The Invincible Supreme Medical God-Chapter 879 - 487: A Man Like This (Part 2)
Watching the numerous apprentice alchemists, Yan Xiaobao understood that he was the strongest in cultivation. Most present were Masters, whereas Yan Xiaobao was the Emperor. He had a significant advantage in energy reserves, but even so, it was impossible for him to create such high-quality paste in such a short time.
Soon, the last person left the exam room, leaving only seven to take the test.
"Although you need to bring your own materials for the first test, we will provide the ingredients for the second test," the lady said, gesturing for the seven experts to sit down. Zhong Xi successfully sat next to Yan Xiaobao once more.
"You are fortunate to have passed into the second test, truly lucky!" he whispered excitedly, "I will do my best to become a two-star alchemist, so I can be of use to you!"
Hearing this, the more Zhong Xi talked, the more anxious Yan Xiaobao became. This unusual interest reminded him of a certain General Frozen, even their names were similar. Yan Xiaobao didn’t want to raise the issue now and decided to keep a safe distance from this young man.
"To become a two-star alchemist, what you need to do is to be able to make a pill. Whether the pill is low or high grade, if you successfully make a pill, you will become a two-star alchemist; it doesn’t matter," he said.
"Knowing that you haven’t prepared for this test, we will provide the recipe and ingredients. You will have another two hours," the lady explained about the test, leaving Yan Xiaobao unsure if he would succeed. He had never made a pill before, and even if he succeeded, it would certainly not be of high quality. At least, that was what he thought.
Before he could sit and think, Yan Xiaobao accepted the ingredients and recipe.
This was the recipe for the Lion’s Strength pill, a pill that increased one’s strength in battle. Contraceptive pills were among the easiest to make, and Yan Xiaobao had gotten this recipe from the Ma Family. He hadn’t planned to improve the pill yet, and if he said he wasn’t nervous, he would be lying.
This time, he tossed the Black Lily into the cauldron, unlike before, with less casualness. The herbs required for the Lion’s Strength pill were slightly more rare and needed specific heat, unlike the herbs needed to consume the Red Orchid paste.
Fortunately, the recipe explained the temperature needed to refine each herb. Thanks to a special cauldron, Yan Xiaobao fully controlled his flame, which helped him greatly.
Unlike last time, one could say Yan Xiaobao was entirely focused. His forehead was drenched in sweat, but even so, he dared not blink, fearing he would mess up the refinement.
Making a paste earlier was completely different from crafting this pill. First, this pill needed five different herbs. One was the Black Lily, the other was white jasmine, then he needed a Holy Flower. Although only one over a year old. He also needed pink alyssum, and finally, he required a red poppy.
Refining Lily, jasmine, camphor, and poppy wasn’t too hard; however, the moment Yan Xiaobao placed the Holy Flower into his cauldron, he immediately sensed it wasn’t going to be easy.
The Holy Flower was a flower with consciousness! This was a flower battling against the heavens in an attempt to attain immortality. It was an existence striving for destiny, taking human form, and wandering the earth in pursuit of immortality.
All flowers refined the energy of heaven and earth, one could say they nurtured it, but only the Holy Flower was the true cultivator in the plant world. Unfortunately, they needed to reach Holy Level before they could change form, and in doing so, they constantly feared being harvested.
This perception left in every Holy Flower is why Yan Xiaobao gritted his teeth and attacked the flower with all the control he could muster.
The already refined berries were protected by a green flame, while his red flame soared to the sky, trying to break the barrier around the Holy Flower.
Little by little, Yan Xiaobao could feel the flower’s resistance weakening, and at last, he managed to break through the shield surrounding it and began refining the flower itself.
Among the many apprentice alchemists in the room, no one knew Yan Xiaobao’s struggle; they didn’t notice his flame when the ceiling soared, but the lady overseeing the exam did. Seeing his actions, she nodded in approval.
Now that all the ingredients were fully refined, Yan Xiaobao let out a heavy sigh. He quickly wiped his forehead with his sleeve and once more focused on the paste hovering in the green flame. Picking up a small bottle from the table, holding a pearl in his hand. This was an ordinary pearl that many fishermen would find every day. However, when lower-level alchemists made pills, this was a necessary item. As they grew stronger, they would no longer require pearls to support the merging of all the ingredients they refined. Only top-level chemists would use super rare pearls to craft those scarce Heavenly Gifted Medicines.
Placing the pearl in the cauldron, everything slowly began to merge into the pearl. Simultaneously, the pearl seemed ignited by the flame. Its inner resilience disappeared, allowing the paste and energy to fuse into the soft shell of the pearl.
Finally, as Yan Xiaobao entered the cauldron, he took a deep breath and extinguished the flame. Then he picked up the pill he had created.
Crafting this pill took nearly an hour and a half, and holding it in his hands, he was filled with excitement. The pill was perfect!
"He must have a gift for achieving this," the woman mumbled to herself, her eyes filled with astonishment at the potent medicinal properties she could smell emanating from it.
The lady overseeing the exam was astounded to her core. She could tell Yan Xiaobao had never made a pill before, yet here, during an hour and a half of testing, he had created a pill with such a potent aroma; it had to be perfect. The medicinal scent and color clarity determined how many medicinal plants survived the refinement process.
The aroma from Yan Xiaobao’s pill left several nearby apprentice alchemists in utter shock, causing them to lose focus during their own refinement process and fail. These new alchemists knew they had no time to remake the pill, their faces displayed a bitter expression. Without the intense aroma they smelled, they might have succeeded.
Passing by Yan Xiaobao, Zhong Xi was fully focused on his herbs and refinement. He too reached the critical point of making the pill; one had to add a small pearl.
Yan Xiaobao observed the remaining alchemists to see how they were progressing. Some gave up, while others were completely engrossed in their Crucibles, still attempting to make the problematic pill. Only one other apprentice alchemist completed his pill, and the aroma from his jade bottle was no less than that from Yan Xiaobao. The white-haired young man was surprised to discover he wasn’t the only one to create a perfect pill.
"I knew he would perfect a flawless one," the lady nodded, mumbling to herself. He was a well-known figure in the alchemy world of the Sun Kingdom. His teacher was the absolute strongest alchemist in the entire kingdom, and he had taught his student. He wasn’t allowed to take the exam until his success rate for the Lion’s Strength pill was over ninety percent.
Yan Xiaobao wasn’t aware of this, so deep down, he was in awe of this expert. He hadn’t helped Yan Xiaobao’s cauldron, nor did he have the cultivation base that helped Yan Xiaobao control the flame better.
Considering these two things, Yan Xiaobao understood the difficulty of obtaining a perfect pill and acknowledged that the other far surpassed him in alchemy.
While Yan Xiaobao was deep in thought, another intense aroma wafted from the seat next to him. When he glanced to the side, he was shocked once again. He saw that Zhong Xi had managed to create a perfect pill, just like him.
After creating this pill, Yan Xiaobao once again felt a surge of energy throughout his body, and he smiled. He was very satisfied with the power increase when making this pill.
"The exam is over!" the woman shouted as everyone present stood up. They formed a line, looking at each other. Among this group, only three managed to produce a pill, and all three successful pills created were perfect.
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