Primordial Profound Comprehension

The moment the test question appeared, the stands erupted.

"The Primordial Qi and Blood Potion? That's the ceiling of beginner potions!"

"Never mind these kids under twenty-even among veteran pharmacists, you might not find three out of ten who can reliably refine a Primordial Qi and Blood Potion!"

"Five hours? Just purifying the medicinal ingredients takes at least three hours. That's cutting it way too close!"

Among the spectators, knowledgeable medicine merchants and pharmacists whispered among themselves, clearly not expecting the competition's difficulty to be set so high.

The contestant area was in an even greater uproar. Many contestants went pale as they read the question on the big screen.

Some simply set the medicinal ingredients in their hands down on the table, sighed, and got up to leave, forfeiting on the spot.

Before the competition had even fully begun, nearly half the contestants had left.

Lin Hao's eyes lit up as he looked at the words "Primordial Qi and Blood Potion" on the big screen.

Wasn't that the very potion his parents had spent thirty thousand on, asking his older female cousin to obtain it?

That potion's effects truly were remarkable.

He called out repeatedly within his sea of consciousness.

"System! Hurry! Issue a quest!"

But his sea of consciousness remained utterly silent, without even the faintest stray sound.

The little spark of enthusiasm that had just flared in Lin Hao's heart immediately cooled by half.

He turned to look at the contestants around him, who were already so busy their feet barely touched the ground.

Every one of them moved like flowing clouds and running water, clearly practiced hands who had repeated these actions thousands upon thousands of times.

He alone didn't even know which instrument to touch first.

He thought to himself that if he stayed any longer, he would be exposed sooner or later.

The consequences of getting caught taking a test for someone else were very serious.

Lin Hao glanced toward the competition venue's entrance and exit. Some contestants were still forfeiting and leaving one after another.

Seeing this, he stopped dwelling on the system quest and headed toward the exit.

But he had only taken a few steps when a stern voice came from behind him. "You there, contestant. Stop a moment."

Lin Hao's entire body tensed, and he turned around.

A middle-aged man with a proctor's badge pinned to his chest was staring at him, an identity verification terminal in hand. Two martial artists in security uniforms followed behind him.

"Take out your identification. I need to verify your identity."

Lin Hao's heart sank, but he tried his best to maintain a composed expression. "Sir, I've forfeited. I was just about to leave."

"You still need to verify your identity even if you've forfeited." The proctor raised his eyebrows, his tone allowing no room for negotiation. "It won't take much of your time."

Beneath his mask, cold sweat had already beaded at Lin Hao's temples.

He knew perfectly well that once he removed his mask, they wouldn't even need any equipment. His face didn't match Zhou Mingxuan's on the identification at all, and he would be arrested on the spot.

Just as they reached this impasse, a commotion suddenly broke out on the other side of the venue, mixed with a girl's tearful cries. "I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please let me off just this once!"

As it turned out, a substitute test-taker had been discovered at a station on the other side. Two security guards were hauling away a girl who was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. The surrounding contestants craned their necks to look, throwing the scene into some disorder.

Seeing that the proctor was about to go help, Lin Hao couldn't help feeling hope flare in his heart again. Once this proctor left, he would leave immediately.

But the proctor had only taken a few steps before he stopped again.

He looked Lin Hao up and down and said, "Since you're already here, the ingredients and equipment at the venue are all provided free of charge. Even if you can't refine a Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, you can still get some practice. I'll handle things over there first, then come back to verify your information."

With that, he gave the two security guards behind him a meaningful look.

The two guards immediately stepped forward, taking positions on either side of Lin Hao's station.

Lin Hao groaned inwardly. Now there was absolutely no escaping.

He could only steel himself and sit back down at the workstation, imitating the people beside him as he made a show of keeping busy.

First, he opened the ultrasonic purifier's lid, grabbed a handful of dried origin-returning grass powder, and poured it in. Without even checking the settings, he casually pressed the start button.

Barely ten seconds later, thick black smoke billowed out of the machine, accompanied by an acrid, scorched smell. The alarm light on the panel flashed red frantically.

Lin Hao fumbled to press stop and opened the lid, only to find that all the ingredients inside had burned to charcoal.

The two security guards beside him whipped their heads aside, their shoulders shaking and the corners of their mouths tugging wildly upward. Their faces turned red from holding back their laughter.

Lin Hao's ears burned fiercely. Fortunately, his mask covered them.

He saw that quite a few spectators, along with the assistants of nearby contestants, were all looking at him.

He could only keep up the act, picking up an eight-channel micropipette to draw up a little fresh spirit rhyme flower extract. But his hand shook, and the entire tube of fresh extract spilled onto the reaction vessel's control panel.

The screen immediately crackled with electricity and gave off a couple of sparks. There was no telling whether it had broken.

Su Mo, at the neighboring station, witnessed the whole scene clearly and was left utterly dumbfounded.

Uncle Fu beside him couldn't hold it in and laughed aloud. "Young master, look at Mr. Lin. How is he here to refine medicine? I'd say he's here to light a fire and cook. This is the Six-City Pharmacist Competition, not some cooking competition."

Su Mo looked at Lin Hao's chaotic workstation and the medicinal ingredients scattered in disarray, the corners of his eyes twitching.

Could it be...

Had I really misjudged him?

The spectators in the stands also noticed the commotion around Lin Hao and immediately burst into laughter.

"Where did this guy come from? Is he here to be a clown?"

"He can even burn the ingredients during purification. Did he buy his apprentice pharmacist certificate?"

"I'm dying. Even my grandma stews medicine in a pressure cooker better than he does!"

"..."

Lin Hao had no attention to spare for their laughter now.

Because he had spotted the proctor walking toward him, and his heart instantly leaped into his throat.

His mind raced as he tried to work out what he should say.

As the saying went, confess and receive leniency-then sit in prison until the floor wears through; resist and face severity-then go home for New Year's. But there was simply no way to explain away taking a test for someone else.

The proctor reached his station and glanced over the wreckage of his workstation, his brow furrowing tightly enough to crush a mosquito.

Lin Hao's hands, clutching the hem of his clothes, began to sweat. Even his breathing grew unnatural.

Instead, the proctor gave a derisive laugh and waved him off, his tone full of impatience. "All right, you can go. No need to check."

Lin Hao froze, thinking he had misheard.

Then he heard the proctor mutter, "With skills like these, only someone with a hole in their brain would hire him to take a test for them. What a waste of my time."

With that, he turned and left with the security guards.

Watching the proctor's retreating figure, Lin Hao stood stunned, but then his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.

Although the proctor's words were embarrassing, resolving the substitute test-taking issue mattered more than anything.

He hurriedly got up and prepared to head toward the exit.

He didn't dare stay even a second longer.

But just as he took his first step, the mechanical voice that had been silent in his sea of consciousness for so long suddenly rang out.

[Main quest issued: Primordial Profound Comprehension]

[Quest requirements: Complete a total of 10,000 standard Primordial Qi and Blood Potion refinements and raise refining proficiency to 100%]

[Time limit: 100 days]

[Quest rewards: Complete analysis of perfect-grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion refinement; unlock mastery of the underlying principles of beginner potion refinement]

Lin Hao's feet instantly rooted to the spot, and his heart slammed hard against his chest.

It was here!

It was finally here!