Simplify the Complex, the Victor Must Be Strong

This grand event, nominally an assessment but actually a duel, gradually came to an end amid the audience's cheers.

Curiously, it seemed that no one cared about who had won anymore.

A group of voluptuous beauties who had appeared from nowhere surrounded the "winner" they had chosen, fawning over him with every trick at their disposal.

Meanwhile, the black-clad youth trapped amid this tender embrace had flushed bright red, looking flustered and utterly at a loss.

"This is an assessment venue. All unrelated persons, leave at once!"

Just as the scene descended into chaos and threatened to spiral out of control, the two Alchemist Guild presidents on the platform shouted sharply. Their voices shook the rafters, forcing the women to retreat.

"Congratulations to both of you for passing the Second-grade Alchemist assessment!"

Otto approached them with a beaming smile and announced the good news.

As for Frank, his face was slightly red, and he wore an expression of extreme embarrassment.

"As for the pills you two refined..."

Otto walked over to Su Heng, paused briefly, then smiled smugly.

"Little Su, your pill is of superior quality!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone had believed Xiao Yan had won. Even Xiao Yan himself had thought so.

Yet in the span of mere seconds, the result had suddenly reversed, leaving everyone utterly bewildered.

"Thank you, Teacher. You've worked hard."

As though he had expected this all along, Su Heng smiled, stretched his muscles a few times, then slowly walked over to Xiao Yan and said gently.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you let me win."

Xiao Yan had yet to recover from his shock. He stared blankly at Su Heng, his face full of disbelief.

In truth, Su Heng had known he had won the moment he smelled the pill fragrance.

The true main ingredient of the Ice Condensation Pill was not the entire Ice Jade Marrow, but the Jade Marrow Fluid within its icy shell.

Xiao Yan had used the mutual-generating properties of four medicinal ingredients to aid in melting the Ice Jade Marrow's shell. The technique was indeed exquisite, far superior to Su Heng's.

However, the shell of the Ice Jade Marrow was itself a medicinal ingredient. It would blend into the other four ingredients and emit a distinctive fragrance.

The Ice Condensation Pill was refined from five ingredients, not six.

Adding a superfluous touch had turned victory into defeat. Xiao Yan's technique had been exquisite, but he had inadvertently strayed from the pill's essence.

The Ice Jade Marrow shell had fused into the pill, preventing the Ice Condensation Pill's medicinal potency from reaching its most perfect state. That was why Xiao Yan had lost.

In fact, the medicinal effect of Xiao Yan's Ice Condensation Pill was already at the very peak. Even if Pill King Gu He himself had come, the Ice Condensation Pill he refined would not have had a stronger medicinal effect than Xiao Yan's.

But Xiao Yan's opponent was Su Heng. Su Heng's Ice Condensation Pill had extracted the purest medicinal potency and achieved the most extreme effect.

It could be said that in this world, no other Ice Condensation Pill could surpass Su Heng's in medicinal effect.

Plain and unadorned, tempered a thousand times into supreme strength—Su Heng's alchemy was Simplify the Complex, using simplicity to achieve strength.

By refining every medicinal ingredient more than ten times and bringing each of their effects to the fullest, the pill formed by fusing them together would naturally possess the ultimate medicinal potency. Conversely, the more complex the technique, the more flaws it might contain.

At the highest level of competition, the slightest difference determined victory or defeat.

Xiao Yan remained immersed in shock for a long time. Only when a voice rang out did clarity return to his eyes.

"Xiao Yan, bring Su Heng's pill over and let your teacher take a look."

Medicine Elder recalled Xiao Yan from his daze. Although he understood the reason for Xiao Yan's defeat, he still wanted to confirm it personally.

"Oh! Yes, Teacher..."

After regaining his senses, Xiao Yan slowly walked over to Su Heng, cupped his fist in salute, then looked toward Otto and spoke slowly.

"Master Otto, may I examine the pill Brother Su refined?"

Otto's expression abruptly changed upon hearing this. In his eyes, Xiao Yan seemed a little unwilling to accept defeat.

"Teacher, could I also examine the pill Brother Xiao Yan refined? His technique was incomparably exquisite. This disciple truly admires it."

Others might not understand what was going on, but how could Su Heng not know?

It was not Xiao Yan who wanted to look—it was the old man in the ring!

If Xiao Yan made the request alone, it would make him seem unable to accept defeat and provoke Otto's displeasure. Only if both of them made the request would it seem less charged with hostility.

Otto snorted coldly and handed each of them the other's pill, looking at Xiao Yan with some displeasure.

Xiao Yan took the pill, and a faint, bone-white glow appeared in his dark eyes. Medicine Elder briefly possessed Xiao Yan and began appraising Su Heng's Ice Condensation Pill.

A moment later, the bone-white light gradually faded, and Medicine Elder's voice sounded beside Xiao Yan's ear.

"Xiao Yan, you lost this time! That little fellow's pill truly possesses greater medicinal potency."

"You used the mutual-generation method to refine the pill, causing the Ice Jade Marrow shell to fuse into the other ingredients. You added something unnecessary."

"The Ice Jade Marrow shell exists to prevent the medicinal potency of the Jade Marrow Fluid from leaking out. By blending it into the other ingredients, it likewise hindered the spread of their medicinal potency."

"Your Ice Condensation Pill was affected by the Ice Jade Marrow shell and failed to achieve a perfect state. Moreover, Su Heng completely removed the residual impurities within the Jade Marrow Fluid, while quite a few remain in yours."

"If that little fellow Su Heng's Ice Condensation Pill has nine parts medicinal potency, then yours has only seven. Do you understand?"

"That little fellow was able to refine even the tiniest impurities within the Jade Marrow Fluid into nothingness. His soul strength should also far surpass yours."

"Xiao Yan, you have already done very well. It is simply that the other side is stronger. Go congratulate him."

After hearing Medicine Elder's words, Xiao Yan finally understood the true cause of his defeat: his cleverness had backfired on him.

Though Xiao Yan had mastered the Mutual-Generation Pill Fusion Method, he had used it in the wrong place, adding an unnecessary touch and turning skill into clumsiness. His defeat was not undeserved.

"Brother Su, the method you used to refine the ingredients just now seemed clumsy yet was truly ingenious. You simplified the complex. Having lost today, I am completely convinced."

"Brother Xiao Yan, I had always thought myself a peerless genius. Only today did I learn that there are always greater heavens beyond the heavens and greater people beyond people. In all my past years, I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well."

"Your alchemy far surpasses mine. My victory was merely a matter of the slightest margin. I will still need much guidance from you in the future!"

The two bowed to one another and smiled. Heroes had always appreciated one another, and to find such a rival among their peers was truly one of life's great fortunes.

With the outcome decided, jubilant cheers soon erupted throughout the hall.

Aside from the girls who had just crowded around Xiao Yan, who now looked somewhat embarrassed, everyone was immersed in joy.

"Great! Brother Su Heng won!"

Qing Lin stood beside Su Heng, raising her arms and shouting in delight until tears streamed down her face. Lin Fei also wiped away her tears, then raised Su Heng's right hand high and cheered toward the crowd in celebration of his victory.

Xue Mei, meanwhile, stood off to the side with her pretty face flushed red, silent and speechless.

After a long while, she walked up to Su Heng, performed a palm-over-fist salute, and spoke somewhat awkwardly.

"Junior Brother Su Heng, I was muddleheaded before and looked down on others. I offended you greatly. Please do not take it to heart."

When she had entered, her eyes had been filled with hatred. Now, only guilt and regret remained. The icy beauty Xue Mei had actually taken the initiative to apologize to him, which truly surprised Su Heng.

He had thought Xue Mei would be the sort of person who cared desperately about saving face and refused to admit fault. Now, however, she seemed to be a bold woman who could accept defeat and let things go.

"Senior Sister Xue Mei, it is already in the past, so there is no need to keep it in your heart. Congratulations on becoming a First-grade Alchemist."

Returning kindness for kindness, their grievances had now scattered with the wind. Regardless of the process, the final result was good after all.

Once Lin Fei had finished celebrating, the other apprentices of the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild, along with local experts and nobles from Black Rock City, all stepped forward to congratulate Su Heng on his victory.

For a time, Su Heng was run ragged responding to them, sweating profusely. Xiao Yan on the other side was suffering just as much. Though he had lost to Su Heng, he was still a seventeen-year-old Second-grade Alchemist. Countless people wanted to curry favor with and recruit him.

Even more troublesome was the fact that news of two seventeen-year-old Second-grade Alchemists emerging from this assessment had already spread throughout Black Rock City without wings.

A large number of experts wishing to befriend them had already arrived outside the Alchemist Guild's gates.

"This assessment has ended. Next, we will formally confer Alchemist titles upon those who passed. All unrelated persons, leave the hall immediately!"

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, President Frank made a swift decision and ordered the guards to drive out all unrelated people.

With the efforts of more than a dozen guards, Frank, and Otto, the disorderly crowd finally began to disperse, and the assessment hall's doors were shut with great difficulty.

"Whew... We finally drove them away. If it had taken a little longer, I was afraid I wouldn't have been able to hold on."

Xiao Yan was drenched in sweat and gasped heavily. He leaned against the bluestone platform behind him and tried to calm his agitated emotions through deep breaths.

"People fear fame as pigs fear fat. I have truly seen that today. It seems I'll need to be careful whenever I go out and keep a low profile."

Su Heng also shook his head helplessly. These people's enthusiasm had truly exceeded his expectations.

"Alright, let's finish the important business quickly. Then you two can go rest. These are Third-grade Qi-Replenishing Pills. Take them first."

Frank handed each of them a Qi-Replenishing Pill to help restore their Dou Qi and physical strength, allowing Su Heng and Xiao Yan to hold on until the ceremony to receive their Second-grade Alchemist badges was complete.

"Oh, right. You're both seventeen?"

Master Otto suddenly walked over to them. Seemingly recalling something, he asked the question.

Su Heng and Xiao Yan both nodded. They were indeed the same age, both seventeen.

"Then can you tell me your exact birthdays?"

The moment Su Heng heard Otto's words, he immediately understood.

Teacher Otto wanted to determine the youngest Second-grade Alchemist. After all, regardless of which of them passed, he would become the youngest Second-grade Alchemist Black Rock City had seen in nearly a century.

"My birthday is the ninth day of the eighth month. What about you, Brother Xiao Yan?"

Su Heng had been born in the latter half of the year, so he was quite confident about his age. More than half of those his age were older than him.

"Huh? Do I really have to say it..."

Xiao Yan scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. But since Su Heng had already said his, he felt too embarrassed to hide his own.

"I was born on the twenty-first day of the eighth month..."

Some things had long been destined by fate, as though Xiao Yan becoming Black Rock City's youngest Second-grade Alchemist was something that would certainly happen no matter what occurred.

Su Heng called this: Worldline Convergence.

"Hahahaha! Congratulations, worthy younger brother Xiao Yan. You are now Black Rock City's youngest Second-grade Alchemist in nearly a century."

Upon learning that Xiao Yan was younger than himself, Su Heng immediately felt immensely happy. He could finally call him "worthy younger brother" with complete justification.

"You flatter me, Brother Su. Just luck, just luck."

This time, it truly was luck. Under everyone's congratulatory gazes, Xiao Yan smiled shyly. Even Master Otto, who had raised the question, looked relieved and burst into hearty laughter.

"All apprentices who passed the assessment, follow me. Those children who did not pass may return next year. I hope you continue polishing your skills and pass the assessment soon."

Master Frank brought the assessment to a complete close. The apprentices who had become First-grade Alchemists were overjoyed, while those who had failed to become Alchemists sighed and left dejectedly through the back door.

Every apprentice who became an official Alchemist would receive an Alchemist robe specially tailored by the Alchemist Guild, along with a badge matching their grade.

After more than half a year of arduous cultivation, Su Heng's body had slimmed down considerably and no longer looked as sturdy as before.

Now that he wore this fitted red-and-white robe, smooth as silk, he faintly possessed an elegant air. The final trace of childishness on his handsome face was also concealed by his magnificent bearing.

Lin Fei and Xue Mei also changed into the Alchemist robes they had long yearned for.

Lin Fei remained bold and uninhibited, making no effort to conceal her remarkable figure. Xue Mei, on the other hand, was fresh and graceful, with less arrogance and more gentleness. She seemed like an immortal descended into the mortal world, pure and holy.

Both of their chests now bore a cauldron-shaped badge, with a single silver ripple that gleamed and danced as though alive.

As for Xiao Yan, he still chose a pure black robe. His whole person appeared radiant and spirited, carrying himself with imposing confidence.

"You few, come with me..."

Frank looked over the radiant, entirely renewed new Alchemists. After pondering for a moment, he singled out several local apprentices from Black Rock City, then turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan.

After hesitating for a long time, Frank finally made his decision.

"Xiao Yan, you come as well. The others may return home and share the good news with your families. I wish all of you smooth sailing in your future careers as Alchemists."

"Thank you, President Frank!"

Several newly minted First-grade Alchemists thanked him in unison, then eagerly left the guild hall.

Frank and Otto led the remaining people through several maze-like corridors and arrived before a bluestone room.

The entire room had been carved from a single enormous block of bluestone. The stone door alone was over a foot thick; even a Dou Emperor would find it extremely difficult to break through it.

Moreover, the stone door was covered with a powerful Dou Qi restriction. If anyone attempted to force the door open, the two presidents would immediately sense it.

Frank and Otto silently exchanged glances as dense Dou Qi slowly gathered in their palms. Only when their Dou Qi had accumulated to precisely the same degree did they strike out together, accurately hitting the core of the stone door.

As the president's and vice president's Dou Qi entered it, the restriction slowly dissolved. Amid deafening rumbles, the stone door, nearly twice a man's height, gradually opened.

The instant the stone door opened, dazzling brilliant light burst forth from the bluestone room.