Chapter 323: Several Moves?

"A master?" The two-star apothecaries exchanged glances, surprised.

"That's right. Didn't someone want to buy Poxuan Pills and Giant Rhinoceros Beast blood a while ago? Among the many kingdoms nearby, we're the closest and the only ones with these items, so I was ordered to deliver them!" Apothecary Hong nodded.

"I know about that. Didn't you say you were going to a low-level kingdom like Tianxuan Kingdom? How...?" The two-star apothecary who had asked the question earlier looked puzzled. "You went to the lowest-level kingdom and met a master? And that significantly improved your apothecary skills?"

"Yes, it was the lowest-level kingdom. On my way there, I learned that the person who wanted to buy those items was a one-star apothecary who had passed the examination through a pill debate!" Apothecary Hong continued.

"Passed the examination through a pill debate?" Everyone's pupils contracted. While few in Tianxuan Kingdom knew what a pill debate was, nearly all apothecaries in larger kingdoms like Tianwu Kingdom were familiar with it. This kind of examination was several times more difficult than normal pill concoction and required an extremely vast knowledge of alchemy. Even in Tianwu Kingdom, with its thousands of years of history, almost no one had ever succeeded! How formidable must someone be to become an apothecary through a pill debate?

"Yes, when I first heard the news, I was furious, thinking the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild, being such a small place, didn't understand the rules and just abused them. But once I saw the record crystal they kept, I realized I was wrong!" Recalling that day, Apothecary Hong still felt a lingering fear. If Zhang Xuan saw him, he would certainly recognize that this Apothecary Hong, whom Jiang Chen was introducing, was none other than Apothecary Hongyun, who had lost the bet to him in Tianxuan Kingdom and given him Poxuan Pills and Giant Rhinoceros Beast blood. At that time, he was only a two-star apothecary, but in just over a month, he had passed his promotion examination and successfully made a breakthrough.

"Could it be... the person you mentioned, who passed the pill debate examination, is... this young man right here?" A two-star apothecary reacted with an exclamation of surprise.

"Yes, it's him!" Apothecary Hongyun said with a wry smile. "After we met, he gave me some pointers, which completely opened my mind. That's why I'm now able to concoct three-star pills and have become a three-star apothecary!"

"This..." Everyone's pupils contracted, and they looked at the young man who had just walked out, their faces filled with shock. Becoming an apothecary through a pill debate examination, guiding a two-star apothecary to concoct a three-star pill, and now scoring 130 points in the Minor Occupations Hall... "He's not even twenty yet, how can he have such profound knowledge of alchemy...?" Someone couldn't help but ask. Even the most talented individuals have limitations when learning. To possess such extensive knowledge before the age of twenty was simply unbelievable to anyone.

"I found this very strange at first too. Later, I specifically inquired and learned that he has an incredibly powerful teacher named Yang Xuan, who is a master teacher of at least four stars!" Apothecary Hongyun explained.

"A master teacher of more than three stars?" Everyone's breathing quickened. Like other professions, master teachers are categorized into nine stars, with three stars marking a significant level. Beyond three stars, not even a Conferred Kingdom would have one! No wonder he was so formidable at such a young age; he had such a profound background. As the others whispered among themselves, Zhang Xuan approached Elder Wu.

He had observed the puppet concocting pills for a while and knew there were too many flaws, many of which he hadn't had time to point out due to time constraints. Even so, the moment the furnace opened, he knew it had definitely passed. The pill was perfectly round and full, with a special pattern flowing on its surface—it was a super-grade pill, surpassing perfection and achieving a Pill Vein. It would be truly unbelievable if such a pill failed to pass. He had expected to score only seventy or eighty points for concocting such a pill and was startled to find it reached 130.

"Uh... it's not broken, is it?" he muttered. Hearing this, Elder Wu's body swayed, and he couldn't help but explain, "You discovered the flaws of a four-star apothecary..." Zhang Xuan blinked, a look of disdain on his face. "A four-star apothecary, and that's their level? Too weak, aren't they!" Everyone felt like spitting blood. It wasn't that the four-star apothecary was weak; it was that he was too strong!

It was no wonder Zhang Xuan wore such an expression. This time, when guiding the pill concoction, he hadn't used his special abilities but relied purely on his keen observation. Having thoroughly assimilated all the books in the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild, his understanding of concocting first-grade pills had reached an incredibly high level. Without the aid of the Library, he might not be as good as some two-star apothecaries at guiding the concoction of second-grade pills, but for first-grade pills... even a four-star, five-star, or even six-star apothecary might not be able to match him. It was like the Heaven's Path Divine Art; its current level might be low and unremarkable, but when it came to low-level cultivation techniques, even the continent's most precious secret manuals might not be as potent or capable of producing such pure true qi. In other words, even if a five-star or six-star master teacher came to explain cultivation methods below the Half-Grandmaster realm, they might not be able to pinpoint flaws and guide directly to the core principles as he could.

"Let's begin the third trial: the Puppet Hall!" Knowing it was futile to talk sense into such an abnormal individual—the more he spoke, the more frustrated he'd become—Elder Wu pointed to the third doorway.

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "In the Puppet Hall, there will be no more scores. Inside, you'll find a red puppet and a blue puppet, both of similar strength. Your task is to guide the red puppet to defeat the blue one; doing so will complete the trial." Elder Wu explained the rules.

"Understood!" Hearing that it was similar to what Ling Xiaoxiao had told him, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate much and pushed the door open. Inside the room was a circular arena, about twenty meters in diameter, where two puppets stood—one in blue robes, the other in red. As he entered, the two puppets began to fight.

*Bang, bang, bang!* As they exchanged blows, their fists whistled through the air. "The strength of a Tongxuan realm pinnacle?" Zhang Xuan was utterly surprised. These two puppets could actually exert the power of a Tongxuan realm pinnacle. Their techniques were astonishing, and their movements agile. If a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert were to fight them individually, they might not even be a match. A Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert was considered an ancestor-level super-expert in Tianxuan Kingdom, yet here, they were inferior even to a mere puppet. Truly worthy of the Master Teacher Pavilion!

"This trial is indeed very difficult. No wonder it's not easy to become a master teacher without reaching the Tongxuan realm pinnacle; this is why!" he mused. If one's own strength wasn't sufficient, it would naturally be difficult to point out the flaws and weaknesses of a Tongxuan realm pinnacle expert. If one couldn't find them, how could one pass the examination?

"Let's begin!" Understanding this, Zhang Xuan stopped overthinking and watched the two battling puppets. His current strength had reached Half-Grandmaster, so he could clearly identify flaws and weaknesses in anything below that level without needing the Library. Because his cultivation was the most correct, anything different from it was inherently flawed, making it very easy for him to spot. Soon, he had observed and memorized the flaws of both puppets. The fight stopped. Just like in the Minor Occupations Hall, a voice resounded, instructing him to guide the red puppet to victory. As the voice finished, both puppets accumulated energy, ready to resume their battle at any moment.

"The red puppet uses raw, explosive power, while the blue puppet is light and nimble. When they fight, each has its advantages, making it hard to determine a victor... Since that's the case, I'll point out the flaws in both, strengthening the red puppet and weakening the blue one..." A plan quickly formed in his mind. He even simulated the outcome, and only when he was certain of victory did he exhale in relief. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* No sooner had his thoughts settled than the two puppets resumed their battle. "Red puppet, move back three inches, rotate half a body-length to the right, and then strike with your fist..." Seeing them fight again, Zhang Xuan began to give instructions.

"Do you think he can pass this trial? Being strong in alchemy doesn't necessarily mean he's good at guiding cultivation!" "It seems you haven't heard. Apothecary Hongyun just said that Zhang Xuan is a student of a master teacher above three stars!" "A student of a master teacher above three stars? Then... he can definitely pass!" "Indeed..." Master teachers excel at guidance. As a student of such a master, his ability to guide cultivation would likely be even more formidable than his alchemy skills. If he couldn't pass this, it would truly be laughable.

"Although this trial doesn't award scores, there are time and move limitations, and many people use these to compare themselves!" Standing at the entrance to the third trial, Elder Wu stroked his beard. The other master teachers nodded. For two individuals of equal strength, guiding one to defeat the other in three minutes versus ten seconds was naturally a different concept. Similarly, winning after a hundred moves of guidance versus winning in just one move would yield vastly different results.

"I recall Master Mo's guidance led the red puppet to defeat the blue puppet in less than twenty moves; it became quite a legend!" Elder Wu looked at Mo Hongyi. "It was seventeen moves!" Mo Hongyi nodded, a confident look in his eyes. "Indeed, seventeen moves! To allow one of two evenly matched puppets to win with so few moves requires an extremely profound understanding of cultivation!" After praising him, Elder Wu looked at the door before them. "I wonder how many moves Zhang Xuan will need!"

"I'd like to see that too!" Mo Hongyi's eyes gleamed. The other person had already broken his records repeatedly, and he wanted to see just how formidable this young man from Tianxuan Kingdom truly was, and whether his guidance in cultivation was equally powerful.

"He's not even twenty. It's one thing if he's exceptional in alchemy, but I don't believe he's strong in cultivation as well!" Jiang Chen scoffed, his eyes fixed on the door ahead. He had grown up in a master teacher family, and under his father's guidance, he had taken almost no detours, grasping cultivation thoroughly. When he took this trial, he had completed it in twenty-five moves. He refused to believe this young man could be faster than him.

"The two puppets' demonstration takes about 300 breaths. After another ten breaths, they'll proceed to the next match! Assuming one move per breath, after 310 breaths, we can calculate how many moves he used..." Despite thinking the other person might not be able to match him, Jiang Chen still looked anxious. This guy was just too unpredictable. In the past, if someone had told him that a student taught for just a few days could achieve an affinity of 85, he would have scoffed in their face. If someone said they could score 130 in the Minor Occupations Hall, he'd probably rip that person's mouth off. But now... it had all happened with this guy. Although Princess Mo Yu's involvement made him somewhat hostile, he had to admit that this guy indeed possessed abilities beyond ordinary imagination. He lightly tapped his left hand with his right index finger, continuously counting the time under his breath. The longer he counted, the brighter his eyes became. Soon, he counted to 335 breaths, meaning it was about the same number of moves he had used when giving guidance. The other person still hadn't emerged, and only then did Jiang Chen relax, a look of delight on his face.

"Haha, looks like his guidance in cultivation isn't all that impressive after all..." He let out a cold snort, his eyebrows involuntarily rising. He had expected this guy to be as surprising as in the previous two trials, but after 335 breaths, he still hadn't emerged. This meant that under his guidance... the opponent hadn't been defeated even after twenty-five moves. Even if he came out now, his score would definitely be worse than Jiang Chen's.

Not only did Jiang Chen's eyes light up, but Elder Wu and Mo Hongyi also exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously. "It seems he's still a bit weak when it comes to guiding cultivation!" "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. He might be good at alchemy, but weaker in cultivation guidance. However..." Mo Hongyi lifted his head, a gaze so sharp it was hard to meet his eyes. "He's focusing on the trivial while neglecting the essential; he's not someone to be feared!" You're taking the master teacher examination. A master teacher's greatest responsibility is to guide others in cultivation and help them improve their strength. No matter how brilliant his alchemy skills are, people might as well go directly to an apothecary. Why would they seek a master teacher for that? It's like a teacher who is bad at teaching but boasts about being good at flying a plane—what's the use of that? Every profession has its specific duties. His performance in the first two trials had been too astonishing, making Mo Hongyi think he might be a future rival, but now it seemed he had worried too much. If he couldn't guide cultivation effectively, then this 'master teacher' was nothing to worry about.

"Indeed, what a pity..." Elder Wu understood this point too, a hint of regret on his face. Zhang Xuan's performance in the first two trials had been so astounding that he had expected him to easily conquer the third as well, perhaps even surpassing Mo Hongyi. But now, it seemed he had been overly optimistic. Who in the world could be exceptional in every single profession? Possessing such heaven-defying alchemy abilities was already terrifying; expecting him to also have a profound understanding of cultivation was simply wishful thinking.

As the few of them were lost in their thoughts, a dozen more breaths passed before the door creaked open, revealing Zhang Xuan's head. "That's a total of 352 breaths, which means they fought for approximately 42 moves..." Jiang Chen sneered, just about to mock him, when he saw the young man, his head peeking out, scratch his head awkwardly, a look of embarrassment on his face. "Um... when I was giving instructions just now, I think I used too much force, and the red puppet smashed off the blue puppet's head... I tried to fix it for a long time, but I couldn't. So... does that... not count as a failure for me?" "Smashed off its head?" "The two puppets are almost identical in structure and strength. After guidance, they should at most be defeated, but smashing off its head? What in the world happened?" Everyone around tumbled down, and a stunned silence fell.