Lu Ming gazed at the slender hand that was being extended. Zhou Fuling's skin was extremely delicate, shimmering with a lustrous white sheen, as if it were carved from perfect white jade. In her palm lay a perfectly round silver pill.
Lightning crackled across the surface of the pill, and a strange rumbling sound faintly emanated from it.
That's Thunderclap Pill.
What caught Lu Ming's attention the most was that there were streaks of golden light on the surface of this Thunderclap Pill, like star rings, surrounding the pill's surface, and an extremely rich and intense fragrance emanated from it.
Such quality is truly top-notch!
Zhou Fuling not only successfully refined the Thunderclap Pill, but also devoted all her efforts to refining it into a superior grade that could overpower everyone else!
This was a huge surprise for Lu Ming.
Thank you, senior sister.
Lu Ming reached out and took the top-grade Thunderclap Pill from Zhou Fuling's hand. His fingertips brushed against her palm, the soft and delicate touch like the freshest clam meat. However, he had no intention of indulging in the softness; his attention remained focused on the top-grade Thunderclap Pill.
He played with the pill, feeling its pure and potent medicinal power, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement once again.
This mid-grade pill is a rare and exceptional item for Great Divine Ability Practitioner who has mastered physical supernatural abilities.
If ingested and refined, it can enhance physical strength.
Wait, isn't he himself Great Divine Ability Practitioner of physical supernatural powers?
I wonder if I'll be able to take this pill with me after passing the test?
It wasn't that he coveted the pill; it was simply because it was the first pill he and his senior sister had jointly refined, making it extremely meaningful.
Zhou Fuling's slender fingers quickly curled up, the lingering heat of Lu Ming's fingers still present in her palm, causing her heart to race. However, she forced herself to remain calm and said nonchalantly, "No need to thank me. I was able to refine it into a superior grade because your medicinal power was perfectly integrated. Without such a foundation, even if my Clear Qi surged to twenty-nine levels, it would be difficult to refine it into a superior grade."
Lu Ming laughed and said, "No matter what, Senior Sister has made a great contribution this time. Your mastery of the True Explanation of Six Refinements of Clear Qi and has captured the essence of the sect leader's teachings. I, your junior brother, am completely captivated by it."
Zhou Fuling rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're just being cheeky."
Although she knew Lu Ming was deliberately trying to make her happy, Zhou Fuling couldn't help but pout her bright red lips.
While Lu Ming was overjoyed, the others were not so happy.
The most obvious examples are Song Ren and Su Tao. The two of them stared at the high-grade Thunderclap Pill in Lu Ming's hand, their expressions shifting between light and dark. They had both been certain that the competition for the " Blackwater Flame " would fall between them.
After all, the venue belonged to them, the examiners were their teachers, and they even knew the exam questions in advance...
In a game where victory is assured, there's no possibility of losing.
But... and we still lost!
What should we do?
Filled with resentment, they could only turn their pleading eyes to their respective teachers.
Upon receiving their disciple's gaze, Ye Changfeng and Su Wan exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat unpleasant. They were at a loss, as they could only have a reason to reject a mid-grade Thunderclap Pill if Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling had only jointly refined it. However, with a high-grade Thunderclap Pill right there, if they were to engage in any underhanded dealings, the Fengyang Prefecture Alchemist Association would lose all face.
"Ahem, President Pang, now that the alchemy is finished, let's test the pills first." Finally, Su Wan's eyes flickered as she spoke.
Ultimately, it needs to be tested before it can be determined whether the elixir jointly refined by Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling is truly of superior quality.
Pang Qingsong nodded slightly, and then with a wave of his hand, a maid stepped forward, took out a jade box, marked it, and collected the Thunderclap Pill from the hands of the many alchemists.
In fact, there weren't many successful Thunderclap Pill. Apart from Lu Ming, Song Ren, and Su Tao, only one of the other dozen or so young alchemists managed to refine a rough, low-grade Thunderclap Pill.
The four pills were presented, and masters of Dao of Alchemy such as Pang Qingsong, Ye Changfeng, and Su Wan gathered around to personally examine them.
However, before they could make a move, Zhou Xuan walked up leisurely.
"Master Zhou Xuan is not a member of the Fengyang Prefecture Alchemist Association, so he can't be considered an examiner," Ye Changfeng said calmly, glancing at him.
"I won't test the pills, I'll just take a look," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.
Pang Qingsong's eyes twitched slightly. He knew that Zhou Xuan was guarding against them doing something underhanded. After all, with the abilities of a master Dao of Alchemy, as long as he touched the pill and slightly damaged its medicinal power, he could lower the pill's grade.
As the president of the Alchemist Association, he would never do such a thing.
But Ye Changfeng and Su Wan might not be the same, since they have disciples who are also competing for the Blackwater Flame.
Pang Qingsong didn't want to see such a sordid thing happen either. He had already given Song Ren and Su Tao a lot of help out of consideration for Ye Changfeng and Su Wan during this alchemy test. But if they were still lagging behind under these circumstances, then he really couldn't blame him for being ruthless.
Therefore, it's good to have Zhou Xuan keep an eye on things, so that Ye Changfeng and Su Wan won't take any risks.
So Pang Qingsong ignored Zhou Xuan and examined the four Thunderclap Pill in front of him. The test results quickly became clear: the Thunderclap Pill that Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling had jointly refined had indeed reached the top grade.
Its perfect medicinal power doesn't even seem like it was made by two alchemists; rather, it has the skill of a master Dao of Alchemy.
Such performance aroused Pang Qingsong's interest in talent, and he kept glancing at Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling. Although the girl seemed to be a noble lady who came from the Great Shang Imperial Domain with Zhou Xuan, Lu Ming was a true local, after all, Qingyuan Market belonged to Fengyang Prefecture.
Ye Changfeng and Su Wan were also testing the pills, but they felt somewhat helpless looking at Zhou Xuan, who was standing just two steps away, staring at them.
That old rascal was watching me like I was a thief.
Under these circumstances, they couldn't possibly tamper with the pills, so they could only reluctantly put them back.
"How were the results of your pill testing?" Zhou Xuan asked with a smile.
Ye Changfeng and Su Wan remained silent, but after a moment's thought, Pang Qingsong smiled and said, "In this competition for ' Netherwater Flame,' the superior-grade Thunderclap Pill, jointly refined by Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling, will naturally prevail."
These words definitively set the tone for this competition for Spirit Fire.
Song Ren and Su Tao's faces immediately turned ashen.
The other alchemists sighed in regret, but they were not at all dissatisfied with losing to Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling's high-grade Thunderclap Pill, which was made through joint refining. So they all cupped their hands in congratulations to the two of them.
After all, these alchemists weren't fools. They had already vaguely sensed that Song Ren and Su Tao had probably learned about the exam questions in advance through their teacher's connections, which was why they were able to outperform them.
They were naturally dissatisfied with this, but due to Ye Changfeng and Su Wan's status and position in Fengyang Prefecture, they dared not question it directly.
Lu Ming's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled completely at that moment. Then, an overwhelming surge of excitement welled up within him. He looked at Zhou Fuling and smiled.
"Senior sister, we won!"