Chapter 538 – Pill Assessment

　　It was very courageous and very fearless too.

　　In particular, there were thirty-two disciples of the Yan family present, as well as a thousand disciples of the other eight Divine Clans.

　　Yan Tianhen felt that the question they actually wanted to ask was:

　　“Do you think that the monarchy is reasonable?”

　　Yan Tianhen couldn’t help but laugh. It would be ridiculous if Myriad Dao Academy was serious.

　　However, the Myriad Dao Academy was not absurd to this extent, so they could only test the minds of these examinees in this indirect way. On this basis, it gave a further peek into the future evolution of the Nine Lands.

　　Therefore, Yan Tianhen wrote the words “rule by the strong” and then explained: Change means blood, and the dynasty has yet to reach the end of its road, so change is not necessary. If you want to reduce the number of corpses, it is better to remain unchanged.

　　When the bell rang and the exam was over, Yan Tianhen wrote the false name Gu Tiantian in the seal and then the courtyard and division he wanted to enter. Afterwards, he handed in the examination paper.

　　Instead of waiting around, Yan Tianhen calmly got up and walked towards the dormitory.

　　On the way, he heard someone say, “The last question is really a trick question. I really don’t know what those people in the Royal Heavenly Capital would think if they knew this year’s exam questions.”

　　“In any case, I dared not write any objections. Who knows if Myriad Dao Academy and the Yan family are actually the same people?”

　　“Shh, don’t talk about the Purple Emperor’s Heavenly Capital. I’m sure their eyes and ears are everywhere.”

　　Yan Tianhen, however, felt that this kind of thing really didn’t matter. In any case, there were countless people who had cursed the Yan family over the years. Every Divine Clan probably harbored some treasonous intent, and similarly, the Yan family’s reign wouldn’t necessarily be as eternal as the purple moon that watched over the Royal Heavenly Capital. However, up until now, the legendary first heir of the Qianyuan Dynasty appointed by heaven still hadn’t appeared.

　　Others didn’t know, but Yan Tianhen’s heart was clear. This was the most important matter that the Emperor of the Yan family cared about now.

　　However, this had nothing to do with him.

　　After three days, the results came out. Candidates who passed the written test would have to go to the next round of examination after five days. Those who failed would go back to their homes on the same day, or leave the next day at the latest.

　　Some people laughed, some people cried, some people were happy, and some people were sad. It was the same year after year.

　　What Yan Tianhen didn’t expect was that the person with the highest score turned out to be his roommate, Yin Changge.

　　Yin Changge smiled shyly. “There are more than 6,000 people present, and there are always people who can answer some questions. If I just expend some effort and will to read their hearts, it’ll be solved.”

　　Serious respect.

　　What Yan Tianhen used was his own.

　　He remembered that his pill furnace was called “Chanchan,” but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember who gave it to him.

　　He knew that there was a part of his memory missing, but he couldn’t remember what happened to that part of the memory that was obliterated for some inexplicable reason.

　　Yan Tianhen did not refine a high-level medicinal pill whose names would give away their rarity, but refined his own “Ice Muscle Snow Bone Pill.”

　　For a time, You Ming, who was extremely vain, complained that his skin was not very good and that the corners of his eyes seemed to have wrinkles. Yan Tianhen couldn’t take it, so he had to use all kinds of expensive spiritual herbs to refine a youth medicinal pill, which could make his skin smoother and more delicate.

　　After You Ming’s personal test, he felt that the effects were good, so he took one pill every day for half a year. Unexpectedly, the secret poison that had accumulated for many years in his body was completely discharged.

　　Yan Tianhen’s alchemist hands were very stable, and he had also mastered control of the fire very well.

　　As he was engaged in his refinement, he devoted himself to an extremely high concentration. His serious appearance made people think that he was looking at his sweetheart.

　　Above the high platform in the distance, a row of alchemists were here to watch these candidates refine in person.

　　Alchemists should have a pill fire in their bodies, and their spiritual roots must be related to wood, fire, or water. If it was gold or earth, their rate of success in alchemy would be extremely low.

　　Therefore, the disciples in alchemy were always as few as the disciples in the crafting path.

　　There were only 200 students who wanted to be admitted to the alchemy path this year, which was already a lot. Seven years ago, there were only 160 students who came to the alchemy path, and the numbers for the earlier years were also similar.

　　Yan Tianhen was particularly prominent among the alchemists.

　　Because all the spiritual herbs he used were extremely mild and harmless, a rare sight in refinement.

　　“What medicinal pill is he refining?” Mr. Li looked at Yan Tianhen’s technique, slightly puzzled.

　　Among them, there were four masters who were very good in alchemy, and they were called “Cai Lan Dong Li.” Among them, Mr. Dong and Mr. Li were specialized in teaching the principles and practical application of alchemy. Mr. Lan, who had a perceptive eye, taught the identification and planting of spiritual plants, while Mr. Cai taught about mutual interaction between different herbs and pharmacological knowledge.

　　Of course, the four gentlemen in the “Cai Lan Dong Li” were all people who carried the name of alchemy on their backs. Any one of these people was enough to cause forces from the Nine Lands to scramble to win him over like a hot pastry. Their alchemy attainments were already so extraordinary that it was hard to guess the true extent of their abilities.

　　After Mr. Li finished speaking, Mr. Lan tapped on the desktop and said, “Bring me this boy’s name card. He is refining a medicinal pill of his own creation. At least I have never seen this kind of pill before.”

　　“Self-made medicinal pill?” Mr. Dong raised his eyebrows to show his interest. He leaned forward and said, “I remember that seven years ago, Yanqiu also refined a medicinal pill he created. At that time, he refined for three days and three nights, which almost led to a pill tribulation. Since then, his name became known throughout all four courtyards and three halls. He was promoted as an outer hall disciple of Pill Limit Hall as soon as he entered the academy, and he is still unparalleled in the limelight. I wonder if there will be a second Bai Yanqiu this year.”

　　“I’m afraid not.” Mr. Lan was the most creative of the four alchemists, and he had probably created about 80 pill formulas, if not 100, which was very powerful.

　　At first glance, he saw that the medicinal pill refined by Yan Tianhen was not too complicated, but these spiritual plants were very rare and hard to find, and even included things that ordinary people could not afford.

　　This boy, I’m afraid his position is not small.

　　But in the minds of these alchemists who had made great achievements, medicinal pills piled up only with rare spiritual plants was nothing at all. They even suspected it as being too opportunistic.

　　After staring at Yan Tianhen for a moment, Mr. Li said, “His technique is excellent, and he can sink his mind and stay calm. His potential is limitless. It’s a pity — he’s a good seedling, but he is not a good prospect for creating pills for the masses.”

　　Mr. Lan seemed to feel a little regret. “These medicinal pills he refined are absolutely unaffordable for ordinary people.”

　　The four most authoritative alchemists in the academy sat here, not only to judge which alchemy direction these disciples were suitable for, but also to score their abilities.

　　Originally, Yan Tianhen was sure to get the highest score. However, when his score came out on the spot, he felt very dumbfounded. He thought he was at least 90 points out of a full score of 100, but he didn’t expect to only get 72 points.

　　Mr. Lan had a slightly cold and aloof personality and seldom wasted words with students. Mr. Li, on the other hand, was gentle and polite and was deeply loved by the students.

　　Therefore, the results were announced by Mr. Li.

　　“Those under 50 can pack up and leave. I’ll see you in seven years if we have fate.” Although Mr. Li’s tone was amiable, the content was not tactful at all. “For the rest, your score will be superimposed with the first exam and the written exam, and it will be counted as your final score. According to the traditional rules, the eight students with the highest scores can choose their Courtyard, and the remaining students will wait for the Courtyard to choose you. Now, you can see the score ranking.”

　　The alchemy scores came out on the spot, and together with the previous superposition, they were publicly displayed on a gourd-shaped stone standing in front of the Pill Limit Hall.

　　The top eight showed that Yan Tianhen’s refinement of the medicinal pill could only be regarded as an average achievement. With his previous results, he ranked ninth.

　　The four candidates in front of him had alchemist grades above 90.

　　In particular, the first-ranked candidate got a high score of 98.

　　Yan Tianhen refused to accept it.

　　His speed in refining medicinal pills had always been fast. Just now, when he had finished refining his pills, he also specially looked at the refining situation of the others around him and noticed the examinee named Shi Bai, who was now ranked first on the list.

　　Shi Bai did have some ability. He could use the most common spiritual plants to refine high-quality medicinal pills, which was especially valuable for alchemists.

　　But to be honest, Shi Bai’s medicinal pill was nowhere near enough to make him receive such a high score of 98.

　　For one thing, what he refined was using a formula written by his predecessors. And another thing, half of the ten pills he refined were mid-grade pills.

　　As far as Yan Tianhen was concerned, medicinal pills below high-grade were all trash, and they didn’t have much value or use.

　　Shi Bai might have hidden the extent of his abilities, but what he showed was not enough to make him the best one.

　　Usually, Yan Tianhen would speak his mind if he had something to say. So he stood up and did a courtesy first. Then he cleared his throat. “I don’t accept it.”

　　All the candidates around him couldn’t help but look up at him with all kinds of gazes.

　　Mr. Li didn’t expect a candidate to jump out to fight against their authority.

　　But it wasn’t too unexpected. After all, this was Myriad Dao Academy. Anything that happened was possible and could even be tolerated.

　　Mr. Lan had been closing his eyes to rest. When he heard this crisp voice, he lifted his eyes and saw a young man standing beside his pill furnace, his jaw slightly lifted to look at them. His eyes were very calm and there was no trace of anger in them.

　　Mr. Lan asked, “Where are you dissatisfied?”

　　Yan Tianhen stepped forward and spoke in a tone neither humble nor arrogant, “I am not convinced by the score given to me.”

　　Mr. Lan rarely met such people who dared to question their authority face to face, so he was interested. “Tell me why you refuse to accept it.”

　　Yan Tianhen replied, “I know the level of the medicinal pills I refined. I chose this “Ice Muscle Snow Bone Pill” firstly, because it’s my own original pill recipe. Secondly, after it was finished, there were three pills in the furnace. Each one was top-grade, and there were no wasted materials, which means my results should’ve been above-excellent. Why did you only give me a barely passing grade?”

　　When the candidates heard the word “top-grade medicinal pills”, they couldn’t help expressing surprise.

　　And those disciples already in the academy, who started watching the examination, couldn’t help but laugh when they heard Yan Tianhen speak.

　　Top-grade medicinal pills weren’t a big deal either. If you compared it to Bai Yanqiu, he could probably produce ten such top-grade medicinal pills in one batch.

　　In Myriad Dao Academy’s Pill Limit Hall, many of them could produce top-grade pills with no waste remaining in the furnace. “This boy is really a frog in the bottom of a well.”

　　When Yan Tianhen heard this, he chuckled. He said to the elder martial brother who deliberately raised his voice at him, “I’m not saying that the others don’t deserve high marks. I’m just talking about myself — is the criteria for judging medicinal pills not the rate of success and the quality of the medicinal pills? Since I can reach a good standard, I naturally deserve higher marks.”

　　Mr. Lan glanced at Yan Tianhen. “This score is the final score given by all four alchemy teachers. Are you questioning us?”