"Masters, may I ask if I have passed the examination?" Xiao Se asked calmly, taking in the shocked gazes from the crowd.
"Of course... you've passed, definitely passed! If you didn't, someone might say that the Blackrock City Alchemist Guild was rigged," Fu Lan Ke was the first to recover from his astonishment and quickly responded. "Congratulations, Xiao Se. From today onwards, you are officially a first-grade alchemist."
Upon hearing this, the crowd in the hall turned their gazes toward Xiao Se with envy and admiration. To become a first-grade alchemist at such a young age promised a future of limitless potential.
"Haha, what a remarkable young man! There aren't many alchemists who can refine a flawless Strength-Enhancing Pill. Even some third-grade alchemists can't do that," Au Tuo, having shaken off his earlier shock, patted Xiao Se on the shoulder, laughing heartily in praise.
At some point, Lin Fei had moved to stand beside Xiao Se, and she grabbed his arm in admiration. "Xiao Se, you're incredible! To be able to refine a flawless first-grade pill at just sixteen—this is a record unheard of in Blackrock City in a hundred years!"
Feeling the softness of the girl's embrace and her faint fragrance, Xiao Se's mouth twitched slightly as he silently sighed in his heart. "What a woman—her mood changes faster than flipping a book! Just a moment ago, she was looking at me like I was a fraud, pointing fingers, and now she's acting like a little fan."
Without lingering in her embrace, Xiao Se gently withdrew his arm, then respectfully cupped his hands toward Au Tuo and Fu Lan Ke. "Masters, may I ask if I can now proceed to the second-grade alchemist examination?"
As soon as Xiao Se's words fell, everyone in the hall froze in shock.
Lin Fei's enticing red lips parted slightly, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. Who would have thought that this young man, whom she had doubted and even suspected of being a fraud, not only easily passed the first-grade alchemist exam with a flawless pill but was now applying for the second-grade alchemist exam? "What kind of monster have I encountered today?" she thought in disbelief.
But it wasn't just Lin Fei; everyone present had the same thought. A sixteen-year-old first-grade alchemist was already rare in the Jia Ma Empire. A sixteen-year-old second-grade alchemist, even across the entire northwest continent, would be incredibly hard to find.
The prerequisite to becoming a second-grade alchemist was reaching the level of Dou Shi in cultivation. Not to mention, being a sixteen-year-old Dou Shi was terrifying on its own.
After a moment of silence, Au Tuo was the first to react. While still astonished, he turned to Fu Lan Ke with a proud smile and said, "So, Fu Lan Ke, didn't I say that this young man would definitely take the second-grade alchemist exam?"
"Indeed." Fu Lan Ke nodded in amazement, then addressed Xiao Se seriously. "Are you sure you want to take the second-grade alchemist exam? The requirements for this exam are not only to refine a second-grade pill but also to possess the strength of a Dou Shi."
Xiao Se didn't respond with words. Instead, he demonstrated it. Extending his right hand, a thin layer of energy cloaked his body, with wisps of purple-blue energy occasionally rising from the surface.
"Dou Qi condensation into armour—he truly is a Dou Shi!" The crowd erupted in astonishment once again. Their gazes, previously filled with admiration and envy, now turned into awe and reverence.
"Follow me, Xiao Se," Fu Lan Ke said with a deep breath, motioning for him to follow. At this moment, he seemed to foresee Xiao Se's inevitable rise, a future that would bring a whirlwind to the Jia Ma Empire and even the entire Dou Qi continent.
"Thank you, Master." Xiao Se cupped his hands in respect and followed Fu Lan Ke out of the hall.
"Alright, although you all didn't pass the exam today, don't be discouraged. Keep practicing, and next time you'll pass and become true first-grade alchemists," Au Tuo said, still in shock, as he encouraged the newcomers who had failed the exam. He then hurriedly followed Fu Lan Ke.
"Teacher, I'm coming too!" Lin Fei, seeing her teacher leave, quickly ran after him.
As Au Tuo hastened his steps, he warned, "You can come, but don't cause any trouble, and absolutely don't make a sound. Otherwise, I'll make you copy recipes a thousand times."
"I know, I know! Let's hurry up," Lin Fei pouted, pushing her chubby teacher forward.
Before long, the group arrived at another, more luxurious hall.
"This is where your second-grade alchemist examination will take place," Fu Lan Ke said, pointing to a stone platform ahead.
Xiao Se nodded slightly and approached the platform. Picking up the recipe on the table, he glanced at it and couldn't help but chuckle. The pill for this exam was the Bone-Recovery Pill, a second-grade pill with excellent healing properties.
Xiao Se recalled that he had already refined countless such pills in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
"Haha, are you ready, Xiao Se?" Fu Lan Ke asked with a smile, stroking his beard.
"I can begin anytime," Xiao Se replied. He glanced at the three neatly prepared sets of ingredients and quickly checked the alchemy tools. After confirming that everything was in order, he nodded.
"Then let's start," Fu Lan Ke said as he waved his hand, and a protective barrier enveloped Xiao Se and the stone platform. He then exchanged a look with Au Tuo, who nodded and took out a crystal hourglass. With a flip, he placed the hourglass on the nearby table.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Se raised his hand. This time, he didn't hold back. A purple-blue flame suddenly flared from his palm.
This was a new flame that had been created after he merged the purple fire from the Flame mantra with the beast fire of a fifth-tier Fire-Swallowing Serpent. Its power was nearly double that of the original purple fire.
If he wanted to gain valuable materials from Au Tuo and Fu Lan Ke to enhance his devouring flame, he needed to show his full potential—there was no need to hide.
Boom!
With a muffled sound, a surge of purple-blue flames erupted from within the cauldron. Under Xiao Se's soul perception, the originally violent and turbulent flames instantly calmed, becoming gentle and controlled without any trace of their earlier ferocity.
Outside the protective barrier.
The moment the purple-blue flames rose from Xiao Se's palm, Fu Lan Ke, Au Tuo, and Lin Fei all had their eyes widen in shock.
Though they had heard rumors that Xiao Se could produce Real Agglomerated Fire, seeing it with their own eyes left them utterly astounded.
"He actually can produce Real Agglomerated Fire," Lin Fei exclaimed, her alluring red lips slightly parted as she gazed at Xiao Se's handsome face, her cheeks flushing.
"Could this be a heavenly flame?" Au Tuo muttered in disbelief.
Fu Lan Ke shook his head solemnly. "No, this isn't a heavenly flame. It's a beast fire. Don't you remember? The princess of the Jia Ma Empire also possesses a beast fire, but Xiao Se's flame seems even stronger than Princess Yao Yue's."
Realizing this, Au Tuo nodded and focused intently on Xiao Se's smooth and fluid pill-refining technique.
In a short time, the pill was successfully refined.
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