48: Chapter 48 Certification Controversy and Public Challenge

Three days later, at the Southern Region Branch of the Alchemist Association in Liuyun Market.

The Association's side hall was far less imposing than the main hall, and the air was filled with a lingering, stale scent mixed with hundreds of different herbs.

Sunlight filtered through the high latticed windows, casting mottled patches of light onto the bluestone floor, where tiny specks of dust and medicinal powder danced silently within the beams.

Lin Chen stood beside a thick pillar in the hall, positioned neither too far forward nor too far back, allowing him to take in the expressions of everyone in the hall without appearing too conspicuous.

His gaze was calm as water, and while he seemed to scan the surroundings casually, he was actually imprinting every detail into his mind.

Su Qingyao stood half a step in front of him, wearing a simple moon-white dress, her long hair held up simply by a wooden hairpin, revealing a section of her fair, elegant neck.

Her eyes were lowered, her hands clasped in front of her, and her fingertips were slightly curled, revealing her inner agitation.

Lin Chen could clearly sense that each of her breaths was shallower than usual.

On the main seat in the hall sat a middle-aged Cultivator with fair skin and drooping eyes; this was Deacon Zhou, who was in charge of this certification.

He wore the Association's standard black deacon's robe, with a small Pill Furnace embroidered in silver thread on his chest. At this moment, he was leisurely skimming tea foam with a cup lid, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, as if this certification, which concerned a Cultivator's future, was merely a boring chore.

To Deacon Zhou's left, the appearance of one person added an extra layer of stagnation to the already oppressive atmosphere in the hall.

Steward Yan Song of the Medicine King Pavilion.

Today, he did not wear the iconic brocade robe of the Medicine King Pavilion, but instead had changed into ordinary dark casual clothing, sitting blatantly in the prime seat for guests under the guise of "a colleague in the industry observing."

His falcon-like eyes scanned Su Qingyao back and forth without any concealment, the scrutiny and contempt in his gaze like needles quenched in ice, pricking at one's skin.

In stark contrast to Yan Song's aggressive demeanor was Elder Yunhe, who sat at the far end of the other side.

He still maintained that withered appearance, wearing the same faded gray cloth robe, his eyes closed as if he had entered meditation, completely indifferent to everything around him.

If not for the cyan Jade Slip on the table in front of him, which represented his identity as an Intermediate Alchemist, he would likely be mistaken for a destitute Loose Cultivator who had wandered in by mistake.

Deacon Zhou took a sip of tea and placed the cup on the table with a measured thud, producing a crisp sound.

"The time is about right. Let us begin." He finally spoke, his voice flat and calm. "The certification consists of three parts. First, identifying one hundred herbs; second, explaining a Pill Formula; third, starting the Pill Furnace to perform Alchemy. Su Qingyao, step forward."

Su Qingyao took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, and then she walked to the center of the hall.

The first item: identifying one hundred herbs.

Deacon Zhou waved his hand casually, and over a hundred jade boxes containing various medicinal herbs appeared out of thin air on a long stone table.

These were all the most common basic medicinal herbs used for refining Elementary Medicinal Pills, posing no difficulty for Su Qingyao.

She stepped forward, her voice clear, cold, and steady, calling out the names, ages, and basic medicinal properties of the herbs one by one without the slightest hesitation.

A sneer of disdain curled the corners of Yan Song's mouth.

The second item: explaining a Pill Formula.

Deacon Zhou drew a ray of spiritual light from a Jade Slip and tapped it in front of Su Qingyao.

An illusory Pill Formula appeared in mid-air—the "Heart-Clearing Pill."

This was an auxiliary Medicinal Pill even more basic than the Recovery Pill, and its pharmacology was extremely simple.

Su Qingyao only glanced at it before she began to analyze the principles of the Pill Formula clearly and logically, covering aspects such as the monarch-minister-assistant-envoy structure, the neutralization of medicinal properties, and the changes in heat control. She even pointed out how one of the auxiliary ingredients needed to be fine-tuned in its ratio depending on its age to achieve the best results.

The depth of her insights had faintly exceeded the scope of an Elementary Alchemist.

Elder Yunhe, who had been resting with his eyes closed, seemed to have his eyelids twitch imperceptibly.

Deacon Zhou remained expressionless. When Su Qingyao finished, he merely gave an indifferent "Mm," and waved his hand to dispel the Pill Formula.

"The first two items are barely passing. For the final item, refine a furnace of 'Recovery Pills' on the spot."

Just as his voice fell, an attendant walked in from a side door, carrying a half-person-tall bronze Pill Furnace, and placed it heavily in the center of the arena.

Another attendant carried a tray, on which were placed various medicinal herbs needed for refining Recovery Pills.

"The Materials are here, and the Pill Furnace is here. The time limit is one hour. Begin." After Deacon Zhou finished speaking, he picked up his teacup again, looking like he was just handling official business.

Su Qingyao stepped forward but did not act immediately. Her gaze first fell upon that Pill Furnace.

The furnace body was ancient and simple, but her keen Alchemist intuition detected an extremely subtle distortion at the fire vent on the lower right side of the Pill Furnace.

This misalignment was hard to detect when the fire was not lit, but once the Earth Fire rose, it would inevitably lead to uneven heat distribution within the furnace.

Even more fatal was that when her Divine Sense swept over the inside of the furnace wall, she sensed a subtle, hidden crack that had almost merged with the patterns of the furnace wall.

Her heart sank sharply.

Next, she cast her gaze toward the Materials on the tray.

The main ingredient, "Qingyuan Ginseng," had decent color, but its roots were withered, clearly lacking in age, and its medicinal power was at least thirty percent deficient.

Meanwhile, the auxiliary ingredient next to it, "Dew-Condensing Grass," had leaves that were unusually thick and succulent, with a quantity nearly thirty percent more than the standard Pill Formula required.

The main ingredient lacked medicinal power, while the auxiliary ingredient had excessive medicinal properties.

Coupled with a defective Pill Furnace that had a misaligned fire vent and a damaged wall.

This was not an examination; it was a dead end.

Su Qingyao's fingertips instantly turned icy cold.

She subconsciously raised her eyes and looked at Deacon Zhou on the main seat.

Deacon Zhou happened to put down his teacup and met her gaze, his face stern. His voice carried a hint of impatience and pressure: "The Materials and Pill Furnace are all provided by the Association and are absolutely without issue. Time is precious, please begin immediately. If you cannot produce the Medicinal Pill within one hour, it will be considered a failed certification."

The hall was silent, and even the air seemed to have solidified.

Yan Song leaned back against his chair, arms crossed over his chest, the gloating expression on his face no longer concealed.

Lin Chen stood in the shadows of the pillar, his right thumb slowly rubbing against that rough stone ring, circle after circle.

The cold, hard sensation suppressed the surging killing intent in his heart.

He did not make a sound, nor did his expression change in the slightest; he just watched Su Qingyao's back quietly.

Su Qingyao's chest heaved violently once, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.

She slowly withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at anyone, as if the whole world contained only the Pill Furnace and the tray of Materials before her.

No arguing, no hesitation.

She reached out with her fair hand and first picked up the Qingyuan Ginseng that lacked in age.

She did not rush to process it, but instead pressed her fingers together like a sword, mobilizing the pure wood-attribute Qi in her body, which seeped into the ginseng's roots like gentle, drizzling rain.

This was a small trick from the "Yi Wood Rejuvenation Technique," using her own Qi to nourish it. Although it could not increase the medicinal properties out of thin air, it could maximize the potential remaining within the medicinal herb.

This process was extremely taxing on her Mental Energy, but she performed it meticulously.

After a full quarter of an hour, the color of the Qingyuan Ginseng had visibly become a bit more vibrant.

Subsequently, she picked up the Dew-Condensing Grass with excessive medicinal properties, and using a small jade knife, accurately cut off the extra thirty percent, discarding it to the side.

After doing all this, she walked to the Pill Furnace, formed a seal with one hand, and slapped the Earth Fire Formation eye at the bottom of the Pill Furnace.

"Hum—"

A ball of orange-red flame rose from the bottom of the furnace.

Almost the moment the flame ignited, Su Qingyao immediately felt the chaotic heat flow coming from the misaligned fire vent.

The temperature field inside the Pill Furnace was like a broken balance, scorching on one side and tepid on the other.

She was not flustered in the slightest, as if she had already anticipated all of this.

She did not follow the conventional Pill Formula by adding the main ingredient first; instead, she added several heat-resistant auxiliary ingredients first, utilizing the medicinal vapor formed after they melted in the furnace to neutralize and guide the chaotic heat flow.

At the same time, her left hand quietly slid a palm-sized jade plate, engraved with complex runes, out of her wide sleeve. She exhaled a trace of Qi from her palm, and the jade plate lit up silently.

This was the "Temperature Control Rune Plate" that Liu Yuan had rushed to make for her overnight based on ancient fragments. It could not perform Alchemy automatically; its only function was to allow her to make extremely fine adjustments to the temperature in specific areas of the Pill Furnace, as if she had an extra invisible hand.

Her right hand maintained the output of Qi to the Earth Fire, while her left hand controlled the rune plate. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the faint medicinal vapor escaping above the Pill Furnace, which only she could see, and her Mental Energy was pushed to the limit at this moment.

Time passed minute by minute.

Halfway through the Alchemy, a layer of fine, fragrant sweat had seeped onto Su Qingyao's smooth forehead. A few strands of hair, dampened by sweat, clung to her cheeks, and her face appeared somewhat pale due to the high consumption of Mental Energy.

All the medicinal Materials had already turned into medicinal liquid, churning and undergoing Fusion inside the Pill Furnace.

It had reached the most critical stage of pill condensation.

At this very moment, she needed to perfectly fuse over a dozen medicinal liquids with different attributes in an instant, without the slightest deviation.

Her mind was highly focused and calm, casting aside all external distractions.

Suddenly, a strange sensation emerged in her mind.

It did not stem from her own experience or judgment, but rather felt like a vague, fleeting guidance.

She seemed to "see" that at the center of a medicinal power vortex in the lower-left part of the Pill Furnace, there was an extremely faint sense of stagnation.

This stagnation was caused by a hidden crack in the furnace wall, which, under high heat, was leaking a tiny trace of warmth.

Under normal circumstances, even an Intermediate Alchemist would find it extremely difficult to detect.

System!

It was the faint assistance brought by the System's newly unlocked [Pill Formula Trace Improvement Simulation] function!

Su Qingyao's heart trembled violently, but her hands did not pause for even a fraction of a second.

Almost subconsciously, she used the temperature control rune disc to precisely compensate with an extremely faint stream of warmth directly above that spot of stagnation.

That trace of stagnation vanished instantly.

The medicinal power within the entire Pill Furnace reached an unprecedented level of harmony and perfection.

"Condense!"

A flash of brilliance shone in Su Qingyao's beautiful eyes, and she suddenly formed a complex hand seal with both hands, pressing heavily onto the Pill Furnace!

Clang—! A clear, resonant humming sound emanated from within the Pill Furnace.

One hour was nearly up.

Su Qingyao raised her hand and slapped the furnace lid; three streams of light swirled out from the furnace opening, and she steadily caught them with a jade plate she had prepared beforehand.

Three emerald-green, round, and plump Qi-Returning Pills lay quietly on the plate, and a pure, rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire side hall.

What was even more shocking was that on the surface of each Medicinal Pill, there was a faint, cloud-like pattern that was almost impossible to notice without careful inspection.

Pill Patterns!

This had already exceeded the scope of ordinary Qi-Returning Pills; it was the mark of the Medicinal Pill's quality reaching "Good Grade"!

Deacon Zhou's expression changed instantly.

He stood up abruptly, walked quickly to Su Qingyao, picked up a Medicinal Pill, and inspected it over and over, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Using a sub-par Pill Furnace and inferior Materials to not only successfully refine the pills but also produce Good Grade Medicinal Pills was simply slapping him in the face in public.

Yet, regarding the Medicinal Pill itself, he could not find any faults.

"Hmph!" Steward Yan Song, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly stood up at this moment, stepped forward, pointed at the temperature control rune disc in Su Qingyao's hand, and said sternly: "The quality of the Medicinal Pill is indeed acceptable, but when Alchemist Su was refining just now, she clearly used external assistance! This is a shortcut, and it violates the original intention of the Alchemist certification to 'rely purely on one's own skills'! This result, I fear, cannot be counted!"

His voice was sharp and shrill, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet side hall.

The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone's gaze focused on that small jade plate.

Elder Yunhe. In his cloudy eyes, there was now an incomparable clarity. He looked at Steward Yan Song and spoke hoarsely: "The Alchemist Association's regulations, Volume 3, Article 7, clearly state: The certification assessment only prohibits the use of Magical Artifacts that come pre-inscribed with complete Alchemy Formations capable of automatically completing part or all of the process. What Young Friend Su used is nothing more than an inanimate object to regulate temperature, which is essentially no different from an Alchemist using their own spiritual power to control the size and intensity of the flame. How can this be called a shortcut?"

Although Elder Yunhe's status was not high, he was the only Intermediate Alchemist present, and his understanding of the rules was far beyond that of a mere Steward like Yan Song.

His words were well-reasoned and grounded in evidence, directly blocking Deacon Zhou's path of retreat.

Deacon Zhou was momentarily speechless, his face turning somewhat purple from holding back.

Steward Yan Song's complexion turned instantly ashen; he had not expected this poor, eccentric old man to speak up at this moment.

Just at this tense moment, Lin Chen walked out from the shadows of the pillars.

He first bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly to Deacon Zhou, then turned to Steward Yan Song, his voice clear and steady, reaching every corner of the side hall.

"Since Steward Yan questions my wife's skills, then the matter is quite simple."

Lin Chen stared directly at Steward Yan Song, a faint, imperceptible coldness curling at the corners of his mouth: "It just so happens that I hear the Southern Region Alchemy Grand Meeting will be held in a few days. Why not invite the Ge Family, who stand behind Steward Yan, to send an Alchemist of the same generation to have an open Dao of Alchemy exchange with my Lin Family at the highly anticipated Alchemy Grand Meeting, and let the level of our skills determine right from wrong, how about that?"

"It would also save us from wasting our breath here over such a trivial matter as certification."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked!

Steward Yan Song's pupils constricted violently.

This move by Lin Chen completely exceeded his expectations.

He had intended to use the rules to make things difficult and nip the Lin Family's Medicinal Pill business in the bud, but he had not expected the other party to refuse to get entangled in whether the certification was valid or not. Instead, they had directly brought the conflict to the table, elevating it from a small certification dispute directly to an open confrontation between the two major Alchemy forces in Liuyun Market—the established Ge Family and the newly emerged Lin Family!

Moreover, it was on the most public and formal occasion, the Alchemy Grand Meeting.

At this moment, if he, Steward Yan Song, refused, it would spread that the Ge Family was afraid of battle, fearing a small, newly emerged Family.

For the Ge Family, who had always prided themselves on being the orthodox Alchemy force in the Southern Region, this was an absolutely unacceptable humiliation.

But if he agreed, things would blow up completely, far exceeding the scope that he, a mere Steward, could control.

Moreover, looking at Su Qingyao's performance today, the outcome was truly hard to predict!

He stared fixedly at Lin Chen's young but terrifyingly calm face, squeezing a few words through his teeth: "What big talk! Just based on your mere Lin Family, do you really think you are worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Ge Family and having an open exchange?"

Lin Chen's expression did not change; his fingertips, which had been stroking the stone ring, slowly stopped, and he said indifferently: "Whether worthy or not is not determined by words. One only knows after refining on the Pill Furnace. If Steward Yan can make this decision, then accept it today; if you cannot make the decision, that is also fine, please return as soon as possible to consult the person in charge of the Ge Family. My Lin Family will await your arrival at the Alchemy Grand Meeting."

Having reached this point, he was already riding a tiger from which it was hard to dismount.

Steward Yan Song's face turned the color of a pig's liver; he could feel the eyes of those watching the show from all around, feeling like sharp thorns pricking his back.

He gritted his teeth, stared at Lin Chen, and said almost word for word: "Good! Good! I will personally report this matter to Young Master Ge Yuan! You... just wait!"

After saying this, he could no longer stay; he flicked his sleeves violently, turned around, and strode away in a rage.

As Steward Yan Song left, the pressure in the hall suddenly eased.

Under Elder Yunhe's cold gaze, Deacon Zhou's expression shifted several times. In the end, he could only reluctantly take out a brand-new white jade token representing the status of an Elementary Alchemist from his Storage Pouch, record Su Qingyao's information on it, and hand it over with a bad attitude.

Leaving the Alchemist Association, the sunlight outside was somewhat blinding.

Su Qingyao held the jade token, which felt warm to the touch, tightly. Her fingertips repeatedly stroked the Pill Furnace pattern carved on it, but there was not much joy on her face; instead, a deep worry was etched between her brows.

She turned her head to look at Lin Chen beside her and asked softly: "That Ge Family... are we really going to..."

The fingertips of Lin Chen's right hand began to subconsciously stroke the rough stone ring again.

His gaze crossed the bustling crowd in the marketplace and looked toward the distant area shrouded in the spiritual light of Formations, where the major forces were entrenched.

"What is meant to come will come. There is no escaping it." His voice was very calm. "With this credential, we can truly be considered to have qualified to sit at the table. Steward Yan Song is a man who will seek revenge for the slightest grievance, and the Ge Family will absolutely not let this rest. From today until the Alchemy Grand Meeting begins, they will surely use all kinds of methods to harass and suppress us, and they will not let us prepare for the battle in peace."

He stopped walking, turned to look at Su Qingyao, his eyes deep: "Therefore, we must seize this time. Next, it is time to make real preparations for the Alchemy Grand Meeting."

Lin Chen was already rapidly calculating in his mind how to utilize this short time window to raise Su Qingyao's practical Alchemy ability to the next level as quickly as possible.

At the same time, information regarding the Pill Formulas that might be involved in the Alchemy Grand Meeting, the Alchemy level of that "Young Master Ge Yuan" of the Ge Family, and... Elder Yunhe's three opportunities for "Dao of Alchemy insight exchange," all had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.