The Black-Robed Man

Xia Ming smiled faintly, without the slightest hint of pride at this result. The chubby host signaled to a maid, who immediately understood and brought out another tray of herbs.

The chubby man wanted to confirm once more whether Xia Ming could truly identify herbs while blindfolded!

At the chubby man's instruction, the maid brought out another herb tray. This tray looked rather unusual, its black trim ancient in appearance. Upon it lay a pale-white herb, utterly inconspicuous, like the most ordinary roadside weed.

Yet when this herb appeared, the expressions of a small number of potion masters in the audience shifted slightly. Even the Medicine King's face stirred as he said to Hughes beside him, "It's actually this spirit herb... This kid may not necessarily be able to identify it."

Hughes looked pleased with himself. "Haha, the Black Dragon Alliance lost quite a few brothers for this spirit herb, but it was all worth it!"

"It's actually White Jade Spirit Grass." Even the well-informed Rogge spoke up.

White Jade Spirit Grass was an exceptionally rare herb, exceedingly scarce. Compared to it, those rare herbs from before were hardly worth mentioning. More importantly, White Jade Spirit Grass was highly deceptive. Its appearance and scent were no different from the most ordinary wild grass; without careful discernment, it was fundamentally impossible to distinguish.

It seemed the chubby man intended to use this White Jade Spirit Grass to test whether Xia Ming was the real deal.

If Xia Ming truly was a potion master, he ought to be able to spot something unusual. Otherwise, he was very likely a fraud posing as a master of potion-making!

The White Jade Spirit Grass was placed beneath Xia Ming's nose. Catching the faint fragrance of the herb, Xia Ming immediately revealed a knowing smile.

So it was this sort of spirit herb...

In an instant, Xia Ming had almost completely understood everyone's intentions. He smiled calmly. "White Jade Spirit Grass often grows among roadside weeds, making it extremely difficult to find and identify. However, at midnight on one day of every month, it emits a faint glow—its greatest difference from ordinary wild grass. Furthermore, White Jade Spirit Grass is commonly used to brew rare potions for mages advancing in rank. This White Jade Spirit Grass was picked less than two months ago, wasn't it? Good stuff!"

A perfect hit!

The potion masters looked at one another, unable to stop themselves from wondering: if it had been them, could they have guessed it as this young man had? The answer made their old faces flush faintly with shame.

Onstage, Hughes was even more overwhelmed by towering waves of shock. The youth before him was undoubtedly a genuine potion master—but what astonished Hughes even more was Xia Ming's final remark: "This White Jade Spirit Grass was picked less than two months ago." Xia Ming had guessed perfectly. Hughes had discovered this White Jade Spirit Grass nearly two months earlier. Who could have expected that a Magic Beast lurked nearby? Only after losing a great many men had they finally secured this White Jade Spirit Grass.

Yet this youth had merely smelled the White Jade Spirit Grass and inferred the truth with near-perfect accuracy. Truly formidable!

Amid his astonishment, Hughes was also ecstatic. This Potion Conference had actually drawn such a mysterious potion master. Perhaps his son really could be saved...

The audience's praise was unceasing. They applauded and cheered, each of them marveling at the feast for their eyes.

"Haha, our little brother truly is impressive. This time, I'm saved!" Within the crowd, Soros had disguised himself as a burly man in black. Unafraid of being recognized by the Black Dragon Alliance, he laughed as he spoke.

"Hehe, wasn't it my keen eye that recognized a jewel? Otherwise, just wait to be chopped into eight pieces by the Black Dragon Alliance..." Lan Ning said with a low laugh.

"Hmph, it's merely identifying herbs while blindfolded, yet it's won so much praise. It seems this Potion Conference is nothing special after all..."

A deep voice emerged from one of the potion masters. This potion master was dressed exceptionally strangely, his entire body concealed beneath a black robe and hood. Neither his build nor even his gender or age could be discerned from his hoarse, grating voice. He was profoundly mysterious.

Amid the torrent of praise, this discordant note appeared abruptly. Everyone's eyes immediately focused upon the black-robed figure.

Xia Ming was slightly taken aback. By now, the maid had removed his blindfold, and he could naturally see the black-robed figure's strange attire. He had not paid much attention to this oddly dressed person before; after all, potion masters in this world all had their peculiar quirks. Dressing a little "distinctively" truly was not particularly eye-catching.

"Sir, it seems you hold some prejudice against this Potion Conference..." the chubby man said with a beaming smile. As the host of this Potion Conference, he naturally would not allow anyone to stir up trouble.

The black-robed figure snorted and continued in that deep voice, "Is that not so? You praise a mere blindfolded herb identification to the heavens. I had already mastered such trifling tricks by the time I was sixteen!"

Hearing the disdain in the black-robed figure's words, the chubby man forced an even broader smile. "Oh? If what you say is true, then you must also be a figure on the level of a potion master. Might you give us a demonstration and broaden our horizons?"

The chubby man remained cautious toward this black-robed stranger. If this person truly possessed the ability he claimed, then everyone would be happy, and Hughes would certainly not make things difficult for a potion master. But if he was some thorn in the side who had come looking for trouble, hmph—the Black Dragon Alliance, Azure Flame Island's greatest underground force, was not to be trifled with!

"What difficulty is that?" the black-robed figure said arrogantly. He pulled his black robe over his eyes and said, "Come."

The chubby man signaled with his eyes. The maid promptly switched to several different trays and brought out more than a dozen varieties of herbs.

"You are certainly forthright, sir. Then, let us begin!"

The first herb the maid brought forth glimmered with a faint green light. The black-robed figure merely sniffed it before swiftly setting it down. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Green Light Orchid, which grows amid lush woodland thickets. Its scent is extremely faint, and it can be used to make more than twenty kinds of potions, namely..." The mysterious black-robed figure spoke with effortless familiarity, as though reciting treasures from his own home. He even listed the potions that could be made from the herb, greatly shocking the potion masters.

"This person..." Xia Ming, too, noticed that the black-robed figure was no ordinary individual. Just as he had claimed, this person possessed an exceptionally profound understanding of potion-making.

The audience immediately burst into applause and cheers, making the atmosphere even livelier.

Onstage, Hughes and the Medicine King exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of surprise in the other's eyes. Xia Ming's appearance had already been unexpected, but the black-robed figure who had burst onto the scene seemed not to be inferior in the slightest. Together with Master Locke from before, this Potion Conference was truly spectacular.

But when had Azure Flame Island gained so many formidable potion masters? This question troubled both the Medicine King and Hughes. Master Locke had long possessed a great reputation, but that mysterious youth and the black-robed figure seemed to have appeared out of thin air, without a single clue to trace.

The maid continued bringing out herb trays, while the black-robed figure answered with flawless fluency. Nearly every time, he could name the herb the instant he smelled it, and his answers were exceedingly detailed, even giving examples that left everyone deeply convinced.

"Impressive, truly impressive!"

"This Potion Conference was well worth attending, haha! What an eye-opener..."

For a time, all the limelight was stolen by the black-robed figure.

Xia Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, an indescribable feeling rising within him. Though he could not see the black-robed figure's face or identify the voice, Xia Ming had a strange sense that he had seen this black-robed person somewhere before...

Unfortunately, Xia Ming had been in this world for several months and met far too many people. For the moment, he could not recall who this black-robed figure was...