"Everyone present should know that the exam for a First-Grade Alchemist is prepared by the Guild, which provides us with the herbs we need to concoct first-grade elixirs. These herbs are sufficient for each of us to concoct three first-grade elixirs. In other words, the Guild has given us three chances to make mistakes."
"But!"
"We only have three sets of herbs, so how did Xu Ran manage to concoct nine elixirs? If this isn't cheating, then what is?" Xiao Yan said loudly, drawing the attention of everyone present.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Xiao Yan's statement. In fact, the Alchemist Guild had arranged for so many people to watch not only to accumulate experience but also to supervise and maintain the fairness of the process.
"Xiao Yan is right. You must have cheated!"
"With three sets of herbs, how is it possible to concoct nine elixirs?"
The crowd stirred, all thinking that Xu Ran had cheated.
"What's going on? Isn't he the teacher of Xiao Yi Xian? Then why…" Fokelan frowned, utterly puzzled. How could someone concoct nine elixirs with only three sets of herbs?
Could it be cheating?
He and Master Oto were watching from above, it should have been impossible to cheat.
Could it be that Xu Ran had pre-concocted the elixirs outside and brought them in? But, the elixirs they concocted were not fixed; they were random.
Moreover, they had never met Xu Ran before, who was obviously an outsider, making it very unlikely for him to have any collusion with their Guild members.
Xue Mei and Feilin were also shocked at this time.
Xiao Yi Xian, with three pills in one furnace, her alchemy skills could be said to be nothing short of magical. Although Xiao Yi Xian had exceeded everyone's expectations, that was because of her own high talent and strong alchemy skills. But Xu Ran's achievement of nine pills in one furnace was too excessive!
Even if he really wanted to pass the First-Grade Alchemist exam, wouldn't concocting just one pill be enough?
If Xu Ran had indeed cheated, there was no need to go to such lengths.
"Oto, do you understand? If it's cheating, I will expel him and then downgrade him in the Guild rankings. Even if he goes to another Alchemist Guild, he will be driven out directly," Fokelan said.
If it hadn't been for the excitement Master Oto had stirred in him, making him look forward to Xu Ran's strength, he would have expelled Xu Ran right away.
With Xiao Yi Xian setting a precedent, concocting three elixirs, Xu Ran, being her companion, should also have comparable strength. This is why Fokelan hesitated for a moment.
Upon hearing Fokelan's call, Master Oto slowly emerged from his shock.
While everyone was doubting Xu Ran, Oto thought of a terrifying possibility.
...
"Teacher, what is going on with Xu Ran? He couldn't really have cheated, could he?"
"Although I despise Xu Ran to the bone and wish I could flay and devour him, he has high mastery in alchemy and it's impossible for him to cheat," Xiao Yan said to Yao Lao.
No matter how much he detested Xu Ran, he had to admit this fact.
First-grade elixirs were a piece of cake for Xu Ran.
Moreover, Xiao Yi Xian's alchemy was taught by Xu Ran, and in such a short period, she had managed to concoct three pills in one furnace, which was terrifying. Xu Ran could only be stronger, not weaker.
"Xu Ran did not cheat. Xu Ran's attainment in alchemy is very high," Yao Lao was silent for a long while before he slowly spoke up. If he had not witnessed it with his own eyes, he probably would not have believed it either.
In this world, there are still individuals whose mastery over the power of medicine is so exquisitely nuanced.
Just take the process of concocting elixirs: it starts from refining herbal materials into medicinal liquids and then fusing those liquids together...in which multiple steps are involved. And in each step, a portion of the material's medicinal power is inevitably lost. The more complex the elixir, the greater the loss.
Even though the steps for first-grade elixirs are relatively simple, there's always loss in alchemy!
Even he would suffer a loss of over ten percent in the power of the materials when producing a single first-grade elixir. It was entirely uncontrollable, as no matter how skillfully one managed it, some would always evaporate away with the intense heat of the flames!
Yet, Xu Ran managed to reduce the loss of medicinal power to an almost negligible level.
With such control, he even felt inferior!
Back in Zhongzhou, he too was a prominent figure in the alchemist realm. But compared to Xu Ran, what was he?
Xu Ran's talent could now be discussed alongside the most extraordinary geniuses of the entire continent.
"Teacher..." Hearing Yao Lao's appraisal, Xiao Yan felt quite distressed. The stronger Xu Ran became, the more apprehensive he felt. Xu Ran was his lifetime adversary; how could he contend against such a formidable Xu Ran?
...
"Silence!"
"How could the grand alchemy of Lord Xu Ran be cheating?" At this moment, Chairman Fokelan, having finally come to a realization after Master Oto's explanation, exclaimed.
Fokelan's aged voice echoed throughout the hall, and immediately, the hall fell silent.
Everyone noticed Fokelan's address of Xu Ran, and they were all astounded.
Being the president of the Black Rock City Alchemist Association, for him to use such a reverential title with Xu Ran! This…
Xue Mei and Feilin's eyes widened. They couldn't be clearer about how proud a man Fokelan was.
"He... the teacher..."
"Exactly as I expected. I knew he couldn't have cheated," Feilin said, her face revealing a dawning comprehension. After witnessing Xiao Yi Xian's performance, she had developed an admiration for Xu Ran. In her mind, Xu Ran creating nine elixirs was not an impossible feat.
"When we alchemists concoct elixirs, there's a significant loss of the medicinal properties from the materials. An ordinary alchemist can lose up to seventy percent of the power from the materials while producing a single elixir!" Fokelan lectured loudly, at this point almost desperate to seek alchemy guidance from Xu Ran. In his eyes, Xu Ran was a true master!
"So what?" The people present all showed intrigued expressions. What was the chairman aiming at by suddenly bringing up this piece of common knowledge?
"What I mean is, the amount of materials we prepare for one elixir is just enough for most first-grade alchemists to produce a single first-grade elixir. But for those whose alchemy has reached the peak of perfection, their loss in material power is almost negligible, so they could use the same materials to produce three! And three sets of materials, no more no less, amount to nine pills!"
"Hence, the reason Lord Xu Ran could produce nine pills in one furnace is that his alchemy has reached a realm beyond what ordinary people can imagine!" continued Fokelan.
Boom!
The crowd was instantly enlightened!
So this was the truth!
Oh my god!
Everyone present was an alchemist, fully aware of the immense difficulty involved in alchemy. But now, someone could not only produce elixirs but also control the process of alchemy to such an astonishing degree!
Such skill in alchemy was truly breathtaking!