Assessment Begins

Ning Fa followed Ning Shaohong aboard an exquisite crimson spirit boat bound for Lingchang Island. They traveled at tremendous speed and arrived at the island in less than a quarter of an hour.

The clan guards on duty at Lingchang Island recognized Ning Shaohong and immediately bowed respectfully.

A trace of a smile appeared in Ning Zonglie's tiger-like eyes, but he swiftly composed his face, not daring to let Ning Shaohong see through him.

Before long, Ning Fa and the others arrived at the Alchemy Hall, where they happened to encounter Wei Chengzong, who seemed to be heading out.

When Wei Chengzong saw Ning Fa walking at the front, he could not help frowning. Anger rose on his face as he said, "Ning Fa, why are you still refusing to give up? Didn't I say that I've been busy refining pills these past five days and have no time to preside over your assessment?"

Ning Fa chuckled, then stepped aside to reveal Ning Shaohong behind him.

Wei Chengzong was instantly startled and hurriedly said, "Ninth Elder! I did not know you had come. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar!"

Ning Shaohong looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile and said blandly, "I heard that Alchemist Wei has been busy refining an important batch of pills these past few days. I happened to have some free time, so I came to see what sort of pill you are refining."

The moment those words left her mouth, cold sweat streamed down Wei Chengzong's face. He groaned inwardly, for how could he still fail to understand that the Ninth Elder had come to back Ning Fa?

"This... this... it is not actually any important pill. How could I trouble the Ninth Elder to come in person?"

Wei Chengzong said with an awkward smile.

The smile on Ning Shaohong's face vanished as she said coldly, "Since it is not such an important pill, Alchemist Wei should still be able to spare time to preside over Ning Fa's alchemist assessment, should you not?"

Wei Chengzong wiped away his cold sweat. After weighing matters briefly, he immediately made his decision. "Since the Ninth Elder has spoken, of course that will be possible. Please follow me."

In truth, alchemists held an exceptionally high status in the cultivation world. Accomplished alchemists were honored guests of every major power. Someone like Wei Chengzong, a clan's chief alchemist, was generally considered equal in status to the clan elders.

His position could even be more detached. He did not need to curry favor with others; rather, it was the other clan elders who needed to curry favor with him.

However, Wei Chengzong was somewhat different. Although he was now the Ning Clan's chief alchemist and could refine a few of the simplest Second-grade Pills, his pill-refining efficiency was truly difficult to praise.

As far as Ning Fa knew, Wei Chengzong's success rate with several of the most important top-grade first-grade pills was not high at all, only a little over twenty to thirty percent.

Even calling it barely passable would have been a stretch. Over the years, he had squandered a great deal of the Ning Clan's resources.

If not for the fact that he had long served as a guest elder of the clan, had always worked diligently without complaint, and high-grade alchemists were difficult to find—while the clan currently had no one capable of replacing him—he would have long since lost his position as chief alchemist.

Thus, Wei Chengzong lacked confidence and was keen on cultivating social connections, often fawning over those of status within the clan.

That was also why Ning Ruiming had been able to influence him so easily into obstructing Ning Fa's alchemist assessment.

Seeing this, Ning Fa immediately let out a sigh of relief. As long as he was given a fair chance to take the assessment, he was confident that he would certainly pass.

He believed that no one in the entire clan understood the refinement of the Essence Replenishing Pill better than he did—not even Alchemist Wei.

Wei Chengzong then led them to an alchemy room specially used for assessments.

The alchemy room was quite spacious, covering over a hundred square meters. There were five pill-refining stations inside, each furnished with an identical white pill furnace.

Looking at the familiar alchemy room, Ning Fa could not help feeling a little sentimental. His former self had undergone more than ten assessments here in succession, yet every single one had ended in failure, until he finally died in depression.

Wei Chengzong also said solemnly, "Ning Fa, you have taken this assessment many times, so you should know the rules. Since this is not your first assessment, you must provide the spirit materials yourself. And since you chose the most difficult Essence Replenishing Pill, there is no need to refine any other pills. Within five hours, you must refine three batches of Essence Replenishing Pills, producing at least six finished pills in total to pass the assessment."

Ning Fa nodded.

Normally, a single batch of Essence Replenishing Pills could produce at most six finished pills, meaning three batches could yield a maximum of eighteen. Requiring six meant a thirty percent success rate, which was no low demand.

Even if Wei Chengzong refined this pill himself, he would only achieve a success rate of around fifty to sixty percent when performing normally.

Ning Fa nodded and, under the gazes of Ning Shaohong and the others, chose the pill furnace closest to him.

But just as he was about to begin, someone suddenly burst into the alchemy room.

"Master Wei! Why are you presiding over Ning Fa's assessment? Didn't we agree on this?"

Ning Ruiming rushed in. Without even noticing the others in the room, he shouted furiously at Wei Chengzong ahead of him.

Cold sweat immediately broke out across Wei Chengzong's head. He cursed Ning Ruiming viciously in his heart, and could only cough sharply while repeatedly signaling him with his eyes.

Only then did Ning Ruiming belatedly notice that there were others in the alchemy room. One of them was none other than the clan's Ninth Elder, Ning Shaohong.

A startled look crossed his face. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he immediately bowed and said, "Ruiming greets the Ninth Elder."

Ning Shaohong glanced at him with a faintly amused smile. Yet she did not say anything about the schemes Ning Ruiming had been pulling, merely saying blandly, "Since you are here, watch together. You may serve as a witness."

Ning Ruiming's brows drew tightly together. Though his father was the clan's Tenth Elder, his father's position had been obtained improperly, so his standing and influence in the clan still fell far short of Ning Shaohong's.

Although his family was close to the Third Elder, Ning Shaohong was the biological younger sister of the clan's Second Elder.

Thus, even if he were given another ounce of courage, he would not dare act presumptuously before Ning Shaohong—unless he could one day become the clan's chief alchemist, at which point their status would be equal.

Therefore, Ning Ruiming could only suppress his many thoughts and obediently find a place to sit to the side.

He looked at Ning Fa, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips. So what if you are allowed to take the assessment? Could trash like you possibly pass it?

Just then, another beautiful woman entered the alchemy room. It was Liu Qinghui.

She glanced at everyone, then gave Ning Shaohong a soft, delicate bow before silently sitting down some distance away from Ning Ruiming.