Soon, more people approached, most of whom received five reverberations. However, one of them only received four reverberations, upon which Elder Xu flicked his sleeve, sending that disciple spinning away.
“Elder Xu!” the disciple exclaimed, face flickering. “I thought volume four of plants and vegetation was the minimum requirement to be able to take the test!”
“The rules have changed. Now it’s the fifth volume.”
“But….” The young man stared in shock, then bitterly clasped his hands and bowed. Not daring to say anything further, he left.
This turn of events caused the sound of whispered conversations to swell. Xu Baocai’s eyes flickered with surprise, and he suddenly produced a tiny notebook, within which he began to take notes. Bai Xiaochun looked over and saw a page filled with lines of handwriting, each character as small as the head of a fly. Apparently it was a record of all matters pertaining to the sect, large and small alike. Bai Xiaochun couldn’t help but admire how seriously Xu Baocai took the whole matter.
It was at this point that Zhao Yiduo stood up and entered the passageway. The reverberations echoed out six times, after which Elder Xu opened his eyes and nodded slightly. Zhao Yiduo clasped hands and then stepped out of the passageway.
Chen Zi’ang’s eyes flickered. He and Zhao Yiduo had never gotten along, so he snorted coldly and walked into the passageway, after which six reverberations could be heard.
After giving Zhao Yiduo a meaningful stare, and sat back down cross-legged off to the side.
The fact that both Zhao Yiduo and Chen Zi’ang had received six reverberations caused a buzz of envious conversation to rise up. At the same time, Du Lingfei’s eyes flickered, and she walked through the passageway. As she did, six reverberations could be heard, which caused even more envious gleams to appear in the eyes of the onlookers.
Murmured conversations instantly broke out.
“Chen Zi’ang, Zhao Yiduo, and Du Lingfei are all persons of outstanding talent within the Outer Sect. Not only have they mastered five volumes of plants and vegetation, but they also have command of the first volume of spirit creatures. I would say that they have a seventy to eighty percent chance of passing the test and being promoted to journeyman apothecary.”
“Historically speaking, anyone who takes the journeyman apothecary test having already mastered six stone steles will pass, as long as that disciple’s performance in medicine concocting isn’t lacking.”
Even as everyone discussed the matter, Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about Zhou Xinqi’s fans. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a figure suddenly appeared off in the distance, speeding along the mountain path. It was a middle-aged man, his hair completely disheveled, but his eyes sparkling with life. Even before he arrived, his voice echoed out to be heard by all.
“I, Han Jianye, having spent seven years in secluded meditation, and have finally made a huge breakthrough in my skill with plants and vegetation. Finally, I have emerged once again into the world, not just be promoted to journeyman apothecary, but to become the top journeyman apothecary in the entire test!” Looking very proud and lofty, he flickered through the air toward the giant pill furnace’s passageway.
Elder Xu didn’t pay the man any heed, not even deigning to open his eyes. However, everyone else in the crowd seemed astonished to have heard the name Han Jianye.
“Han Jianye? Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him before.”
“Considering how old he is, he must be an Outer Sect disciple from seven or eight years ago…. He wants to be the top journeyman apothecary, which isn’t a very easy thing to do.”
Even as everyone expressed their shock, Han Jianye stepped into the passageway, looking extremely proud and confident. Almost immediately, powerful reverberations began to echo out into the air.
One reverberation, two reverberations… five, six, seven… before anyone in the crowd could even react, eight reverberations echoed out from within the pill furnace.
Elder Xu’s eyes snapped open, and he looked over at the middle-aged man, a broad smile of praise on his face.
“Five volumes of plants and vegetation, and three volumes of spirit creatures,” he said. “Excellent!”
Looking very excited, Han Jianye clasped hands and bowed to Elder Xu. Then he turned, and when he looked at Du Lingfei and the others, the pride in his eyes was very clear. Swishing his sleeves, he sat down confidently in front of the center-most of the pill furnaces.
Finally, gasps could be heard from the crowd, as well as the clamor of conversation.
“Eight reverberations! Not only did he master everything about plants and vegetation, he even got through three volumes of spirit creatures!”
“It seems he might be able to do exactly as he said and become the top journeyman apothecary!”
When Bai Xiaochun witnessed what happened, he was left feeling quite underwhelmed. Therefore, when everyone in the crowd started getting excited, he almost couldn’t believe it.
“He only mastered three volumes of spirit creatures, right?” he asked of Xu Baocai. “Why is everyone making such a big fuss?” If he remembered correctly, when it came to the third stone stele of spirit creatures, over a thousand people were listed as having passed it. Even the tenth stone stele had been passed by hundreds of people.
Xu Baocai rolled his eyes, feeling more contemptuous than ever of Bai Xiaochun. Of course, he didn’t dare give voice to that contempt, and instead cleared his throat and said, “Elder Brother Bai, you just don’t understand. To master all five volumes of plants and vegetation is hard enough as it is. The volumes of spirit creatures are even harder! Even mastering one of them is enough to make you the subject of much envy. Obviously, to master three is even more shocking. Do you think everyone can be consummate Chosen like Zhou Xinqi or the little turtle? Look, just forget about those two. On all of Fragrant Cloud Peak, there are probably less than fifty people who have passed the stone steles of all five volumes of plants and vegetation plus all five volumes of spirit creatures!
“Each and every one of those people are dragons and phoenixes among mortals. Think about it! There are a lot of names on those stone steles, but those name lists are thousands of years old. Plus, many of those people have already moved on to the Inner Sect, leaving only their names behind here in the Outer Sect!
“Furthermore, you only need to master five volumes to take this test. This guy has eight! Just as he said, he’s definitely going to become the top journeyman apothecary, which will earn him the 5,000 merit point prize.”
Although Xu Baocai’s words were actually a bit contemptuous if you paid close attention, Bai Xiaochun didn’t really notice. Eyes gleaming with elation, he looked at Xu Baocai and said, “Did you just say that Zhou Xinqi and the little turtle are consummate Chosen? Are they really that awesome?”
“Of course! Especially the little turtle. He’s completely shocking. He’s the first person in a thousand years to get first place in all ten stone steles. Elder Brother Bai, I have to say, you really shouldn’t aim too high.” Even as the contempt in Xu Baocai’s heart rose to new heights, Bai Xiaochun laughed heartily. The more he was around Xu Baocai, the more he liked him. Clapping him on the shoulder, he suddenly strode forward.
Xu Baocai gaped in shock as Bai Xiaochun walked toward the passageway. Of course, Bai Xiaochun was somewhat well-known for his skill with plants and vegetation, considering that he had defeated Du Lingfei. It was a given that he would eventually take this test.
However, what happened next caused Xu Baocai’s eyes to bulge. Xu Baocai strode proudly into the passageway, after which a flash of light could be seen, and the muffled reverberations began.
One, two, three… six, seven, eight!
Everyone became deathly quiet. However, the reverberations didn’t stop. A ninth reverberation echoed out and then… a tenth!