Chapter 12: Chief Swordsman

Ning Yue looked up in surprise and saw a white-bearded old man running towards her from a distance.

His smile was almost overflowing.

Ning Yue remembered seeing this old man the previous night.  He was probably the Enforcement Elder.

As soon as he reached her, he started asking incessantly.

“How was the trial? Was it okay? You made the right choice coming to the Fusang Sect!”

“Not only do we have the best teachers, but also the best fellow disciples. And! You’re the top student in sword cultivation this year! The sect’s best resources will definitely be directed towards you!”

“Top student?” Ning Yue hesitated, “…First place?”

“Yes!” The Enforcement Elder stroked his white beard.

“I didn’t misjudge you! I knew you would excel among this year’s new disciples.”

Ning Yue looked up at the grand and imposing sect buildings.

She couldn’t help but ask: “Such a large sect, and I, who’ve only been handling a sword for less than two hours, am the top student.”

“Mm-hmm!” The Enforcement Elder nodded in agreement, then paused, realizing something was wrong: “…What did you say?!”

Ning Yue calmly repeated herself.

The Enforcement Elder, still stroking his beard, froze.

Seeing him motionless, Ning Yue curiously poked the layer of fat on his belly.

She sincerely asked: “The food at our Fusang Sect is pretty good, huh?”

Enforcement Elder: “…”

He looked at Ning Yue in shock and struggled to say: “…Wait until I report this to the sect. I might not be able to teach you.”

Ning Yue: “…Oh.”

After saying this, he ran off in a hurry, even flying on his sword.

Ning Yue stood there for a while: “Incompetent!  Just leaving your new disciple here?”

Ning Yue sighed and resigned herself to walking there.

As soon as she took a step forward, several doors suddenly appeared around her.

She stopped and looked at them questioningly.

These were… the doors from the second stage of the trial?

Ning Yue looked closely; they were indeed.

But the sword cultivation door was gone.

Looking at the door with “Alchemy” carved on it,

…She felt playful.

After all, no one was taking her to the sect.

Then she’d go see Jiang Yishen!

Ning Yue raised her hand and pushed open the Alchemy door.

Another flash of light

Ning Yue expertly closed her eyes.

What suddenly appeared before her were small compartments arranged in a circle.

What kind of trial would it be?

Ning Yue tentatively walked inside, observing as she went.

There were many compartments, with four or five people sitting inside.

Ning Yue guessed these were people who had passed the first stage and were now undergoing the second stage.

Curtains hung down from the top of the compartments, only allowing one to see the hem of the people’s clothes from below.

Their faces couldn’t be seen, and it was impossible to tell who was who.

“…Stop.” A clear voice came.

Ning Yue looked up and stopped.

A young man in a bamboo-green robe appeared before her.

He was probably like the girl before, here to set the trials.

Ning Yue was very polite: “Hello, teacher.”

The man’s expression didn’t change: “You arrived at this time, not bad. Come with me.”

Ning Yue scratched her head: “Ah… okay.”

Ning Yue followed the man to a medicinal herb field.

“Fifteen minutes. Identify all three hundred and fifty-six herbs in this field.”

“…” Ning Yue looked at the almost identical herbs and fell into thought.

The man didn’t care about Ning Yue’s expression and sat down on a bamboo chair nearby.

With a flick of his sleeve, he threw a densely written paper to Ning Yue.

With two fingers, he conjured a small hourglass.

The fine sand began to flow slowly.

“Begin.”

Ning Yue: “…”

Ning Yue frantically grabbed the paper and began to read.

Alchemy tests this?!

She even used the memory she had employed for exams.

While looking at the paper, she memorized the herbs in the field.  Not only that, she also had to write and draw in the air.

Why are there the herbs’ habits and suitable growth temperatures?!

Does the cultivation world also use such scientific methods for growing herbs?!

However

Fortunately, in her past life, she had read some books on traditional Chinese medicine theory and herbs out of interest.

There were many commonalities between the two, so she could barely remember them.

Time flew by quickly.

“Ding”

The sound of a branch striking the hourglass’s glass wall rang out.

Ning Yue reluctantly moved her gaze from the paper.

The man in the green robe had already come to Ning Yue’s side.

He pointed to the herbs one by one for Ning Yue to identify.

Ning Yue became more confident with each answer.  Almost as soon as he pointed, she could name the herb.

The man in the green robe lowered his eyes: “Does your family practice medicine?”

“No.”

He paused, then continued to point, interspersed with questions.

Ning Yue answered fluently.

After all three hundred and fifty-six herbs had been identified,

He flipped open the scroll with two fingers and began to ask questions.

These were complex questions.

Having identified and reviewed the herbs, Ning Yue, who was now thoroughly familiar with the knowledge, wasn’t afraid at all.

Besidesshe was a multi-talented person in her past life!

He asked one question, and Ning Yue answered one.

Finally, he stopped looking at the book and started asking questions not in the book.

Sigh! Ning Yue sighed. Being too talented wasn’t always a good thing.

However, it was a different world. While there were commonalities in knowledge, there were also differences.

Ning Yue struggled with the last few questions.

But the man in the green robe was clearly satisfied with her performance. He clasped his hands together.

Looking at Ning Yue like she was his daughter, his tone was very gentle: “These questions are very difficult.  To answer them like this is already very good.”

“Go to the compartment and get a furnace to refine a pill. Refining a low-grade pill will allow you to pass.”

Ning Yue looked at the various alchemy furnaces on the shelf, completely unsure how to use them.

Alchemy must be similar to cooking, right?

Since she didn’t know how to use the furnace, and there were no instructions,

Ning Yue decided to try her luck.

There weren’t any of the things she needed on the shelf.

Remembering the hourglass the man in the green robe had conjured…

Ning Yue silently followed the man in the green robe, intending to draw a picture of a pot for him to conjure.

The man in the green robe noticed her first and asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Teacher…” Ning Yue said a little embarrassedly, “There’s no furnace I can use here. Could you conjure one for me?”

The man’s expression didn’t change. He looked at Ning Yue with the eyes of someone looking at a good student: “Of course. What kind do you want?”

Ning Yue picked up the paper and pen on the table and began to draw.

The man stood behind Ning Yue.

His expression became increasingly complex as he looked at Ning Yue’s drawing.

When Ning Yue finished the drawing and handed it to him,

His expression was indescribable.

But he didn’t say anything.  Silently, he conjured two pots and a spatula according to Ning Yue’s drawing.

Ning Yue bowed deeply: “Thank you, teacher.”

Then she hugged the two pots and ran into the small compartment.

The man in the green robe sighed as he watched Ning Yue’s back.

He couldn’t understand how she would successfully refine a pill with those tools.

“…It’s okay.  Giving you more chances won’t hurt.”

Ning Yue was exceptionally excited.

She was a skilled cook in her past life!

Because she was a foodie and couldn’t find a restaurant that suited her taste, she had developed excellent culinary skills.

She added the herbs according to the alchemy process.

A small flame ignited in her palm, heating the bottom of the pot.