"Teacher, really? We're going to attend the examination for the Titled Alchemist this year?" Tang Yun Long couldn't help but feel excited. Naturally, he was very happy with what Elder Wei Xuan had said.
After all, Tang Yun Long is turning eighteen this year. And even amongst all the disciples from both elders, his talent in Alchemy was the highest. But regardless of how he requested, Elder Wei Xuan would always reject him when it came to permission to attend the Titled-Alchemist Examination.
No matter how much he begged, the elder would deem he was not ready for the test yet. Counting from the year he had been asking until now, it was almost four years past. But today, the sun seems to be rising from the west.
Of course, Tang Yun Long realized that the change in Elder Wei Xuan's mind did not come from him but from Chen Tu. Without bathing in this junior brother's brilliance, he might have to wait another year or two before his chances arrive.
Obviously, there was a reason for the elder's sudden change of mind. After all, the elder himself was also a Lower-Tier, Bronze-Titled Alchemist.
Except for a few older generations of the Blood Refining Grotto, nobody knew how much effort the elder had given to achieve this recognition. Furthermore, back then, the field of alchemy wasn't as well recognized as this, and the number of resources was pitifully little.
This was a little-known fact. The elder had spent nearly ten years refining pills for the Blood Refining Grotto to obtain the necessary experience. But even with that rich experience of ten consecutive years, he still had to retake the examination three times and failed two.
There was a strict rule passed down by the Heavenly Alchemist Association back then. Each Alchemist could only fail three times in their career. This means Elder Wei Xuan had already lost two of his chances, which was also his greatest regret.
It was also because of this reason Elder Wei Xuan stopped attempting to take the promotion test for a Middle-Tier Bronze-Titled Alchemist.
"Of course. Old Jiang had been nagging at me for a while. Furthermore, you've been with me for close to six years now... I am sure you're now mentally ready for the examination. Still, you cannot take this lightly." Elder Wei Xuan smiled at Tang Yun Long.
As his alchemy teacher for over six years, how can he be oblivious to Tang Yun Long's lifelong dream and wish? Was the disciple's wish not the teacher's as well?
"Xiao Long would ensure that he studied hard and fully prepared for the exam. I will not disappoint the teacher's trust!" Tang Yun Long said. The excitement he had made him couldn't help but shake a little.
"I will rely on you to guide Xiao Tu on what he can do most of the time. Remember to come over to my weekly workshop for your lesson without fail. And remember, five months later, the opening of Verdant Sky Small World. Seven months later, the Titled-Alchemist Examination."
"We will make our way to the Crimson Flame City by then. If there's nothing else, both of you may excuse yourselves." Elder Wei Xuan said to them.
"We will, teacher! Thank you, teacher!" the two quickly cupped their fists together and bowed at the elder politely before leaving the workshop.
None of them, except the elder himself, could notice that the one who was the most excited out of all was himself.
(Three-Star Pill at the age of ten... And using merely a month to make this happen... Hahaha... The heaven is finally looking at our Blood Refining Grotto at last!)
...
..."Senior brother Tang... What is this Verdant Sky Small World is all about?" Chen Tu asked after they left the elder's workshop. The two had to stick together for a while anyway, as there was something Tang Yun Long had to tell Chen Tu before they separated.
"Well, I am not very well informed either. But it was said to be an independent world rich with Spiritual Herbs and inheritance belonged to a deceased cultivation and alchemy expert. The record of this individual was limited, and only we only know him by his name." Tang Yun Long replied.
"Verdant Sky Pill Overlord." he added. It appeared to be quite a majestic name.
"Ah... No wonder this small world is called Verdant Sky Small World..." Chen Tu nodded.
"Well, wherever there's a profit, it would always come along with danger. The Verdant Sky Small World is definitely attractive, but you have to know that there are plenty of Spiritual Beasts in there too."
"If you're not careful, they'll be the predator, not you. But of course, so far, I've yet to hear from anyone saying that they had a loss from going inside the small world." Tang Yun Long continued.
They eventually came to the canteen to have dinner. Borrowing Tang Yun Long's status as the top ten disciples in the Outer Grotto, they naturally could dine on the first floor.
"Also, rumor says that the Verdant Sky Pill Overlord's inheritance was there. I remembered that the elder once said someone in their generation found a third of a piece of an Information Jade inside that small world."
"By relying on that piece of jade, that elder had a smooth journey to the seventh level of the Golden Core Layer. The only saddening part is his cultivation stagnated there afterward, and until today, he's yet to give up on the opportunity to enter the small world once more." Tang Yun Long shared.
A rumor like that wasn't rare at all.
After all, didn't Qin Lei's father ride along with the rumor to find a tomb of an expert, which resulted in him losing one of his legs in the aftermath? Of course, he wasn't alone at that time. From the look of it, the sixth elder of Outer Grotto, and possibly Lady Shuiyue Liu, too, had participated.
"Oh..." Chen Tu nodded. That was quite a lot of information for him to handle for today.
"Before I forget, remember that you're the fourth elder's second official disciple from today. You should go to the Registration Building tomorrow to collect your monthly salary and your new Disciple Token."
"Just note that you no longer had to work with the others for the daily task available in the Mission Pavilion." he added.
Next morning. Following Tang Yun Long's suggestion, Chen Tu made his way to the Registration Office after breakfast. And as usual, he waited with the others in the queue until it was his turn. "What can I do for you today, junior?" the worker asked with impatience in his tone. In his opinion, Chen Tu is likely another disciple coming to claim his monthly salary provided by the Blood Refining Grotto. But all his following words were stuck in his throat before he could continue after Chen Tu had his disciple token taken out. "Chen - Chen Tu? You're Chen Tu?" the worker's tone changed into a more polite and easy to the ear. His attitude also had 180 degrees of turnover. Chen Tu didn't reply to him but simply nodded with a smile. And to these workers who looked down on the weak disciples, such treatment was the best venom to reeducate them. The worker immediately changed how he addressed Chen Tu from "Junior" to "Fellow Disciple Chen." And needless to say, this instantaneous change
"Finally!" a creature roared. An expression of happiness could be seen on the creature's face for obtaining a legendary fruit, which rested in the heart of its palm.The fruit is also known as the Twin Physiques Creation Fruit.Based on what the legend about this fruit says, if this fruit was consumed by a human, it would grant them a second physique of a Divine Beast. On the contrary, if the Spiritual Creature is the one consuming this fruit, they would be given the ability to reform their body into a human.This explained how attractive the Twin Physiques Creation Fruit was.With one million years to sprout, one million years to develop its first leaf, and another million years for its consecutive leaves, this Twin Physiques Creation Fruit would only bear a single fruit in its eleven millionth year.The subsequent fruit would take ten million years to grow after the first fruit."Shall I eat this fruit right now, to avoid any mishap?" the creature continued. It was extremely careful
"I had to say, boy... Why would you keep running out of the manor knowing you'll get beaten after this?" said an old man in his seventies. While speaking, his hand didn't stay idle but instead rubbed an ointment on the scarred buttcheeks.From his words, this wasn't the first time he's applying the ointment on the boy's buttocks. In fact, something like this happened once a week.At first, the boy had a light punishment for attempting something like this. But gradually, it gets worst. Now, he's treated the same as the other adults and was given similarly harsh punishment for attempting to escape the manor.But surprisingly, no matter how painful the punishment was, the boy not only could overcome it, to the point it became a norm to the disciplinary servants and family elder."Xiao Tu... How many times did your grandfather tell you? The world outside there is harsher than what we have now inside this Chen Manor?" the old man continued.Although he calls himself Chen Tu's grandfather,
Chen Tu immediately slithered inside the courtyard like an agile snake. Sticking close to the walls wherever he goes, Chen Tu focuses on the ground, searching for a hole to crawl outside. To his disappointment, not even a gap existed along the walls. Furthermore, little did he know that he was tailed by another child about his age closely from behind. Maybe because he was still young and had little to no existence in the eyes of the adult, this allows Chen Tu to run around the courtyard without garnering others' attention. But the same explanation cannot be used on the other child who follows Chen Tu closely without getting caught. One has to know that while it was easy for one to sneak around, it is ten times more challenging to tail someone else without getting caught by all sides. Soon, Chen Tu gave up. He's not only feeling exhausted but also sad from not finding a hole to crawl outside. And during the process, Chen Tu also noticed that the door back to the servant's area wa
"Blasphemy!" the patriarch of the Chen Family shouted angrily at the two youngsters kneeling before him.Seated beside him were six other leading figures of the Chen Family. Based on seniority, Chen Zigang would have to address them as "uncles."Thanks to the mess they've made outside the Chen Manor, they were kneeling before the patriarch, awaiting their punishment."Sixth brother, let everyone know what the two useless bums did outside without missing a word." said the patriarch, Chen Tian Peng."As you ordered, Lord Patriarch." the sixth brother, Chen Tian Ma, responded. Turning his attention to the two brats kneeling in the middle of the hall, he recites what kind of mess was made.The destruction of a Spiritual Garden containing Crimson Marble Fruits.Two steads were taken, and only heaven knows where they ended up. The culprit, who kneels here, is said to be thrown from the horse midway and hurt their buttocks.Flirting with Liu Xiaofei, the princess of the Liu Family with a sim
Chen Tian Peng pondered while unconsciously rubbing his goatee with his thumb and index finger. In his mind, Chen Tu's reply actually made sense. As one of the five large families here in Crimson River Town, the duty of upholding the rules and safety of this settlement is their responsibility.Furthermore, this "Phoenix Pavilion" business is opened on the Chen Family's territory.Suppose they were caught by others before the Chen Family Policing Hall. In that case, the blame could be destructive when other families use it as a weapon to attack the Chen Family.It was not a secret that the five families were competing against one another for the sake of the leader of five families in this Crimson River Town. Obviously, the one named the family's leader would take the larger portion of the pie before dividing them into the rest.While the sum might be meager in the eyes of the county governors, it is still worth a bite to large families like the Chen.Who would complain if they're given
"Ah!!! Fresh air, at last!" Chen Zigang screamed after coming out from the dungeon, where he spent a night without worry. Needless to say, Chen Tu followed him closely but didn't behave as freely as Chen Zigang.After all, he was a mere servant while they were still inside the Chen Manor. Unlike Chen Zigang, who had absolute privilege inside this manor, Chen Tu would be punished if he followed everything Chen Zigang did.To him, Chen Zigang is the reincarnation of a law obstructor. Each step he took was right on the track to trashing all established rules. Still, it's not like Chen Tu is anywhere better.If Chen Zigang was the bulldozer of rules, then Chen Tu is definitely the stead that went amok for no reason.After returning to their respective room, they quickly clean themselves from all the filth before stepping outside the Chen Manor again. As Chen Tian Peng had guessed, the two did keep a secret from the family.The two proceeded without noticing they were followed. It was a gr
"Get in there!" the follower yelled before kicking the two into the prison cell. The kick comes at Chen Tu and Chen Zigang as a surprise and causes them to tumble inside.The two finally stop after coming to the end of the prison cell.This was the second time they were thrown into the dungeon. Surprisingly, it happened not long after coming out from the first one. It's like history is repeating itself.Unfortunately, this place is filthier compared to the previous dungeon. A pile of bones can even be seen at one of the four corners, heightening the prison cell's creepiness. At another corner is a bundle of feces, likely dumped by the previous resident of this cell."Let me out! Let me out!!!" Chen Zigang immediately bangs on the door in a panic. But no matter how loud the noise he's making, nobody made a trip over to check them out. At the very least, the dungeon back in the Chen Family is well-lit and properly ventilated.Over here, the stench was too strong, to the point it made th