"I announce—"
"Lin Feng—"
"Full 100 points."
---
Silence.
The hall remained silent for a few breaths after the final words fell.
"Lin Feng—full 100 points."
No one spoke.
Everyone just stood rooted in place.
It was as though the world itself had stopped.
Then—
"Full… full score?"
"Wow! That's the second time…"
"He actually got full marks in both rounds?!"
The crowd erupted once more, but this time the tone was completely different.
No mocking voices.
No disdainful looks.
No snide remarks.
All doubt was gone.
What remained was pure shock—and a growing sense of awe and respect.
---
Ouyang Jun stood rooted in place.
The color drained from his face, which was twisted into a ferocious expression.
His fists trembled slightly at his sides.
"Twice…"
"Full marks… in both rounds…"
His chest rose and fell unevenly.
The gap between them, which he had once thought Lin Feng was miles behind him, now felt like it wasn't that far away. After all, Lin Feng had surpassed him completely in both tests.
And what made it worse—
Was that Lin Feng hadn't even spared him a glance, treating him like a fart in the wind.
How could someone as proud as him tolerate it?
---
At the front, Elder Lu cupped his fists deeply.
"Vice Pavilion Master… it is this subordinate's error."
His voice carried genuine shame.
The other elders followed suit.
"We have shamed the deputy!"
The Deputy Pavilion Master waved his hand lightly.
"Recognizing your mistake is enough."
His gaze shifted toward Lin Feng again.
"This young man… you are very good. May I know who your esteemed teacher is?"
Yes, in the mind of the Vice Pavilion Master, it was impossible to have this level of theoretical knowledge without the careful guidance of an esteemed alchemist.
Sure enough, hearing the question, Lin Feng's eyes narrowed.
After all, he had already guessed this would come up. According to his performance, he had already come up with an excuse and was mentally prepared.
---
Lin Feng calmly cupped his fists.
"Thank you, senior."
"As for my teacher, he forbids the junior from speaking, so I ask the elder to forgive my rudeness," he said indifferently.
"If your teacher doesn't want to be known, forget it," the Vice Pavilion Master waved him off, as if it was natural, though he couldn't hide the disappointment in his tone.
Listening to the conversation between the two of them, the crowd suddenly realized that Lin Feng had an even more powerful master behind him, leaving everyone stunned.
They couldn't help but wonder what kind of person could teach this kind of genius.
---
"Since the results are clear," he said, turning slightly, "the final round will proceed."
His tone shifted—becoming more solemn.
"All candidates who passed, return inside."
"This round…"
"…will determine who truly deserves to become an alchemist."
---
Back in the hall, the atmosphere had completely changed.
Only a handful of people remained now.
Each stood beside a stone platform.
On top of each platform—
A furnace.
Cold.
Silent.
Waiting.
---
Elder Lu stepped forward again, his expression now far more serious.
"The final round—practical refinement."
He clapped his hands.
The servants and alchemy boys came running forward in each row, carrying trays of materials.
"With the materials available to you, refine a tier-one pill of your choice."
A pause.
Then—
"The requirement for this round…"
His gaze swept across them.
"You will be graded based on the pill quality, refinement time, and efficiency."
The first two were, of course, standard assessment, but hearing the last grading standard, they froze.
Efficiency?
They had never heard of that in the trials before.
"Elder Lu, we do not understand the last task," one of the participants couldn't help but raise her hand and ask.
But before Elder Lu could explain, the Deputy Pavilion Master spoke first.
"It means that although refining one pill will not directly affect your ability to pass, it would significantly reduce your final score."
"For example, you can't get full marks if you refine only one pill, no matter how good the final product is," he said, glancing at Lin Feng's facial expression, hoping that his refining skill was as good as his theoretical knowledge. Unfortunately, Lin Feng's face remained expressionless.
Although Lin Feng had no reaction, his words, however, stirred a storm in everyone else's hearts.
"What? Refining one pill is no longer enough?"
"How is that possible?"
"Isn't this way too tough?"
"Yes, I remember last year's assessment—refine a low-grade tier-one pill and you would pass," someone said. Everybody else nodded, acknowledging his words, feeling dissatisfied that the difficulty had multiplied many times over.
As more and more people began to speak out, the originally silent hall became rowdy, with everyone voicing their opinions.
Ouyang Jun, on the side, was ecstatic, hearing the exponential increase in difficulty, almost causing him to laugh out loud. But he remembered the lesson he was taught outside and hurriedly covered his mouth, though that didn't stop him from laughing and cursing inside his heart.
'Lin Feng, oh Lin Feng, it doesn't matter how talented you are. Without the strength of a tier-one high-grade or even grade-two alchemist, it is impossible to refine three tier-one pills back to back successfully.'
He smiled sinisterly while looking at Lin Feng with eyes as though he wanted to devour him.
"Quiet!"
Seeing the people present were getting out of control, an elder hurriedly stepped forward to silence them.
As silence returned to the hall, the Deputy Pavilion Master continued.
"Anyways, this standard was added by the president himself, so if you think it is unfair, you are welcome to go up and challenge him."
Hearing the condition was proposed by the president, their necks shrank back. The previous dissatisfaction disappeared like smoke, replaced by fear.
As for challenging the president—what a joke. Not to mention he was still in seclusion; even if he wasn't, just going into his office without permission was courting death. Not only would they die, but their families would also be punished.
Seeing that no one dared to speak, the Vice Pavilion Master continued.
"And…"
He paused.
He glanced toward the incense being placed at the center.
"You have until that stick of incense runs out."
"Alright, I declare the third round—"
"BEGIN!!"