Second-Rank Assessment

"Teacher... this!"

"Alright Lin Fei, stop making a scene!"

Otto felt a headache coming on. Lin Fei's pestering wasn't a one-day occurrence, just look at the Alchemist robe she was currently wearing.

Ordinary people had to pass an examination before they could receive an Alchemist robe, but Lin Fei had clung to him until she got hers, and she wore it with immense pride every single day.

Seeing that this matter couldn't be resolved through pestering, Lin Fei pulled her hands back from Otto's arm and crossed them over her chest.

"Xiao Lei, I bet you absolutely won't be able to pass the examination!"

Xiao Lei chuckled. She's just a kid, right? Why is she making bets? And there isn't even a wager...

"If you lose, I'll introduce a beauty to you! She personally said that if any man in Black Rock City has more talent in alchemy than her, she'll accompany him..."

At this point, Lin Fei couldn't help but feel she was a genius. If Xiao Lei failed, she could mock him; if he passed, she could watch Xue Mei make a fool of herself.

To her surprise, Xiao Lei merely glanced at her.

"If we are to bet, then use yourself as the stake. What kind of sense does it make to use someone else?"

"As for that so-called beauty you mentioned, keep her for yourself. I have no interest!"

After the two finished bickering, Xiao Lei had already been led by Otto to the outside of an alchemy room.

"The examination for a Tier 2 Alchemist requires Frank and me to set the questions together, and then we must prepare the medicinal ingredients. You should wait inside for a moment."

A perfect opportunity!

Lin Fei thought to herself. Now she had time to go and fetch Xue Mei.

"No problem, senior, please do as you wish."

Xiao Lei was still counting on having a good talk about life and ideals with Otto after the examination, so he naturally had to be polite.

Otto and Lin Fei left one after another, leaving Xiao Lei alone to wait in the alchemy room.

After a long while, Otto finally arrived before Xiao Lei, bringing a sleepy-looking Frank with him.

"Frank and I have discussed it. The topic for your examination will be to refine a complete Qi Recovery Pill. There are three sets of ingredients here; you only need to succeed once to pass the examination."

What a coincidence!

Xiao Lei had just given the man a Qi Recovery Pill, claiming he had refined it himself, and now the man had set this exact topic. If he couldn't refine it now, wouldn't it be blatantly obvious that he had been lying to them earlier?

I couldn't tell, but this old guy Otto is actually quite devious despite his honest appearance!

Fortunately, Xiao Lei had the skills, so he wasn't afraid of their test!

"Hurry, Xue Mei, your future... is right here!"

Before Xiao Lei had even begun the examination, Lin Fei's chattering voice rang out from outside the door.

Xue Mei, following behind Lin Fei, looked displeased, but she couldn't resist her curiosity and wanted to come and see.

After all, a sixteen-year-old taking the Tier 2 Alchemist examination was simply too heaven-defying. One had to know that even Gu He hadn't become a Tier 1 Alchemist at that age.

Hearing Lin Fei's voice, Otto knew things were going south again. He rubbed his temples and walked outside.

"Lin Fei, who told you to come here? No one is allowed to disturb an Alchemist examination. Leave at once!"

"Teacher..."

"Go!" Seeing that Lin Fei was about to deploy her pestering skills again, Otto had to speak decisively. However, Otto did not blame Xue Mei, who stood to the side; she was not only Frank's disciple but also the daughter of the city lord.

"Then we can just wait outside, right?"

"Fine, but you are not allowed to make any noise that might affect the examination." Unable to win against Lin Fei, Otto had to settle for the next best thing.

Xiao Lei simply took a brief look at the ingredients before him, then placed both palms on the medicine cauldron and began the refinement.

As his Dou Qi surged out, Otto immediately sensed Xiao Lei's cultivation level.

"A Dou Grandmaster! A sixteen-year-old Dou Grandmaster?"

If everything hadn't been happening right before his eyes, Otto would have found it absurd.

The young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, Nalan Yanran, was around that age, and Otto estimated she was at most a low-level Dou Master. Yet, here was a sixteen-year-old Dou Grandmaster who had suddenly appeared.

Perhaps he really is the real deal!

The last shred of doubt regarding Xiao Lei's alchemy skills vanished from Otto's heart.

Relying on his cultivation as a six-star Dou Grandmaster, Xiao Lei quickly refined all the medicinal ingredients.

The entire process was smooth and without a single wasted movement, causing Otto to exclaim that Xiao Lei must not have just broken through to Tier 2, but had likely been at that level for a long time.

"This... this is simply unimaginable. A sixteen-year-old Tier 2, and one who broke through long ago. It seems my Black Rock City Alchemist Guild is destined to make a huge splash in the Jia Ma Empire!"

Thinking that the youngest Tier 2 Alchemist came from his own guild, Otto couldn't help but feel smug.

"Once this examination is over, I must find a way to make him an honorary elder of the guild!"

If Xiao Lei knew what the man was thinking right now, he would definitely gloat: The fish has taken the bait!

As long as Otto wanted to make Xiao Lei an honorary elder, Xiao Lei would have a way to manipulate the situation and copy the man's cultivation and alchemy techniques.

The medicinal liquid within the cauldron in his hands quickly fused together, transforming into the embryonic forms of several pills.

The difficulty in refining a Qi Recovery Pill lies precisely here, as a single furnace produces multiple pills simultaneously, which places an extreme demand on an alchemist's soul power.

Fortunately, Guni was a seasoned second-tier alchemist, and with Xiao Lei replicating his alchemy techniques and soul power, handling this assessment was effortless.

"Condense!"

With a soft shout, the pills within the cauldron rapidly took shape, followed by a sudden burst of radiance.

Clang!

Xiao Lei lifted the lid of the cauldron, retrieved all the Qi Recovery Pills, and handed them to Otto and Frank.

"Please, Masters, inspect the pills!"

The two men each picked up a pill and examined it closely.

"Bright luster, rich fragrance, perfectly round—the quality is exceptionally high!"

"Little Brother Xiao Lei, you have passed the assessment. Just wait a moment, and the guild will have your alchemist badge and robe delivered together!"

Having witnessed Xiao Lei refine a second-tier pill with his own eyes, Otto's attitude toward him became somewhat sycophantic.

"I wonder who your mentor is, Little Brother? Perhaps I even know them!"

Generally speaking, alchemists always have a lineage, but seeing Xiao Lei jump straight to the second-tier assessment, Otto assumed it was simply because no teacher had reminded him otherwise.

Thus, Otto kept a sharp eye out; what if Xiao Lei truly had no teacher? If he could take such a genius under his wing, wouldn't that be a massive windfall?

"This junior has no formal mentor. My alchemy skills were self-taught after receiving guidance from a senior alchemist's legacy. That senior left behind complete knowledge of alchemy, which allowed this junior to barely manage self-study."

Excellent! Otto almost wanted to scream with excitement.

If this isn't fate, what is?

To have a genius who became a second-tier alchemist through self-study delivered right to his doorstep—it would be a sin not to take him as a disciple!

"I wonder if Little Brother would be interested in taking me as your master? I could then teach you third and fourth-tier alchemy!"

Otto even forgot about offering Xiao Lei an honorary elder position; right now, he only wanted to be Xiao Lei's teacher!

"Uh, I have yet to witness your alchemy skills, Senior, so how could I simply take you as my master?"

Hearing this, Otto grew anxious. Could his own alchemist badge not prove his strength?

"If Senior can refine a fourth-tier pill before my eyes, this junior will take you as my master!"

Hmm!

Upon hearing this, Otto was instantly delighted. He felt that Xiao Lei simply didn't want to take a master lightly but still had the desire to do so, hence he had proposed a request that seemed simple enough.

Otto had been a fourth-tier alchemist for a long time; it was only his own Dou Qi strength that had limited his further progress.

"It's a deal!"

Watching Otto burst into hearty laughter, Xiao Lei couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for him. This guy had no idea what he was about to go through!