Chapter 45

The examination room was a public classroom. Even with nearly a hundred people crowding in, it didn't feel crowded. The names of students who had registered for the minor were written on the circular desks. After everyone sat down in order, they could begin preparing for the exam.

As luck would have it, Li Yang and Xi Yu were seated directly opposite each other.

It's quite ironic that the only S-class and the only F-class are standing face to face.

Xi Yu noticed Li Yang's gaze, snorted coldly, and looked away.

He didn't believe the equipment was malfunctioning.

Li Yang is rated F.

He, however, was determined to crush Li Yang in this assessment of alchemy and restore the honor of the Star Magic Department!

The teaching assistant from the Pill Department said, "The assessment is very simple. Next, I will distribute one Gradeless Star-Attracting Pill to everyone. You can use the Power of Starlight to purify it. As long as you can purify it to the First Grade Realm, then you will have passed the assessment."

Someone asked curiously, "Teacher, is it possible to purify using only Power of Starlight?"

The teaching assistant from the Pill Department smiled slightly and said, "It's not that simple. You might fail. Everyone gets one free chance. For the second time, you'll have to buy Star-Attracting Pill."

"!" The man shut up.

Li Yang wasn't swayed; she still asked, "Teacher, isn't equipment needed to purify pills?"

The teaching assistant for the Pill Department: "..."

The group realized what was going on and asked, "Yes! If we don't need the equipment, why are we being asked to buy this equipment package?"

The teaching assistant from the Pill Department maintained her refined and scholarly demeanor, calmly stating:

"The exam questions are different each time. This time, we just happened to draw the topic of pill purification, so we don't need the equipment kit. Also, everyone can log in to the school forum and take a closer look. The message sent by the Pill Department is: 'It is recommended to prepare this.'" She emphasized the word "recommendation."

Everyone: "..." If the ruthless persona doesn't hold up, they might as well be called the Pill Department instead of the pill-making department!

Li Yang wasn't deliberately provoking anyone; she just wanted to confirm, just in case her acting wasn't up to par when she was going to spend her life refining the essence.

The teaching assistant from the Pill Department pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses again and said gently, "The assessment begins. You have 30 minutes. As long as you successfully complete the purification within this time, you'll pass."

At first, no one understood what she meant, until the first student misunderstood. "Ah! The pill exploded!"

The teaching assistant from the Pill Department quickly brought over another pill and said gently, "Two merit points for one pill. Sun, do you want to continue participating in the assessment?"

The students. "..."

No wonder it's only for a limited time; they're just selling inferior pills along the way.

This lousy pill isn't even worth 0.1 merit points, yet it's asking for 2 merit points right off the bat.

Teaching assistant, you might as well just rob us!

However, many students still gritted their teeth and bought one after another...

Li Yang watched with great interest. The Pill Department had really mastered the art of "sunk costs"—first the equipment packages, then the inferior pills... With so many merit points poured in, wouldn't they suffer a huge loss if they failed the minor exam?

Therefore, students have no choice but to increase their efforts and make sure they secure a spot in this minor program.

The Pill Department is impressive, but their alchemy skills might not be that great; their money-grabbing schemes are truly intricate and complex.

Just then, several elderly professors entered the classroom.

One of them was particularly striking, not because he was particularly handsome, but because he had shifty, beady eyes.

Li Yang rarely used such words to describe a person, but she believed that everyone who saw this professor in the examination room could only think of these four words.

She was a hunched little old lady with a silver-white afro adorned with gold hairpins. She wore a gleaming gold academic gown for the Pill Department professor, an abacus tucked into her waistband, and an armband on her cuff signifying her status as an associate professor.

Don't underestimate these three words.

At the Zhongdu Military Academy, professorial titles are linked to academic level; full professors are all Master of the Seventh Grade or above, and there are only a handful in each department.

Associate professors are at the Sixth Grade Realm Peak, Half-Step Master. They are often just one step away from becoming Master.

The remaining Fifth Grade and Sixth Grade can only be considered mentors, and those below them are teaching assistants.

The shifty-eyed associate professor was even ahead of several other associate professors, indicating that he held a rather unusual position.

The students next to Li Yang were whispering among themselves, "Isn't that Professor Li Yaowan?"

Li Yaowan?

Li Yang recognized the name.

Professor Li is very famous at the trading post. His pills are always sold out instantly, especially the Realm-Breaking Pill... which is priced several times higher than others, and there are still a lot of people scrambling to buy it.

Is this the renowned master of elixirs, Professor Li Yaowan?

She's really good-looking...

He has absolutely no airs of a master!

Li Yaowan's voice was also strange, sounding like she wasn't a good person. She quickly walked up to Li Yang, her small eyes sparkling, and said, "Ah, isn't this Li Yang? Is your talent rating S? I've long seen that you have extraordinary potential and are a genius at alchemy. Why don't you drop out of the Agronomy Department and become my disciple..."

An awkward teaching assistant from the Pill Department interjected, "Professor Li, Li Yang's talent rating is not S."

Li Yaowan: "?"

The teaching assistant quickly added, "This is Xi Yu; his talent assessment level is S."

Li Yang witnessed firsthand what it meant for someone to turn on someone faster than flipping through a book. Just moments before, Li Yaowan had praised her for her exceptional talent, but without a second thought, she turned and charged at Xi Yu.

Li Yaowan's small eyes were still bright and sparkling, and even his words remained unchanged. "Xi Yu, I've long seen that you have extraordinary talent and are a genius at alchemy. Why don't you withdraw... Oh, which department are you in?"

Xi Yu had never seen anything like this before, and looked completely bewildered, saying, "... Star Magic Department."

Li Yaowan finished speaking, "Why not leave the Star Magic Department, become my disciple, and become a renowned and wealthy alchemist throughout the Astral Realm!"

The teaching assistant whispered, "Professor Li, we're still in the assessment phase."

Li Yaowan had a shifty, weasel-like appearance and spoke rather erratically, yet she was surprisingly well-behaved. She took a step back and said, "Alright, everyone, take the test seriously. We'll watch from the sidelines and won't disturb you."

The associate professors behind him twitched at the corners of their mouths, their eyes clearly saying, "Old Li, you're done babbling, aren't you? You're not giving us a chance!"

However, they weren't in a hurry to speak.

The talent testing device only provides a rough assessment; the specific alchemy skills will need to be examined further.

If this Xi Yu can purify a low-quality pill to First Grade Middle Stage, then it's worth paying a high price to acquire it.

Li Yaowan, that stingy bastard, only knows how to make empty promises, while the other professors are prepared to offer real money to poach him!

Chapter 45

The arrival of the professors was just a minor incident; everyone was still busy purifying the elixir.

This half hour is neither long nor short.

After all, they were all students who knew nothing about pills, and it was really difficult for them to suddenly be asked to purify pills.

However, purification is much simpler than refining. As long as the Power of Starlight is properly manipulated, most Star Wielders can do it. It's just that self-purification for non- Pill Department practitioners is not cost-effective.

For example, on-site...

With a loud bang, a low-quality Star-Attracting Pill exploded, and a student was blasted into a dusty mess by his own Power of Starlight.

With another loud bang, yet another student's Star-Attracting Pill exploded.

The elegant teaching assistant from the Pill Department was now bustling about like a happy little bee. Her expensive handbag was filled with nothing but inferior Star-Attracting Pill, which was truly an eye-opener.

"Two merit points equal one, five merit points equal three, ten merit points equal seven... My friend, the more you buy, the better the deal!"

In the blink of an eye, the teaching assistant sold dozens of inferior pills and earned dozens of merit points, which made Li Yang extremely envious.

No wonder it's the richest department at the Zhongdu Military Academy!

Their Agronomy Department should really learn a thing or two from the Pill Department about how to make money!

There were only two people present who hadn't yet detonated their pills: Xi Yu, who had an S-level talent, and Li Yang, who had an F-level talent.

The two of them happened to be facing each other, looking completely out of place in the increasingly chaotic assessment classroom.

Several professors were watching Xi Yu, and Xi Yu was indeed focused on purifying the pill. Starlight flowed within his Star Aperture as he methodically introduced it into the pill, removing impurities as if performing a precise manual operation.

With her exceptional mental strength, Li Yang was able to see this scene clearly.

--It doesn't look difficult at all.

Instead of rushing to find the Tongzi to spend her life, she simply used the Power of Starlight to try and purify the pill herself.

Li Yang channeled the Power of Starlight into the pill... In that instant, the Star-Attracting Pill was about to self-destruct.

Fortunately, Li Yang reacted quickly and withdrew her Power of Starlight in an instant, barely managing to protect this inferior pill that was originally worthless but sold for an exorbitant price here.

That's enough.

With her F-rank talent for alchemy, she shouldn't try anything recklessly.

Those present were all at the Second Grade Realm, and the other students' control over the Power of Starlight was even better than hers. The fact that they all frequently experienced pill explosions was enough to prove the importance of this "pill affinity".

"Tongzi," Li Yang thought to himself, "Consuming one month to upgrade the inferior Star-Attracting Pill."

The system remained silent.

She knew this bastard would rise in status; he used to look down on her for a day or two, but now he wouldn't even care about her for a month. Once she reached a higher level, wouldn't he not even care about a year or two?

Undeterred, Li Yang said, "Let's spend half a year upgrading the inferior Star-Attracting Pill."

The system still ignored her.

What could Li Yang do? He could only roll his eyes inwardly and say, "Consuming a year to upgrade a low-quality Star-Attracting Pill."

[With your extremely limited experience in alchemy, you attempted to purify a low-quality pill that should have long been thrown into the trash heap, crushed, and reduced to ashes. After a year of tireless effort, you finally elevated the quality of this inferior pill to Grade One High Stage.]

Li Yang: "..."

It's clear that this elixir has offended the Tongzi's eyes.

But there's nothing I can do, Tongzi. It's not that I'm "stubborn," it's just that the assessment for the Pill Department is too ridiculously designed.