A few hours ago...
"Can I... go to the toilet?"
Qiu Zhengyi gave Michael a strange look. She could understand that, after having no chance to use the bathroom during the first break, he apparently needed it badly. But why ten minutes before the test was over? Even if he was already done, couldn't he just wait for the test to end?
Qiu Zhengyi quickly shook her head as Michael left the room in a hurry. She still needed to answer one final question herself, so her full focus was necessary.
This second test was harder than she had expected, but she still managed to answer everything without much trouble. Theoretical knowledge was the foundation for any practical work, and Qiu Zhengyi's goals were much higher than to simply pass this test.
Name five subsidiary alchemy ingredients, with each one falling into a different category of Yin-Yang composition. Then exemplify how each named ingredient could be used in combination with the main ingredients of different alchemy formulas to neutralize the effects of Yin and Yang they would otherwise have on the mortal human body. Refrain from using the standardized subsidiary ingredients used within the actual formulas.
Qiu Zhengyi knew that the balance between Yin and Yang was a very important part of creating a pill recipe. The wrong balance between the cold, dark, muddled Yin energy and the hot, bright, clear Yang energy could lead to worsening any kind of disease or even kill the consumer if left uncontrolled. The negative effects of these forces on the body would naturally amplify even more on a mortal human. Therefore, the Yin-Yang composition was one of the most important aspects of creating an alchemy formula.
The intricacy of creating a stable Yin-Yang composition while also producing the desired effect upon consumption was one of the many reasons alchemy formulas were regarded as treasures and could only be shared with Alchemy Association students in their third year of attending.
Qiu Zhengyi, though not flustered at all, started to write the moment she finished reading the question.
Moderate Yang: Crimson Ember Vine
Mild Yang: Dawnroot
Mild Yin: Snowpetal Fern
Moderate Yin: Frostveil Lotus
Neutral: Clearbud Clover
Each individual ingredient had a different Yin-Yang composition, but they were generally put into categories to simplify their use.
Qiu Zhengyi took the main ingredients of known alchemy formulas to pair them with these subsidiary ingredients to neutralize the effects of Yin and Yang.
Pill recipe: Strengthening Pill
Main ingredient: Amberroot (mild Yang); subsidiary ingredient: Snowpetal Fern.
Pill recipe: Calming Pill
Main ingredient: Moonfern (mild Yin); subsidiary ingredient: Dawnroot.
Pill recipe: Bone Hardening Pill
Main ingredient: Froststeel (moderate Yin); subsidiary ingredient: Crimson Ember Vine
Pill recipe: Heart Pill
Main ingredient: Solar Dew (moderate Yang); subsidiary ingredient: Frostveil Lotus
Wait, I can't use neutral.
Qiu Zhengyi suddenly realized that this last question was a lot harder than it already seemed.
Since a neutral ingredient wouldn't completely cancel out the effects of Yin and Yang, it could not be used as the fifth Yin-Yang composition to answer the question.
There were obviously also Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin ingredients, but they were normally rarer, more potent, and harder to use, making their corresponding pill recipe a higher tier than Qiu Zhengyi knew.
Time was running out. Qiu Zhengyi had only five minutes to go, but suddenly she understood.
She had made crucial mistakes while writing down the last two recipes, so she quickly got back to work to correct them.
Pill recipe: Bone Hardening Pill
Main ingredient: Froststeel (moderate Yin); subsidiary ingredients: Crimson Ember Vine, Clearbud Clover
Pill recipe: Heart Pill
Main ingredient: Solar Dew (moderate Yang); subsidiary ingredients: Frostveil Lotus, Clearbud Clover
A pill made out of a moderate or higher Yang ingredient cannot be stabilized with only a moderate Yin ingredient. Ingredients that are too far apart regarding Yin and Yang do not mix with each other easily and fail to neutralize on their own; they would simply stay unconnected and could lead to even more severe problems when consumed.
Instead, ingredients with such a radical Yin or Yang composition need another ingredient to serve as a bridge for them to connect, mix, and ultimately neutralize.
This test wasn't even about creating a full formula; it was just about one aspect of a far more complex process, and she was already close to failure. Creating a real formula from scratch seemed completely impossible; Qiu Zhengyi wondered how the people from the past did it.
I still have a lot to learn. Qiu Zhengyi sighed as she put down her pen. Only five minutes left? Master Xidu never disappoints.
Qiu Zhengyi was quite satisfied with the difficulty of the exam. She loved alchemy, and she loved to learn, so any test that would make her learn or think on a deeper level was always welcome.
Time ticked by, and Qiu Zhengyi used her remaining time to look over some of her answers again. Her goal during this examination was obvious: becoming an alchemist.
"The time is up; please hand in your tests," Xidu Chen spoke.
Most students had to stop writing abruptly. Writing another word would instantly disqualify them. The Alchemy Association was famous for not showing any leniency when it comes to following rules.
Qiu Zhengyi, meanwhile, simply handed over her stack of papers, without batting an eye at the collective shock and anxiety spreading in the room. This time, there would be eliminations.
Still, everyone handed in their tests to the appropriate clerk until only one singular stack of papers was left lying at their student's seat.
Where is Michael? Qiu Zhengyi wondered.
But just at that moment, a door opened.
Someone entered through the door reserved for teachers. The person slowly walked towards the middle desk for teachers and stood in front of the class, radiating seasoned authority.
His name was Mao Gong, the branch leader of this Alchemy Association.
"You," he pointed at one of the clerks. "Give me the test remaining on the desk."
The clerk acted quickly and delivered Michael's test towards him.
"Michael? Who is he? Who dares to leave during an exam conducted by the Alchemy Association?"
"Oh, he is an outsider who comes from the outer city," Xidu Cheng answered.
"So an outer-city savage? How did he even survive the first round? Did he cheat?"
Xidu Cheng wanted to answer that he wasn't cheating, but suddenly another voice rang through the class.
"I suspect so, Father," Mao Ping spoke up.
"Then that settles it." Without a warning Mao Gong took the papers and ripped them in half under Xidu Cheng's widened eyes before handing the ripped stack of papers back to the clerk.
"Throw these away. As for this Michael, he shall be banned from participating in any future tests conducted by the Alchemy Association for cheating and walking away during an official exam."
"But Master Gong, is that really just? There is no proof of cheating, and he simply went to the toilet and will be back soon. Can't we just correct his test like the rest and wait for his return?" Xidu Cheng asked.
"Not just? He is absent, suspected of cheating, and from the outer city. That is more than enough to justify banning him. Listen, if you want him to stay in, go and fetch him right now, and after you get him, correct his test," Mao Ping said with a mocking grin. To him, an alchemy master fetching a mere outer-city thug would be a humiliation to the core.
"Ok, I will do it," Xidu Cheng said with enthusiasm. He was very confident that Michael had written something incredible; he needed to correct this test, even if it was ripped apart once.
Regarding the humiliation of fetching a junior while having the status of an alchemy master: Xidu Cheng didn't care for these matters, not even in the slightest.
"What a disgrace," Mao Gong, meanwhile, mumbled silently but still loud enough for everyone to hear.
Xidu Cheng started searching for Michael, but after more than 10 minutes he had to give up. Michael couldn't be found. Not in the toilets, not on the outside, not in the break room. Michael was gone, something that was unexplainable for Xidu Cheng.
He returned to the exam room, where everyone was still waiting. "And did you find him?" Mao Gong said without changing his strict expression. Xidu Cheng, though, knew Mao Gong was laughing on the inside.
"No, Michael is nowhere to be found; maybe something happened to him?" Xidu Cheng said, unsure about the situation.
"He just fled!" Mao Ping couldn't help but shout out. "His cheating method didn't work on this test, so he had to escape embarrassment," he continued, getting more and more confident as he spoke.
Xidu Cheng wanted to retort, but he himself also wasn't sure why Michael had left. He knew that Michael wasn't cheating but couldn't come up with an argument that made sense, so he simply sat down and started to correct tests under the satisfied eyes of Mao Ping and the strict look on Mao Gong's face.
The break began, and the students headed to the break room once more. This time, even more nervous than before. Everyone knew that they could've just failed.
Meanwhile, Qiu Zhengyi headed outside alone. She put on her usual stone-cold, unfriendly expression and minded her own business.
Contrary to how she behaved when speaking to Michael, in reality she had no friends, no one she wanted to talk to.
Everyone within the class was either a lackey of Mao Ping or someone who was afraid of him. At the beginning she was naive and made friends. But these "friends" simply used her goodwill to relay information about her to Mao Ping. They either acted out of fear of him or out of opportunity to befriend the son of the branch leader. In the end there was no one she could trust, leaving her lonely.
Michael, though, just seemed different. Someone who simply wanted to become an alchemist. Without a master. Without the Alchemy Association. She thought he was crazy, but he dared to show up; he dared to not run away from Mao Ping. And even more surprisingly, he actually was better than her regarding alchemy. But why did he quit? She had no idea.
Qiu Zhengyi shook her head. Right now there was no time to think about it; Qiu Zhengyi still needed her entire focus for the next two tests, but as she looked to the side, she spotted lackeys of Mao Ping whispering before one of them walked off. Qiu Zhengyi knew that another distraction would arrive soon.
Surprisingly though, Mao Ping never arrived.
Qiu Zhengyi sighed in relief and tried to focus on the upcoming challenge as she headed back to the testing room.
The third test began soon, and there was still no sign of Michael coming back.
The number of participants had gone down from the original 15 to only 7, with only Qiu Zhengyi scoring a full 100%.
Meanwhile, the most shocking result wasn't the many eliminations or Qiu Zhengyi's score. It was Mao Ping's score: 92%. A score that would be heaven's gift for some students, yet it felt like a death sentence for Mao Ping.
Mao Ping was ambitious after all and wanted to make the impossible possible by directly promoting to an alchemist during this exam. Yet, a score of 92% was not enough to keep him in the race. A score of 95% was needed to preserve the chance of becoming an alchemist during this exam. Mao Ping had failed.
As always, the third and the final fourth tests would be held by Mao Gong. As the head of the branch, there was no need for him to design the tests himself, but he liked to have full control over the final stages of the exam to keep the Alchemy Association's standards intact.
Qiu Zhengyi didn't listen closely to the visibly unhappy Mao Gong's explanations. Instead, her full focus was on the ingredients placed in front of her.
In this test, one had to prepare different ingredients for alchemists. This exact task would be a large chunk of the work every alchemist disciple had to do if they managed to pass the entire exam. Naturally, the requirements for this test were high.
This time the score wouldn't be categorized by percent; Mao Gong would personally inspect the students' work.
He would judge them on three criteria. Speed, usability of the ingredient, and diligence while preparing.
Each participant had 30 minutes of time but could decide to present their work before the time was up; during the preparation period, Mao Gong would naturally look at the work of the students.
Qiu Zhengyi took one deep breath as Mao Gong announced the start.
Analyzing the ingredients, Qiu Zhengyi was confident and began to work quickly.
Using various tools to cut, split, crush, and wash different ingredients, she managed to progress quickly.
It wasn't as easy as preparing cooking ingredients, though. Each presented plant was exceptionally fragile. One false move and the medical essence within the plant would be lost, and the ingredient would become useless.
Qiu Zhengyi, though, simply used the techniques taught to her and prepared each ingredient properly, splitting the useless parts from the actual ingredient.
In 15 short minutes she showed her results to Mao Gong, who simply nodded. Qiu Zhengyi had passed the third test without any problems.
Qiu Zhengyi, though, didn't feel much joy; after all, her temporary goal was still one step away.
Time passed by quickly, and Mao Ping was the only student who also presented his prepared ingredients at around the 25-minute mark. Everybody else could only use the full time.
Under Mao Gong's critical eyes, only Qiu Zhengyi, Mao Ping, and two others could pass this round. The alchemy exam proved to be as difficult as ever.
Qiu Zhengyi didn't think too much about the high failure rate. In her eyes, hard work was enough to withstand the test, so the people who couldn't do it were simply not dedicated enough. As for individual talent, she didn't know or care too much about it.
Sitting alone in the corner of the outside area, waiting for the final test to start, the person Qiu Zhengyi wanted to see the least right now, Mao Ping suddenly appeared. His expression looked smug, yet under the facade Qiu Zhengyi spotted traces of dejection. A weird appearance.
"So, Sister Zhengyi. Seems like I won our little bet. The savage couldn't help but cheat, and as soon as his tricks ran out, he ran away like the coward he is," he started to speak.
"Mao Ping, just leave already; Michael didn't cheat, and he passed the test. There is no evidence that suggests otherwise."
"You are still trusting that lowly savage? Sister Zhengyi, you can't even see it as his persona is laid bare in front of you. Just accept your loss," Mao Ping said somewhat bitterly. In his mind, Michael had just cost him the chance to become an alchemist, distracting him before the second test started. He had to win on this front at least.
"I won't, and you need to keep your mouth shut, alright? Now leave me alone." Qiu Zhengyi looked at Mao Ping with a threatening gaze, not giving him any grace.
"Qiu Zhengyi, you really think you can talk to me like that?" Now it was Mao Ping's turn to get angry. He let Qiu Zhengyi get away with a lot, but no one ever talked to him like that.
"I don't know your real identity; my father never told me, but still, you think you can just talk to me like I am some noname? You lost the bet, and you resort to this just so you don't have to honor it. Do you really think you are above me? Stop being so arrogant," Mao Ping blurted out what was on his mind.
"Arrogant? All I want you to do is to stay away from me. It doesn't matter if you are from the outer city or the emperor of Yuanshu; just leave me alone. That is my only wish." Qiu Zhengyi had also lost her temper. She didn't know why, but she liked the idea that Michael was accused of cheating even less than Mao Ping's usual antics.
"Qiu Zhengyi, have you lost your mind? How dare you disrespect the emperor like that? Your words could be seen as treason; apologize this instant!" Mao Ping replied, genuinely shocked by Qiu Zhengyi's choice of words.
"No, I won't; I won't take my words back. Now leave, and stop talking to me. Forever, please," Qiu Zhengyi coldly replied.
"You have clearly lost your mind, but I will get what I deserve. You will go to that dinner with me!"
Just as he turned around to leave, he looked back one more time. "And don't think that just because I failed to qualify as a true alchemist, you are better than me. I will show you what it means to be a Mao in the final test."
Qiu Zhengyi simply shook her head. Even if Mao Ping somehow surpassed her in the last test, it wouldn't matter to her. She was never interested in being the best of the class anyway. It was all about her own progress; Mao Ping's results didn't matter to her in the slightest.
The last four remaining students came back to perform the final test: concoct a batch of alchemy pills.
The participants would get two chances. They could ask for any ingredient present within the Alchemy Association (except the rare ones) and simply had to produce one batch of pills. In fact, to become an alchemy disciple, within the two tries, they only had to produce one low-quality grade 1 pill. The lowest rank of all pills.
To directly become an alchemist, they had to produce a Grade 1 pill with medium quality. Which sounded easy enough, yet was a hard feat even for Qiu Zhengyi herself.
Qiu Zhengyi quickly told the clerks the ingredients she needed.
"Four Mellowroots (neutral), two Stillleaf Herbs (neutral), two Sunflare Herbs (moderate Yang), four drops of Nightdew (mild Yin), and some clear water."
The ingredients were delivered quickly, and Qiu Zhengyi already started to put on the fire below the cauldron, giving it an appropriate temperature to begin her process without waiting too long.
Xidu Cheng, meanwhile, looked at Qiu Zhengyi's ingredients with wonder. Is she really going for that pill? Even on the first try?
Meanwhile, Mao Ping looked at Qiu Zhengyi's ingredient with a smug smile. She really is full of herself. To think she would pick out one of the most difficult tier 1 recipes… This is my chance to put her in place.
Mao Gong started talking again about the significance of this test, but once again, Qiu Zhengyi did not pay any attention; she simply waited for the test to begin.
"You may start preparing your first batch," Mao Gong finally announced.
Qiu Zhengyi started her process. She took two Mellowroots and the Stillleaf Herbs and cleaned them. Then she carefully cut out the damaged parts within the Mellowroots before tossing them into the cauldron.
Even in low heat the fragile Mellowroots melted into a sticky liquid that slowly got hotter. At the same time, Qiu Zhengyi took her Sunflare herbs, crushed them into a soft powder and mixed it with two of the four Nightdew drops.
Yin and Yang wouldn't mix easily, but the relatively close-to-neutral Nightdew drops could interact with most Yang ingredients, causing a slight approach towards a neutral Yin-Yang composition of the mixture.
The easy part was over, but two critical points within the concoction process remained.
Qiu Zhengyi increased the temperature of the cauldron. She needed to control the heat precisely before continuing. Too much heat and the already inserted Mellowroots would burn. Too low and the mixture of Nightdew drops and Sunflare Herb would not fully liquefy and therefore could neither mix nor turn into the pure medical essence within them.
Qiu Zhengyi held her hand over the cauldron while looking at the color of the flame and hearing the sound within, all to gauge the exact heat.
Not yet, not yet, she thought before a sudden, barely noticeable change in color took place in the flame. Now!!!
She didn't hesitate and tossed the prepared mixture into the cauldron and saw the reaction between the Mellowroot liquid and the mixture. The mixture turned into pure liquid and slowly harmonized with the Mellowroot liquid.
Basically, the Mellowroot was utilized as a stabilizer. It was needed to build a bridge between the heat of the cauldron and the added mixture while closing the gap towards a neutral Yin-Yang composition and keeping the medical essence within the mixture all at the same time.
After the medical essence was released and sealed into the Mellowroot liquid, Qiu Zhengyi could lower the heat once more and had to wait for a few minutes.
In her free time, she didn't stay idle, though, and prepared the Stillleaf Herb by soaking it in water so that it would lose some of its strong effects. A Stillleaf Herb would normally weaken the effect of anything, but in this context, it was a very critical ingredient to complete the concoction process.
Without it, the pill, a pill used mainly by non-cultivators, could harm one's body and vision.
She carefully pulled the Stillleaf Herb out of the water before drying and pulverizing it too. It felt like the Stillleaf Herb was slightly weaker than it should be, but she still continued on with her concoction process.
The last two drops of Nightdew were added to the already slightly stiff mixture before Qiu Zhengyi slightly increased the temperature once more to throw in the Stillleaf Herb powder.
*Sizzle*
She added the Stillleaf Herb powder, and the mixture became restless again. The ingredients were mixed, and the medical essence was flowing within the cauldron. Now the mixture was perfectly balanced between Yin and Yang due to the two extra drops of Nightdew and the Stillleaf Herb, which soon calmed down the whole liquid.
That, in combination with steadily lowering the temperature, made it so that slowly but steadily, liquid turned into a hard round object step by step: a pill.
A total of five pills were formed, meaning no ingredients were wasted.
Qiu Zhengyi, after 30 minutes of concentration, finally perceived her surroundings once more. Only then did she realize that everyone was looking at her with wide-open eyes.
Mao Ping, distraught; the other candidates, in wonder; and Xidu Cheng, with a proud smile.
"Seems like everyone is done," Mao Gong said after clearing his throat. "Now I will test the results."
A device from the Alchemy Association was put up in front of him. Something that could determine the purity of an alchemy pill.
The purity of a pill is determined by the percentage of pure, medical essence within the pill. For example, a pill that was made with a cauldron too hot may have burned parts, lowering the purity, while if the cauldron is too cold, the medical essence might not be fully extracted within the pill.
Obviously, there are countless ways to lower the purity, as every single small mistake would influence it, and even in a perfect concoction process, there would still be impurities.
Generally though, a pill has four levels of purity:
Failure: 0% - 10% purity: Not consumable.
Low-quality: 10% - 40% purity: Consumable, but only barely beneficial in comparison to the other qualities.
Medium-quality: 40% - 70% purity: The standard for a good pill. Beneficial to consume.
High-quality: 70% - 90% purity: Premium pill. Everyone wants a high-quality pill, yet not many can afford to get one.
That is why to become an alchemist, one needs to at least produce a medium-quality pill. An alchemist producing only low-quality pills would not give them the exalted status, since elixirs could achieve a similar effect.
Alchemists are meant to be miracle workers. They are above conventional ways of healing and strengthening.
The students nervously brought over their batches of pills.
"Wang Ai produced one Calming Pill. Purity: 7%: failure. Ji Ling produced no pills: failure. Mao Ping produced three basic strengthening pills. Highest purity: 30%; low quality: pass. Qiu Zhengyi produced five Qi Sense pills. Highest purity: 64%, medium quality. Congratulations, you are now officially a Low-Bronze alchemist."
Everyone looked at Qiu Zhengyi with surprise and reverence. Becoming an alchemist directly after only three years of studying was something unprecedented. It was said that within this Alchemy Association branch, no one in the last 100 years had managed to achieve this feat. In reality, though, no one really knew how long ago a genius like Qiu Zhengyi had appeared.
Even Mao Gong was surprised and felt even somewhat proud that such a genius was developed under his leadership. The only unhappy person, right now, was Mao Ping.
He could not accept that the gap was this wide; he had studied for far longer than three short years. His family had all the resources needed. And yet he could not beat Qiu Zhengyi, who came into the alchemy association as a complete beginner.
The worst thing for him, though, was the look his father had right now. The look of astonishment, wonder, even proudness, a look he himself had never seen...
"Wonderful, Zhengyi, truly wonderful," Xidu Cheng couldn't help but to say out loud in excitement. "You are now officially an alchemist. We are at the same level; wait, I can't call you only Zhengyi anymore. Congratulations, fellow alchemist, Qiu Zhengyi."
"It's fine, Master Cheng; you can continue to call me Zhengyi," Qiu Zhengyi said smilingly. "But I still have one more try left, right? I think I can still do better."
Xidu Cheng swallowed nervously. Yes, he was obviously happy for Qiu Zhengyi, but he, as a Mid-Bronze alchemist, also had some pride, and Qiu Zhengyi directly reaching his level would make him seem useless.
"Yes, of course," he still answered. Not sure what to hope for.
The test continued into the second round, and Qiu Zhengyi concocted the same pill as before. The Qi Sense pill, a pill meant to help aspiring cultivators in the first step to begin their journey: sensing Qi.
Only if one could sense Qi could they start cultivating. And exactly that was Qiu Zhengyi's secondary goal. Use her own might to become a cultivator.
She repeated the process from before in complete focus. This time though, she reduced the time of soaking the Stillleaf Herb by a few seconds, learning from her previous mistake.
Soon it was time to check the results.
"Wang Ai produced one Calming Pill. Purity: 13%; low-quality: pass. Ji Ling produced no pills: failure. Mao Ping produced three basic strengthening pills. Highest purity: 42%; medium-quality. Due to your performance in the previous tests, you are still not qualified to become an alchemist. Qiu Zhengyi produced five Qi Sense Pills. Highest purity: 74%; high-quality. Congratulations, you are officially a Mid-Bronze Alchemist."
This time, Qiu Zhengyi was truly happy. This had been her goal from the beginning of the test. Producing a high-quality Qi Sense pill.
Meanwhile, everyone else was speechless. She really did it? Even the seasoned Mao Gong was unsure how to react. Will she surpass me? Will I lose authority? He himself was only a Mid-Bronze alchemist as well. Sure, he was close to ranking up, but if he needed 40 years to reach the rank Qiu Zhengyi reached in only 3, it seemed like it was inevitable for him to be surpassed soon.
"Congratulations, you will receive your official badge tomorrow morning," he simply said in his usual tone before leaving, not even looking at Mao Ping while walking out.
Mao Ping himself was also not in the mood for bickering, so he simply stormed out of the room to Qiu Zhengyi's delight.
After a short talk with Xidu Cheng, she herself also left the testing area. She had risen from a simple student to an alchemist at the highest grade within the city. But she knew she needed to work harder, become better, stronger, and more influential.
While thinking about her worries, somehow, someway, Michael's undisturbed, uncanny appearance kept showing up in her head. She couldn't help but feel like Michael was the answer to her worries; she had just no idea why.