Inside the hall, there were naturally quite a few alchemists, but their ranks were too low, far inferior to Master Ren Yuan and Mo Ruyan. However, Lin Xuan didn’t let any of them slip by. After all, he currently had a considerable amount of energy points, and alchemy talent was relatively rare—hard to find outside the Alchemist Guild. So, after casually strolling around the hall and unintentionally getting within ten meters of them, he copied all of their talents. Then, he moved to a sparsely populated corner and chose to use them.
Instantly, a surging warm current flowed through his entire body. Lin Xuan’s aura began to shift. Fortunately, the hall was crowded with people and the energy signatures were mixed, so no one noticed. At the same time, a crisp, cool prompt sounded in his ear.
“Ding, congratulations to the host for improving alchemy talent!” “Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to top-grade Crimson Fire attribute talent!” “Ding, congratulations to the host for advancing to forty percent Wood Intent!” “...”
A few minutes passed. All the fusion and absorption was complete. Lin Xuan looked at the attribute panel floating before him, which showed numerous improvements, and nodded slightly. “Two spiritual-grade alchemy talents, plus a few lower-grade ones, fused together, along with forty percent Fire Intent and Wood Intent. My alchemy aptitude should be among the top even within the entire Alchemist Guild, right?” He murmured to himself, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. Then, he dismissed the attribute panel and walked toward the front counter.
“Hello, I’m Li Yue, a front desk staff member of the Alchemist Guild. How may I assist you?” As Lin Xuan approached the counter, the staff member behind it proactively and politely spoke before he could say anything. For a moment, it made Lin Xuan feel like he was back in the tech era of his past life. He quickly snapped out of it and nodded. “I want to take the alchemist rank assessment.”
As his words fell, several staff members behind the counter were visibly startled, their gazes all fixed on Lin Xuan. Although the Alchemist Guild was the place for alchemist rank assessments, the path of alchemy was extremely difficult, and without the right talent, it was hard to even get started. Very few people came each month to take the assessment, and most were familiar faces retaking it. A newcomer like Lin Xuan, so young, was something they’d never seen before, so naturally, they were quite surprised. However, they quickly regained their composure and went back to their tasks. Though it was astonishing, it was still within reason—they gave him an extra glance and then paid no further attention.
“Please wait a moment.” Li Yue also snapped out of it and bowed. Then, she bent down and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. “Please fill out this form first for registration, so I can arrange the subsequent procedures for you. Also, please provide truthful information. This form will be entered into the guild’s system. If you pass the assessment, the guild will verify your identity details. If they’re not accurate, you might run into some trouble.” Li Yue handed the form to Lin Xuan and explained in detail.
“Mm.” Lin Xuan nodded lightly and quickly began filling it out. He used his real information. His details didn’t need to be kept secret, and he wasn’t afraid of them being leaked. Soon, he finished and handed the form back to Li Yue.
“Only sixteen years old, and you want to take the assessment for top-grade mortal alchemist?” Li Yue picked up the form, glanced at it, and couldn’t help but exclaim. Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of the nearby crowd. “Sixteen? That young?” “Sixteen, already at the Whirlwind Realm, and he wants to become an alchemist?” “Such a genius?” “And top-grade mortal alchemist at that?” “Another top-tier alchemy prodigy?” “Probably even Miss Mo Ruyan can’t match him, right?” “Yeah, Miss Mo Ruyan was seventeen when she first took the mortal alchemist assessment!” The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion and exclamations, their eyes fixed on Lin Xuan, tinged with disbelief. To be so young, not only reaching the Whirlwind Realm but also aiming for top-grade mortal alchemist—such talent was unprecedented even in the entire Windcloud City. Naturally, everyone was deeply shaken.
Lin Xuan, however, remained unfazed, his expression calm. In fact, he was quite pleased. This way, he could harvest another wave of energy points. Across from him, Li Yue was also stunned. She quickly recovered, her demeanor becoming more respectful and reverent. She promptly put the form away and bowed. “Please follow me!” Then, Li Yue led Lin Xuan, under the crowd’s gaze, through a large door behind the counter into the inner hall. Before long, they arrived at an open space. Eleven people were waiting there, with cultivation levels ranging from Qi Transformation Realm to Whirlwind Realm, and ages from their twenties to thirties or forties.
“The assessment will take place here in the mortal alchemist assessment area. Please wait here for a moment,” Li Yue explained. Lin Xuan nodded slightly, scanning the area. The other eleven people present were also there to take the assessment. Their attribute panels all contained alchemy talents as well. “I’ll take a look around first,” Lin Xuan said to Li Yue beside him, then slowly walked away, wandering about. Li Yue was taken aback, not quite understanding. This space wasn’t large—you could see it all at a glance—so what was there to explore? But since Lin Xuan wanted to wander, she couldn’t stop him.
Not far away, Xiao Lü walked over. She had accompanied another person taking the assessment. “Li Yue, why did you bring him here?” Xiao Lü frowned, asking in a low voice. “You mean Mr. Lin? He’s here to take the alchemist rank assessment. And Mr. Lin is only sixteen, aiming for top-grade mortal alchemist!” Li Yue replied with a smile, her tone full of admiration. “What? He’s also here for the alchemist assessment? And top-grade mortal alchemist?” Xiao Lü exclaimed softly, her eyes filled with disbelief and shock. If Lin Xuan was going to take the top-grade mortal alchemist assessment, then hadn’t she offended a respected alchemist master? At that thought, fear surged in Xiao Lü’s heart. Compared to an alchemist master, she was just a maid in the Alchemist Guild—utterly insignificant.
“What’s wrong?” Li Yue asked, puzzled by Xiao Lü’s reaction. But Xiao Lü didn’t answer, walking away in a daze. Her expression was grim. She could only silently pray that Lin Xuan would fail the assessment. The other eleven people in the hall, who were also waiting to take the assessment, were equally startled, their gazes converging on Lin Xuan. If this was true, then this assessment would feature a top-tier alchemy prodigy? The eleven of them were deeply shaken, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. They had never witnessed the brilliance of a top alchemy genius before! If they could see it, even failing the assessment would be worth the trip.
Lin Xuan, however, paid them no mind. He casually strolled around, copying the alchemy talents of all eleven people. Then, he returned to his spot and chose to use them.