"You heard that, right? First level of Profound Elemental?" Several nearby disciples raised their eyes, and Zhao Ming laughed as well.
"So it’s true."
Yun Che remained motionless, while the thin young man tilted his head slightly.
"He just arrived, and he’s already at Profound Elemental?"
"Maybe he took some pill from Master or something."
"Master Qin Ruolan decided to accept a disciple just because of that ancient recipe."
The last sentence caused the atmosphere to change slightly. Yun Che narrowed his eyes. News of the recipe had already spread, and if that was the case, there was no way his master could not be involved in the disclosure of this information.
Zhao Ming noticed Yun Che’s frown.
"You don’t need to look so troubled," he said with a provocative smile.
"Everyone knows that you entered this place because of a negotiation, not through your own merit like the rest of us."
Yun Che looked at him.
"And does that bother you?"
Zhao Ming remained silent for a moment before laughing.
"No, not at all. Master has her own selection criteria."
He pointed toward a table.
"But I want to know whether you’re useful for anything besides obtaining ancient recipes. I’m not willing to accept someone who will eventually drag the reputation of the Pill House through the mud."
Several disciples began approaching, and curiosity spread throughout the hall. A young woman with black hair who had previously been working beside a furnace raised her eyes.
She seemed different from the others. She possessed a calm demeanor, dark eyes, and a small green symbol embroidered on the chest of her robe. A name was engraved on the jade plaque on the table: Su Meilin.
She watched the situation without participating. Beside her was a young woman named Luo Xin, with brown hair and a light-blue sash around her waist.
Luo Xin leaned toward Su Meilin.
"He seems quite calm. Could he really be an alchemist?"
Su Meilin replied:
"Or perhaps he simply hasn’t understood the situation he’s in."
Meanwhile, Zhao Ming picked up a small wooden box. Inside were three spiritual seeds.
"Since you’re new, I’ll ask you a simple question that even an enthusiast should be able to answer."
He took one of them out.
"Come on. Identify this spiritual seed."
Yun Che observed it for some time. Since he did not answer immediately, the disciples looked at him with obvious disdain.
It was a Cold Mist Flower Seed. It had an ordinary appearance but possessed small silver lines across its surface.
"Cold Mist Flower."
Zhao Ming frowned.
"Nonsense. You’re wrong."
Several disciples laughed.
Yun Che’s expression did not change.
"I’m not wrong."
Zhao Ming became serious.
"What?"
"You asked what it was, didn’t you?"
Yun Che pointed at the seed.
"That is the seed of the Cold Mist Flower."
The sturdy young man looked at Zhao Ming.
"Is he right?"
Zhao Ming clenched his jaw.
"It’s a beginner’s question."
He took out the second seed.
"Let’s see if you know this one."
Yun Che answered immediately.
"Blue Flame Root."
Zhao Ming placed the seed on the table.
"Since you know its name, why don’t you also tell us its property?"
"As for its temperature, it is hot."
"Since you know the basics, then tell me, what is the purification temperature?"
"Low during the first stage. If you increase it too early, you’ll destroy the spiritual core."
The hall became quieter, causing Zhao Ming to narrow his eyes.
"As for its compatibility with the Cold Mist Flower, what can you say?"
"Incompatible for direct fusion."
"Why?"
"Because their spiritual natures conflict."
Zhao Ming fell silent, and the sturdy young man had lost his smile. Zhao Ming then put the seeds away.
"You were lucky."
Yun Che raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You really believe that?"
Zhao Ming’s expression hardened. A small circle of disciples had already formed around them.
Among them was a young woman with long black hair named Chen Ruyue. Her white robe was simple but carefully fitted, with green embroidery on the sleeves. She moved as though her back was hurting.
She looked at Yun Che curiously.
"He seems to know some theory."
Luo Xin replied:
"Knowing a few herbs doesn’t mean knowing how to refine."
Chen Ruyue nodded.
"That’s true."
Zhao Ming heard her.
"Exactly."
He looked back at Yun Che.
"How many pills have you refined?"
The answer came without hesitation.
"I have only refined a few low-grade recovery pills. As a disciple of the Profound Flower Sect, that’s practically the same as saying none, so I haven’t refined any pills yet."
This time, the laughter was louder. Yun Che’s face remained calm, while Zhao Ming spread his arms.
"Did you hear that? He’s only refined low-grade recovery pills. In other words, he hasn’t refined a pill yet?"
He looked at the other disciples.
"He knows a few herbs, but he has never even refined a real pill."
The sturdy young man laughed loudly.
"So he really is a useless beginner."
"Not just a beginner," Zhao Ming added. "He’s completely ignorant of the art of pill refining."
Yun Che did not answer. Then Zhao Ming stepped closer.
"Do you know the difference between memorizing names and being an alchemist?"
Yun Che looked at him.
"Of course I do. Who wouldn’t know something so basic?"
"Then tell me what the difference is."
"An alchemist needs to know how to apply what he knows in order to refine pills."
Zhao Ming smiled.
"Finally, you’ve said something useful."
He pointed toward an empty furnace.
"Then use it and show us whether you’re an alchemist or merely someone who bought a place among us."
Yun Che looked at the furnace.
Zhao Ming continued:
"Show us a pill."
Silence returned.
Yun Che did not move.
"I can’t, and I don’t want to."
The laughter began again. Zhao Ming smiled triumphantly.
"Of course you can’t."
It was then that Qin Ruolan returned from the other side of the hall, where she had stopped to observe everything that was happening. Yun Che noticed her.
Yun Che noticed something else as well. Everyone there expected him to defend himself. They wanted to see him fail. However, he did not need to do so, not now. He simply sat down.
"When I learn how to properly refine a pill, I’ll show all of you how someone with divine talent refines a pill."
Zhao Ming stared at him for several seconds before laughing.
"Fine. Let’s see your divine talent in action one day."
He turned around.
"But don’t take too long."
The group began to disperse, but several voices continued behind Yun Che.
"He won’t last a week."
"Qin Ruolan must have made a mistake."
"Maybe he can memorize recipes, but alchemy requires practice, effort, dedication, and plenty of perseverance."
Yun Che continued reading. There was a small difference between him and all those disciples. They were trying to find out whether he was capable.
After several minutes, he heard footsteps. A presence stopped in front of his table. Yun Che raised his eyes. It was Su Meilin.
The young woman kept her hands hidden inside the wide sleeves of her white robe. Her black hair was tied behind her head, but several strands framed her face.
"Aren’t you going to respond to their provocations?"
"No."
"Why?"
Yun Che closed the book.
"Because I don’t need to."
Su Meilin observed him.
"You’re very confident for someone who just admitted that you’ve never properly refined a pill."
Yun Che smiled faintly.
"I said I don’t know how yet."
She fell silent. That answer seemed different from his previous ones. There was no shame or arrogance, only certainty.
Su Meilin walked away.
"Then I hope to see what you’ll do when the time comes."
Yun Che returned to his book. In the distance, Zhao Ming watched the two of them. The smile had disappeared from his face. The new disciple did not seem concerned, and that bothered him greatly. He clenched his fingers.
"Let’s see how long that confidence lasts."
Qin Ruolan approached again, and as before, when she had left, the hall gradually became silent. She placed a small stack of books on the table in front of Yun Che.
"Have you rested enough, haven’t you?"
Yun Che looked at the books.
"Yes."
"Good."
Qin Ruolan turned toward the remaining disciples.
"Since everyone seems so eager to test their alchemical knowledge, there will be a theoretical assessment tomorrow morning."
Several disciples raised their heads. Zhao Ming smiled.
Qin Ruolan continued:
"All disciples of the Refining House may participate."
His smile grew wider as he looked directly at Yun Che.
"You will participate as well."
Yun Che remained silent, while Zhao Ming let out a small laugh. He had found exactly what he wanted.
An opportunity to humiliate Yun Che in front of the entire Refining House.
"Master Qin."
"Yes?"
"May I participate as well?"
Qin Ruolan nodded.
"Of course."
Zhao Ming looked at Yun Che.
"Then I hope our new brother won’t disappear before tomorrow."
Several disciples laughed.
Yun Che simply closed the book.
"Hmph."
Zhao Ming smiled.
"Excellent."
He turned around.
"Because tomorrow everyone will know exactly who deserves to be in this Refining House."
Yun Che watched him walk away before lowering his eyes to the books. There was no anger on his face.
Unlike everyone else present in that hall...
Yun Che knew exactly what was inside those books, and during those ten hours of study, he had not merely memorized words.
The system had transformed hundreds of years of alchemical knowledge into an organized structure within his mind.
Tomorrow, they intended to test him.
Yun Che was beginning to realize that perhaps this was the perfect opportunity an opportunity to show that the disciple everyone considered useless was not what he appeared to be.