A Rising Reputation

When Wu Bai cultivated that night, he could clearly feel how much his aptitude had improved.

The energy of heaven and earth, which he had once needed to gather by force with his Soul Power, now flowed toward him on its own. It no longer resisted fiercely when he refined it, and his cultivation speed soared.

Only now did Wu Bai's Soul Power and high-level Cultivation Technique truly come into their own. Before, they had merely compensated for his poor aptitude.

After just one night of cultivation, Wu Bai felt he had taken a huge... well, a substantial step toward becoming a Two-Star Dou Shi.

One month. He would break through to Two-Star Dou Shi within a month!

Quiet days passed on campus. After Han Yue gave the two Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills to her class Mentor, word of Wu Bai gradually spread.

He accepted only one person's request each week, but his exceptionally high success rate soon made him widely known.

Even some students from the Inner Academy sought connections through Han Yue.

More precisely, through her connections with the Han Family.

Han Yue's position was simple: they could skip the queue, but they had to show some sincerity. Otherwise, they could wait their turn.

Since that kiss, their relationship had progressed rapidly.

So when it came to skipping the queue, even her father might not have been able to pull it off.

Outsiders certainly had no chance of doing it for free.

Thanks to this approach, in just over four months, Wu Bai became a prominent figure throughout both the Inner and Outer Academies of Jia Nan Academy.

Then one day, Han Yue returned with regret and apology written all over her face.

"This many? And they all offered extra?"

"The Inner Academy Selection Tournament is about to begin. A lot of people want to make one last push before it starts."

Han Yue truly regretted it. How long would Wu Bai be busy with so many orders?

His aptitude had improved markedly, and his cultivation was advancing quickly. He ought to be focusing on that.

"It's fine. It's only sixteen pills. At one an hour, it won't take long."

Wu Bai counted carefully and found that there were fewer than he had imagined.

Sixteen pills meant eight people. It made sense: anyone without sufficient strength and resources would hardly pay extra to skip the queue for a last-minute push before the Inner Academy Selection Tournament.

"It should be eighteen. There's another Inner Academy student who got ahead in the queue earlier."

Han Yue sighed helplessly. She never should have offered that option.

Wu Bai suddenly pecked her on the lips, and Han Yue kissed him back.

"There are still five days before the tournament starts. No need to rush."

Wu Bai wasn't worried about the eighteen Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills. The person before him held far more of his attention.

Han Yue's aptitude had improved too, and her cultivation had risen considerably. She was now an Eight-Star Dou Shi.

The Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill would suit her current situation well. Taking it as a Dou Shi carried some risk, but if she waited until she reached Nine-Star Dou Shi, that risk would be as low as possible.

With the pill's remarkable effects, she might even break through to Three-Star Da Dou Shi in one go.

Wu Bai was fairly confident he could refine the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill. The greatest difficulty lay in switching between flames.

But he had a solution, even if it was rather extravagant.

He could use two relatively gentle Fire Seeds to refine it. Both would be consumed in the process, though.

But he was an Alchemist, after all.

There was no hurry to make the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, nor was there any hurry with the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills.

Right now, what mattered most was spending time talking with his girlfriend.

That evening, Wu Bai was quite pleased with what the petitioners had offered.

It wasn't Cultivation Methods, Combat Skills, or Pill Formulas.

Low-level Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills weren't worth his time or effort. As for the common low-level Pill Formulas, Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department already had them in its collection, including the one for the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill.

What Wu Bai wanted were Medicinal Herbs rarely seen on the market. He knew where he fell short: without a renowned master to guide him, he would need vast quantities of herbs to gain experience.

That was why he was preparing in advance.

Wu Bai placed the Medicinal Herbs, stored in tightly sealed Cold Jade Boxes, into his Storage Ring and diligently got to work.

After refining three Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills in succession, he began cultivating.

He wasn't foolish enough to let these orders interfere with his cultivation.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, Wu Bai kept to his usual routine and went to breakfast with Han Yue.

When he returned, he thought of the Cold Jade Boxes in his Storage Ring and took out his Medicine Cauldron first.

He refined three Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills that morning, then cultivated.

He refined three more that afternoon, cultivated for a while, and went to dinner with Han Yue.

When he returned that evening, he refined another three, then cultivated until dawn.

In this way, Wu Bai refined all eighteen Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills in just two days.

His success rate was an astonishing one hundred percent!

That result gave Wu Bai an idea: Could I actually be a genius?

He chuckled, set the thought aside, and knocked on the door of Elder Huo's residence.

Elder Huo's standing needed no explanation. He was a Fifth-Rank Alchemist who headed the Alchemy Department, as well as a Peak Dou Emperor. No one would take a man like him lightly.

Like the Han Family's esteemed guest, Mr. Zhu Qian, he commanded respect even from the family's grand elder, Han Fei, a genuine Dou Zong.

Elder Huo invited Wu Bai inside. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wu Bai set down his teacup and explained why he had come.

"Elder Huo, I'm here to take the Fifth-Rank Alchemist examination."

"So soon?"

Elder Huo's solemn expression vanished, replaced by shock.

How old was this boy?

He hadn't even been enrolled for a year. A fifteen-year-old Fifth-Rank Alchemist? That was almost too astonishing to believe!

"I just want to try. I might fail the examination," Wu Bai said with a bashful smile. Elder Huo's reaction was quite something.

But Elder Huo smiled and shook his head.

"I think you'll pass, boy!"

Before long, the two went to the Alchemy Department. At the same time, every Alchemist at the academy of Fourth-Rank or above received an order to attend.

Unless they were at a critical stage of cultivation or pill refinement, they had to come.

Half an hour later, both of Jia Nan Academy's Fifth-Rank Alchemists and all four of its Fourth-Rank Alchemists had arrived.

The room was quiet. When the last Fourth-Rank Alchemist arrived, he found that Elder Huo, who rarely came to the Alchemy Department, was there.

Elder Huo was even wearing his badge with five silver ripples and sat in the center of the front row.

The newcomer hurried to his seat. He was about to ask an old friend beside him what was happening when he saw a young man step onto the platform.

A Medicine Cauldron landed on the floor with a soft thud.

Crimson flames reflected in their eyes as more than forty kinds of Medicinal Herbs were placed into the Medicine Cauldron, one after another.