Empire Calendar Year 962, January 3rd.
At the gates of Bote Fortress City, a large convoy equipped with heavy firepower was parked.
A group of burly, fierce-looking Origin Cultivators queued at the city entrance.
They glanced at the long line of vehicles ahead, shaking their heads in frustration, chatting idly with a few friends nearby.
The Origin Cultivators at the front of the line entered the inspection area one by one for identity verification.
To prevent any Aberrants from sneaking in, every Origin Cultivator entering the Fortress City had to undergo thorough checks, comparing details like iris and fingerprint data.
On this point, the Origin Cultivators were full of complaints; their comings and goings were less convenient than those of ordinary Empire citizens.
Since last night, a large number of people, including various Hunter Groups, executives from Wilderness Resource Companies, lone adventurers, and herb buyers, had returned from the Wilderness.
The reason was simple: the Hunters Guild's Apothecary Hall was conducting the Senior Apothecary Apprentice Assessment.
These people weren't just here for the spectacle.
They wanted to recognize faces, identify who would become Senior Apprentices, and seize the opportunity to collaborate, pre-ordering some potions.
Or rather, pre-ordering some semi-finished potions.
Like Du Xiu's poison powder.
In a sense, this was also a semi-finished Level 1 Potion.
Although these semi-finished potions didn't have the astonishing effects of finished ones, they were affordable.
Senior Apprentices, aiming to become Apothecaries, needed to concoct a large amount of potions to accumulate experience.
Before officially becoming Apothecaries, Senior Apprentices would choose to collaborate with groups like Hunter Groups, herb merchants, and Wilderness Resource Companies.
Take the Hunter Group, for instance.
The Hunter Group would provide herbs for free, allowing Senior Apprentices to practice. The resulting failures or semi-finished products would be handled by the Hunter Group.
A win-win situation.
In a market with few Apothecaries and many Hunter Groups, each group naturally rushed back to the city to recruit talent.
At ten in the morning.
Inside the Hunters Guild, in a certain hall.
Du Xiu and over seventy Intermediate Apothecary Apprentices, after being searched, entered the examination hall one after another.
The examinees entered individual small rooms.
Inside, it was pitch black.
The moment Du Xiu stepped in, a virtual screen appeared in the air, displaying a countdown.
Du Xiu had asked Ding Yao about the assessment method.
The first part was virtual herb identification, a multiple-choice test, with one hour allotted.
The second part was virtual potion formulation, also with one hour allotted.
The more correct answers within the limited time, the higher the final score.
As the countdown hit zero.
A highly realistic virtual herb appeared on the screen.
Below it were four options representing names.
Du Xiu glanced at it briefly, selected an answer, and moved on, breezing through it effortlessly.
No pressure at all.
......
In a nearby conference room.
Live surveillance videos of the examinees were displayed on a large screen.
The invigilation team, led by the Deputy Hall Master, gathered with the heads of various apothecary rooms.
In addition, there were some young members of the Apothecary Hall.
"There are quite a lot of examinees this time!"
"Indeed! It's three times the number from last time! Almost all the Intermediate Apothecary Apprentices in Bote City have come to take the exam."
"After all, by June, the Imperial Academy will start enrolling. Only Level 1 Apothecaries under twenty will be admitted. That's the real chance to change one's fate. If these Intermediate Apprentices don't become Senior Apprentices this time, they won't qualify for the Level 1 Apothecary Assessment in June. Missing this chance means another year gone."
"Who wouldn't agree! The Imperial Academy is the only chance for ordinary people to leap over the dragon gate."
"However, not to discourage them, even if they become Senior Apprentices now, there are only five months left until June. They definitely won't make it for this year's Imperial Academy exam. Transitioning from Senior Apothecary Apprentice to Level 1 Apothecary requires a lot of time to accumulate experience."
"They have to try! Some of the examinees are already twenty; this is their last year. Whether they succeed or not, they have to give it a shot. For them, missing this isn't just missing a year, but a lifetime."
A group of older Apothecaries sighed.
All of them had graduated from the Imperial Academy.
In the Ninth Empire, almost all the influential figures were Imperial Academy graduates.
Stories of ordinary people dropping out, self-studying, and achieving success from humble beginnings had never happened in the Empire's history.
Either you successfully enter the Imperial Academy and become an elite of the Empire.
Or you spend your life under someone else's thumb.
Unless they were core heirs, ordinary consortium children wouldn't achieve much if they didn't enter the Imperial Academy.
"Alright, let's not dwell on these heavy topics. Are there any promising candidates this time?"
Huyan Lie, the Deputy Hall Master seated at the head, asked.
"Li Huiping is quite good, already has the strength of a Senior Apprentice."
"Hu Cui also has a lot of potential; she's the most diligent among the apprentices."
"Yes, these two can definitely pass, and they might even pass this year's Level 1 Apothecary Assessment."
"I heard Old Freak Leng took on a new apprentice, how is he?" Huyan Lie asked.
As a fellow Deputy Hall Master, he was quite interested in Du Xiu.
At their age, comparing whose apprentice was more outstanding was one of the few pleasures left.
"He just passed the Intermediate level recently, quite young, but I think it's a bit of a stretch for him to pass the Senior level."
"Hey, something's not right, look!"
A Senior Apprentice pointed at a screen in surprise.
The sudden exclamation made the Apothecaries turn to look at him.
One of the Apothecaries glared at his apprentice.
It was a bit embarrassing for his apprentice to shout while the leaders of the Apothecary Hall were chatting.
Then, he turned his gaze to a certain area on the large screen.
"Damn! Who is that?"
The Apothecary, like his apprentice, couldn't help but exclaim.
On the screen, a young man was yawning, rapidly selecting options.
It showed he had already answered up to question 193.
Yet only seven minutes had passed since the exam started.
Almost two to three seconds per question.
"That's impossible! How can he be so fast? He must be guessing!"
"Who is this kid, randomly answering questions, isn't he deliberately causing trouble?" Huyan Lie glared with tiger-like eyes, quite displeased.
Many herbs in the Wilderness looked similar, and even Apothecaries needed time to recognize them, let alone an apprentice.
But this kid just glanced and answered.
Wasn't he just messing around?