The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 81: Chapter 79: Making Poison?

Feng Hao was also a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Houhuiyao to actually produce a letter of recommendation from a Ninth-level Alchemist. And this Ninth-level Alchemist wasn’t like him; this person was officially certified by the Alchemist Association.

But Houhuiyao was a real character. Despite having connections to a Ninth-level Alchemist, he still insisted on coming to the academy’s Alchemy Department. It seemed what he said was true: his father really did want to train him to be a Combat Mage.

Watching the three staff members walk away, Feng Hao couldn’t help but speak up. "A letter of recommendation from a Ninth-level Alchemist? You’re not so simple, kid!"

"What good is not being simple? Didn’t my old man still drag me here to become a Combat Mage?" Houhuiyao said, his face a mask of grief.

"Actually, it’s not a bad thing for an Alchemist to have some combat ability. It can save you a lot of trouble," Feng Hao said, offering a few words of comfort with a hint of sympathy.

Houhuiyao gave a bitter laugh and said dejectedly, "Forget it. Let’s not talk about it. The more I say, the more I want to cry."

"Alright, let’s focus on the exam. I’m definitely taking that Level 4 Refined Iron of yours," Feng Hao said with a confident smile.

"It’s not certain who’ll win or lose yet," Houhuiyao retorted, looking unconvinced. He then changed the subject, asking curiously, "By the way, Brother Feng, what’s the deal with your recommendation letter? You’re not being officially enrolled?"

"Special reasons. I can’t be officially enrolled," Feng Hao said casually.

Houhuiyao seemed to have thought of something and couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "Brother Feng, you’re truly no ordinary person. So ambitious!"

Feng Hao just smiled and said no more. He closed his eyes to rest, patiently waiting for the exam to begin.

A few minutes later, the more than one hundred candidates had finished registering. The three instructors left one after another, and then an old man with grizzled hair walked in, flanked by three people. His greyish-white robes were spotless, and his every move exuded an extraordinary air.

The old man glanced around, a hint of surprise on his face. "Eh? We actually have over a hundred candidates this year."

"That’s a good thing," said the middle-aged man who had been in charge of registration, offering a placating smile.

"Good? More people doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality. I’ll be satisfied if we get even a few promising prospects," the old man said irritably.

The middle-aged man said awkwardly, "Ahem, well... perhaps you should announce the exam topic first, so the students don’t get anxious."

The old man nodded slightly, walked to the center of the high platform, and cleared his throat. "Since you all have come to the Alchemy Department of our Five Provinces Academy, I assume you know a thing or two about us. I won’t waste time with pleasantries. As long as you can complete the task I set, you will be a member of this department."

"As for this year’s exam topic... allow me to think about it for a moment." After saying this, the grey-robed old man began to ponder with a perfectly straight face.

Hearing this, everyone in the room was dumbfounded. The three instructors behind the old man, in particular, were so embarrassed they were speechless.

The candidates below were equally stunned. Although they had all mentally prepared themselves before coming, they never could have imagined a scene like this. ’Holy crap, the exam is about to start, and he hasn’t even come up with the question yet.’

Feng Hao was also quite taken aback. With a strange expression, he asked, "Hey, Brother Houhui, do you know who this old guy is?"

"Of course. That’s the dean of our department, Sun Yaowen. He’s an Eighth-level Alchemist, though it’s said his true skill has already reached the Ninth-level, but he refuses to admit he’s a Ninth-level Alchemist," Houhuiyao said, lowering his voice.

"An eccentric indeed has his eccentricities. This old guy is really something else," Feng Hao remarked, a playful look in his eyes.

"You can’t say that. Our dean is very prestigious in the Alchemy Realm. Even my old man has to address him as ’Senior’ when they meet," Houhuiyao said seriously.

"Oh, so he’s just an *old* eccentric," Feng Hao retorted with a smirk.

"..." Houhuiyao was speechless.

At that moment, the old man, Sun Yaowen, suddenly opened his eyes, a smile gracing his features. "I’ve got it! Let’s try something new for this year’s exam topic."

’As if your topics in previous years weren’t "new" enough?’ the three instructors behind him thought in unison, collectively speechless.

Looking down at the more than one hundred pairs of expectant eyes, a mischievous smile played on Sun Yaowen’s lips. He paced a few steps on the spot and announced loudly, "I have decided! This year’s exam topic is... poison-making."

As soon as he said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Not only were the candidates stunned, but even the three instructors were completely baffled.

"Dean, I’m afraid this is inappropriate. Poison-making is already a highly controversial subject. The students have likely had little to no exposure to it," the only female instructor couldn’t help but speak up.

Sun Yaowen glanced back at her and retorted with a cold snort, "Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin. I want to challenge their perceptions, lest they end up in a dead end like those Alchemists from the Association."

"That may be true, but there’s no need to make it part of the entrance exam," another male instructor said indignantly.

"Are you the dean, or am I?" Sun Yaowen demanded, glaring.

The male instructor gave a bitter smile and shook his head in resignation. "Sigh... if you keep carrying on like this, when will our department ever make a name for itself?"

"Making a name for ourselves depends on quality, not quantity," Sun Yaowen sneered, turning to sit in the examiner’s chair. "Enough nonsense. Hurry up and get the exam started."

The three instructors exchanged a look and, with bitter smiles, began to make the arrangements.

"You all heard him. This year’s exam topic is poison-making. You have two hours. You can collect the necessary materials from Teacher Guo. The final scores will be judged based on the toxicity of your product," the female instructor announced clearly.

A few candidates in the front row said with worried faces, "Teacher, we’ve never studied poison-making!"

The female instructor opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. Just then, Sun Yaowen, from the platform, spoke in a cold voice: "Haven’t you ever seen a pig run, even if you’ve never eaten pork? If you haven’t studied it, then improvise. If you really can’t do it, you can choose to withdraw."

As soon as he said this, a wave of misery swept through the hall. The candidates could only silently accept the exam topic.

Although the topic was bizarre and caught them completely off guard, no one chose to withdraw. After all, it wasn’t easy to get here, and nobody wanted their trip to be for nothing.

Fortunately, the basics of poison-making were very simple. As long as one had some pharmaceutical knowledge, simply mixing a few toxic materials together would result in a poison. The key lay in the synergy and amplification between the various ingredients.

At this moment, Houhuiyao looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears left. Even though he was already a Level 5 Alchemist, he had absolutely no experience with poison-making.

"Brother Feng, now we’re on the same starting line. Winning or losing will just come down to luck," Houhuiyao said, practically bawling.

"Who said we’re on the same starting line? I happen to be very good at poison-making," Feng Hao said with a wicked grin.

Houhuiyao froze, his eyes widening. "No way! What a coincidence!"

"Can’t help it, my luck is just that good. Get your Level 4 Refined Iron ready. I’m about to show you what I can do," Feng Hao said with another wicked grin, swaggering over to Instructor Guo to collect his materials.

Houhuiyao stood frozen in place, looked up at the sky, and sighed. "Can this be the will of heaven?"

The exam timer had already started. The candidates began collecting their materials one after another. The others, unfamiliar with poison-making, all grabbed a random assortment of toxic ingredients, planning to figure it out as they went.

But Feng Hao was different. Back when he mained an Assassin in the game *Mage*, his poison-making skill was exceptionally high. He obviously wasn’t going to just randomly pick ingredients like everyone else.

"Hello, Teacher. I need Ghost Stone Powder, the second eye of a Three-Eyed Toad, Xuan Iron Ore Companion Grass, and a vial of Tier Four Magical Beast Essence Blood."

Instructor Guo was sighing as he handed out materials. Hearing Feng Hao’s request, he looked up with a gasp of surprise, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Your choice of ingredients is quite methodical. Have you studied poison-making before?"

"I’ve learned a little," Feng Hao replied humbly, though he was laughing inwardly.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Do your best," Instructor Guo said with a satisfied nod. He quickly retrieved the materials Feng Hao needed from his Spatial Ring. "You didn’t ask for much, so I’ll give you a few extra sets."

"Thank you, Teacher," Feng Hao said softly.

Although it was impossible for him to fail with his abilities, he was still warmed by Instructor Guo’s kind gesture.