Rank 7 Alchemist

In just a few minutes, the president returned with a servant who carried the ingredients for the recipe. The president gave Ryker the recipe which is written on a parchment.

 Ryker accepted it, reading it quickly. He was used in making Healing Pillsz having created many during his Soul Cultivation as a way to exhaust his Soul Power.

 However, it would be the first time he created a Grade 7 Healing Pill. So, he needed to study the recipe first before he could try to refine the pills in question.

 Seeing how he seemed to be studying the recipe, the president decided to remind him. "The length of the test would be 24 hours, starting from now. There will be three sets of ingredients, so you have three attempts.

 If you fail to make any pills in 24 hours you will fail. If you used all your ingredients and did not succeed in making the pills, then you will also fail. Of course, if your attempts are close then you will be given one last chance.

 You can begin the moment you feel you are ready," the president announced.

 Ryker gave the man a nod without looking at him, focusing on the recipes. After all, he only had 24 hours and three attempts, he had to make it all count.

-x-

 He read the recipes for an hour. While the recipes were not that long, he needed to make sure he understood the theories if he wanted to succeed. 

 Of course, the likelihood of him failing the first attempt is high but he should make sure it gets as close as possible.

 Rearanging the ingredients according to the recipe with not help him at all but it will do him some good in making sure he will not accidentally use the wrong ingredients at a certain time.

 The president had taken his leave, though he did not leave the area. In fact, the alchemy room is more of an alchemy hall, enough to fit 50 alchemists and that includes the cauldron.

 He believed this was the place where alchemists were tested and the huge space if for examiners to be able to see the alchemists and make sure they would not cheat like replacing the pills with several finished ones.

 Ryker never does such a thing. After all, most of his pills are meant for personal consumption and so it will do him harm if he cheated.

 He then began to put the ingredients accordingly. His arrangement save him some time despite it would likely not help him that much.

-x-

 Outside of the designated spot, the president watched the newcomer with interest. "To think he would make some preparation. Of course, for expert alchemists, it would not help that much but for a beginner, it would give them some confidence in their refining,"

 The president commented. Next to him were several high-rank alchemists, all of them at the 8th Rank and the second-best alchemist after the president himself in the capital city.

 "Well, him arranging it makes him look like an amateur who is not confident but the way he throws the ingredients into the cauldron shows his experience.

 Not to mention how he prepared some of the ingredients while refining the one inside the cauldron. His Soul must be strong," one of the alchemists commented.

 The others nodded. For him to be able to do such things required great concentration and the ability to multitask to a certain degree. Which can be done if one possesses a powerful Soul.

 Then, they watched as a hand was formed. While it would not surprise them, the energy it emitted surely did. They used their Soul Sense to confirm their finding.

 When they get the result, the alchemists gasped, "To think his Soul had reached the Corporeal Realm,"

 "Maybe that is why he was confident. While he could create Grade 6 Pills before, maybe it was before his Soul reached the Corporeal Realm,"

 "It is likely. He might have tried refining some Grade 7 Pills in the past but failed. So, he decided to make sure his Soul Power is stronger to make sure he will succeed,"

 "That is likely the reason why he wanted to raise his rank to the 7th Rank. But still, a strong Soul, while it helped a lot, it did not mean a pass in making high-grade pills,"

 "Let's just watch. Maybe he is that confident in his ability,"

 Hearing the president, the alchemists shut their mouths, watching the refining with more interest. After all, besides the three best alchemists, the president included, the rest of the alchemists' Soul Cultivation is at the Illusory Realm.

-x-

 While he would show some of his cards, Ryker was not worried. After all, his Soul Cultivation is merely one of his strengths. Besides, they did not know of his true strength and he would like to keep it that way.

 With his Soul in the Corporeal Realm, refining the pills becomes easier. However, refining a new recipe would still cause him some trouble, especially when there are ingredients he has no knowledge of.

 Thankfully, the principle is still the same so it would not be that much of a trouble. It did not take long before he used the ingredients for the first set. 

 With how he refined the pills, it did not take long for the alchemist to realize the result. 

 "Looks like the boy will be able to finish on his first try,"

 "Yes, but the level of the pills will be low-level one,"

 "Oh well, one cannot win it all,"

 "True, at least he will become a Rank 7 Alchemist. That is assured,"

 Yet, when Ryker finished the pills, he did not stop and instead grabbed the second set.

 "Wait, he already finished. Why would he refine another set?"

 "Maybe he was not satisfied with the results. Besides, he might want to finish the ingredients,"

 "Sure but even if he can create mid-level pills, how unlikely it is put aside, it would not change the assessment,"

 "Let's just keep watching. I am not sure why but I think he would give us a big surprise,"

-x-

 And surprised they were.

 "A high-level pill inside the back of mid-level pills. H-how?" one of the alchemists managed to utter, the rest too dumbstruck to say anything else.

 "Look, he about to refine another one!"

 "Maybe this time he will refine a peak-level pill,"

 This gets a laugh out of the other alchemists, none of them believing he would be able to accomplish such a thing.

-x-

 He finished, but no one spoke anything. After all, what could they, the best in alchemy, say when someone just accomplished what they could only do after nearly a century of practice?

 "A p-peak l-level pill,"