Chapter 91: Three-Round Exam

Zhang Xuan, having been single in his previous life and never experienced love, couldn't guess what a girl might be thinking. He was completely unaware that in the mere ten minutes that had just passed, he had already utterly infuriated the attendant, Wen Xue.

However, even if he had known, it wouldn't have mattered to him.

Being pretty wouldn't put food on the table, and more importantly, compared to Teacher Shen or Huang Yu, she was still light-years behind. Where did she get her confidence?

At that moment, he had no time to bother with such thoughts. He walked up to the first row of bookshelves in the room, casually picked up a dozen books, quickly flipped through them, put them down, and then picked up another batch.

The rustling of flipping pages was incessant. Book after book was quickly recorded into the Heaven's Path Library.

As he recorded and read, Zhang Xuan realized that, just as the attendant had said, these were indeed the most basic knowledge points for alchemists. This included identifying, detailing, categorizing, and understanding the properties of medicinal herbs, as well as knowing whether combinations of herbs would create conflicts.

If he had to memorize all of it, he would be exhausted to death before he could finish.

No wonder alchemists held such noble status; simply memorizing these things required far more effort than an ordinary person could expend.

"What is he doing?"

Wen Xue, who had been waiting to see Zhang Xuan make a fool of himself, saw him continuously flipping through books without seemingly reading them. Her pretty eyes blinked, and a look of confusion spread across her face.

"Perhaps he hasn't found the book he wants to read. Don't mind him!"

The middle-aged man, Uncle Li, turned to glance at them, then casually picked up a book and handed it over. "You should read for a bit too. Time is precious. Memorize one more thing, and you might just pass the assessment!"

"Okay!" Wen Xue nodded and said no more. She took the book and began to read it carefully.

Any profession requires diligent study and cannot be mastered overnight. Alchemy was especially so.

When concocting pills, a single prescription often involved hundreds of medicinal herbs. Misidentifying even one would turn countless gold coins worth of ingredients into waste. There was no room for error.

Soon, two hours passed.

Zhang Xuan had just finished flipping through the last few books, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"No wonder Master Teachers are so difficult to assess. Apart from everything else, just alchemy alone is this complicated!" he exclaimed with emotion.

Teachers are the disseminators of knowledge and are needed in all professions. Powerful Master Teachers are proficient in various fields, meaning they can not only instruct people on cultivation but also guide them in alchemy, artifact forging, array formations, and similar skills.

It was precisely for this reason that they were revered and became the leaders of all professions.

Zhang Xuan had originally thought alchemy was simple: just follow a prescription, add ingredients one by one, and it would be done. Now it seemed that was not the case at all.

Each medicinal herb had different properties depending on its age. When combined with other herbs, it would produce various changes. If one only knew how to add ingredients, successful concoction would be impossible.

If just alchemy was this complex, the thought of a powerful Master Teacher mastering multiple professions was truly terrifying!

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Wen Xue standing nearby, her face full of disdain. "Didn't expect me to still be here, did you?" she said.

"Whether you're here or not, what does that have to do with me?"

Zhang Xuan looked at her, speechless.

I'm just here to take the Alchemist Apprentice examination; your presence doesn't affect anything, does it?

"Go on, keep up the pretense. You'll be crying later!" Wen Xue gnashed her teeth.

"The assessment is about to begin. Go inside!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand.

"Alright!" Ignoring the self-important woman, Zhang Xuan stepped into the room.

The room was not large, only a few dozen square meters. Several people were already seated inside, each showing signs of nervousness.

A moment later, an old man walked in.

"It's Senior Ouyang Cheng," someone whispered, "the only one-star intermediate alchemist in the Tianxuan Kingdom Alchemist Guild, and also the Guild Master of the Tianxuan Kingdom!"

"Yes! I thought it would be Alchemist Du Man. I didn't expect it to be him!"

"Oh no, he's famously strict. There's no chance of luck now..."

Seeing the old man, all the seated individuals looked dismayed.

Alchemists, like Master Teachers, were categorized by star ratings, with one-star being the lowest.

Even so, considering the Tianxuan Kingdom didn't even have a one-star Master Teacher, having a one-star alchemist was quite good.

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, the old man Ouyang Cheng walked into the room and surveyed the surroundings. "Since you've all come here for the assessment," he said, "I presume you all have some confidence!"

"Uh..."

Everyone felt a bit awkward.

Without passing the assessment, no one dared to claim absolute confidence.

"Since you're here for the assessment, I'll make things clear," Ouyang Cheng declared with a wave of his hand. "If I catch anyone cheating, you will be banned from all future examinations for life!"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone nodded.

Seeing their agreement, Ouyang Cheng nodded. "Now that the rules are clear," he said, "I will explain the assessment content. The Alchemist Apprentice assessment has a total of three stages! First, a written examination! The exam will consist of randomly selected knowledge about medicinal herbs. Only those with an accuracy rate of 90% or higher will pass!

"The second stage is timed identification! We will provide you with certain medicinal herbs, and you must identify what they are, their effects, and their properties within a limited time! This requirement is high; you must be 100% correct to pass!

"As for the third stage, it's relatively simple: a cultivation test! You must reach the peak of Fighter 3-dan True Qi Realm! The reason for this requirement is simple: Alchemist apprentices follow the alchemists' commands. If your cultivation is too low and you lack strength, how can you carry the cauldrons or quickly sort medicinal herbs?"

Those who came for the assessment had been studying for many years, and they were very familiar with this process.

Only Zhang Xuan was somewhat unfamiliar with it, but after listening, he understood.

It was very simple; as long as he answered correctly, he could pass. It didn't seem too difficult...

"Since everyone understands, let's begin with the first stage now: the written examination. You have one hour!"

After Ouyang Cheng finished speaking, he took out the exam papers and distributed them.

Zhang Xuan glanced at it, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

The exam paper was a thick stack, easily several dozen pages long.

Dozens of pages? One hour?

How was this scene so similar to his previous life?

He hadn't expected to transmigrate to another world, become a teacher, and still have to take an exam...

The thought was truly absurd.

"Begin answering!"

After distributing the papers, Ouyang Cheng ignored the others and stood coldly to one side, his hands clasped behind his back, a proud demeanor about him.

Although he didn't seem to be watching everyone, if anyone dared to cheat, they would surely be caught on the spot and immediately expelled.

Zhang Xuan had no intention of cheating; he lowered his head to look at the exam paper.

As he picked up the paper and quietly called out "Defects!" in his mind, his mind jolted, and a book appeared.

He glanced at it and found himself speechless with exasperation.

The book read: "Tianxuan Kingdom Alchemist Guild, Alchemist Apprentice Assessment Paper. Manufactured by a craftsman from White Robe Workshop using straw. Defects: 1. Paper quality is too poor, not suitable for long-term storage, prone to insects. 2. Does not absorb ink well, prone to blurring..."

*What the heck!* I wanted answers to the questions, not a list of defects about the paper!

Suppressing the urge to spit blood, Zhang Xuan ignored the paper itself and instead focused his attention on the questions on it.