Ignite Dan Fire, Adjusting Spirit Sand, Convey Mana, Meld Spiritual Medicine...
Pill Refining, each step, contained boundlessly rich detailed knowledge.
When Han Yi used Spirit Coal to "Ignite Dan Fire," one of the overseeing elders sitting above, a man in his seventies, brightened up at the sight.
The smooth technique was that of an Alchemist deeply versed in Pill Refining and possessing abundant experience.
The elder took an extra look at Han Yi subconsciously.
And the other two overseers, a red-faced man in his thirties and a plump woman in her forties, shifted from casual disinterest to focused attention on Han Yi's performance, nodding in approval.
But they said nothing.
Though few disciples passed the Sect acknowledgment examination, there were still some.
In less than thirty minutes, Han Yi retracted his Mana, tapped his palm, flipped open the top of the Pill Furnace, and a whiff of Dan Qi wafted out.
Inside the Pill Furnace, ten white Nurturing Qi Pills, the size of fingernails, lay quietly.
Han Yi took out a jade bottle he had prepared earlier, drew the Nurturing Qi Pills into it with one hand, and presented it to the elderly overseer.
The elder poured out a pill, observed it, smelled it, and then directly consumed it.
After sensing it for a moment, he revealed a look of satisfaction on his face.
"The Nurturing Qi Pill, ten in total, is of average quality but among the best within that category. With further improvement, it could reach the standard quality."
"Not bad, very good indeed."
"What's your name?"
Han Yi, hearing this, felt a surge of joy inside and quickly replied, "Replying to Uncle Master, this disciple's name is Han Yi."
"Good, very good."
The elder passed the jade bottle to the other two overseers, who duplicated the old man's evaluation method.
After a moment, they too nodded with satisfaction.
Clearly, they agreed with the elder's final pill appraisal.
"Good, you have passed the Sect acknowledgment examination."
"I am Shen Yu, the Vice Peak Master of Little Green Cloud Peak. If you wish to find a better residence, you may come to Qingyun Peak tomorrow. I will arrange it for you."
As soon as the elderly overseer finished speaking, the other two spoke to Han Yi for the first time since he had entered the room.
The red-faced man in his thirties smiled gently, "I am Luo Qi from Little Raging Fire Peak. Our strength ranks within the top ten of the outer peaks. If you're interested, you may also seek me out, and I will arrange for your transfer to Little Raging Fire Peak."
The plump woman laughed behind her hand, offering her own invitation, "There are many female disciples on Small Guanhai Peak. Should you come, I can help make introductions."
Despite the joy on Han Yi's face, his heart tightened.
He had thought he had held back, knowing that if he had refined with his full effort, he could have made standard quality Nurturing Qi Pills.
But that would have been too shocking and outlandish.
Because standard quality pills were only produced by a few Alchemists with High Qi Cultivation, even within the inner sect, they were considered top-notch.
Just think, purely in terms of Alchemy Skill, in just one year...
He had gone from a mediocre Alchemist from the outer sect to the finest in the inner sect.
Such a leap was extraordinary, something that most outer sect disciples might struggle for a lifetime to achieve.
It would be hard not to arouse the curiosity and interest of certain people.
For instance, those speculating that he had acquired some mysterious legacy and those desiring to seize it would certainly exist in great numbers.
With insufficient strength, revealing such terrifying Pill Refining abilities made Han Yi feel deeply insecure.
Seeing the joy on Han Yi's face, the elderly overseer chuckled lightly, "Alright, that concludes today's examination."
"You've passed, take this examination token and return to Vermilion Bird Peak to complete the formalities."
"As for what follows, where you choose to go among the outer peaks is up to you."
The elderly overseer did not make it difficult for Han Yi, nor did the other two say anything else.
They too had only expressed a desire to recruit him temporarily because they felt Han Yi's Pill Refining skills were outstanding, even surpassing some of the inner sect disciples.
The Xuandan Sect had over a hundred outer peaks, and each one, whether it be disciples or resources, was in competition.
Strictly speaking, disciples were also a resource, and more importantly, the most crucial resource.
Han Yi gratefully glanced at the elderly overseer, remembered the name Shen Yu he had just mentioned, accepted the examination token, thanked him, and then cautiously departed.
Stepping out of the Alchemy Hall, Han Yi took a deep breath and walked away with a spirited expression.
Gazing at the ethereal Cloud Sea surrounding Black Tortoise Peak, his shock upon first traversing through time to behold the Cloud Sea was now vastly different.
At this moment, his heart was filled with fervent excitement.
"Ha-ha, I, Hu Hansan, have returned."
"From now on, I'll lay low until the end of time, until I'm unmatched under the heavens, until I attain immortality. I'll never leave this mountain."
Han Yi silently made up his mind.
Many disciples who passed by, returning from the Sect entrance examination, glanced at Han Yi and guessed he must have passed the test, showing looks of envy.
Even the socially adept man who had left the Alchemy Hall earlier than him, yet still felt unwilling to accept it, looked at Han Yi with jealousy but did not provoke him; to do so would only be looking for trouble.
"Little Raging Fire Peak, Luo Qi, I've heard that name before," Han Yi reflected as he walked back to Little Lingxu Peak, recalling the name of the red-faced young man that had surfaced along with some information.
As for the forty-year-old plump woman from Small Guanhai Peak, Han Yi was also aware that it was one of the peaks with the most female outer disciples.
Han Yi shook his head—concerned about the future, he temporarily set aside the matter of finding a dao companion.
In truth,
once he calmed down,
he did indeed consider moving to Little Green Cloud Peak. With Shen Yu as the Deputy Peak Leader of Little Green Cloud Peak and a definite High Qi Cultivation strength, having his backing would mean having a strong support. Life at Little Green Cloud Peak would likely be more comfortable than at Little Lingxu Peak.
But then he thought, he would owe a favor, and if he were to go to Little Green Cloud Peak, there might be other troubles waiting for him.
Moreover, like Little Lingxu Peak, Little Green Cloud Peak was also an Outer Peak with a Second-stage Spirit Vein, not much superior to Little Lingxu Peak.
If it were an Inner Peak, he would have switched over without a second thought.
Besides, the most important point was that Han Yi simply needed a stable environment; whether it was Little Lingxu Peak or Little Green Cloud Peak, since both were Outer Peaks, it was all the same to him.
So why bother making a move?
He decided to lay low for a while longer.
By the time he returned to Vermilion Bird Peak, his mind was made up. He found the duty brother, presented his examination token, and explained the situation.
The duty brother looked surprised and laughed as he processed Han Yi's paperwork.
"Congratulations, Han, on your return to the Sect. You will surely make great strides and astound us all in the future."
Based on past experience, those who caught the eye of the examiner and transitioned from an external assignment back to being an outer disciple of the Sect had invariably made significant advancements in their Alchemy Skill.
Such people were definitely worth making a connection with, in terms of Alchemy Skill alone.
"Fortunate, just fortunate."
"What's your name, brother?"
The duty brother replied with a smile, "I'm Ma Yu."
"Brother Ma, could you help me check whether my previous courtyard has been assigned to someone else? If it hasn't, may I apply to return to my original courtyard?"
Han Yi was someone who treasured the past, and if possible, he preferred returning to his familiar environment.
Ma Yu nodded and checked the records, then revealed a smile, "What a coincidence, it's still available."
Han Yi was delighted to hear this, and upon reflection, he understood the reason why.
His courtyard was relatively on the periphery, even close to the back mountain peaks, and perhaps only new disciples with neither status nor ability would be relegated there.
But Han Yi didn't care. As long as it was a Second-stage Spirit Vein, that was sufficient.
For everything else, he had plenty of Spirit Stones.
"Brother Ma, could you help me apply to get my courtyard back?"
"No problem, I'll take care of it."
Ma Yu agreed and began to register the relevant information, then excused himself to go to an inner room and fetch Han Yi's original courtyard token.
A short while later,
he'd completed all the procedures and handed the documents to Han Yi.
Han Yi expressed his gratitude repeatedly, and Ma Yu was quite satisfied.
This meant that the junior brother owed him a favor, and should Han Yi become successful in the future, this act of kindness would benefit Ma Yu to some degree.
This was the reason he helped Han Yi without reservation.
Occupying such a position at the management Great Hall had its advantages.
Meanwhile, Han Yi, having left Vermilion Bird Peak, headed straight for Little Lingxu Peak.
Only when he reached the familiar courtyard and activated its private Array did he finally relax completely.