After a dozen minutes or so, there was finally movement outside the main doors. It seemed Chemir had brought Fa Ma over.
Xiao Yu could not help marveling at how efficiently the guild worked.
The doors opened, and what approached him was a large Medicine Cauldron turned upside down.
"Huh?"
Xiao Yu stared in surprise, then looked down and saw a small, skinny old man beneath the Medicine Cauldron.
The little old man had extremely long, pale eyebrows and a beard. His eyebrows completely hid his eyes from view. He wore a small alchemist's robe with five silver ripples on the chest, marking his distinguished status as a fifth-grade alchemist.
Though he was short, Xiao Yu could sense the powerful aura radiating from that small, wizened body. He was undoubtedly a Dou Huang expert.
With that familiar attire, he had to be Fa Ma. Only he would wear his beloved Medicine Cauldron as a hat.
Back when Xiao Yu watched the animation, he had nearly spat out his water upon seeing Fa Ma take off the Medicine Cauldron for Xiao Yan to use in refining pills.
Once the man reached him, Xiao Yu cupped his hands. "You must be President Fa Ma of the Alchemist Guild. I have long admired your reputation."
Observing all the proper courtesies was a habit Xiao Yu had developed long ago.
Seeing how courteous this middle-aged man who claimed he could refine sixth-grade pills was, Fa Ma returned the salute. "Indeed, that is this old man. You must be the one Chemir mentioned, who wishes to take the sixth-grade alchemist examination. Truly young and accomplished."
Xiao Yu nodded, confirming that he was the one seeking to take the sixth-grade alchemist examination, then asked, "May I ask what rules apply to this examination? I have never taken one before, so I do not know. I hope you will enlighten me, Elder Fa."
Seeing that the man still insisted on taking the sixth-grade examination even after his arrival, Fa Ma was somewhat uncertain.
Making an exception and allowing him to take the sixth-grade examination is not out of the question. If he truly is a sixth-grade alchemist, it would be a wonderful thing for the Alchemist Guild. If not, he can simply cover the losses incurred during the examination.
With that thought, Fa Ma nodded, agreeing to let Xiao Yu take the sixth-grade examination.
A sixth-grade alchemist examination was no ordinary affair. The guild generally had to provide the medicinal ingredients and pill formula, and ingredients for sixth-grade pills were extremely precious, unlike those for first-, second-, or third-grade pills.
If the refinement failed, the guild would suffer a considerable loss. Thus, examinations at this level were usually taken by alchemists who had long since made their names.
For an alchemist like Xiao Yu, who had never taken an examination before, this was indeed somewhat against the rules.
Moreover, in the past hundred years, the Jia Ma Empire had held only one sixth-grade examination: Gu He's. Even Gu He had advanced one examination at a time, rather than attempting the sixth-grade examination in one leap.
Xiao Yu had no reputation in the Jia Ma Empire, so naturally, no one would take such a risk.
Fa Ma, however, was different. He was obsessed with pill refinement, valuing it above everything else, and he placed tremendous importance on the Alchemist Guild's reputation.
If this man truly was a sixth-grade alchemist, Fa Ma would do whatever it took to keep him in the Alchemist Guild. Even having him serve as an honorary elder would be excellent.
Gu He's infatuation with Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master, was common knowledge. As an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild, he had little presence in the guild and had instead become an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect.
If the guild gained another sixth-grade alchemist as an elder, the benefits would naturally speak for themselves.
"Since you insist on taking the sixth-grade examination, this old man will make the arrangements."
"I will personally fetch the medicinal ingredients and pill formula required for the examination. Please wait a moment."
With that, Fa Ma went to the place where the precious medicinal ingredients and pill formulas were stored, leaving Chemir to attend to Xiao Yu.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Yu, word that he was taking the sixth-grade alchemist examination had already spread beyond the Alchemist Guild.
The person who spread the news was naturally that third-grade alchemist, and he had done so with Fa Ma's approval.
First, it would bring the various powers over to witness the examination. If Xiao Yu passed, it would also enhance the guild's reputation.
Second, with so many powers watching, if Xiao Yu failed to refine a sixth-grade pill-or lacked even fifth-grade ability-he would face very serious consequences.
Anyone daring to deceive the Alchemist Guild would meet a miserable end. This would also help prevent such incidents from happening again.
Jia Ma Holy City was destined to be anything but peaceful that day. The powers that received the news hurried over, including
the Jia Ma Imperial Family,
the Misty Cloud Sect,
the Mu Family,
the Nalan Family,
and the Mittel Auction House, among others. Even Gu He was on his way.
After all, the emergence of a second sixth-grade alchemist was a major event in the Jia Ma Empire, and naturally deserved their attention.
Returning with the pill formula and medicinal ingredients, Fa Ma handed Xiao Yu a Storage Ring and said with a genial smile, "The pill formula and ingredients for the examination are inside. Please keep them safe."
"By the way, I have yet to ask your honored surname."
Xiao Yu accepted the Storage Ring and replied, "My surname is Zhou. You may address me however you wish, Elder Fa."
Fa Ma nodded. "Very well. Then this old man will presume to call you Brother Zhou."
"Brother Zhou, refining a sixth-grade pill is no small matter. Please perform the refinement in the pill-refining chamber to avoid any disturbances that might affect the process."
Looking at the sealed chamber Fa Ma indicated, Xiao Yu nodded. Refining a sixth-grade pill indeed required freedom from interference. Even someone speaking could disrupt him and cause the refinement to fail.
"Thank you, Elder Fa."
After cupping his hands in thanks to Fa Ma, Xiao Yu headed toward the sealed chamber with the Storage Ring.
Fa Ma stroked his beard, then led Chemir up to the raised platform and sat down. He activated the formation there to view a projection of the scene inside the sealed chamber.
Before long, a voice rang out from outside.
"Old Man Fa Ma, where is the fellow taking the sixth-grade examination?"
A white-haired old man in sumptuous clothes walked in, carrying himself with noble bearing. He wore an eyeglass over his right eye, and his presence was imposing.
The aura emanating from him was far stronger than Fa Ma's. Clearly, he was a Dou Huang expert, and one of no low rank.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Fa Ma immediately smiled. "Old Man Jia, I never expected you to be the first to arrive."
The old man was none other than Jia Xingtian, the retired emperor and guardian of the Jia Ma Imperial Family.
Jia Xingtian smiled, his figure flickering as he instantly appeared beside Fa Ma and sat down. "Someone taking the sixth-grade alchemist examination is a major event. Naturally, this old man had to come and have a look. I was simply a little faster than the others."
"Look, here they come now."
Just after speaking, Jia Xingtian sensed two formidable auras approaching and spoke to Fa Ma with a smile.
Then two more people entered the examination hall, a man and a woman.
The man wore luxurious white robes and had handsome features. He was every inch a dashing middle-aged gentleman, with a gentle, refined air.
The woman wore a pale blue-and-white dress. She had a lovely face and an exquisite, shapely figure. Her dark hair was gathered into a Phoenix Hairpin, while the loose strands stirred in the breeze. Noble and elegant, with a cool expression, she was none other than Yun Yun, whom Xiao Yu had met in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Since that handsome middle-aged man accompanied Yun Yun and possessed an impressive aura, he was presumably Pill King Gu He.
The two flashed up onto the raised platform and cupped their hands toward Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian. "President Fa Ma. Elder Jia."
"So it is Elder Gu He and Sect Master Yun Yun. Please, take a seat."
Fa Ma smiled and invited the two to sit.
Once they were seated, Gu He asked curiously, "President Fa Ma, is the person inside the pill-refining chamber the one taking the sixth-grade examination?"
Fa Ma stroked his beard and replied, "Indeed."
"If he truly can refine sixth-grade pills, Elder Gu He will have another rival."
Gu He paid no mind to Fa Ma's teasing and instead smiled. "Another sixth-grade alchemist would be a wonderful thing for the guild. As for me, I would gain a fellow practitioner with whom I could discuss pill-refining experience. How would that make us rivals? You jest, President Fa Ma."
Fa Ma felt regret when it came to Gu He. After all, Gu He had once been the champion of the Alchemist Grand Meeting, yet Fa Ma had failed to keep him. He had gone to the Misty Cloud Sect, retaining only the title of honorary elder in the guild.
Yun Yun remained silent beside them. She had come that day to witness the emergence of a sixth-grade alchemist and see whether she could recruit him into the Misty Cloud Sect. After all, no power would ever complain of having too many alchemists.
The addition of a sixth-grade alchemist was a joyous event for any power.
It was precisely because Gu He had joined the Misty Cloud Sect that it had flourished so steadily over the years.
Before long, Nalan Su, patriarch of the Nalan Family, Mu Chen, patriarch of the Mu Family, and Mittel Tengshan, the man at the helm of the Mittel Family, all arrived.
The major powers of the Jia Ma Empire were now all present, sitting on the raised platform and quietly watching the projection from inside the sealed chamber.
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