The first question alone was a complicated scenario involving the reaction ti between Iceheart Root and Crimson Lotus Extract.
Not only was it asking for reaction speed, but also the safe boundary temperature before the compound beca unstable.
She closed her eyes for a mont, but she didn’t panic.
She had studied scenarios like this under her master’s guidance before, and the trick was not to rush but to break the problem down one layer at a ti.
She began to write her answers.
Her fla control might not have been the flashiest, but her knowledge was deep.
Her answers weren’t based on rote morization alone.
Why one herb reacted violently with another, the subtle elental resonance that could change the outco of a pill, and the proper fla rhythm required to suppress such variables.
As she wrote, Zhao Tian’s gaze occasionally flicked to her, but this ti it was the female judge who whispered quietly to him, "She’s not just talented; her thinking is calm. She has learned from soone who valued insight over showmanship."
Hearing this, Zhao Tian smiled in his heart as he rembered Yao Jing.
A few rows behind Qi Nue, so examinees had already begun to panic, erasing their mistakes or rewriting rushed calculations.
The pressure of the room, combined with Zhao Tian’s presence, had beco a ntal trial more than anything.
As the ti for the written round ended, the judge stood again.
The female judge’s voice echoed through the hall "You may now submit your scrolls."
Attendants moved silently between the rows, collecting the scrolls.
The examinees sat back in their seats, so slumping with exhausted sighs while others leaned forward, waiting for the next challenge.
Qi Nue carefully rolled up her scroll and tied it with the provided red string before placing it on her tray.
As the last scroll was gathered, the female judge raised her hand again "We now begin the second segnt of the theoretical examination,"
"You will be presented with a set of spirit herbs and alchemical materials, both common and rare. Your task is to identify each, outline their basic properties, and determine if any combination among them would result in an unstable reaction or, alternatively, a synergistic effect."
Soon, attendants returned, this ti carrying rectangular lacquered trays, covered with a transparent veil to preserve the freshness and energy of the items inside.
They placed one tray on each examinee’s table before gracefully stepping back.
Qi Nue took teh veil and saw nine ingredients in front of her.
So were familiar... Golden Vein Ginseng, a standard healing booster; Pale Starflower, which enhanced ntal clarity but clashed with many fiery compounds.
Others were more rare and need a closer glance to identify them.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the delicate blue petal: Frozen Moth Orchid.
Beside it there is also Drifting Ash Bark.
It had no effect on its own, but in proximity to certain life-based herbs, it could either enhance vitality or completely nullify it depending on the order of infusion.
’They’re testing not just recognition. But understanding of deeper interactions... This isn’t beginner-level theory.’
She picked up her pen and began to write.
For example, she didn’t just write "Frozen Moth Orchid destabilizes fla pills."
Instead, she wrote:
"Frozen Moth Orchid contains a latent lunar frost attribute that reacts violently when exposed to direct fire-based ignition."
"However, it may be safely combined in trace amounts with Nightshade Lotus or Phoenix Root when tempered with a dual-phase fla, allowing temporary harmonization and stability for astral detoxification pills."
The female judge slowly began to walk around the rows and her gaze gently fell on Qi Nue’s answers.
She was quite surprised ’That level of insight, only cos from studying under a grand-level Alchemist. Not just a casual tutor.’
Back in her seat, Qi Nue was already at the last section.
Imdiately, her pen moved as she began to write combinations.
Crimson Dragon Scale with Widow Root? No, soul instability.
But Widow Root and Mirage Pearl under a Cold Conduction Array? A viable path to suppress madness-inducing effects in higher-tier pills.
The ti for the second segnt ca to a close.
"Submit your parchnts,"
As Qi Nue placed her final answer scroll onto the tray, she leaned back and exhaled deeply.
Her hands were slightly ink-stained, but she is satisfied, as she is certain that she had given her best, no matter the outco.
Attendants once again moved efficiently, collecting the written sheets filled with theories, interactions, and calculations.
The female judge stepped to the front once more, "For the final stage of the examination, you will now demonstrate practical application."
"You will need to refine a single pill, under ti constraints, using the provided cauldron and ingredients."
"A successful refinent will not be judged by pill completion alone.Your quality, purity, and your ability to adjust in real ti will also be asured. You may begin... now."
With a soft chanical hum, compartnts along the sides of the hall opened.
More attendants stepped in, wheeling large carts, carrying bronze cauldrons, and boxes containing the day’s ingredients.
Qi Nue looked at the ingredients she received and sighed in her heart ’Haa.. I can do this.’
One by one, she prepared the ingredients, slicing the Starroot into thin, crescent-shaped fragnts and grinding the Pearl Dust between two jade mortars until it shimred like snow.
So examinees nearby rushed to throw ingredients in early as they are eager to impress or too nervous to wait.
But Qi Nue didn’t rush.
She waited until her cauldron’s inner temperature was stable and only then did she begin.
Twilight Leaf first, then the Extract in a spiral motion to spread the resonance.
The Silver Thorn Seed?
She held it in her fingers longer than most and then added it just as the fla shifted hues, catching the perfect window.
At the thirty-minute mark, her cauldron glowed faintly, and a soft ping echoed as the lid clicked gently upward.
A single smooth pill hovered inside with the faint scent of nine-hued mist surrounding it.
She bowed lightly and extinguished the fla.
Looking at the pill in her hand, she was very satisfied.
As she placed the pill on the evaluation tray, she whispered inwardly ’Master, I hope I’ve done justice to your teachings.’
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