A small test of skill! Ya Fei: We've found a treasure

"Sorry for the trouble, little sister. Please lead the way."

Chu Zhou rose unhurriedly and smiled at Qin'er with a nod.

Qin'er marveled inwardly at how status really could change a person.

The shy "little brother" who had called her big sister seemed to have matured all at once.

What she did not know was that Chu Zhou had already exceeded his goals and no longer needed to keep playing the naive little brother.

Led by Qin'er, Chu Zhou arrived at the medicinal storeroom of the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City, dressed in an Alchemist apprentice's robes.

Though called a medicinal storeroom, it was actually one of the Auction House's several large Treasure Vaults, specifically used to store low-tier Heavenly and Earthly Spirit Medicines.

"You're here. Let's begin right away. Don't feel pressured. Just remember as much as you can, so I can adjust my teaching to suit your aptitude." Gu Ni had already been waiting there and had ordered two hundred medicinal herbs brought out and spread across the table.

Most were common first-tier Heavenly and Earthly Spirit Medicines, with a small number of second-tier ones.

Only a wealthy establishment like the Mittel Auction House could produce so many actual medicinal ingredients at once for hands-on instruction.

When ordinary Alchemists taught their disciples to identify medicinal ingredients, they gave them an illustrated manual to memorize the basic information first, then gradually familiarize themselves with the actual herbs.

"Please instruct me, Master Gu Ni." Chu Zhou bowed solemnly with his hands clasped.

"Mm." Gu Ni was also a decisive man and immediately began teaching Chu Zhou.

"This is a first-tier spirit herb, purple sun grass. It generally grows in..."

"This is a first-tier spirit flower, Moonward Sunflower. It grows at night and matures once every three years. The seeds are used in alchemy and have the effect of stabilizing blood and qi..."

"This is Azure Cloud Grass..."

"This is a second-tier spirit herb, purple sun flower. It grows among purple sun grass, and a single plant may take ten years to appear. Its effects..."

Gu Ni introduced every medicinal herb there to Chu Zhou, covering its name, characteristics, usual growing environment, medicinal effects, and applications.

An ordinary person trying to remember so much information at once would likely have ended up hopelessly confused. Simply remembering all the names and matching them to the right herbs would already have been impressive.

But Chu Zhou was different. Whenever Gu Ni introduced an ingredient, he pretended to study it carefully, picking it up to look at and smell it, then scraping off a little to taste after obtaining permission. In reality, he was analyzing it with the Myriad Medicine Clarity Body he had already claimed and integrated.

The Emperor Tier constitution rewarded by the Firmament Ledger truly lived up to its reputation. A mere scraping let him understand the herb, often in greater detail than Gu Ni's explanation.

Half an hour later, Gu Ni finished introducing all the herbs and led Chu Zhou into the neighboring room.

This was another enormous medicinal vault, also with a large table bearing two hundred medicinal herbs.

"Now it's your turn to speak. Let me see how much you remembered, and how accurately." Gu Ni smiled, anticipation hidden in his eyes.

During his explanations, Chu Zhou's serious, meticulous manner had earned his approval. At the very least, his attitude toward learning was good.

But today, his main purpose was to use this method to roughly assess Chu Zhou's comprehension.

His memory, sensitivity to Heavenly and Earthly Spirit Medicines, and so on.

"Yes!"

Chu Zhou clasped his hands and bowed, then took a deep breath and approached the pile of herbs, beginning his identification and explanation with the first one.

He examined its appearance, picked it up to smell it, and finally scraped off a little to taste. In truth, he was using the Myriad Medicine Clarity Body to deepen his impression and confirm its identity beyond doubt.

"This is..."

Chu Zhou began reciting.

He clearly described each ingredient's name, growing environment, medicinal properties, and applications.

After hearing the detailed information for ten herbs, Gu Ni remained expressionless.

At twenty, approval appeared in Gu Ni's eyes.

At thirty, delighted surprise flashed through them.

At forty, Gu Ni found it hard to believe.

At fifty, he could not help feeling shaken.

Sixty, seventy, eighty... one hundred and fifty...

By the time Chu Zhou finished reciting the detailed information for all two hundred herbs in one go, Gu Ni was numb with shock.

Not a single identification was wrong, and the information he recited was extremely thorough.

Apart from a few pauses when discussing certain ingredients, it was almost perfect.

Chu Zhou: I only paused because the Myriad Medicine Clarity Body gave me more information than Gu Ni explained, not because I was hiding my ability. I had to recall what he'd said and leave out the extras.

This was the moment that would determine his treatment. He had no intention of hiding his ability.

"Master Gu Ni, how did I do?" Chu Zhou asked with an uneasy expression. "I didn't get too much wrong, did I?"

"Nothing wrong. All correct!" Gu Ni's voice trembled slightly.

"All correct?" Chu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you must be satisfied, right? Identifying medicinal herbs is quite simple and rather interesting. I haven't disappointed you, have I?"

Gu Ni did not know what humblebragging was, but at that moment, he certainly felt he had been subjected to it!

"Not at all. You did very well." Gu Ni was deeply delighted.

No wonder a Fourth-Rank Alchemist had been willing to take Chu Zhou as a disciple despite his age and cultivation level. He was a genius.

Had someone discovered him ten years earlier, he would likely have become a renowned figure in the Jia Ma Empire by now.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Ni immediately said, "From now on, don't do any chores. You don't need to help me maintain the medicinal vault either. I'll have someone prepare the best possible meals for you three times a day. All you need to do is cultivate diligently. Stop when your meridians can no longer bear it. I'll give you some first-tier Pill Formulas to memorize while you rest."

With Chu Zhou's outstanding aptitude for alchemy, the most important thing now was to raise his cultivation.

If only there were medicinal herbs or pills that could increase cultivation speed at the Dou Qi stage.

He would certainly persuade Ya Fei to provide them for Chu Zhou.

"I'll follow all your instructions, Master Gu Ni." Chu Zhou bowed.

"Mm. Come with me to see the young lady. Your treatment still needs her approval." Gu Ni nodded slightly and led Chu Zhou to see Ya Fei.

"Wait here."

Upon reaching the office of the Auction House's manager, Gu Ni had Chu Zhou stop outside and entered alone.

Ya Fei was sitting at her desk, studying the list of items for the next auction. Hearing a maid's greeting, she raised her head, a smile appearing on her enchantingly beautiful face. "You're here, Uncle Gu Ni. How is Chu Zhou's comprehension?"

"We've found a treasure, young lady. We've found a treasure!" Gu Ni's excited voice rang out.

Surprise flashed in Ya Fei's eyes. Gu Ni was usually composed and had the arrogance common among Alchemists. He rarely lost his composure like this.

It seemed Chu Zhou had performed very well. Could his comprehension be as exceptional as his talent?

"Uncle Gu Ni, did Chu Zhou identify fifty herbs?" Ya Fei ventured a bold guess.

"Wrong!" Gu Ni's eyes shone. "You can afford to guess a little more boldly, young lady."

She drew a sharp breath.

Startled, Ya Fei asked with a hint of disbelief, "Could it have been a hundred?"

"You still aren't being bold enough, young lady." Gu Ni shook his head slightly and stroked his beard. "All of them. He remembered all two hundred herbs. Not just their names and appearances, but every detail I explained about their growing environments, medicinal effects, and so on, without missing a single word."

"What!?" Ya Fei sprang to her feet, her face filled with shock.

"Uncle Gu Ni, you're not joking, are you!?"