"Why does this feel like a failing student suddenly handed the highest-level test paper...?"
A wave of quiet frustration suddenly rose in Chen Jinshu's heart.
Seated directly ahead, Elder Shui Huanmeng—proctoring the assessment—caught a glimpse of her expression and couldn't help but let the corner of her mouth lift ever so slightly.
"Poor little thing. She pulled the toughest blind box out of them all. Let's see if she can make it through…"
"Not a single decently talented disciple in years."
She sighed softly and shifted her attention, using her divine sense to scan the examinees ahead, watching their progress.
To pass the assessment, it wasn't just about successfully refining the pill. The process—herb selection, technique, and stability—were all evaluated. And the final product had to reach at least official lower-grade quality.
Even with such basic requirements, most disciples were eliminated during every round of the exam.
Chen Jinshu swept her divine sense across the unfamiliar herbs in front of her and separated over a dozen that she didn't recognize. Then, she began carefully screening the remaining eighty-some spiritual herbs, one by one.
After a short while, all the immature, damaged, or poorly aged herbs had been categorized and set aside. She was left with just over fifty usable herbs.
"Half of them gone just from the screening process… I don't even know how many batches I can refine now," she murmured, sighing. Inwardly, she resolved to study medicinal herbs properly once she got back.
If this test had been focused on naming and identifying herbs, she would've failed outright.
After a few more moments, she identified three first-tier, lower-grade pill recipes from the materials available: Tranquil Heart Pill, Detox Pill, and Foundation Stabilizing Pill.
She could attempt to refine Tranquil Heart and Detox twice each, but she only had enough materials for one try with the Foundation Stabilizing Pill. Everything else in the blind box was meant to throw her off.
In total, Chen Jinshu had five chances to refine a pill.
"Five tries… not bad."
Still, despite the number of attempts, she wasn't particularly optimistic. She hadn't practiced any of these three recipes before.
Back on Vulture Mountain, she hadn't left for over a year. The pills she refined most often were Spiritual Essence Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, and Qi Condensing Pills.
And after arriving at Xuanming Sect, she hadn't been able to sell her pills without an official alchemist certificate, so she hadn't dared to waste spirit stones buying herbs to practice with these recipes. To avoid a downward spiral, she had no choice but to rush for this alchemist assessment.
"Tranquil Heart Pill is the easiest… then Detox. Foundation Stabilizing requires the most herbs, so it's the hardest."
She swiftly evaluated the pros and cons of the three recipes and chose to start with the safest—Tranquil Heart Pill. It's used for quickly entering meditation, calming the mind, and mildly aiding spiritual cultivation—though less effective than the Spiritual Essence Pill.
Decision made, she prepared the herbs required and began heating the cauldron. This step, she had done more times than she could count. Her hands moved fluidly, practiced. After a few minutes, the cauldron's temperature stabilized at the right level. She immediately levitated the herbs into it.
Because it wasn't her personal cauldron, she was extra cautious with the process, monitoring the temperature closely with her divine sense. Once all six herbs were in, she began forming hand seals to start the refinement process.
…
Half an hour passed. Chen Jinshu had reached the impurity removal stage. Inside the cauldron, the greenish medicinal liquid began releasing black impurities under her controlled seals.
Boom!
A loud thud echoed from the ground beneath her, nearly throwing off her hand technique.
Fortunately, her focus held firm.
She flicked her gaze subtly in the direction of the noise. A thick plume of black smoke was rising from a nearby cauldron. Thankfully, the formation barrier contained the blast—otherwise, it might've disrupted everyone around.
"So this is what Senior Brother meant by 'interference during alchemy'... I didn't expect explosions to be part of the test too."
Realization dawned. Her face tightened, brows furrowing in concentration.
Though the cauldrons were protected by sound-insulating formations, vibrations from underground still passed through—unavoidable when all the examinees were refining on the same surface.
Without the formations, the disruptions would've been even worse.
"I have to finish this quickly."
She sped up her hand seals again.
Boom! Another furnace exploded, sending tremors rippling toward her.
But she had already suspended her body mid-air, making the ground shock ineffective. Still, it meant her divine sense would deplete faster.
"Good adaptability… but too hasty." Shui Huanmeng noted Chen Jinshu's reaction, approving silently. But when she saw the girl hasten her seals too soon, she sighed inwardly in pity.
The cauldron explosions were part of the test—a deliberate element meant to measure an alchemist's adaptability. How to maintain stability and still refine a qualified pill despite external disruption was a skill every alchemist had to learn.
Another half hour passed. Chen Jinshu's divine sense was near exhaustion, but thankfully this was only a first-tier, lower-grade pill—she could hold on.
"Condense!"
She drew on her Qingmu spiritual power, forming a lotus shape before her, then shaped a cyan seal from spiritual energy and locked it onto the cauldron.
Whirring!
As the liquid inside spun rapidly, a gust of medicinal wind began stirring within.
Moments later, a faint green glow shimmered in the cauldron. Four pills formed at the center.
A crisp, minty scent wafted out.
"Success!"
Chen Jinshu finally let out a breath of relief. This blind box test was truly brutal—each step tightly connected. One slip, and it'd all fall apart.
"Good thing I've been drilling my technique all year…" she thought, pleased.
She descended slowly and threw a few energy seals into the cauldron to lock in the medicinal properties, then sat cross-legged to rest and wait. Not long after, she pulled out a prepared pill bottle. With a flick of her wrist, the four pills flew neatly into the container.
"One superior, two mid-grade, one low-grade… Not bad."
If she hadn't rushed a bit during refinement, that low-grade one might've reached mid-grade quality too.
After extinguishing the fire beneath the cauldron, she carefully put away the leftover herbs and deactivated the formation. Sure enough, Elder Shui Huanmeng had been waiting nearby, watching with a smile.
"Your technique's not bad! But you were a little too eager midway. That habit needs fixing, or your pill quality won't improve."
She gave a mild critique. Chen Jinshu passing wasn't much of a surprise. The only question had been what quality her pills would reach.
"Thank you for the advice, Elder." Chen Jinshu bowed respectfully and handed over her pill bottle for inspection.
"Four pills, and one of them's high-grade… that's rare." Shui Huanmeng's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.
She hadn't expected such results, especially given the girl's speed. To achieve that quality meant her technique had to be exceptionally well-practiced.
"Just lucky, Elder."
"Here. This is your pass token. Hold on to it."
Chen Jinshu accepted the token Elder Shui handed her. It was clearly labeled:
"Grade: A-top. Result: Passed!"