Elder Zhou chuckled as he heard Han Yu’s nervous question. "Pass?"
Elder Xuan leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with amusent.
"You passed an exam that ninety-nine percent of candidates fail. With a score above seventy-four percent, according to our judgnt."
Han Yu blinked. "Seventy-four? That’s it?"
Elder Zhou raised a brow. "That’s excellent. Only two other Outer Court disciples in the last decade managed more than seventy. And most Inner Court candidates don’t even break fifty."
Xuan nodded. "Frankly, if we weren’t already inford you had no formal alchemy training, we would have assud you were already a low-grade certified alchemist."
Han Yu resisted the urge to grin.
Instead, he simply bowed his head. "Thank you, Elders."
"Still," Zhou said, folding the scroll, "you’ll need refinent. Theory can only take you so far. But we’re willing to grant you direct entry into the Alchemy Peak’s Outer Pavilion."
Elder Xuan added, "It ans you’ll be allowed to use our basic alchemical facilities and resources. You’ll be registered as a formal apprentice. If you continue to improve, you may even earn recomndation to join a master as a disciple."
Then she leaned forward, voice softer.
"And I would suggest you do. Your talent is... abnormal."
Han Yu gave a light cough. "I’ve just had a good teacher."
Xuan’s eyes narrowed. "Still. Keep this level of understanding quiet for now. You’ll draw attention—so of it unwanted."
Han Yu understood the unspoken aning.
Jealousy. Competition. Politics.
"I understand," he said seriously.
What Han Yu didn’t know was that he had probably gotten the best examiners he could’ve hoped for. Elder Zhou and Elder Xuan were quite old and were still junior elders. This wasn’t due to a lack of their alchemical talent or understanding, but simply due to the bottlenecks in their cultivation.
And due to this very reason, they had seen and taught many disciples, making them relatively grounded as compared to higher ranked elders that thrived on arrogance.
Elder Zhou nodded. "Good. Report to the Alchemy Peak Outer Pavilion at first light tomorrow. Soone will walk you through the procedures. Dismissed."
Han Yu stood and bowed once more, then turned and walked out of the chamber, his steps light.
He had done it.
He was officially in.
And for the first ti since arriving in the sect, Han Yu felt like he had found a path that wasn’t just about survival.
But growth.
And maybe...
Sothing more.
Han Yu stepped out of the testing chamber, the ornate jade doors sliding shut behind him with a soft hum. The sunlight filtering through the canopies above the Alchemy Peak felt warr now, almost celebratory.
And waiting right outside, leaning with arms folded beside a spirit bamboo pillar, was none other than Li i.
She pushed off the post the mont she saw him, eyes scanning his expression with visible concern.
"Well?" she asked, walking up to him. "How did it go?"
Han Yu lowered his head, casting a mournful gaze at the tiled stone steps beneath his feet. His lips trembled, his voice soft and pitiful.
"...I... I don’t want to talk about it..."
Li i’s eyes widened. "W-What? Don’t tell —did they... Did you fail?"
Tears shimred dramatically in Han Yu’s eyes. He sniffled, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye, playing the part to perfection.
"I... I only got... seventy-four percent..." he whispered, voice barely audible.
For a second, Li i’s expression twisted in sympathy. She reached out and gently patted his shoulder.
"It’s okay," she said softly, trying to comfort him. "You’ll pass next month. Don’t feel bad. Most fail the first few tis. You just have to—"
"...Wait."
She froze.
Her brows drew together slowly.
"...Did you just say seventy-four percent?"
Han Yu nodded miserably.
Sothing snapped in Li i’s expression.
A vein popped on her temple.
"YOUUUU—!!!"
Before Han Yu could so much as flinch, Li i’s hand shot out like a whip, slamming into his back with an open palm BAM that echoed across the mountain path.
"Aaaaarghhh!" Han Yu let out a strangled yelp as his body launched like a ragdoll down the steps of the Alchemy Peak’s front courtyard.
He tumbled down three flights of stairs, limbs flailing, robes flapping, and a stream of curses flying out with each bounce.
"Spirit Qi–assisted abuse!" he cried out dramatically mid-roll. "Senior Sister Li i! You’re too strong for ! This is power abuse!"
He finally landed with a groan on the last stone step, crumpled in a heap of fabric and mild indignity.
From the top of the stairs, Li i stord down, her long hair swaying with each step, eyes blazing.
"You absolute jerk!" she snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Seventy-four percent?! And you made that sound like you failed?! Do you even know how hard it is to get seventy-four percent on the Alchemy Peak exam?!"
Han Yu sat up, rubbing his back and wincing. "That’s elder abuse! You said I could cry if I was below eighty percent!"
"I ant taphorically!" she growled. "Not... not theatrically!"
Before he could get up again, Li i lunged forward and smacked the back of his head—not too hard this ti, just enough to make a point. Then again. And again.
"Next ti,"
smack
"say your score properly,"
smack
"before you pull that tragic orphan act again!"
"Okay! Okay! rcy!" Han Yu cried, shielding his head. "I confess! I was being dramatic!"
"Dramatic?!" she yelled, raising a clenched fist. "I’ll show you drama! I’ll feed you one of my ’Emotional Essence’ pills and make you sob through the next lunar cycle!"
Han Yu paled. "No, not the crying pill again! That one made recite poetry about onion buns for six hours straight!"
"Serves you right!"
But after a few more angry puffs and fake threats about turning his hair pink with herbal dyes, her expression softened.
She stood there, arms crossed, breathing out slowly as her anger began to lt into sothing warr.
"...Seventy-four percent," she said, quieter now. "That’s better than I expected. Better than almost anyone gets on their first try. You could’ve told without pretending to be a sad puppy."
Han Yu chuckled weakly, standing up and brushing himself off. "What can I say? I live for the drama." And he sure did, as he enjoyed a decent harvest of Eight Emotions Energy from Li i.
He had gotten so Surprise energy from the elders too but was too confused to tell if they were surprised due to his answers being right or being absurd so wasn’t too sure back then.
Li i rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept onto her lips nonetheless.
"Idiot."
She walked up and flicked his forehead lightly—this ti without violence.
"...But seriously. Good job, Han Yu. That was a great score. You’re officially an Alchemy Peak apprentice now."
Han Yu grinned, finally standing tall.
"I know. Guess this scam artist’s cooking with real herbs now, huh?"
Li i laughed, shaking her head.
"You better not blow up one of the cauldrons on your first day."
"No promises," he said with a wink.
And with that, the two walked back down the steps together, the breeze at their backs and the scent of herbs drifting through the air.
Han Yu had officially taken his first step into the world of alchemy—and this ti, for once, he wasn’t faking it.
User Comments
0 comments from readers