Published: December 25, 2024
After entering, Qin Chen found himself in an extremely dark place, where he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Even after his spiritual power spread out, it was still a void of darkness.
“This is the Alchemy Room?”
This was Qin Chen's first time in the Alchemy Room, so he couldn't help but feel curious.
At that moment, hum...
Suddenly, a light appeared before Qin Chen, followed by a medicinal herb that materialized out of thin air in front of him.
“Please state the name of the spiritual herb in front of you.” A cold voice sounded.
This was the first challenge: identifying the spiritual herb.
Qin Chen immediately said, “Mandala Grass!”
Swish!
The spiritual herb immediately dimmed, replaced by another one.
“Fengya Crystal!”
“Mu Ling Flower!”
“Scorpion Tail Honeywood!”
“Poisonous Flowing Sand!”
“...”
Qin Chen rapidly named over twenty types of spiritual herbs, but after that, no new herbs appeared, and there was a brief silence.
He knew he had passed the first challenge.
Outside, a light flickered on the stone tablet, indicating that the person inside had passed the first challenge.
“So fast? It hasn't even been a minute!”
“Just a few breaths, and he passed the first challenge. How did he do that?”
The spectators were not too surprised, as everyone knew that the first challenge was quite simple. Normally, a first-grade alchemist would have a chance to pass. However, the alchemists from the Alchemy Pavilion couldn't help but be amazed.
To pass the first challenge, one had to correctly identify twenty-eight spiritual herbs without a single mistake. These herbs were basic spiritual herbs, and while they could be discerned with care, what was rare was someone like Qin Chen, who passed in just a few breaths.
This meant that Qin Chen had to see each spiritual herb and name it within half a breath. Essentially, he had to state the answer as soon as the herb appeared.
Such speed was not something an ordinary alchemist could achieve.
“I heard that Qin Chen spent a whole ten days studying in our Alchemy Pavilion's library, and it truly paid off.”
“Passing the first challenge in just a few breaths breaks the record, doesn't it?”
“Even if it didn't break it, it's close enough. But what's the use? The assessment in the Alchemy Room isn't about how fast you can pass, but whether you can get through the subsequent challenges. Only by clearing more challenges can one represent a higher level of alchemy, not just by who clears it the fastest.”
Everyone was discussing among themselves, some surprised, others dismissive.
Kang Youming and the others also wore indifferent expressions, their lips curling into cold smiles. Passing quickly didn't mean much; the real challenge lay in the following stages, and if he had the skill, he could also pass that quickly.
Qin Chen naturally didn't know about the discussions outside; in front of him, the second challenge had already begun.
Three spiritual herbs appeared before him simultaneously, each looking quite similar.
“Select the Fish Scale Grass from among them!” A cold voice echoed in Qin Chen's ears.
These three spiritual herbs seemed identical, but there were subtle differences. Qin Chen could easily distinguish them and quickly pointed at one.
The three spiritual herbs vanished at once, followed by the appearance of four new spiritual herbs that were similarly alike.
“Select the Alfalfa Leaf from among them!”
Next came five, six, seven, and eight spiritual herbs appearing simultaneously, with increasing similarity. Naturally, it became more challenging to identify the correct herb, but for Qin Chen, it was entirely manageable.
After twenty-eight rounds, no new spiritual herbs appeared, indicating that Qin Chen had passed another challenge.
Once again, a light lit up on the stone tablet outside.
“Wow!”
Such speed naturally drew attention again.
“So fast!”
“This is unbelievable!”
“The second challenge requires selecting the correct herb from many kinds, and many of them look very similar. How could he possibly discern them so quickly?”