The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

To outsiders, Ye Sheng's action was tantamount to giving up.

"Hahaha, is this kid scared out of his wits? Knowing he can't tell the difference, he's just pretending to be asleep?"

"I thought he was something special, but it turns out he's just a smooth-talking brute."

Seeing this, Wang Teng, who was not far away, widened the confident smile on his face, almost to the roots of his ears.

He sneered inwardly: A warrior is just a warrior, all he has is brute strength. In the face of true alchemy, he's nothing but a blind man.

He ignored Ye Sheng and instead bent down, picked up a pinch of powder, brought it to his nose and sniffed it, then licked it lightly with the tip of his tongue. His expression was focused and his technique was skillful, showing the profound skill of the successor of Medicine King Valley.

On the viewing platform, a barely perceptible hint of mockery appeared on Wu Fei's sinister face.

Even Lin Qingxue, who had always had faith in Ye Sheng, couldn't help but clench her fists, her pretty face full of worry.

Only Xuan Yang Zhenren, who sat on the main seat of the high platform, and Yang Zhao behind him, remained unchanged in their expressions.

Yang Zhao's gentle smile faded slightly, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Xuan Yang Zhenren slowly opened his slightly closed eyes a crack, and his seemingly murky gaze seemed to penetrate everything, landing on the boy who stood quietly with his eyes closed.

No one knew what astonishing changes were taking place in Ye Sheng's mind at that moment.

The moment he closed his eyes, his proficient talent in alchemy—"Initial Insight into Alchemy"—was activated to its fullest potential.

[Talent for alchemy has been activated at the initial stage... Analysis to begin...]

[Crimson Flame Grass powder detected, fire attribute, approximately 0.9%...]

[Powder of 'Ice Heart Orchid' was detected, water-based, accounting for approximately 1.2%...]

[Powder of 'Three-Leaf Tranquil Flower' was detected. It is of the wood element. The percentage of the powder is...]

[Detected...]

On the skill panel, lines of light blue text rapidly refreshed in Ye Sheng's consciousness.

The 108 kinds of medicinal powders that had been mixed together, resulting in a chaotic mix of smells and forms, were instantly decomposed, identified, and quantified by the talent of "initial glimpse into the Dao of Alchemy".

The name, attributes, and even the approximate proportion of each spiritual plant in the mixture were clearly presented in his mind.

This is no longer a competition of "identifying herbs"; for Ye Sheng, it's clearly an open-book exam!

At this moment, Ye Sheng's heart stirred slightly. He had not expected that his talent of "initial glimpse into alchemy" would be so domineering.

He opened his eyes, picked up the jade slip and the specially made rune pen from the alchemy table, and then, to everyone's slightly astonishment, began to write.

His writing was not fast, but without the slightest pause or hesitation. The tip of his pen swept across the jade slip, leaving behind lines of smooth and clear characters.

"Red Flame Grass".

"Ice Heart Orchid"

"Three-leaf calming flower".

"Heartbreak Flower..."

One after another, the names of spiritual plants flowed from his pen, and his composure and confidence stood in stark contrast to the alchemists around him who were either scratching their heads or deep in thought.

"What...what is he doing? He's already writing the answers?"

"Did he smell it? Did he look at it? Could it be just something he wrote randomly?"

"I think so too, it's just an act."

At this moment, Wang Teng also noticed Ye Sheng's actions. He had only just identified less than twenty kinds of medicine, and fine beads of sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

But when he saw Ye Sheng's flowing and elegant writing, his confidence wavered for the first time.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even if my father were here in person, he couldn't possibly write down the answer in such a short time without any verification!

This kid is definitely just trying to be mysterious!

Wang Teng thought to himself, gritted his teeth, forced himself to regain his composure, and continued to bury himself in the analysis.

Time passed slowly. In the incense burner in the square, the stick of "calming incense" used to keep track of the competition had already burned more than halfway.

At this moment, the atmosphere on the field became increasingly tense. Many alchemists were sweating profusely with anxiety, yet the jade slips in their hands still only had a few strokes on them.

Looking at Ye Sheng again, he had already put down the rune pen in his hand and was leaning against the alchemy table, calmly watching his opponents who were in a mess around him.

This scene drew more attention to him.

"Has that kid finished writing?"

"He finished writing in just the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn?"

"Are you crazy?! There are a total of 108 kinds of medicinal powders. Even if you copied them exactly, it wouldn't be this fast!"

Wang Teng also stopped what he was doing, staring intently at Ye Sheng, his eyes filled with disbelief. He himself had only just identified over sixty different kinds, and there were still several he wasn't sure about.

And that mortal warrior had already finished writing? A strong sense of unease and humiliation welled up in Wang Teng's heart.

"when--"

The melodious bell rang again, signaling the end of the incense stick's burning time.

"Stop writing."

Master Xuanyang's voice echoed in the air above the square.

All the alchemists stopped what they were doing, their faces displaying a variety of expressions: some were annoyed, some were unwilling, and some felt relieved.

Soon, a servant came forward, collected everyone's jade slips, and presented them to the high platform. Wu Fei and several other sect elders began to personally review the scores of each participant.

"Wang Teng of Medicine King Valley identified seventy-three types, seventy-one types accurately. Not bad." An elder picked up Wang Teng's jade slip, nodded, and showed a hint of approval on his face.

Upon hearing this, Wang Teng revealed a smug look on his face and gave Ye Sheng a provocative glance.

In his view, this achievement was already enough to make him stand out from the crowd.

"Li Qingyue of Lingxia Valley identified sixty-eight species, and all sixty-eight species were identified accurately."

"The rogue cultivators of Southern Xinjiang have identified 65 types of 'poisonous scorpions,' including three rare poisonous herbs from Southern Xinjiang, which are quite rare."

……

The elders' voices rang out intermittently. Each time a name was called, it caused a small commotion. The alchemists whose names were called all showed expressions of smugness.

At this moment, Lin Qingxue's heart was in her throat. She stared nervously at the platform, her palms sweating profusely.

Finally, Wu Fei picked up a jade slip. He glanced at it, and a hint of undisguised shock flashed in his sinister eyes.

He raised his head and looked at Ye Sheng below the stage with an extremely complex expression.

Then, he handed the jade slip to Xuan Yang Zhenren beside him.

Master Xuanyang took it, and his gaze swept over the jade slip. A ripple appeared in his usually calm eyes.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the crowd, not looking at anyone else, but for the first time truly landing on Ye Sheng.

That gaze was calm, yet it seemed to pierce through all illusions and reach the depths of one's soul.

"Ye Sheng, a guest of the Lin family."

Master Xuan Yang spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout the entire plaza.

"Identifying 108 kinds of spiritual plants with an accuracy rate of 108."

Ye Sheng met Xuan Yang Zhenren's gaze, his heart tightened slightly, but his face remained calm.

He knew that his performance had completely caught the attention of this Nascent Soul cultivator from the Qingyun Sword Sect.

After a brief period of deathly silence, the square erupted in a deafening roar of excitement.

"What? One hundred and eight kinds? And all of them are correct?"

"This...this is impossible! He cheated! He must have cheated!"

"My God, is this even human? Even if the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley himself came, he couldn't possibly do this!"

At this moment, everyone's gaze, filled with doubt, shock, horror, and disbelief, surged towards Ye Sheng like a tidal wave. Wang Teng's face, too, completely lost its color.