70: Dancheng Certification: I've got your deep fryer covered.

Central Province, Dan City.

This place is the most special existence in the entire Central Province cultivation world. It does not belong to any Sect, yet it is revered by ten thousand Sects. This is only because the Holy Land of Alchemists—the Pill Tower—is located here.

A faint medicinal fragrance lingers in the air year-round; even the beggars on the roadside might have failed Rank 1 Medicinal Pills in their hands.

The city gate.

A handsome young man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe and holding a folding fan was walking over with an arrogant, swaggering gait.

Behind him followed a graceful maid wearing a veil, holding a snow-white mink in her arms that was nibbling on a radish (which was actually a thousand-year-old ginseng).

"Young Master, are we really going to... perform Alchemy?"

Ji Hongye, in her Incarnation as a maid, felt her heart collapsing at this moment.

She had personally seen this lord kill people like cutting vegetables and had seen him eat a demonic flood dragon like a spicy snack. But Alchemy? Does a job requiring extreme patience and delicate operation have even a cent's worth of a connection to this violent maniac?

"What? Do you look down on this Young Master?"

Lin Que closed his folding fan and tapped Ji Hongye's head:

"Killing is an art, and Alchemy is also an art. Essentially, they are both playing with fire; there is no difference."

Ji Hongye rolled her eyes. There is a huge difference, okay!

...Outside the Pill Tower, the Examination Hall.

The place was buzzing with noise as countless Alchemists from various regions gathered here just to obtain a "Rank Badge," thereby gaining the qualification to participate in the "Pill Assembly."

"Make way! Everyone, make way!"

A commotion broke out.

A young man wearing a standard Pill Tower robe with a badge featuring three gold patterns (Rank 3 Alchemist) on his chest walked over proudly, surrounded by a crowd.

"It's Great Master Liu Yun!"

"I heard he is the Personal Disciple of a Pill Tower Elder. At such a young age, he is already at the Rank 3 Peak. He came this time to break through to Rank 4 Great Master!"

Liu Yun enjoyed the attention of the crowd, his gaze arrogant.

As he passed Lin Que, he seemed to be blocked by him. Frowning, he flicked his sleeve and released a gentle yet domineering surge of Qi:

"Unrelated people, get lost. This is an assessment area; is it a place for some playboy to bring his maid for a stroll?"

Lin Que didn't budge an inch.

That surge of Qi hit him as if it were hitting a mountain; instead, it was Liu Yun himself who was shaken back half a step.

"Hmm?"

Liu Yun's expression darkened.

"The road is so wide, yet you didn't take it and insisted on bumping into me."

Lin Que patted his sleeves and looked at Liu Yun with disdain:

"What, are you a crab? Walking sideways?"

"You!!"

Liu Yun was furious and about to lash out, but he was stopped by a Deacon beside him: "Young Master Liu, the assessment is about to begin. The Elders are all watching inside; don't let a minor character like this ruin your impression."

Liu Yun took a deep breath and stared coldly at Lin Que:

"Sharp-tongued. Looking at your attire, are you also here for the assessment? Hmph, I hope your Alchemy skills are at least half as tough as your mouth in the exam room later!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked into the exam room.

Lin Que watched his back, the corner of his mouth curling up:

"Don't worry, it's definitely tougher than yours."

...Rank 4 Alchemist Assessment Area.

Inside the massive circular hall, fifty standard Pill Furnaces were set up.

The proctors were three Rank 5 Grandmasters from the Pill Tower, all white-haired and solemn-faced.

"The topic for this assessment: [Clear Void Pill]."

The chief examiner said in a heavy voice, "This pill is an introductory Rank 4 Medicinal Pill. It requires four steps: removing Impurities, condensing liquid, fusing the pill, and nurturing the spirit. Not a single step can be wrong. The time limit is one hour. Those who successfully form the pill pass."

"Begin!"

At the command, dozens of Alchemists released their flames.

Whirr—

As the focus of the hall, Liu Yun ignited a cluster of pale green "Green Wood Spirit Fire" in his hand. His technique was skilled and smooth, earning frequent nods from the examiners.

"Not bad, Liu Yun's fire control technique already has the air of a master."

"This Clear Void Pill is a sure thing for him."

In contrast, look at Lin Que.

He was right next to Liu Yun.

Right now, as if he were stir-frying, he grabbed a large handful of Spiritual Plants and stuffed them all into the Pill Furnace without regard for the sequence.

"This..."

The surrounding examinees were dumbfounded.

Is this Alchemy? Is he feeding pigs?

Even the examiners on the stage frowned: "Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! The medicinal properties will conflict; the furnace will explode immediately!"

Liu Yun sneered even more, sending out a sliver of Divine Sense to mock him:

"Country bumpkin, you don't even know how to refine. Get out while you can, before your furnace explodes and hits me."

"Exploding furnace?"

Lin Que pressed his hand on the Pill Furnace, and the Qilin True Fire (disguised as ordinary beast fire) within him surged in.

Because his technique was too crude, the medicinal liquid inside the furnace boiled instantly, black smoke billowed out, and a terrifying fluctuation of an imminent explosion brewed within the furnace.

[Serious error in Alchemy operation detected!]

[Current Status: Excessive Impurities, medicinal property conflict, imminent furnace explosion (99% probability).]

[Transfer initiated! Locking target: Liu Yun next door (Malice value 80%).]

[Logic Reorganization: Impurity transfer, furnace explosion risk transfer!]

Lin Que thought to himself: "Off you go!"

Buzz!

A mysterious Karmic ripple ignored physical distance and instantly connected the two Pill Furnaces.

Liu Yun, who was fully focused on condensing the pill, suddenly felt something was wrong.

"What's going on? Why is my furnace shaking?"

Every step he took was clearly perfect and the medicinal liquid was incredibly pure. But suddenly, a strange black smoke rose from his Pill Furnace!

The originally crystal-clear medicinal liquid instantly became murky!

And that violent energy... "Not good! It's going to explode!!"

Liu Yun screamed in terror, trying to suppress it, but he couldn't.

Boom!!!

A thunderous roar.

Liu Yun's expensive Pill Furnace exploded into fragments right in front of all the examiners!

Scalding medicinal dregs splattered across his face, turning him into a soot-covered figure with his hair standing on end and still smoking.

The entire hall fell silent.

"This... Liu Yun's furnace exploded?"

"Isn't he a Genius? How could he fail at the pill-fusion stage?"

And at the very moment Liu Yun's furnace exploded.

Lin Que's Pill Furnace suddenly became incredibly stable.

Because all the Impurities and instability had been "sent away," leaving only the purest essence of medicinal power.

"Collect!"

Lin Que slapped the Pill Furnace.

Buzz!

The lid flew off, and a brilliant green light shot into the sky, accompanied by a medicinal fragrance so rich it was almost tangible.

Three round, full Medicinal Pills with two cloud patterns on their surfaces floated quietly in mid-air.

Rank 4 High Grade—Dual-Patterned Clear Void Pill!

"What?!!"

The three Rank 5 Grandmasters on the stage jumped up, even plucking out a few hairs from their beards.

"Are those... Pill Veins?!"

"Top-tier! This is top-tier quality!!"

They rushed to Lin Que as if teleporting, holding those three Medicinal Pills with trembling hands.

A Clear Void Pill of this quality was something even they might not be able to refine if they did it personally!

"This... how is this possible?"

Liu Yun, with his blackened face, stared blankly at Lin Que and then at his own floor of fragments, his mind completely collapsing:

"He was clearly just stewing things randomly! Why is he the one who succeeded while I'm the one who exploded?!!"

Lin Que closed his folding fan, still looking calm and unruffled.

He walked up to Liu Yun and looked at the unlucky fellow with pity:

"Young Master Liu, it seems your basic skills aren't solid enough."

"Alchemy isn't just about technique; it's also about character."

"You see, even the heavens felt your batch of pills was unclean and helped you physically destroy it."

"You..."

Liu Yun was so angry he felt a surge of blood to his heart, combined with the backlash from the furnace explosion, he promptly fainted.

Lin Que turned around and cupped his hands toward the three stunned examiners:

"Three Seniors, can I take the badge now?"

The chief examiner took a deep breath and looked at the young man with a complex gaze.

Although he didn't understand the process, the result didn't lie.

"Pass!"

"Awarding... the Rank 4 Alchemist badge!"

...Half an hour later.

Wearing his brand-new Rank 4 badge, Lin Que walked out of the Pill Tower with Ji Hongye under countless gazes of awe and admiration.

"Young Master..."

Ji Hongye looked at Lin Que's back, her shock beyond words:

"Do you... really know how to perform Alchemy?"

"No."

Lin Que spread his hands righteously:

"But I know how to 'leave the difficulties to others and keep the success for myself'."

He touched the badge on his chest, a sharp glint in his eyes.

With this identity, he could legitimately compete for that Heaven and Earth Essence Fire at the Pill Assembly in three days.

"But before that..."

Lin Que looked toward the city's largest Medicinal Herb Black Market:

"Since I've become an Alchemist, I should buy some decent Materials to give my Arhat Golden Body a little extra treat."