The Alchemist Guild

"Hehe, brother can even refine third-grade Qi Replenishing Pills now, so there's no doubt he will succeed," Long Kui's beautiful eyes showed admiration when she heard that Xiao Se was going to take the alchemist exam.

This was her brother—a genius who, at less than thirteen years old, had reached the rank of Dou Shi and could refine third-grade pills.

Hearing Long Kui's praise, Xiao Se just smiled without saying anything. The reason for his rapid progress in alchemy, without any guidance, was entirely due to the memory of a sixth-grade alchemist he had inherited. Additionally, he had obtained the soul cultivation technique "Return To Origint." Now that he had broken through to the rank of Dou Master, if he couldn't refine third-grade pills, he might as well be dead.

Walking down the street, Xiao Se inquired about the location of the Alchemist Guild. When people learned that he was heading there, they were all astonished and envious, which made Xiao Se chuckle inwardly.

After turning a few corners, Xiao Se soon arrived at a building shaped like a cauldron and stopped in front of it.

"Alchemist Guild," he murmured softly as his gaze fell on the golden plaque above the entrance. Then, he walked forward.

As expected, he was stopped by two fully armed guards at the entrance. "Young man, this is the Alchemist Guild. Do you have a letter of introduction from a mentor?"

Xiao Se shook his head, then extended his right hand, and a wisp of purple-blue flame appeared in his palm. He said calmly, "I don't have a letter of introduction, but I have this."

"Condensing true fire... a fourth-grade alchemist, my god!" The two guards' mouths gaped in shock, rubbing their eyes in disbelief, their faces stunned.

"I'm not a fourth-grade alchemist. I'm here to take the alchemist exam. Can I enter now?" Xiao Se casually retracted the beast fire into his body and asked indifferently.

"Yes, of course! Please, go right in!" The two guards quickly recovered from their shock. Looking at Xiao Se again, their eyes were filled with respect and awe. They hurriedly stepped aside.

Regardless of whether this young man was truly a fourth-grade alchemist, his ability to condense true fire was something few alchemists could do. It was impossible for them not to show respect.

Xiao Se nodded slightly and walked inside. As he entered the guild, a pleasant and clear female voice rang out from behind, growing closer. "Teacher, hurry up! You promised to take me to watch the alchemist exam today."

"Sigh, you're always in such a hurry. What's the rush?" A playful, elderly voice with a hint of helplessness sounded from behind.

Xiao Se turned his head to see a plump old man walking lazily with a petite girl beside him.

The old man walked slowly, and perhaps due to his large size, he had to catch his breath after every few steps. Yet, no one around dared to laugh at him. The reason was simple: on his chest was a badge with four silver stripes, the symbol of a fourth-grade alchemist.

"A fourth-grade alchemist... could this be Au Tuo from the original story?"

Xiao Se was slightly surprised. His gaze then shifted to the young girl in purple next to the old man. She looked about seventeen or eighteen, with a fair and beautiful face. Though petite, her figure was well-proportioned, with all the right curves. While her looks and figure might not surpass Long Kui, she was still a rare beauty. Especially her round, shapely hips, which attracted the attention of the surrounding men.

Xiao Se withdrew his gaze and had no intention of greeting them. He continued walking toward the guild entrance.

The young girl noticed Xiao Se's glance. When she saw that he quickly looked away without any lingering admiration, she became upset.

She prided herself on her beauty, yet she had been completely ignored. Angry, she rushed to the guild entrance and scolded the two guards, "Hey, who was that boy who just went in? He didn't even greet my teacher when he saw him!"

"Uh, Miss Lin Fei, that young man came to take the alchemist exam. We saw him condense true fire just now," the guards answered nervously. Despite Lin Fei's impolite tone, they dared not confront her. She was, after all, the newly accepted disciple of Au Tuo, a vice-president of the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild and a fourth-grade alchemist.

"True fire? You're joking! That's something only my teacher's level can achieve. You must have been fooled by that kid," Lin Fei scoffed. From her perspective, it was impossible for Xiao Se, who looked younger than her, to be capable of such a feat.

"Girl, are you showing off again?" At that moment, the plump old man, Au Tuo, finally arrived.

"Master Au Tuo!" The guards quickly saluted him.

"I wasn't! These two said the boy who just went in could condense true fire. He looks no more than fifteen or sixteen! How could that be?" Lin Fei shrugged dismissively.

Au Tuo smiled at the guards and then patiently explained to Lin Fei, "You can't judge a book by its cover. If he can really condense true fire, even if he's not a fourth-grade alchemist, passing the alchemist exam won't be a problem."

"Oh," Lin Fei replied indifferently, clearly not taking Au Tuo's words to heart.

Au Tuo didn't mind. Facts speak louder than words. If that young man truly had talent, Lin Fei would soon change her dismissive attitude.

Meanwhile, Xiao Se had already entered the guild. Led by a woman in a green robe, he arrived at the registration counter.

The woman took out a piece of yellowed parchment, elegantly held a pen, and smiled at Xiao Se. "Sir, please state your name, age, and your teacher's name for registration."

"Xiao Se, sixteen years old, and my teacher is... Elder Luo," Xiao Se hesitated briefly but decided to lie about his age.

"Six... sixteen?" The woman was clearly shocked by Xiao Se's age but didn't question it. Although Xiao Se was over 1.7 meters tall, his face was still boyish. She wouldn't have been surprised if he had said fourteen or fifteen years old.

After a moment of contemplation, just as she was about to write, she realized there was no record of an alchemist named Elder Luo in the entire Jia Ma Empire. She awkwardly said, "Sir, there is no record of an alchemist named Elder Luo in our empire."

(Luo Han had been dead for over a hundred years; no one would bother to check old records.)

"He keeps a low profile, so it's normal that you don't know him. Isn't it true that as long as I pass the exam, I'll receive the alchemist badge?" Xiao Se frowned, pretending to be annoyed.

"Of course, of course!" The woman became flustered and quickly said, "You don't need a teacher's name as long as you pass the exam."

Hearing this, Xiao Se smiled and nodded, waiting patiently.

After completing the registration, the woman packed up her things and respectfully led Xiao Se to the examination room, where he received his examination number and entered the room to begin his test.

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