True Martial World - Chapter 272: Release of Results

Not only did the Tai Ah Divine City's cultivators form associations, they also formed societies.

The biggest society was the Divine Wilderness Adventurers' Alliance. The people in this society mainly formed groups to go into the Divine Wilderness to obtain training experience and hunt desolate beasts.

And the second biggest society was the Desolate Heaven Master Society, which was headquartered in the central divine tower. Every month, the Desolate Heaven Master Society would organize various kinds of activities, and these activities received official support from the Tai Ah Divine City.

Today, there were no special Desolate Heaven Master Society activities, but the hall was still overcrowded!

There were 400-500 people gathered there, all of them Desolate Heaven Master apprentices. Nearly 80-90% of the Tai Ah Divine City's Desolate Heaven Master apprentices had come.

It was because today was the day that Grandmaster Yuehua would release the test results.

Yuehua's class actually only had about a hundred students enrolled. Many Desolate Heaven Master apprentices could not afford to pay the tuition fee to attend the classes, but even so, when they heard that Yuehua had tested her students during the lesson, many of them wanted to see the results of the geniuses.

This test resulted in scholarships and allowances and that was very critical. And many people believed that this test, from a certain perspective, would indicate the levels of the Desolate Heaven Master apprentices in the Tai Ah Divine City.

The scores could determine who was better!

There was no doubt who would be first. Luo Huo'er did not need to prove her Desolate Heaven technique talent. She had outshone everyone by breaking a record a few days ago!

Everyone wanted to know who would get second place.

Yang Yuefeng, Li Daohong, and Zhou Shiguang were all contenders for second place!

The three of them were in the top ten of the Man roll of honor. However, the top ten in the Man roll of honor did not only consist of Desolate Heaven Master apprentices. For example, Qin Haotian, Li Xiao, etc earned a place in the top ten by earning dragon scale runes from hunting desolate beasts.

Yuehua's test was a comprehensive way to judge all the Desolate Heaven Master apprentices in the Tai Ah Divine City. The meaning behind the judging was very significant. Not only were the Tai Ah Divine City's Desolate Heaven Master apprentices concerned, even many large factions had dispatched their informants to obtain first-hand information of the results.

The people placed second to tenth would gain a lot of attention by all these large factions.

At that moment, in the training ground of the central divine tower's 69th floor, Luo Huo'er was dressed in a white training suit. Her two long legs were split 180° apart. Her inner thighs were stuck to the ground while her body was bent backward. Her body was bent into a perfect curve, with her silky long hair hanging down and spreading across the carpet.

Luo Huo'er was practicing her family's heart sutra.

Suddenly, Dong'er pushed the door open and furtively ran in.

"Miss, today is the day the results will be released. There are many people gathered in the Desolate Heaven Master Society. Everyone is waiting to see the rankings. Why aren't you going?"

Luo Huo'er did not answer as both of her hands pressed onto the ground while she lifted her entire body off the floor. Both her legs were still maintaining the 180° posture. She looked like a bird that was spreading its wings.

Because of Luo Huo'er's motions, her training suit stuck tightly to her body, showing off her perfect buttocks and chest.

She focused on finishing the last few motions before she flung her hair and said, "Anyway, I'll be first. There's nothing much to see. Those people's standards are so bad that I can use half a hand seal to beat them!"

Luo Huo'er's mouth curled before she carried on practicing.

Dong'er chuckled, "Miss is right! There's no other way besides Miss being first. But doesn't Miss want to see what result you obtained?"

"The test was difficult. I have a vague idea what my score is, so I don't really need to see it to know it. Besides, there're so many people there squeezing to look at the results. If I were to go squeeze with them, won't I be degraded?"

Luo Huo'er curled her lips. Actually, this was the main reason why she was not going to look at the results. How could she squeeze in the crowd, tiptoeing just to see the rankings? Such a degradation did not match her status.

"Miss is right. I'll go." Dong'er volunteered and ran out of the training ground with her short legs.

When Dong'er reached the Society's grounds, it was extremely crowded. Even some of the large factions’ ambassadors, who were not Tai Ah Divine City cultivators, were mixed in the crowd.

Firstly, they were here to look at the results, and secondly, build good relations with the up and coming rookies.

In the crowd, the three people who received the most attention were Yang Yuefeng, Li Daohong, and Zhou Shiguang. Without Luo Huo'er present, they were the leaders amongst the Desolate Heaven Master apprentices.

"Brother Daohong, Brother Shiguang, it's been a while!" Yang Yuefeng greeted Li Daohong and Zhou Shiguang.

"How have you been, Brother Yuefeng? I heard Brother Yuefeng did very well for this test and have already reserved a banquet in the Divine Moon Restaurant. It looks like second place is definitely Brother Yuefeng's!" Li Daohong replied with a smile.

"Come on, come on. My results can only be considered satisfactory. It might not even be better than Brother Daohuo's." Yang Yuefeng replied "humbly".

When young masters gathered together, they would often flatter each other, purposely causing the others to feel extremely flattered. In truth, only they knew what they were really thinking.

Not only were their reputations on the line, there was also a generous scholarship. If you get the appreciation of Grandmaster Yuehua, you might even have a slim chance of learning the 'Thousand Hand Moon Buddha'!

Who did not want to be in second place for such an important test?

Although the three seemed to compliment each other openly, truthfully, all of them wanted to exceed the other!

"Hypocrites!" Dong'er saw the three of them wishing to be second, yet pretended to flatter one another. Although she was young, she sometimes knew the ways of the world.

At that moment, the Desolate Heaven Master Society's door was pushed open. Two black-cloaked central divine tower law-enforcers walked out. They were holding a scroll as thick as a water bucket in their hands.

Everyone immediately turned silent. They sensed that the two law-enforcers were here to release the results. And the scroll was likely the result ranking!

Sure enough, when the two law-enforcers came to the center, one of them said, "Grandmaster Yuehua has told us to release the results. I will first paraphrase Grandmaster Yuehua's words. She said that in this test, the students who are ranked first and second will be able to receive the teachings of the 'Thousand Hand Moon Buddha'. If the two of them wished, Grandmaster Yuehua would guide them with all her heart."

When the law-enforcers said these words, it was like a rock dropping into a still water. The quiet scene turned into a tumultuous uproar!

The first two would receive the teachings of the 'Thousand Hand Moon Buddha'!

If the two wished, Grandmaster Yuehua would guide them with all her heart. In fact, this was equivalent to taking them in as her personal disciples!

Everyone knew that Grandmaster Yuehua's purpose in coming to the Tai Ah Divine City was to take in a disciple. She would only take in Luo Huo'er, but everyone else was hoping to catch the fancy of Grandmaster Yuehua. Even being an in-name disciple was something they could be contented with.

And even if it was just being a disciple in name, one had to go through several tests and obtain outstanding results before it was possible.

They never expected that just after the first test, Grandmaster Yuehua had decided to take in another disciple other than Luo Huo'er!

This was the greatest opportunity!

Who was so lucky to obtain second place?

A few Desolate Heaven Master apprentices who were ranked at the top became excited.

"Brother Daohuo, Brother Shiguang, I never expected that the three of us would have a chance. Who knows, maybe either Brother Daohuo or Brother Shiguang has caught the fancy of Grandmaster Yuehua!" Yang Yuefeng said disingenuously. His voice was shaking. He was currently wishing that Li Daohong and Zhou Shiguang would suddenly die, leaving only him to be Grandmaster Yuehua's disciple.

"Haha! Brother Yuefeng sure is humble. I think second place is most likely Brother Yuefeng's. If that's the case, Brother Yuefeng will be soaring into the sky. In the future, you must take good care of us." Zhou Shiguang also lied. As he said, his heartbeat rate accelerated as he murmured in his mind, "It has to be me, it has to be me!"

At that moment, Li Daohong, Zhou Shiguang, and Yang Yuefeng were the most nervous. It was the moment when their fate was decided. None of them had absolute confidence in beating the other two.

The two law-enforcers said, "I will now post the results. A perfect score is 700 points."

One of the law-enforcers tore off the result list's seal. No one else had seen the result list yet.

The list was very long. A law-enforcer would hold on to one end of the scroll, while the other law-enforcer would pull open the other end of the scroll. The two of them would open up the scroll horizontally like an art picture, displaying the results slowly.

Everyone held their breaths!

After some white space, name after name appeared.

These names appeared in the order from lowest to highest. The first name to appear was ranked at the bottom, with a score of just barely over 200 points.

"Such a low score!"

Some were secretly horrified. At the bottom of the list, with 700 points being the perfect score, obtaining 200 points was less than a third.

The list was slowly revealed. Name after name appeared. When the youths saw their own score, their expressions looked complicated. It was not exactly a glorious thing to be ranked near the bottom.

Slowly, more than ten names had appeared. Following that were those ranked in the middle, as the score slowly increased, exceeding 250 points.

Following that, 260 points, 270 points, 280 points...

The scores kept on increasing as they reached 300 points.

Now, those youths who saw their names lit up. Although their scores were unimpressive, being ranked in the upper range amongst a group of elites made them proud of themselves.

The list had opened up about three-quarters. It reached the top 20 names.

The remaining people tensed up.

Yang Yuefeng pretended to stay calm by fanning himself with his paper fan, but his palms were covered in sweat as his fan began to flap faster and faster, almost to the point of the fan tearing.

Li Daohong hung a smile on his face, but his smile looked forced as if it was frozen on his face.

On the other hand, Zhou Shiguang did not conceal his feelings. Both of his hands were clenched into a fist as he stared without blinking at the names appearing on the list.

He was afraid to see his name appear.

After another ten names appeared on the list, it reached the top ten!

At that moment, everyone's names that appeared were famous. They were the Desolate Heaven Master geniuses that came from big family clans!

Even so, these people's scores were still approximately 320-330 points.

The perfect score was 700 points, and yet these geniuses from big family clans failed to obtain even 50%. It showed how difficult the test was!

Those who had not appeared on the list were extremely nervous. They wished they were the lucky one other than Luo Huo'er.

After a few more names appeared, there was only a tiny portion of the scroll left to be unveiled. A few people looked disappointed.

At that moment, the list's names were now written in a larger font. Each word was three times bigger. Due to the large font, the speed of revealing the scroll slowed down. So every name that appeared seemed to take even longer.

Yang Yuefeng and company felt that each second was like a year!

All of them wished they would see the others' names, hoping to see their name last.

"Zhou Shiguang, 345 points!"

When Zhou Shiguang's name appeared, Zhou Shiguang who was standing beneath the stage felt like his brain had been slammed. His ears were ringing as he felt faint...

He had been eliminated...

His name had appeared before Li Daohong and Yang Yuefeng. This meant that he scored the lowest amongst the three of them.

"Brother Shiguang, such a pity..." Yang Yuefeng fanned his fan saying. He was rejoicing in his heart, yet he purposely gave a look of regret.

"It's...It's alright. Congratulations to Brother Yuefeng and Brother Daohuo. I'm inferior." Zhou Shiguang cupped his hands and said it with an extremely reluctant smile. He looked uglier than crying.

At that moment, Yang Yuefeng and Li Daohong could no longer be bothered with speaking to Zhou Shiguang because the next name was about to appear. This was the most critical moment. Both of their hearts were beating like a drum as their pupils constricted. They unblinkingly stared at the result list that was being slowly revealed.

If a person's gaze had any heat, the result list would probably have been burnt.

Next was, "Li Daohong, 347 points!"

Li Daohong's body shook as his face turned white! His fingers trembled, unable to believe what he had seen.

He had lost... lost to Yang Yuefeng!

At that moment, Yang Yuefeng was rejoicing in his heart!

"Brother Daohuo, such a pity. Just by a bit!" Yang Yuefeng's heart was beating fast as his blood flow sped up. He had wanted to look relaxed, but he could not fake it. His voice trembled slightly due to his excitement.

Everyone could tell that Yang Yuefeng was basically in an ecstatic happiness.

After Li Daohong, Yang Yuefeng's name appeared.

"Yang Yuefeng, 360 points!"

Yang Yuefeng did not know if he had done especially well that day because a divine being had possessed him. He had scored 13 points higher than Li Daohong, breaking through to 360 points.

His score was really high! It was no wonder he had been selected together with Luo Huo'er.

Many people thought similarly. They had begun to congratulate Yang Yuefeng.

"Congratulations Brother Yuefeng!"

"Brother Yuefeng must treat us! It has to be at the most luxurious room in the Divine Moon Restaurant! And it has to last for three days straight."

Many people smiled and complimented him, but there was some sourness behind those smiles.

Only people related to Yang Yuefeng or people who had become a follower of the Chu royal residence were truly excited. If their boss was strong, they would also gain much from it. Many people were glad that they had joined the Chu royal residence earlier on.

Now, Yang Yuefeng's face was flushed turned red with excitement. His body was like a boiling pot that was about to burst.

But he still had some sense. He did not get carried away until the end. There might be a dark horse appearing suddenly.

"Don't congratulate me too early. There are all sorts of hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the Tai Ah Divine City. There might be someone even better than Brother Shiguang, Brother Daohuo and me." Yang Yuefeng may sound humble and calm, but the vein on his forehead and already appeared. His eyes stared unblinkingly at the expanding result list. All he saw in his mind were the names that had already appeared.

While the result list was being revealed, Yang Yuefeng was already counting all the people that were a threat to him. All of their names had already appeared. Hence, there could not be any other person who could threaten his second place.

He was definitely selected as Grandmaster Yuehua's disciple!

It was like a dream!

"Brother Yuefeng is so modest. How could it be? All those that should appear have appeared."

As someone said that, a name that made Yang Yuefeng heave a sigh of relief appeared.

"Luo Huo'er, 494 points!"

When this name appeared, it was even bigger than the previous names. It was even written horizontally. It took up two feet on the scroll. Each word was not written in black ink, but condensed using energy runes. This reflected the difference.

494 points!?

So high!?

Seeing this terrifying score, everyone’s eyes widened.

Yang Yuefeng, who was in second place, had only earned 360 points.

Luo Huo'er had beaten him by more than 130 points. It was insane!

People knew how terrifying Luo Huo'er was, but only when the ridiculous result appeared did everyone realize the gap that was incredibly difficult to be bridged.

In the crowd, Dong'er saw Luo Huo'er's score and punched her fists into the air. It was as if all the honor was hers.

"Hehe, Miss is so good. Not only did she obtain first place, she had led number two by so much. When I tell Miss the good news later, I doubt she will be very happy. She would definitely say that it was a matter of course."

Dong'er had already anticipated Luo Huo'er's reaction.

Luo Huo'er's results were stunning, but Yang Yuefeng could no longer be bothered. He only had one thought in his mind.

With Luo Huo'er's name appearing already, there was no mistake about it!

He was placed second. Because Luo Huo'er was first, and no one could score higher than Luo Huo'er!

"Congratulations Brother Yuefeng!"

"Brother Yuefeng is a dragon amongst people!"

A group of people came to congratulate him immediately. Regardless if it was truthful or not, all of them sang praises for Yang Yuefeng.

Yang Yuefeng had been chosen by Grandmaster Yuehua and he had limitless prospects in the future. Now that he was in high spirits, it was best to enhance their relationship with him.

"Haha, everyone is too nice." Yang Yuefeng turned his body to accept the congratulations from these people.

He cleared his throat and said to the people around him, "All these years, I have been practicing the Desolate Heaven technique arduously. Although I am lacking, I still worked hard and never relaxed. By receiving Grandmaster Yuehua's appreciation and her taking me in as a disciple, I am extremely afraid. I'm afraid I will not live up to Grandmaster Yuehua's expectations. In the future, I will work harder. With everyone's encouragement, I will fight for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, protecting and fighting for all life under the heavens..."

Yang Yuefeng was riding on the crest of success and his voice was one octave higher. He wished he could fly up into the Heavens.

He had tried very hard to maintain his "not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnel" image, but when he said these words, his mouth was almost from ear to ear.

But just after he finished his impassioned monolog, he suddenly froze.

"Oh...What's wrong?"

He found something odd. All the people who had come to congratulate him had frozen. They were all looking at something behind him as if there was a ghost.

Only the result list was behind Yang Yuefeng's body.

Yang Yuefeng heart thumped. What's wrong?

Was there a problem with the list?

He did not dare to look back, but at that moment, an odd silence had befallen the entire hall. Everyone stood there dumbfounded. It was as if their expressions had been cursed, in a trance-like state.

Yang Yuefeng felt a cold breeze as his goosebumps raised on his back. He felt as if he was no longer in the Desolate Heaven Master Society but in a silent graveyard.

"Luo Huo'er...Luo Huo'er, she...how could this be..."

After a long time in this tepid scene, a youth pointed at the ranking list and murmured with an incredulous look.

Seeing the youth's reaction, Yang Yuefeng suddenly felt like his chest had been struck with a knife.

Everything around him had slowed down.

Yang Yuefeng's body froze. It was as if he had turned into a zombie that crawled out of a grave. He turned his body with difficulty, as his head turned around bit by bit.

The ranking list which had brought him tremendous glory and anticipation now turned into a scroll that contained a devil's curse. He did not dare to look at it.

Yang Yuefeng forced his eyes to land on the list. On the list, in a position ahead of Luo Huo'er, there were shiny golden runes that condensed into words. The words wrote, "Yi Yun, 515 points!"

Seeing these words, Yang Yuefeng suddenly felt as if his body's blood had been sucked out of his body. His body seemed to lose all support as he almost fell to the ground.

515 points?

515 points?

This line of words circled in Yang Yuefeng's mind like a curse. These golden words seemed to be dyed red, devouring him!

Yi Yun...It's Yi Yun. How could it be Yi Yun!?

In over a hundred Desolate Heaven Master apprentices, there was only one person named Yi Yun, and it was the most unlikely person!

"Noooo! I cannot accept it!" Yang Yuefeng shouted.

His face was contorted. Veins appeared on his neck and face. It was as if there were squirming worms under his skin. It made Yang Yuefeng look hideous!

"There must be some mistake! Yi Yun does not know the Desolate Heaven technique, how can he be ranked ahead of Luo Huo'er!? How could he be ranked ahead of me!? There must be some mistake! There must be some mistake! I'm second! I'm second!!"

Yang Yuefeng was already incoherent.

He could not accept the reality in front of him. After his hopes were raised to an unprecedented peak that allowed him to look triumphantly in front of everyone, it had been snatched away from him! It was as if his heart had been sliced by a knife!

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 120: Not a Thing

"Since I've answered the second question already, name your third one!"

Seeing the other party conceding the second question, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered to continue lingering about the matter noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"I admit defeat! These are already the two most difficult questions I can think of. I will just be making a mockery of myself if I continue asking!"

Apothecary Jin Chen shook his head.

The other party's action of listing out the names of so many books felled his confidence. He knew that if he continued like this, the only one being embarrassed would be him. He might as well surrender at this point. At least he could retain some dignity.

"You aren't going to ask the third question?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback for a moment before coming to a realization.

Since he was able to easily answer the most difficult questions he could come up with, he would most likely be humiliating himself if he continued.

Zhang Xuan was impressed with Apothecary Jin Chen's decisiveness.

"It's your turn!"

He turned around to look at Lin Mu.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan's attention turned onto him, Apothecary Lin Mu gritted his teeth and asked, "I have a question which, honestly speaking, I don't have an answer to either. If you can't answer it, it won't be considered your defeat! However, if you can answer it, I will admit defeat right away. It will be pointless even if I ask any further than that anyway!"

In the Pill Debate, the examiner had to know the answers to the questions they were posing. Otherwise, when you don't even know the answer yourself, how can you determine whether the other party's answer is correct?

Now that Apothecary Lin Mu had confessed that he wasn't able to answer this question either, logically speaking, it was already beyond the boundaries of the Pill Debate. Zhang Xuan could reject to answer his question.

It wouldn't be considered his defeat if he chose to do so.

"Speak!" Zhang Xuan casually said.

'Reject? Are you kidding? Since I can answer two fewer questions, it is obvious that I should answer his question.'

"I have been researching 【Meridian Expansion Pill】for a very long and regardless of the forging method, the medicinal herbs, or the cauldron, I double-check them to make sure there is nothing wrong with them. But for some reason, I am unable to form the pill. I would like you to tell me the reason for my failure!" Apothecary Lin Mu asked, after hesitating for a moment

"What kind of question is this?"

"Aren't you being a little too difficult here!"

"That's right, you should find the reason behind why you're unable to successfully forge a pill yourself. How do you expect him to answer that question out of the blue?"

……

Upon hearing Lin Mu's words, everyone was dumbfounded for a moment before peculiar expressions crept onto their faces.

When posing a question during a Pill Debate, one had to ask something that the other party could answer. Asking the other party how many moles you had on your body, how many meals you had yesterday, how many women you had relationships with… Even gods would be unable to answer these questions!

Right now, Lin Mu's question was similar to those. You simply said that you were unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill, how do you expect the other party to answer your query?

"Cough cough, Apothecary Lin Mu, you have to ask a question with basis behind it. This question isn't suitable, you should switch to another one…."

Ouyang Cheng, who was conducting the Pill Debate, couldn't stand looking at the situation any longer and spoke up.

"I was being too rash…."

Upon hearing the words of the others, Lin Mu realized that his question was inappropriate. Thus, he shook his head and just as he was about to say something else, Zhang Xuan beat him to it. "You weren't really rash. How about this: you try to forge a Meridian Expansion Pill for me first. I can't do anything about it through just your descriptions alone!"

"Alright!"

Lin Mu didn't expect the other party to agree. Nodding his head, he walked over to the cauldron.

Actually, he didn't intend to ask this question initially, it simply popped into his mind all of a sudden.

Recently, he had been thinking of forging Meridian Expansion Pills, but for some reason, he was unable to succeed. He had researched many different books, tried many different forging techniques, and everything he could think of, but his forging still ended in failure! Upon seeing Zhang Xuan pointing out the mistakes of the others so easily, he couldn't help asking him.

As long as he was able to find the mistake behind it, he was confident that with his skills he could successfully forge it.

Thinking that it was impertinent to ask this of him on such an occasion, he thought that the Zhang Xuan would reject his question. He didn't expect him to actually accept his question.

Fwoosh boosh!

The flames burned furiously and all kinds of medicinal herbs flew inside.

Lin Mu's ten fingers looked like they were playing the zither, continuously dancing all about. Peering from afar, it seemed as though he were playing a heavenly tune instead of pill forging.

With a single look, Zhang Xuan could tell that the apothecary before him had immersed himself in the art of pill forging for countless years and was already well-versed in it.

With such skills and a completely flawless forging sequence, he was still unable to successfully form the pills. This perplexed him.

"There is no errors at all!"

"With such skills, he could successfully forge a Strength Enhancement Pill. Why would he be unable to form the Meridian Expansion Pill?"

"Indeed, that's strange…."

Everyone's attention gathered on Apothecary Lin Mu as he started his forging. The more they watched, the more puzzled they became.

It was exactly as he said. Regardless of whether it was the medicinal herb, his movements, or any other significant factors, there wasn't a single error at all. Reasonably speaking, he should at least be able to form the pills. In fact, the pill would likely reach Satiation!

To be unable to form the pills... That was impossible!

Unfortunately, reality glared straight back at them. Soon, the flames died down and upon lifting the lid of the cauldron, a black sludge of medicinal waste presented itself before the people.

Fail!

"This doesn't make sense!"

Ouyang Cheng's wrinkled his brow to the point it folded into creases.

As the guild leader of the Apothecary Guild and a 1-star intermediate stage apothecary—the highest of the group here—his discernment ability was also outstanding. After looking at the entire process, his conclusion was the same as the others, that pills would be formed. Yet the results were contrary to his expectations. A puzzled expression hung on his face and he contemplated the matter seriously.

"Sigh!"

Upon seeing the pitch-black medicinal waste in the cauldron, Apothecary Lin Mu sighed and shook his head. He lifted his head to look at the young man. "This is the question I would like to ask you. If you can answer it, I will admit defeat straight away! However, if you can't answer, I will switch to a different question. It won't affect the results of the Pill Debate!"

"Can't answer?"

Zhang Xuan laughed. Stepping over to the cauldron, he circled around it and examined the medicinal waste. After that, he lifted his head to look at Apothecary Lin Mu with a bizarre expression on his face. "Apothecary Lin Mu sure is vigorous despite your age. I never thought it possible!"

"Vigorous despite my age?"

Lin Mu was taken aback.

'What does me being vigorous have to do with whether I am able to successfully forge the pill or not?

'Is there even a relationship between the two?'

The other apothecaries also looked over with doubtful expressions.

Previously, they would have publicly criticized him and doubted his words. However, after witnessing his vast knowledge and his ability, they understood that he had good reason for saying such words.

"Indeed. Upon walking over, I noticed a fragrance unique to women on Apothecary Lin's body. Furthermore, the scent is refreshing, pure and full of life. If I'm not wrong, she should not yet be eighteen years old!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Indeed, I just brought a concubine into my household. She hasn't reached eighteen yet!"

Apothecary Lin Mu's face flushed red.

He was already nearing seventy. He had a foot in the grave, but he had brought a seventeen year old concubine back home. Even though it didn't mean anything much in this world, he was still embarrassed to have the fact pointed out in front of so many other apothecaries.

"Could it be that… the reason why I am unable to forge the Meridian Expansion Pill is because of my concubine?"

Soon, Lin Mu arrived at a conclusion. Puzzled, he stared at Zhang Xuan.

If there was no relationship between the two, given Zhang Xuan's previous actions, he probably wouldn't point it out.

Just that… how was accepting a concubine related to forging pills?

They were two completely different things!

"You're right…. If I'm not wrong, that concubine of yours… isn't a thing!" Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying calmly.

"Not a thing?"

Lin Mu was flabbergasted for a moment before frowning. Infuriated, displeasure showed on his face. "Why did you start insulting her?"

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 119: The True Pill Debate 2

"Clearly, the theory about the difference being attributed to the constitution does not hold!

"Thus, Apothecary Zhang Jian investigated the matter and wrote the conclusion of his research into 《Discussions of Tempering Pill》. This book clearly details his opinions and he disagrees with the notion that the difference in effects of the Body Tempering Pill is due to one's constitution. Rather, it was because the medicinal effects of the herbs weren't distributed fairly among the different pills during the forging process! As such, even in the same cauldron and among pills of the same quality, there could be different medicinal effects!

"This theory was accepted for a few years until twelve years ago, when someone cast doubts and overthrew it! The one who doubted the theory wasn't an apothecary but a 1-star master teacher. He questioned: if the medicinal effects weren't distributed fairly among the different pill, then why did such a phenomenon only occur to Body Tempering Pills and not other pills?

"Therefore, he proposed a bold suggestion. It was recorded in 《Ning Han's Verbal Records》. This book wasn't widely sold and there is only a single copy of it in the guild's basic tier book collection vault. If you all haven't read it, it is in the 19th bookshelf, at the extreme right corner!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled and continued, "This master teacher named Ning Han came up with a bold proposal. He thinks that the reason there was such an occurrence among Body Tempering Pills was because of the difference between the maturity of the herbs and the forging technique of the apothecaries! Of course, he only brought it up as a theory and didn't experiment!

"Eight years ago, Apothecary Zhao Yue from Hongxuan Kingdom received an epiphany from this book and conducted an experiment. He changed eighteen of the main medicinal herbs used in the pill and tried forging it using forty-two different kinds of forging techniques. He wrote his conclusion in a book titled《Detailed Explanation of Body Tempering》. It just so happens that there is one of them in our basic tier book collection vault. It is on the 27th row, on the upper left corner, beside 《Yang Zhen's Pill Forging Guide》 and 《The Method to Forging Jade Blood Pill》! If all of you doubt my words, you can find someone to fetch it here!

"I believe that the answer in the book is the most accurate one, and it should be able to answer your question!"

At this point, Zhang Xuan stopped and gesture for Ouyang Cheng to dispatch someone to fetch the book.

"There's no need…."

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan's explanation, the complexion of Apothecary Jin Chen, who was still gleeful a moment ago, darkened to the color of the bottom of a wok and he stumbled two steps backward. In an instant, he seemed to have aged many years.

"What? If we don't fetch the book here, I fear that Apothecary Jin will not accept my answer!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Your answer is correct. I have read the book and it is identical to what you said!" Apothecary Jin Chen nodded his head.

"Correct?"

"Identical?"

"That shouldn't be possible…. Apothecary Jin Chen simply raised a casual question and he was able to answer it so simply. Furthermore, out of the countless books in the vault, he was able to remember its exact position…. How is that possible?"

"Is he still human? You must be pulling my leg!"

……

Upon hearing his acknowledgment, the room broke into a commotion once more.

Previously, they thought that due to the limitations of his age, Zhang Xuan wouldn't have the time to read many books. After this round, they realized that compared to him… they were the ones who hadn't read many books!

Not only was the other party able to accurately remember the contents, time the book was written, and title of the book, he was even able to point out its exact location in the vault….

For them… it would already be wonderful if they could remember the contents detailed within!

Looked like there really was a huge difference between humans!

"Since Apothecary Jin Chen has acknowledged my answer to be correct, let's proceed onto the second question!"

Zhang Xuan chuckled.

'You want to compete with me in memorization ability?

'What a joke! I have the Library of Heaven's Path in my mind. With a jolt of my consciousness, the book comes flying to me. I only have to read according to it. Regardless of how good your memory is, you can't possibly be more accurate than me!'

"The second question. When forging a grade-1 【Strength Enhancement Pill】, why do cracks appear on a cauldron, making it difficult to continue with the forging?" Apothecary Jin Chen pondered for an entire ten minute before asking.

"Incredible!"

"He chose an excellent question!"

"Indeed, the cauldron often cracks while forging a grade-1 【Strength Enhancement Pill】. On the surface, it seems like an apothecary's question, but to answer the question, you require knowledge of smithing as well!"

"Indeed, let's see how he will answer the question!"

……

Upon hearing Apothecary Jin Chen's second question, everyone's attention was piqued again.

An apothecary's cauldron was forged by blacksmiths, and the matter of it breaking during pill forging wasn't strictly within the boundaries of pill forging anymore.

However, if one scrutinized the question carefully, it was still related to pill forging. It was precisely because it lay at the boundaries of the two that many apothecaries did not bother to learn about it, let alone answering such a question.

Since everyone could tell what he was trying to do, how could Zhang Xuan remain oblivious? The corners of his lips curled upward and he replied, "As for this problem, Apothecary Wu Xiao's 《Cauldron Maintenance》, Apothecary Zhao Qian's 《Important Matters to Note for Pill Forging》, Apothecary Niu Xuan's 《Miscellaneous Things You Have to Know》, Apothecary Pang Bo's 《Protect Your New Cauldron》…"

Without pausing, Zhang Xuan listed the titles of dozens of books before concluding, "… The answers are detailed in these books. Actually, it wasn't really a difficult question. The cauldrons that you all use are made of ordinary Nine Refinement Metal. This metal may be strong, but it is unable to withstand the clash between extreme cold and heat. The main ingredient required for Strength Enhancement Pill is the blood of a cold-attribute savage beast. When something that cold comes into contact with the hot cauldron, it's natural that the cauldron's unable to withstand it!

"If you wish to resolve the problem, it is best to use Heavy Iron Cauldron instead! Or you can also change your cauldron every time after you forge Strength Enhancement Pills!"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

This question might seem difficult, but it was recorded in the books of the basic tier book collection vault as well. It was just that the number of books in the vault was too vast and the apprentices in the guild would often choose to research pill forging techniques so that they could become an official apothecary faster. As a result, there was no reason for them to look into these kinds of miscellaneous books!

Furthermore, after becoming an official apothecary, one's standing would become completely different. With more guests paying them a visit and with more authority, they would have less time to read books. There were many things that they could learn from the book collection vault, but they never found the time to look for it and as such they were ignorant of them.

This was precisely the reason why the other apothecaries were unable to answer such questions. On the other hand, for Zhang Xuan who had duplicated a basic tier book collection vault in his mind, he had no difficulty answering this question at all.

"I wonder if Apothecary Jin Chen is satisfied with my answer? If not, I can still go on…."

"There's no need, your answer is correct!"

Cold sweat appeared on Apothecary Jin Chen's forehead.

When he started to forge Strength Enhancement Pills, he met with such a problem. So he went around asking others to seek an answer. Eventually, he found his answer in a book and that book was one of the dozen books which Zhang Xuan had just listed, 《Protect Your New Cauldron》 by Apothecary Pang Bo.

He thought that this was the only book which had detailed information on this subject, so he raised this question to trouble the other party. Yet this fellow was able to list more than a dozen books in a breath.

It was fortunate that he didn't name the book earlier. Otherwise, he would be humiliated when the other party listed this huge collection of books.

The heck, what is the head of this fellow made of?

How could he remember everything so clearly?

Upon seeing this situation, Ouyang Cheng and Du Man exchanged glances and smiled wryly. This was nothing! If you all knew that this fellow could even point out the specific page in the book, you probably wouldn't have insisted on conducting your test like that!

In fact, the other party proposing to point out flaws in their forging technique was indeed raising the difficulty for him. If you wish to triumph against him in a competition of knowledge…

We're afraid that you could only do it in your dreams….

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 118: The True Pill Debate 1

"I admit defeat!"

After declaring that he would no longer forge pills, Apothecary Bai Ming bowed deeply to Zhang Xuan.

It had been slightly more than two hours since the beginning of the Pill Debate and there were already four apothecaries who had admitted defeat.

This conclusion was unexpected for all involved. Even Ouyang Cheng shuddered in disbelief.

Previously, he didn't hold high hopes for Zhang Xuan's victory. He didn't expect it to end up like this!

It was completely one-sided!

It was no wonder that he was able to achieve a perfect score on the apprentice apothecary examination, even recognizing medicinal herbs that the examiners got wrong. His abilities were simply way too impressive!

On the other hand, Wen Xue's eyes were full of fear and her body trembled nonstop.

To think that she had mocked a person who could leave these apothecaries speechless…. Was there something wrong with her head or was she simply too gutsy?

It was fortunate that the other party had no intentions of fussing over the matter with her. Otherwise, she could've even been expelled from the Apothecary Guild!

"I'll go!"

Upon seeing Bai Ming admit defeat and the silence that lingered around them, Du Man stepped forward. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Please go easy on me!"

Forcing a smile onto his face, Du Man walked over to the cauldron.

The pill he forged was grade-1 too. It was slightly inferior to the Acupoint Soothing Pill and Tranquil Heart Pill from before.

His movements were fluid and swift. Soon, he managed to successfully forge the pills all of which were at the level of Satiation.

The other party's attitude was amiable. Besides, they also became acquainted yesterday. As a result, Zhang Xuan didn't say too much and simply pointed out a few of the more obvious mistakes. The latter admitted defeat straight afterward.

At this moment, out of the ten apothecaries, five had already admitted defeat.

The Pill Debate was halfway through.

"Let's continue. Who will be the next?"

With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan scanned the crowd calmly. Silence continued to linger around them.

In the Pill Debate of other apprentice apothecaries, the examinee would always look at the examiner in fear, afraid that the other party would intentionally come up with difficult questions. Yet this fellow was the exact opposite. All of the remaining apothecaries cowered back, afraid of their names being called. If not witnessed it firsthand, no one would believe it possible.

"I'll go!"

After another moment of silence, an elder stood up.

Apothecary Lin Mu!

Apothecary Cheng Jiang had once used the excuse of wanting to view his skills to secretly learn his personal forging technique, Frost Threaded Hands.

"Apothecary Lin, please wait a second! This time, I would like to test him along with you!"

Right after Lin Mu stood up, a middle-aged man stood up as well.

Apothecary Jin Chen!

"Together?" Lin Mu frowned.

How can two people forge pills simultaneously for the other party to point out their flaws?

"The fact that he can see through our flaws means that his ability to discern is impressive and he has undergone good education. It's very likely that he is under the guidance of a master teacher. However, I don't believe that the knowledge he has stored in his head can be as impressive as his discernment ability, especially given his age! So… let's not forge pills and instead bring up questions. Let's not be fooled by him!"

Apothecary Jin Chen harrumphed.

"This…"

Lin Mu was stunned.

"That's right, why didn't I think of this?"

"He isn't even twenty yet. Even if he could read right after he was born, how many books could possibly be read? How much of the content of each book could he possibly recall?"

"A true Pill Debate involves raising questions about pill forging for the examinee to answer. He must have known that he didn't have enough knowledge, so he intentionally heightened the difficulty to perceiving flaws in forging techniques instead. It is true that the difficulty has been raised, but if he had the guidance of a master teacher and came into contact with good education from a young age, it wouldn't be difficult for him to see through our mistakes!"

"That's right, master teachers are extremely knowledgeable while on the other hand we are only 1-star apothecaries. His discernment abilities can't possibly be weak being the disciple of such a figure. If so, it's understandable that he sees through our mistakes!"

……

Apothecary Jin Chen's words relit the flames in the four remaining apothecaries and they regained their confidence.

The fact that the other party was able to see through their mistakes by viewing their pill forging could only mean that his discernment ability was outstanding. It didn't mean that he had to be knowledgeable.

Since that was the case, questioning him might just turn out to be his weakness. All along, everyone had been fooled by this fellow.

"That's right!"

Lin Mu came to realization and nodded his head fervently.

It was no wonder that everyone agreed with Jin Chen's view. After all, accumulation of knowledge required time and effort. This Zhang Xuan, even with an optimistic estimate, couldn't possibly be twenty yet. Even if he read every day, how many books could he have possibly read?

Furthermore, he still had to remember their contents!

"You want to ask me questions instead?"

Not expecting these people to come up with such a conclusion after a long moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan simply smiled faintly in response. "Alright then, let's begin!"

After reading through the books in the basic tier book collection vault and the teacher's Compendium Pavilion, the knowledge in his head right now was significantly greater than that of these apothecaries. Even if they wanted to test his knowledge, he didn't have anything to fear.

"I'll see whether you can retain your confidence when I stump you later on!"

Upon seeing that the other party held no fear whatsoever, a cold gleam flashed across Apothecary Jin Chen's eyes. "According to the rules of a normal Pill Debate, I can raise three questions. If you are able to answer all of them, I will have to admit defeat! On the other hand, if you fail to answer any one of the three… you will have failed. All that you have accomplished beforehand would go to waste!"

There was a complete list of rules and regulations for Pill Debate. The ten apothecaries weren't allowed to bring up as many questions as they pleased. Otherwise, wouldn't the examinee tire himself to death when undergoing Pill Debate?

The examiners could only pose three questions each, and if the other party's answers were correct, they had to admit defeat, However, if he couldn't answer any one of the questions or he answered erroneously, it would be a straight failure, regardless of how many questions he had answered before that!

"Sure!" Zhang Xuan was also well-aware of the rules. He nodded his head.

"Alright then, here is my first question. When forging a grade-1 Body Tempering Pill, even when the pill comes out from the same cauldron and was at the same level of quality, it is possible for one pill to have outstanding effects while another has miniscule effects. What are the reasons behind this?" Apothecary Jin Chen asked.

Upon hearing this question, the other apothecaries' attention was piqued.

Body Tempering Pill was a pill often consumed by Fighter 4-dan. It could temper a person's physical body, allowing one to improve swiftly in the Pigu realm.

This was also the reason why they often forged such a pill. However, just like what Apothecary Jin Chen said, there would often be situations in which the medicinal effects in each pill were different despite coming from the same cauldron.

Consuming the pills that came from the same cauldron, some experienced tremendous effects and advance far in the Pigu realm while others found it completely ineffective for them.

"Apothecary Jin Chen sure picked a difficult question!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "There is no clear answer to this question in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. Yet you posed this question to me. How do you expect me to answer it?

"However… other people may be unable to say anything about this subject, but I have my own ways!

Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan said, "As for the matter you said, an apothecary named Cheng Ye had already proposed it thirty-seven years ago. Back then, he gathered twenty-three apothecaries and researched the matter for three days straight. He wrote the conclusion to their discussions in a book titled《Cheng Ye's Body Tempering Theories》. If you have read it, you should know what his conclusion is!

"He thinks that the reason for this difference has something to do with the constitution of a cultivator. Some people are born with a body compatible with Body Tempering Pill while others' physique may be resistant to it. It's just like how some people have a high tolerance for alcohol while others don't!

"Back then, this theory received the approval of many people. However, eighteen years ago, 3-star apothecary Zhang Jian noticed something that disputed this theory. If it was due to the constitution of an individual, then why was the second consumed pill effective for some individuals when the first one wasn't?"

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 117: Apothecary Bai Ming's Breakdown 2

He felt stifled within, but Bai Ming also knew that he was unable to refute Zhang Xuan's words.

It was the basics to check the cauldron and flames of the cauldron before forging pills. Even apprentices were aware of it. His action of going straight to forging was clearly a huge mistake.

Using the words in Zhang Xuan's previous world, if a person didn't buckle their seat belt, check the tires, and scan the surroundings before starting to drive, they couldn't refute anything if an accident occurred.

Right now, that was the emotion Bai Ming was experiencing. Lectured by an apprentice apothecary in public, yet unable to refute anything at all. It was clear just by thinking of how stifled he was at this moment.

"Alright, now that I have touched on the cauldron and the flames, I shall talk about the fusing of the medicinal herbs!"

Knowing that the other party would be unable to reply to his words, Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to continue interrogating him over those mistakes of his. Instead, he walked over to the medicinal racks. "Acupoint Soothing Pill requires a total of 47 types of herbs. Given the number of herbs that are involved in the forging process, there are herbs that complement one another, as well as herbs that clash with one another. As such, if you don't control the process properly, it is very easy for the medicinal herb to clash with one another and the pill will be ruined!

"Let me first talk about Apothecary Bai Ming's forging sequence!

"The first herb he put in was Heart Grass! Heart Grass has calming properties and is resilient to high temperature. As such, it requires strong flames to extract its essence. It is correct to place it into the cauldron first so that it can come into contact with the flames earlier to incite its medicinal properties. However… seven breaths after placing Heart Grass in, he placed in the second herb, Split Palm Flower!

"If I'm not wrong, that Heart Grass he took was only half a year old. As such, its medicinal properties are not strong enough and most of it was concentrated on the leaves instead of the meridians. For such a herb, the medicinal effects will be swiftly released upon meeting strong flames. Under normal situations, he should have placed Split Palm Flower in after four breaths. Yet, he delayed it three entire breaths, causing a loss in the medicinal effect by thirteen percent. Fail!

"On the other hand, Split Palm Flower has a maturity of five years and the medicinal effects of it is relatively stronger. He should have slowly released the Split Palm Flowers by the left wall of the cauldron, and the duration of its descent should be roughly half a breath. During this time, the heart of the cauldron would unleash the medicinal effects of it, allowing it to better mix with Heart Grass. However, Apothecary Bai Ming threw the medicinal herb straight it, depriving it of the opportunity to be heated by the cauldron in advance. As such, its medicinal effect wasn't fully unleashed and fourteen percent of the medicinal effect was lost. Fail!

"The medicinal effects of these two herbs clash with one another, so he should have quickly placed in Scattered Floral Grass, which has a pacifying effect for the two. Yet he threw in the violent Lone-eyed Dragon Grass, worsening the clash between the two herbs. As such, eleven percent of the medicinal effect was lost! Fail!

"The Lone-eyed Dragon Grass is a herb with yang properties. After placing it into the scorching cauldron, he should have added Cooling Grass to counteract its effects. Yet Apothecary Bai Ming added Wisdom Mother Grass instead. Wisdom Mother Grass is able to neutralize all medicinal herbs, and as such, it is the best choice to serve as a medium between herbs. However, it is precisely because of that that it completely neutralized the yang properties of the Lone-eyed Dragon Grass, greatly reducing the medicinal effect of the Acupoint Smoothing Pill. Fail!"

"... Fail!

"... Fail!

"... Fail!"

……

Zhang Xuan spoke faster and faster, akin to a machine gun. His every word was logical with evidence to back them up. Every single failure struck like a hammer on Apothecary Bai Ming's face. His face grew paler and paler and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Pill forging was by no means simple. Even with the same herbs, if the maturity was different, it could have different medicinal properties. Not to mention, an apothecary needed to pair them together in a way that complemented them to mix them together and such. Even for a single Acupoint Soothing Pill, three days wouldn't be enough if Zhang Xuan were to go in depth.

This was also the reason why apothecaries were one of the front-runners in the Upper Nine Paths.

"Everything he said is true!"

"To recall the sequence in which Apothecary Bai Ming added the forty-seven medicinal herbs with a single look? What kind of memorization ability does he possess?"

"The most shocking thing isn't him remembering the sequence in which the medicinal herbs were placed in…. It is that he was able to tell the maturity of every single medicinal herb and come up with a method to complement them so as to best unleash its medicinal effects…. Is he really human?"

"Now that I've heard his words, an apothecary really has to take a lot of factors into account. It is no wonder that my pills are unable to reach Perfection or Inscribed Pill. So this is the reason…."

……

…

Upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words, everyone became mute. It was as though their heads had been smashed with a bat, their mouths agape and their eyes wide.

The heck!

This is what you call pill forging!

What we were doing before was simply wasting herbs and insulting this occupation!

Most probably, if they were to use the method he spoke of to forge this pill, the pill would be able to reach higher heights. Perfection and even Inscribed Pill wouldn't be problems!

This was no longer a theory that a 1-star apothecary could come into contact with. Only the more advanced apothecaries would pay attention to such minute details!

Everyone was dumbfounded. At this moment, the thought of suicide even ran through Apothecary Bai Ming's head.

Listening to the words of the other party, his entire pill forging sequence was a failure. How could this be considered pill forging? He must be forging feces instead!

Furthermore… at least when one forges feces, they don't waste any materials. Yet, when he forged a pill, he wasted all of the medicinal herbs used in it….

Pu!

The stifling sensation in his chest grew heavier and heavier, and he puked a mouthful of blood.

All along, he thought of himself as talented in pill forging, and that he was truly a highly-skilled apothecary. Yet, upon hearing the words of the other party, he realized that his standards couldn't even match up to that of a child's!

All of the confidence he held in the past was completely shattered. The current him feared to even approach a cauldron now.

His body trembled violently. Just a moment ago, he stood up proudly and determinedly to punish Zhang Xuan for his humiliation. Yet, at this moment, his complexion was turning more and more awful, as though he were going berserk.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth.

"That's right. Given my standards, what kind of pills can I possibly forge? All I'm doing is wasting medicinal herbs! From today onward, I, Bai Ming, will not forge a single pill anymore. If I break this vow, let the Heavens tear me apart!"

A vow resounded in the hall.

"What?"

"He vowed not to forge a single pill anymore?"

"Apothecary Bai Ming…"

……

Upon hearing the vow he made, everyone was flabbergasted. They couldn't help but shudder, upset at the thought of the loss of a comrade.

For an apothecary to vow to never forge a single pill anymore was equivalent to bidding the world of pill forging farewell. The effort he had put in for his entire life had all gone to waste.

And the reason for that was a mere apprentice apothecary pointing out the flaws in his pill forging process!

"Isn't he being too rash…." An apothecary couldn't help but comment.

"If you were criticized like that, what would you do?" another apothecary responded.

"I…" The former paused halfway through, unable to find a word to say.

What the other party said was true. If he were in the place of Apothecary Bai Ming, upon realizing that his forging technique was nothing but flaws and the hard work he had devoted into it was nothing but rubbish, the confidence he had held for countless years would probably collapse in an instant!

The moment he lost all his confidence, the trauma he received from it would cause him to be unable to forge a single pill for the rest of his life. Rather than suffer in anguish over it, he might as well simply make a vow to never forge a single pill anymore!

Pill forging wasn't a joke. Mental state, skill, confidence… all of these factors were absolutely required. Without confidence, how could one be called an apothecary?

"To make an experienced apothecary lose all of his confidence and fear forging just by pointing out his mistakes…"

Such a thought flashed across their minds in an instant. Taking another glance at Zhang Xuan, their hearts skipped a beat.

It was no wonder that he was reluctant to speak of their flaws in pill forging. It was not that he was unable to discern anything from it and resorted to other methods to make up for his weakness. Only now did they know… the other party wasn't in the least as ignorant as they thought. Rather, it was because he knew too much that he feared he would shatter the last bit of confidence they had!

Brother, we would like to ask you: Are you the apprentice apothecary or are we?

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 116: Apothecary Bai Ming's Breakdown 1

"Amazing!"

"Only Apothecary Bai Ming possesses such capabilities, to think that he could successfully forge a Acupoint Soothing Pill under such circumstances!"

"It is extremely difficult to forge an Acupoint Soothing Pill. Even more so, Apothecary Bai Ming's forging technique is so complex that I have never seen it before. Now I am curious to see what Zhang Xuan will say!"

"Hehe, let's wait for the show then!"

Upon seeing Apothecary Bai Ming forging an Acupoint Soothing Pill, most of the apothecaries present laughed.

The higher grade a pill was, the more complex the method required to forge it. Acupoint Soothing Pill could be considered one of the higher grade pills among the grade-1 tier and its forging method was incomparably complex. Even the rest of them were unable to perceive any mistakes in his forging technique, so how could an apprentice possibly see anything?

"Alright, I'm done forging the pill. Tell me, what's the name of the forging technique and the flaws in it!"

Sneering, Apothecary Bai Ming brought his breathing back to normal and gestured grandly.

'Even though I don't know where you got the information on us, but if you wish to successfully pass a Pill Debate depending solely on that, dream on!

'Without true capability to point out the flaws in a forging technique, you will never earn my respect!'

"Are you sure you want me to say?" A peculiar expression appeared on Zhang Xuan's face as he said those words.

"Quit trying to mystify things here. If you can't find the words, just admit defeat!" Apothecary Bai Ming harrumphed.

"Alright then!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked to the center of the room.

"The forging technique you used is called【Thousand Mountain Hands】and is said to have been created by a 2-star apothecary named Feng Xuan. You must put the medicinal herb into the cauldron based on a special sequence, similar to the mountainous regions, one mountain after another like you're traversing the lands. Similarly, you throw the medicinal herbs in wave after wave. The way you control the fire is also based on such a sequence, strong at one moment, weak at the other. By forging pills in such a method, it is easier for the medicinal properties to fuse together and thus makes it likelier that a pill is formed! However, its flaws are also clear to see. It's difficult to raise the quality of the pill itself!

"Therefore, even though you managed to forge three Acupoint Soothing Pills successfully, they are of the lowest level. It is nearly impossible for you to reach Satiation. Such forging techniques are only suitable for the mass production of pills by low-skilled apothecaries. Put bluntly, none of the slightly better apothecaries would learn such a skill, because it means putting a barrier in front of their future path. No matter how many times you practice the skill, it is impossible to raise the quality of the pill in the slightest. As a result, there is no reason for them to learn it.

"Unless… you don't think that you have any potential left in you, that's why you are giving up on yourself!" Zhang Xuan smiled and shot a meaningful glance at him. "Apothecary Bai Ming, may I know if what I said is true?"

"Hmph!"

Upon hearing the words of the other party, Bai Ming gritted his teeth, embarrassed and angry.

As the de facto head of the Bai clan, as well as a 1-star apothecary, he possessed exceptional standing in the capital. Yet, by the words of the other party, he became an… apothecary with low standards… no more potential left….

However, he was unable to refute his words.

The flaw of the Thousand Mountain Hands was exactly as the other party said. Even though he was able to produce the Acupoint Soothing Pill easily, it was difficult for him to further refine its quality.

"You don't need to feel gleeful over this. So what if you can point out these? You need to point out the errors in my movements previously before it can be considered your victory!" Taking a deep breath, Bai Ming suppressed his anger.

"Alright!"

Instead of arguing with him, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and walked toward the cauldron. "Then allow me to start from the very basics!

"As long as you are an apothecary, you know that you require incredible control over the flame and the cauldron to produce high-quality pills. Earlier, Apothecary Bai Ming started forging his pills right after picking up the medicine. How much do you know about this cauldron? What about the flames?

"You don't need to refute my words by saying that the specifications of these cauldrons are roughly the same. I can clearly tell you that even with the same medicinal herb, flames, and cauldron, the medicine you forge can be different. This is due to a miniscule difference or a tiny mistake made by the apothecary that the pills forged will be a quality lower than what it should be!"

His hands stroking the cauldron, Zhang Xuan continued, "If you don't believe me, I can show you now noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"This cauldron has a height of 7 chi and 3 cun and width of 3 cun and 2 chi. It was created by a 3-mo craftsman in the Stone Well Workshop seven years and three months ago. A total of 147 pills have been forged using and of it, of which 88 were grade-1 pills and 59 were pills lower than grade-1! During the transportation of the cauldron, it suffered three impacts. There are a total of thirteen slight scratches throughout the entire cauldron. It won't cause too much trouble when forging ordinary pills, but it will scatter the medicinal effects and spiritual energy within the pill. As such, due to the insufficient medicinal effects harnessed within the pill, the quality of the pill will drop!

1 chi -> 30.3cm, 1 cun -> 3.03cm

"This cauldron is slightly thicker than a cun and it requires an incense's time and thirty-four breaths for the heat to completely permeate the cauldron. Also, the thickness of the cauldron walls on the left and right are slightly different, around three hair strands off. Don't underestimate the difference in this thickness! With the same flames, there will be a five percent difference in the temperature between both sides. The medicinal effects of Scattered Floral Grass and Lone-eyed Dragon Grass of the Acupoint Soothing Pill will be completely different when placed on either side!"

"Are you for real?"

"There is even such a thing for a cauldron?"

……

Upon listening to Zhang Xuan's casual explanations, the jaws of the apothecaries fell to the floor and they felt like they were going insane.

Even though they knew that a difference in the cauldron could result in the formation of different pills, never did they imagine that there was such wisdom behind a cauldron.

Furthermore…

This was a cauldron that the Apothecary Guild brought in specially for this Pill Debate. How did he know so much about it? To even know where it was made, how thick the walls were, its size and how many pills it had forged?

The heck, you are about to bash through the heavens!

To see all these with a single glance, are you… a monster?

"Alright, I will continue to talk about the flames then!"

Ignoring the astonished expression on everyone's faces, Zhang Xuan pointed to the flames burning beneath the cauldron and continued, "This is where the heat of the 【Heavenly Coal】 originates from, as well as the hottest part. With the heat here, even metal could be easily melted. By propelling it with a fighter's zhenqi, you can easily control the strength of the flames and thus the temperature of the cauldron."

"However… the flames do not come into direct contact with the medicinal herbs. They are placed in the cauldron, and in there, they form pills. How much heat from the flames permeates through the cauldron walls and how much of it is left in the cauldron is what we need to grasp clearly in our minds."

"Heavenly Coal is a coal exceptionally suited for forging pills. Not only is it capable of reaching high temperatures, the permeability of its heat is also incredible. For normal coal, after permeating through a cun of cauldron walls or so, only thirty-seven percent of the heat will be retained. On the other hand, the Heavenly Coal retains forty-six percent! Only by knowing this much can you ascertain the temperature the medicinal herbs inside are under, how long it will take for the medicinal properties of the herbs to be best unleashed, and how you can forge the highest quality pill!"

"Of course, these are only the bare basics that an apothecary needs to know, so they can't be considered as flaws. I am just casually introducing them!"

Zhang Xuan smiled and glanced at Bai Ming standing off to the side. "However, I would like to ask Apothecary Bai Ming: before forging the pills… did you notice these?"

Apothecary Bai Ming felt his hair standing on end and he almost fainted on the spot.

'Notice? Notice your head!

'I am just forging a normal pill! Given how complicated these things are, how the heck would I know?

'Besides, even if I had been concerned with them, there was nothing I could do. You can't expect me to find a ruler and start measuring the entire cauldron before testing the temperature of the coal bit by bit!

'If I started doing so, it would be two days before I could start forging!'

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 115: Acupoint Soothing Pill

Even though the person in front of them had only pointed out the flaws in the pill forging techniques of three apothecaries, the abilities he had revealed in doing so induced fear and terror in the remaining few.

Not just them, even Chen Jiang's swift and fluid actions—factoring in the short duration he took to forge the pill—were clearly seen through by Zhang Xuan, who had also analyzed the origin of his movements, and deduced that he had stolen the forging techniques of others….

That ability of discernment and knowledge of his was something none of the people here could match up to.

"Three apothecaries have admitted defeat, seven more to go. Who will go first?"

Seeing all of them silence, Zhang Xuan continued to stare at them.

Pill Debate required ten apothecaries to admit their defeat before Zhang Xuan could be declared victorious.

"This…"

Silence continued to linger about the remaining seven apothecaries.

It was one thing if the other party's ability to discern matters was impressive, but of the three apothecaries he faced previously, one was exposed for being cuckolded, one turned out to be on the verge of death, and the last one had his reputation tarnished….

They were only here for the Pill Debate. They didn't want their secrets exposed because of this!

The other party's ability to discern was so incredible that he could immediately tell a difference if their state of mind was in the slightest bit off. Given such circumstances, who would still dare to challenge him?

Furthermore… they couldn't admit defeat without competing in Pill Debate!

If they did so, it was equivalent to going easy on the other party, which was considered as an act of cheating. Once revealed, they would be stripped of their apothecary qualification.

As such, the awkward silence continued to linger in the atmosphere as no one dared to step forward.

"Please hurry up, we can't possibly continue to drag this matter on like this!"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere lingering about, Ouyang Cheng couldn't help saying, "I'll go!"

After a momentary silence, Apothecary Du Man stood up.

He was acquainted with Zhang Xuan and had even bet over him. What he thought to be an arrogant fellow turned out to be a figure with incredible capability and outstanding discernment ability.

Even he himself was far from a match for him in this aspect.

However, he didn't have a choice either way. After all, they couldn't continue stalling time here like this.

"Apothecary Du Man, allow me to go instead!"

Just as Du Man was about to start forging so that Zhang Xuan could point out the flaws in the process, an elder stood up.

"It's Apothecary Bai Ming!"

"Just now, Zhang Xuan exposed that Cheng Jiang had secretly learned his Illusory Silk Hands. He was extremely furious. Why would he make a move now?"

"I have no idea. Let's watch!"

……

Upon seeing this elder, the others shuddered.

Even though Apothecary Bai Ming wasn't the oldest of the group, he was the most qualified and respected one.

That was because he wasn't just a mere apothecary; he was also the de facto head of one of the Four Great Clans in Tianxuan City, the Bai clan.

He was a person who held great authority and strength in his hands.

"Since Apothecary Bai is going to make a move, I'll back down first!"

Apothecary Du Man returned to his seat.

He was unable to match up to Bai Ming in terms of qualifications and standing.

"Zhang Xuan, you possess incredible ability of discernment and analysis. However… you just happened to be lucky. In actuality, you don't really possess much knowledge on pill forging!" After the examiner had been confirmed, Bai Ming glanced at Zhang Xuan, his tone hostile.

It was no wonder that he was so angry. While he was angry at Cheng Jiang for stealing the secret manual passed down within his family, being exposed in public also made him feel humiliated.

After all, it was shameful for the powerful Bai clan to be unable to prevent a lone apothecary from stealing from them. If word spread, the Bai clan would become a laughingstock.

"Lucky? Why would Apothecary Bai say that?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Simple. Regardless of whether it was Meng Yan, Chen Xiao, or Cheng Jiang, the flaws you said may seem to make sense. However, if we think deeper into things, it was also possible for you to have investigated their personality flaws and the recent happenings around them beforehand, and worked backward to infer the flaws in their forging techniques!"

Bai Ming harrumphed.

"Worked backward?"

"Now that Apothecary Bai said so, it does make sense!"

"Indeed! For example, in Meng Yan's case, if you knew he killed his concubine in the morning in advance and that he had killing intent and rage within him, you could safely deduce that the Tranquil Heart Pill he forged would be ineffective!"

"The same for Apothecary Chen Xiao as well! If you knew he was sick and didn't have much time to live, you could infer that there would be a problem with the pills. After all, the Tranquil Heart Pill reflects the forger's state of mind. Even a pig could tell that something would be wrong with those pills if it had heard of that information beforehand!"

"Now that you all have put it in such a way, it truly explains a lot of things. If he had made preparations beforehand and dug up the matter of Cheng Jiang stealing our forging techniques, it would be a simple matter to guess the references in his forging technique!"

……

Bai Ming's words were like a rock thrown in water, generating countless ripples on the surface. Everyone "came to a realization," seemingly understanding what had just happened.

It was because they were unable to understand how the other party was able to see through those flaws that they felt fear. Now that they understood the "reason," the fear they felt vanished.

In fact, if they they of this information beforehand, they could also make the same judgement that Zhang Xuan did on the flaws of the forging techniques of the previous three.

"Oh? Working backward? What an interesting thought!" He didn't expect Apothecary Bai Ming's imagination to be so vivid. Smirking, Zhang Xuan continued, "Regardless of what methods I used, I can pass as long as I can identify the flaws in your forging techniques!"

"Indeed. It will be your win if you manage to see through the flaws in my forging technique. However, I want to change the rules as well!" Apothecary Bai Ming said.

"Oh?"

"The gist of it will still be the same, I will forge a pill while you identify a mistake in my forging technique. However… I want you to point out true mistakes in my forging process, such as in my skills, ability to control flames, and the way I mixed the medicinal herbs together rather than involving emotions and other miscellaneous stuff. This way, you can't use the knowledge you know of beforehand to work backward to identify the flaws in my forging technique!"

Bai Ming harrumphed.

"That's right!"

"This way, he won't be able to talk about emotions and the sort!"

"With these rules, he can't work backward to deduce the flaws even if he wants to!"

"This is what I call pointing out flaws..."

……

The apothecaries nodded their heads in agreement.

To speak the truth, everyone had been frightened by Zhang Xuan's ability to point out the flaws in them. As a cultivator, charging forward and emerging victorious among millions of people, who hadn't done anything against their conscience before? It would be embarrassing if this lad were to reveal their darkest secrets.

Thus, the new rule that Apothecary Bai Ming came up with immediately received everyone's approval.

He was only allowed to point out flaws in pill forging. Bringing in external matters such as murder or being on the verge of death was prohibited.

Even if they were apothecaries… such scares weren't what humans could handle!

"Are you certain?"

Upon hearing the rules set by the other party, how could Zhang Xuan possibly remain oblivious to what they were thinking? One corner of Zhang Xuan's mouth curved upwards.

"Of course!" Apothecary Bai Ming flung his sleeves. "Now, it is a question of whether you're brave enough to accept the challenge!"

Zhang Xuan could not be bothered to argue with him over the matter.

"Great!"

Seeing him agree to it, Apothecary Bai Ming heaved a sigh of relief. After pondering for a moment, he grabbed a few ingredients and walked to the cauldron.

Fwoosh boosh!

The fire started burning furiously and Apothecary Bai Ming began his pill forging.

Not too long after, the fire weakened and three round pills were extracted from the cauldron.

Grade-1 pill, Acupoint Soothing Pill! It was specially prepared for Fighter 6-dan experts to soothe their acupoints, allowing them to travel further in the Pixue realm.

Back then, Elder Shang Chen spent a huge price to purchase one for Shang Bin. The latter gave it to the Sky Shattering Lion as the cost of teaching Zhang Xuan a lesson.

Even so, the Sky Shattering Lion eventually betrayed him, filling Shang Bin with resentment against it.

No matter what, the Acupoint Soothing Acupoint was considered one of the superior grade-1 pills, something that Tranquil Heart Pill was far from matching up to.