Chapter 307: A Few Moves?

"A master?"

The few two-star alchemists exchanged glances, unable to suppress their surprise.

"That's right. Wasn't there someone who wanted to buy Break-Yin Pills and Giant Rhino Blood a while ago? Among the many nearby kingdoms, the closest place with both items is only here, so I was ordered to deliver the medicine!"

Alchemist Hong nodded.

"I know about that matter. Didn't they say you were going to the lowest-level kingdom like Tianxuan? How..." the two-star alchemist who had spoken earlier asked in confusion.

Going to the lowest-level kingdom, and encountering a master? One who enhanced his alchemy?

"It was the lowest-level kingdom. On my way there, I learned that the person buying those two items was a one-star alchemist who had passed the pill-discernment examination!" Alchemist Hong continued.

"Passed the pill-discernment examination?"

Everyone's pupils contracted.

Few in Tianxuan Kingdom knew what pill-discernment was, but in a large kingdom like Tianwu, almost all alchemists knew.

This examination was several times harder than normal alchemy, requiring extensive knowledge of alchemy. Even with Tianwu Kingdom's millennia of heritage, almost no one had ever succeeded!

How formidable must someone who became an alchemist through pill-discernment be?

"Indeed. When I first heard this news, I was furious, thinking that the Tianxuan Kingdom Alchemist Guild, such a small place, didn't know the rules and misused them. But after seeing the recording crystal they left, I knew I was wrong!" Recalling that day, Alchemist Hong still felt a lingering fear.

If Zhang Xuan had seen him, he would surely recognize that the Alchemist Hong whom Jiang Chen was introducing was none other than Alchemist Hong Yun, who had lost the Break-Yin Pills and Giant Rhino Blood to him in a bet back in Tianxuan Kingdom.

At that time, he was only a two-star alchemist; a little over a month later, he had passed the assessment and successfully broken through.

"Could it be... the one you said passed the pill-discernment examination is... this person before us?"

A two-star alchemist realized and exclaimed.

"That's right, it's him!" Alchemist Hong Yun smiled wryly. "After meeting him, he gave me guidance, which opened my mind and allowed me to refine three-star pills and become a three-star alchemist!"

"This..."

Everyone's pupils contracted again. They looked at the young man who had just walked out, all filled with terror.

Becoming an alchemist through the pill-discernment examination, guiding a two-star alchemist to refine a three-star pill, and now scoring 130 in the auxiliary hall...

"Under twenty, how can he have such profound alchemical knowledge..."

One person couldn't help saying.

No matter how talented, learning has its limits. Being under twenty with such deep knowledge was hard for anyone to believe.

"I was also very puzzled about this at first. Later, I made inquiries and learned that he has a very formidable teacher named Yang Xuan, a master teacher at least above three stars!" Alchemist Hong Yun said.

"A master teacher above three stars?" Everyone's breathing quickened.

Master teachers, like other professions, have nine stars total, with three stars forming one tier. Above three stars—even a titled kingdom doesn't have one!

No wonder he was so accomplished at such a young age; he had such a profound background.

...

While the others murmured quietly, Zhang Xuan approached Master Wu.

Regarding the puppet alchemy, after watching for a while, he knew there were too many flaws. Due to time constraints, there was still much he hadn't had time to point out. Even so, the moment the furnace opened, he knew it had definitely passed.

The pill was round and full, with a special pattern flowing on its surface—it was a super pill surpassing the perfect grade, reaching the pill-pattern level.

If such a pill couldn't pass, that would truly be inconceivable.

He had thought that refining such a pill would only score around seventy or eighty; he never dreamed it would reach 130, and was also startled.

"This... isn't broken, is it?" he muttered.

Hearing this, Master Wu's body swayed, and he couldn't help explaining: "It's because you found the flaws of a four-star alchemist..."

"A four-star alchemist, and that's his level?" Zhang Xuan blinked, looking disdainful. "Too weak!"

Everyone felt like spitting blood.

It wasn't that the four-star alchemist was weak; it was that you were too strong, alright...

No wonder Zhang Xuan had that expression. This time, when guiding the alchemy, he hadn't used the Library of Heaven's Path but relied on his own insight.

Having thoroughly mastered all the books in the Tianxuan Kingdom Alchemist Guild, his understanding of refining first-grade pills had reached an extremely high level.

When guiding second-grade pills, without the library, he might not be as good as some two-star alchemists, but for first-grade... not to mention four-star or five-star, even a six-star alchemist might not match him.

This was like the Heaven's Path Divine Art; its current level was low and unremarkable, but when it came to low-level techniques, even the most precious peerless manuals on the continent might not be as formidable, condensing such pure true qi.

In other words, even if a five-star or six-star master teacher came to explain cultivation methods below the Half-Zongshi level, they might not be as incisive and direct to the essence as he was.

"Let's begin the third stage, the Puppet Hall assessment!"

Knowing it was useless to talk with such a freak—the more he said, the more frustrated he became—Master Wu pointed to the third door.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"In the Puppet Hall, there will be no more scores. Inside, there will be a red puppet and a blue puppet, both of similar strength. You will guide them so that the red one defeats the blue one, and that will be passing the assessment."

Master Wu explained some rules.

"Good!" Hearing that it was similar to what Ling Xiaoxiao had said, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate and pushed the door open to enter.

Inside the room was a circular arena, about twenty meters in diameter, with two puppets standing on it—one in blue, one in red.

As he entered, the two puppets began to fight.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They exchanged blows, fists whistling through the air.

"Peak Tongxuan realm strength?"

Zhang Xuan was astonished.

These two puppets could actually exert peak Tongxuan realm power, with astonishing techniques and agile movements. If they fought a peak Tongxuan realm expert alone, the latter might not even be a match.

Peak Tongxuan realm—in Tianxuan Kingdom, that was the level of a supreme elder-level super expert. Here, even a puppet wasn't as good.

As expected of the Master Teacher Hall!

"This stage is indeed very difficult. No wonder one must reach peak Tongxuan realm to pass the master teacher assessment; this is the reason!"

He sighed.

If one's own strength wasn't sufficient, it would naturally be hard to point out the flaws and weaknesses of peak Tongxuan realm fighters. Without finding them, how could one pass the assessment?

"Let's begin!"

Understanding this, he didn't dwell on it and looked at the two puppets fighting.

His current strength had reached Half-Zongshi. As long as it was below this level, without using the library, he could clearly see the flaws and weaknesses.

Because he cultivated the most correct path; anything different from his cultivation was an error, and it was very easy to spot.

Soon, he had observed and memorized the flaws of both puppets.

Whoosh!

The battle stopped.

As before in the auxiliary hall, a voice sounded, asking him to guide the red puppet to victory.

The voice ended, and both sides gathered strength, ready to begin the second round at any moment.

"The red puppet uses power that is fierce and violent, while the blue puppet is light and agile. In a fight between them, each has its strengths, making it hard to determine a winner... Since that's the case, I'll point out the flaws of both, strengthening the red and weakening the blue..."

Soon a response formed in his mind, and he even simulated it, feeling certain he would win, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

No sooner had his thoughts settled than the two were fighting again.

"Red puppet, move back three inches, rotate half a stance to the right, and punch..."

Seeing them fight again, Zhang Xuan began to guide.

...

"Do you think he can pass this level? Being good at alchemy doesn't necessarily mean he's good at guiding cultivation!"

"It seems you don't know yet. Just now, Master Hongyun said that this Zhang Xuan is a student of a master teacher above three stars!"

"A student of a master teacher above three stars? Then... he's sure to pass!"

"Indeed..."

Master teachers excel at guiding; as his student, his guidance in cultivation might be even more formidable than his alchemy. If he couldn't pass this, it would be laughable.

"Although this level has no score, it has time and move limits, and many people compare themselves on this basis!"

Standing before the gate of the third level, Master Wu stroked his beard.

The other master teachers nodded.

For two people of equal strength, guiding one to defeat the other—taking three minutes versus ten seconds—naturally represents different concepts.

After receiving guidance, defeating the opponent in a hundred moves versus defeating them in one move also yields different results.

"I recall that Master Mo's guidance allowed the red puppet to defeat the blue puppet in less than twenty moves, which became a celebrated tale!" Master Wu glanced at Mo Hongyi to the side.

"It was seventeen moves."

Mo Hongyi nodded, a look of confidence in his eyes.

"Indeed, seventeen moves! To make one of two evenly matched puppets prevail in so few moves requires an extremely profound understanding of cultivation!"

After praising, Master Wu looked at the gate before them: "I wonder how many moves this Zhang Xuan will take!"

"I want to see too!" Mo Hongyi's eyes flashed.

The other had already broken his records repeatedly; he also wanted to see how formidable this kid from Tianxuan Kingdom really was, and whether his guidance in cultivation was equally strong.

...

"It's one thing for someone under twenty to excel in alchemy, but I don't believe he's also excellent in cultivation!"

Jiang Chen snorted, his eyes fixed on the gate ahead.

Having grown up in a master teacher family, guided by his father, he had taken almost no detours and had a thorough understanding of cultivation. When he took this level, it took him a full twenty-five moves to complete; he didn't believe this kid could be faster.

"The two puppets' demonstration fight takes about 300 breaths. Ten breaths later, the next round begins! At one move per breath, after 310 breaths, we can calculate how many moves he used..."

Though he felt the other might not surpass him, Jiang Chen was still tense.

This guy was too unpredictable.

In the past, if someone told him that a student taught for just a few days could have an affinity of 85, he would have spat in their face.

If someone said they could score 130 in the auxiliary hall, he would have torn their mouth apart.

But now... all of it had happened with this guy.

Although Princess Mo Yu's relationship made him somewhat hostile, he had to admit that this guy indeed possessed abilities beyond ordinary imagination.

"312, 313, 314..."

His right finger lightly tapped the back of his left hand as he counted the time.

The longer he counted, the brighter his eyes became.

"333, 334, 335!"

Soon he counted to 335 breaths, meaning it was about the same number of moves he had used in his guidance, yet the other still hadn't come out. Jiang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, a look of joy on his face.

"Haha, it seems his guidance in cultivation isn't that impressive..."

He snorted coldly, his eyebrows lifting involuntarily.

He had thought this guy would be as surprising as in the first two levels, but having not come out by 335 breaths meant that under his guidance... the other hadn't settled the fight in twenty-five moves. Even if he came out now, his result would surely be inferior.

...

Not only Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, but Master Wu and Mo Hongyi also exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously.

"It seems he's still a bit weak in guiding cultivation!"

"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. He may be good at alchemy but weaker in guiding cultivation. However..."

Mo Hongyi raised his head, a flash of intimidating light in his eyes: "He's putting the cart before the horse, nothing to fear!"

You are taking the master teacher exam; a master teacher's greatest duty is to guide people in cultivation, helping them increase their power.

No matter how superb his alchemy, people might as well go directly to an alchemist—why come to you?

It's like a teacher who can't teach but says he's good at flying planes—what use is that?

Every profession must fulfill its own duties.

Originally, his brilliance in the first two levels made him think this guy might be a future rival, but now it seemed he had worried too much.

If he was weak in guiding cultivation, this master teacher was nothing to fear.

"Indeed, what a pity..."

Master Wu understood this too, showing a hint of regret.

Having been so outstanding in the first two levels, he had thought he would also dominate the third level, with an advantage even Mo Hongyi couldn't match, but now it seemed he had overthought.

Who in the world excels at everything?

Having such an incredible alchemy ability was already terrifying; to expect him to also have a profound understanding of cultivation—wasn't that asking too much?

As they were lost in thought, after another ten or so breaths, the door creaked open, revealing Zhang Xuan's head.

"A total of 352 breaths, meaning the two sides fought about 42 moves..."

Jiang Chen sneered coldly, about to mock him, when he saw the young man who had poked his head out scratching his head awkwardly, looking very embarrassed.

"Um... when I was guiding just now, it seems I used too much force, and the red puppet smashed the blue puppet's head off... I tried to fix it for a long time but couldn't reattach it... Excuse me... does this count as a failure?"

"Smashed its head off?"

"The two puppets are nearly identical in structure and strength. After guidance, the best one can do is defeat the other. Smashing the head off—what kind of situation is that?"

Everyone around fell over, and there was dead silence.