Fa Ma smiled as he spoke, "Little friend Chen Mo, go ahead. I’m looking forward to your performance."
Truthfully, although Fa Ma held great expectations for Chen Mo, he wasn’t too optimistic about him passing the assessment smoothly.
To attempt the fourth-tier Alchemist examination before even reaching twenty years of age was truly astonishing.
From Fa Ma’s vast experience, he couldn’t recall a single person across the entire Dou Qi Continent who had passed the fourth-tier examination at just nineteen.
The reason he went to such lengths to help Chen Mo prepare was because this youth had already given him too many surprises. Not long ago, there had even been rumors spreading that Chen Mo possessed a Heavenly Flame.
Perhaps this youth might really create a miracle.
Qie Mi’er, Yao Ye, and Yao Yue also turned their gazes toward Chen Mo.
Chen Mo shrugged casually and walked toward the central stone platform. He began inspecting the alchemy instruments laid out on it.
The cauldron was a deep, lustrous violet, clearly having endured countless tempests of flame without a single crack or blemish.
It was definitely no ordinary item.
Chen Mo picked up a sheet of parchment from the platform. It was a pill recipe—the Spirit God Pill.
The effects of this pill were to enhance spiritual strength and nourish the soul. Among fourth-tier pills, it was fairly standard and relatively easy to refine.
Chen Mo knew the recipes used in assessments were set by the Alchemist Guild.
It seemed Fa Ma had deliberately taken care to make things easier for him.
Still, easy or not, it was a fourth-tier pill. A third-tier alchemist could never succeed in refining it.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Mo glanced at the arranged ingredients. Everything was prepared neatly, in three full sets. That meant he would have three chances.
After a final inspection of the alchemy instruments, Chen Mo nodded slightly.
Fa Ma’s eyes focused sharply. "It’s about to begin."
Yao Ye and the others held their breath, their attention locked entirely on Chen Mo’s every move.
On the platform, Chen Mo raised his palm. With a thought, a mass of black-blue flames rose from his hand.
Since the news had already spread everywhere, there was no need to conceal it any longer.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, the roaring Undying Demon Flame erupted inside the cauldron.
The moment the flames surged, the three crystalline walls surrounding the platform lit up, forming a transparent barrier of light that enclosed Chen Mo completely.
When the others saw that black-blue flame flare to life in Chen Mo’s hand, their pupils widened instantly.
Though they had expected him to summon a Heavenly Flame, the terrifying rise in temperature at the moment it appeared still shocked them to the core.
"So this is... a Heavenly Flame?"
Yao Ye and Yao Yue exchanged looks of disbelief before turning their gazes toward Fa Ma and Qie Mi’er.
"Although this old man can’t recognize exactly which Heavenly Flame it is, such terrifying heat could only belong to one," Fa Ma muttered, stroking his graying beard.
"To think he can control it with such skill..." Qie Mi’er’s eyes locked tightly on the black-blue flame, rising and falling precisely with Chen Mo’s spiritual perception. His voice trembled in awe.
"This boy keeps shocking me again and again. Judging by the purity of that Heavenly Flame and the depth of his foundation, I would say his strength is already above the Dou Ling realm. What terrifying talent!"
Fa Ma slowly calmed his excitement, but his voice was still filled with emotion.
"I knew there was something unusual about him the first time we met. To think he was hiding such power right under my nose. Little brother Chen Mo is truly mysterious."
Qie Mi’er let out a sigh of admiration.
Hearing the president and vice-president praise Chen Mo so highly, Yao Yue’s eyes lit up with curiosity. She glanced at her sister and whispered, "Not bad, huh?"
Yao Ye’s cheeks flushed red. She knew exactly what Yao Yue was hinting at, though her thoughts were different: To injure a nine-star Dou Ling in a single strike... his strength must already be at least Dou Wang level.
Inside the barrier, Chen Mo naturally paid no attention to their shock. His eyes swept swiftly across the arranged ingredients before picking several up with practiced ease.
One by one, he placed them into the cauldron. Suppressed by his spiritual perception, the fierce Undying Demon Flame became as docile as a lamb, gently wrapping around the herbs and steadily extracting the essences required for the Spirit God Pill.
Under his calm and precise refinement, time passed unknowingly. Gradually, the pill embryo began to take shape within the cauldron.
"His refining speed is way too fast! Isn’t he afraid of a furnace explosion or failing to extract the essences properly?" Yao Yue’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. As an alchemist herself, she knew well the risks of working too quickly.
"This speed... is indeed a bit excessive," Qie Mi’er admitted. Official source ıs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
But Fa Ma’s attention was elsewhere, marveling, "What terrifying flame control."
"To him, this refinement looks almost effortless."
Yao Ye had seen many alchemists refine pills before, but watching Chen Mo now, his calm, unhurried manner seemed nothing like that of a youth under twenty. Instead, it was like watching a seasoned alchemist who had refined fourth-tier pills countless times.
Hearing her sister say that, Yao Yue focused even more intently.
That same natural composure was something she had only ever seen in their teacher when refining pills below fourth-tier.
For a moment, Yao Yue even doubted—was this really a fourth-tier pill he was refining?
She remembered how confidently her sister had said the night before that Chen Mo could not surpass her. A wry smile touched her lips now, along with a heavy sense of defeat.
Time slipped away again. Inside the cauldron, the pill embryo tumbled countless times before finally smoothing into a perfectly round form.
Seeing the luster on its surface, Chen Mo smiled faintly. He slowly withdrew his palm, allowing the black-blue flame within the cauldron to die down.
With a flick of his finger, the cauldron’s lid was lifted by a stream of force. Chen Mo’s hand beckoned, and a green pill shot out, flying straight into his palm.
He quickly produced a jade bottle from his storage ring and raised it. With perfect accuracy, the green pill fell neatly inside.
Placing the jade bottle down gently, Chen Mo lifted his head. The surrounding barrier dissipated.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to him.
"Quickly, let me see it." Fa Ma could hardly wait another second. He strode forward, hand outstretched.
Yao Ye, Yao Yue, and Qie Mi’er also came closer, their curiosity just as intense.
Chen Mo handed the jade bottle to Fa Ma.
Fa Ma poured the pill into his palm. A green pill, releasing a faint medicinal fragrance, rolled into his hand.
The moment his murky old eyes fell upon it, they froze in stunned silence.
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