After a long period, the Patriarch of Changle glanced at the magical clock hanging on the wall and gently shook his head. “An Lian, is this test not a bit too difficult? Twenty minutes have already passed.”
“Rest assured, Patriarch. It is difficult, yes, but with the abilities of the previous top twenty, writing at least one answer should pose no problem. The reason no one has finished yet is probably because they want higher scores.”
An Lian smiled.
“Hmm, that makes sense. An Lian, you should be quite familiar with these people’s levels. So tell me, who do you think will score the highest this time?”
The Patriarch of Changle asked with a smile.
Naturally, he hoped the Alchemy Convention would produce as many outstanding alchemists as possible. After all, this was the convention he was hosting.
He was very concerned about these top twenty.
After pondering for a moment, An Lian said, “The one most likely to take first place is probably Dan Qing. Dan Qing’s actual rank has already reached Yellow-grade, though he has never taken the assessment. Moreover, his practical skills are stronger than others. Back on Changle Immortal Island, he was one of our core alchemists.”
“Oh? Can he surpass the Little Medicine King?”
The Patriarch of Changle smiled. “Although the Little Medicine King Ji Luoyu is younger than Dan Qing, she has always studied under Medicine King Sun Ran and handled just as many ingredients. On top of that, she is the deputy chief of the Tianlong Trading Company’s headquarters on the White Tiger Continent. If she lacked ability, the Tianlong Trading Company would never grant her such an honour.”
“What the Patriarch says is absolutely correct. That is why I hesitated just now. To be honest, in terms of creativity, the two of them should be neck and neck, far stronger than those few old fogeys ranked ahead. They may not take first in the convention itself, but in this test, there should be no issue.”
An Lian thought for a moment and replied.
“My judgement is similar to yours.”
The Patriarch of Changle nodded.
“Why does the Patriarch not mention that Lingxiao?”
An Lian asked curiously. “He is the one you recommended, after all.”
“Although Lingxiao is knowledgeable and well-read, he has taken an unconventional path. His foundational knowledge is probably not very solid. He should pass the test, but taking first place is unlikely.”
The Patriarch of Changle shook his head.
“I think he may not even pass the test. He is merely an advanced Yellow-grade alchemist. Unless he is a genius, it is hard to possess the ability to create pills independently.”
No matter how An Lian looked at Lingxiao, he found the fellow displeasing.
Probably because Lingxiao had given him no face.
“Heh heh. We will know once it ends.”
The Patriarch of Changle did not dwell on the issue.
After all, no matter what he said, if Lingxiao performed poorly himself, it would mean nothing.
What they needed to do next was wait.
His expectations for Lingxiao were not high. Passing the test would suffice. The exact ranking did not matter.
…
“Hmm, someone has stopped!”
Just as the Patriarch of Changle and An Lian were discussing the participants, one person emerged from a testing station, holding a sheet of paper. What was written on it, others naturally could not know.
This required the judges, namely the Patriarch of Changle and An Lian, to review.
“Is it Dan Qing? Is this child not a bit too hasty? There are still nearly ten minutes left. What is he rushing for?”
The Patriarch of Changle frowned.
Logically, in this kind of test, finishing even in the last minute was fine, as long as you could write enough pill formulas.
Dan Qing finishing so quickly meant either extreme confidence or excessive haste.
“Patriarch, perhaps you misunderstand him. His score may already be enough to secure first place. After all, it is only a test. There is no need to exert full effort.”
An Lian had great faith in Dan Qing.
Almost simultaneously with Dan Qing, the Little Medicine King Ji Luoyu next to him also stopped.
Ji Luoyu smiled at Dan Qing and said, “Brother Dan Qing is truly confident. Stopping so soon, you must be certain of victory.”
“Each to their own. Sister Luoyu, you finished almost at the same time as me. In the end, it will depend on who has more answers and whose answers are more reliable.”
Dan Qing smiled.
“Although Luoyu respects Brother Dan Qing greatly, on this point, I am afraid Brother Dan Qing will lose to Luoyu.”
Ji Luoyu smiled, handed her paper to An Lian, and An Lian placed it on the table before the Patriarch of Changle.
The Patriarch glanced casually and could not help revealing surprise.
The answers from Dan Qing and Ji Luoyu truly exceeded his expectations.
However, to determine who was superior, they still needed to verify whether the pills in those answers could actually be refined. If they could not, it would be meaningless.
“Go to the side and attempt refinement. Only pills that can be successfully refined will count. Otherwise, they do not score.”
An Lian instructed the judging panel of alchemists.
These alchemists would not participate in the Alchemy Convention but were proficient in the art of refinement. They were basically qualified to judge.
Of course, for tomorrow’s Alchemy Convention, two heavyweight judges would arrive.
One was the president of the Divine Phoenix Continent’s Alchemist Association branch. The other was Changle Immortal Island’s top alchemist, said to have surpassed the limits of Yellow-grade. And an even greater one, Medicine King Sun Ran of the White Tiger Continent!
After all, tomorrow’s Alchemy Convention was too important. Ordinary judges would hardly convince anyone.
Time passed gradually.
More and more participants finished their assessments and handed their papers to An Lian.
An Lian passed these papers to the judging alchemists for them to refine. This was the key to determining scores.
The first to complete the test were the four Yellow-grade alchemists and the ten top Yellow-grade alchemists.
The advanced Yellow-grade alchemists were inferior after all, so they had not finished yet.
No one knew what Lingxiao was doing, but he also had not finished.
“It seems this Lingxiao is only at this level. Although he is knowledgeable, his practical skills are lacking. He cannot compare to Dan Qing, Ji Luoyu, or the other Yellow-grade and top Yellow-grade alchemists.”
A somewhat smug expression appeared on An Lian’s face, as if his judgement of Lingxiao had been spot on.
“Let us wait a bit longer. It is not over yet.”
The Patriarch of Changle smiled, unhurried.
He believed that with Lingxiao’s ability, passing the test would be no problem. However, his score probably could not compare to these first fourteen who had finished.
Dan Qing could not help turning his head toward Lingxiao’s testing station. Seeing Lingxiao still deep in thought, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
“Some people are only good with words. When faced with a real test, their true colours show immediately.”
Perhaps noticing that Feng Ming Piao Xue was among the onlookers and even showing signs of anxiety, he deliberately spoke loudly.
