Forty: There's Always a Succubus Trying to Harm Me!

"All right, then. I'll start with the first-grade exam..."

Gu Xia could only sigh helplessly. If it was going to be a hassle, then so be it. He had time to spare for now.

"Of course, sir. Please follow me..."

With Gu Xia's agreement, the young attendant gestured for him to follow. Then, swaying her slender waist, she walked ahead to show him the way...

Before long, their pace gradually slowed, and a moment later they stopped in front of a large door. Four brawny men stood guard outside, fully armed.

Gu Xia merely glanced at the four men. Wasn't it a little stingy for such a vast Alchemist Guild to use just a few Dou Zhe as guards?

Still, it had nothing to do with Gu Xia. What he cared more about was the alchemist examination...

"Uncle Teya, has the examination inside started yet?"

The young attendant handed over the information about Gu Xia, which she had written up at some point, to the strongest of the four men. Wearing a professional smile, she chatted with the burly man named Teya...

"Heh heh, not yet, but it'll start soon. Have you brought in another newcomer? He looks pretty good." As Teya took Gu Xia's information, he sized up the refined young man before him, whose bearing seemed almost otherworldly.

Teya's first thought was: Holy crap, how could a man be this handsome? If he dressed as a woman, would he be an unparalleled beauty? Though he's a bit small... No! I mean, it's better that he's a little small. Heh heh heh~ (lecherous grin...)

For some reason, seeing this man holding his information and grinning foolishly made Gu Xia suddenly clench his cheeks. A chill ran through him, and goosebumps sprang up all over his body...

Was another succubus lusting after me?

Just as Gu Xia had this thought, somewhere far away, the girl who had tried to scam him was hurrying toward the Alchemist Guild with an old man in tow. The man wore the distinctive robe of an alchemist and a badge bearing four stripes...

Of course, Gu Xia had no idea about any of that. He simply shivered. As a powerful man, he had an instinct! He could tell that this bearded, burly man with a hairy chest was definitely thinking something bad about him! He must be jealous of his peerless looks! And somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that "some rogue is plotting against me..." This made him even more wary of the suspicious-looking bearded man, as if one careless move might cost him his chastity...

But no matter what Gu Xia thought, the process still had to go on. Teya pulled a black armband from his chest. A large "2" was printed on it. "This is your candidate number. Don't lose it."

Taking the armband, Gu Xia looked at the number that seemed to represent him. For no reason, the number brought to mind some of its other meanings from his past life. His face darkened. He angrily slipped it onto his arm, gave Teya a look like a husky staring at you, then walked off, a little disgruntled...

"Sir, from here on, you'll have to go in by yourself. According to the rules, we aren't allowed to enter," the young attendant said with a light laugh, seeing that all the formalities had been completed.

"..."

Gu Xia didn't reply to the young woman's explanation. He simply walked into the room in silence, leaving everyone with the sight of his unhappy back...

Beyond the door, bright lights illuminated the spacious hall until it was as bright as day. A crowd had gathered inside, and the occasional sound of quiet laughter and conversation drifted through the room.

Gu Xia's gaze swept over the people's chests. He saw that most of them were genuine alchemists. They wore similar alchemist robes, and each had a badge marking their alchemist rank...

"All right,

I assume this young fellow is the last person taking the examination this morning. Come with me..." As Gu Xia was still feeling a little disgruntled, an old man walked over to him. After seeing the large "2" on Gu Xia's armband, the old man spoke to him kindly. Then he turned and led Gu Xia and another young man, who was also there to take the first-grade alchemist exam, toward the examination area...

In the middle of the hall, more than a dozen stone platforms had been carefully arranged, each set apart from the others. All kinds of alchemy equipment had been laid out on them... Seeing this, Gu Xia knew this was where he would be taking his exam...

"You should be the first group taking the alchemist exam today. I assume you all know the rules, so I won't waste any more time. Now, begin your exams using the pill recipes on your tables!"

The old man was straightforward and immediately announced the start of the examination. Afterward, however, he looked helplessly toward a young woman at the last station, then cast a somewhat sympathetic glance at Gu Xia and the young man about to begin their exams. Only then did his expression return to normal, and he began observing the candidates' techniques and control of the refining process...

Noticing the old man's gaze, Gu Xia looked toward the last station as well. A slender young woman stood behind the alchemy table. Her clear eyes were like a cold, crystalline spring high in the snowy mountains; she had delicate features, fine brows, and a graceful, slender figure. She wore a tight-fitting silver robe. Its color set off her skin, smooth as warm jade, giving her an unmistakably cool, metallic charm. Most surprising of all, the silver-robed woman had long silver hair that fell to her waist.

It wasn't the pale silver of hair changed by some illness. Soft as silk threads, it drifted lightly, giving the silver-robed woman an unusual allure.

Anyway, one certain silk-stocking (crossed out) fur-loving someone was already in heaven!

Ahem, of course, that was just a joke. Gu Xia had indeed been captivated for a fleeting moment by the woman's silvery hair, but in the next instant, he seemed to see Xun'er holding a blackened cleaver, a wrathful apparition hovering behind her as she "smiled" at him...

After that vision, the tiny bit of admiration Gu Xia had felt was instantly snuffed out. He almost entered sage mode, saw through the mortal world, and became a monk on the spot!

The silver-haired woman had no idea how Gu Xia's mood had been tossed about like a roller coaster over those few seconds. She had already begun concentrating on refining the pill for her exam...

In fact, Gu Xia was the only one in the entire hall still daydreaming. The young man in his twenties had also begun refining his pill with confidence...

Seeing that Gu Xia, an absurdly handsome young man, was still standing there in a daze, the old man couldn't help shaking his head and sighing. In his view, Gu Xia was still too young, and in his current state, there was no way he could pass the alchemist rank examination...

Having already guessed the result, the old man lost interest in watching Gu Xia...

Just as he was about to turn his attention to the silver-haired woman, a terrifying heat suddenly appeared inside the hall! And along with that dreadful heat came an overwhelming pressure, as if an emperor had descended...