"Senior Sun, how is the quality of the Qi Recovery Pills I refined?"
At this moment, Lin Xuan's calm voice rang out.
"Excellent, truly excellent!" "Flawless, I'd say!"
Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun both replied, their faces full of smiles.
The way they looked at Lin Xuan was no longer the appreciation of an elder for a junior, but the respect of a peer, even tinged with a hint of awe.
Because, in terms of alchemy mastery, although Lin Xuan was still a youth, he was already on par with them, perhaps even slightly superior.
They could no longer view Lin Xuan with old eyes.
"From one set of materials, three pills were produced, all with three stripes—an outstanding result!"
Then, Sun Jingyun announced loudly:
"Lin Xuan, congratulations on passing the assessment. From this moment on, you are a Mortal-Grade Upper-Class Alchemist."
The others still refining pills looked at Lin Xuan, all sighing with emotion and filled with envy.
But envy was all they could do.
After all, Lin Xuan had refined these pills under everyone's watchful eyes, relying on his own true skill.
Since they lacked such ability, they could only practice more themselves.
"Thank you, Senior Sun."
Lin Xuan replied with a cupped fist salute.
After a brief pause, Lin Xuan continued:
"Senior Sun, I would also like to proceed with the assessment for the Spirit-Grade Upper-Class Alchemist badge. I'll trouble you again, Senior Sun."
As his words fell, another stir ran through the crowd.
"Whoa, he just finished the Mortal-Grade Upper-Class assessment and now he's going for Spirit-Grade Upper-Class? That's a huge leap!"
"Yeah, the difficulty of the Spirit-Grade Alchemist assessment is far beyond the Mortal-Grade, especially the highest Spirit-Grade Upper-Class!"
"But then again, with a top-tier alchemy prodigy like Lin Xuan making a move, it's not impossible."
"Hmm, that makes sense too."
"..."
The surrounding crowd murmured quietly, their gazes fixed on Lin Xuan, filled with astonishment.
However, after Lin Xuan had demonstrated his strength, although there were still some doubts this time, no one dared to sneer or mock anymore.
"Hmm?"
Sun Jingyun was also taken aback at the words.
Then, he quickly recovered, showing a wry smile, and nodded:
"Alright, with your exceptional alchemy talent, you are indeed qualified to attempt the Spirit-Grade Upper-Class Alchemist assessment. The assessments in today's Spirit-Grade assessment area should still be ongoing; there's still time."
Although from Lin Xuan's performance in refining the Qi Recovery Pill, he knew that Lin Xuan's alchemy mastery was in no way inferior to theirs, likely at least at the Spirit-Grade Upper-Class level.
But hearing that Lin Xuan wanted to take the assessment, and that he might soon become a Spirit-Grade Upper-Class Alchemist on par with them, Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun both felt a complex mix of emotions, hard to articulate.
Nevertheless, Lin Xuan's alchemy potential was extremely high, far surpassing theirs, so they dared not offend him and instead sought to build a good relationship.
They naturally wouldn't delay him.
Immediately, Sun Jingyun said:
"Zhang Qun, keep an eye on the assessments here. I'll take Young Friend Lin to the Spirit-Grade assessment area and explain the situation. I'll be back soon."
"Alright, go ahead."
Zhang Qun nodded.
"Let's go."
Then, Sun Jingyun placed the three Qi Recovery Pills into a jade bottle and put it away before speaking to Lin Xuan.
The Alchemist Guild provided the materials, but the finished pills belonged to the guild.
Lin Xuan watched silently, saying nothing.
Then, Lin Xuan followed Sun Jingyun out through a door at the back of this space.
Only then did the crowd on the field collect themselves, gradually calm their minds, and begin refining their own batches.
The inner hall of the Alchemist Guild was layered and nested, appearing more than ten times larger than the outside.
As Lin Xuan followed Sun Jingyun, he felt the vastness of the place and sighed inwardly.
Passing through one space after another, he occasionally saw alchemists, much more frequently than outside.
Lin Xuan didn't let any opportunity slip, copying them all one by one.
Before long, Sun Jingyun led him into a space several times larger than the previous one.
In this space, there were also ten furnaces at the back, with two elderly men standing in front, along with several guild stewards around.
"This is the Spirit-Grade assessment area."
Sun Jingyun briefly explained to Lin Xuan before walking toward the two elders.
Lin Xuan silently followed, nodding lightly.
He didn't need Sun Jingyun's introduction to know.
Because, at the back, only two people were refining pills.
One of them was Mo Ruyan, the Spirit-Grade Middle-Class Alchemist and alchemy prodigy he had encountered outside the guild gate earlier, presumably taking the Spirit-Grade Upper-Class assessment.
The other was a middle-aged man showing signs of age.
Without needing further explanation, it was clear where this was.
As for the two elders overseeing the assessment, both wore a silver cauldron and a five-pointed star on their chests, indicating they were Earth-Grade Lower-Class Alchemists.
Lin Xuan was somewhat familiar with these two elders.
One was Master Ren Yuan, who had resolved the trouble outside the gate earlier.
The other had facial features somewhat similar to Mo Ruyan, presumably the Master Mo he had heard of, Mo Ruyan's grandfather.
His attribute panel instantly appeared before Lin Xuan's eyes.
Looking at this panel, Lin Xuan's expression shifted slightly; it was quite similar to Master Ren Yuan's.
He naturally couldn't let this pass.
Once he was within ten meters.
With a thought.
"Ding, consumed 100,000 energy points, copy successful, obtained [Spirit-Grade Alchemy Talent]."
"Ding, consumed 100,000 energy points, copy successful, obtained [Spirit-Grade Cultivation Talent]."
In an instant, he had copied the two prized assets.
Considering that they were still in the midst of alchemy, with many people and mixed auras, and since his current talent grades were already high, further improvement wouldn't cause any noticeable fluctuation.
He then chose to use them with a thought.
"Ding, congratulations, host's alchemy talent has improved!"
"Ding, congratulations, host's cultivation talent has improved!"
A warm current flowed through him.
Lin Xuan felt another significant change within his body, and his mind became clearer.
"So, it's still not enough to raise the grade?"
Lin Xuan murmured to himself.
Then, he dismissed the thought and looked toward Mo Ruyan, who was still refining pills nearby.
As her refining process entered his view, he instantly memorized and comprehended it, finding it remarkably simple.
"Whether in alchemy or martial arts, the higher the talent, the better."
Lin Xuan sighed inwardly, but a glint of joy flashed in his eyes.
His current alchemy talent, combining and merging three Spirit-Grade talents along with many Absolute-Grade, Supreme-Grade, and lower ones, was of a very high level.
Although it hadn't reached the next level of Mystic-Grade, it was likely among the top within the Spirit-Grade.
At the very least, becoming a Spirit-Grade Upper-Class Alchemist to earn enough cultivation resources wouldn't be a problem.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sun Jingyun was explaining the situation to the two Earth-Grade Alchemists, Master Ren Yuan and Master Mo.
"Is what you're saying true?"
Master Mo asked.
His voice carried a tremor.
Clearly, he was also deeply shaken.
"Reporting to Elder Mo, what I say is absolutely true, without a shred of falsehood! I've brought evidence as well!"
With that, Sun Jingyun handed over a jade bottle.