Chapter 306: The Master

"101?"

Mo Hongyi's body trembled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Damn it!

The highest score in the Supplementary Hall is only 100, and you're telling me 101?

Really?

No wonder this subordinate was going crazy, trembling nonstop. If it were me, I'd be trembling too!

He got a 60 and became famous for a time, envied by countless people. What the hell is 101?

"The most crucial thing is... 101 doesn't seem to be the end. His score is still increasing, and the assessment in the Supplementary Hall isn't over yet..." the young man couldn't help saying.

"Not over yet?"

Mo Hongyi felt like tearing his hair out.

In the assessment for one-star master teachers, scores over 60 in the Supplementary Hall are rare, almost nonexistent. And now 101... and it's not over...

Crazy, completely crazy!

"Let's go see!"

Unable to contain himself any longer, he stepped out and walked away.

"Your Highness, what about my punishment..." The young man hesitated, then couldn't help asking as he was about to follow.

"Punishment? What punishment? Go collect your reward: ten night pearls and a fine steel sword!"

Mo Hongyi waved his hand and strode toward the master teacher assessment area.

Hearing there was no punishment and even a reward, the young man knew he had done right by reporting this. His face lit up, and he quickly followed.

...

The same scene was unfolding elsewhere.

The Alchemist Guild.

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Alchemist Hong has finally broken through and become a three-star alchemist. We are both envious and admiring!"

"Indeed, we all took the two-star alchemist exam together, and you alone have taken this step!"

A crowd of alchemists surrounded a middle-aged man.

He wore a long robe, and on his chest gleamed a three-star alchemist badge.

He was Alchemist Hong, who had just become a three-star alchemist.

He had finished the assessment some time ago, but the badge representing his status had only arrived today.

In the Tianwu Kingdom Alchemist Guild, the highest level was three stars, and reaching this level put him on par with the guild master.

"You're too kind. It was also a stroke of luck. Some time ago, when I went out, I met a master who gave me some guidance, and that cleared my mind. If I had relied on my own ability, I don't know how many years it would have taken!" Alchemist Hong said.

"Meeting a master also requires good comprehension. I wonder when we will break through!"

Hearing his modesty, an alchemist shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Bad news..."

Just then, an alchemist apprentice rushed in frantically.

"What's all this panic? Where are your manners?"

Recognizing the apprentice as his student, Alchemist Hong waved his hand.

"Yes!" The apprentice stopped, panting heavily from the rush.

"I asked you earlier to inquire about Master Teacher Jiang Chen's banquet. What did he say? Will Princess Mo Yu attend?" Alchemist Hong looked at him.

"I..." The apprentice was stunned. "I... haven't asked yet!"

"Haven't asked?" Alchemist Hong's face darkened with anger. "You can't even handle such a small matter, and you're so flustered. From now on, you don't need to be an apprentice under me!"

The apprentice's face turned pale.

Alchemist Hong was a three-star alchemist; being his apprentice gave one a much higher starting point and a great advantage when later taking the one-star alchemist exam.

Once expelled... it would almost mean no hope of becoming an alchemist.

"Teacher, I... there's a reason for my panic. Just now... someone was taking the one-star master teacher assessment and chose alchemy in the Supplementary Hall. The result..." The apprentice's body trembled.

"What? Did he score 60, even higher than Master Teacher Mo Hongyi?" Alchemist Hong waved dismissively.

The apprentice shuddered. "He... he... scored 101?"

"What? 101?"

Alchemist Hong's body swayed, his eyes nearly popping out, his face full of disbelief.

Although alchemy and master teaching were two different professions, many accomplished master teachers also studied alchemy as a supplementary subject, so they were familiar with each other.

The Supplementary Hall assessment only had 100 points. How could someone score 101?

"101 in the Supplementary Hall?"

"Let's go see!"

After hearing the apprentice's words, everyone went crazy and filed out.

How strong must someone be to guide alchemy in the Supplementary Hall and get 101?

They all wanted to see.

The Alchemist Guild was adjacent to the Master Teacher Hall. Before long, they arrived at the assessment site, where the hall was already packed with people, all staring straight ahead.

"Master Teacher Jiang, what's going on?"

Scanning the room, Alchemist Hong spotted a familiar figure and approached him.

It was Jiang Chen from earlier.

At this moment, his eyes were bulging, his body trembling uncontrollably, his fists clenched, his face full of shock. Seeing Alchemist Hong arrive, he pointed forward.

"See for yourself..."

"Hmm?"

Looking up and seeing the number displayed on the wall, Alchemist Hong's body also swayed, and he nearly fell to the ground.

"130? How can there be 130? Isn't the full score in the Supplementary Hall only 100?"

He cried out, almost going mad.

On the wall ahead, four characters were displayed: "One Hundred Thirty." It seemed to pierce everyone's hearts. All the alchemists who had followed him stood frozen, dumbfounded.

"I don't know the specifics either..."

Jiang Chen shook his head, also somewhat frantic. "Maybe the Supplementary Hall is malfunctioning. Otherwise, how could such a score appear?"

"Malfunctioning?"

"Exactly. If it weren't, how could there be such a high score?"

"If it's malfunctioning, he should retake the assessment. This score doesn't count!"

A few people chimed in.

With a full score of 100, getting 130 would make anyone think that way.

"I'll go talk to Master Teacher Wu about it later..." Jiang Chen nodded, but before he could continue, a voice interrupted him.

"The assessment hall was specially built by the Master Teacher Guild with powerful experts; it's a spiritual treasure. It cannot malfunction!"

Hearing such a blunt rebuttal, Jiang Chen was about to retort, but when he saw the speaker's face, he immediately fell silent. "Since Master Teacher Mo says it's not a malfunction, then... what's going on?"

The newcomer was none other than the kingdom's number one genius, Mo Hongyi.

He was clearly startled by the score on the wall.

"I've heard a legend about the master teacher assessment. I wonder if it's true," Mo Hongyi said gravely.

Seeing his expression, everyone around turned to look at him.

Even Master Teacher Wu, who was presiding over the assessment, couldn't help but come closer.

"The Supplementary Hall assesses guidance. If you guide incorrectly, points are deducted; if correctly, points increase. I'm sure everyone knows this without me saying it," Mo Hongyi said.

Everyone nodded.

"But have you ever thought... what is this correctness or error based on?"

Mo Hongyi looked around at everyone. "Take the alchemy being assessed now. The so-called correctness is measured by the standard of a four-star alchemist refining a one-star pill. What if it were a five-star or six-star alchemist's perspective on this refining?"

"This..."

Everyone shuddered simultaneously.

Knowledge is relative.

What a one-star alchemist considers an axiom or correct may not be correct in the eyes of a three-star alchemist.

A child thinks the sky is round and the earth is square; an adult does not think so.

The Supplementary Hall uses a four-star alchemist as the standard for judging alchemy, considering everything he does as correct, and then evaluates accordingly.

As long as one hasn't reached four-star in alchemy, they would certainly think his actions are without error. But what if... one surpasses four-star?

If a five-star, six-star, or even seven-star alchemist came, would they also consider this correct?

Probably not.

Perhaps in the eyes of such a strong person, the previously set standard answers are also full of loopholes and errors.

"You mean... the guy inside has alchemy skills surpassing four-star?"

Jiang Chen couldn't believe it.

How could that ordinary-looking young man have such formidable alchemy skills?

"If not, how do you explain the initial deduction and then the surge? I recall that in the last stage of the master teacher assessment, the Error-Free Hall, finding one error gives one point, two errors give two points, three errors give three points, and so on."

Mo Hongyi's expression was serious. "The person inside likely found errors in the correct answers. Initially, the Supplementary Hall judged them as mistakes. However, the Supplementary Hall is a spiritual treasure. When it discovered that correcting these errors made the pill refinement smoother, it immediately restored the points and doubled them as a reward."

"This..." Everyone's pupils involuntarily contracted.

"So you're saying... the person inside found a total of 15 errors made by the four-star alchemist?"

A four-star alchemist's refining technique, perfectly executed, would score 100. Now, getting 130 means at least 15 errors were found in the standard answer!

Damn!

Is he even human?

"Aside from this... I really can't think of any other explanation," Mo Hongyi shook his head.

"Now that Master Teacher Mo mentions it, I recall reading about this situation in some books on master teacher assessments. But it's been so long since anyone achieved it that it's been forgotten."

Master Teacher Wu, as if remembering something, couldn't help saying.

Hearing the confirmation from two master teachers, everyone finally understood, but still felt dizzy and couldn't believe it.

Not only did he find the errors deliberately left by the puppets, but he also found errors left by the four-star alchemist. How many stars had this person reached in alchemy?

"What's the name of the person inside? Could it be some senior from the guild? Should I go check?"

Alchemist Hong couldn't help asking.

"He's not a senior, just a one-star alchemist, and he's under twenty. His name is..."

Jiang Chen snorted, about to say the name, when the door of the Supplementary Hall in front of them creaked open.

A young man slowly walked out.

"Ah... Zhang Xuan? What is he doing here?"

Alchemist Hong's body swayed, and he couldn't help shouting.

"Alchemist Hong, do you know this person?"

A two-star alchemist behind him quickly looked over.

"He... he..."

Alchemist Hong's face turned slightly pale. "He's the one I mentioned earlier, the master who guided me to break through so quickly..."