Chapter 321: The Madness of Mo Hongyi

“45, no mistakes!”“50, no mistakes!”“55, no mistakes!”

The continuous voices grew softer and slower, as if the speakers could no longer suppress their astonishment.

Reaching 55 points without a single mistake meant the alchemy guidance was already more than halfway through... More than halfway without a mistake?

Even the peerless genius Mo Hongyi couldn't achieve this back then! One could even say, since the Master Teacher examinations began in Tianwu Kingdom, such an impressive score had never been seen.

“This... impossible! Guiding alchemy without a single mistake throughout the entire process, even a 3-star alchemist can't do that... How can a country bumpkin like him manage it?”

Jiang Chen's lips trembled, and his body shook uncontrollably.

While the 1-star Master Teacher examination only involved guiding the refinement of 1st-grade pills, the puppet's alchemy steps were custom-designed using the process of a 4-star Grandmaster Alchemist refining 1st-grade pills as a template.

A 4-star Grandmaster's understanding of pills had reached an incredibly profound level; their refinement of 1st-grade pills could be described as flawless.

It was the perfect standard answer. What did it mean to be more than halfway through the refinement with no mistakes? Didn't it indicate that the person inside was already comparable to a 4-star Grandmaster Alchemist in the art of alchemy?

How could this be possible? The most skilled alchemist in the entire Tianwu Kingdom, the Guild Master, was only at the early stage of a 3-star alchemist. Like the newly promoted Alchemist Hong, he was still a long way from 4-star.

A youth not yet twenty years old, reaching 4-star?

“Could it be... that Princess Mo Yu was telling the truth?” someone in the crowd whispered. Upon hearing this, everyone's pupils involuntarily constricted.

Previously, Princess Mo Yu, a 2-star alchemist herself, had said that Zhang Xuan was like a half-teacher to her, and that without him, she could not have passed her examination. Everyone had been skeptical. Later, when he revealed his alchemy rank... 1-star! They all thought the princess was exaggerating.

He was just a 1-star alchemist; how good could he possibly be? Now, seeing this, they understood it must be true. If it wasn't true, how could he have gone through the entire process so far without a single mistake?

“Don't worry, mistakes will definitely appear. Even a 4-star Grandmaster refining 1st-grade pills cannot guarantee flawless perfection every single time...”

Jiang Chen's face was contorted, and veins bulged on his forehead. He had expected the fellow to be exposed and disgraced as soon as he took the exam, but unexpectedly, he was so extraordinary, going over halfway through the guidance without a single error!

“60, no mistakes!”

Amidst the shocked expressions of the crowd, the score on the wall continued to increase steadily, showing no signs of stopping.

“It has already surpassed Master Mo Hongyi's record!”“Indeed, we thought this record would stand for centuries, but who knew it would be broken so soon?”“This Zhang Xuan's understanding of alchemy is truly too profound. Not only is his score high, but more importantly, he's had no mistakes so far. Won't he set a new record?”“Who knows? But judging by the current trend... this record is definitely going to be set. We just don't know how high it will go! 65? 70? Or even 75?”

As the score continued to climb, the crowd's faces grew increasingly tense. Master Wu, in charge of the examination, was also completely stiff, sweat pouring down his forehead. He had been overseeing examinations for years, but this was the first time he had witnessed such a situation. Over sixty points, yet not a single mistake – no one would believe it if he told them.

“Wait, look, a mistake!”

Just as everyone thought the fellow would continue flawlessly until the very end, the score on the wall suddenly flickered, dropping from 60 directly to 59! A drop in score indicated an error in guidance!

“He did make a mistake after all! I thought he'd be flawless the whole way; you scared me to death...”“Right, I kept saying it's impossible for someone to guide alchemy without a single error; it defies logic...”Seeing the score drop, everyone finally sighed in relief. If he had truly been completely flawless, it would have been terrifying. It would have meant this guy had already defied the heavens. Fortunately, that situation hadn't occurred.

“As time passes, the heat in the pill furnace accumulates, and the more herbs that are fused, the greater the chance of making mistakes. Even if there are no errors early on, it doesn't guarantee there won't be any later, and they might even become more frequent!”A Master Teacher specializing in auxiliary alchemy stroked his beard from within the crowd. Everyone nodded in agreement with his words.

This is precisely why becoming an alchemist is so difficult. As the pill flame burns the cauldron over time, the temperature inside steadily rises. Fusing two herbs is simple, but fusing dozens causes fundamental changes, and unexpected conflicts are bound to occur. It's like stacking blocks: one or two are easy, but stack hundreds, and even a slight error or instability early on can lead to total collapse. A millimeter off can lead to a thousand miles of error. In anything, the further you go, the harder it becomes. Zhang Xuan's initial flawlessness was astonishing, but once a mistake appeared, it was like ink dropping into clear water, impossible to stop.

“Hmph, I thought you wouldn't make a mistake...” Jiang Chen also breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue speaking when his pupils suddenly constricted. On the wall, the number that had just dropped flickered, then suddenly increased sharply!

In a quiet room within the Master Teacher Pavilion.

Mo Hongyi sat there, regulating his breathing, as visible streams of spiritual energy permeated his skin, slowly increasing his cultivation. He suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of displeasure on his face: “Didn't I say not to disturb me when I'm cultivating?”

The door creaked open. A young man resembling a servant, with a slightly flustered expression, entered: “This subordinate did not intend to disturb Your Highness, it's because...” At this point, he stammered.

“Speak!” Mo Hongyi frowned.

“It's because someone is taking the 1-star Master Teacher examination!” the youth quickly said.

“Master Teachers are the foremost profession. Every day, countless people with dreams go to Master Teacher Pavilions everywhere to strive for it, but only a handful can pass!” Mo Hongyi had thought it was something major. Hearing this, he shook his head, his face devoid of emotion: “Is that all? If that's it, for disturbing my cultivation, go receive your punishment: 100 lashes, not one less!” He loathed being disturbed during cultivation and had set a rule that anyone who dared to disturb him would be punished. Hearing “100 lashes,” the youth shuddered and hastily looked up: “It's not just that... The person taking the exam has a Mind of Clarity scale of 51!”

“A Mind of Clarity scale of 51? Stronger than Mo Yu?” His eyes flickered. Clearly, this news greatly surprised him.

“It's nothing special, but to reach that scale before even taking the 1-star Master Teacher examination indicates good talent!” Though startled, Mo Hongyi wasn't shocked. He was a super genius with a Mind of Clarity scale exceeding 60; a mere 51 was still a significant gap compared to him.

“Someone with a Mind of Clarity scale of 51 taking the Master Teacher exam is indeed a big deal, but it's not enough to disturb my cultivation. Go back and receive 50 lashes!” Mo Hongyi waved his hand, saying no more.

“Your Highness, this subordinate... hasn't finished speaking yet...” Seeing him about to continue cultivating, the youth quickly said.

“What else?” Mo Hongyi's eyebrows furrowed.

“The person taking the exam is named Zhang Xuan, he's not yet twenty, and he just brought several sixteen or seventeen-year-old students into the Trust Hall examination... The result was 85 points!” Fearing he would displease the other party by speaking too slowly, the youth quickened his pace.

“Trust Hall eighty... five points?” His composure shattered, Mo Hongyi abruptly stood up. To earn such high trust from students was unheard of; it was beyond imagination.

“Yes!” The youth nodded, an expression of disbelief on his face, and continued: “And that's not all. He is currently undergoing the second stage, the Auxiliary Occupation Hall examination. He reached 60 points, and all of it without a single mistake!”

“Reached sixty points without a mistake? This... How is this possible?” Mo Hongyi's face changed. He was the best performer in the Auxiliary Occupation Hall examination in the entire guild's thousand-year history, and even he made five errors. Not a single mistake? Wouldn't that mean he was even more talented than him?

“Yes... But the strange thing is this: at 60 points, an error occurred, and one point was deducted. But then... the next moment, it immediately became 62 points!” The youth still didn't understand what had happened, even suspecting that the Master Teacher Pavilion's wall display might be broken.

“One point deducted, making it 59, but then instantly changing to 62?” Mo Hongyi had never heard of such a situation either and couldn't help but be stunned.

“That's exactly right!” At this, the youth's face was still full of hesitation: “And...”“And, later, this happened three more times: first a deduction, then a rapid increase of three points...”

“Deducted points, then increased? What on earth is happening? The Master Teacher Pavilion's wall was forged by a Grandmaster of Formations, incorporating the efforts of countless Master Teachers, and it has stood for thousands of years without issue. How could it suddenly be like this?” Mo Hongyi wondered: “Has anyone checked if it's broken?”

“Master Wu, who is in charge of the examination, was right there. He specifically checked and confirmed there were no errors...” the youth said.

“No errors, yet after deducting points, it rapidly increases? This...” Mo Hongyi shook his head, then suddenly froze, realizing something. His pupils involuntarily constricted to pinprick size: “What did you just say? After he reached 60 points, it happened once, and then three more times?”

“Yes!” the youth nodded.

“Then...” Mo Hongyi's lips trembled: “How many points... does he have now?” If it happened once, it became 62 points. If it happened three times, wouldn't that mean the score was already over 62? Even if it increased by two points each time, it would reach 68! 68 points in the Auxiliary Occupation Hall examination? This was... unprecedented in the entire guild! Could it be that this Zhang Xuan's genius truly surpassed his own? How was that possible?

“He... he currently has...” Thinking of the score, the youth seemed to recall something terrifying. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he opened his mouth several times before slowly uttering the words.

“101 points!”