BTTH : From Humble Beginnings to Dou Di

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”Hello, I’d like to take the first-tier alchemist assessment.”

As he spoke, Lin Feng removed his Alchemist Apprentice badge and handed it to the attendant behind the counter.

”Sir, please wait a moment.”

The young woman accepted the badge with both hands, processed it, and then took out a wooden plaque.

”You just need to hold onto this number token and head to the north side assessment area. Once you pass, you’ll officially be a first-tier alchemist.”

She handed both the token and the badge back to Lin Feng, speaking softly.

”Thank you.”

Lin Feng took the items and, following her directions, made his way toward the assessment area.

After walking at a steady pace for about ten minutes, he arrived before a large wooden door.

He handed his number token to the nearby guard for verification. Once confirmed, the guard pushed open the door, allowing him to enter.

Inside, bright lights illuminated the spacious hall, making it as bright as day.

At this moment, the hall was filled with a large crowd, the air buzzing with hushed conversations and occasional laughter.

Lin Feng’s gaze swept across the crowd, noting that most of them were actual alchemists, while apprentices like him were relatively fewer.

Seeing that the assessment hadn’t started yet, he found an empty seat and sat down, closing his eyes to rest and conserve energy.

”Dang! Dang! Dang!”

After a while, a bell chime echoed through the hall.

Lin Feng opened his eyes and glanced around, noticing that the participants had begun entering the examination rooms.

Without delay, he stood up and walked toward the first-tier alchemist assessment hall.

After identity verification by the examiners, he stepped inside.

The assessment hall was arranged meticulously. In the center, there were more than a dozen stone platforms, each separated from the others.

Each stone platform was equipped with various alchemical tools.

At this moment, several young candidates were already standing impatiently at their designated platforms.

Lin Feng found the stone platform corresponding to his number token and stepped forward, carefully inspecting the alchemical instruments.

Afterward, he picked up a piece of parchment on the table and examined it.

The pill recipe listed on it was for a ”Recovery Pill”.

This Recovery Pill was a first-tier basic medicinal pill, capable of healing minor injuries.

It was quite similar to the Hemostatic Pill he had practiced refining before.

”Have you all finished your preparations? If there are no problems, then… the assessment begins!”

The examiner swept his gaze across the stone platforms, seeing the eagerness in the candidates’ eyes.

With a wave of his palm, a surge of Qi energy shot out, striking the ancient iron bell hanging at the hall’s ceiling.

”Dong—!”

A clear and crisp bell chime resonated throughout the hall.

As soon as the bell rang, every candidate immediately placed their palms over their cauldron’s fire inlet.

Powerful Dou Qi surged out from their bodies, igniting the flames inside their cauldrons with a muffled roar.

As the fire blazed within each cauldron, a transparent barrier of light began to slowly rise around each stone platform.

These barriers formed square-shaped enclosures, completely isolating the candidates inside.

With the activation of the barrier shields, all background noise within the hall instantly vanished.

At this moment, every participant was fully focused on their pill refinement process, their attention solely fixed on their cauldron.

The examiners observed the scene, occasionally nodding approvingly whenever they spotted a candidate demonstrating impressive control over their flames.

Lin Feng, however, deliberately avoided using his fifth-tier beast flame, choosing instead to utilize ordinary Dou Qi flames.

Additionally, to avoid drawing too much attention, he purposely slowed down his refining speed, matching the pace of the others.

After ”accidentally” making a minor mistake, Lin Feng finally successfully refined the Recovery Pill.

Lin Feng carefully placed the Recovery Pill into a jade bottle and stood in place, waiting for the assessment to conclude.

Before long, the assessment period ended. Lin Feng and the other participants gathered in front of the examiner, forming a line as they awaited their evaluations.

The examiner took the jade bottle from the first young man in line and poured out the pill for inspection.

”Failed!”

Seeing the misshapen pill, the examiner tossed it into the waste bin with a stern voice.

Upon hearing this, the young man lowered his head in disappointment and left.

Noticing his defeated expression, some of the remaining participants started to feel nervous.

”Failed!”

”Passed!”

One by one, the participants stepped forward. Finally, it was Lin Feng’s turn.

The examiner took Lin Feng’s jade bottle, poured out the pill, and examined it.

Noticing the smooth, round shape of the pill, he nodded and announced: ”Passed!”

After speaking, he handed Lin Feng a qualification certificate.

With the certificate in hand, Lin Feng proceeded to the designated area to receive his Alchemist Robe and First-Tier Alchemist Badge.

The black robe had been specially soaked in medicinal solutions.

The moment he put it on, a faint herbal fragrance wafted from the fabric.

This scent instantly refreshed his mind, making him feel more focused.

”Not bad. If I get the chance, I should refine my own batch of medicinal solutions and make an enhanced version of this.”

Lin Feng touched the badge on his chest, which bore the insignia of an alchemist’s cauldron, and muttered to himself.

Afterward, he began wandering around the Alchemist Association, taking in his surroundings.

After some time, Lin Feng gained a rough understanding of the Alchemist Association Headquarters, which was divided into four sections: East, South, West, and North.

The North Wing: The area where he had taken his assessment and received his identification items.

The South Wing: A hall filled with burning alchemical cauldrons, where numerous alchemists were solemnly controlling their flames. Around them, other alchemists gathered to exchange insights in hushed voices.

The West Wing: In contrast to the lively North and South Wings, the West Wing was much quieter. Guards stood at the entrance, allowing only alchemists of a certain rank to enter. Whenever lower-ranking alchemists passed by, they would glance inside with awe and envy.

The East Wing: The trading and auction area, where various booths made of green granite were neatly arranged.

In the East Wing, robed alchemists sat behind their stalls, displaying a variety of rare medicinal herbs, jade bottles filled with pills, ancient scrolls, and other treasures.

The entire area was bustling with activity, with alchemists haggling and trading.

After a brief moment of thought, Lin Feng decided to head toward the trading area.

Walking among the booths, Lin Feng curiously examined the various items on display.

Many of these herbs and treasures were extremely rare—even he had only read about some of them in books.

Back in the Snake-People Clan, he had handled third-tier and even fourth-tier herbs daily, giving him a broader knowledge than most alchemists in the Jia Ma Empire.

As he strolled through the market, he admired the wide variety of exotic herbs and pills, taking in the sights with great interest.

After exchanging some pills for a few third-tier medicinal ingredients, Lin Feng turned and left the trading area.

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