Silence.
Once again, the scene fell into absolute silence.
Lan Cen turned to Yue Zhao with a dazed expression. "Your junior sister… is she always this… special?"
Yue Zhao looked even more bewildered. "If I said I don't actually know her, would you believe me?"
"Senior Brother, do you have any more spirit melon seeds? I'm running out!" Yun Jin suddenly called out.
Lan Cen stared at Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao wordlessly tossed a bag of seeds to Yun Jin but still insisted, "She's just shouting randomly. I really don't know her."
Lan Cen nodded slowly.
Sure. Whatever you say.
While the cauldron diligently refined the pills on its own, the crowd had nothing better to do than watch Yun Jin eat melon seeds.
Crunch. Crunch.
One after another.
And honestly… they looked pretty tasty.
After a while, Yun Jin noticed that everyone was watching her, especially Ming Heng.
He wasn't just watching.
His eyes held confusion, suppressed anger, and even a look that suggested he wanted to stab something.
She didn't get it.
Was eating seeds really that offensive?
[+3 Emotional Value.]
Seeing the numbers roll in, Yun Jin made a decision: she absolutely had to keep snacking. No stopping now.
"You're seriously just going to sit there and eat melon seeds?" Ming Heng ground his teeth.
Yun Jin paused, then brightened. "You're bored too, huh? Here, have some." She offered him a handful.
Ming Heng inhaled deeply, fighting to keep his composure. "I meant, why aren't you controlling the alchemy flame?"
Technically, assessors weren't supposed to interfere with the test.
But he couldn't take it anymore.
She had thrown the herbs in without even preparing them. She'd even skipped ingredients from the original recipe. Any normal alchemist would be terrified to relax for even a breath while refining pills, watching every flicker of flame, fearful that one moment of carelessness would ruin the entire batch.
But Yun Jin?
She was sitting there cracking seeds.
This wasn't an assessment. This was an insult to alchemists everywhere!
"Control the flame?" Yun Jin replied, perfectly righteous. "No need. The assessment furnace is pretty good. It can light itself. If a furnace needs constant supervision to do its job, is it really a good furnace?"
Ming Heng prided himself on his calm demeanor.
But now, his chest was visibly rising and falling. If not for the fact this was an official assessment, he might have lost it already.
He ground his teeth. "There's no such thing as a self-refining furnace! Keep doing this, and that cauldron will explode in a few breaths!"
Upon hearing that, Yun Jin inhaled sharply. Then another breath. And another.
"What are you doing now?" Ming Heng spat the words through clenched teeth.
"I've taken several breaths already, Master Ming," Yun Jin said, a little wronged. "And the furnace hasn't exploded."
Ming Heng's mind went blank. He opened his mouth to retort, "That's because—"
Because what?
Yun Jin looked at him innocently, clearly eager to learn.
His words stalled in his throat.
Wait.
Why hadn't it exploded yet?
He whipped his head toward the cauldron.
It was quietly rotating, emitting the faint fragrance of medicinal herbs.
"Grandmaster Ming, what were you saying?" Yun Jin asked sweetly.
Ming Heng's eyes widened.
This…
This was impossible.
Was the cauldron really refining pills by itself?!
Had he gone mad?
Had the cauldron gone mad?
Or had the entire world lost its mind?!
His decades of alchemy knowledge crumbled before his eyes.
"What… what did you do?!" he demanded.
Yun Jin shrugged. "I didn't do anything. Everyone saw what I did."
Indeed, everyone had. She was just a little girl in the Qi Refining stage. Under so many watching eyes, there was no room for tricks.
Which meant... the furnace really was refining pills on its own?
Impossible.
Ming Heng began to doubt his entire life.
"Honestly," Yun Jin sighed, "instead of overworking myself, it's better to let the furnace handle it. It's so dedicated."
Ming Heng gritted his teeth. "The path of alchemy is deep and complex. Clearly, something unusual is happening in this process. Perhaps… perhaps the true method of refining the Biling Pill is to discard all other ingredients and use only Biling Grass and Purifying Liquid?"
He spoke as if trying to convince himself, then fell into thought.
Raising his head, he stared intently at the furnace.
It hadn't exploded—true.
But whether it would produce actual pills, that remained to be seen.
There was no way such crude techniques could succeed.
Yet the fragrance only grew richer, more potent, swirling thickly in the air until the entire street was filled with it.
Yun Jin remained unbothered, lazily cracking seeds.
Meanwhile, Ming Heng had risen to his feet, not daring to blink.
The scent was more intense than even a typical Biling Pill. More alluring.
The crowd began to stir.
What was happening?!
Could this chaotic method actually work?!
They'd all seen Yun Jin's "technique."
To summarize: Even they could do it!
If this succeeded, could they become alchemists too?!
"Young man," Chen Changrong asked Yue Zhao, "is this some secret refining method of your junior sister's?"
Yue Zhao: "...Maybe?"
Chen Changrong stroked his chin.
If this batch succeeded, should he try this "new method" too?
For now, the final product would decide everything.
Pills were graded in three tiers: standard, elite, and perfect.
The higher the grade, the greater the spiritual power and effectiveness.
If the pills reached at least standard grade, it would count as a success.
Elite or perfect? That was wishful thinking.
Having dealt in herbs for years, Chen Changrong knew more about alchemy than most. Even certified alchemists failed often, especially those of lower rank. That was why the assessment gave three sets of herbs.
Most candidates would be considered excellent if they succeeded even once. And most pills produced were of standard grade. Elite pills were rare, and perfect pills? Practically a myth for low-tier alchemists. Even Ming Heng, a third-tier alchemist, rarely achieved elite grade with first-tier pills. Perfect? Almost never.
Time passed.
The aroma thickened.
The crowd grew restless.
Ming Heng's expression grew increasingly grave.
Something was happening. The batch was close to completion.
When the pill was ready, the final step was extinguishing the fire and collecting the product. This was a crucial moment. The alchemist had to cool the furnace gradually and precisely, ensuring the pills formed at the exact right moment. Too early or too late could ruin everything—either the pills or the furnace.
That level of control only came with experience.
Did this girl have it?
Ming Heng was anxious now.
If this batch succeeded, it would be of immense research value.
If not for the assessment rules, he'd have rushed up to help.
"Oh, looks like it's almost done," Yun Jin said, dusting off her hands and approaching the furnace.
Ming Heng held his breath.
Anyone watching might have thought it was his test instead.