Year-End Test (Part 3)

When the formulas for the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill were released, the entire Alchemist Association was in an uproar.

Gu Yan had already verified that the formulas for these five pills were correct! The effects of the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill were indeed far superior to the Soul Gathering Pill!

The formulas for these two pills, lost since the Divine Empire era, were finally reappearing in the world!

The elders who had been dissatisfied with Director Yang for buying large quantities of low-quality herbs fell silent. It was no joke; seven of the dozens of herbs Director Yang purchased were ingredients for the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill. These two pills alone would help the Alchemist Association earn an untold fortune!

At the same time, they were a little puzzled. If only seven of the dozens of herbs Director Yang bought were usable for these two pills, what were the remaining herbs for? Could it be that Guild Master Gu Yan was hiding some other pill formulas?

The Alchemist Association launched a massive pill-refining operation. Almost all alchemists at the intermediate apprentice level and above rushed to refine these two pills.

The Alchemist Association's activities quickly spread throughout the City of Brilliance.

News of the long-lost Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill, whose effects were dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than the Soul Gathering Pill, sent shockwaves through the entire City of Brilliance.

The Soul Gathering Pill, with its weak efficacy and high price, was somewhat of a chicken bone—tasty but not worth the effort. Many people were unwilling to pay a high price for it. But the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill were different. The cost of their ingredients was not much higher than the Soul Gathering Pill, yet their effects were so much stronger. The Alchemist Association had already leaked the news: due to the large production volume of the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill, the Soul Nurturing Pill would be priced at twice the cost of the Soul Gathering Pill, and the Soul Condensing Pill at twenty times the cost. With effects ten to a hundred times greater, and prices only twice and twenty times higher, the Alchemist Association's move caused a sensation.

Everyone eagerly awaited the large-scale sale of these two pills!

Gu Yan's thinking on this matter was that although there was still room to increase the prices of these two pills, setting them too high would hinder widespread promotion. Promoting these two pills at a low price would not only earn more money but also enhance the strength of the City of Brilliance, allowing it to resist Demon Beast attacks. At the same time, it would boost the Alchemist Association's influence—a win-win-win situation.

With the emergence of the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill, the Alchemist Association, which had been in decline and largely ignored, immediately became the center of attention. Everyone wanted to get their hands on these two pills from the Alchemist Association, and their prices in the black market were being wildly inflated!

Not long after, the City Lord's Mansion sent a secret order to the Alchemist Association, urging them to expedite the production of these two pills. The impact of these two pills on the City of Brilliance was too significant; even the City Lord attached great importance to them!

All members of the Alchemist Association worked overtime to mass-produce these two pills. Although they were working much harder than usual, they also received several times, or even tens of times, the remuneration. None of them were refining the trash that was the Soul Gathering Pill anymore! They focused solely on refining the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill!

Some Soul Nurturing Pills and Soul Condensing Pills leaked out of the Alchemist Association. After some Demon Spirit Masters consumed and refined them, the effects were indeed excellent. Many Demon Spirit Masters whose cultivation had stagnated suddenly saw their power increase dramatically, further exciting and raising the expectations of the people of the City of Brilliance. Many Noble Families prepared to purchase these two pills in large quantities to cultivate their family's younger generation. These two pills might potentially create hundreds or even thousands of Demon Spirit Masters in the future!

It was rumored that some members of the Dark Guild were also purchasing large quantities of Soul Nurturing Pills and Soul Condensing Pills on the black market. This prompted the City Lord of the City of Brilliance to issue an emergency order: anyone caught reselling these two pills to the Dark Guild would face severe punishment!

The two pills had already focused everyone's attention in the City of Brilliance onto the Alchemist Association. Just then, Guild Master Gu Yan suddenly announced that they would also be refining three other pills. One was the Soul Tempering Pill, whose efficacy was ten times stronger than the Soul Condensing Pill and had significant effects even on Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters and Legendary Demon Spirit Masters. Another was the Crimson Flame Body Tempering Pill, which could greatly strengthen the physical body and significantly boost the user's strength. The last was the Nine Revolutions Pill, which could sustain life even after suffering a fatal injury.

Instantly, everyone in the City of Brilliance was even more shocked. It was said that on the night the news was released, the Legendary Demon Spirit Master Ye Mo and the City Lord personally went to the Alchemist Association to meet Gu Yan and spent a fortune purchasing a large batch of these three pills from him.

Even the esteemed Legendary Demon Spirit Master Ye Mo and the City Lord were so concerned about these three pills that everyone couldn't help but develop strong expectations for them.

Soon, the Soul Nurturing Pill and Soul Condensing Pill began selling in the Alchemist Association's shops. The scene was more enthusiastic than anyone could have imagined. Besides the major families, various merchant guilds and even smaller families eagerly competed for them. In just one day, they sold a staggering six hundred million Spirit Coins. Nie Li alone would receive nearly two hundred million Spirit Coins from this single day's sales. Yang Xin personally delivered this sum to Sacred Lan Academy and handed it over to Nie Li. In the coming period, Nie Li would continue to receive a steady stream of income.

All the elders of the Alchemist Association were deeply shocked by this figure. Gu Yan's position within the Alchemist Association became even more solidified. Previously, Elder Hu Shuo had joined forces with two other elders to contend for Gu Yan's position as Guild Master. But now, Elder Hu Shuo had retreated, and the two elders he had courted had also shifted their allegiance to Gu Yan.

The Alchemist Association's financial power swelled to astonishing levels. They posted announcements throughout the City of Brilliance, recruiting disciples on a large scale to join the Alchemist Association. Besides waiving all tuition fees, new members could also earn money by refining pills once they reached the intermediate apprentice level. The Alchemist Association's appeal immediately soared. Many commoner children who couldn't get into Sacred Lan Academy flocked to join the Alchemist Association!

A little over a month passed quickly.

Everything was peaceful. Although people from the Dark Guild were occasionally spotted in the City of Brilliance, no major incidents occurred. With Lord Ye Mo and the City Lord holding the fort, as long as they didn't encounter an attack from a Legendary Demon Beast, the City of Brilliance would remain as stable as Mount Tai.

Nie Li, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others continued to cultivate diligently at Sacred Lan Academy, practicing the most powerful cultivation techniques. They had an inexhaustible supply of Soul Tempering Pills and Crimson Flame Body Tempering Pills in their Spatial Rings, and they bathed in Purple Mist Grass every night. The cultivation progress of Nie Li and the others could only be described as meteoric.

Although there were people outside who wished Nie Li ill, Nie Li and his companions remained hidden within Sacred Lan Academy, leaving their enemies helpless.

The year-end assessment was gradually approaching.

The results of this assessment would significantly impact the future and destiny of every student at Sacred Lan Academy! After the exams, all students would be reclassified into new classes, and the gap between students in the same class would slowly widen.

After this exam, the students of Sacred Lan Academy would be able to return home and face their parents' inquiries about their cultivation progress over the year.

All the students at Sacred Lan Academy were preparing intensely, striving to achieve excellent results in this assessment.

In the beginner class for martial apprentice students, the most anticipated event was the bet between Nie Li and his instructor, Shen Xiu.

Nie Li, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others had not appeared in class for a long time. No one knew how Nie Li and the others were doing. Breaking through to Bronze 1-star Martial Artist in two months seemed impossible.

"Boss Shen Yue, Nie Li and his group have been hiding in the library every day, too afraid to show themselves on campus! I bet he can't possibly reach the Bronze 1-star realm and is just waiting to be expelled!" one of Shen Yue's subordinates said with a laugh, flattering him. "Boss Shen Yue has taken a few Soul Condensing Pills; he's probably not far from Bronze 2-star!"

Was Nie Li truly afraid to appear? Could Nie Li actually reach Bronze 1-star? Shen Yue didn't know how to answer. Nie Li had actually defeated Chu Yuan, who was Bronze 3-star! Was it solely because Nie Li's control over Soul Power surpassed ordinary people? That didn't seem to make sense!

However, Shen Yue preferred to believe that Nie Li definitely had not reached Bronze 1-star!

Since Nie Li's appearance, Ye Ziyun had never even glanced at him! Shen Yue harbored a deep hatred for Nie Li! Yet, he had never found an opportunity to cause trouble for Nie Li. After this assessment ended, if Nie Li was expelled, he wouldn't let Nie Li off; he would make Nie Li wish he were dead!

Nie Li had previously exposed the Crimson Flame Explosion inscription as plagiarism, enraging the Sacred Family. The Sacred Family was already fully suppressing the Sky Mark Family. Even if Nie Li wasn't expelled from Sacred Lan Academy, he would surely become a stray dog. Shen Yue could almost imagine Nie Li's tragic fate!

"Who told you to offend me, and also offend my brother!" Shen Yue thought to himself. Was Nie Li truly destined to oppose their Sacred Family? Not only did he steal his woman, but he also stole his brother's woman. And his brother was the future successor of the Sacred Family!

All over the Sacred Lan Academy's sports field and in the woods, people were cultivating. To prepare for this exam, many children from noble families had consumed a considerable number of Soul Nurturing Pills and Soul Condensing Pills, and the effects were quite noticeable. Some from more affluent families had even managed to obtain one or two Soul Tempering Pills or Crimson Flame Body Tempering Pills!

The effects of these pills were quite apparent. The strength of the students in this cohort was significantly enhanced compared to the previous one, which greatly delighted the academy's high-ranking officials.

It was unknown how many students from the genius class graduating this year would reach Silver 5-star. Reaching Silver 5-star before the age of sixteen meant they would become pillars of the City of Brilliance in the future, important figures in its governance. Generally, anyone who reached the Silver level would have a promising future.

Nearly half of the students from the previous genius class would graduate and leave, while new students would be admitted. It remained to be seen how many would qualify for the genius class this year, which was also highly anticipated.

Sacred Lan Academy was adorned with colorful lanterns everywhere, preparing for this significant occasion.