234: Chapter 232 The Trial Begins

A burst of applause rang out from below the stage.

The Fourth Elder sat back down, and Su Mubai stood up to announce the start of the trial. "Will the first group of contestants please enter. Second-Order Alchemists, numbers 001 to 010."

Ten people walked out from the waiting area and onto the high platform, each standing before their designated Pill Furnace. Some brought their own furnaces, while others used the spares provided by the City Lord's Mansion. Some were adjusting flames, others were organizing medicinal herbs, and some were resting with their eyes closed. Their expressions varied, but all were very focused.

Su Mubai glanced at the hourglass and announced the start.

The ten people moved simultaneously. The sounds of processing herbs, furnaces heating up, and flames burning blended together like a chaotic symphony. Yun Ming leaned back in his chair, cradling the fox in his arms, his gaze sweeping over the ten people unhurriedly. The Fourth Elder sat upright, his gaze focused, nodding or shaking his head from time to time. Su Mubai stood to the side, holding a recording board, his eyes fixed on the contestants' movements, ready to record at any moment.

Half an hour later, the first batch of pills was completed.

A middle-aged Cultivator was the first to open his furnace, taking out a light green Medicinal Pill and holding it in his palm with a look of pride. Su Mubai walked over and brought the pill to the judging table. The Fourth Elder took the pill, checked its appearance, smelled its fragrance, and probed its properties with his Divine Sense before handing it to Yun Ming. Yun Ming took it, turned it over to inspect it, smelled it, and placed it back on the tray. "Low Grade," he announced the score. The Fourth Elder also gave a score, and the two were averaged, which Su Mubai recorded on the list.

The middle-aged Cultivator's expression soured slightly, but he said nothing, collected his pill, and withdrew.

Next came the second, third, and fourth. Some succeeded in forming pills, some failed, and some barely managed a Medium Grade. Yun Ming and the Fourth Elder's scores were mostly consistent, with occasional disagreements quickly reaching a consensus. Su Mubai watched carefully from the side, silently noting their scoring habits.

Of the ten people in the first group, six batches were completed; the best was a Medium Grade, while the rest were Low Grade. The Fourth Elder's face was expressionless, showing neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction. Yun Ming remained as unhurried as ever, the fox rolling over on his lap.

The second, third, and fourth groups took the stage in succession. The skill levels of the Second-Order Alchemists were uneven; some pills were barely acceptable, while others didn't even qualify as Low Grade. Yun Ming was very strict with his scoring, never showing leniency. The Fourth Elder was sometimes more relaxed, but he didn't give excessively high scores either. Su Mubai took notes on the side, occasionally exchanging a few words with Yun Ming in a low voice.

By the fifth group, a young female Cultivator caught everyone's attention. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, dressed in simple white robes, walking unhurriedly with a composed demeanor. She stood before her Pill Furnace and took out her own furnace from her Storage Pouch—a Third-grade High Grade Azure Jade Tripod of excellent quality.

Her movements in processing the herbs were as smooth as flowing water, her ingredient-adding sequence was precise, and her control over the heat was perfect. Yun Ming's eyes brightened. The Fourth Elder also nodded slightly.

An hour later, she opened the furnace to retrieve the pill. A pill the size of a Dragon eye lay quietly at the bottom of the tripod, pale gold all over with clear cloud patterns on its surface and a rich fragrance. It was Medium Grade, but its quality approached High Grade. Su Mubai brought the pill over, the Fourth Elder took it, inspected it, and handed it to Yun Ming. Yun Ming glanced at it and announced a score. The Fourth Elder also gave a score. Their scores were very close, and the average was the highest in this group.

"Not bad," the Fourth Elder remarked, a rare word of praise.

The young female Cultivator bowed and withdrew.

The morning trial concluded. There was a one-hour break at noon, with the session to resume in the afternoon.

Yun Ming carried the fox down from the platform and sat at a tea stall by the edge of the square. Su Mubai followed and sat opposite him.

"Mr. Yun, you're scoring very strictly today," Su Mubai said.

Yun Ming picked up his teacup and took a sip. "If it's refined poorly, the score is naturally low. If it's refined well, the score is naturally high. It has nothing to do with being strict."

Su Mubai smiled and didn't argue. He knew Yun Ming was right.

The afternoon session was the trial for Third-rank Alchemists.

The level of the Third-rank Alchemists was a significant step up from the Second-Order ones. The first to go was a middle-aged male Cultivator at the Early Golden Core Stage, wearing grey robes with a cold expression. His movements in processing herbs were fast and his ingredient-adding was decisive, but his heat control was somewhat unstable, causing the temperature inside the furnace to fluctuate. Over an hour later, he opened the furnace to retrieve a Medium Grade pill. The Fourth Elder gave him a seven, Yun Ming gave him a six, averaging 6.5. The grey-robed Cultivator frowned at the score but said nothing, collected his pill, and withdrew.

The second, third, and fourth followed. Some refined High Grade pills, some barely managed Medium Grade, and one even had his furnace explode. That Cultivator's face turned beet red as he hurriedly gathered the fragments and withdrew. The Fourth Elder sighed, while Yun Ming remained expressionless.

Midway through the afternoon, a white-haired old man walked onto the platform. He wore a faded Daoist robe and looked aged, yet he was full of spirit. His cultivation wasn't high, only at the Early Golden Core Stage, but once he stood before the Pill Furnace, his entire aura changed.

His movements in processing the herbs were very, very slow, as if he were contemplating and refining every single motion. The order in which he added ingredients differed slightly from what was written in the Pill Formula; Su Mubai frowned, but the Fourth Elder raised a hand to signal him to stay quiet.

An hour later, the old man opened the furnace. A reddish-gold pill lay at the bottom of the tripod, covered in cloud patterns, with a fragrance so rich it seemed to overflow. It was a High Grade pill—and a top-tier one at that.

Su Mubai brought the pill over. The Fourth Elder took it, glanced at it, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He smelled it, probed it with his Divine Sense, and then handed it to Yun Ming. Yun Ming took a look, smelled it, and nodded.

"Nine points," the Fourth Elder announced the score.

"Nine points," Yun Ming also announced.

Su Mubai was stunned for a moment before looking down to record it. This was the highest score he had seen all day.

The old man bowed and withdrew without expression.

The Fourth Elder watched his departing figure and whispered, "I know this man."

Yun Ming glanced at him. The Fourth Elder continued, "He is a Loose Cultivator with no Sect or master. His Alchemy techniques were self-taught. I met him once many years ago; back then, he was only a Third-grade Low Grade Alchemist. Now, he is already at the Third-grade High Grade."

Yun Ming said nothing.

The afternoon trial ended. The Fourth Elder stood up and announced that the trials were over for the day and would continue tomorrow. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the square grew quiet.

Yun Ming carried the fox down from the platform, with Su Mubai following behind him.

"Mr. Yun, tomorrow is the trial for Fourth-Rank Alchemists," Su Mubai said. "At that time, there might be people who won't accept your judgment."

Yun Ming didn't even look back. "If they don't accept it, so be it. It's not like I begged them to participate."

Su Mubai gave a wry smile and said no more.