Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

Chapter 398 - 250: Disciples of the Burning Heaven

Zuo Lin waved his hand, having no interest in such matters whatsoever. In the next moment, he cast a spell, and his body faded away in a blaze of flame, disappearing completely.

The old man shook his head and thought to himself, "The people from this line really have no sense of propriety."

By now, the group had already been led into the alchemy room. Although Qingshui Pavilion was just a mid-tier institute within the White Cloud Pharmacy and could not be counted among the B-level academies, it was still the star of the C-level ones. As the residence of C-level alchemists, of course the alchemy room wouldn’t be lacking.

"Still, the people from Heaven-Burning Valley are here to test us, and frankly, they’re somewhat careless about it."

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

Of the two Immortals, one had already vanished, leaving only the old man behind—revealing the other’s attitude quite plainly.

"Let’s begin."

Each alchemy room was separated from the others, so the old man led several people into the largest alchemy room—a space typically reserved for the head of the pavilion.

The old man casually pointed, and just happened to pick Mo Ran.

Mo Ran hadn’t expected to go first. Nervousness rose in his heart, and after taking a few deep breaths, he finally stepped forward.

"His mentality is lacking; his cultivation on the Alchemy Dao is average at best." The old man’s expression was indifferent, but this was his inner assessment.

He didn’t say much else. Everything would depend on their alchemy skills, but as far as temperament went, he wouldn’t be getting a good assessment here.

"Mo Ran is in trouble," Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself. That flicker of displeasure in the old man’s eyes hadn’t escaped his notice.

This old man’s attention to detail reminded him a bit of his former teacher, Lin Yan.

Pursuing something more complete, more thorough.

Sure enough, Mo Ran made mistakes of varying degrees in both attempts at alchemy, and both efforts ended in failure.

Lu Chang’sheng wasn’t surprised by the outcome. Mo Ran couldn’t maintain composure under pressure, and his skills on the Alchemy Dao weren’t enough—so it was only natural that he failed to craft a top-grade pill.

Usually, Mo Ran needed a stroke of luck even to manage a top-grade pill.

As if realizing his own failure, Mo Ran’s expression was dejected as he stepped behind Lu Chang’sheng, silent.

"If that’s the extent of your abilities, there’s really no need to continue. Otherwise we’re just wasting everyone’s time."

The old man gave a small, cold laugh.

Crafting top-grade pills was just the basic skill in Heaven-Burning Valley; any practitioner of the Alchemy Dao could do so.

Fortunately, the other three showed no sign of backing down.

Seeing this, the old man’s smile faded, and he gestured again.

This time, it was Zhong Ming.

Zhong Ming looked steady, clearly in a much better headspace than Mo Ran had been.

Several hours later, he finished his alchemy. On his second try, he managed to refine a top-grade Guiyuan Pill.

The old man’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded at Zhong Ming.

This time, he said nothing further and gestured once more.

Lu Chang’sheng patted the dust from his robe and walked forward, his face calm and unruffled.

First, he familiarized himself with the pill furnace; only then did he begin to prepare the materials for the pill he planned to make.

Next came inspecting the materials, and other related work.

Seeing him busy with seemingly trivial tasks, Zhong Ming and the others frowned. Only the old man’s face was unreadable, as if mulling over something in his mind.

But when Lu Chang’sheng finally started his alchemy, a glimmer of light flashed in the old man’s eyes.

His skillful alchemy techniques were one thing; plenty of experienced alchemists could match that. But certain fine details set him apart entirely.

For instance, during the refinement, Lu Chang’sheng used the secret of the Elixir Ascension Technique.

Even within Heaven-Burning Valley, very few could work that particular trick into their process.

The old man fell eerily silent.

Forget about Mo Ran—although Zhong Ming’s foundations were solid, in the old man’s eyes he was still rather unremarkable. Heaven-Burning Valley had flourished because Heaven-Burning Immortal passed the true tradition down to those capable of discerning talent.

Without enough talent, there was no chance of making Entry.

He’d assumed this batch was nothing but mediocrities, but to his surprise, the oldest-looking one among them had given him quite a pleasant shock.

"With the Elixir Ascension Technique and such flawless execution, this batch of pills should be a success,"

the old man thought to himself.

He wasn’t a second-grade alchemist, but after so many years in Heaven-Burning Valley, his eye for pills was keen enough; he could tell at a glance that even before Lu Chang’sheng finished, these pills would succeed.

Sure enough, when Lu Chang’sheng completed his session, a dense pill fragrance wafted into the air.

But the old man couldn’t keep his composure. In a swift movement, he appeared right before Lu Chang’sheng. With a hand of magical power, he grabbed the lid of the furnace and ripped it open.

Instantly, a strange, potent aroma wafted outward. The old man paused for several moments, then let out a sigh of awe.

"Excellent pills."

With a flicker, he returned to his seat, now looking at Lu Chang’sheng with a trace of genuine amusement in his eyes.

It was clear he was quite satisfied with Lu Chang’sheng’s performance this time.

"So what did I do wrong?" Zhou Lin’s eyes widened, his face darkening, and a hint of panic started to rise in his heart.

"You’re the last one. Come—begin!"

Lu Chang’sheng cupped his fist in gratitude and withdrew. The old man’s gaze was softened with a slight smile as he looked over at Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin steadied his nerves and stepped forward. But the result wasn’t what he’d hoped for. As soon as he began his alchemy, the old man’s smile vanished abruptly.

"The rest of you may leave. Return only when I summon you." When the four had finished, the old man waved a hand in dismissal.

······

Once outside, Lu Chang’sheng immediately sensed something odd in the gazes of those around him.

Mo Ran’s eyes showed both realization and awe, as if he wanted to ask something but didn’t dare—were it not for all the people from the White Cloud Mountain Range standing nearby, he surely would have asked what was so special about the pill Lu Chang’sheng had just refined.