Alchemy Examination

A month passed by in the blink of an eye.

The Ocean Listening Pavilion officially posted notices to recruit disciples and opened its doors.

Qi Refining cultivators with special skills, such as talisman makers, artifact refiners, and alchemists, could gain entry by passing an examination. Of course, this examination was not something just anyone could pass.

Han Changshuo possessed a specialized skill, so he signed up for the alchemy examination.

Dozens of Qi Refining cultivators stood in line. Han Changshuo looked somewhat nervous; it was his first time seeing so many alchemists in one place.

He had been full of confidence initially, but seeing the sheer number of cultivators participating in the alchemy examination, his confidence began to waver.

This was his first time traveling so far from home, and he knew very well that if he could be admitted into the Ocean Listening Pavilion, it would be a great boon for both himself and his clan.

Han Changming and Han Changjiong stood nearby, chatting with Han Changshuo to distract him and help him relax.

"With so many people participating in the alchemy examination, I don't know if I'll be able to pass."

Han Changshuo looked at the long line, sighed deeply, and spoke with a hint of nervousness.

"Second Brother, I spent a large sum of money to have someone get two bottles of spirit water. It's said to be the spirit water that circulates from the Lu Clan of Black Crow Island, which provides a bonus to alchemy. Take it! You might find it useful!"

Han Changming transmitted his voice, took out two blue porcelain bottles, and handed them to Han Changshuo.

Black Crow Island was one of the four major powers in the Red Algae Sea. It was the base of the Lu Clan, a cultivation family famous for alchemy in the region. It was rumored that the Lu Clan's ancestors were disciples of the Heavenly Pill Sect, one of the seven great sects of the East Sea, which was filled with experts and boasted several Nascent Soul Cultivators.

It was no secret in the Red Algae Sea that the Lu Clan excelled in water-based alchemy.

To be honest, Han Changming didn't know if the spirit water produced by the Taiyi Spirit-Transforming Gourd would actually help with alchemy, but since Han Changshuo was taking the exam, he might need it, so Han Changming had prepared two bottles of diluted spirit water in advance.

"Spirit water from the Lu Clan of Black Crow Island? Ninth Brother, you have a kind heart."

Han Changshuo smiled and accepted the two bottles. How could spirit water that provided a bonus to alchemy be so easily leaked? Han Changshuo felt that Han Changming had been swindled.

This was not surprising; with the Ocean Listening Pavilion recruiting, the flow of people in Kuixing Market had surged. Many shops launched promotional activities to increase sales, and some people began to engage in fraud, peddling "insider information" about joining the Ocean Listening Pavilion, claiming they could pull strings to get people in through the back door, or that they could help one get acquainted with the children of the pavilion's elders, and so on.

These claims, of course, could not fool those experienced in the cultivation world, but there were indeed some who fell for the scams.

A disciple from the Zhao Clan, an affiliate of the Han Clan, had been cheated by someone who lied about being able to introduce them to the son of an Ocean Listening Pavilion elder to get them in through the back door. The victim was swindled out of hundreds of spirit stones. When they complained to the Han Clan and the clan sent people to find the swindler, the person had already vanished, and the matter was eventually dropped.

Since Han Changming had good intentions, Han Changshuo naturally wouldn't expose him.

A cup of tea's time later, Han Changshuo entered the Earth Fire Chamber to take his examination.

"Ninth Brother, Second Brother has already gone in. Let's hurry to the auction! It has already started, and I heard there are even Foundation Establishment Pills being auctioned. Seventh Aunt and the others have already gone."

Han Changjiong urged, looking somewhat excited.

They jogged along, and before long, they arrived at the entrance of a golden palace over ten zhang tall.

The plaque was engraved with the three large characters "Treasure Competition Palace," shimmering with spiritual light.

There were two Qi Refining cultivators dressed in uniform gold robes at the entrance; one had to pay a fee to enter.

Just standing at the entrance, they could hear a wave of noisy clamor; it seemed very lively inside.

Han Changjiong paid twenty spirit stones and entered with Han Changming.

The main hall was spacious and bright. In the center was a circular stone platform a zhang high. A man in his thirties wearing gold robes stood on the high platform. In front of him was a square cyan wooden table, on which sat a golden brocade box containing three shimmering flying swords, with a golden wooden gavel beside it.

Around the circular stone platform, rows of seats were arranged in a fan shape, allowing one to clearly see the situation on the high platform.

"This fellow daoist has bid nine hundred spirit stones. Are there any other daoists who wish to bid higher? Nine hundred, first time! Nine hundred, second time! Nine hundred, third time! Sold! This set of flying swords belongs to this daoist." The man in gold robes picked up the golden wooden gavel, struck the wooden table heavily, and announced loudly.

"Ninth Brother, let's quickly find some empty seats."

Because they had arrived late, they couldn't sit in the front, so they found seats toward the back and sat down.

At this moment, the man in gold robes took out five shimmering blue talismans.

"Five mid-grade tier two Water Escape Talismans. Each can allow one to escape ten miles at once. They will be auctioned separately. The starting price is two hundred spirit stones, with each increment no less than fifty spirit stones."

When fighting others or hunting demonic beasts, having a tier two Water Escape Talisman could perhaps save one's life.

Escape talismans were available on the market, but they required custom orders, and the price was not low.

The competition was quite intense, and Han Changming spent six hundred spirit stones to win one Water Escape Talisman.

Han Daohe was responsible for transporting supplies with the Han Clan's caravan, and they might encounter evil cultivators or tier two demonic birds and beasts on the road. Having a Water Escape Talisman on hand could save his life at a critical moment.

Without Han Daohe, Han Changming would not be where he was today.

After the five Water Escape Talismans were sold, the man in gold robes took out five earth-red talismans.

"Tier two mid-grade Fire Flood Dragon Talismans. They possess immense power, comparable to a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator. The starting price is three hundred spirit stones, with each increment no less than fifty."

"Three hundred!"

"Three hundred and fifty!"

"Four hundred!"

The sound of bidding was endless. Han Changming joined in the bidding and spent eight hundred spirit stones to win one Fire Flood Dragon Talisman.

Next, the man in gold robes successively brought out over a dozen items for auction, including tier two talismans, tier two magical artifacts, and tier two medicinal pills, each fetching a high price.

Han Changjiong spent one thousand spirit stones to purchase a bundle of tier two low-grade Spirit Nourishing Incense, which was said to slowly increase one's divine sense and, when lit during talisman making, could also accelerate the recovery of divine sense.

"Seventh Brother, why don't you buy Spirit Nourishing Pills to take? Aren't medicinal pills better than incense?"

Han Changming asked curiously via voice transmission.

"Spirit Nourishing Pills are too expensive; they cost three hundred spirit stones per bottle. I'm trying out the Spirit Nourishing Incense and using them interchangeably. If you take too many medicinal pills, you'll develop a resistance to them."

Han Changjiong explained.

After auctioning off a second-tier mid-grade defensive magical artifact, the man in the gold shirt cleared his throat and said with a smile, "I have kept you all waiting for a long time. Now, it is time for the finale items of the auction."

He clapped his hands, and a maid in a red dress walked up, holding a tray covered with a red silk cloth.

The man in the gold shirt lifted the red silk cloth, revealing three pale gold metal spheres with spirit patterns covering their surfaces.

"Second-tier Puppet Beasts?"

Han Changming's expression was somewhat strange. The Han Clan started out in artifact refining and was skilled at both refining artifacts and crafting Puppet Beasts; the Hundred Refinements Pavilion had second-tier Puppet Beasts for sale.

If they were just ordinary second-tier Puppet Beasts, there would be no reason for the auction house to bring them out, unless they were second-tier high-grade Puppet Beasts. However, bringing out three second-tier high-grade Puppet Beasts for auction all at once was also not very normal.

"Three second-tier low-grade Puppet Beasts. When working together, they can set up the Small Three Talents Formation and release three different elemental spells respectively. The starting price is two thousand spirit stones, and each increment must be no less than two hundred spirit stones."