Unlike some of his more intellectually gifted peers, Kade had required full use of the four hours allotted to the disciples to complete the written test.

The questions had started out fairly simple, asking for the locations of various meridians on the body or which herbs would assist with which ailments or could be used to refine what pills.

However towards the middle and end sections they became increasingly complex discussions surrounding aspects of cultivation that Kade felt he wouldn’t have even had an inkling of how to begin answering if he’d not experienced the events of the past two weeks.

Regardless, he was confident that his attempt was enough to at least secure him a passing mark, looking forward instead to the tournament round where he hoped to achieve a finish in the top ten; a foolishly hopeful part of his mind wondered if he would be able to defeat those other monster disciples and perhaps gain complete victory.

After handing in his completed paper to the stern Senior Elder, he’d finally had a chance to meet up with Catarina and Aurora, who from their confident expressions and carefree chatter hadn’t struggled an iota with the test.

Well, studying wasn’t his forte and if one wanted to achieve true greatness then it was wise to play to your strengths.

“You look a little constipated Kade. Test didn’t go so well?” Aurora teased, sharing a giggle with Catarina as they approached.

“It went well enough,” he replied, “See if you’re still that confident after I beat your ass in the tournament.”

“How about we go a few rounds right now, muscle for brains?” She goaded.

“Now you two, no need to fight each other when there’s plenty of other suitable competitors in our midst,” said Catarina.

Her insight was spot on as usual and looking around Kade spotted a few of the more famous disciples glancing in the direction of their little group with a mixture of ambitious hunger, hatred or just plain jealousy.

No doubt those looks were intended for the talented and beautiful girls at his side and not himself, though after his newfound cultivation stage had been revealed to the majority of the outer sect perhaps their evaluation of him had risen.

There were no other rounds of examination scheduled for that day, so with the conclusion of the written test all the disciples were dismissed and allowed to return to their accommodations, the sparring grounds or even the library for last minute practice.

Kade wasn’t one of them. With the alchemy examination happening tomorrow, the time afforded to them wasn’t nearly enough to make a marked improvement in his abilities, so instead he decided to indulge in a pastime he’d not enjoyed for a while; a casual stroll around the outer sect territories.

Catarina and Aurora headed off to do whatever it was that girls did in their spare time. Knowing those two it was probably a brutal sparring match with no holds barred; the thought made him shiver.

As he was making his way down from the summit of Starbound Peak, he bumped into Junior Elder Rose who waved him over with a smile.

“I was exceptionally surprised to hear about your results in the cultivation assessment, Disciple Trelawney,” she exclaimed, “Progressing another three stages just a couple of weeks after your previous breakthrough is a tremendous accomplishment. It seems you’ve been holding back the last few years, or did you have a fortuitous encounter?”

Kade’s plan to lay low had been rather quickly put to an end thanks to the public reveal of his cultivation level; even if he’d tried it was impossible to fool the measurement crystal.

“Perhaps I’m just lucky, Junior Elder Rose,” he replied with a smirk, “I must thank you for your previous warning as well, though it seems I have a talent for making powerful enemies like Senior Elder Fang.”

“Well, given your recent explosive growth it would not be in the Senior Elder’s best interests to nip a promising young sapling like yourself in the bud lest he face the ire of the Sect Master and other elders, but do stay on your guard,” she warned, “And good luck with the rest of your examinations, if you make it to the inner sect we will almost be peers.”

“Surely you jest, Junior Elder Rose,” Kade replied with a nervous chuckle, “Your talents are far above my meagre ability. Your words honour me.”

“Nonsense, at the rate you are currently going you’re likely to become a Junior Elder yourself within a year,” she replied.

The back and forth compliments continued for a little while before Kade said a polite farewell and left on his stroll.

Junior Elder Rose had been extremely kind to him the last few weeks, a startling change from her usual icy demeanour and cold treatment of the average outer sect disciple.

“There was Senior Elder Fang’s grandson too. Perhaps I’m just extraordinarily handsome?” He mused, rubbing a hand across his cheek.

After a relaxing afternoon of taking in the idyllic sights of Mystic Solar Valley and letting his ego inflate itself with idle thoughts of his own handsomeness, Kade returned to his house and settled in to sleep.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

He rose early, a quick wash in cold water woke him up and filled him with energy for the day ahead. The journey to the Ceremonial Grounds was uneventful and he was among the first of the disciples to arrive for today’s examination.

Unfortunately they weren’t greeted by the fiery visage of the Sect Master, but the sneering and wrinkled face of Senior Elder Fang.

Thankfully Kade was able to slip under the radar and find a secluded corner to relax in until it was time for today’s examination to begin - the alchemy assessment.

With the exception of those disciples who came from Families specialising in alchemy techniques or who’d experienced a fortunate encounter with an alchemical method, the majority of the outer sect disciples only had a very rudimentary training in alchemy.

Teachings in the outer sect were mainly focused on the pursuit of cultivation to allow the disciples of Mystic Solar Valley to develop strong foundations before diluting their ambition with additional vocational pursuits such as alchemy, forging or talisman inscription.

However they were all taught the basics of these professions, mainly how to identify and harvest important ingredients and refine simple pill recipes.

Ensuring that disciples of all manner of talents would have a chance at promoting to the inner sect was essential, as only focusing on cultivation maniacs would leave sects run by bloodthirsty battle maniacs and seclusion addicts.

However, performing decently during all rounds of the examination was a must. Even a grandmaster alchemist should have the strength to defend themselves and in the higher ends of such professions one required exceptional control over their own inner energies to craft masterworks.

Once all the disciples had arrived, Senior Elder Fang addressed the crowd in a similar manner to yesterday, highlighting dedication to self improvement and other important aspects of cultivation to the disciples.

It was all rather self-serving nonsense to be frank, with only the barest hints of genuine knowledge hidden beneath the actual words.

Once again, the assessment was being carried out in the Administration Hall. The outer sect didn’t have a dedicated building for alchemy and pill furnaces had been brought from the inner sect for the disciples to use during the examination.

Kade didn’t have to suffer a tedious wait like the day before as disciples were being assessed in large groups.

A Junior Elder at the entrance to the Administration Hall directed him to one of several pill furnaces scattered around, each with an elder or inner sect alchemy disciple waiting beside to oversee their work.

After the entire group had been assigned a position, the overseers began to explain the task that was set out for today.

It was rather simple, each disciple just had to refine one batch of pills. As to the specific pill they decided to make, the decision was left up to them.

The details of how they would be assessed were also rather unclear, but Kade had no qualms with that; he only knew one pill recipe anyway.

Following his memories of the brief lessons he’d had on alchemy with various elders during his time in the outer sect, he gathered from the wide array of materials that had been set up three simple ingredients.

Selecting the ingredients was likely to be the first part of the assessment, as Kade noticed a few defective materials or improperly harvested spirit herbs among the wide range available to him.

The pill he was refining was one of the most common in the world of cultivation - a Surging Spirit Pill. This reddish coloured pill boosted one’s spiritual energy to help their progress through the stages of the martial refinement realm.

He lit a small fire underneath the pill furnace, controlling the temperature as best he could with the slow addition of fuel and once he’d judged the furnace itself to have reached an appropriate level of heat, he selected the first ingredient from the three.

It was a spirit herb with an earthy brown stalk covered in sharp thorns that ran up to a beautiful scarlet flower, known as a Surging Vitality Rose.

Kade separated the stalk from the flower with rather amateurish movement, putting the brown plant material to the side before grinding the scarlet petals into a powder.

Next he added the stalk into the furnace along with his second ingredient, sap from the Emberleaf Maple Tree, before covering the furnace with the lid and moving to prepare his final ingredient.

Now that he’d begun the refining process he would need to move quickly and without error; a single mistake would ruin the finished product and spell failure in the assessment.

His final ingredient was a small bone that would act as a coagulating agent to bind the ingredients together to form the Surging Spirit Pill, which he pulverised into small shards.

A puff of steam escaped from the furnace with a soft whistle and Kade added a little more fuel to the fire, increasing the heat for the next step of the process, adding the ground petals of the Surging Vitality Rose to the brown mixture before stirring it gently.

After two minutes of constant care, the liquid in the furnace was now the reddish-brown colour of clay and bubbling gently.

What followed was the final and most demanding step of the pill refining process. Kade tossed in the shards of bone, gave the viscous liquid a rapid mix and then closed the lid of the furnace, grasping the handles at the side and steeling himself.

Despite being only a Mortal grade pill, the Surging Spirit Pill still required one to have a decent cultivation base to handle the refining process.

Kade’s furnace began to steam furiously and rattled around in his grip, threatening to explode at any moment.

Tightening his grip on the handles to ensure the lid did not fly off and accidentally injure someone, he chanted the mantra of the 【Flowing River Art】 to maintain his focus.

By now the pill furnace had begun to struggle like a dying man, rattling and shaking to escape his firm hold, steam billowing out from the gaps.

From within the furnace he could hear the pills start to take form and rattle around as the intense heat moulded them into shape.

Pressure on the lid intensified with each moment and even with his sixth stage cultivation and muscular physique Kade could feel his hold on the furnace straining.

He’d been repeating the mantra over and over and true to his marvellous luck, the seventh spell of dizziness triggered by the 【Flowing River Art】 struck him with the worst possible timing.

It was by far the most intense and disorienting one yet, with Kade barely even able to maintain consciousness, let alone his hold over the furnace.

As the refining process neared its climax, he wondered if this poor timing would spell the end of his hopes to advance to the inner sect.