"Hey, Otto—you've got people here too, haven't you?" The moment the atmosphere in the hall had grown slightly quiet, a warm, resonant laugh broke the stillness. Turning toward the sound, Xiao Yan spotted an elderly group of figures dressed in药师 robes standing on a raised platform to the left of the hall. The voice that had just echoed came from one of the elders, a man with snow-white hair. "That's Council Vice President Tsemir—he's also the teacher of the young princess," Otto said, smiling and gesturing toward the elder. "Hm." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. "Don't mind those folks' expectations. To become a Third-Rank Alchemist at this age is no small feat—naturally, they're all exceptionally talented. A touch of pride is expected. As long as you haven't reached their level, they won't pay much attention. Most young alchemists with real ability tend to be like that." Otto glanced at the younger attendees in the hall and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, offering reassurance. Xiao Yan smiled, saying nothing. "Come, let's meet the elders—they're truly powerful figures in the Gamma Empire," Otto said, stepping forward and leading the way toward a raised platform. After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yan followed. Raising his gaze slightly, Xiao Yan glanced at the elder who clearly held a prominent position within the Pharmacy Guild. The pharmacist's robe, meticulously tailored, bore the signs of refined craftsmanship; his face, etched with lines of age, carried a gentle smile, and his slightly clouded eyes, half-lidded, were calm and warm. At first glance, aside from the formal robe denoting his status and the four shimmering silver wave patterns glowing on his chest, he appeared no different from an ordinary elderly man—lacking any particularly commanding presence. Yet it was precisely this unassuming elder who controlled nearly half of the Guild's power. As Xiao Yan observed Cemir, the latter was equally assessing him—his appearance was unremarkable, neither particularly striking nor distinguished. The only aspect that caught Cemir's attention was the quiet composure of the young man, who maintained such poise and equanimity even under the watchful eyes of several fourth-tier pharmacists. This level of composure was relatively rare among younger pharmacists. "Hmm, his name is Yan Xiao. He has quite good potential." Otto smiled and nodded, then turned slightly to introduce him again to Xiao Yan. "This is our Vice President, Master Cemil." "Hello, Vice President Cemil," Xiao Yan smiled gently and bowed politely. "Heh, the young one—hope you don't let Otto's recommendation fall flat. Otherwise, he'll truly have to lose face." Cemil glanced at the second-rank badge on Xiao Yan's chest and shook his head in mild resignation. In competitions of this level, second-rank alchemists rarely even made it into the top twenty. "I'm confident we'll pass at least this test," Xiao Yan shrugged. "That's all we need—since each division's president recommends strong candidates, our internal assessment will certainly be challenging." Cemil nodded and smiled. "I'll do my best." "Heh, time's almost up. I won't waste any more words—go on down now. The examination is about to begin." Cemi smiled. Nodding, Xiao Yan turned and descended the platform, then quietly made his way to a corner in the lower hall, standing still with his hands at his sides, under the watchful eyes of the young people gathered there. Otto smiled and nodded, deciding not to press the matter further, and said, "Time has come—let's begin the examination." Upon hearing this, Chaimi said nothing more, turned his gaze toward the gathered attendees, and pointed to the wall on the left side of the hall, where several black drapes hung down: "Behind each drape lies a separate small chamber—your examination rooms." "众所周知, the refinement of herbs is one of the most crucial steps in the preparation of medicinal pills, and this examination is specifically designed to assess your skill in herb refinement." "Each chamber is equipped with a workbench, where the herbs needed for the test have already been prepared. All you need to do is refine the herbs to the highest possible purity within the shortest possible time." "Before the sand in the hourglass has fully run out, any preparation that hasn't been completed will be deemed a failure. Even if success is achieved, as the elder judges, we will evaluate the herbs refined by each of you. Should they fall short of our standards, they will still be considered failures—resulting in the loss of qualification for the competition." Chémiér pointed to an hourglass on the table, glanced at the younger participants below, and smiled gently. Hearing such strict criteria for failure, the young people below exchanged glances, most of them showing slight signs of concern. As his gaze slowly swept across the group, Chémiér's attention suddenly settled on Xiao Yan, standing quietly in the corner. Observing his composed expression, Chémiér was momentarily taken aback, murmuring to himself, "Perhaps this young man truly has some talent after all." "Alright, begin now—pay close attention to the time of the hourglass," Chémiér said, waving his hand and shifting his gaze away from Xiao Yan, smiling. Hearing this, the guests in the hall began to move in small groups toward the left, each finding their way to lift the black drapes and enter. Xiao Yan also chose a more secluded curtain, just about to step inside, when laughter from behind caused him to pause and gently turn his head. Li Ling glanced at Xiao Yan's face, honestly still harboring doubts about whether Xiao Yan truly possessed the hetero-fire. After all, it was merely his own speculation—though he had privately asked Lan Yanran, Lan Yanran had not provided him with a definite answer on such a private matter. Xiao Yan merely shrugged, said nothing, and with a casual response, lifted the black curtain and stepped inside, leaving Li Ling standing there with a slightly furrowed brow. The young princess lazily shook her head, clearly showing that her interest in Xiao Yan was far less intense than her admiration for Liu Ling. After all, regardless of status, strength, or appearance, Liu Ling surpassed Xiao Yan in every way. "Well, then, go ahead," Liu Ling smiled gently. The young princess's apparent disregard for Xiao Yan actually brought a sense of satisfaction to him—within the Nalan family, Nalan Elder's strong regard for Xiao Yan had long stirred resentment in the once-celebrated Liu Ling. "I'll go in first, Liu brother—don't let me lose to you!" She playfully winked at Liu Ling before gracefully vanishing behind a black curtain. Nodding with a smile, Liu Ling watched as the grand hall gradually emptied, then proceeded without hesitation or urgency behind the curtain, his composed demeanor earning quiet admiration from the members of the council on the raised platform. "The questions this time were quite well-designed. Extracting herbs isn't merely a necessary step during the preparation of medicine—it also places a strong emphasis on precise control of heat. This single task alone can effectively reveal the capabilities of these young candidates." Looking at the now-empty hall, Otto turned to smile at Cemil. Cemil nodded in agreement, sat down on one of the chairs by the side, took a sip of tea, and smiled warmly. "Now, let's see who can bring out the most pure extracts." Approaching the stone platform, Xiao Yan glanced at the herbs, which looked like chunks of black charcoal, and a clear sense of astonishment flashed across his eyes. He murmured softly, "These are the most heat-resistant black iron spirit leaves—extracting them is quite labor-intensive. Truly, these old fellows are not easy to deal with." Shaking his head, Xiao Yan lightly brushed his fingers over his storage ring, and a dark red medicine cauldron materialized on the table. He picked up a black iron spirit leaf, gently squeezed it between his fingers, then furrowed his brows, pondering whether or not to use the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire. After a moment's contemplation, he shook his head again. He didn't want to deploy his reserve strength so early in this initial assessment. For such a simple test, using the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire would be like using a bull's horn to kill a chicken. With a gentle flick of his fingers, a purple pill appeared between them. Xiao Yan placed it in his mouth, chewed slightly, then exhaled it all at once. Instantly, a surge of vibrant purple flame erupted and settled into the palm of his hand. His fingers, agile and dancing before him, gradually grew more assured. Soon, Xiao Yan found himself closing his eyes, relying entirely on his senses to control the flame's burning. Meanwhile, the sand hourglass on the desk in the refining chamber was slowly descending.