“Of course, of course. But are you really going to give him your recommendation slot?”
The man clearly looked down on Lingxiao.
That was normal, though.
Lingxiao was the youngest among these people. He looked like the type with no hair on his mouth and unreliable in his actions. Who would dare trust him?
“Am I not allowed?”
“Of course you are, of course you are!”
The man muttered, then turned to Lingxiao and said, “Kid, getting the Patriarch’s recommendation is an exception among exceptions. If you lack confidence, you had better withdraw voluntarily. Do not end up disgracing the Patriarch.”
“Are you doubting the Patriarch of Changle?”
Lingxiao asked with a smile.
“Nonsense. I simply have no faith in you. The alchemists participating in this Alchemy Convention generally possess strong abilities, so even this pre-competition test will not be easy. Think carefully. Disgracing yourself is one thing, but disgracing the Patriarch means becoming an enemy of our Changle Immortal Island!”
The man shouted sternly.
“How should I address you, sir?”
Lingxiao suddenly asked.
“My surname is An.”
“Oh, so it is Senior An. Whose face I disgrace is not for you to discipline. Moreover, you are so quick to assume I will bring disgrace. What if I achieve a good result later? Would you not then disgrace yourself?
As a member of Changle Immortal Island, your disgrace would be the island’s disgrace. Would that not make you an enemy of Changle Immortal Island?”
Lingxiao looked indifferently at the middle-aged man surnamed An. It seemed every sect had its share of fools who wielded borrowed authority and judged by appearances.
“Humph. You had better know what you are saying.”
The man surnamed An snorted coldly.
At that moment, he noticed the Patriarch of Changle beside Lingxiao, whose face had turned livid. He realised some of his words had overstepped.
Naturally, he dared not continue.
“Rest assured, I, Lingxiao, always know what I am saying and what I am doing. It is merely that some people fail to understand.”
Lingxiao glanced faintly at the man surnamed An, then turned back to the Patriarch of Changle and said, “Patriarch, I shall go prepare now.”
“Hmm.”
The Patriarch of Changle nodded and watched Lingxiao enter the testing area.
“Patriarch, your subordinate truly meant no disrespect earlier. Although this Lingxiao saved your life, it was only because he knew more. Look at him, he does not even dare refine pills himself and has to hand them over to other alchemists. I genuinely doubt he has any real skill.”
Once Lingxiao had left, the man surnamed An hurriedly bowed respectfully to the Patriarch.
“Enough. I understand your intent. However, I rather favour this young fellow. Moreover, I do owe him a debt of gratitude. Since he wishes to participate in this test, I naturally must assist him.”
The Patriarch of Changle waved his hand.
“Patriarch, you must be aware that during the time you were poisoned, the Second and Third Island Masters have been vigorously buying loyalty. Your prestige is no longer what it once was. If this matter further damages your reputation, the situation will become even worse.”
The man surnamed An reminded him.
“An Lian, I know you mean well, but let us not discuss this further today. The test is about to begin. Even if I regret it now, it is too late. We should simply watch quietly.”
Hearing this, An Lian sighed helplessly.
His loyalty to the Patriarch of Changle was absolute. Even during the period when the Patriarch was poisoned, many who had once been obedient turned to the two vice island masters, yet he remained steadfast.
That was precisely why he had spoken coldly to Lingxiao today.
He did not want Lingxiao to ruin the Patriarch’s plans.
Unfortunately, the Patriarch seemed to have full confidence in the boy. Even if he wished to intervene, it was impossible. For now, he could only endure.
With a sigh, he stepped forward and announced loudly, “Each of you stand at your own testing station. On each station is a black box that blocks inner force, soul force, and sight. Inside are various medicinal ingredients. You may only select them by touch.
Whatever ingredients you choose are what you get.
You may select up to five at most. Then, on the paper, write the detailed information of these five ingredients and list the pill formulas that can be refined from them.
Remember, there is more than one formula. Write as many as you know. You do not need to refine them personally. Our judging panel will evaluate them. Within the allotted time, each valid formula counts for ten points. The more, the better.
I believe you all understand. This is to assess your familiarity with medicinal ingredients as well as your knowledge of pill and medicinal formulas.
The harder you work in ordinary times, the better your score in this test.
The time limit is two quarters of an hour. After it ends, our judging panel will evaluate!
One more thing, this is a condition I have added temporarily. If anyone fails to write even a single valid formula in the end, they will forfeit their qualification to participate in this Alchemy Convention!
If you are afraid, withdraw quickly!”
As he spoke these words, An Lian deliberately glanced at Lingxiao.
Originally, this test carried no such penalty. He had added it deliberately to intimidate Lingxiao and make him withdraw voluntarily.
Yet Lingxiao stood there, his expression calm and even smiling, which filled An Lian with some annoyance.
“Lingxiao, are you not prepared to withdraw? Whether in experience or rank, you are the worst among these twenty. Quit now and you can still save face. Later, you will probably not even have time to cry!”
An Lian even deliberately shouted this in front of everyone.
“Heh heh. Senior An has repeatedly belittled this junior. Even with my good temper, I am becoming rather displeased. Since you have said this in front of everyone, allow me to ask: if I pass the test successfully, what are you willing to do?”
“Do what?”
“There are many options. For example, apologise to this junior in front of all these people, or crawl around the streets of Sin City barking like a dog. You choose. I will not force you.”
Lingxiao was not an aggressive person, but when someone troubled him repeatedly, how could he keep tolerating it?
“Kid, do you know who you are speaking to? Senior An Lian is one of the examiners for this Alchemy Convention!”
Dan Qing said coldly.
“No need for your reminder. I know perfectly well he is an examiner, but an examiner has no reason to target a participating alchemist like this.”
Lingxiao did not even glance at Dan Qing. His eyes remained fixed on An Lian.
At this point, An Lian was truly in a difficult position.
After a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth and said, “Kid, if you can write more than three valid formulas, I, An, am willing to slap myself three times in front of all these people!”
Slapping himself a few times was not the issue. The real point was the act of slapping himself.
Lingxiao simply wanted to dampen this fellow’s arrogance.
“More than three valid formulas?”
Lingxiao smiled and said, “Very well. You are my senior, so this junior will indulge you. If I write four valid formulas, you slap yourself four times. That way, it is a bit more balanced.”
