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Chen Chuan stepped forward from the group of people holding recommendation Tokens.

He bowed deeply to the Outer Sect Elder in front of him, who possessed a powerful aura, and spoke clearly.

”Elder, this Disciple has a great interest in the Dao of Alchemy and wishes to learn the art of refining pills.”

The Elder’s gaze fell upon Chen Chuan, noting his restrained aura and clear eyes.

Though he didn’t see much that was extraordinary, the fact that he came with a recommendation Token meant he likely had some exceptional qualities.

He nodded slightly and casually pointed to a white-robed Outer Sect Disciple beside him. ”You, take him to the Outer Sect Pill Hall to participate in the Alchemist Apprentice assessment.”

”Yes, Elder,” the Outer Sect Disciple replied, then made a welcoming gesture to Chen Chuan. ”Junior Brother, please follow me.”

After thanking him, Chen Chuan followed behind the Disciple, leaving the noisy square and heading toward the Primordial Holy Land’s Outer Sect Pill Hall.

The Primordial Holy Land occupied a vast area, with halls and pavilions hidden among the mountains, filled with misty Spiritual Qi and cranes soaring through the sky.

Before long, a grand hall constructed from some kind of fireproof spirit wood appeared before them.

A plaque hung above the entrance, with the two large characters ”Pill Hall” written in a bold, flowing style.

Even before approaching, one could smell a strange scent—a mixture of a thousand types of medicinal fragrances—that refreshed the mind.

The guiding Disciple stopped outside the hall doors and gestured for Chen Chuan to enter on his own.

Chen Chuan straightened his robes and stepped into the hall.

The interior of the Pill Hall was incredibly spacious, even larger than it appeared from the outside, clearly utilizing a spatial Formation.

All around were dense rows of medicine cabinets, labeled with the names of various medicinal ingredients.

In the center of the hall, dozens of bronze Pill Furnaces of various sizes were distributed, with Earth Fire guided by Formations burning quietly beneath them.

At that moment, on one side of the hall, an old man dressed in the green robes of an Elder was explaining something to a girl who looked quite quirky and clever.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a goose-yellow dress and her hair styled in twin buns.

The girl’s large eyes were incredibly spirited, her skin was as white as snow, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, carrying a hint of playfulness and mischief.

”Elder Murong, this is the newly enrolled Junior Brother Chen Chuan, here to participate in the Alchemist Apprentice assessment.”

The Outer Sect Disciple who brought Chen Chuan stepped forward quickly, bowing respectfully to the green-robed old man and explaining their purpose.

This green-robed old man was one of the heads of the Outer Sect Pill Hall, Elder Murong Xuan.

Hearing this, Murong Xuan turned his gaze toward Chen Chuan and nodded slightly, but before he could speak—

Ye Linger, standing beside him, saw her dark, round eyes light up the moment she heard the word ”assessment.”

As if she had discovered a new toy, she sized Chen Chuan up from head to toe.

Ye Linger skipped over to Chen Chuan, her small hands behind her back, and walked a circle around him.

Then, she intentionally pulled a long face and spoke in an affectedly mature tone.

”Oh? Another one who wants to learn Alchemy?”

”Hey, newcomer, let me tell you, Alchemy is not as simple as you think!”

She extended her slender fingers and began counting them off.

”First, you need to have an excellent memory!”

”Thousands of medicinal ingredients—their properties, age, origin, and compatibility taboos—must be known by heart. A single mistake, and a Spirit Pill becomes a poison.”

”Second, you must have talent for Alchemy! Control over the heat and the timing of the Fusion of medicinal power—a hair’s breadth of difference can lead to a thousand-mile error.”

”And you must have patience! It’s common for a single batch of Medicinal Pills to take several hours, or even days and nights. Being impulsive or restless won’t do.”

At the end, she suddenly leaned in close to Chen Chuan, lowered her voice, and made an exaggerated explosion gesture, threatening him.

”Most importantly, Alchemy is dangerous. If you lose control, BOOM! The Pill Furnace explodes, and not even your bones will remain. Scared?”

Looking at the little girl intentionally trying to scare him, Chen Chuan found it somewhat amusing.

Having lived two lives with a powerful Soul and the System at his side, how could he be frightened by such a small trick?

His expression remained calm, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile even played on his lips as he said indifferently,

”Thank you for the reminder. However, I think I should be able to learn it very quickly and even surpass you.”

He was simply speaking the truth with strong confidence.

But to the ears of Murong Xuan and Ye Linger, it sounded somewhat arrogant.

Murong Xuan’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, and his evaluation of Chen Chuan dropped a few notches.

The Dao of Alchemy values a steady Heart-Nature above all else, avoiding pride and impatience.

This boy was making wild boasts before even entering the sect; he would likely struggle to achieve great things.

Furthermore, he knew exactly how staggering his Disciple Ye Linger’s talent was.

Ye Linger appeared flighty, but she actually possessed an extraordinary, sharp intuition for the path of Alchemy.

At only sixteen, and having studied Alchemy for only two years, she was already a Rank 3 Alchemist. Such a feat was rare even in the history of the Outer Sect.

Chen Chuan’s words were truly a bit ignorant of the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth.

Ye Linger was directly amused to the point of laughter. She put her hands on her hips and looked up, glaring at Chen Chuan.

”Wow! You really have a big mouth!”

”Surpass me?”

”Do you even know who I am? How dare you make such a big boast.”

Chen Chuan remained calm. ”Whether it’s a boast or not, we’ll know once we try.”

His attitude piqued Ye Linger’s competitive spirit, and she said huffily to Murong Xuan,

”Master! Leave this arrogant guy’s assessment to me.”

”As long as he can pass my assessment, I’ll agree to let him stay in the Pill Hall to study.”

She originally wanted to say ”I’ll admit he’s impressive,” but she changed her words at the last second.

Looking at his huffy Disciple and the calm Chen Chuan, Murong Xuan felt a spark of interest.

It wouldn’t be bad to let Linger take this boy down a peg and show him that there’s always someone better.

So he nodded and said to Chen Chuan, ”Since you are determined to learn Alchemy, you must first pass Linger’s test. If she approves, you may study with me.”

”Thank you, Elder,” Chen Chuan cupped his hands.

Seeing her Master agree, Ye Linger immediately perked up.

She ran to a nearby bookshelf, skillfully pulled out a book as thick as a brick with an ancient cover, and shoved it into Chen Chuan’s arms.

”Here! This Introductory Explanation of a Hundred Herbs records the illustrations and properties of over a thousand common medicinal ingredients.”

”I won’t make it hard for you. You just need to recognize the first hundred types and memorize them thoroughly.”

Ye Linger pointed to a Quiet Chamber on one side of the hall.

”Go there and read. I’ll give you one hour. I’ll test you then, and if you get more than five wrong, you’ll be considered as having failed.”

Chen Chuan took the heavy book, which felt slightly cool to the touch.

He didn’t head toward the Quiet Chamber. Instead, he stood right where he was and, under the surprised gazes of Murong Xuan and Ye Linger, began flipping through it rapidly.

The pages rustled in his hands. His gaze was like a scanner, lingering on a page for no more than two or three seconds.

”Hey! What are you doing? Even if you’re putting on an act, you shouldn’t do it like this,” Ye Linger cried out dissatisfied. ”What can you possibly remember by flipping through it like that?”

Murong Xuan also shook his head, feeling that Chen Chuan was just putting on a show, and his dislike grew even stronger.

However, before long, Chen Chuan closed the entire Introductory Explanation of a Hundred Herbs, handed it back to Ye Linger, and said calmly,

”I’ve finished reading. We can begin the assessment.”

”What?” Ye Linger’s eyes widened as she snatched the book.

”Are you joking?”

”Over a thousand types of herbs, and you finished reading them so quickly?”

”And you remembered them all?”

Chen Chuan repeated the same words: ”We’ll know once we try.”

”Fine! Very well! This young lady is definitely going to slap your face today.” Ye Linger was completely fired up by his attitude.

She huffily flipped open the book, skipped directly to the first hundred types, chose one herb, and asked, ”Pure Heart Three-Leaf Grass, what are its medicinal properties?”

”Pure Heart Three-Leaf Grass prefers cool, shady spots and often grows in rocky crevices by streams.”

”Its nature is slightly cold, its taste sweet and bitter. It has the effect of clearing the heart, calming the mind, and purging distracting thoughts.”

”It is mostly used for refining auxiliary Cultivation pills like the Heart-Calming Pill and Enlightenment Pill. However, dosage must be cautious, as an excess can easily cause the Divine Sense to become dormant.”

Chen Chuan not only gave the name but also described its growth habits, medicinal properties, uses, and even taboos with perfect accuracy.

Ye Linger froze, her small mouth hanging open slightly.

She hadn’t expected Chen Chuan to actually answer, and in such detail.

Luck!

It must be luck!

Refusing to give in, she asked about a dozen more herbs in succession.

However, Chen Chuan answered fluently. The names, characteristics, and effects of every single herb were precise and without error.

It was as if that Introductory Explanation of a Hundred Herbs had been branded into his mind.

Murong Xuan’s initially indifferent gaze gradually turned solemn, and the look he gave Chen Chuan was full of astonishment.

This kind of memory was simply terrifying.

Could it be that this boy was born with a powerful Divine Soul and a photographic memory?

Ye Linger’s attitude also shifted from initial provocation to shock, and finally to disbelief.

Her eyes darted around, a hint of mischief flashing through them as she suddenly flipped to the latter half of the book.

She specifically looked for a herb that Chen Chuan supposedly hadn’t read about and asked, ”What are the medicinal properties of the Blood-Withered Vine?”

Chen Chuan said calmly,

”Blood-Withered Vine grows in places of extreme Yin and filth, often accompanying skeletal remains.”

”Its nature is highly toxic, capable of corroding Qi and blood and ruining the Meridians.”

”However, its vine core can be used as medicine under specific conditions. When paired with Yang-attribute Spirit Medicines, it can fight poison with poison and dissolve certain types of Cold Marrow Yin Poison.”

”However, the refining process is extremely dangerous and can only be performed by a Great Master.”

Silence.

A brief silence fell over the Pill Hall.

Ye Linger covered her mouth with her small hand, her eyes round as saucers, looking at Chen Chuan as if he were a monster.

Even Elder Murong Xuan’s hand, which was stroking his beard, paused, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The way he looked at Chen Chuan had completely changed, from the previous dislike and scrutiny to deep appreciation and curiosity.

”You... you’re a monster!”

It took Ye Linger a long while to squeeze out a sentence. All traces of contempt were gone from her tone, replaced only by shock.

Murong Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the waves in his heart, and a genuine smile appeared on his face for the first time today.

”Good! Very good! A photographic memory and extraordinary recall are the Foundation of becoming an outstanding Alchemist.”

”Chen Chuan, you have passed. From tomorrow on, you may come to the Pill Hall and study the Dao of Alchemy with me.”

Chen Chuan’s heart settled, and he bowed. ”Thank you, Elder Murong.”

At this time, Ye Linger recovered from her shock. Her eyes rolled, and she immediately adopted the posture of an old Senior.

She put her hands behind her back, puffed out her not-yet-fully-developed little chest, and tried her best to look majestic.

”Ahem! Since Master has accepted you, then from now on, you are my Junior Brother.”

”You must understand how to respect your teacher and the Dao. When you see me in the future, you must call me Senior Sister, do you understand?”

Chen Chuan looked at this little loli who was half a head shorter than him and still had a childish air, yet wanted him to call her Senior Sister.

The corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch as he said helplessly, ”I’m twenty this year, older than you. Calling you Senior Sister seems a bit inappropriate, doesn’t it?”

Hearing this, Ye Linger raised her small face and said proudly,

”Hmph! On the path of Cultivation, the one who achieves more comes first. Seniority is based on one’s cultivation level and Alchemy skills.”

”I have a Ming Quan Realm cultivation and am a Rank 3 Alchemist. In what way am I not better than you?”

”Calling you Junior Brother is me thinking highly of you. Master, don’t you agree?”

She turned her head to seek Murong Xuan’s support.

Looking at his quirky Disciple and the frustrated Chen Chuan, Murong Xuan couldn’t help but smile.

He stroked his beard and helped her out.

”What Linger says isn’t without reason. Within the Pill Hall, those who enter first are the Seniors.”

”Chen Chuan, just call her Senior Sister.”

Looking at this pair, one old and one young, Chen Chuan could only let out a helpless sigh.

He reluctantly cupped his hands to Ye Linger. ”Chen Chuan greets Senior Sister Ye.”

”Ayy! That’s more like it! Good Junior Brother!” Ye Linger immediately beamed with joy, looking as proud as a fox that had stolen a chicken.

However, Chen Chuan immediately added another sentence with his characteristic confidence.

”But don’t worry, Senior Sister, I will surpass you very soon. When that time comes, it will be your turn to call me Senior Brother.”

Ye Linger directly gave him a huge eye-roll, then lectured him in that affectedly mature tone.

”Hmph! Junior Brother, both Cultivation and Alchemy require following the rules and staying grounded; you can’t be overly ambitious.”

”If you take too big a step, you’ll pull your... ahem, it’ll easily affect your Foundation, you know?”

”I’m not trying to discourage you; this is for your own good.”

Murong Xuan looked at this pair of lively characters who had started bickering the moment they met, shook his head with a smile, and said to Chen Chuan,

”Alright, stop bickering.”

”Chen Chuan, since you’ve passed the assessment, come to the Pill Hall at the hour of Chen tomorrow to find me and formally begin learning Alchemy.”

”Yes, this Disciple understands,” Chen Chuan replied respectfully.

He was already beginning to look forward to it.

And that nominal Senior Sister Ye would surely be a vibrant part of his upcoming life in the Pill Hall.