Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test

"Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test!"

Gu Fang murmured inwardly, then walked to his position. The others naturally took their places as well.

Once everyone was in position, Gu Dao's aged voice rang out through the air. "For Dou Qi practitioners, cultivation techniques and Dou Skills represent strength, but pills are equally indispensable. Though one may be unable to learn alchemy due to a lack of talent,

as members of the Ancient Clan, you must recognize mainstream pills and the common medicinal ingredients used to refine them.

I will not elaborate further on the rules. The Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test begins!"

As Gu Dao spoke his final word, bundles of medicinal ingredients appeared before Gu Fang and the others, then fell directly to the ground and scattered everywhere.

Elder Tong Xuan watched from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching. Is this how space power is supposed to be used?

He silently waved away the eleven people behind him!

According to the original rules, those eleven people were supposed to deliver the scattered medicinal ingredients and pills to Gu Fang, Gu Qingyang, and the others, along with a number of rather cumbersome formalities...

But Gu Dao clearly disliked all that. He directly used space power to collect the ingredient bundles before distributing them before each person.

Gu Fang looked at the jade bottles and scattered ingredients before him, silently reviewing the rules...

Though the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test was a single test, it was actually divided into two parts: pills and medicinal ingredients!

The jade bottles contained thirty pills ranging from first-grade to seventh-grade. The participants had to arrange them from lowest grade to highest, then write the pills' names and effects on the bottles!

The final score was determined by accuracy and speed. Of course, accuracy was practically disregarded. Over decades of testing, while everyone's times varied, not a single person had ever identified a pill incorrectly!

The medicinal ingredient test below examined one's selection of pill ingredients.

Since alchemy depended on talent, they did not compete in alchemical skill. Instead, they competed in categorizing and selecting medicinal ingredients. Among the scattered ingredients before them were the complete ingredients for three pill formulas, along with a large number of useless materials.

What the test-takers needed to do was accurately select the ingredients belonging to the three unknown pill formulas!

It seemed that... non-alchemists had no need to study pill formulas, but selecting ingredients was merely superficial. What it truly tested was one's knowledge of medicinal ingredients!

First of all, as a Dou Qi practitioner, no one knew where they might happen to end up.

Perhaps they might be fortunate enough to enter a treasure trove of medicinal herbs, but if they entered and failed to recognize the ingredients within, mistaking them for ordinary weeds, would they not be leaving an entire treasure mountain empty-handed?

There were also all sorts of other situations. Medicinal ingredients did not necessarily need to be refined into pills before they could be used. Some precious ingredients could be consumed directly.

A suitable medicinal herb in a desperate situation might save one's life, so knowledge of medicinal ingredients was also part of one's strength!

Finally, this returned to the current test and explained why it was based on pill formulas.

Because it was troublesome.

Writing out the effects of every single ingredient would take far too much effort, and it would not test reaction speed or other abilities.

After hundreds and thousands of years of development, the medicinal ingredient test had ultimately taken this form!

Those thoughts flashed through Gu Fang's mind. He wasted no more time and, like the others, bent down to reach for the jade bottles. But unlike the others,

as he searched through the bottles, his soul power—far beyond that of others his age—was already identifying every ingredient that passed through his hands, categorizing them according to their properties and effects!

Of course, this was not solely due to soul power. It was also because of Gu Fang's alchemical instincts, honed day after day over several years.

Learning about ingredients through soul imprints from jade slips was one thing, but that knowledge did not truly belong to oneself. Only after countless touches and firsthand sensations could one truly achieve what Gu Fang had!

Gu Fang grabbed a jade bottle and pushed the stopper open with his thumb. The instant it opened, a tangible pill fragrance spilled forth.

He lightly brushed his palm across the bottle's opening, sending a wisp of the fragrance into his nose.

"Third-grade Pill, Awakening Spirit Pill!"

Gu Fang immediately sealed the bottle again, then used Dou Qi to carve the pill's name and effect onto it before setting it aside!

He grabbed another jade bottle from beside him and brought it to his nose. The moment the pill fragrance entered his nostrils, he had already replaced the jade stopper and placed it behind the Awakening Spirit Pill.

"Fourth-grade Pill, Beast Strength Pill!"

At such speed, after another thirty breaths, fifteen or sixteen jade bottles had already been arranged before Gu Fang. Meanwhile, the others taking the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test

had only identified seven or eight bottles each!

Everyone present saw Gu Fang's movements. Whether those on the stage or those below it, all stared in disbelief, their doubts mixed with a faint, indescribable anticipation!

Their disbelief and doubt stemmed from Gu Fang's absurd speed. After all, everyone present could identify a pill's grade and effects.

They simply had to memorize the characteristics of the various pills recorded in the jade slips, then match those characteristics to the pills.

But matching pills to their characteristics took time. The usual process was: first smell, then observe, then sense!

First, smell the pill fragrance. One judged the pill's grade from the fragrance's concentration and the sensations it produced, while also using it to help determine the pill's attributes and effects!

Second, observe the pill's appearance and shape. Some pills possessed distinctive features. For example, the body of a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill bore the traces of the three flames used in its refinement.

Moreover, because of the medicinal ingredients and Magic Crystals used in its creation, a pill would also display some of its inherent attributes and effects. Combined with the first step, this greatly increased the accuracy of one's judgment.

Finally came sensing with soul power—sensing the pill's grade and its response on a spiritual level, then combining that with the first two steps.

Only then could one accurately determine a pill's grade, effects, and name!

Of course, everyone present was among the strongest of the Ancient Clan's younger generation. They had privately undergone the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test countless times and handled pills more times than they could count.

Naturally, they did not need to complete all three steps. Most could roughly identify a pill's name after two steps, resorting to the third only when they were truly uncertain.

In previous tests, the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test had never created much of a gap between participants. But this time...

Gu Fang held an overwhelming lead!

Because for more than twenty jade bottles so far, Gu Fang had merely opened the jade stopper, taken a light sniff, and carved the pill's grade and name onto the bottle.

In other words...

While the others needed two or three of the steps—smell, observe, and sense—Gu Fang had identified a pill's grade, effect, and name with smell alone!

With that simple difference, the gap between Gu Fang and the others was instantly revealed.

More than ten seconds later, Gu Fang pushed out the final jade bottle. Its surface clearly bore the pill's grade and name.

"Sixth-grade Pill, Imperial Extreme Pill!"

"Finished!"

The instant Gu Fang called out those two words, everyone froze. At the same time, the pillar of light above Gu Fang's head stopped growing!

That pillar of light gradually lengthened with time, indicating how long each test-taker had spent on the test!

"So fast!"

"Too fast! As expected of Gu Fang!"

The other ten test-takers glanced sideways at Gu Fang and the pillar above his head, then collectively swallowed to conceal the shock in their hearts.

Though they had already expected Gu Fang to be fast before the test began, they had never imagined he would be this fast!

After their shock subsided, they refocused and concentrated on the remaining unidentified pills before them.

Their process remained the same: first smell, then observe, then sense, until they were completely certain!

They were naturally anxious, but they understood even more clearly...

Accuracy was more important than speed!

If they sacrificed accuracy for speed, the loss would outweigh the gain. Gu Fang might be incomparably fast, but if he made even a single error in identifying a pill,

his final score would inevitably fall to the bottom!

"Old Demon Han, your disciple is quite impressive. He identified a pill's name and effect in a single step!" Gu Nanhai said with a smile.

"Just normal performance!"

Elder Han smiled with a hint of pride. As his words ended, the stoppers on all thirty jade bottles before Gu Fang flew open, and thirty pills shot into the air.

They were immediately enveloped by golden beams of light. After roughly half a breath, the pills fell back into their bottles.

At the same time, the pillar of light representing time above Gu Fang's head trembled, then began lengthening again from where it had stopped.

Everyone who saw this pursed their lips. Their final doubts had completely shattered, leaving behind only shock!

The pillar had not changed. It had not turned another color, which meant Gu Fang's pill identifications were correct. Coupled with his monstrous speed from before,

how could the others present not be shocked?

Gu Fang sensed the shock from Gu Qingyang, Gu Yao, and the others around him. There was no pride or arrogance on his face, because...

This sort of thing was routine for Gu Fang.

In fact...

He had already held back somewhat.

If Gu Fang went all out, he could be even faster. With soul power nearly at the Heaven Realm and his exceptionally rich alchemical experience...

he could identify a pill's name and effect without even opening the jade bottle!

But in order not to be too shocking and to leave the others some dignity, Gu Fang had chosen a relatively low-key method!

Yet even with such a low-key approach, he had still crushed those of his age. More precisely...

he had crushed this group of peak geniuses from the Ancient Clan and even the entire Dou Qi Continent!

Gu Fang took a light breath and raised his eyes toward the golden pillar above his head. Yet he did not move, nor did he immediately begin the second portion of the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test—

the medicinal ingredient test!

Because of Gu Fang's earlier performance, everyone's attention was currently fixed on him. His actions left them all baffled!

What was going on? Had this kid gone mad?

The pillar was already growing longer. The second test had begun. Was he not blatantly wasting time?

Gu Dao and Gu Yuan exchanged glances in the air, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes. Finally, Gu Dao lifted his right foot slightly, tore through space, and arrived before Gu Fang.

"The second portion of the Pill and Medicinal Ingredient Test, the medicinal ingredient test, has already begun. What are you waiting for?"