Alchemist Guild

Blackrock City, early morning.

As one of the leading major cities in the Jama Empire, this bustling city had already come alive before the thin morning mist had fully dispersed.

Pedestrians wove through the broad streets, and hawkers' cries rose and fell one after another. From time to time, squads of City Guard in armor marched past, the crisp clatter of metal plating especially sharp in the morning light.

Lu Yu and his group walked out of the Flying Beast Guild and stepped into the bustling street.

"Young Master, Candied Hawthorn!" Qing Lin tugged at Lu Yu's sleeve and pointed at a small roadside stall.

The stall owner was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, and his straw rack was stuck full of crystal-clear Candied Hawthorn. Seeing customers stop, the old man immediately piled on a smile. "Guests, three Copper Coins a skewer. Fresh ones."

Lu Yu touched his Storage Ring, his expression suddenly turning a little awkward—what he carried with him were all Gold Coins, and he actually could not find any loose Copper Coins.

Just as he was about to take out a Gold Coin, Little Fairy Doctor had already briskly counted out nine Copper Cash. "Old sir, we'll take three skewers."

She reached out to take the Candied Hawthorn and gave one skewer each to Qing Lin and Lu Yu, her eyes carrying a teasing smile as she joked, "Oh, some great alchemist can't even buy Candied Hawthorn without flaunting his wealth."

Lu Yu rubbed the tip of his nose somewhat awkwardly. "I really don't usually come into contact with these street snacks. Mainly, Qing Lin wanted to eat some..."

Little Fairy Doctor gave a soft snort, her red lips parting as she bit off a Candied Hawthorn. The glistening sugar shell shattered between her lips, refracting an enticing sheen beneath the sunlight. She casually licked the corner of her mouth. "Yes, yes, it was all for Qing Lin."

Lu Yu pretended not to hear the mockery in her words and looked up toward a luxurious inn ahead. "Let's settle down first. We've been traveling for so long, and we're tired. We'll rest for a day. It won't be too late to go to the Alchemist Guild tomorrow."

Qing Lin licked the Candied Hawthorn in small bites and obediently nodded when she heard this. Hai Bodong and Little Fairy Doctor naturally had no objections either.

Immediately, the group walked toward the inn ahead.

The next day.

After washing up and having breakfast at the inn, Lu Yu and the others left early. After asking passersby for directions, they followed the city's main road straight toward the Alchemist Guild.

After passing through several deep, long alleys, a grand building of peculiar design suddenly entered their sight. The entire building was a deep crimson, surrounded on all sides by ventilation windows patterned like flames, while its dome had been carefully designed in the shape of a cauldron lid, like an enlarged alchemy furnace.

Above the main entrance, five ancient characters, "Alchemist Guild," were written in bold, sweeping strokes on a rosewood plaque, with a faint flowing light flickering between the lines.

Lu Yu stopped and gazed at it, noticing that every passing pedestrian cast an awed look at the plaque. Occasionally, someone curiously sized up the young man standing in a daze before the guild entrance, but they soon hurried away again.

"Wait outside for a while. I'll be out soon."

Lu Yu gave Little Fairy Doctor and the others an instruction, straightened his robe, and walked toward the main doors.

"Hold it!"

Two fully armed guards crossed their halberds and blocked his path. One of them said in a deep voice, "Young Master, this is the Alchemist Guild. If you do not have official alchemist status, you need an introduction letter from a teacher before you can enter."

Lu Yu was slightly startled, then calmly said, "This is my first time coming to the Alchemist Guild. I'm here precisely to participate in the Alchemist Assessment."

As he spoke, he took out two White Jade Bottles from his sleeve and handed them over.

"A small token. I hope you'll make things convenient."

One of the guards was just about to refuse when the other had already opened a bottle stopper. Once he saw the pills inside, his expression changed slightly. He hurriedly replaced the stopper, then pulled his companion aside to clear the way and said respectfully, "My lord, please enter!"

After Lu Yu's figure disappeared through the doors, the earlier guard asked in confusion, "Old Zhou, why did you..."

"Third-grade Qi Recovery Pills!" the guard called Old Zhou lowered his voice. "He casually handed over two bottles of Third-grade pills. This Young Master is either a Third-grade Alchemist himself, or there's some great alchemist above the third grade standing behind him!"

Seeing that his companion still had misgivings, Old Zhou patted his shoulder. "With our meager salary, there's no need to offend someone like that. Let him be..."

The two exchanged a look and nodded, tacitly putting the jade bottles into their robes before returning to their posts. Only, their gazes kept drifting toward the doors from time to time, clearly very curious about this mysterious young man with such lavish spending.

Alchemist Guild.

There were few people in the hall, only a scattered handful busy with their own tasks. Hearing footsteps, someone raised their head and glanced over. Seeing that it was an unfamiliar young man, they lowered their head again and continued working.

However, a few young female alchemists were drawn by Lu Yu's handsome appearance. One woman in a red alchemist uniform even took the initiative to walk forward.

She looked to be a little over twenty, with a charming face and a curvy figure that appeared even more alluring under the outline of her tight uniform. Though she wore alchemist attire, there was no grade badge pinned to her chest, clearly indicating that she was only an apprentice.

"Young Master, are you also here to take the Alchemist Assessment?" the woman in red asked with a bright smile.

Seeing Lu Yu nod, her eyes lit up. "My name is Lin Fei. You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our Blackrock City Alchemist Guild? Come on! I'll take you to the Registration Desk first."

As she spoke, she enthusiastically took Lu Yu by the wrist and walked toward a counter.

Behind the counter, a woman in a pale-green dress showed surprise at the sight. "Miss Lin Fei, this is...?"

"Ruo Lan, he wants to take the Alchemist Assessment. Help him register," Lin Fei said readily.

Hearing this, the green-robed woman's expression turned solemn. She immediately took out an ancient-looking Parchment, picked up a brush, and asked gently, "Sir, please tell me your name, age, and your teacher's title."

"Lu Yu, twenty years old."

Lu Yu pondered briefly, then said, "I don't have a teacher. I learned on my own."

In truth, he was only just over sixteen, but a sixteen-year-old Third-grade Alchemist was far too shocking. It was better to falsely report his age.

Ruo Lan's hand paused slightly as she held the brush, and surprise flashed through her eyes. "Sir is truly young and accomplished."

She praised him softly, then lowered her head to record the information and casually asked, "Sir, are you taking the First-grade Alchemist Assessment?"

"Third-grade," Lu Yu replied calmly.

"Clack—"

The brush in Ruo Lan's hand suddenly dropped onto the parchment, splattering ink across it. She hurriedly picked it up, her voice trembling slightly. "I-I'm sorry, sir. Did you say... third grade?"

Lin Fei, standing to the side, suddenly widened her eyes and unconsciously raised her voice. "Third grade?!"

She looked Lu Yu up and down, as if she needed to get to know this young man all over again, and said in astonishment, "Are... are you sure it's not first grade?"

The hall instantly fell silent. Several alchemists who had been leafing through old texts all raised their heads, their gazes turning in unison toward the counter.

Ruo Lan forced herself to stay calm, but the fingers gripping her brush were still trembling faintly. "Mr. Lu, the third-grade assessment requires a Fourth-grade Alchemist to supervise it. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a moment..."

Before she could finish, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the second floor. An elderly man in fine robes, wearing a Fourth-grade badge on his chest, strode quickly down the stairs, his sharp gaze sweeping over the surroundings. "Who said just now that they wanted to take the third-grade assessment?"