fairy family

Chapter 25: The Guild of Masters and the Inheritance of Masters

The lucky ghost can make people feel as if they are assisted by a god when they are refining elixirs, drawing talismans, and refining ghosts and gods.

If he used one when taking the exam to become an Alchemist, wouldn't his chances of success be doubled?

Thinking about this, Yu Que became more and more excited.

Especially the lucky ghost, it is not a talisman or a pill, but a ghost. It is not within the prohibited range of the assessment of the alchemist.

After all, when the alchemist is in the process of alchemy, what he needs to drive is the ghosts and gods. He can't prohibit the family gods of people during the assessment. If he does this, let alone alchemy, he will probably be eaten by the ghosts and gods.

"The only drawback is that the price of a Fushou ghost is really expensive. According to what I have learned from the ghost collection, the price of a mature Fushou ghost under 30 years old is at least equivalent to that of an eighth-grade ghost, which is equivalent to a hundred-year-old ghost."

Yu Que thought to himself, "Even if I get the blessing of the lucky ghost, if my own level is really not good enough, or even if I know nothing about the skills of refining, then it will still be of little use."

But these two points are nothing to him.

The Fu Shou ghost in Yu Que's hand is not up to standard and mature, but it has already taken shape.

It is safe and feasible to use the gray water in the black gourd to raise it to a mature and usable state. However, without the nourishment of the longevity paste, this ghost cannot be promoted to a true longevity ghost or a longevity ghost of more than 30 years, and the efficacy and effect of the medicine will be much less.

But Yu Que only hopes that this ghost can help him for one day and help him pass the test!

Moreover, he had been studying the art of alchemy painstakingly for more than a month, and he had his own inheritance in his mind. Except for the water method, which he was not very proficient in, he thought that he had mastered all other fire methods.

After all, his skills were honed through the use of ghosts and gods. In just one month, he had destroyed no less than seven ninth-grade ghosts and gods.

These conditions are extremely generous to a newly-appointed alchemist. It should be noted that for an ordinary alchemist apprentice, it is considered quite good if he can master a ghost god in a year.

And while learning the craft of refining the mind, Yu Que unexpectedly discovered that he seemed to be quite good at it.

This may be because he has innate wisdom. He has learned many steps and principles by himself. Unlike Fang Mulian, he did not have to work hard under Zheng Laohei for three or four years before forming some habits, but often did not understand why.

In the dark room, Yu Que took a deep breath and said:

"In that case, then in seven days, no, ten days, I will go and take the test for the Alchemist!"

It's not easy to come across an object like the Fu Shou Gui. This opportunity must not be missed!

Moreover, he was kicked out by Zheng Laohei today, and he was feeling depressed and wanted to prove himself urgently in this regard.

He didn't want to prove it to Zheng Laohei, but just wanted to see it for himself!
As for failing the refining test... it would only mean the loss of a longevity ghost.

Moreover, the assessment for a refiner is different from the examination for a minor official. The former does not require only one assessment within a year. As long as Yu Que can afford the money, he can take the exam every day. People would even be eager for him to go.

He just needs to be careful not to hurt himself during the test and develop a chronic illness.

So the following days.

Yu Que did not tell his family that he had been kicked out of the haunted shop, and he continued to leave late and return early.

With the little bit of grey water left in the gourd, he bought a few more ghosts, fine old wine and other materials, and booked an underground meditation room in Heping Lane for ten days.

The rent in such a place of fireworks and pleasure was extremely cheap, and it was a mixed crowd. The air was filled with the smell of longevity cream, which was just right for him to hone his skills and raise the longevity ghost.

One day after another.

Soon, ten days passed.

Yu Que focused on honing his water-refining skills for ten days and made considerable progress. He worked day and night and refined all the ghosts in his hands to death. They died more than once, and he learned a lot of lessons.

But looking at the little bit of gray water left in the gourd, Yu Que hesitated and did not go out.

He stayed in Heping Lane again until he had used up all the gray water and ghosts in his hands. He was so exhausted that his eyes were blue and his face was pale. Then he came out of the underground Zen room with an excited look on his face.

At this moment, Yu Que had no extra materials for cultivation except the money he used for exam preparation, and his energy was also exhausted to the extreme, which could not be relieved by a simple rest.

This state is somewhat crazy.

But fortunately, he is a young man, and he has often taken tonic medicine before, so he has a good foundation and does not have to worry about physical deficiency. However, if he fails this time, it may be a big blow to his mind.

Because he had been pondering and refining himself day and night for these days, his faith had already grown to a certain extent.

He just couldn't believe it. He had worked so hard, spent so many ghosts and gods, and even had a Fu Shou ghost to bless him, but he couldn't even pass the test of the entry level of cultivation! ?

Teng Teng.

With a ruthless determination, Yu Que walked all the way to the gate of the "Alchemist Guild" in the seventh block of Huangshan.

A building with red mud and white walls, green tiles and blue bricks appeared in his eyes. The gate of the courtyard was spacious, which could accommodate three carriages side by side. The strong smell of incense inside formed a golden red smoke scene.

Although it was still morning and the light was dim, the place was very lively. The people coming and going all had a strong ghostly aura about them, and it was obvious that they all had household gods.

It's just that these people have mixed feelings. No one knows whether they came to the Alchemist Guild for help with something, or if they came here like Yu Que to test their alchemy skills.

Yu Que mixed in the crowd and obediently lined up in a team. The team was like a caterpillar, slowly crawling forward.

While waiting in line, second-hand dealers kept whispering and selling various ways.

Some of them claimed that they could help with queuing, some were selling information about various refiners in the local guild, and some even boasted that they had connections and could help people pass the assessment safely, but they would refund their money!

Yu Que closed his eyes, staggered, and ignored these people.

It was not until dawn that he lined up in the guild.

As I stepped over the threshold, I saw a young man in a grey Taoist robe, about fifteen or sixteen years old, sitting at a wooden table in the room. On the table was a plate with the number "C-8".

The other party greeted him in boredom: "You, come here."

Yu Que's spirits suddenly perked up, and he immediately walked over quickly and bowed.

The receptionist saw that his face was blue and pale, and he was also filled with the smell of longevity cream. He showed his disgust without disguising it: "You smoker, what are you doing here!

Going there early in the morning will only disturb the mood of the alchemists, go back first, go back first!"

The other party waved his hand and unceremoniously drove Yu Que out.

Yu Que was slightly stunned, and immediately realized that he had not been home for several days, and was so obsessed with the art of refining his skills that he even forgot to wash up. That was why the other party thought he was a heavy smoker who lingered in Heping Lane and was addicted to Fu Shou cream.

In fact, when he was about to go out, the smell on his body was not so strong, but when he refined the longevity ghost he had raised, the ghost turned into a strong smell of longevity ointment and lingered on his body.

The smell seemed to have seeped into his bones, and Yu Que was unable to avoid it even after changing his clothes.

Yu Que felt embarrassed by the young man's words, but he did not leave.

He had inquired in the ghost collection before, and learned that the assessment for the Alchemist did not care about one's image. As long as you could pay the money, no one would say anything even if you went in naked. On the contrary, it might even attract the favor of the Alchemist supervising the assessment.

After all, the profession of a master of alchemy requires a person to be extremely blessed, have unusual personalities and hobbies, and be quite crazy, and there are many such people.

Moreover, judging from the appearance of the young man, Yu Que estimated that this person was most likely not a refiner in the guild. In most cases, he was just an apprentice who was sent out to entertain people.

He remained silent and just bowed.

"Why don't you want to leave?" The receptionist snorted and said, "Looking like you're like this, if you meet the refiners, don't even think about asking them to help you. At least they won't kick you out. Be careful that you won't even be allowed to come to our house in the future."

Yu Que heard this without taking it as an offense, and smiled and bowed: "Thank you for the reminder, little brother, but I came here today not to ask the refiner to help, but to test my refinement skills."

This is the Alchemists' Guild. In addition to being responsible for assessing the Alchemists, its more important role is to undertake all kinds of Alchemy jobs, as well as assisting the government in dealing with evil spirits and ghosts.

When the receptionist heard Yu Que's words, his face was stunned and he immediately sat up straight.

He glanced at Yu Que suspiciously, then focused on his blue eyes. He suddenly understood and muttered, "You should have said so earlier. Come with me."

This person led Yu Que around the desk and walked directly into the guild. As he walked, he whispered:
"My brother, you have spent a lot of money to pass the test. Just by smelling the cigarette smell on you, you must have been soaked in it. You must have spent a lot of money on cigarettes.

But I advise you that this thing will shorten your life, so use it with caution."

Yu Que raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this.

The other party mistook him from a simple drug addict to a ruthless character who would do anything to pass the assessment and take the longevity cream.

Faced with such kind words, Yu Que didn't know how to explain and just smiled and let it go.

And secretly, he felt relieved.

"It seems that I am not the only one. Others have also thought of using the Longevity Cream and Longevity Ghost to improve their cultivation skills. In this case, it will be even less likely for me to be discovered."

With anticipation in mind, Yu Que walked into the backyard of the Alchemist Guild.

Suddenly, bursts of burnt smells and ghost cries entered his ears, including the most familiar smell of oil smoke coming from the sizzling oil pans.

"Old Huang, Old Huang! Here comes another person who wants to test his skills."

The receptionist looked around the backyard and suddenly greeted a middle-aged man who was crouching in the corner. Then he winked at Yu Que and said,

"Since we are of the same age, I will find Lao Huang to supervise you. Although Lao Huang is lazy and careless, he is the best and most honest man in the guild and does not follow so many rules."

After saying this, the receptionist pointed at Yu Que and walked towards the front yard.

"Thank you, brother."

Yu Que hurriedly bowed to the man, then realized that he had forgotten to ask his name. However, both of them were busy at the moment, and it would not be too late to socialize with the other party after the assessment was over.

The middle-aged man in the corner staggered towards Yu Que.

This man was unkempt, had swollen eyes, a sallow complexion, and was tall and thin, with an entire head missing.

He looked Yu Que up and down with his eyes wide open, not taking it seriously, and spoke lazily:
"Who do you study under?"

Yu Que was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that when he came to take a test on his skills, he would be questioned about his master first.

He thought about it for a while, but did not mention Zheng Laohei, lest he get involved with that person and suffer. Instead, he moved his eyes slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Master Refiner Luo Ding."

This time, it was the yellow-faced man's turn to be slightly stunned. He pondered and said in confusion: "Not to mention the entire Huangshan County, even in the entire Middle-earth Guild, there has not been a refiner named Luo Ding in the past hundred years."

Yu Que was embarrassed and was about to explain that he was the Book Ghost taught by Master Luo Ding. However, before he could say anything, the yellow-faced man said, "Wait a minute, let me think about it."

Bang! The other party clapped his hands and said, "The incense has been around for about three hundred years. Master Luo Ding, the highest skill is the eighth level. There is such a person!"

Yu Que looked at the lazy yellow-faced man in front of him, and a bit of respect suddenly arose in his heart. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Senior Huoyan, I am indeed a disciple of this man. He is the disciple of Shugui and has inherited the teachings of Master Luo Ding."

He raised his head again and exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect that Senior Huang, who lived almost six hundred years ago, knew so much about it!"

"Haha!" The yellow-faced man showed a smug look on his face, tugged at his sparse beard at the corner of his mouth, and said:
"Shu Gui's teachings can be considered a master-disciple relationship. Hundreds of years ago, it was considered the most orthodox inheritance for entering the guild. You are smart, kid."

Yu Que bowed his head and said repeatedly: "Senior, you are too kind."

Then he quickly stepped forward, took out his hand from his sleeve, and stuffed a red envelope into the other party's hand.

The yellow-faced man raised his bulging eyes slightly. He accepted everyone who came and asked Yu Que for another ghost as the assessment fee. Then he led Yu Que to the big stone mill, the big oil pot, and the prison facilities in the backyard where ghosts and wolves howled.

That’s right, in the Alchemist Guild, every time the Alchemist’s skills are tested, the examinee needs to hand over a corresponding ghost or god as the test fee.

For example, if Yu Que wants to be assessed as a ninth-rank alchemist, he must submit a ninth-rank ghost god, and it must be a ninth-rank ghost god, not a ninth-rank ghost god.

The guild’s explanation was that the ghosts and gods paid were for use in assessments.

However, the ghost creatures used by the candidates during the examination are not the ones they submitted, but are provided by the guild. And unless there are exceptions, all of them are "low-quality ghosts and gods" rather than "genuine ghosts and gods."

(End of this chapter)