Chapter 53
The Alchemy Test
"..."
Bai Fanxian sat center stage watching the situation unfold, completely baffled.
About a third of the audience suddenly had flushed faces. Some bodies went limp and collapsed onto chairs. Some screamed crazily. Three or four fainted completely.
Did I accidentally release pressure?
No. Since crossing eras, her body had developed remarkably. She could control it perfectly. If she didn't want to, not even a fragment of qi would leak from her body.
So what madness came over these idiots?
On the Empress fan group leaders' side, Brother Yang and Novice Alchemist fell into the same state. Faces flushed while tears flowed. They felt happiness like never before, as if their lives were already complete.
"Brother Yang... I'm so happy," Novice Alchemist spoke shakily.
"Ah... me too."
Brother Yang spoke while raising his hand to wipe tears streaming down his cheeks.
Looking back, they felt like utter fools. Empress had appeared before them so long ago yet they hadn't realized. They'd even dared doubt her identity.
They were no different from stupid ignorant people. No—this was utterly idiotic!
Elder Fang watched with strange feelings. The truth that Grandmaster Bai Fanxian was Alchemy Empress equally shocked the association elders.
Especially Master Sun Mingchuan—learning that Grandmaster Bai, whom he'd admired, was the same person who demolished him in his own thread nearly made him choke on the tea he'd just swallowed.
But before more chaos arose, acting president Elder Chen came out to restore order.
"Ahem!... Everyone please remain calm. The test must continue."
He turned to look at Grandmaster Bai, who'd begun calmly sipping tea again on stage, and concluded:
"Does anyone else have questions?"
Many apprentice alchemists wanted to raise hands, but somehow when they tried, people beside them glared fiercely!
The Empress fans!
Seeing no one else dared raise hands, Elder Chen could only sigh. But what could be done? Both the name Alchemy Empress and Bai Fanxian had demonstrated knowledge and ability far surpassing elders like them many times already.
So ending like this should be fine!
"Then the public Q&A ends here. Next we'll test alchemy!"
The crowd cheered loudly. Honestly, this was what they'd been waiting for most.
For those studying this path, what could be more interesting than alchemy!
They chattered noisily. Even Empress fans stopped daydreaming to exchange opinions.
"What elixir will Grandmaster Bai refine?"
"Whatever Empress refines must be amazing!"
"Yeah, I can't wait anymore."
"Hey, didn't you forget it might take days to refine?"
That last sentence jolted everyone back to reality.
Right—refining one elixir, whether liquid or pill form, grew more complex the higher the level.
So it wasn't strange to see alchemists disappear for days to refine one cauldron!
Using an entire day was normal in this industry.
Especially the Tier 4 elixir Bai Fanxian would refine—though the audience didn't know the type, being called Tier 4 meant it must be difficult and time-consuming.
"Grandmaster Bai, have you chosen what to refine?" Elder Fang Niang walked over nearby. This seemed like prep time, so people weren't paying much attention to the stage.
"A Tier 4 elixir?"
Bai Fanxian raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. If you need any special materials, just tell us. The association will prepare them as fast as possible."
Fang Niang nodded. It was like an investment—if Grandmaster Bai truly became Tier 4, it would benefit the association enormously.
Bai Fanxian pondered. Speaking of equipment—to refine elixirs, an alchemy cauldron was essential. She had one, but that cauldron was somewhat special.
It was about three times her size—large enough to stand inside comfortably. Her companion had created it with the finest materials. The yin-yang balance was incomparable. No cauldron in the previous era could match it.
Moreover, after ten thousand years, after going through alchemy refinement merged with her body, this cauldron seemed to have gained something more special. She could easily sense heaven and earth power still lingering within it.
She'd never tried refining elixirs with that cauldron in this era. There was no need—the elixirs she'd refined and stored in her dimension were abundantly sufficient. She figured this time would be the same.
If she suddenly pulled out that giant cauldron from her dimension, it would create unnecessary shock. So she showed hesitation.
"...Do you have a cauldron I could borrow?"
Fang Niang raised her eyebrows in surprise. Even beginners usually had at least one personal alchemy cauldron they used skillfully. Borrowing each other's cauldrons was rare.
"The association has some for apprentice alchemists..."
"That's fine."
Bai Fanxian sighed in relief. Soon someone ran into the hall with an alchemy cauldron kept for beginners to study and experiment with.
It was a standard cauldron commonly seen.
Bai Fanxian examined it briefly. An ordinary mass-produced cauldron. The internal yin-yang balance wasn't good—suitable only for beginners practicing first-level alchemy where even if it exploded, it wouldn't be regrettable.
"Uh... if you don't mind, would you use my cauldron instead?" Fang Niang looked uncomfortable. Bai Fanxian would refine a Tier 4 elixir but use such a standard practice cauldron—that seemed inappropriate.
A good cauldron increased success chances.
A bad cauldron reduced them equally.
"It's fine..." Bai Fanxian didn't want to waste time. Right then, Huang Zihuan, who'd disappeared briefly, returned with various materials and herbs.
Since today was seminar day, outside shops sold materials. Plus, this was the Alchemists' Association—if anything was lacking, just ask and they'd prepare it.
Bai Fanxian swept her gaze to check. Seeing everything ready, she walked to center stage. The watching crowd became alert and focused on her again.
"What's that? A practice cauldron?"
"Yeah, when I was Tier 1, I exploded those all the time..."
"Empress will really use that to refine a Tier 4 elixir?"
Brother Yang asked that last question, looking toward the stage while gulping loudly. No matter how much knowledge Empress had, it wasn't a guarantee she had truly sublime alchemy ability.
"We must believe in her!" Novice Alchemist tapped his shoulder. Though they'd only truly met today, it was as if some bond tied them together, making them close like brothers.
"You're right. We must encourage Empress!"
Bai Fanxian standing center stage sensed strange movements in the crowd. When she turned, her gaze caught a large light-up sign held by nearly ten people.
The words 'Alchemy Empress' in large glowing letters. Behind her name was a large pink heart blinking rhythmically.
What were those idiots doing again?
Bai Fanxian chose to ignore them. She didn't realize she was starting to see "those idiots" as her people.
She walked to center stage. The hall fell silent. Those who were alchemists knew how crucial concentration was for refining high-level elixirs. The hall audience waited for staff to install a furnace for lighting fire.
It was standard procedure—to refine elixirs, besides a cauldron, a furnace was essential. Some alchemists even had special furnaces custom-made.
But Bai Fanxian did something different.
Before staff could install the furnace, Bai Fanxian flicked her hand once.
WHOOSH!
A clear blue flame flared up mid-air!
It floated before Bai Fanxian. Bright sparks blazed like dancing flames. The nearby audience clearly felt warmth radiating from that small fire.
The staff carrying in the furnace gaped. So the furnace they'd bothered carrying became useless?
The alchemy cauldron placed there suddenly floated up from the floor. It floated above the burning flame. Within seconds of the cauldron touching the blue flame, it trembled as if ready to explode any moment.
"Th-that can't be?"
"Qi Flame! Must be Qi Flame!"
"The high-purity flame most suitable for alchemy..."
"The mystical art of fire! According to rumors, only Grandmaster Lu Qing can use Qi Flame like this!"
While the audience debated, the association elders stared at that blue flame in disbelief.
True, Grandmaster Lu Qing could also use Qi Flame.
But Grandmaster Lu Qing's Qi Flame was bright red and didn't give a feeling as intense and pure as the clear blue Qi Flame before them!
Didn't that mean her fire arts exceeded Grandmaster Lu Qing already!?