Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

The examiner stood on the high platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over the more than one hundred alchemy platforms below.

At this moment, about half of the candidates remained standing in place.

The shock of the "blindly handing out materials before giving out exam questions" rule had already turned many of them pale and made their palms sweat.

After the three-minute blind selection period for materials ended, some people left with a full load, some left empty-handed, and some stood in front of the stage in a daze, holding a bunch of medicinal herbs that they didn't even know how to use.

At this moment, all the remaining candidates raised their heads, waiting for the person on the stage to announce the final exam question.

The examiner spoke.

"The challenge for this alchemy competition is to concoct an [Underwater Breathing Potion]. Any potion with a purity below 70% will be eliminated. Timer—Start!"

The moment the words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.

Then a huge uproar erupted.

"Underwater breathing potion? That's way too niche! The market demand for it is pitifully low; nobody usually makes it!"

"I've lived for over forty years, and I've been to at least eight hundred or a thousand alchemy workshops, but I've never seen anyone specifically concoct this kind of potion!"

"The textbook only mentions it briefly in some obscure corner; it's an extremely obscure topic!"

The person next to him immediately chimed in, their tone equally filled with shock and confusion.

"Moreover, the materials required for this potion are very special; it's a completely different system from those used in regular potions!"

"General medicinal liquids emphasize gentle nourishment and balance, and use common medicinal materials that are mild and neutral in nature."

"But underwater breathing potions require materials of the cold and damp type, like Ice Grass, Moonshadow Root, and Deepwater Moss—how many of these can you find in the general materials section?"

"During that three-minute blind selection period, the vast majority of people picked items like Flaming Sun Grass, Spirit Gathering Grass, and Heavenly Star Flower. You could probably count the usable ones on one hand!"

The students in the examination hall were filled with groans and cries.

A boy wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt looked at the pile of materials in front of him.

A table full of Flamegrass and Fire Spirit Flower.

I looked up again at the words "underwater breathing solution" on the test paper.

His expression changed from confusion to shock, and then from shock to despair.

"Damn it, all I have are Yang-type herbs, but to refine the underwater breathing potion I need are Yin-type ingredients. This is completely the opposite!"

"This stuff, once refined, will probably be more like an underwater ignition potion than an underwater breathing potion."

He sighed, put down his tools, and turned to leave the examination room.

Someone shook their head, gave a bitter laugh, and turned to leave.

Someone stood in front of the stage for several seconds, then let out a long breath, put the grinder back in its place, and left.

Some people didn't even put down their tools; they just glanced at the exam question board, then tossed the medicine spoon in their hand onto the table and left.

In less than five minutes, nearly half of the people had left.

The examiner didn't speak, but simply stood on the high platform, watching the departing figures.

His gaze slowly swept over the remaining people, and he nodded slightly.

Those candidates who remained were adjusting their movements.

The remaining forty or fifty people, though still tense, did not show the bewilderment of "I'm done for and there's nothing I can do."

Su Youran stood in front of her alchemy table, her gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged materials in front of her—Spirit Gathering Grass, Moon Shadow Root, Frost Moss, Deep Sea Algae, and Spirit Spring Water.

These ice-based materials are perfect for crafting underwater breathing potions.

The corners of her mouth curved slightly, conveying a sense of confident composure.

She can concoct underwater breathing potions with her eyes closed.

The last time she made this potion, the purity was as high as 96%.

Although the materials weren't perfect this time, she was confident she could maintain the purity at over 95%.

According to the usual practice of the alchemy competition, the purity of the champion's potion is generally around 93%.

She was already several steps ahead of everyone else at the starting line.

She gently moved her wrist and rolled up her sleeve to reveal her well-defined forearm.

His gaze swept over Lu Zhixing, who was not far away—

He was staring blankly at the messy pile of materials in front of him.

That pile of things did look quite messy, with all sorts of varieties scattered haphazardly on the table, like scraps just picked up from the market.

Su Youran withdrew her gaze.

"It's safe!"

At the examiner's command, Su Youran was the first to move.

Her movements had a smooth, flowing quality, as if there was some kind of tacit connection between her and the row of tools.

The grinding motion has a subtle rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow, with each turn just right.

The flame was precisely heated to the right temperature under the control of her fingertips.

The crystal at the bottom of the furnace emitted a uniform orange-red light under her mental guidance.

A murmur of admiration rippled through the audience.

"Su Youran's technique... is too smooth. It's obvious that she has practiced for more than ten years."

"Look at the way she picked the leaves; exactly three, no more, no less, and even the leaves were about the same size."

"The Spirit Gathering Grass she chose is the most suitable basic ingredient for making underwater breathing potions among all-purpose materials. This choice of material alone has already put her ahead of most people."

"Look at those other test-takers over there, still hesitating about whether to throw away their Blazing Sun Grass."

"She's definitely going to be the champion of this year's alchemy competition. Her starting technique is on a completely different level from everyone else."

On the examiners' panel, an examiner with gray hair nodded slightly, his gaze following Su Youran's hands as she operated the device, and whispered something to the person next to him.

"His movements are fluid and his rhythm is precise; he definitely has the makings of a champion."

"Her grinding technique was very precise, with excellent control over the pressure, resulting in a visibly consistent fineness of powder. This kind of fundamental skill can't be acquired overnight."

Lu Zhixing also started moving.

He stood up from the table, walked to the pile of materials, and glanced at the messy pile of herbs.

Then he reached out and picked up a grinder.

He held the grinder up to his eyes, examined it from all angles, then put it down, picked up another one, and put it down again.

He glanced at the elixir furnace beside him and took a small step around it.

He then looked at the temperature stabilizer above the furnace opening, seemingly figuring out how to use it.

Some people in the audience couldn't help but laugh when they saw Lu Zhixing's actions.

"Look at him, doesn't he look like someone who's never been into the kitchen before? He doesn't even know how to cut vegetables!"

"The expression on his face when he picked up the grinder was absolutely hilarious."

"You don't even recognize a grinder? Isn't that the most basic tool for alchemy?"

"This is the first thing they learn in every alchemy class. Is this his first time touching one? And why is he even participating in the alchemy competition?"

"I really thought he had some skill after all those things he did before, and I was really fooled. Now it seems he really doesn't know anything about alchemy."

"He's probably going to embarrass himself in public today. But then again, it's a skill that he can remain calm; at least he has a good mindset. Anyone else would have panicked by now."

In the VIP room, Su Yangwei watched Lu Zhixing's helpless expression on the screen, and his smile almost reached his ears.

"Old Lu, what's wrong with your son? Look at him, it's like it's the first time he's ever touched these things!"

"He's still standing there in a daze. Doesn't he even know how to light a spirit medicine furnace? Why don't you have someone send him an instruction manual?"

Lu Zaoxie put down his teacup, his expression calm.

"What's the rush? This is just the beginning. It's called being steady, not clumsy, to look things through before you do them."

Su Yangwei scoffed.

"Composure? Is that what you call composure? An alchemist who spends ages examining the grinding wheel is called composure?"

"Fine, fine, whatever you say goes. I won't argue with you."

He sat up straight and reached out to adjust his shirt collar.

"Since you're so stubborn, how about we play another bet? We'll bet on the screen—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Lu Zaoxie raised a hand to interrupt him, his palm gesturing horizontally in mid-air.

"Su Yangwei, how old are you? All you do is gamble all day long, like a primary school student."

"Besides, it doesn't look good if word gets out that you, as the commander of the city's defense forces, are just freeloading in the VIP room of the examination hall every day."