Guo Han stood motionless.
He reviewed the sequence mentally and then slowly lowered his eyes. He had realized that Yun Che was not merely identifying isolated errors. He was connecting each stage to the next.
Guo Han slowly exhaled. What kind of monstrous genius was this Yun Che?
"I understand. Thank you very much for the clarification."
His voice was low.
But everyone heard it.
Zhao Ming looked away. At that moment, his attempt to recover his pride had completely disappeared.
He Zhong looked at Yun Che.
"Last question."
Yun Che raised his eyes.
"The process contains several errors. If you could correct only one of them before beginning the refinement, which one would you choose?"
The atmosphere became tense again.
It was a different question. He did not want to know how many errors Yun Che could find, but rather which one he considered the most important.
Yun Che observed the formation and answered with the same calmness as always.
"The error identified during the preparation stage."
He Zhong asked:
"Why did you make this particular choice?"
"Because the later errors are consequences of the one I identified in my answer."
Yun Che pointed toward the ingredients.
"If the spiritual incompatibility isn’t dealt with from the beginning, it will have to be compensated for throughout all the following stages."
He paused.
"And the later we try to correct the problem, the greater the cost will be."
He Zhong stared at him before nodding with a faint smile.
"An excellent answer."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Then the formation above the square began emitting an intense light.
The results appeared.
Yun Che had identified every hidden error throughout all the stages of the process, leaving none of the other competitors any opportunity.
The participants’ names appeared one after another, and the provisional ranking was updated.
The disciples held their breath.
First place.
Guo Han.
Second.
Su Meilin.
Third.
Zhao Ming.
Then the others.
The list continued descending until it reached the name everyone had been waiting for.
Yun Che.
His score began to appear. The disciples’ eyes followed the numbers as Yun Che’s score continued rising until it surpassed those above him.
His name changed position until it replaced first place.
For several seconds, nobody reacted.
It was as if everyone needed time to accept it.
Yun Che had entered the evaluation as someone many considered incapable, and now he stood at the top.
Zhao Ming remained motionless. His eyes remained fixed on the ranking, his hands clenched into fists. His face had completely lost its arrogance.
Guo Han also stared at the list. He did not seem furious, only thoughtful. After several seconds, he approached Yun Che.
"That was a good evaluation, Brother Yun Che. When it comes to alchemy, you will be a dragon among men."
Yun Che looked at him.
"You did well too, Senior Brother."
Guo Han nodded.
"But this time, it wasn’t enough."
He walked away.
Su Meilin approached shortly afterward. Her eyes showed a curiosity she no longer tried to hide.
"How many hours did you say you studied?"
"Ten."
She remained silent for several seconds.
"Impossible. Whatever your secret is, I’ll eventually find it out. No one could achieve such a performance with only ten hours of study. Mark my words, I’ll find out."
Yun Che did not respond.
Su Meilin realized she would not obtain any more information, so she merely smiled faintly before returning to her place.
Qin Ruolan finally stood up. Her breasts bounced up and down with the movement, causing all the disciples to fall silent.
She slowly descended from the platform and stopped before Yun Che. For several seconds, she simply observed him.
"I didn’t expect this result. You really surprised me today. And judging by the looks of things, I’m not the only one you surprised."
Yun Che remained calm.
"What can I say? I’m a genius."
Qin Ruolan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Executive confidence is merely arrogance."
"I simply know my abilities."
His answer caused a small smile to appear on her face.
"There is a difference."
"I know."
Qin Ruolan looked at the formation, where the ranking was still visible.
"Theory does not replace practice."
"I know."
"When you return to the Refinement House, you’ll have to prove that you can turn that knowledge into results."
Yun Che nodded.
"When necessary, I’ll surprise you again, in ways my master can’t even imagine."
Qin Ruolan stared at him for several more seconds before walking away.
The evaluation had ended, and the disciples began leaving the square. Some were still discussing the questions.
Others commented on Yun Che’s answers. His name circulated among the groups, but Yun Che, the dark horse, did not stay to listen.
He simply left the Refinement House behind.
The corridors of the Profound Flower Sect were peaceful at that hour, and daylight passed through the leaves of the trees, casting irregular shadows over the stone path.
Yun Che walked alone.
Behind him were the books, the spiritual furnaces, and the evaluation.
Ahead was the place he needed to return to: the Massage House.
The closer he got, the more familiar the surroundings became. The movement of the disciples, everything seemed exactly as before.
But Yun Che was no longer exactly the same.
He had entered the Refinement House carrying nothing but an opportunity and left carrying knowledge that could become extremely valuable in the future.
Even so, he showed no satisfaction. His gaze remained calm.
When he crossed the entrance of the Massage House, several disciples looked at him, while a young woman passed through the corridor without paying any attention.
Yun Che continued walking.
Until he reached his old space, his small and humble room.
During the walk, he had not seen Mei Liang.
He then lay down on his single bed, staring blankly at the dullness of the room. He breathed slowly.
Then a cold sensation suddenly swept through his mind.
A blue light appeared before his eyes as the system interface emerged.
[Alert. You have excessively used the system’s resources, completely exhausting your Lust Points.]
He narrowed his eyes, but before he could curse, another message appeared.
[Since you possess no Lust Points to sustain your cultivation core, your cultivation realm will fall as a consequence. Once you run out of spiritual energy, you will eventually suffer a painful death.]
Then:
[A new mission has been assigned to the Host.]
Yun Che remained motionless. His calm expression slowly disappeared from his face.
One final line appeared.
[New Mission Available: Perform dual cultivation with a woman above your cultivation realm, or maintain deep intimate contact with at least 20 different women, 20 minutes with each woman.]
[Physical contact is only valid if the woman’s most private regions are reached through the Host’s touch.]
[Mission Reward: The system will fill the Host’s empty Undead slots.]
[Additional Reward: 10 to 50 Lust Points depending on the satisfaction of the women with whom the Host performs cultivation or maintains physical contact.]
[Failure Result: Cultivation regression.]
The blue glow silently illuminated the small space of the Massage House.
Yun Che stared at the message and realized that his brief period of tranquility had come to an end.
Yun Che had shone in the Pill Refinement House.
And now, the system was about to demand its price.