Chapter 890 Three Assessments
Chapter 890: Chapter 890: Three Assessments Chapter 890: Chapter 890: Three Assessments Pill Refiners who reach the level of Five Cauldrons may be called Grandmasters of Alchemy, an honor most Pill Refiners never attain in their lifetimes.
As a Grandmaster of Alchemy, one commands respect wherever one goes, easily obtaining the position of Guest Elder in major sects and influential powers.
Within the Pill Alliance, Grandmasters of Alchemy hold high status, endowed with numerous privileges; not even the Hall Masters of the thirty-two halls can command them.
Even if a Grandmaster of Alchemy makes a mistake, unless it is a severe one, the Pill Alliance generally deals with it leniently, and minor errors or offenses are often casually dismissed.
Fang Lin is presently but a Four Cauldrons Pill Refiner, having lost the status of Heir of the Hall Master, and is regarded as an ordinary Pill Refiner with neither privileges nor status.
But if Fang Lin becomes a Grandmaster of Alchemy, his status within the Pill Alliance would immediately change.
Grandmasters of Alchemy are favored within the Pill Alliance, and even the Inspection Hall requires high-level approval to interrogate a Grandmaster of Alchemy.
Merely two Inspection Envoys hoping to take a Grandmaster of Alchemy to the Inspection Hall for questioning is utterly impossible. Even if the Inspection Hall Master agrees, there would certainly be discussions at the higher levels of the Pill Alliance.
Frankly, there are not many Grandmasters of Alchemy, and each is incredibly precious.
Once Fang Lin becomes a Grandmaster of Alchemy, he would possess even more privileges than an average Grandmaster.
The reason being, Fang Lin’s age is his greatest advantage.
A Grandmaster of Alchemy under the age of twenty is inconceivable. It’s likely that throughout the history of the Pill Alliance, there has never been a Grandmaster of Alchemy under twenty years old.
Everyone knows that a Grandmaster of Alchemy under twenty possesses tremendous potential. The upper echelons of the Pill Alliance aren’t fools; such a prodigy would surely be nurtured and valued greatly. They would not allow the Inspection Hall to persecute Fang Lin over some unfounded charges.
Therefore, Fang Lin needs to become a Grandmaster of Alchemy to gain privileges and the attention of the Pill Alliance’s higher-ups, so the Inspection Hall can’t target him so easily.
“No! You must come with us to the Inspection Hall now; there’s no time for you to wait!” the black-clothed Inspection Envoy said, his tone extremely stern.
The grey-clothed Inspection Envoy was even more forthright, already taking several steps towards Fang Lin, his aura hidden yet intense, as if ready to strike at any moment.
Fang Lin snorted coldly, “The Pill Alliance has a rule that any Pill Refiner, under any circumstance, is allowed to undergo the Alchemy Examination. Even the Inspection Hall has no right to stop me from taking the exam.”
“Indeed, do the two Inspection Envoys intend to disregard the rules of the Pill Alliance? If that is the case, I will immediately inform the Pill Alliance’s higher-ups and let them make the final decision,” Elder Miao said.
The faces of the two Inspection Envoys couldn’t be more unsightly. It was true that the Pill Alliance had this rule, so long as one is not expelled, any Pill Refiner can undergo the Alchemy Examination in any circumstance. The Inspection Hall, despite having the authority to enforce laws and impose sentences, cannot override this rule.
In the history of the Pill Alliance, there was a Pill Refiner about to be taken away by the Inspection Hall for rule violation, who demanded to undertake the Pill Refiner examination.
Even though the Inspection Hall disagreed, the Pill Alliance’s upper echelons allowed the Pill Refiner to take the exam, and he passed, elevating his status and position. The punishment initially meant for him was immediately reduced by a great deal.
“You two should feel fortunate to witness a Grandmaster of Alchemy under the age of twenty appearing. Why do you look so displeased?” Fang Lin said with a smug smile.
The black-clothed Inspection Envoy grunted heavily, and the grey-clothed Inspection Envoy said with great reluctance, “Since you wish to undergo the Alchemy Examination, we have no right to stop you. But, having only recently become a Four Cauldrons Pill Refiner, how confident are you in successfully passing the Five Cauldrons Pill Refiner examination now?”
Fang Lin sneered, “There’s no need for the two of you to worry about that. As long as I become a Master of Pill, even as Inspection Envoys, you won’t have the authority to take me to the Inspection Hall for trial unless the higher-ups of the Pill Alliance agree.”
“Hmph, you will never succeed!” the black-clothed Inspection Envoy said sourly.
Fang Lin smiled faintly without saying much, his face exuding confidence and composure as if everything was under his control.
Then, the crowd headed to the Trial Hall, where numerous Pill Furnaces were set up specially for examining Pill Refiners.
“Fang Lin, you should know what the process entails to advance to a Five Cauldrons Pill Refiner, so there’s no need for me to elaborate,” Elder Miao said to Fang Lin.
Fang Lin nodded. Naturally, he was clear about the assessment for a Five Cauldrons Pill Refiner, which was more difficult and complex than previous promotion assessments.
After all, once one entered the ranks of the Five Cauldrons Pill Refiners, they would be called a Master of Pill, and the difficulty of the examination had to be more stringent.
The assessment for a Five Cauldrons Pill Refiner consisted of three parts: Alchemy Art, Alchemy Heart, and Pill Soul.
The first test, Alchemy Art, naturally examined the Pill Refiner’s pill refining level.
The second, Alchemy Heart, tested whether the Pill Refiner had the mindset to become a grandmaster.
The third, Pill Soul, was a very special kind of test.
The so-called Pill Soul, to this day, has remained unclear to anyone what it truly is.
Some believe Pill Soul to be the affinity between the Pill Refiner and the Pills, while others think it represents the Pill Refiner’s spirit and perseverance.
Only by passing all three tests can one truly enter the ranks of a Master of Pill.
If one fails, all their prior efforts are in vain, and they must wait a year before they can retake the examination.
Generally speaking, Alchemy Art is the easiest test to pass, but the subsequent tests of Alchemy Heart and Pill Soul are not so simple.
Especially the test of Pill Soul, which is mysterious and unpredictable; many who have already become Masters of Pill still struggle to clarify what the Pill Soul test actually entails.
Fang Lin was too young, and many present didn’t believe he could succeed, including Elder Miao, who had always had great faith in Fang Lin but was not confident this time.
The two Inspection Envoys, on the other hand, did not believe Fang Lin could pass the tests at all and were just waiting to watch the spectacle of him making a fool of himself.
As for Wu Zhong and Feng, Yao, and a few others, their feelings were extremely complicated. They neither hoped for Fang Lin to successfully pass the tests nor wanted to see him taken away by the Inspection Envoys. Only they could truly comprehend their own feelings at that moment.
Fang Lin remained calm as he approached a Pill Furnace. He touched it lightly with his hand and even revealed a smile on his lips.
“Hmph, let’s see if you can still smile later,” both Inspection Envoys thought to themselves.