Dual Talent

Alchemist Guild.

A magnificent complex of buildings, gates forged from cold iron, with a pill cauldron emblem hanging high above.

"Stop!" Despite the extraordinary presence of Xiao Le's group, the Alchemist Guild guards still stopped them.

"We're here to take the alchemist examination!" Ya Fei stepped forward and took out a letter for the guard to inspect.

The Miter Family had long prepared everything. As a family renowned for commerce, they naturally dealt with alchemists often, so obtaining recommendation letters to enter the Alchemist Guild had been easy.

As they stepped into the Alchemist Guild, Xiao Le immediately drew everyone's attention. He was simply too young.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?" A slender woman stepped forward and asked respectfully.

As expected of the Alchemist Guild—a beautiful seven-star Dou Practitioner was actually working as an attendant. They truly spared no expense!

"We're here for the first-tier alchemist examination!"

Upon hearing this, the woman's gaze became even more respectful and curious. Xiao Le was far too young; she assumed he had come to experience the examination in advance.

The woman smiled politely, took out a scroll, and asked, "Name?"

"Xiao Le."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"Alchemist mentor?"

"Medicine Elder!"

"Medicine Elder?" The woman had never heard that name before, but there were countless reclusive masters in the world, and she could not possibly know them all. After recording the information, she led Xiao Le to another plaza.

In the plaza, three young men sat cross-legged while an elderly man lectured to them.

Seeing that the old man was teaching, the woman did not interrupt him. Instead, she softly said to Xiao Le, "This is Master Hu He, one of our Alchemist Guild's honorary vice presidents. He is a fourth-tier alchemist."

Her tone was full of admiration. Xiao Le noticed the emblem on the old man's chest: four silver wave-like marks beside a silver pill cauldron, unmistakable proof of a fourth-tier alchemist.

Alchemists possessed keen soul perception. The old man had long sensed someone arriving at the entrance, so he quickly stopped speaking, looked at the woman, and asked, "Lan Xi, what is it?"

Lan Xi, the woman who had just brought them over, respectfully bowed. "Master Hu He, this young master wishes to take the first-tier alchemist examination!"

A first-tier alchemist examination normally would not trouble a fourth-tier alchemist, but Xiao Le's age was exceedingly rare. She did not dare make the decision herself and could only seek out Master Hu He.

Master Hu He turned his attention to Xiao Le. Xiao Le's surging soul power greatly surprised him, stirring a competitive impulse within him.

"Good. Lan Xi, go arrange the examination!"

At the same time, Hu He carefully reviewed Xiao Le's information. The name Medicine Elder in the mentor column left him racking his brains, yet he could not recall any alchemist by that name within the Jia Ma Empire.

The first-tier alchemist examination was simple: one merely had to successfully refine a medicinal pill. However, the type of pill had to be assigned by the Alchemist Guild.

Hu He was very interested in Xiao Le, so he followed him to the examination site. His actions also made the young people who had been studying there curiously follow along.

Xiao Le was brought to a secluded small plaza. A pill cauldron stood in the center, and without needing any instruction, Xiao Le sat cross-legged at the work station beside it.

Seeing Xiao Le settle down, Hu He waved his hand. A thin, membrane-like barrier enveloped Xiao Le.

This was to prevent injuries should the cauldron explode during his refinement.

Xiao Le picked up the prescription and examined it. It was for the Spring Beauty Pill, a mid-tier first-tier pill highly favored by women.

There were three sets of ingredients, meaning only three chances.

Xiao Le quickly finished preparing. Seeing so many people watching curiously, the corners of his lips curled up as he slapped the pill cauldron.

A lightning serpent rose within the cauldron.

"What?"

"Lightning-attribute Dou Qi? Is he here to make fools of us?"

"Master Hu He, teach this brat a lesson!"

The crowd immediately erupted into commotion. Xiao Le heard them clearly, but calmly picked up a medicinal ingredient and tossed it into the pill cauldron.

When they saw that the ingredient had not been destroyed by the lightning, Hu He was greatly shocked. His powerful soul force swept across the crowd.

"Silence! Anyone who continues to disrupt the Alchemist Guild's rules, do not blame this old man for showing no mercy!" Hu He said sternly.

The alchemists who had extended their soul power were immediately and mercilessly injured by Hu He.

Hu He stared intently at Xiao Le's pill cauldron. The lightning's tempering actually meshed perfectly with the process, and in certain details, it could achieve things fire-attribute alchemists could not. A strange energy wrapped around the medicinal properties of the ingredients, possessing a nurturing ability no weaker than that of the wood attribute.

A lightning-attribute alchemist, something unheard of!

He had actually witnessed a scene worthy of being recorded in history. Hu He nearly threw back his head and laughed.

"Lan Xi, go summon the president and the other vice presidents," Hu He hurriedly instructed, wanting his old friends to witness this historic moment.

Before long, the president arrived together with several vice presidents and elders. Without Hu He needing to say anything, they all noticed what was unusual.

The Dou Qi within the pill cauldron was not the usual fusion of fire and wood attributes, but pure lightning-attribute Dou Qi.

An old man immediately lost his patience and extended his soul power, but the leading elder stopped him. If they disturbed Xiao Le, all his efforts might be wasted.

The process of refining the medicinal liquid was complete. Xiao Le suddenly gathered his Dou Qi and mixed all the refined medicinal liquids and powders together.

"Prodigal fool!"

An old man immediately cursed in regret at the sight, rebuking Xiao Le for wasting medicinal ingredients like this. Without extensive refining experience, how could such a method possibly succeed?

Sure enough, the mixed medicinal liquid essences began to fluctuate violently. This was a rejection reaction.

Just as the old men were certain that Xiao Le's batch would fail, the lightning serpent became violent and savagely struck the medicinal liquid.

A miraculous scene unfolded. The medicinal liquid, which had been violently turbulent a moment ago, actually calmed down, becoming as obedient as a child.

A refreshing pill fragrance spread through the air.

A pitted, uneven pill embryo appeared within the cauldron. Under the lightning serpent's repeated hammering, it gradually became smooth and round.

"He actually succeeded?"

Today was a miraculous day. These old men had expended a lifetime's worth of astonishment in a single day.

Xiao Le withdrew the lightning serpent and was about to open the cauldron to retrieve the pill when a stream of Dou Qi shot over, violently blasting open the cauldron. Powerful soul force spread out and snatched away the pill.

Only then did Xiao Le realize that, at some unknown point, a group of old men had gathered around. They stared at the pill in the leading old man's hand as though they had seen a stunning beauty, making even Xiao Le feel unnerved.

"Pill patterns?" The leading elder, Cang Fa, carefully examined the pill in his hand. A faint pale-green pattern could be seen emerging upon its surface.

Pill patterns could only appear when a pill's quality reached an exceptionally high level. Pills with pill patterns were generally far more effective than ordinary ones.

"A genius! A sixteen-year-old first-tier alchemist who can even refine pills with pill patterns—and he's also a genius Dou Practitioner!"