9: Chapter 9 The Alchemy Competition (Part 1)

"Look at Chen Fan. Even though he was born with a False Spiritual Root, at least he can reproduce. What about you? What exactly is the problem? We've seen so many doctors and spent so many Spirit Stones, yet you still haven't been able to get me pregnant."

Qin Shuangshuang's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up as she scolded him incessantly, refusing to give him any Face at all. Especially after that banquet, she felt even more strongly that she had married the wrong person.

"You..." Sun Xuan opened his mouth but was speechless. He let out a cold snort and slammed the door as he left.

"Hmph, you good-for-nothing. If I had known you were like this, I would have chosen..." Qin Shuangshuang curled her lip slightly, extremely irritated.

The arguments between Sun Xuan and Qin Shuangshuang had been going on for more than a day or two. All the other Matrilocal son-in-laws were long aware of it; while they didn't say anything to their Faces, they all laughed at the pair behind their backs.

...

Chen Fan didn't care about these things at all. With four children to look after now, he was busier than ever, devoting more of his energy to Alchemy and Cultivating.

As his Realm improved, refining Low Grade Medicinal Pills with two markings became easier. Sometimes, he could even refine Low Grade Medicinal Pills with three markings, though it was a pity that his success rate was less than fifty percent.

He was extremely cautious at this time, not daring to sell a large quantity of Spirit Stones directly to the Duobao Pavilion in the market for fear of arousing suspicion.

He wanted to leave the Qin Family to sell them in the outside market, but he was afraid of encountering rogue Cultivators, so he could only save up his excess Medicinal Pills.

After more than a year of study, he finally reached the assessment of the Alchemy Hall.

On this day, the atmosphere was tense. Thirty apprentices were somewhat restless in the plaza of the Alchemy Hall. They knew that this competition would determine whether they could become an Alchemist in the future and whether they could receive focused training from the Qin Family.

Unexpectedly, this competition actually attracted the attention of the Grand Elder, who arrived here early in the morning.

"Greetings, Grand Elder." Everyone bowed and saluted.

The reason Great Elder Qin Yuanshan came was purely because of his beloved daughter, Qin Lingxi. Besides that, it was to see if Chen Fan had the potential to become an Alchemist.

To become a First Rank Low Grade Alchemist, the screening process was extremely strict and was divided into two parts.

The assessment content included not only basic theory but also required the refining of Medicinal Pills. In the end, only the top five would be selected, so it could be said that the competition was fierce.

Chen Fan had already secretly made up his mind that he must take first place. Only in this way could he gain a firm footing as a Matrilocal son-in-law.

"Clang~" With a crisp sound, the first half of the competition began quickly.

The test papers were distributed, and the apprentices began to pick up their pens and answer hurriedly.

The Art of Herbalism was extremely complex. The content examined included the identification of Spiritual Plants, their mutual promotion and restraint, and how to mitigate the risk of failure during the process of Alchemy.

"It's too hard." From time to time, the sound of people shaking their heads and sighing could be heard in the plaza.

Qin Lingxi was always diligent and had been influenced by it since she was young. Upon seeing these questions, her expression became grave, and her dark eyebrows knitted slightly. It often took careful consideration before she could put pen to paper to answer.

These questions were extremely difficult, and some places required constant deduction.

When she noticed Chen Fan not far away answering as soon as he opened the paper without much thought, she couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

On ordinary days, he appeared very dull in the Alchemy Hall. Apart from making people's eyes light up at the very beginning, there was nothing special about him afterward.

She shook her head slightly: "The Art of Herbalism is extremely profound. How can one just answer randomly? It seems a Matrilocal son-in-law is a Matrilocal son-in-law after all."

Chen Fan did not want to miss this opportunity. After taking the test paper and glancing at it slightly, he understood it all.

Just when the exam was halfway through, he handed in his test paper.

"So fast?" Wu Shouzhuo frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased.

"Disciple has finished answering. Actually, these things are not difficult." Chen Fan replied truthfully.

"Is that so?" Wu Shouzhuo smiled faintly, his brows tightly knitted as he examined it carefully.

However, the next moment, his expression suddenly froze. He discovered that the answers to the basic identification of Spiritual Plants and their mutual promotion and restraint were completely correct. As for the Alchemy part, his line of reasoning was even more unique.

"Could it be that this child knew the content of the test paper?"

Just as this thought appeared in his mind, it was quickly extinguished. The questions were only finalized last night; even if the other party knew the questions, there was simply no time to prepare in advance.

After finishing, he stroked his graying beard and nodded slightly.

This scene was seen by other Qin Family apprentices, who couldn't help but look at each other in dismay.

Qin Lingxi was greatly surprised and somewhat flustered, knowing that her grades were usually the best. However, after steadying her mind, she continued to answer.

Two hours passed quickly. Without any extra Cultivators in between, the more important second half of the competition began.

The task was to refine the low-Rank Medicinal Pills, Qi Condensation Pill and spirit-gathering pill. Apprentices were required to bring their own Pill Furnace, and they had to refine three Cauldrons in total.

Every apprentice who could come to the Alchemy Hall was fully supported by their family, and the Pill Furnace they carried with them was worth at least a hundred Spirit Stones.

When Chen Fan took out an extremely short and ugly Pill Furnace, it immediately sparked a wave of ridicule.

"Matrilocal son-in-law Chen, you really know how to embarrass yourself." The Thin Tall Cultivator, who had always disliked Chen Fan, sneered coldly.

In their view, this kind of Pill Furnace could not possibly refine high-quality Medicinal Pills, and it might even explode on the spot.

A look of sympathy appeared on Qin Lingxi's Face, and she shook her head slightly.

The other party was already at a disadvantage with the Pill Furnace, not to mention that he only had the level of the second layer of Qi Refining. Although his written theory was strong, if he couldn't refine the Medicinal Pill, he still wouldn't pass the assessment.

After watching, Wu Shouzhuo shook his head slightly: "What a pity."

Chen Fan had initially been somewhat disgusted by this ugly Pill Furnace in front of him, thinking it was useless.

However, after several months of refining Medicinal Pills, he discovered that this Pill Furnace was not that simple.

There were several times in the middle when the furnace exploded, yet it remained intact. If he wasn't mistaken, it should have been used by some Great Master of Alchemy.

It was fortunate that it was old and covered in thick dust, so it hadn't been recognized by anyone; otherwise, it would have been worth at least a thousand Spirit Stones.

All in all, the Pill Furnace bought in installments not only didn't result in a loss but was actually a huge profit.

At this moment, Chen Fan was full of confidence. His current success rate for refining Medicinal Pills was fifty percent, and he had even refined Medicinal Pills with three markings, so there was no need to worry about not passing.

However, just in case, he still put in his full effort to make everyone present look at him with new eyes, thereby successfully entering the Alchemy Hall and becoming an Elementary Alchemist.

For a time, the plaza was filled with smoke. During the refining process, one could hear the puffing sound of fire burning the Cauldron from time to time.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed. As the Cauldron slowly opened, the first batch of Medicinal Pills was successfully refined.

"Hmm, it really succeeded?" Wu Shouzhuo was somewhat incredulous, yet he had to believe it.

However, he thought to himself: "Being able to successfully refine Medicinal Pills counts as being a bit stronger than the others, but if the Rank is too low, he is still not destined for the Dao of Alchemy."

Another hour passed. Just as everyone was anxiously waiting for the first batch to be opened, Chen Fan quickly successfully refined the second batch.

This scene surprised the apprentices around him.

"It is a bit faster, but I don't know what the quality of the last batch will be." Wu Shouzhuo's expression was somewhat grave. He knew the difficulties of those with an outside surname; wanting to gain recognition was a hundred times harder than for the Qin Family members.

When refining the last batch, Chen Fan began to become cautious, fearing that he would fall short of success.

When a faint fragrance drifted from the Pill Furnace, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As the Cauldron opened, Medicinal Pills glowing with blue light appeared before his eyes.

Thus, all three batches of Medicinal Pills were completely refined.