CG C85: Alchemy Master (Patreon)

Kai looked around, curious to see how his fellow examinees had fared. The Core Disciples seemed relaxed, quietly chatting among themselves. Most of the Inner Disciples also appeared confident, though a few looked worried. Among the Outer Disciples, the mood was mixed. Some looked pleased with their efforts, while others seemed on the verge of tears.

As the evaluation began, Kai found himself standing next to a nervous-looking Outer Disciple. The young man, probably no more than eighteen, was fidgeting with the sleeves of his white robe.

"H-how do you think you did?" the disciple asked Kai, his voice trembling slightly.

"I think I managed to create a passable pill. How about you?"

The disciple's shoulders slumped. "I'm not sure. My first attempt was a complete failure. The second one looked better, but... I don't know if it's good enough."

Kai nodded. "The first time is always the hardest. But remember, even attempting this exam is an achievement. Many disciples never even make it this far."

The young man's eyes widened slightly. "You're right. I hadn't thought of it that way. Thank you, um..."

"Kai."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Kai," the disciple said, bowing slightly. "I'm Wu Gang."

Their conversation was interrupted as Elder Bin approached their section, Elder Xiao following close behind. The two elders moved from station to station, examining the results of each disciple's efforts.

When they reached Wu Gang, the young disciple presented his pill with shaking hands. Elder Bin took it, turning it over in his palm before passing it to Elder Xiao. The old alchemist held it up to the light, his eyes narrowing as he studied it.

"Barely passable," Elder Xiao pronounced. "But passable nonetheless. You have much to learn, young one."

Wu Gang’s face lit up. "Thank you, Elder Xiao! I will work hard to improve!"

As the elders moved on, Wu Gang turned to Kai, his eyes shining. "I passed! I can't believe it!"

Kai smiled. "Congratulations. You earned it."

Then it was Kai's turn. He presented his pill to Elder Bin, who raised an eyebrow as he took it. "Interesting," the elder murmured, before handing it to Elder Xiao.

Elder Xiao held up the pill to examine it closely. His eyes narrowed as he studied the small sphere, turning it this way and that.

A blue box appeared before Kai:

Name: ???

Stats: ???

You are not of a sufficient level to see this being's stats.

From the size of the blue dot on the map, he seems to be at the level of Zhi-Zhi's master, so I'm assuming he's at the Astral Formation stage...

After a long moment, the elder looked at Kai with an expression of disbelief.

"Is it truly the case that you only began practicing alchemy three days ago?"

Kai nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Yes, Elder. That's correct."

The elder shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "In all my years, I have never seen talent quite like this. You must be an alchemy genius, young man."

As Elder Xiao spoke, a blue message appeared in Kai's vision:

Your talent has impressed an Alchemy Master.

You have gained the title: Alchemy Prodigy.

Title: Alchemy Prodigy

Description: Your innate talent for alchemy has been recognized by a true master of the craft. This title increases your learning speed for alchemy-related skills by 2x and improves your success rate in pill formation by 20%.

Well, that's certainly useful, Kai thought, careful not to let his satisfaction show on his face. This should make advancing my alchemy skills much easier.

Elder Xiao sighed, his gaze distant. "Luo Qiang has stolen quite a talent," he muttered, almost to himself. He began to mumble, seemingly lost in thought. "Perhaps if I were to... No, that wouldn't work. Maybe if..."

Kai stood silently, waiting for the elder to finish his musings. After a moment, Elder Xiao shook his head and focused on Kai once more.

"Young man, I will need to have a conversation with your master," he said firmly. "Such talent cannot be allowed to go to waste. We must ensure you receive the best possible training."

Kai smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Getting the backing of another top figure in the sect wouldn't be a bad thing. Especially one as respected as Elder Xiao. I just don’t want to get caught up in elder politics…

"Thank you for your kind words, Elder," Kai said, bowing slightly. "I'm honored by your praise."

Elder Xiao reached out and patted Kai's shoulder, his eyes twinkling. "I look forward to testing your comprehension in the next round, young Kai. I have a feeling you'll surprise us all once again."

With that, the elder leaned in close to one of the nearby alchemists, whispering something Kai couldn't quite catch. Then, with a final nod to Kai, Elder Xiao moved on with Elder Bin to the next station.

As they walked away, Kai let out a small breath. That went better than expected.

Wu Gang turned to him with wide eyes. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Kai!" he exclaimed. "Elder Xiao seemed really impressed with your pill."

Kai shrugged, trying to downplay the elder's praise. "Thank you, Wu Gang. You did well too."

As Wu Gang began to respond, another blue message appeared before Kai's eyes:

Name: Wu Gang's

Qi: 25/100

Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 5

Strength: 30

Agility: 32

Durability: 30

For a moment, Kai considered recruiting Wu Gang to his guild. The young disciple's earnest personality could be an asset. However, a nagging doubt made him pause.

System, can I have an unlimited number of members in my guild? Kai asked silently.

A Level 1 Guild can only have 10 members, including the Guild Master.

Kai sighed internally. I'll need to be more selective then. It would be smart to recruit a novice alchemist, someone who can focus on the trade while I work on other aspects of cultivation. But Wu Gang might not be the best choice for that.

He looked around the room, assessing the other disciples. The purple-robed Core Disciples caught his eye first, but Kai quickly dismissed them. They'd be too arrogant to follow a new Legacy Disciple like me. Maybe Wang Lin has some under him, but they wouldn't give me the time of day.

Instead, Kai focused his attention on the red-robed Inner Disciples. He began checking their stats, looking for anyone who stood out.

Name: ???

Qi: 89/150

Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 6

Strength: 42

Agility: 41

Durability: 40

Not bad, Kai thought, but nothing special either.

Name: ???

Qi: 140/200

Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 7

Strength: 55

Agility: 51

Durability: 49

Qi Refining Stage 7 and pretty strong, but not really what I'm looking for in an alchemist.

Just as Kai was about to give up, his eyes fell on a red-robed girl standing near the front of the room. As he focused on her, her stats appeared:

Name: ???

Title: Alchemy Talent

Qi: 140/200

Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 7

Strength: 50

Agility: 55

Durability: 51

Kai's eyes widened. A title! And an alchemy-related one at that.

He quickly read the description of the Alchemy Talent title:

Title: Alchemy Talent

Description: You possess a natural affinity for the alchemical arts. This title increases your success rate in pill formation by 10% and reduces the Qi cost of alchemical techniques by 10%.

Not as impressive as my new title, but still quite good. She could be exactly what I'm looking for.

As if on cue, Elder Xiao approached the girl's station. Kai watched as the elder examined her pill, a look of approval spreading across his face.

"Well done, Disciple Xie Li," Elder Xiao said. "Your control over the pill's stability is impressive. Keep refining your technique, and you'll go far in the alchemical arts."

Xie Li bowed deeply, her face flushed with pride. "Thank you, Elder Xiao. I will continue to work hard."

Talented and modest, Kai thought. Definitely someone to keep an eye on.

As the last of the pills were evaluated, Elder Bin stepped forward to address the group. "Disciples, you have all done well today. The practical portion of the exam is now complete. Please proceed to the waiting room outside. We will call you in one by one for the final part of the examination."

The disciples began to file out of the room, a mix of relief and nervousness on their faces. Kai timed his exit carefully, making sure to end up walking beside Xie Li as they headed to the waiting area.

As they entered the corridor, Kai turned to her with a friendly smile. "Congratulations on your performance," he said. "You did quite well in there."

Xie Li looked up at him, surprise evident in her eyes. It was clear she hadn't expected the new Legacy Disciple to speak to her.

"Oh! Thank you," she replied, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "But you did much better. Elder Xiao seemed really impressed by your pill."

Kai shrugged. "We all have our strengths. I was particularly impressed by your control over the Spirit Crystal Powder. That's usually the trickiest part."

Xie Li's eyes lit up at the mention of alchemy techniques. "Oh, yes! I find that if you add it in three stages instead of all at once, it's easier to maintain stability."

As they entered the waiting room, Kai nodded thoughtfully. "That's clever. I hadn't thought of that approach. Do you mind if I ask how you came up with it?"

Xie Li smiled, clearly pleased to be discussing her passion. "Well, it was actually an accident at first. I was nervous during a practice session and added the powder too slowly. But then I noticed the mixture was more stable than usual."

They found a quiet corner of the waiting room and continued their conversation. Kai listened intently as Xie Li explained her technique in more detail, asking questions and offering his own insights.

I can't just ask her to join my guild out of nowhere, Kai thought as they talked. Better to build some rapport first. Besides, this is actually quite interesting.

Around them, some of the disciples were frantically flipping through notes, while others sat in tense silence, eyes closed in concentration.

"Disciple Jin Hui," a voice called out. Kai turned to see a young man in white robes stand up, his face pale with nervousness.

"Good luck," someone whispered as Jin Hui made his way to the examination room.

As the minutes ticked by, more names were called. But Kai and Xie Li remained engrossed in their discussion of alchemy theory.

"What about the Azure Petals?" Kai asked. "I noticed they seemed to have a calming effect on the mixture. Do you think that property could be enhanced somehow?"

Xie Li's eyes widened with excitement. "Oh, absolutely! I've been experimenting with different grinding techniques. If you grind them under moonlight, it seems to enhance their Yin properties."

"Have you tried combining that with—"

"Xie Li!" a voice called out, interrupting their conversation. "You're next for the oral assessment."

Xie Li stood up, smoothing her robes nervously. "Well, I guess it's my turn," she said, offering Kai a small smile. "Thank you for the conversation, Senior Brother Kai. It was... really nice."

Kai nodded, returning her smile. "The pleasure was mine. Good luck with your assessment. Though I doubt you'll need it."

As Xie Li walked away, Kai leaned back in his seat.

That went well. She seems intelligent and passionate about alchemy. And she’s not arrogant like some talents tend to be, she’s definitely a good candidate for the guild. Now, I just need to figure out the best way to approach her about it.