Deep within the Alchemists Association, a massive golden pill furnace occupied the center of the Elder Hall.
Thin wisps of steam drifted lazily from its surface while faint medicinal fragrances filled the air.
Seated cross-legged before the furnace was an elderly man with a long white beard and sharp eyes.
Senior Alchemy Master Gu Yan.
Chairman of the Alchemists Association.
At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.
"Chairman!"
"Chairman!"
The furnace flames instantly died down.
Gu Yan's eyebrow twitched.
"Why is it," he muttered, opening one eye, "that people only remember I exist whenever I'm refining pills?"
Mu Yang and Huyan Ming exchanged awkward glances.
Mu Yang quickly stepped forward and respectfully presented a stack of papers.
"Chairman, please take a look at this."
Gu Yan snorted.
"Hmph."
He accepted the examination scripts without much interest.
At first, his expression remained indifferent.
One page.
Then another.
And another.
Gradually, his brows began to knit together.
Several moments later, he lowered the papers.
"All correct."
His tone remained calm.
"Isn't that how it should be? Let him proceed to the second examination."
Instead of relaxing, Mu Yang and Huyan Ming exchanged another glance.
Gu Yan immediately noticed.
"What?"
Mu Yang hesitated before speaking.
"What if we told you... the candidate is only thirteen or fourteen years old?"
The room became quiet.
Gu Yan slowly lifted his head.
"A child?"
"Yes, Chairman."
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on the old man's face.
He stared at them suspiciously.
"Hmph."
"You're not trying to fool me, are you?"
"A thirteen-year-old boy couldn't possibly possess this level of knowledge."
"He would need years just to read all the materials referenced here."
Neither elder backed down.
"We wouldn't dare deceive the Chairman."
Silence filled the hall.
Finally, Gu Yan closed the papers.
"Bring him to the Director Hall."
The two elders immediately bowed.
"Yes, Chairman."
Gu Yan's expression became serious.
"And inform Director Yang."
He paused briefly.
"Send word to the Vice Chairman as well."
Both elders nodded.
"Understood."
Gu Yan's gaze sharpened.
"This matter stays within this room."
"Do not inform the other elders."
The implication was obvious.
A genius attracted attention.
And attention was not always a good thing.
---
Outside, the examination corridor remained crowded with candidates anxiously waiting for their results.
The moment Mu Yang stepped out, countless eyes turned toward him.
Whispers spread immediately.
"Who passed?"
"Did anyone succeed?"
"Was the examination difficult?"
Ignoring everyone else, Mu Yang walked directly toward Nie Li.
The corridor became strangely quiet.
"Nie Li."
The young boy looked up.
"Follow me."
Confusion immediately spread among the surrounding candidates.
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
Mu Yang smiled faintly.
"You have passed the first examination."
The entire corridor froze.
Several people looked as though they had been struck by lightning.
Passed?
Already?
Nie Li simply nodded.
"Alright."
Then he calmly followed Mu Yang away.
Behind him, stunned silence lingered.
One candidate rubbed his eyes repeatedly.
Another looked toward the examination room as if expecting someone to jump out and announce it was a joke.
Chu Ning stood rooted to the floor.
His mouth opened and closed several times.
"How...?"
The young boy he had mocked earlier had passed an examination that countless adults had failed.
The realization stung far more than he wanted to admit.
---
The Director Hall was surprisingly spacious.
A large round table occupied the center of the room, while the walls were covered with countless notes, diagrams, and papers.
Nie Li looked around curiously.
"This is a meeting room?"
"You could call it that."
Mu Yang smiled.
"But that's not its most important purpose."
He pointed toward the walls.
"Take a look."
Nie Li followed his finger.
Questions.
Hundreds of them.
Some old.
Some new.
Some carried answers.
Others remained completely blank.
"This is where Alchemy Masters discuss problems they can't solve," Mu Yang explained.
"When someone encounters a difficult refinement issue, they write it down."
"Others then attempt to solve it."
Nie Li's eyes brightened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Simply passing the examination wouldn't be enough.
If he wanted the support of the Alchemists Association, he needed to demonstrate his true value.
And what better way than solving problems that had stumped their experts for years?
Without hesitation, he walked toward the wall.
Question after question flashed through his mind.
He observed.
Analyzed.
Compared.
Then picked up a brush.
Mu Yang blinked.
"Wait."
Nie Li turned.
"Hm?"
"You're not planning on answering those questions, are you?"
"Of course."
Mu Yang nearly choked.
"These are practical alchemy problems."
"Many of them have remained unsolved for years."
Nie Li looked genuinely confused.
"Can I not answer them?"
Mu Yang suddenly found himself unable to respond.
Before he could say anything further, Nie Li had already begun writing.
His brush moved across the paper with astonishing confidence.
Swift.
Smooth.
Effortless.
As though he had known the answers for years.
At first, Mu Yang didn't pay much attention.
Then he happened to read one of the notes.
And froze.
The problem concerned a famous antidote formula that had baffled alchemists for years.
His eyes quickly moved to Nie Li's answer.
Then widened.
The answer wasn't a ratio.
Instead, it read:
"No matter what ratio is used, the formula will never succeed."
Mu Yang's breathing stopped.
Never succeed?
Then his eyes moved lower.
There, Nie Li had calmly explained the flaw in the formula before suggesting a completely different herb.
The logic was flawless.
Elegant.
Terrifyingly convincing.
Mu Yang felt a chill run down his spine.
This wasn't luck.
This wasn't talent.
This was mastery.
As Nie Li continued writing, one problem after another received answers.
Questions that had remained unsolved for years.
Questions discussed by generations of alchemists.
Questions even Gu Yan himself had struggled with.
Yet Nie Li solved them as casually as if completing homework.
Mu Yang's hands trembled.
His heart pounded.
The more he read, the more absurd the situation became.
Finally, he could no longer hold himself back.
"Nie Li."
The young boy looked up.
Mu Yang swallowed.
"Are you... an Alchemy Grandmaster?"
Nie Li blinked.
Then looked at him strangely.
"These questions aren't difficult."
Mu Yang nearly coughed up blood.
Not difficult?
Some of them had remained unsolved for over a decade!
What kind of monster was this boy?
---
A short while later, footsteps echoed from outside the room.
Nie Li glanced toward the entrance.
"Looks like someone's here."
Mu Yang turned.
Two figures entered the Director Hall.
One was an elderly man with a long white beard and a dignified aura.
The other was an elegant woman with long purple hair.
"Chairman Gu Yan."
"Director Yang Xin."
Mu Yang immediately straightened.
The two leaders of the Alchemists Association had arrived.
Yang Xin's beautiful eyes quickly fell upon the Purple Mist Grass paper.
"The one discussing Purple Mist Grass?"
Nie Li nodded.
"That's right."
Then he scratched his cheek.
"To be honest, I was surprised."
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Surprised?"
"I expected it to sit in storage for months."
"Maybe years."
"Maybe nobody would read it at all."
He shrugged helplessly.
"But somehow it got approved incredibly quickly."
Yang Xin smiled knowingly.
"That's because someone pushed it through."
Nie Li blinked.
"Someone?"
"That's right."
"It was thanks to the Vice Chairman."
"Vice Chairman?"
Nie Li tilted his head.
"The Alchemists Association has a Vice Chairman?"
Gu Yan snorted.
"Unfortunately."
Yang Xin laughed.
"Most members have never met him."
"In fact, he rarely comes to work."
Gu Yan's expression darkened.
"That brat only shows up whenever he feels like it."
Yang Xin coughed.
"Chairman..."
Nie Li became even more curious.
"Then who exactly is this Vice Chairman?"
Before anyone could answer—
A lazy voice echoed from outside.
"Wow."
"Talking about me behind my back already?"
The door slowly opened.
A familiar figure leaned casually against the doorway.
Bright red hair.
A carefree grin.
And a half-eaten meat bun in his hand.
"That's kinda hurtful, you know."
Nie Li's eyes widened.
"...Karma?"
The red-haired boy grinned.
"Yo."