About two hours later, the threshold assessment for this batch of alchemists came to an end.
In the end, nearly thirty percent of the cultivators failed to pass this introductory hurdle and were eliminated.
The remaining alchemists were soon divided into four groups under the organization of the Pill Workshop cultivators.
Because Chen Huaien had mentioned that He Xinxian's aura seemed unusual, Yang Yuanzhao took the initiative to join her group, and the Rogue Cultivator elder followed along as well.
Upon entering the assessment venue, they saw a True Intent Alchemy Cultivator suspended above the crowd. Four True Person-level alchemists sat around the four sides, while rows of orderly arranged stone grotto-houses stood in the center of the venue.
Every grotto-house was separated from the others by formations and restrictions. Within them were all kinds of alchemy tools, fully equipped for the alchemists participating in the assessment.
The content of this first round of the Pill Ceremony assessment was not complicated. In every grotto-house, the Pill Workshop had prepared pill recipes and refining materials for three commonly used pills—mid-stage, late-stage, and perfected—for the Condensed Origin and Spiritual Connection realms.
The participating cultivators only needed to choose any one recipe that matched their major realm and refine a superior-grade pill to pass.
Judging by the difficulty of refining them, choosing a mid-stage pill would obviously make it easier to pass the assessment.
However, the final grade of the pill would be related to the subsequent two rounds of assessment.
The higher the grade of the pill refined in this round, the more advantageous it would be for the following two rounds. Thus, every cultivator participating in the assessment had to make a choice.
The Rogue Cultivator elder, for instance, had chosen the safer path and selected the recipe for a late-stage