Certification as a Seven-Rank Alchemist

"Seventh rank? Did I hear that right?"

"This kid looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, and he doesn't even have Alchemist's robe. How could he possibly pass the seventh-rank exam?"

"Could it be that he's here for the first time and is too nervous, causing him to slip up and say something wrong?"

The Alchemist in front of Xiao Ming each had their own thoughts, but none of them spoke.

Most people who know Xiao Ming think he's too nervous, so they're wrong.

It wasn't that they looked down on Xiao Ming, but rather because Xiao Ming was too young.

Even for a disciple of Pill Tower Giant, becoming Seven-Rank Alchemist at Xiao Ming's age is no easy feat. As an unknown figure, Xiao Ming naturally attracts skepticism.

Despite the strange looks from others, Xiao Ming remained calm and showed no intention of changing his mind.

This made the old man in charge of the assessment look a little strange. He also thought that Xiao Ming had made a mistake. Seeing that Xiao Ming did not change his mind, he couldn't help but ask.

"Young man, are you really going to take the Seven-Rank Alchemist exam?"

"That's right." Xiao Ming nodded slightly.

This caused a huge uproar, and the Alchemist couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

The room immediately became somewhat noisy, as if the person disliked noise. The elderly man in charge of the assessment sternly pointed his eyes and sharply ordered, "Quiet!"

Everyone shut their mouths and stopped talking; it was clear that the old man held great prestige.

At this moment, the old man turned his head and looked at Xiao Ming again.

"My surname is Zhao, and I am an assessment elder of the Branch Tower. Young man, I will ask you one more time: are you really going to take the seventh-rank assessment?"

Elder Zhao couldn't help but ask repeatedly, but this matter was simply too astonishing, considering that he was only Grade Six High-level Alchemist.

"Elder Zhao, I did not misspoke. It is indeed a seventh-rank assessment, or more precisely, a Grade Seven Mid-level assessment. Is it not possible to conduct the assessment here?"

Seeing Elder Zhao's and the others' reactions, Xiao Ming understood what they were thinking, which is why he said that.

Upon hearing this, Elder Zhao finally confirmed that Xiao Ming's intended assessment was indeed at the seventh rank, and specifically at the Grade Seven Mid-level. He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Such a young, Rank 7 Intermediate Alchemist, if he really succeeds, I'm afraid even the most talented individuals from the Five Great Clans of the Pill Region wouldn't be able to compare."

In response to Xiao Ming's question, Elder Zhao coughed lightly and replied, "It is indeed possible to assess Rank 7 here, but only the Grade Seven Low-level. After all, I am only at the Grade Six High-level, and the Pill Tower Branch Tower can only assess levels up to one small rank."

"Can only those at the Grade Seven Low-level be assessed?" Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes, then nodded indifferently.

"Then let's proceed with the assessment at the Grade Seven Low-level. Thank you, Elder Zhao."

"It's just my duty," Elder Zhao said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"I don't know if you've been certified as Grade Six Alchemist at the Pill Tower before. If so, we'll start the Seven-Rank Alchemist assessment immediately. If you have Grade Six Alchemist badge certified from elsewhere, that's also acceptable. If you don't have any of these, then you'll have to take the assessment a few more times, starting with the lower-level Alchemist assessment."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming took out a badge from his Na Ring, which was imprinted with a medicine cauldron and six silver waves, and stepped forward to hand it to Elder Zhao.

"I wonder if this badge is feasible."

What Xiao Ming took out was naturally the Alchemist Badge of the Jia Ma Empire.

"Medicine Cauldron plus Silver Wave, Alchemist from the Northwest Continent." The alchemy badges differ for each major region, such as the Central Plains and the Northwest Continent.

The basic symbols used in the Northwest Continent are medicine cauldrons and silver waves, so Elder Zhao, who had lived for quite some time, easily recognized the badge as the Alchemist Badge of the Northwest Continent.

I just don't know which country's Alchemist Association issued this badge.

Of course, it doesn't matter which country's Alchemist Association issued it. Since Xiao Ming was able to obtain the Alchemist Badge, it means that he has a certain level of strength.

Seemingly realizing that Xiao Ming actually possessed some strength, Elder Zhao handed the items back to Xiao Ming, his tone becoming much more polite.

"I didn't expect you to be from the Northwest Continent. Since you possess a Sixth Rank badge, you can directly take the exam to become Grade Seven Low-level Alchemist."

After saying that, Elder Zhao got up and walked towards the Heaven Character Door in the Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow Realm behind him.

"Young friend, follow me, I will personally test you."

The other Alchemist were somewhat helpless when they saw that Elder Zhao had actually abandoned them and let Xiao Ming take the test first, but they dared not say anything.

There is a strict hierarchy among Alchemist, and lower-level Alchemist generally have no right to criticize higher-level Alchemist.

Moreover, they also wanted to see if Xiao Ming could truly succeed in the assessment.

Following Elder Zhao into the Heaven Level Room, we found it to be much simpler than the outside Heaven Level Room, though not as spacious. There was a small table on the right side of the room with some papers on it, and a crystal the size of a human head floating in the center of the room.

"Elder Zhao, how shall we conduct the assessment?" Xiao Ming asked after looking around.

"The assessment method of Pill Tower is actually very simple. It consists of three steps. The first step is to verify your knowledge. There are twenty profound questions related to alchemy. You need to answer them all. There are no standard answers. You have to answer based on your understanding of Alchemy Technique. Although there are no standard answers, it is easy to distinguish between right and wrong."

The second step is to verify the strength of the Soul Power.

"The crystal in the middle is dark now. When your Soul Power flows into it, it will light up if your soul power reaches the required level."

"After it lights up, that's when the third step begins. The crystal will simulate the scene you're refining medicine, like an illusion. You have to do things according to its requirements, such as controlling the fire, purifying the herbs, and so on. During this process, the crystal will gradually consume your Soul Power. This step actually tests your ability to control your Soul Power and the flame."

"There are quite a few steps in this assessment," Xiao Ming couldn't help but say upon hearing this. However, although there were many steps, it still saved a lot of time compared to the alchemy assessment.

This assessment method can also effectively evaluate Alchemist's overall abilities, and it's actually much more difficult than the alchemy assessment.

Elder Zhao said with a smile, "The Pill Tower's assessment has always been quite rigorous. Many Alchemist who can refine a Grade Seven Medicinal Pill have failed the assessment. Young friend, you should be careful later."

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Zhao. My name is Xiao Ming. Please address me by my name directly, Elder Zhao."

"Young friend Xiao Ming, let's take the test first." Elder Zhao skipped over the topic.

If Xiao Ming's certification is successful, he should start calling him Master Xiao Ming. The two are not acquaintances, and calling him by his name directly would be somewhat disrespectful. After all, the accomplished are respected, and respecting a higher-level Alchemist is also a way of respecting himself.

Xiao Ming walked to the small table and saw that the paper indeed had some questions on it.

These questions were indeed quite difficult, but after thinking about them for a while, Xiao Ming came up with the answers.

"Elder Zhao, should I write it down on paper, or dictate it to you?" Xiao Ming asked, turning his head as he noticed there was no pen on the table.

Elder Zhao was somewhat surprised to see that Xiao Ming had come up with an idea so quickly. He had seen those questions before, and they were not questions that could be answered casually.

"Just say it verbally."

"Okay, the first question is about various Fire Attribute medicinal herbs..."

"How was it?" Xiao Ming answered quickly.

"Your answer is perfect," Elder Zhao said with amazement. He felt enlightened after listening to Xiao Ming's explanation, and Xiao Ming's understanding of alchemy was undoubtedly superior.

If Elder Zhao had doubts about Xiao Ming's Xiao Ming to become Seven-Rank Alchemist, he no longer had any doubts about it now.

"The next two challenges will definitely be no problem for him."

Just as Elder Zhao had predicted, Xiao Ming passed the following challenges with ease, appearing completely unfazed.

Outside the assessment room, a dozen or so Alchemist initially waited quietly, but as time went on, a cacophony of noise gradually arose.

"Sigh, do you think that young man can pass the test?"

"I think it's difficult. After all, he's too young. Even in the entire Central Plains, there aren't many Seven-Rank Alchemist this young. According to Elder Zhao, this person comes from the Northwest Continent, a remote borderland. Heh..." An old man shook his head with a smile, clearly looking down on the Northwest Continent.

Most people nodded in agreement, but some had other ideas.

"I do think that young man has the potential to become Seven-Rank Alchemist. Didn't you all see that Sixth Rank badge?"

"That young man is indeed impressive to have obtained Sixth Rank badge at such a young age, but Sixth Rank and seventh-grade are not comparable at all. Moreover, the Alchemist Association in those small countries are very casual in their certification process, unlike the Pill Tower, which is stricter. The Sixth Rank level is not even further subdivided. With just a Sixth Rank badge, it is undoubtedly a pipe dream to try to get certified Seven-Rank Alchemist in the Pill Tower. If he really wants to be serious, he might even have difficulty getting certified Sixth Rank alchemist."

"..."

Just as these discussions were going on, the tightly closed Heaven Level Room finally opened slowly with a slight creaking sound...

Upon seeing the reaction, everyone in the room perked up, and their gazes instantly fixed on the door.

As the door slowly opened, an elderly man with white hair stepped out. At this moment, Elder Zhao was frowning slightly, shaking his head and sighing softly.

Upon seeing his appearance, several people immediately smiled. There are always people in the world who can't stand to see others doing well. When others are down on their luck, they always show a Schadenfreude expression, and some even kick them when they're down.

However, judging whether the other party has succeeded based solely on Elder Zhao's expression is premature.

All eyes turned to Elder Zhao's back, where Xiao Ming's tall figure slowly appeared. The moment he appeared, almost immediately all eyes in the room were fixed on his chest.

There hung a badge there, just like Elder Zhao's. The badge was Hidden Strength in color, with flames swirling around it. Within the flames was a colossal tower reaching the sky, and on the tower, seven dazzling purple-gold stars shimmered. However, the seventh star was now somewhat dim.

"Grade Seven Low-level Alchemist!"

Inside the room, all eyes were fixed on the dazzling badge on Xiao Ming's chest, falling silent in an instant Grade Seven Low-level —this was a badge that everyone present looked up to. Yet now, this badge, a symbol of glory, was in the hands of Xiao Ming, a young man who appeared remarkably young...

Seeing this incredibly dreamlike scene, the Alchemist had been Schadenfreude on their faces suddenly felt as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a fly.

Of course, nobody here cares what they think.

Elder Zhao glanced at the waiting Alchemist, then said to Xiao Ming, "Master Xiao Ming, you are exceptionally talented. If my level weren't too low, I might have passed the Grade Seven Mid-level assessment today. Alas, if you have the time, I advise you to go to the Pill Tower for a test. I believe you have the ability; you might even be able to pass the Grade Seven High-level assessment."

"Headquarters? I'll go." Xiao Ming smiled, then clasped his hands in farewell to Elder Han, and left.

As he left, Xiao Ming wore Seven-Rank Alchemist badge on his chest, which attracted the attention of the Alchemist passing by.

Upon seeing the seven stars on Xiao Ming's Alchemist Badge, these people's eyes narrowed, they couldn't help but swallow hard, and they frantically searched their minds for the names of Yao Tian in Central Plains, hoping to match them with Xiao Ming.

Unfortunately, after thinking for a long time, they still couldn't come up with a suitable candidate.

By the time they came to their senses, Xiao Ming had already left.

Stepping out of the Pill Tower Branch Tower, Xiao Ming glanced down at the badge on his chest, sighed softly, and then took it off and stored it in his Na Ring.

"Wearing this is far too attention-grabbing."

Muttering something to himself, Xiao Ming headed back the way he came; he was going to find Xiao Yi Xian and the others.

After walking for about forty minutes, around lunchtime, Xiao Ming finally found Xiao Yi Xian and the others at an Inn.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yi Xian and her two companions were surrounded by a group of people.

Surrounding Xiao Yi Xian were all men, dressed in the same style of long robes printed with feminine lines, with three large characters embroidered on their left chest: Joyful Union Sect.

At this moment, many members of the Joyful Union Sect were already lying on the floor of the Inn.

"I'm telling you, don't mess around! My grandfather is Four-Star Dou Zong expert. I've already notified him. If you touch me, none of you will escape!" Yin Ze said, his voice trembling as he looked at his companions lying beside him.

"If you know what's good for you, let me go, and I can pretend this never happened."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian glanced coldly at Yin Ze. Just over ten minutes ago, when they were resting in the Inn and waiting for Xiao Ming, this group of people had surrounded them with ill intentions.

They used foul language against them and even tried to physically assault them.

Just let them leave like that? No way!

Thinking this, Xiao Yi Xian waved her sleeve, and a gray mist surged out, enveloping all the people of the Joyful Union Sect.

In an instant, screams of agony rose and fell.

"Doesn't your Joyful Union Sect like to force people into sexual relations? Then we'll make sure none of you are capable of sexual intercourse!"

After injecting the poison gas into these people's bodies, Xiao Yi Xian waved her sleeve, sweeping them away towards the door.

Because of this action, she happened to see Xiao Ming standing at the door.