radicalducati Page 67
Page 67
"As for age, although some are eliminated because of it, it is not many."
After the initial screening based on these two conditions, the next step involves basic alchemist skills such as identifying the medicinal properties of herbs.
Afterwards, they will test their soul value, as well as their soul control and fire control, which are essential abilities for alchemists.
The assessment is not a pill-making competition, so it won't be like the pill-making competition or the alchemist tournament, where the person who makes the highest-grade pill wins...
This public assessment focuses primarily on the talent and ability of the young alchemists; both are indispensable.
"Boom!"
As Ye Chen and his grandson were talking, a clear bell suddenly rang out throughout the world, its sound spreading far and wide, even suppressing the deafening clamor.
As the bell tolled, the world quieted down considerably. Countless gazes instantly fixed on the towering, pagoda-like stone platform on the east side of the plaza. That was the legendary place where the high-ranking members of the Pill Tower would appear during the assessment...
Shortly after the bell rang, a series of whooshing sounds suddenly arose, and then the space on the stone platform slightly distorted, and more than a dozen figures slowly emerged...
Chapter 151 The Assessment Begins (Part 2)
Of all the figures that appeared, Ye Chen could only recognize one: Elder Mu Rong of the Pill Tower, who had once gone to the Ye family to pay his respects to their ancestor Ye Xun.
However, this person is now one of the eight elders, so it is not surprising that he could appear there.
As for everyone else…
"Do you see that old man in the very center? That's the current president of the Pill Tower, President Xuan Kong!" Ye Zhong whispered to Ye Chen.
"As for the others, they should all be the eight elders and some of the top executives of the Pill Tower."
Ye Chen's gaze followed Ye Zhong's introduction, slowly sweeping over the dozen or so figures before settling on the three figures in the very center...
The elderly man in the middle, dressed in white, looked ordinary with a kind face. When Ye Chen looked at him, the man immediately noticed him, and Ye Chen felt that the man even smiled slightly at him...
Ye Chen wasn't surprised that the other party could discover him. After all, if he wasn't mistaken, this person was already close to becoming a ninth-grade alchemy grandmaster, and even if his soul power wasn't at the Heavenly Realm level, it was at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Realm.
Such beings are naturally extremely sensitive to everything around them.
What puzzled Ye Chen was the other party's faint smile, which seemed to be extending goodwill towards him, yet also seemed not to, making him feel uneasy.
On either side of this Xuan Kong guild leader were two beings whose presence he could not sense at all.
The old man on his left had rather dark skin, and his face was taut, giving off a stern feeling that never smiled. His eyes were like lightning, piercing one's soul.
The woman on the right surprised even Ye Chen, who already knew their identities, because she was a beautiful woman wearing a cheongsam…
Although the three giants of the Dan Tower were all several hundred years old, the other party's appearance was similar to that of a woman in her thirties, with a calm expression and a subtle charm that came with the passage of time.
"Grandpa, do you know who the two people next to President Xuan Kong are?" Ye Chen turned to Ye Zhong and asked specifically.
If Ye Chen remembered correctly, apart from the president Xuan Kongzi, the three giants of the Pill Tower were all very little known to the outside world.
Even within the Pill Tower, that female alchemist in black robes was a highly mysterious figure…
Otherwise, when Cao Ying stood out in the original work, she wouldn't have been called the most promising candidate to become the first female leader of the Pill Tower in a thousand years... because the female leader had already appeared long ago!
"This..." Ye Zhong's expression was also solemn. After pondering for a long time, he finally said, "Those two should be among the three giants of the Pill Tower, along with President Xuan Kong. But I have never heard of a female alchemist among the three giants..."
Ye Chen nodded slightly, confirming that even his grandfather, and perhaps the Ye family, might not know of Xuan Yi's existence.
"If I remember correctly, this man in black confessed his feelings to Yao Chen when he was young, right? But he was rejected by that old man..."
Thinking of this, Ye Chen couldn't help but shake his head.
This ability to flirt everywhere—isn't that a testament to their master-disciple relationship? The teacher was like this, and the disciple took it even further. However, in the end, the disciple far surpassed the teacher…
Fortunately, Yao Chen still had Venerable Wind in the end, otherwise his life would have been too tragic!
……
……
As the bell tolled, Mu Rong, having received a signal from Xuan Kongzi, stepped forward.
One step further, we arrived in mid-air.
Looking at the dense crowd below, he announced loudly, "I am Mu Rong, an elder of the Pill Tower, and the chief examiner for this assessment. All participants, please proceed to the center of the plaza!"
Following Mu Rong's words, everyone preparing to participate in the assessment began heading towards the center from all directions. Along the way, the envious glances from those around them made these young people feel a little smug, and each of them made up their minds to secure that final spot!
Unfortunately, the wish was beautiful, but reality was cruel...
Ye Chen looked at the young sixth-grade alchemist in front of him, who was prevented from entering the venue because the badge he was wearing was not issued by the Pill Tower. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
However, rules are rules. Whether intentional or unintentional, if you break the rules, you can only be eliminated. That is the only way to be fair to everyone.
Ye Chen didn't care how sad or angry the eliminated person was. He simply walked silently to the elder of the Pill Tower who was in charge of the initial selection and bowed silently.
Looking at Ye Chen's youthful face, the other party was obviously slightly surprised, especially when he saw the badge on Ye Chen's chest that represented a sixth-grade peak alchemist, which made him take a deep look at Ye Chen.
"Okay, you can go in."
There's no need to state your name or anything, since it's just the initial screening and it's not that strict yet.
"Thank you."
Ye Chen bowed slightly again, then turned and passed through the human wall formed by the Pill Tower guards, entering the center of the square.
Although I was mentally prepared, I was still greatly shocked when I saw the line of over a thousand people in the center of the square.
"It seems that the world really is not lacking in geniuses..."
Those who were able to enter here were all proven to have passed the initial screening of the Pill Tower; there were a whopping thousand sixth-grade alchemists under the age of thirty...
Ye Chen looked around but didn't see Song Qing. She was obviously somewhere, but with the crowd blocking the way, it wouldn't be easy for the two of them to meet.
But that's alright. With their strength and talent, they'll definitely make it to the end, and we'll see them then.
The assessment is still ongoing, but this time it tests knowledge of the medicinal properties of herbs…
Danta prepared a scroll for each person, which recorded the medicinal properties of some herbs, and asked the examinees to find the herbs according to their properties...
Of course, this is not like the Pill Gathering in the original work, where participants directly enter the Pill Realm to search for medicine. It's just that the Pill Tower opened a medicinal herb warehouse, and then everyone went in to find the medicinal herbs they needed.
However, this gave Ye Chen a basic understanding of the terrifying power of the Pill Tower...
Looking at the long passageway he was in, both sides were covered with a layer of milky white jade. Even the floor under his feet was made of neatly pieced pieces of white jade without any gaps. The faint fluorescence emitted by the white jade illuminated the entire passageway.
“What a generous gesture.”
Ye Chen clicked his tongue in amazement.
These white jade pieces are no ordinary items. The Ye family has always used this type of white jade to make medicine bottles, and it has an excellent effect on preserving medicinal herbs.
Moreover, in this enclosed space, the precious medicinal herbs will hardly lose any of their medicinal power, and the storage time can be greatly extended. This arrangement is even more suitable than storing them in high-level storage rings.
Chapter 152 The Beginning of Fame
"That's... a Shadow Flower? A Shadow-Shaping Branch? A Soul-Separating Grass?"
Ye Chen felt his fingers trembling, and he couldn't help but have the urge to possess everything...
Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen looked at the scroll in his hand.
Based on the description of the medicinal properties above, he determined that he needed to find either Horned Star or Black Star. The two had extremely similar medicinal properties and almost identical appearances. However, Black Star possessed a special characteristic: when combined with ice-attribute medicinal materials, it would produce an extremely potent and difficult-to-detect cold poison...
If alchemists who refine Ice Soul Pills mix up the two medicinal materials, the originally life-saving elixir will instantly turn into a soul-devouring poison pill. Even a Dou Huang powerhouse will die directly from the cold poison!
After carefully comparing all the information he knew, Ye Chen ultimately chose the more dangerous Black Star...
This is a mushroom-shaped creature that looks like it has been carved from black jade, with silver starlight adorning its cap, giving it a mysterious appearance.
Having found the medicinal herbs he needed, Ye Chen left the herb warehouse and handed over his scroll and herbs to the Dan Tower Elder, who was in charge of this stage of the review, at the entrance.
"Black Star? Hmm, not bad. You can proceed to the next level..."
"Thank you, Elder!" Ye Chen smiled and bowed, then quickly left.
Unbeknownst to him, as he left, the elder of the Pill Tower watched his retreating figure and smiled slightly: "Is this the genius of the Ye family? Truly extraordinary. At such a young age, not only does he possess such a high level of alchemy, but his foundation is also so solid..."
It's important to know that Ye Chen started memorizing the Ye Family Medicine Classic at the age of two under his father's pressure. Moreover, from the age of five, he had been learning the basics of alchemy from the patriarch Ye Xun, a peak seventh-grade alchemist. It can be said that although he was young, the time he spent learning alchemy was no less than that of alchemists who were thirty years old...
Coupled with his photographic memory, it can be said that Ye Chen's basic knowledge of alchemy is the most solid among all the younger generation.
Upon arriving at the next testing ground, Ye Chen discovered that he was the first one to arrive.
The item that appeared before him this time was also very familiar; it was a soul stone that the Pill Tower used specifically to test soul value. The Ye family also had a set of these, but it was not as advanced as the Pill Tower's set.
"Look, look! Someone's coming out!"
With Ye Chen's arrival, the audience who had been waiting for a long time became excited.
Since it is a public assessment, except for the previous assessment which was conducted in front of the public because unauthorized personnel could not enter the medicinal herb warehouse, all other assessments were conducted in front of the public.
"Hmm, this person doesn't look very old, probably only around twenty years old. I didn't expect him to be the first to pass the previous test. It seems he really is a genius alchemist!"
Although Ye Chen always looked older than his actual age, he was only about eighteen or nineteen years old. So his appearance caused a small sensation among the crowd.
Especially after those people saw the alchemist's badge he wore on his chest...
"Hiss...! A sixth-grade peak alchemist? Such a young sixth-grade peak alchemist?" Some discerning people couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
As for the many people who came to join the fun
The young alchemists looked at their elders with some confusion, clearly unaware of the Dan Tower's level badges.
At such times, elders would also explain things to them to broaden the horizons of their disciples and younger generations.
After recognizing Ye Chen's alchemist level, someone immediately asked in confusion, "I remember, out of the thousands of alchemists participating in this assessment, there are probably fewer than ten who have reached the advanced sixth rank, right? This is the peak sixth rank..."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, everyone around him understood what he meant.
Reaching the sixth-grade alchemist level under the age of thirty is not too difficult for some geniuses, but nine out of ten of them are hovering around the initial sixth-grade level. Those who can reach the intermediate sixth-grade level are already considered top among these geniuses.
Those who are usually around 28 or 29 years old are barely able to meet the maximum age requirement of the Danta.
Such a person and a twenty-year-old intermediate-level sixth-grade alchemist, although of the same grade, have completely incomparable potential!
Not to mention a twenty-year-old at the peak of the sixth rank!
Ye Chen paid no attention to the commotion outside, quietly waiting for the next assessment to begin...
By this time, quite a few people had already passed the basic assessment and arrived at the venue.
However, when their gazes fell upon Ye Chen, who had been standing there waiting for a long time, they were all taken aback. They hadn't expected someone to be so much faster than them!
Among these people, some were introverted, some were aloof, and some were even arrogant. They each occupied their own corner and did not communicate with anyone.
Some of the more cheerful ones chatted enthusiastically with those around them about the difficulties they encountered in the previous assessments...
This scene felt strangely familiar to Ye Chen, just like when everyone checked the answers together after an exam in his previous life.
Just as he was feeling nostalgic, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"I am Gao Ming. May I ask your name, sir?"
Hearing the voice, Ye Chen snapped out of his reverie and turned to look. He saw a rather handsome man looking at him with a smile.
Although the other party interrupted his reminiscences of his previous life, Ye Chen was not the kind of person to hold a grudge. He smiled and said, "I am Ye Chen."
Although not many people recognize Ye Chen in his current form, his name is already quite well-known among those participating in this assessment...
"So you are Ye Chen, the eldest son of the Ye family? How rude of me!"
Gao Ming was taken aback at first, then quickly came to his senses and replied with a calm smile.
His smile didn't have any obsequiousness or fawning; instead, it carried a faint confidence, clearly indicating that he considered Ye Chen his biggest rival in this assessment.
Well, actually, out of these thousands of examinees, probably nine out of ten already consider him a rival. After all, he's the culprit who stirred up this whole controversy...
Although Cao Ying was also from one of the five great families, she was, after all, a girl, and a minor at that. These grown men would not consider such a minor as an opponent; if others found out, wouldn't they be ridiculed to death?
Chapter 153 Soul Test
After learning Ye Chen's identity, the way people looked at him changed.
Naturally, Ye Chen didn't care about any of that. At this moment, he was chatting with Gao Ming and Song Qing, whom he had finally met.
"Brother Ye, Brother Song, do you see that person ahead? His name is Mu Xuan. He is said to be from a sect called Dan Ding Sect. He is twenty-nine years old and is one of the six advanced sixth-grade alchemists in this assessment."
Gao Ming introduced them to the two men, saying, "These are strong contenders for the spots between Brother Ye and Brother Song!"
Clearly, unlike Ye Chen and Song Qing, who were both confident, Gao Ming had spent a great deal of effort investigating the talented alchemists who participated in the assessment.