Today was the day he would be tested by his master.

"I have already done what I can, so there's no need to worry," Ning was quite relaxed about the test. After all, this wouldn't be his first test and certainly not the last. Tests were the norm where he came from.

So, after checking his appearance to ensure it was proper, Ning quickly set off. Closing the formation with his jade token, Ning encountered an unexpected person.

Liu Sisi. His 'senior sister'.

"Good morning, Senior Sister," Ning greeted her in surprise.

"It's a good morning to you too," Liu Sisi greeted back before glancing at Ning up and down. "Seems like you're doing fine. I thought you would be scared since you would be tested by the master."

"I see. So, did senior sister wait outside because you were worried about me?" Ning just smiled.

"Don't get it wrong. You always seem so calm. I just wanted to see you act like a worried fool. It looks like today is not the day."

Are you a tsundere or what?

Ning's brow raised at that. He didn't think his senior sister had the tsundere attribute.

I guess you learn something new every day.

"Since Senior Sister is the one who taught me, a mere test couldn't obviously fluster me," Ning spoke calmly as if it was a fact.

Liu Sisi seemed stunned at that, before suddenly laughing, "I guess that's true."

Along the way, in Liu Sisi's joyous mood, they soon reached the Alchemy Palace.

Opening the door to the alchemy place, the expected sight of the master was nowhere to be seen, but there was another presence.

It was a disciple who looked a few years older than Ning. He appeared average, but he wore a particularly arrogant expression.

Hearing the door open, the older disciple scrutinized Ning, ignoring Liu Sisi completely, before smirking.

"Are you the new disciple taken in by the master? You don't seem special. First Liu Sisi, and now just some random cultivator. I don't know what the master is thinking," he taunted at the sight.

"?"

Ning was surprised, while Liu Sisi was enraged, "Xia Zemin, you are such a rude bastard. Come and fight me, you—"

Ning stopped Liu Sisi, "Senior Sister, I don't think you should fight in the alchemy hall." With that, Liu Sisi also slowly calmed down, "And you must be my senior brother, right?"

"Yes, I am Xia Zemin, the second eldest disciple of the master. I was on a mission, but who knew that the master would suddenly recruit another disciple." Saying that, he scrutinized Ning once more.

With an entire month at his disposal, Ning had obviously gathered information about his seniors. The eldest disciple, Zi Hen, was said to be a genius in alchemy and was currently in seclusion for a breakthrough.

The second disciple, Xia Zemin, was average in alchemy. However, since alchemists were extremely rare, many people fawned over him to gain his favor, leading to his development of an arrogant personality.

[Xia Zemin, Seventh Stage of Qi condensation, Alchemist apprentice. Arrogant but said to have average skills.]

Information about him quickly appeared in Ning's mind and as he glanced at the arrogant guy before him, he couldn't help but nod in confirmation.

It seems he really did have a stuck-up personality...

Well, in the end, they were fellow disciples, so Ning wanted to introduce himself. "I am—"

"I don't need to know who you are. I heard that the master is going to test you today, so you will probably be sent away anyway." Xia Zemin seemed self-assured.

"You stuck-up bastard." Liu Sisi muttered.

"It's okay, calm down, Senior Sister." Ning stopped Liu Sisi from escalating the situation.

"Junior Brother, you don't need to worry. I will—"

Ning just shook his head and said, "I am sure that Senior Brother was just worried about me in his own way." Saying that he turned to the walking Xia Zemin and said aloud, "Don't worry, Brother. I will definitely pass with your blessing. I know you were just encouraging me, weren't you?"

Eh?

Xia Zemin stumbled upon hearing that and stared wide-eyed at Ning.

Brother, why aren't you following the script?

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Normally, wouldn't this lead to them fighting for three thousand rounds, and forming a strong enmity?

It was the first time Xia Zemin had such a reaction, and honestly, he found it rather... interesting.

"H-Hmph! If that's what you want to think, then so be it." Xia Zemin just flicked his wrist and said those words with a stutter. His arrogant posture seemed to have become crooked all of a sudden.

You a tsundere as well?

"Then, I thank Senior Brother."

To be honest, Ning was just playing with this guy.

He did not feel much hearing those taunts, living in the age of the internet, these taunts were immature at best.

Moreover, Ning had always been prepared to face off against arrogant guys; well, it was a cultivation world after all. They were indispensable.

For a protagonist's journey, what are the most important things?

If the first was luck, then the next would definitely be arrogant opponents.

To reach the zenith in a cultivation world, it can't be without arrogant opponents. They are not only portable experience packs but also free resource packs for the protagonists. Most protagonists would probably never succeed without these types of guys.

In this world, where immature people can possess boundless strength, it was not surprising that arrogant people were everywhere. Since they were everywhere, it would not make sense for Ning to fight every other person he came across.

Plus, Ning doesn't hate these guys too much because they were... predictable. They were the very definition of cliché, so even if he made them his enemies, he could properly plan things out.

Well, Ning put those thoughts behind, as suddenly the door opened, and a middle-aged man appeared wearing white robes.

It was his titular master.

"All of you are already here, huh?" Ling Huang spoke upon seeing his three disciples present.

First, he scrutinized Xia Zemin and reprimanded, "Second, you have been slacking these past few days, haven't you?"

"I-I was busy with a mission these past months, Master. I will continue training right away." In front of Ling Huang, Xia Zemin's arrogance was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmph! I will check up on your progress later." Ling Huang snorted and then glanced at Ning, "So, are you ready for the test, Fourth?"

"Yes, Master." Ning nodded seriously.

"I see. Then, let's not waste any time." Ling Huang recited a series of incantations and a sort of barrier formed around the two of them.

"?"

Seeing Ning's confusion, Ling Huang explained, "This is a barrier. The voice from inside can be heard from outside, but not vice versa, so don't think of cheating."

"Yes." Ning had no thoughts about cheating.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator like Ling Huang could probably see through all the small tricks he would manage to come up with.

Moreover, it's not like he had an AI chip in his mind to stealthily get answers.

"If so, then let's begin. Tell me about this herb, Skybeak Root." Ling Huang started the test.

"Skybeak Root. It comprises the root and stem of the vine of the chrysanthemum plant, specifically the thick-veined chrysanthemum. This woody vine grows in ravines with Yin energy and cold streams. Its taste is astringent and slightly warm. When combined with a Yin-raising leaf, it can be used to concoct a Freezing Cold Pill."

"What are the effects of freezing cold pills?"

"It is mostly used to balance the Yang in the body. During extreme heat, it is used to cool down the body temperature with its Yin properties."

"What's the use of a nine-inch black root?"

"When is fleece-flower poisonous?"

Inside the palace, there were rapid questions and answers. Ning also gradually got into the flow and answered all the questions.

And if he had to be honest, it was easier than he expected.

Outside the barrier, looking at the rapid-fire questions and answers, Xia Zemin was surprised, "T-this guy seems to know a lot."

Liu Sisi grinned upon hearing that. "Well, it's obvious considering who his teacher is."

Even though she said so, she was also shocked by Ning.

Being the one who was most familiar with Ning, she knew that this junior of hers was frightening. Each day, his questions continued to become more and more complex, to the point even she had to seek answers. At some point, she herself was surprised at how rich her knowledge base had become.

"I raised that boy." Liu Sisi felt like a mother duck seeing her duckling grow up successfully.

After an entire hour, finally, the questions slowed down. Ling Huang took out a plant, "The Dao of plants and vegetation is unpredictable. Your final test is to determine the alchemy ingredients."

Ning nodded. He was quite confident about this; rather, this was the part he was most confident in.

Of course, then Ling Huang pulled a murphy and said with an ever so brilliant smile, "Blindfolded."

Ning blinked.

"Yes?"

Ling Huang smiled and continued, "Your final task is to identify the ingredients used in alchemy while blindfolded. Compared to your fellow seniors, you were given an entire month, so the difficulty regarding it should also be adjusted accordingly, don't you think?"

Ning was dumbfounded, his thoughts quickly turned, especially seeing that smile on his dear master's face.

Not only Ning, but even Liu Sisi and Xia Zemin were stunned.

Liu Sisi looked worried, "Junior brother..."

Xia Zemin, on the other hand, remembered his own trauma and couldn't help but say, "As expected of the great demon lord of the spiritual peak. Master really is something..."

A single glance from Ling Huang stopped Xia Zemin from speaking any further.

"Are you ready, fourth?"

Not. Of course, he could not say so.

"Yes." Even though the scale of difficulty rose from 10 to 100 really quickly, Ning knew that he couldn't back out now.

The reason was simple: that behavior would disgust his master. While Ling Huang differed from the typical master stereotype by directly not throwing him into a jungle, showing a weak will, especially after he had promised to persevere in alchemy, would surely lead to him losing all of the brownie points he had managed to earn with much difficulty.

So, while surprised, he would not simply give up.

"Put this on. This is an artifact that blocks your vision. You can only rely on your other senses to analyze the ingredients." Ling Huang handed a blindfold to Ning.

...

"Why does Master have a blindfold made into an artifact?" Xia Zemin asked the real question here.

"Dunno..." Liu Sisi was still quite worried.

Amidst all this, the second phase of the test also began.

"What is this?" Ling Huang handed a plant to Ning.

Ning carefully touched the plant, his comprehensive senses working to their fullest to match the tiniest detail present to the one in his memory. From touch to smell, he recognized it.

"This is a red flame herb. It is used as the main ingredient of the flare flame powder."

"Correct."

Ning moved to the next ingredient.

"This is a snow weed. It is used to preserve the freshness of ingredients."

"Correct."

"This is tiger striped leaf. It is used in the berserk pill."

"Correct."

"...This is a mimic seed? It is used as the substitute ingredient for common alchemy ingredients."

"Correct."

...

"Hmm? It's short and thick yet quite sticky...What is this master?" Ning couldn't help but ask involuntarily.

Ling Huang was stunned.

I am the examiner, why are you asking me?