Passed...

The two Junior Alchemy Masters had some impression of the Sky Mark Family. It was a very small family among the Noble Families, with little renown and little strength. The two exchanged faint smiles. If Nie Li came from a Magnate Family or even a Peak Family, then even if they showed him kindness, he wouldn't take it to heart. But Nie Li came from a small family, so things would be much easier.

The two Junior Alchemy Masters chatted with Nie Li and discovered that he was thoroughly versed in alchemy and extremely familiar with the practical procedures as well.

A monster!

They had both spent decades immersed in alchemy, and only managed to qualify as Junior Alchemy Masters in their forties or fifties. Then they thought of Nie Li's age, and couldn't help but blush. Comparing yourself to others could drive you mad! Nie Li was only a teenager, yet his knowledge was already on par with theirs!

As the saying went, ambition had no regard for age!

It was time to show Nie Li some kindness!

The two Junior Alchemy Masters gathered up Nie Li's papers, intending to take them to the president for a personal review. They couldn't let a modest and polite genius like him slip away!

"Nie Li, wait here for a while. We'll go see the president and find out whether we can admit you directly into the Alchemist Association!" the two Junior Alchemy Masters said with a smile.

"Then I'll trouble you both, Masters!" Nie Li said, bowing slightly with even greater humility.

Seeing Nie Li's gesture, the two Junior Alchemy Masters were so delighted that every pore on their bodies seemed to open. They hurried off with the papers in hand.

At that moment, in the room next door.

Chu Ning was working hard on his papers. Half the allotted time had already passed, and he had only finished three. This was his third time taking the Junior Alchemy Master exam. The first two times, he hadn't even managed a sixty-percent accuracy rate, and he'd left three other papers blank. He had studied everything he hadn't known until he had mastered it before coming here to take the exam.

Before he came, he had secretly sworn that he would pass this time!

But the questions he'd drawn this time were even harder than before!

Chu Ning was at his wits' end. Before coming, he had stuffed plenty of answers into his Spatial Ring, but with the two Junior Alchemy Masters watching him like hawks, he had no chance to cheat. An hour had already passed, yet only a handful of answers were written on his papers.

Looking at Chu Ning's answers, the two proctoring Junior Alchemy Masters couldn't help shaking their heads. His accuracy would reach sixty percent at best. To become a Junior Alchemy Master, he needed an accuracy rate of at least ninety percent.

Two hours passed, and the bell outside rang out.

Chu Ning didn't need to think twice to know he had failed. He stood up in a daze and walked outside. After failing this time, he would have to wait another year before he could take the Junior Alchemy Master exam again!

One by one, the students taking the Junior Alchemy Master exam emerged into the corridor. Only one young man in his thirties looked pleased; everyone else wore long faces. The first round was simply too difficult.

The Alchemist Association's elders' hall.

"President, please take a look at these papers!" Hu Yanming handed two papers to Gu Yan.

The Alchemist Association had only two Grand Alchemy Masters in total, and Gu Yan was one of them. He was also the president of the Alchemist Association. His hair was white, and he was already over sixty.

They were only papers, yet two Junior Alchemy Masters had hurried over to show them to him. Gu Yan had been interrupted in the middle of refining a pill, and he was in no good mood.

"President, these papers were completed by a student taking the Junior Alchemy Master exam. Please have a look!" Hu Yanming said. Even though they could see that President Gu Yan was in a bad mood, they didn't care in the slightest. They were full of excitement.

Gu Yan gave a cold snort, picked up the papers, and glanced through them. "This student has studied well. He answered every question correctly, and some of his answers are remarkably incisive. Let him take the second-round test!" Gu Yan's expression relaxed a little. After all, there weren't many people who could answer every question correctly in the first round of the Junior Alchemy Master assessment.

Hu Yanming and Mu Yang exchanged a smile. Hu Yanming said, "I'd like to ask the president to pass him directly and let him join the Alchemist Association!"

"Pass him directly?" Gu Yan raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Impossible. To become a Junior Alchemy Master, it's not enough to know a great deal about alchemy. He also needs to know how to put it into practice. If he only passes the first round and has no practical experience at all, he can't become a Junior Alchemy Master!"

"President, what if that person is a thirteen-year-old boy?" Mu Yang said from the side. "Even if he has no experience refining pills, that's something he can gain with time! If we miss such a gifted young man, we'll surely regret it!"

Hearing Mu Yang's words, even the usually composed Gu Yan cried out in shock. "What did you say? He's thirteen years old?"

"Yes, President!" Mu Yang and Hu Yanming nodded together.

"Are you two conspiring to fool me? How could a thirteen-year-old boy have studied so many alchemy texts and completed the Junior Alchemy Master exam?" Gu Yan's sharp, icy gaze swept over Mu Yang and Hu Yanming.

"How could we dare deceive the president?"

"Go bring him here. Also, get Director Yang to come to me immediately. No one must hear about this—not even the other elders. Understand?" Gu Yan looked at Mu Yang and Hu Yanming. If a genius like this really existed, then he had to be nurtured as one of his own.

"Yes!" Mu Yang and Hu Yanming's hearts stirred, and delight showed on their faces.

The Alchemist Association had six elders in all, including Gu Yan, and each had their own interests. By keeping Gu Yan's secret, the two of them would become the president's trusted confidants from this day on.

Mu Yang went to call Director Yang, while Hu Yanming hurried off to greet Nie Li.

The corridor outside the examination rooms.

Chu Ning came out with his head drooping. When he saw Nie Li already waiting outside, his eyebrows immediately lifted.

A few people nearby were teasing Nie Li.

"Little brother, how many questions did you get right?" a young man asked with a hearty laugh. He was the only one who had passed the exam.

Nie Li shrugged. "These questions were too easy. They weren't a challenge at all!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks at Nie Li's words.

Nie Li's remark struck a nerve with Chu Ning, who had been tortured by the questions. Chu Ning gave a cold snort. "What a boast! If you got even ten percent of the questions right, I'll strip naked and run three laps around the entire City of Brilliance!"

"Then you can start running now!" Nie Li replied with a faint smile.

Hearing Nie Li, everyone couldn't help marveling. Where did he get such confidence? How had Nie Li done in the first round?

Just then, Hu Yanming came hurrying over.

Seeing the white robes of a Junior Alchemy Master on Hu Yanming, everyone immediately stood straight, their expressions turning reverent.

"Nie Li, you've passed the first round. Come with me!" Hu Yanming said, glancing sidelong at the people beside him and completely ignoring them.

"Mm." Nie Li nodded slightly.

"He passed the first round?" Hearing Hu Yanming's words, everyone froze on the spot, especially Chu Ning, who felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.

How was that possible? Nie Li was only a thirteen-year-old child!

Had they made a mistake?

Was I dreaming?

A thirteen-year-old boy had passed the first round. It was unprecedented in hundreds of years. No wonder Hu Yanming was taking Nie Li away by himself.

Everyone remembered how they had mocked Nie Li earlier, and their faces burned. A thirteen-year-old boy had passed, while some of them were in their thirties or forties, and others were even older—and they hadn't even passed the first round. How could they face anyone?

Chu Ning stumbled along in a daze. He hadn't imagined that Nie Li would actually pass the first round! They must have cheated. Yes, it had to be that! Chu Ning staggered toward the exit. No matter what, the fact remained that he had failed the first round again. When he got home, his uncle would surely beat him black and blue.

"Hey, where did Chu Ning go?"

"Didn't he say he'd strip naked and run three laps around the City of Brilliance?"

As everyone watched, Chu Ning fled in a panic. If he ran three laps around the City of Brilliance naked, how could he ever hold his head up again? They looked over at Nie Li's retreating figure. Nie Li hadn't cared about the wager at all—or rather, he hadn't even taken Chu Ning seriously!

Nie Li and Chu Ning were destined to inhabit different worlds. Nie Li's achievements would leave Chu Ning looking up at him.

Seeing that Hu Yanming, a Junior Alchemy Master, was treating Nie Li with a hint of deference, everyone couldn't help looking on with envy.

The Alchemist Association's directors' hall.

"Nie Li, the president and Director Yang will be here shortly. Please wait a moment!" Hu Yanming said, gazing eagerly at the gifted boy before him. Nie Li was so composed that Hu Yanming had the strange feeling that this boy wasn't thirteen at all, but an Alchemy Master on equal footing with himself!

"Certainly!" Nie Li nodded slightly. He looked around. The directors' hall was quite spacious, with a round table and several chairs in the center. One of the walls was covered with all kinds of notes.

"What's that?" Nie Li asked, looking at Hu Yanming.

"This is where the Alchemy Masters share their knowledge. They write down problems they encounter while refining pills and ask all the Alchemy Masters for solutions. Sometimes, the president and the others help them resolve their problems. Anyone who knows the answer can write it on those papers for everyone to discuss," Hu Yanming explained. Through this method, the Alchemy Masters helped one another improve their alchemy skills.

"Oh!" Nie Li nodded and slowly walked toward the wall. He needed to display enough ability to catch President Gu Yan's attention. Otherwise, simply being trained by the Alchemist Association wouldn't be enough. Did Nie Li need training? What he needed was to make use of the Alchemist Association's power!

So Nie Li is interested in all kinds of alchemy knowledge, Hu Yanming thought with a smile as he followed him over. Of course, he didn't think Nie Li could solve the problems on that wall. Many of them had accumulated over the years without a solution, and some were beyond even Gu Yan, a Grand Alchemy Master!