Alchemist Guild

"Hello, I'm Yang Xin, a director of the Alchemist Guild." The sexy, slender Yang Xin slowly extended her fair, smooth Jade Hand.

Xian Wu stepped forward first and shook Yang Xin's hand, smiling. "We're students from Sacred Orchid Academy. Vice Dean Ye Sheng sent us here. Hello, Sister Yang. My name is Xian Wu, and I'm their captain. Just tell me if there's anything you need."

Sister Yang's little hand was so smooth~~~ Xian Wu howled inwardly.

Seeing Xian Wu hold onto Yang Xin's hand and refuse to let go, all six of his companions looked at him with disdain.

Xian Wu maintained his composure, giving her hand a brief, light shake before quickly letting go.

"I've read the letter. Since Vice Dean Ye Sheng has entrusted you to me, you'll all be under my management for the next four days." Yang Xin spoke in a soft, lilting voice.

"Xiao Lan, take them to the back courtyard. The masters are short-handed right now." Yang Xin turned and gave the order.

"Wait." Nie Li suddenly cut in. "Director Yang, may I ask if I can take the exam to become a junior alchemy master?"

Alchemists were divided into three major ranks: apprentices, masters, and grandmasters. Each major rank had three levels: junior, intermediate, and senior. Apprentices wore gray robes, masters wore white robes, and grandmasters wore silver robes.

At the Alchemist Guild, a person's robes represented their status.

Xiao Lan, in her gray robe, was a low-ranking apprentice alchemist, while Yang Xin, in her white robe, was a master-level alchemist.

"Of course. First, you'll need to pay the exam fee of two hundred Demon Spirit Coins." Yang Xin extended her slender Jade Hand.

Though Nie Li was young, Yang Xin didn't use that as a reason to refuse to let him take the exam.

The Alchemist Guild's regulations clearly stated that the exams for both junior apprentices and junior masters were open to everyone, with no age restrictions.

As a director of the Alchemist Guild, Yang Xin was extremely busy with her daily work. She had no time to waste on children.

Pay up and take the exam; no money, then get lost.

It was that simple!

"Here." Nie Li took two hundred-value Demon Crystal cards from his pocket and slapped them into Yang Xin's hand.

Demon Crystal cards were the paper currency used in the City of Brilliance. Their highest denomination was ten thousand Demon Spirit Coins, and their lowest was five.

The seven companions split into two groups. One followed Sister Xiao Lan to the back courtyard, while the other went with Director Yang to take the exam.

Xian Wu felt a faint sense of unease. Nie Li wasn't about to become the other man, was he?

You shouldn't covet your friend's wife, Nie Li!

Besides, you're my godfather. Doing that would be incest, and you'd be struck by lightning.

Xiao Lan assigned the six companions to six alchemists who were short-handed.

Strong and sturdy, Xian Wu was assigned to a junior alchemy master—Hu Yan Ming.

At the sound of the name "Hu Yan," Xian Wu's heart gave a little jolt. Could that old man be related to Hu Yan Lan Ruo?

"Xiao Xian, go chop the firewood in the courtyard for me," Master Hu Yan ordered.

Looking at the woodpile, which was taller than he was, Xian Wu felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead. No wonder they'd picked him, the strong one. Du Ze and the other scrawny kids would never manage such a demanding job.

Xian Wu didn't use the Demon Left Hand. There were plenty of apprentice alchemists grinding herbs in the courtyard, and with so many eyes around, it would be easy to expose himself.

"Senior, what's been going on lately? Why is the Alchemist Guild so busy?" Xian Wu asked during a break.

The man had a pipe clenched in his teeth, and smoke billowed from his mouth. "What else? The Demonic Beast Tide. It's early summer, and all things are coming back to life. The hibernating beasts are active again, roaming in packs to hunt for food. Some have already made their way near the City of Brilliance."

"Summer's not so bad. The beasts have been worn down by the winter and are practically running on empty, so the city guards can deal with them more easily. But by late autumn, they'll be fat and strong, and they'll have their young with them. That's when the Demonic Beast Tide gets truly terrifying."

Xian Wu was puzzled. "Why do the beasts attack the City of Brilliance? I don't understand why they'd come in packs just to get themselves killed."

The senior tapped his pipe twice against the floor. "What's there not to understand? The Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range has limited resources, and not every beast has stored enough food."

"The relationship between the City of Brilliance and the beasts is like that between a beehive and a brown bear. Even if it gets stung until its face is swollen, the bear still comes out ahead if it gets to eat the honey."

"To put it bluntly, the beasts raise humans like livestock. When winter comes and food runs short, they start slaughtering us."

The senior sighed. "The future of the City of Brilliance rests on you young people. If we can produce a few legendary Spirit Masters, our human race will never have to put up with the Demon Race again. All right, get back to work. Try to finish chopping the wood by tonight."

After hearing the senior's words, Xian Wu fell into thought.

A legendary Spirit Master?

For someone with the Chaos Spirit Devouring Art, it didn't seem so difficult.

At noon, the sun blazed overhead.

The six companions gathered in a group in the Alchemist Guild's cafeteria. They drank medicinal tea and ate a sumptuous lunch.

The Alchemist Guild's lunch was in a completely different league from Sacred Orchid Academy's.

"Compared with this, what we used to eat was practically pig feed," Zhang Ming complained bluntly. He really wanted to keep working at the Alchemist Guild. At the very least, he'd get meat every day.

Zhu Jun Xiang was more level-headed and objective. "You should be grateful there's free food. And you still want to complain? Leave yourself hungry for three days, and even pig feed will taste delicious."

Sacred Orchid Academy was a semi-charitable organization, while the Alchemist Guild was purely a private enterprise. It was only natural that their meals were different.

"Don't just look at the thief eating meat. Look at the thief getting beaten, too." Xian Wu took a sip of medicinal tea and offered his opinion. "Haven't you noticed that all those alchemy masters have white eyebrows and beards?"

"Becoming an excellent alchemist takes years of experience. Anyone willing to sit still all day in front of an alchemy furnace and books would be well suited to becoming an alchemist."

"Someone like Wei Nan!" Lu Piao laughed and patted Wei Nan on the shoulder.

Everyone thought Wei Nan would make a good alchemist, and even he agreed.

But since he'd already learned the top-grade cultivation technique Nie Li had given him and had a chance to become a Gold or even Black Gold Spirit Master, switching to alchemy would be a bit of a waste.

Besides, in the City of Brilliance, a person's power was tied to their rank as a Spirit Master. Although the Alchemist Guild had considerable influence, it was the Spirit Masters who held real power. Alchemists were merely support.

For most people, trying to cultivate as both a Spirit Master and an alchemist didn't make sense.

You couldn't refine pills while cultivating your Soul Force, and you couldn't cultivate your Soul Force while refining pills. In the end, you'd only earn the awkward titles of "the Spirit Master who's best at alchemy" and "the alchemist with the strongest Soul Force."

You'd know a little of both, but excel at neither, and be of little use.

"Hey! Look over there. Isn't that Nie Li in the white robe?" Du Ze suddenly called out.