Practical Exam!

Drog entered the building. He saw that the man sitting behind the counter wasn't Zai Jin as Zai Jin had already returned to the core disciple peak. The man sitting behind the counter was the middle-aged man who tested if Drog had both fire and wood element affinities, and who made him into a trainee alchemist.

Drog walked up to the counter.

"It has been a while since I saw you last," the middle-aged man said and smiled. "Are you here to take the written exam?"

Drog shook his head. "I am not. I am here for the practical exam."

The middle-aged man's eyes widened. "You already passed the written exam?! he shouted out and then said, "I am surprised. When I was a trainee alchemist, it took me an entire year before I passed the written exam. And another year before I passed the practical exam."

Drog smiled. "I am an elite amongst the elite. So don't compare yourself to me even for a second. But if you do compare yourself to me, you will fall into the depths of depression and you will never be able to get out."

The middle-aged man shook his head. "I am me and you are you. The only person that I need to compare myself with is myself."

"Your mindset is that of a weakling," Drog said as he shook his head.

The middle-aged man frowned. "How is my mindset that of a weakling?"

"Even if I tell you, your mindset won't change," Drog said. "It's already too late for you. After all, you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

The middle-aged man frowned even deeper. "Give me your identification insignia and let's get this over with."

Drog nodded his head slightly. He pulled out his identification insignia from the pendant and placed it on the counter.

The middle-aged man took Drog's identification insignia and pulled out a green jade from behind the counter. He held them both in both of his hands for a few seconds, but then his eyes and mouth widened. "How is this possible?" he mumbled. "You took both parts of the written exam just a few days after you became an alchemist trainee and you got a perfect score? And the guest elder has to be the one to give you the practical exam?"

"That's right," Drog said.

The middle-aged man gulped down his saliva. "I can't believe it," he said in a barely audible voice. "You are the tenth person from the Raikou continent and first from the sword sect to have scored perfectly on both parts of the written exam."

"Tenth from the continent?" Drog thought and furrowed his eyebrows before he opened his mouth and said, "The other nine, what kind of effectivity basic Qi recovery pills did they concoct?"

The middle-aged man put down Drog's identification insignia and the green jade on the counter. "The one ranked ninth concocted a 70% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked eighth concocted a 73% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked seventh concocted a 74% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked sixth concocted a 76% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked fifth concocted a 78% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked fourth concocted an 80% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked third concocted an 81% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked second concocted an 82% effectivity basic Qi recover pill. The one ranked first concocted an 85% effectivity basic Qi recover pill."

"I see," Drog said and unfurrowed his eyebrows. He took his identification insignia and stored it inside of his pendant. "Go call elder Feng, I want to take my practical exam."

The middle-aged man took a few steps back and once again gulped down his saliva. "Did you just say Feng?" he mumbled.

"Yes, the guest elder's surname is Feng," Drog said. "Now go and call her."

The middle-aged man hastily nodded his head and rushed out through the door that was behind him.

A few minutes passed and through the door came out elder Feng. She looked at Drog and he looked at her. She looked paler than he remembered her being and so he said, "You look paler than the last time I saw you. Are you okay?"

Elder Feng narrowed her eyes. "That piece of trash burst into my room when I was in the middle of my breakthrough and not only I failed to reach the next realm of cultivation, but I also dropped a few ranks. So you tell me."

"I see," Drog said as he nodded his head. "I came here for my exam."

Elder Feng frowned. She slowly breathed in through her nose and slowly breathed out of her mouth. "If you fail to show me the results that I want to see, I will kill you."

Drog pulled out one of the seven basic Qi recovery pills of 100% effectivity and threw it to elder Feng. She caught it and looked at it. "This is…" she said and looked at Drog. "You made this?"

Drog nodded his head in agreement. "I did."

"There is not a single trainee alchemist in this continent that has ever made a basic Qi recovery pill of 90% effectivity, let alone of 100% effectivity," elder Feng said. "But there are alchemists that have made a basic Qi recovery pill of 100% effectivity. Let's go to the alchemy room and see if you truly can make a basic Qi recovery pill of 100% effectivity as a trainee alchemist."

"That's fine," Drog said.

Elder Feng walked up to the counter and from behind it pulled out a jade with a number six written on it. She walked up to one shelf and from it took some Yi grasses. Then, she walked up to another shelf and from it took some Tchi herbs. "Let's go."

"Alright," Drog said and with elder Feng, he left the building.

Elder Feng led Drog to one of the many alchemy buildings and inserted the jade with the number six into the door. The door opened and they entered. She closed the door and placed all the Tchi herbs and Yi grasses she took onto the table. "Go ahead."

Drog walked up to the table, he took the Yi grass into his right hand and the bowl that was sitting on the edge of the table into his left. He tossed the Yi grass into the bowl and took the small cudgel which was also sitting on the table into his freed up hand. Using the cudgel, he smashed the Yi grass and stirred it.

"The first stage is complete," Drog thought. "Now for the second stage." He walked up to the cauldron. Using his fire Qi, he created the flame below the cauldron and waited for a few minutes, until the cauldron started to slightly shake. "The second stage is now complete."

Drog walked up to the table. From it, he took the Tchi herb and the bowl of Yi grass. He returned to the cauldron and tossed the Tchi herb inside the cauldron. Following which, he slightly increased the intensity of the flame and poured in the smashed Yi grass.

Drog kept the intensity of the flame as it was, and just waited. He waited for fifteen minutes before gradually lowering the intensity of the flame until extinguishing it. He looked down into the cauldron and saw a brown liquid inside it. "The third stage is now complete, time for the fourth one – cleansing."

Drog extended his right arm and pointed it at the liquid. He used his fire Qi, and the liquid after some time took a lighter shade.

"Now for the last stage," Drog thought. He smacked the cauldron on the side with his palm. The liquid shot up into the air. He separated the liquid into ten parts and used both fire and wood Qi on them. The ten parts solidified and fell into the palm of his hand. He looked down at them and smiled as all the pills were of 100% effectivity. He walked up to elder Feng and showed her the pills.

"Now I feel slightly bad for killing that man," elder Feng said.