Chapter 506. First Part of the Alchemy Competition. Kali's charm.

"The Alchemy Competition is divided into five steps. The first one will be theoretical knowledge; the second one will be sensory sensitivity; the third will be about flame control; the fourth we'll check your visual knowledge while spotting different varieties of plants; finally, we'll give you a recipe and ask you to create the pill in the time stipulated."

Kali listened attentively. Since she was a beast human, no one bothered her as they did with the other girls.

Moreover, her quiet and distant aura made her unapproachable. Hence, Elder Mu's junior didn't come to speak with her as they did with Andrea.

Kali waited beside her desk and heard the judge explain. "On your tables, you'll see a small book. That is the question book. From this moment forward, you are allowed to open it and answer every question in the book. If the answer is exactly the theoretical one, it will be automatically checked. If it is not, we have a team of five seniors, including me, who will help correct all questions answered."

Kali approached the book calmly and took the writing pen to the side. Then, she read the first question.

"What plant grows in poisonous biomes but helps purify the air? Note: The color of this plant is pink, and it has six flower petals arranged like a cup."

Kali answered instantly. "[Lifeline Dream Whisper]."

Her letters changed from black to blue. 'The beginning guideline says this is an automatically correct answer. Purple means that it is still on hold. Black means that it is an incorrect answer.'

Valeria looked from Kali's soul and smiled. 'Should I help you?'

Kali laughed. 'If you help, it loses its meaning. Although, if they correct me incorrectly, you are more than welcome to inform me.'

Valeria nodded and looked closely.

Kali continued answering questions, and some were marked as purple. However, she didn't mind and continued writing.

When she finished, the final note out of 500 appeared on the book's cover.

Kali looked and saw a 455 appearing. 'Huh? So low?'

Valeria said. 'Check the book.'

Kali did so, and they found the first incorrect answer. The question was. "Is the mixing of [Whispering rose] and [Mourning Lily] possible?"

Kali answered positively to the question. However, they marked it as wrong, puzzling Kali and Valeria.

Kali and Valeria realized that most of Kali's "mistakes" were incorrectly marked as incorrect. Valeria only identified two correct corrections among all the marked answers.

Therefore, Kali's final score out of 500 should be 498, not 455.

Kali looked in Yasenia's direction and sent a mental message. 'Yasenia.'

'Hm? What's wrong, love? How did you do in the first exam?'

'455.'

Yasenia frowned. 'Ha? That low? Are you feeling okay, honey? Do you feel weary from yesterday night?'

Kali laughed. 'Not at all. Valeria and I checked, and I should have a 498. Do we tell the judge that they are mistaken?'

Yasenia was surprised and frowned. Finally, she said. 'Do not correct them. Your position is honestly redundant since Angel has achieved our goals already. Moreover, even if they evaluate you incorrectly, you can finish in the top group and show your strength properly.'

Kali was about to nod when she heard Yasenia continue. 'Of course, if you feel slighted, that changes everything. I can even speak with those seniors and tell them about it.'

Feeling surprised was her first reaction, but soon she laughed.

Valeria also chuckled. 'She is so cute.'

Kali agreed. 'She really is.'

Then, she answered Yasenia. 'No need, love. Thank you.'

Yasenia smiled and nodded.

"What are you smiling about, Lady Yasenia?"

Yasenia heard Jorey's voice and answered without turning her head. "I was thinking that my fox looks very charming."

The average result of the first round was 421.

"Hmm, good. Everyone below 421 points is eliminated."

The judge heard many gasps, but he ignored them.

There was a taste, smell, and hearing test for the second one.

On the tasting one, they should know if the medicine was rotten and write down as many ingredients as possible from that tasting sample. The tournament had even prepared unique mixes that are barely noticeable when they go bad.

Kali saw the medicine cup, and even without tasting it, she knew that hers was okay. She took a sip not to stand out too much and then wrote her answer, which immediately glowed blue. She had to take a second sip for the ingredients, but compared with others that were drinking almost half the cup, it was very impressive.

After writing down a list of thirteen ingredients, she went to the second test.

The judge's gaze moved toward Kali and checked the first test results. He frowned a bit and lost interest quickly.

The scent test used a box that only allowed the smell of the herb to leak. The trial was about identifying as many scents as possible and writing down the name of that herb.

Naturally, they were unique scents, even if they were rare.

Of the six different smells Kali proficiently detected, she knew four. The other two, she wasn't sure.

'Do you want my answer, Kali?'

'No need. I want a proper evaluation.'

'Even when the first test was so unjust?'

'Yes. I want a proper evaluation of my skills for this continent. How skilled am I with their standards?'

'I see. I don't understand why you would want that, but sure. You can do as you please.'

Kali smiled. 'Thank you for supporting me, Valeria.'

Valeria felt happy and continued observing Kali's performance.

The third and fourth tests were much easier as they were visual tests, and Kali got a perfect score.

Kali's Alchemy Flame control was exquisite to the point that many were almost mesmerized by her dancing flames.

Her visual knowledge was also extensive, and she answered easily and quickly.

The judge, who had ignored Kali, began paying attention again.

'If it weren't because of her poor performance in the theoretical tests, she would be ranked first by now. Now, her pill-making skills must be exceptional if she wants a high position.'

The judge looked at Kali and spoke. "Junior, if you put more effort into studying theory, you will reach very far.'

Kali's lips twitched, but she nodded calmly because she knew he had good intentions. "I understand. Thank you, senior."

To be honest, Kali's skill in Alchemy was leagues ahead of everyone participating. Even these judges were below her skill-wise. Our fox could already create Heaven-ranked pills consistently, yet these people were still stuck in the peak of Earth Realm Alchemy.

Even if these people had been researching alchemy for centuries, the vast difference was the same as Angel's absolute dominance.

Sky Continent's knowledge was much more thorough and developed. The difference was like the distance between Heaven and Earth, like studying from children's books for the profession against learning from high-level ones.

After a few words, Kali received the recipe.

Kali looked at the recipe presented for the last section of the alchemy competition and lifted an eyebrow.

The judge commented. "This is a precious Peak-level Earth-Grade recipe. Finishing one set of pills with purity above sixty percent will give you six hundred points."

Each of the previous tests cost 500 hundred, and the disciples would be ranked by their total score. Giving 600 points just for creating a sixty percent purity pill was far more points than what Kali expected.

The judge continued. "The maximum number of points for this last test is one thousand. We won't explain how to get this total amount of points. However, know that the more pills and better quality in one batch, the better. You have limited ingredients on your tables, so be careful."

"Can we use our own ingredients?" Asked a junior.

"No, you must use the ones we provided." Answered the judge.

"Will we be counted for the last or best of pills batch created?" Asked another person.

"We'll take into account the best batch created. If you are lucky, then that's that."

Kali looked at the table and asked Valeria. 'How many should I create? This [Earth Solid Body Pill] is quite an interesting one, to be honest.'

'I've been observing your competitors, and there are seven that you should be aware of. Four of these seven are Elder Mu's disciples. From them, the strongest is her eldest disciple. That child is very talented compared to everyone here.'

'If he has shown all his strength, we should be able to win as long as you create five peak-level Earth-grade pills with more than seventy percent purity in a single batch.'

Kali nodded. 'I see. Do you think I should brag and do my best?'

Valeria said thoughtfully. 'I think what I said is enough to show skill. If you want, you can create them as low-level Heaven-grade pills. Heaven-grade items are already a rarity. If you really try, you might create mid-level Heaven-grade pills with eighty percent purity with this recipe. It would be too much, and you would gather too much attention.'

Kali nodded and began to work.

She had already prepared the ingredients while they were talking, so only mixing and throwing the items in the cauldron was left.

Kali's movements were leisurely and easy, and her face under her veil didn't change.

The items on the vials and the unprocessed herbs slowly transformed into fluids, powders, and bubbling mixes.

Her ease and proficiency didn't escape the old Alchemy Masters; many eyes began gathering on the three-tailed fox lady.

'Hmm, and with this. Everything is prepared.'

Kali opened the lid of the half-a-person tall cauldron and threw two-thirds of the ingredients inside.

They didn't fall to the bottom as soon as they fell but floated inside. Kali created a film on the mouth of the cauldron with energy and ignited her alchemy flames below with a flick of her fingers.

With the sound of air being ignited, an ordinary orange flame appeared below the cauldron, covering the base.

'Now, I have to wait a few minutes for it to heat up to the proper temperature. I need to check the ingredients to avoid boiling the liquids.'

Kali concentrated, and after two minutes, she nodded. 'Perfect.'

Kali's alchemy flame was nothing out of the ordinary.

The thing different from others was her insane precision and control over it.

The cauldron's inside was heated with such precision that different parts would have different temperatures, slowly processing herbs with varying boiling temperatures simultaneously.

Kali's three tails swished as she focused on extracting the purest essence from the ingredients and burning the rest.

'Perfect. After five minutes of slow-burning, I should be able to continue the process if everything goes as I pictured it.'

Valeria looked from the side and smiled. 'You are doing great, Kali.'

Kali nodded and continued her work.

The spectators had long spotted the skilled fox, and many couldn't help but appreciate her.

Yasenia looked at the attentive Elder My and chuckled. "Aren't you going to look at your disciple, Elder Mu? You've been looking at my fox for a while."

Elder Mu laughed. "Don't blame me, Lady Yasenia. She is exceptionally skilled. I'm honestly impressed that she is below the age of acceptance for this tournament. If you said nothing about it, I would've thought that girl was three hundred years old."

Yasenia looked around and saw many gazes of infatuation from many men and even some women while looking at Kali.

Seeing an alchemy work was not exciting, but how the flames would change and move around was beautiful. Moreover, Kali's figure was stunning.

For those that don't remember, our fox even managed to enter the beauty ranking of the Academy, the reason all of what happened to her happened.

Our fox had a very curvy and beautiful body, but instead of looking seductive, she gave a gentle and motherly feeling.

Her gestures, aura, and movement were careful and soothing. Looking at Kali's working figure gave the spectators the same feeling as a mother cooking for her children with a soft smile.

Yasenia chuckled helplessly and continued observing Kali.

'As expected, a gem will shine when exposed to light.'