Chapter 99: Chapter 99 Alchemy
Upon learning that Shi Hao was to take the assessment for the position of junior apprentice, the Pill Yard instantly erupted.
This guy, the most envied by male disciples and adored by female disciples in history, was actually going to take the test for a junior apprentice just ten days after joining the Pill Yard?
“He’s definitely not going to succeed!”
“Hmph, we can only apply for an assessment once every six months, let him waste an opportunity then.”
“Do you really think that just because you’re good-looking, you’re also brilliant?”
Many people were making sarcastic remarks, especially Guo Yuheng, who was utterly astonished.
Previously, during the entrance assessment for the Pill Yard, he had lost to Shi Hao and had held a grudge ever since. He had instigated Qin Ze to target Shi Hao, and after that plan failed, he didn’t make any more rash moves, holding back with all his might.
——He was determined to become a junior apprentice first, thereby overtaking Shi Hao and earning the right to look down on him.
However… Shi Hao was now taking the assessment to become a junior apprentice.
What the hell, why so fast?
Right, it must be a deliberate ploy to attract attention, haha, how could there possibly be such a young junior apprentice?
After Shi Hao submitted his application, the assessment commenced swiftly.
Three junior apprentices arrived, and the test questions were randomly selected. They were only responsible for supervising and accountable for the results. Should there be any cheating, they would be punished as well.
Hence, unless there were significant benefits at stake, no apprentice would dare to take such a risk to help someone else cheat.
This assessment was similar to the entrance exam, except within the designated time one needed to identify a hundred herbs, and the question bank had expanded to thirty thousand types, countless times more difficult than the entrance exam.
The entrance exam merely tested potential, while the junior apprentice assessment genuinely tested one’s knowledge and abilities.
The time was the same, half an hour, making the time available to examine each herb extremely limited.
Yet Shi Hao looked at a herb and wrote down a name as if he didn’t need to think, his speed was incredible.
In a short while, he had finished answering.
This, is he finished?
The three junior apprentices were stunned; they quickly took his answers and compared them to the standard answers.
They looked at Shi Hao in disbelief—this young man was not only handsome, but his memory and observational skills were also astonishing. Had they not been overseeing the test themselves, they would have never believed someone could complete it in such a short time.
After the shock, they quickly reported the results to the seniors in the Pill Yard, as they did not have the authority to grant Shi Hao the status of a junior apprentice.
Soon, Shi Hao received his junior apprentice’s certification. From then on, he was qualified to assist Pill Masters and receive their guidance.
Of course, Shi Hao didn’t need it.
The news spread, naturally making all the male disciples in the Pill Yard extremely jealous.
A sixteen-year-old junior apprentice in the history of the Pill Yard—how many had there been?
It was clear to everyone that this was a genius.
And the most envious of all was Guo Yuheng because, in his eyes, this honor should have belonged to him.
Before this, he had achieved a 90% accuracy rate and was planning to solidify his stance before applying for the junior apprentice assessment.
He had been holding his breath for this moment; once he became a junior apprentice, he would show off in front of Shi Hao, letting the young man understand what a true genius was.
Yet, he had been slapped in the face again.
Shi Hao had taken the lead and become a junior martial disciple; even if he succeeded later, he would still not be on par with Shi Hao.
Naturally, he intensely resented Shi Hao, even though Shi Hao hadn’t provoked him at all—it was all his own doing, slapping his own face.
However, Shi Hao’s sudden advancement disrupted his plans, so he had to rethink his methods to deal with Shi Hao.
Yet, the progress of Shi Hao was simply beyond his imagination.
Another ten days later, Shi Hao went to take the assessment to become an advanced apprentice, and he passed with ease once again.
When this news spread, the entire Pill Yard was astounded, even the Dean, Sun Yiming, personally summoned Shi Hao and offered him warm encouragement.
As for Guo Yuheng, after hearing the news, he was completely numb.
The vast gap in strength only allowed him to look up in admiration.
Having become an advanced martial disciple, Shi Hao was now eligible to purchase materials from the Pill Yard.
——Before this, even if you were willing to spend a mountain of gold and silver, it would be useless—most materials were too precious, scarce in quantity, and could not withstand wasteful spending, so the exchange was limited to only advanced apprentices.
In this way, the possibility of waste would be greatly reduced.
Shi Hao immediately went to the Pill Yard’s storeroom to find the materials he needed.
“Gulang Grass, check.”
“Blood-Crying Grass, check.”
He checked the recipe item by item and found that the only major ingredient missing was one, but there were four auxiliary ingredients missing.
“The missing main ingredient, crimson fruit, can be replaced with Xitai Fruit, but missing four auxiliary ingredients is quite a lot,” Shi Hao pondered for a moment before deciding to buy the materials anyway.
How would he know by how much he was lacking without trying?
Besides, this was his first time engaging in alchemy, and naturally, he was somewhat eager.
He wasn’t short on money, so why keep it?
After becoming an advanced apprentice, he also obtained a separate courtyard and was provided with a Pill Furnace, after all, an advanced apprentice could now attempt to brew elixirs.
Shi Hao processed the materials one by one and then set up the charcoal wood, lighting it and observing the furnace temperature.
Normally, such trivial tasks should be done by apprentices, but firstly, Shi Hao was not a Pill Master, being just an advanced apprentice himself—other apprentices would certainly not be willing to assist him, and secondly, Shi Hao did not wish others to steal his techniques.
When the furnace temperature reached a certain level, he began to add the materials while simultaneously controlling the temperature.
In alchemy, the most crucial points are the control of temperature and the timing of adding ingredients.
When it comes to high-level Elixirs, it is necessary to use Soul Force to draw on the Power of Heaven and Earth to infuse into the materials, or adjust the potency of the ingredients, which poses even greater challenges.
To Shi Hao, none of this was a problem—Yuan Chengmie had refined countless Elixirs in his lifetime, and after just adjusting a bit, Shi Hao mastered the process with ease.
While Shi Hao was focused on alchemy, a white cat somehow made its way to the top of the courtyard wall, curiously looking on.
It sniffed the gradually emerging scent of the Elixir and couldn’t help but lick its tongue, seeming rather greedy.
Two hours later, Shi Hao finished up.
He opened the furnace lid, looked inside, and couldn’t help but reveal a smile.
Two Spirit Pills and one Remnant Pill.
Theoretically, he should have been able to produce three Spirit Awakening Pills in one batch, but because he used substitutes for both the main and auxiliary ingredients, it would definitely affect the success rate and the effects.
He picked up the Remnant Pill, gently sniffed it, and then compared the scent to his memory.
“It can’t be considered a complete success; at most, it can only achieve half the effect,” Shi Hao murmured, showing a tinge of regret—sure enough, using other materials as substitutes made a significant difference.
“If I give this to Da Huang, it should significantly boost its intelligence, but it will not be enough to make it a Spirit Beast.”
“Moreover, there’s no difference between taking one of these Elixirs and taking ten; the only option is to wait until I have sufficient materials and refine them anew.”
Shi Hao picked up the two successful Spirit Awakening Pills; as for the defective one, he didn’t hesitate and discarded it outright.
He had his pride and disdained to keep it.
Shi Hao took the two Spirit Awakening Pills into the house, while on the courtyard wall, the white cat leapt down and found the discarded Remnant Pill that Shi Hao had thrown away, swallowing it in one gulp.