Gerard grinned as he sat down in the chair beside him. He held up a finger and wagged it. "No, Teacher, guess again. I guarantee you'll be shocked!"
"Shocked? A fifth-grade alchemist?"
Fama stared hard at Gerard, trying to confirm his guess from the man's own mouth. Gerard didn't disappoint him. He nodded. "That's right, fifth-grade. And before this, he'd never taken an alchemist rank examination!"
At those words, Fama sprang to his feet, excitement shining in his eyes. "You mean our Jia Ma Empire is about to gain another fifth-grade alchemist?"
The Alchemist Association had an unwritten rule: no matter where an alchemist in the association came from, if the place where they first registered was that association, they were considered to belong to the region where it was located.
If an association could nurture an outstanding alchemist, the Pill Tower would allocate even more resources to it. So every Alchemist Association president's lifelong dream was to cultivate an alchemist who surpassed them.
That way, they'd have something to boast about when they chatted with other association presidents, and they'd also receive more resources. With luck, they might even catch the eye of some big shot and have a chance at promotion.
That was precisely why Fama was so excited to learn that Xiao Chen really had come to certify as a fifth-grade alchemist. This was a priceless treasure delivered right to his door—and an unclaimed one at that.
"Come on, come on! Stop drinking. Take me to the association!"
Fama snatched the cup from Gerard's hand and dragged him out, afraid someone else would snatch this treasure away.
"Wait, Teacher, I haven't even had a drink yet! We ran all this way—at least let me have some water!"
Gerard wished he could slap himself. Why had he gone and shown off? Now look at him: he couldn't even get a drink of water.
Meanwhile, in the Jia Ma Empire's imperial palace!
"Your Majesty means a young Dou Wang has entered Holy City and is now at the Alchemist Guild? And Master Gerard received him personally?"
Yaoye studied the intelligence report in her hands, rapidly considering the various possibilities. The emperor nodded and continued, "There's no mistake in the message sent back by our covert agent. Gerard has already gone to invite President Fama!"
"President Fama is going to the association? It seems this young man is either someone of unusual status or a genius alchemist!"
Yaoye keenly sensed the significance of this information. "Whatever the reason, our Imperial Family absolutely cannot fall behind. Your Majesty, I plan to visit the Alchemist Association in person!"
"I had the same idea, but unfortunately, my position makes it unsuitable for me to appear in public. I'll have to trouble you with this."
Jia He seemed to be saying this out of concern for the Imperial Family's reputation, but in truth, he had no choice. He knew perfectly well that he'd gotten this position only because he was obedient enough.
As the ruler of the Jia Ma Empire, he appeared to enjoy boundless glory, with the power to decide a person's fate with a single word. In reality, whatever he wanted to do, he had to seek Jia Xingtian's approval before making a decision.
Now Jia Xingtian had cultivated Yaoye as well, clearly intending for the eldest princess to succeed him. Jia He had once considered resisting, but when the heads of the talents and death warriors he'd secretly cultivated were laid at his bedside in the middle of the night, he had abandoned the idea for good.
Wouldn't it be better to just live well? Even if I'm a puppet, at least I don't have to worry about food or clothing. Why go looking for death? With that thought, Jia He had completely let go. He no longer even attended court or handled state affairs, leaving everything to Yaoye.
While the two were talking, Fama had already arrived at the Alchemist Association and met Xiao Chen.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, young friend. I'm Fama, president of the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Capital Alchemist Association!"
Fama wore a broad smile, keeping his composure on the outside, but inside, a storm had already begun to rage. Young—far too young! If someone of this age really had reached the fifth-grade alchemist level, then Fama would deserve no small share of the credit.
Xiao Chen stood and cupped his hands. "I'm Xiao Chen. Greetings, Senior Fama!" He called him "Senior" not because of their cultivation levels, but out of an instinctive respect for his elders.
"Hahaha, I can't accept you calling me Senior, young friend Xiao Chen. We're both fifth-grade alchemists, so let's speak as equals!"
The smile on Fama's face grew even wider. Compared with his peers who were bursting with pride and always acted as though they were above everyone else, who wouldn't like Xiao Chen's humble and courteous manner?
Xiao Chen smiled but didn't continue arguing over how to address him. "Since you're here, Senior Fama, can we begin the examination?"
"Please come this way, young friend. I'll supervise the examination myself. What kind of pill are you best at refining?"
By saying this, Fama was clearly offering him a favor. Under the usual procedure, Xiao Chen would draw one of ten fifth-grade pill recipes and refine it.
His intention was obvious: let Xiao Chen refine the fifth-grade pill he was best at. As long as he successfully produced a pill, he would pass.
Of course, this wasn't cheating. Only a fifth-grade alchemist could refine a fifth-grade pill. But for an alchemist who had only just entered the fifth grade, if bad luck struck and they drew a pill they'd never made before, three attempts might not be enough to succeed.
If Xiao Chen wanted to take the examination again, he'd have to wait half a year. Who knew where he'd be by then?
So Fama's move killed two birds with one stone: he offered Xiao Chen a favor while ensuring that he'd receive a reward from his superiors.
"Senior Fama, I plan to refine the Dou Ling Pill. Does the association have the ingredients?"
Xiao Chen had considered which pill to refine. The Dou Ling Pill was just right, and it could help him improve his cultivation.
At this, Fama stopped in his tracks and whipped around to look at Xiao Chen. "Are you sure, young friend? The Dou Ling Pill is a Peak Fifth-Grade Pill! Even I have no confidence that I could refine it!"
As he spoke, Fama's breathing grew somewhat hurried. He had thought Xiao Chen was merely a newcomer to the fifth grade. He hadn't expected this young man to try refining a peak fifth-grade pill. Did that mean he had already reached the peak of the fifth grade?
"Mm! I'm fairly confident I can refine the Dou Ling Pill!"
The method for refining the Dou Ling Pill flashed through Xiao Chen's mind. He couldn't guarantee that he'd succeed on the first try, but he was 99 percent certain.
Fama took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, then turned to Gerard and ordered, "Gerard, go fetch three sets of ingredients for the Dou Ling Pill!"
Gerard had already been dumbstruck the moment Xiao Chen said he wanted to refine the Dou Ling Pill. He only came back to his senses when Fama called his name. He answered, "Yes," then hurried off toward the medicinal herb storeroom.
Before you continue