Chapter 82 - 80: 100 Qie
Chapter 82: Chapter 80: 100 Qie
Soon, the more than one hundred examinees had collected their materials and officially entered the alchemy phase. But aside from Feng Hao, everyone else wore long faces, completely at a loss for where to start.
Only Houhuiyao seemed to have a clue. After all, having reached the level of Fifth-Level Alchemy Techniques, he already possessed a deeper understanding of pharmacology. Even with materials he’d never encountered, he could roughly deduce some of their uses.
Meanwhile, Feng Hao had already begun processing his materials at an unhurried pace, skillfully refining and fusing the three toxic ingredients.
’Tsk tsk, poison-making is still the most satisfying.’
Feng Hao hummed a little tune as he worked, looking incredibly relaxed. At the station next to him, Houhuiyao watched with a dumbfounded expression.
In truth, you couldn’t blame Feng Hao. His poison-making skills were simply too high; if he were to get too serious, he would easily cause an unnecessary uproar and might even expose his true skill level.
After all, an Eighth-level Alchemist was presiding over the exam from the stage, and not a single detail could escape his Divine Sense.
To avoid standing out too much, Feng Hao deliberately chose a Tier Four poison called Ghost Stone Powder. Its toxicity was only considered passable among Tier Four poisons, but it had a weakening effect on genetic abilities. It was one of the favorite poisons for common Assassins to apply to their weapons in the game *Mage*.
Back when Feng Hao wasn’t yet a master Assassin, he had used Ghost Stone Powder plenty of times. For one, it was cost-effective; for another, it was relatively common. After being applied to a weapon, a single hit on an enemy could weaken their stats considerably. It was truly an essential item for mugging and mayhem.
’I just wonder what its effects are like now that it’s real in the Mage World?’
On the examiner’s stage, Sun Yaowen appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was using his Divine Sense to monitor the entire examination hall.
A few minutes later, the female instructor hurried back, holding a special device. She couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Dean, how should we set the final toxicity standard?"
"Hmm... Let’s set the standard at 100 qie. Meet the standard, you’re in. Fail to meet it, you’re out," Sun Yaowen said after a moment of thought.
"One hundred qie? Isn’t that a little high?" the other male instructor couldn’t help but ask.
Sun Yaowen shot him a glare and huffed, "High? Look at the materials they chose. They’re all highly toxic ingredients. If they can’t even produce a 100-qie poison with those, do they still have the nerve to call themselves Alchemists?"
"Right, that was my oversight." The male instructor quickly caught on, looking as if he had learned his lesson.
"Xiaoliang, I’m not trying to pick on you, but even though you’re a martial arts instructor, you’ve been with our department for over ten years. How could you fail to consider such a minor issue?" Sun Yaowen said, his voice laced with exasperation.
Instructor Liang replied awkwardly, "Your criticism is apt, Dean. I will certainly work harder on my pharmacology studies."
Sun Yaowen nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Instructor Guo beside him. "Xiaoguo, you were the one handing out the materials just now. Are there any examinees worth noting?"
"There is one, actually," Instructor Guo replied. "Judging by the materials he requested, he’s clearly had experience with poison-making."
"Oh? Which one? Point him out to me," Sun Yaowen said, intrigued.
Instructor Guo scanned the room before pointing to Feng Hao. "It’s that examinee there. He asked for 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. He’s probably trying to concoct a gene-weakening type of poison."
"Not bad, not bad at all. Very promising." Sun Yaowen nodded in approval, inevitably turning more of his attention toward Feng Hao.
The other two instructors were also quite curious. After all, guided by the prevailing schools of thought in alchemy, very few Alchemists would bother to study poison-making, especially not examinees who had only recently started learning.
After getting a clear look at Feng Hao’s face, the female instructor flipped through the registration list and let out a small cry of surprise. "Hey, isn’t that the young man who had the recommendation letter from an intern instructor?"
"An intern instructor’s recommendation letter?" Sun Yaowen was even more surprised, saying with great interest, "If I remember correctly, after the price for those was increased, we haven’t had an examinee with an intern instructor’s recommendation in many years, have we?"
"Exactly. One hundred thousand academic credits for a single letter—a full hundred-fold price hike. Who’d be willing to spend that much?" the female instructor sighed.
"Then how do we explain this young man?" Sun Yaowen asked with a smile.
The female instructor paused, frowning in thought. "There are likely only two possibilities. Either they’re related by blood, or this young man possesses such genuine talent that the intern instructor was moved by a desire to nurture it."
"It has to be blood ties, right? One hundred thousand academic credits is no laughing matter. If it were me, I certainly wouldn’t be willing to part with that much," Instructor Liang chimed in, pursing his lips.
Sun Yaowen chuckled. "And what if it’s the second possibility?"
"Then I’ll have to see for myself what’s so special about this kid, to be worth one hundred thousand academic credits," Instructor Liang said, his curiosity piqued.
"Whether he’s worth one hundred thousand credits or not, we’ll know soon enough, won’t we?" Sun Yaowen said with a faint smile and began to seriously observe Feng Hao’s alchemy process. The first glance didn’t reveal much, but the more he watched, the more astonished he grew. ’He’s definitely studied poison-making before. His technique is very proficient.’
A few minutes later: ’Well now, his heat control is also outstanding. He’s at least at the level of a peak Fourth-level Alchemist!’
After a few more minutes: ’Hmm, the refinement process is completely fluid, with no wasted movements. This must be one of his specialties.’
...
Next, Feng Hao’s alchemy reached the fusion stage. This phase was less technically demanding; it was mostly about controlling the heat and waiting for the ingredients in the Alchemy Furnace to fuse and take shape.
Thus, Sun Yaowen started paying attention to the other examinees. His gaze had barely shifted when he noticed Houhuiyao at the next station.
"Oh? This young man next to him is also quite good. Even though he has no experience with poison-making, he’s clearly figuring things out much faster than the other examinees."
Instructor Guo, standing nearby, slapped his forehead in sudden realization and quickly explained, "If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten! That examinee came with a recommendation letter from a Ninth-level Alchemist. I’ve already verified it, and there are no issues with the letter."
"He has a recommendation from a Ninth-level Alchemist and he’s still applying to the academy’s alchemy department?" Sun Yaowen’s expression was strange.
"We found it strange as well," the three instructors said, nodding in agreement.
Sun Yaowen frowned and held out his hand to the female instructor. "Let me see that recommendation letter from the Ninth-level Alchemist."
"Oh." The female instructor gave a small nod and quickly retrieved Houhuiyao’s recommendation letter.
Sun Yaowen took the recommendation letter and examined it for a moment. A look of realization dawned on his face, and he said with a sigh, "So that’s it. He’s that old fellow’s son."
"You recognize the handwriting on this letter?" Instructor Guo asked curiously.
Sun Yaowen nodded slowly, letting out a quiet sigh. He turned his gaze to Instructor Liang and said, "Xiaoliang, this child will be in your care from now on. Do what you can to help him raise his strength."
"Are you sure?" Instructor Liang’s eyes were wide with disbelief. ’Is this the same Dean who’s always finding ways to usurp his martial arts class time?’
"What, you’re not willing?" Sun Yaowen said, his eyes narrowing in a glare.
Instructor Liang quickly shook his head and laughed sheepishly. "I’m willing, of course I’m willing! It would be best if you gave me all the students."
"Dream on!" Sun Yaowen snorted, then turned his attention back to Feng Hao and Houhuiyao’s work.
It had to be said that with his foundation in Fifth-Level Alchemy Techniques, Houhuiyao’s performance was clearly far more outstanding than the other examinees’. Of course, compared to Feng Hao, he was nothing to write home about.
"Dean, look! Feng Hao is about to complete his refinement!" the female instructor exclaimed.
Sun Yaowen had been staring blankly at Houhuiyao. Hearing the female instructor’s cry, he instinctively glanced toward Feng Hao. The moment he did, his eyes shot wide open, and he froze in place, utterly stunned.
It wasn’t just him; the three instructors were also floored by Feng Hao’s sublimely masterful completion technique. But what they found even more unbelievable was that Feng Hao actually included a tempering step during the final collection process!