Soon, the hall was filled with thirty participants, including Han Cai, and the elders of their families. Three Alchemy Hall elders from the Azure Dragon Sect arrived, accompanied by around ten disciples. They were all wearing light green robes, which were the official robes for outer sect elders and disciples of the Alchemy Hall.
The elders of the Alchemy Hall announced that the test was about to begin, and all the elders who brought their children went to a side elevated platform with seats and sat down. The Azure Dragon Sect allowed the elders of each clan to witness the selection process, there was no mystery surrounding how outer sect disciples were chosen, unlike the inner sect tests.
Most of the children present were fourteen years old, with some being thirteen. Han Cai was the youngest in the group, a twelve-year-old, hairless monk-looking child. Soon, thirty low tables and floor mats were placed in the center of the hall.
One of the elders of the Alchemy Hall announced the rules of the test. The test was divided into several stages, with each stage designed to assess the participants' Alchemy abilities in different aspects. At each stage, a few participants would be eliminated based on their performance, until only five were left.
The elder motioned, and each participant moved quietly and sat on the mats. In the first stage, participants were handed a written exam to assess their understanding of fundamental Alchemy concepts and theories. The participants were given two papers: one containing the questions and the other for writing the answers.
As the room fell silent and pens scribbled on paper, Han Cai remained focused and answered the questions steadily. After an hour passed, another elder announced for the participants to stop writing.
The outer sect Alchemy hall disciples went to each participant one by one and collected the papers. After the exam papers were collected, they were evaluated by the three elders. Approximately ten participants who scored below the threshold were eliminated. Those participants and their elders were asked to leave.
Han Cai had scored just above the minimum requirement, securing his place in the next stage. As participants and elders began to leave, the Yan family elders saw the disappointment on their faces. Their hearts quivered, as they had been in this situation way too many times to count. Instead of being happy, they were more nervous about Han Cai passing the first phase.
For the second stage, the low tables and mats were removed, and higher tables were placed at the center of the hall. In this stage, participants were presented with a variety of Alchemy ingredients and tasked with identifying their properties, uses, and potential combinations.
Han Cai examined each ingredient carefully, recalling their details and noting them on paper. As the participants finished their evaluations, papers were collected again, and another five were eliminated, leaving fifteen remaining competitors.
Han Cai had managed to identify a sufficient number of ingredients, allowing him to advance to the next stage. The third stage required the participants to create a specific pill following a provided recipe. Shifting from theory to practice, Han Cai carefully measured and combined the necessary ingredients, refining his concoction with precision.
The participants were given two hours for this task. After the time had elapsed, each elder of the Alchemy hall went from table to table and inspected the pills created by the participants. As the evaluators inspected the quality and efficacy of the pills produced, another three participants were eliminated due to substandard results. Han Cai's pill was deemed satisfactory, ensuring his place in the next round of testing.
In the fourth stage, participants were challenged to create a pill using a set of random ingredients without any recipe or guidance. Han Cai relied on his knowledge, experimenting with various combinations and techniques. After a period of trial and error, he managed to produce a functional pill.
This stage proved to be more difficult for other participants. The elders of the Alchemy hall inspected their pills once again, and after inspection, four participants were eliminated.
Han Cai passed this stage as well. With this, the participants reached the final stage. Only eight young Alchemists remained, and the atmosphere in the hall grew tense. The Yan family elders held their breath.
The elders of the Yan family watched as Han Cai carefully participated in each test. They were supposed to be happy that he made it to the final stage, but right now, all of their hearts were almost ready to pop out of their mouths. If Han Cai turned around and jump- scared them by saying "BOO!", their hearts might really jump out of their bodies. It was as if these elders were the ones taking the test.
In the last stage, the remaining eight participants were given a limited amount of time to create as many pills as possible using the provided ingredients. This stage tested their speed and efficiency in Alchemy. Han Cai worked diligently, his hands moving quickly and expertly between the ingredients and the pill furnace.
When the timer stopped, the evaluators examined the pills for quality and quantity. After examining all the pills, the elder of the Alchemy hall made the final call. Three more participants were eliminated due to producing either the fewest pills or those of the lowest quality. Only five participants remained, including Han Cai. Though he had not been the most outstanding participant throughout the test, he had proven his Alchemy skills by consistently passing each stage.
When the results were announced, it took the Yan family elders some time to realize that Han Cai had passed. Their family had finally produced a seed that joined the Azure Dragon Sect - the sect that everyone in the Azure Dragon Kingdom dreamt of. They were in a trance for a very long time, but it was not only them; some other family elders and participants were also in a trance.
Some of the elders were in a trance for another reason: their child had reached the top eight, and when they thought their child had made it, they failed in the final stage. They had a hard time believing it. Slowly, as the elders of the eliminated participants started to leave, the Yan Clan elders came to their senses. They got down from the platform and stood near Han Cai.
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Gifts are always appreciated, but golden tickets and power stones matter a lot too.
If we reach 2000 power stones, I will release two supplementary chapters.
If we reach 1000 golden tickets, I will release five supplementary chapters.
Thank You
