed to fly in Xiang Yun's hand. Scribble after scribble, he answered several questions in just a few minutes.
The two Alchemy Masters initially thought Xiang Yun wouldn't be able to answer them but never imagined he could—let alone so quickly! After watching him answer multiple questions, they assumed he was just writing randomly and leaned forward to take a look.
[An hour and a half later]
Xiang Yun finished writing the final answer, put down the pen with precision, and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He looked at the hourglass on the desk — five minutes remained.
'As planned,' he murmured.
Satisfied, he slid the sheets to the center of the desk and smiled. "Masters, please review."
Master Zhao, sitting in the corner with a bored expression, raised an eyebrow. "You're done? Alright then. Let's have a look." He stood up, adjusting his robes, and walked to the desk with the air of someone expecting nonsense.
Master Li, more reserved, followed, though his eyes gleamed with reluctant curiosity.
"He probably answered some nonsense, wasting our time.", muttered Master Zhao, picking up one of the sheets. He began reading, frowning, while Master Li leaned over his shoulder, examining the answers. For a moment, the room was silent except for the rustling of paper.
"Hm, very good," said Master Zhao, pointing to the first answer. "This one about the interaction between Moonfire Root and Star Dew Essence… it's correct. Not bad luck for a beginner."
Master Li nodded slowly, but his expression hardened as he moved to the next question. "Wait… this one about neutralizing the Seven Shadow Flower's poison… he detailed the exact infusion ratio of Twilight Herb. That's…" He hesitated, as if reluctant to admit what he saw. "Correct too."
They continued reading, and what began as casual surprise quickly turned into astonishment. Master Zhao stopped making sarcastic remarks, his eyes wide as he flipped through answer after answer. Master Li, usually impassive, began muttering to himself as if trying to find an error that simply wasn't there. By the time they reached the final page, the silence in the room was almost oppressive.
"Impossible," Master Zhao finally said, his voice trembling slightly. He dropped the sheets of paper onto the table as if they weighed hundreds of kilograms. "All… all of them are correct. Every single one. Even the advanced-level questions—some of which even decade-long Masters struggle with!"
Xiang Yun looked at them and crossed his arms. "I told you I knew the basics," he said, with a faint smile that felt more teasing than arrogant.
"Did you know the basics?!"
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[A/N Yes, the two Master Alchemists do not exist in the original. I created them so the chapter wouldn't be too similar to the original.]