Chapter 23: Strike First to Gain the Advantage

The entire examination hall fell into a dead silence. Hundreds of people turned their heads in unison, staring straight at Lin Hao. Their eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and sheer astonishment.

Someone actually dared to roar at the Alchemy Pavilion’s examination hall and call the process nonsense right in front of the invigilating elder? This was simply... absurd!

"Holy hell, where did this lunatic come from? He’s got some nerve!"
"This guy is a madman. Does he even know what he’s doing?"
"Which sect did this moron crawl out of? Toss him out! Don't let him ruin our exam."
"Roaring at the examination hall is an insult to the Alchemy Pavilion. Such vicious behavior will end his path in alchemy for good."

...

"What did you say?"
Ling Zhen finally snapped back to reality. Furious, he leaped from his chair and pointed a finger at Lin Hao, shouting.

"I said this examination method is nonsense. What is an alchemist for? To refine pills! Producing a finished pill is the only true skill. What's the point of just spouting theory? No matter how good the theory is, can it refine a high-quality pill?" Lin Hao stood his ground, shouting across the hall.

"You scoundrel!" Ling Zhen was beyond livid. "Theory is the foundation! If you don't even understand theory, how can you truly refine a good pill? Which sect are you from?"

"The Taixuan Sect," Lin Hao replied.

"The Taixuan Sect? That sect ranked one hundred and eighth?" Ling Zhen’s eyes widened. He pointed at Lin Hao and barked, "Trash sects only produce trash! Get out! Get out of this hall immediately. You are stripped of your eligibility!"

"Fine, I'll leave. Whoever came up with these exam questions is the real piece of trash." Lin Hao kicked his stool away and turned to leave without hesitation.

"A hopeless case. So this is what the Taixuan Sect produces. It truly deserves its ranking. Such a sect should have been purged long ago; they take in any riffraff who can't write a lick of theory and lack even the most basic manners and respect." Ling Zhen was so angry his beard trembled. Had he not been concerned about his status, he would have chased Lin Hao down to beat him personally.

"Good riddance. Competing against such a person is an insult to us prodigies."
"Don't let it get to you, Elder. A person like that isn't worth your time."
The young alchemists chimed in, seizing the opportunity to curry favor with Ling Zhen.

Some others secretly gave a thumbs-up, admiring Lin Hao’s actions and agreeing with his sentiment. In an alchemy competition, the results—the finished pills—are what matter. What use is this obsession with basic theory? However, they kept their dissatisfaction buried, as their futures and their sects' reputations were at stake. Lin Hao had done what they dared not; he was a real man. Unfortunately, bravery and sticking one’s neck out weren't always good things. Being stripped of his qualifications was a heavy price to pay, and he had brought shame upon his sect.

"Once the exam is over, I will personally drive the Taixuan Sect out of the Alchemy Pavilion..."

Still fuming, Ling Zhen hadn't finished his sentence when his gaze fell upon Lin Hao’s desk and caught sight of a pill sitting there.

"That is..." Ling Zhen’s body shuddered. Forgetting his image entirely, he rushed down from the platform in a single stride. As a master of the Huayuan Realm and an alchemist himself, his eyesight was incredibly sharp. Even though Lin Hao’s seat was in a corner, Ling Zhen could see it clearly.

"All of you, focus on your work! No looking around or whispering!" Ling Zhen warned the crowd, while simultaneously moving like a whirlwind to Lin Hao’s desk. With lightning speed, he snatched the pill into his palm. Because of Lin Hao’s position and the fact that everyone else was focused on their own exams, no one had noticed him leave a pill behind. Since Ling Zhen had been on the raised platform, he was the only one who had seen it.

As Ling Zhen stared at the pill in his palm, his hands couldn't stop trembling. The rage on his face had vanished, replaced by sheer shock.

"Eight markings... no, it's a half-step to nine markings! The ninth mark is so distinct; it’s infinitely close to a true nine-mark pill. That boy from earlier..."

Ling Zhen’s excitement was impossible to hide. As a Huayuan-level alchemist, he knew better than anyone the true worth of the pill in his hand. This was the work of a grandmaster. In the entire Alchemy Pavilion—perhaps even the entire Great Xia—one could count on two hands the number of masters capable of refining a half-step nine-mark pill.

Ling Zhen carefully tucked the pill away, then looked at the name on the desk. "Tianbao... could it be that the Taixuan Sect has produced a rare, world-class alchemy prodigy?"

Ling Zhen no longer dared to harbor any contempt. A half-step nine-mark pill was no small matter. Tianbao must have left it behind on purpose, and it definitely wasn't just to embarrass him. Thinking back to Tianbao’s comment about the "nonsense" of the exam, Ling Zhen became even more convinced that he was a rare genius. It was only natural for a genius to have pride and look down upon such a rudimentary examination.

Outside the hall, a large crowd of alchemists had gathered, mostly chief alchemists from various sects. Ren Baichuan was among them, waiting for the results like an anxious parent. A figure strode out of the hall with a swagger, looking elegant and extraordinary—it was Lin Hao.

Ren Baichuan hurried over. "Why are you out so soon?"

"Got kicked out," Lin Hao said with a shrug, completely unfazed.

Ren Baichuan: "..."
What? Kicked out?

"Hahaha, brother, is this the personal disciple you just took in?"
"Kicked out right after the exam started? Truly extraordinary, one of a kind!"
"Ren Baichuan, your eye for talent is something else. You haven't taken a disciple in years, and when you finally do, you certainly make a scene."

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"You really made me look good," Ren Baichuan grumbled, dragging Lin Hao away before they could be mocked any further. "What happened? Why were you kicked out?"

"The preliminary exam asked us to sit there and write down our 'insights and understanding of alchemy.' I don't know the first thing about that," Lin Hao said. "Isn't that just pure madness?"

"Damn it, what idiot came up with that?" Ren Baichuan was speechless, then let out a heavy sigh. "Well, forget it. I was hoping you’d make a name for yourself, but now you haven't even cleared the preliminaries. Pack your bags, we're going home."

"What's the rush? I was just kicked out of the preliminary site and stripped of my spot. That doesn't mean I can't participate in tomorrow’s alchemy competition," Lin Hao said.

"Listen to you. You get kicked out of the preliminaries and still think you can enter the main event?" Ren Baichuan sneered.

"Just wait and see." Lin Hao pulled Ren Baichuan back to their lodgings.

On the other side, Ling Zhen was on pins and needles, waiting for the exam to end so he could attend to urgent business. An hour later, Ling Zhen collected everyone's papers and left a single instruction: "Wait for notice after the review."

As soon as he finished, he vanished in a flash.

The Lingyun Pavilion was a major business owned by the Ling family in Danqing City, a very famous merchant guild in the imperial capital. After the exam, Ling Zhen went straight to the Lingyun Pavilion to meet with the manager. There were several managers in the Lingyun Pavilion, all powerful experts of the Tianyuan Realm. The one currently presiding was Ling Wu.

"Ling Zhen, what is it?" Ling Wu looked to be in his forties, exuding an air of nobility.

"Elder Wu, please look." Ling Zhen took out the half-step nine-mark pill and placed it before Ling Wu. "This pill was left behind by a boy who took the exam today."

Ling Zhen quickly recounted the events at the Alchemy Pavilion, not daring to omit a single detail.

"You think this boy might be a one-in-a-million alchemy prodigy?" Ling Wu asked.

"Exactly. The Taixuan Sect is a small place; it is impossible for a pill of this grade to appear there. I know Ren Baichuan’s level; he couldn't have refined this," Ling Zhen said. "There are only a few people in the Great Xia capable of refining a half-step nine-mark pill, and they always engrave their own marks on their work."

"If this is true, his potential is unimaginable. He will surely be a grandmaster, perhaps even surpassing the Alchemy King. Someone like this must be recruited immediately," Ling Wu stated solemnly.

"Rest assured, Elder Wu. No one else has seen this pill but us. In my opinion, we should move to recruit him at once," Ling Zhen urged.

"What if it's fake?" Ling Wu was still somewhat skeptical.

"That doesn't matter. I hold the spots for tomorrow’s competition. I will let him participate, and we shall see if it is real or fake. But if it is real, he will surely make a name for himself tomorrow. If we wait until then to recruit him, we will lose our advantage. Besides, I targeted him today and stripped him of his qualification—geniuses have pride, and I fear he may hold a grudge."

"Good," Ling Wu said. "Go handle it immediately. Strike first, offer him whatever benefits are necessary, and spare no cost to bring him into the Ling clan’s camp."