Jia Nan Academy, a young man's triumph!

Jia Nan Academy, Outer Academy.

The sun blazed overhead, pouring scorching sunlight down from the sky and leaving the entire Outer Academy in a fever of excitement.

"Have you heard? Senior Lin Chen is refining a fifth-grade pill today to become a Fifth-Rank Alchemist!"

"Senior Lin Chen? The one who took first place in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament and is about to join the Inner Academy?"

"Of course! Who else could it be? I heard he started out as a mere mercenary in Wutan City and lost both his parents as a child. To think he's come this far. Tsk, tsk..."

A clamor of discussion rose and fell across the Outer Academy's plaza. Countless figures came running from afar, rushing toward the stands where the crowd was thickest.

The enormous plaza was oval, surrounded by tiered steps that gave it the shape of an arena, allowing the sea of people seated around it a clear view of the entire plaza.

On the eastern side of the plaza, atop a massive blue stone platform, a handsome, delicate-featured youth sat cross-legged. A dark red medicinal cauldron hovered before him.

Scarlet flames roared beneath the cauldron. As the youth kept adding medicinal ingredients, the rising flames twisted continuously, their temperature climbing and falling in a display of extraordinary flame control.

Cries of amazement immediately rang out from the plaza below, drawing cheers from the watching crowd.

Bang!

On the stone platform, the dark red cauldron suddenly trembled slightly, giving off a crisp, pleasant clink.

"Did he fail?"

Someone in the crowd immediately sighed, but the words had barely left their mouth when—

Boom!

Ring after ring of dark red energy ripples erupted from the cauldron, carrying an intensely rich medicinal fragrance. Like roaming dragons, they surged outward in every direction, instantly filling the entire plaza!

"Energy ripples! That's the phenomenon produced when a fifth-grade pill forms! He did it! Senior Lin Chen succeeded!"

Cries of astonishment immediately rose from the crowd. Many sucked in a breath, their eyes filled with shock.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the crowd, two slender young women were discussing the scene in hushed voices.

The young woman on the left was tall, dressed in a pale purple academy uniform that still could not hide her long, shapely, alluring legs. Straight and graceful, they seemed like the Creator's finest masterpiece, lending her a strikingly spirited air.

She tilted her head slightly, her delicate nose twitching as she inhaled the medicinal fragrance in the air. With a hint of wistfulness, she said, "A Fifth-Rank Alchemist... Xun'er, do you think Nalan Yanran would still have broken off the engagement if our Xiao Clan had a Fifth-Rank Alchemist too?"

Hearing that name and following her gaze, one could see just how breathtaking the young woman beside her was.

The young woman wore a simple, elegant pale blue-green dress. Her lustrous black hair cascaded to her waist like a waterfall, and her skin gleamed white as jade. She resembled a blue lotus blooming in the mortal world, ethereal and possessed of a unique spiritual grace.

On her fair, exquisite face, beautiful eyes like limpid autumn waters held both a young girl's lively innocence and a maturity and wisdom beyond her years.

The young woman called Xun'er inclined her head slightly, a faint smile appearing on her gentle face. "Perhaps."

She paused, her gaze passing through the frenzied crowd to settle on that tall, straight figure, then added softly, "Still, a sixteen-year-old Fifth-Rank Alchemist truly does have impressive talent. Even across the Central Plains, his aptitude for alchemy would rank among the very best."

As she spoke, she studied the handsome, delicate-featured face on the stone platform. For some reason, he seemed familiar, yet she could not remember where she had seen him.

At that moment, Lin Chen completed the final step of collecting the pills. He slowly stood and cupped his hands toward the crowd. "My fellow juniors, today's pill refinement is complete. Is there anything you don't understand? Feel free to ask. Today, we can learn from one another through teaching and study."

As his words fell, the already bustling plaza grew even noisier. Countless jubilant cheers soared into the sky, and numerous figures in alchemist robes immediately squeezed to the front.

"Senior Lin Chen, I have a question! When refining earth core fire ganoderma, how do you remove its volatile impurities without damaging its medicinal properties?"

"Good question. It's not difficult. First, gently warm its roots and stem and guide its medicinal properties, gathering the impurities at the bottom. Then simply slice that part off."

"Senior Lin Chen, what are your thoughts on improving the Jile Pill? I heard that the very first pill you ever refined was..."

"Ahem, junior, don't go spreading nonsense. All right, you can step down. Next!"

"Lin Chen, darling, are you free tonight? I've been looking forward to this for so long. Let's go to the alchemy room and sleep feet to feet. I have a recipe for a Qinghuo Pill..."

"Ahem, junior, I never spend the night at a stranger's place. Could you wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth first?"

"Hey, why are you getting so handsy? Stop her! Hurry up and stop her!"

Lin Chen dodged this way and that, explaining helplessly, "Junior, I only came to teach alchemy at Vice President Hu Gan's request!"

His explanation clearly lacked the devastating power of his handsome, delicate-featured face. Besides, his status as a sixteen-year-old Fifth-Rank Alchemist alone was enough to drive ordinary young women wild.

"Senior, just make my wish come true! My family has a Dou Zong expert holding the fort in the Central Plains. We can definitely afford to support you!"

"Senior, I have a Yangyan Pill I've been treasuring. It's yours!"

Amid the chicken-flying, dog-leaping chaos of their enthusiasm, Lin Chen ducked left and right. In the end, he unleashed his full strength and broke through the crowd's pursuit and blockade.

Whoosh!

The powerful Dou Qi of a Nine-Star Great Dou Master erupted. Scarlet Dou Qi flowed and intertwined, forming a suit of flame-patterned armor that covered his entire body. Everyone was instantly dazzled by this display of what the Outer Academy's greatest genius was truly worth. A streak of scarlet light flashed past, leaving the crowd momentarily dazed.

The youth who had refined a fifth-grade pill and was now hailed as Jia Nan Academy's greatest alchemical genius had vanished without a trace.

A short while later,

"Phew..."

Lin Chen ran several dozen li in one go. Only after seeing that none of the frenzied crowd had followed did he breathe a sigh of relief. He stopped in a secluded grove and reached up to touch his cheek.

His fingers found densely packed red lipstick marks, like peach blossoms in full bloom, leaving his originally fair face quite the "spectacle."

Yet, feeling the lingering warmth and delicate fragrance on his face, Lin Chen could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising. In the end, he burst into peals of smug laughter that practically begged for a beating!

"Hahaha!"

"I finally did it! I'm a Fifth-Rank Alchemist now!"

A Fifth-Rank Alchemist at only sixteen—this was the age when a young man's spirit soared. How could he not revel wildly in his triumph?