Chapter 322: High Master

Mo Hongyi's body trembled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Damn it!

The auxiliary hall's maximum score is only 100, and he got 101?

Is that for real?

No wonder this subordinate was trembling like crazy; if it were him, he'd be shaking too!

He got a 60 and became instantly famous, making countless people envious. What the hell is 101?

"The most crucial thing is... 101 doesn't seem to be the final score. His score is still increasing, and the assessment in the auxiliary hall isn't over yet..." the young man couldn't help but say.

"It's not over yet?"

Mo Hongyi felt like tearing his hair out.

For a one-star master teacher assessment, scores above 60 in the auxiliary hall are incredibly rare, almost unheard of. And now 101... and it's still not finished...

This is madness, absolute madness!

"Let's go take a look!"

Unable to hold back any longer, he lifted his foot and started walking out.

"Your Highness, what about my punishment...?" Just as he was about to follow, the young man hesitated and couldn't help but ask.

"Punishment? What punishment? Go collect your reward: ten luminous pearls and a fine steel sword!"

Mo Hongyi waved his hand and strode towards the master teacher assessment area.

Hearing there would be no punishment and even a reward, the young man knew he had done the right thing by reporting this. His face lit up, and he hurried to follow.

A similar scene was unfolding elsewhere.

The Alchemist Guild.

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Alchemist Hong has finally achieved a breakthrough, becoming a three-star alchemist! We are both envious and admire you!"

"Indeed, among us who underwent the two-star alchemist assessment together, you're the only one who has taken this step forward!"

Numerous alchemists surrounded a middle-aged man.

The man wore a long robe, and a dazzling three-star alchemist badge glittered on his chest.

It was Alchemist Hong, who had recently become a three-star alchemist.

The assessment had been completed some time ago; his badge, signifying his new status, had only just arrived today.

In the Tianwu Kingdom Alchemist Guild, the highest level was three-star. Reaching this rank meant one was on par with the Guild President.

"You are all too kind. It was merely a stroke of luck. While I was out recently, I encountered an esteemed master who offered some guidance, and it instantly enlightened me. Had I relied solely on my own abilities, I wouldn't know how long it would have taken!" Alchemist Hong said.

"Even encountering an esteemed master requires good comprehension. I wonder when we'll be able to achieve such a breakthrough!"

Hearing his humble words, an alchemist shook his head with a bitter smile.

"This is bad..."

Just then, an alchemist apprentice rushed in frantically.

"Why are you so flustered? What an unseemly display!"

Recognizing the apprentice as his own student, Alchemist Hong waved a dismissive hand.

"Yes!" The apprentice stopped, panting heavily from urgency.

"I just sent you to ask Master Teacher Jiang Chen about the banquet. What did he say? Will Princess Mo Yu be attending?" Alchemist Hong asked, looking over.

"I..." The apprentice froze. "I... haven't asked yet!"

"You didn't ask?" Alchemist Hong's face darkened with anger. "You can't even handle such a minor task, and you're panicking! You needn't be my apprentice any longer!"

The apprentice's face went white.

Alchemist Hong was a three-star alchemist. Being his apprentice offered a significantly higher starting point than average, providing a great advantage for future one-star alchemist assessments.

Once expelled... it would almost mean the end of his hopes of becoming an alchemist.

"Teacher, I... there's a reason for my panic. Just now... someone undergoing the one-star master teacher assessment chose alchemy when entering the auxiliary hall, and the result was..." The apprentice's body trembled.

"What's wrong? Did he perhaps score 60 points, even higher than Master Mo Hongyi?" Alchemist Hong waved his hand dismissively.

The apprentice shivered. "He... he... scored 101 points?"

"What? 101 points?"

Alchemist Hong's body swayed, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief.

Although alchemists and master teachers belong to distinct professions, many powerful master teachers also pursue alchemy as a minor study, making them quite familiar with each other's fields.

The auxiliary hall assessment has a maximum score of 100. How could someone score 101? What happened?

"101 points in the auxiliary hall?"

"Let's go see!"

Upon hearing the apprentice's words, everyone went wild and collectively headed out.

How powerful must someone be to offer guidance in alchemy in the auxiliary hall and achieve a score of 101?

They all wanted to witness it.

The Alchemist Guild and the Master Teacher Hall were adjacent, so it didn't take long to reach the assessment area. By then, the hall was already packed with people, all gazing intently at the front.

"Master Jiang, what's going on here?"

Scanning the room, Alchemist Hong spotted a familiar figure and approached him.

It was indeed Jiang Chen from earlier.

At that moment, his eyes seemed about to pop out, his body trembled uncontrollably, his fists were clenched, and his face was contorted in terror. Upon seeing Alchemist Hong arrive, he simply pointed forward.

"See for yourself..."

"Hmm?"

He looked up, and upon seeing the numbers displayed on the wall, Alchemist Hong's body also swayed, and he nearly collapsed.

"130? How can there be 130? Isn't the maximum score for the auxiliary hall only 100?"

He let out a cry, almost losing his mind.

On the wall ahead, the four characters "one hundred thirty" were displayed prominently, seemingly piercing everyone's hearts. All the alchemists who had followed him froze in place, dumbfounded.

"I don't know the specifics..."

Jiang Chen shook his head, also somewhat frantic. "Perhaps there's an issue with the auxiliary hall, otherwise, how could such a score be possible?"

"An issue?"

"Exactly, if there's no issue, how could such a high score be achieved?"

"If there's an issue, the assessment should be redone; this score shouldn't count!"

A few people around echoed these sentiments.

A maximum score of a hundred, yet someone achieved a hundred and thirty – anyone would naturally think something was wrong.

"I'll go speak with Master Wu in a moment..." Jiang Chen nodded, but just as he was about to continue, he was interrupted by a voice.

"The assessment hall is a spiritual artifact specially used by the Master Teacher Guild for powerful individuals to cultivate; it's impossible for there to be any issues with it!"

Hearing such a blunt retort, Jiang Chen was about to reprimand the speaker, but when he recognized the person's face, he immediately fell silent. "Since Master Mo says there's no problem, then... what exactly is going on?"

It was indeed the kingdom's top genius, Mo Hongyi.

He, too, was clearly startled by the score on the wall.

"I've heard a legend concerning the master teacher assessment, though I'm unsure if it's true!" Mo Hongyi's expression was grave.

Seeing his solemn expression, everyone around them turned to look at him.

Even Master Wu, who was overseeing the assessment, couldn't help but approach.

"The auxiliary hall assesses guidance. If the guidance is incorrect, points are deducted; if it's correct, points increase. I presume this is something you all already know," Mo Hongyi explained.

Everyone nodded.

"But have any of you considered... what standard defines 'correct' or 'incorrect'?"

Mo Hongyi looked around at the crowd. "Take the current alchemy assessment, for example. The 'correctness' of the guidance is measured against the standard of a four-star alchemist refining a one-star elixir. But what if... a five-star alchemist or even a six-star alchemist were to evaluate this alchemy?"

"This..."

Everyone present was simultaneously shaken.

Knowledge is relative.

What a one-star alchemist considers an absolute truth or a correct approach might not necessarily hold true in the eyes of a three-star alchemist.

A child might believe the sky is round and the earth is square, but an adult would know better.

The auxiliary hall's standard for evaluating alchemy is based on a four-star alchemist, presuming everything such an alchemist does is correct for judgment.

As long as one hasn't reached a four-star level in alchemy, the system would certainly deem their actions flawless. But what if someone... surpassed a four-star level?

If a five-star alchemist, or even a six- or seven-star alchemist, were to assess it, would they still consider it correct?

Likely not.

Perhaps, in the eyes of such powerful individuals, the previously established standard answers would appear riddled with flaws and errors.

"Are you saying... the person being assessed inside, their alchemy skills have already surpassed the four-star level?"

Jiang Chen simply couldn't believe it.

How could that seemingly ordinary young man possess such formidable alchemy skills?

"If not, how do you explain the initial deduction of points followed by a sudden surge? I recall that in the 'Hall of Flawlessness,' the final stage of the master teacher assessment, identifying one error awards one point, two errors yield two points, and so on, increasing proportionally!"

Mo Hongyi's expression was grave. "The person undergoing the assessment must have identified flaws in the 'correct' answers. Initially, the auxiliary hall would have registered these as errors. However, the auxiliary hall is a sentient spiritual artifact. Upon recognizing that the alchemy process became significantly smoother after these 'corrections,' it immediately restored the points and doubled them as a reward."

"This..." Everyone's pupils involuntarily constricted.

"So you're saying... the person inside identified no less than 15 errors in a four-star alchemist's methods?"

Damn it!

Is he even human?

"Beyond this explanation... I truly can't comprehend what else could have happened!" Mo Hongyi shook his head.

"Now that Master Mo mentions it, I recall. While reviewing books related to the Master Teacher Hall assessments, I believe one particular book mentioned such a possibility. However, as time passed and no one ever achieved it, it was gradually forgotten!"

Master Wu seemed to recall something and couldn't help but speak.

Hearing the two master teachers confirm it, everyone finally understood, though they remained dazed and incredulous.

Not only had he found errors deliberately left by the puppet, but also those left by a four-star alchemist. Just what star level had this person inside reached in alchemy?

"What's the name of this person inside? Could it be an elder from the guild? Shall I go check?"

Alchemist Hong couldn't help but ask.

"No, not an elder. He's just a one-star alchemist, not even twenty years old. His name is..."

Jiang Chen snorted, and just as he was about to reveal the name, the main door of the auxiliary hall creaked open.

A young man slowly emerged.

"Ah... Zhang Xuan? How did he get here?"

His body swayed, and Alchemist Hong couldn't help but exclaim.

"Alchemist Hong, you know this person?"

A two-star alchemist following behind quickly looked over.

"He... he..."

Alchemist Hong's face was slightly pale. "He's the one I was just talking about, the esteemed master whose guidance allowed me to achieve my breakthrough so quickly!"