With a flick of her wrist, Gu Jin pulled out rare herbs and ingredients from her storage ring.
Each ingredient was of the highest quality, glowing faintly with spiritual energy.
The students held their breaths, their earlier doubts wavering as they watched her every move.
Then, she summoned her flame. Fwoosh!
A brilliant blue flame erupted from her palm, wrapping around the cauldron like a living entity.
The heat in the room intensified, causing the weaker students to step back instinctively.
Some even began to sweat under the overwhelming spiritual pressure.
Ignoring the whispers, Gu Jin began the refining process.
Minutes passed, and the medicinal fragrance in the air grew stronger.
The students who had been mocking her earlier were now watching with wide eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
"This... this doesn’t look like a failure at all..."
"No way... could she actually be telling the truth?"
A golden light burst out from the cauldron, illuminating the entire classroom.
The light slowly faded, revealing a single pill hovering above the cauldron.
It was smooth and flawless, radiating a powerful aura.
Qiao Hange stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the pill.
He carefully picked it up, feeling the pure energy contained within.
Then, he spoke, his voice filled with shock.
"This... this is an Earth Rank pill. A Mana Recovery Pill!"
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
"No way! She actually did it?!"
"An Earth Rank pill... and she made it so effortlessly?!"
The students were at a loss for words.
Their earlier mockery had turned into pure disbelief. Some even felt ashamed for doubting her.
One student whispered, "She wasn’t lying... she really is Earth Rank."
Another swallowed hard. "We... we lost the bet... we have to pay her."
As realization sank in, Gu Jin looked at the crowd with a smirk.
"Well? Are you all going to keep doubting me, or should I start collecting my winnings?"
But before she could continue, Qiao Hange who had been in a daze till now, suddenly held Gu Jin’s hand with excitement in his eyes and said sincerely,
"I am sorry for doubting you earlier. I truly didn’t know that you were a genius among genius!"
Gu Jin however frowned and pulled away her hand with a calm expression,
"Don’t even think about taking the cauldron back!"
Qiao Hange let out an awkward cough, realizing how excited he had been. He quickly shook his head.
"No, no! I would never take back my word!" he said, his voice full of sincerity.
"The Golden Phoenix Cauldron is yours, as promised."
Gasps filled the room once again.
"She actually got the Golden Phoenix Cauldron!"
Some students looked pale, realizing they now owed her money. A few even regretted making the bet.
Gu Jin, however, remained calm.
She reached out and placed her hand on the cauldron, feeling the powerful energy within it.
She could tell it was a truly precious artifact.
Qiao Hange took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Gu Jin... with your talent, you will reach even greater heights in the future. Have you ever thought about taking an official alchemy master test?"
An official alchemy master doesn’t need to focus on cultivation, they get funds from the government to increase their cultivation of alchemy skills.
They are the most respectable government job after the special forces.
The students stiffened. The alchemy master test was extremely difficult. Even elite alchemists struggled to pass it.
Gu Jin tilted her head slightly. "Not interested," she said casually.
Qiao Hange’s lips twitched.
"Not interested? Do you know how many people dream of becoming an official alchemy master?"
"Titles don’t matter to me. As long as I can make the pills I need, that’s enough."
The students stared at her in disbelief.
"Becoming an alchemy master is a huge honor, but she just rejected it like it’s nothing?!"
"Does she really not care about fame or status?"
Qiao Hange sighed but didn’t push the matter.
"Fine. Then how about participating in the National Alchemy Competition? You can easily crush all the competitors in the entire nation and maybe even rank first on the international level."
The more Qiao Hange said, the more excited he became.
Their university was one of the top universities in the nation.
During the national alchemy competition, they had won first prize many times, but on the international level, they were hardly able to reach in top 10.
If Gu Jin competed on behalf of Beijing University, then they would win for sure!
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow.
"National Alchemy Competition?" she repeated, her voice calm.
Qiao Hange nodded eagerly.
"Yes! It’s the biggest alchemy competition in the country! Every top alchemist under the age of 30 competes for fame, wealth, and recognition!"
He looked at her with shining eyes. "With your skills, you could easily take first place!"
"The National Alchemy Competition?! That’s huge!"
"Only the most talented alchemists get to compete! Even top-ranked families fight for a spot!"
"Wait... if she wins, wouldn’t that make her the best young alchemist in the country?"
Some students gulped, realizing what that meant.
Gu Jin, however, seemed unimpressed. She crossed her arms and said, "I don’t really care about winning."
Qiao Hange nearly choked on air. He took a deep breath before saying,
"Girl don’t rush to make a decision right away. Do you know the prize money for the alchemy competition?"
Gu Jin’s eyes flickered with interest. "Prize money?"
Qiao Hange smirked, knowing he had caught her attention.
"That’s right! First place gets one billion yuan!"
The classroom exploded with noise.
"One billion?! That’s insane!"
"That’s enough to buy a top-tier cultivation technique!"
"Or even a whole alchemy workshop!"
Even Gu Jin, who had been indifferent so far, raised an eyebrow.
"One billion yuan, huh?" she murmured, tapping her chin.
Qiao Hange nodded quickly.
"And that’s just the money! The champion also gets a legendary alchemy furnace, a direct invitation to join the Imperial Alchemist Association, and—"
He leaned in, lowering his voice dramatically.
"—a chance to meet and get guidance from the Grandmaster of Alchemy himself!"
Gasps filled the room again.
"He’s the strongest alchemist in the entire country!"
"Meeting him is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Even Gu Jin had to admit, that was impressive.
She looked at Qiao Hange and smirked.
"You really want me to join, huh?"
"Of course! With you on our team, Beijing University will dominate the competition!"
Gu Jin thought for a moment.
She wasn’t interested in fame, but one billion yuan and a legendary furnace sounded useful. Plus, meeting the Grandmaster might open new doors for her.
After a long pause, she finally shrugged.
"Alright," she said. "I’ll join."
Qiao Hange fist-pumped the air. "Yes!"
Then he tapped himself on his forehead and said to Gu Jin with a serious expression,
"I am extremely sorry for my behavior earlier. I didn’t mean to insult you, but you see... I had no idea you were this amazing!" Qiao Hange said, looking embarrassed.
Gu Jin crossed her arms. "Oh? So now you respect me?"
Qiao Hange scratched the back of his head.
"Of course! You just made an Earth Rank pill like it was nothing! Who wouldn’t respect that?"
The students nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I thought she was just bluffing at first..."
"But she’s actually a monster in alchemy!"
Gu Jin’s focus however was on something else.
She turned toward her classmates and said,
"Now give me my money."
"No cheating! If you made a bet, you have to pay up!" Qiao Hange said, crossing his arms.
Some students groaned, but under his sharp gaze, they had no choice but to hand over the money.
Gu Jin calmly took the stacks of cash, counting each one with a satisfied look.
"Good. At least you all know how to keep your word," she said.
One student sighed. "I can’t believe I just lost my entire monthly allowance..."
Another muttered, "I should’ve never doubted her..."
A few students who paid early tried to get on Gu Jin’s good side.
"Senior Gu Jin, your alchemy skills are truly godlike!"
"Yeah! I knew from the start that you were amazing!"
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Really? I seem to remember you calling me a fraud earlier."
The student froze, letting out a nervous laugh. "Ha... haha... must’ve been a misunderstanding!"
Gu Jin smirked but didn’t bother arguing.
After collecting all her winnings, she turned back to Qiao Hange.
"So, when is this National Alchemy Competition?"
"The preliminaries start in a month. We need to register you as soon as possible!"
"Alright." Gu Jin nodded. Then as if thinking about something she asked, "Can I request something in return from the university?"
Qiao Hange was taken aback before nodding,
"Yes! Yes! You can. I will make sure your request is fulfilled."
"Alright. Then please relay to the principal that I want to stay off campus." Gu Jin said earnestly.