When Zhao Li heard the news about Burning Flame Valley, he thought about taking the Alchemist badge test and going to see it for himself. He found a branch of the Pill Tower and went to take the assessment.
The journey there was quite smooth; there were no arrogant people who, unable to achieve something themselves, believed others couldn't either, coming to provoke and find fault.
Zhao Li was led through two pavilions. At the end of the corridor, the two stopped.
The previous assessor pointed at the Stone Gate in front of them and said,
"Mister, please use your Soul Power to touch this door. If it opens, you can go inside for the Seventh-Grade Alchemist assessment. It's also a test; if you can't even push this door open, then don't even think about the assessment."
Zhao Li nodded upon hearing this.
He could understand that this was likely a checkpoint to test if one's Soul Power met the standard.
Just the conditions here could block many unqualified people at the door, making the assessment much simpler.
Zhao Li touched the stone with his soul, sensing a slight resistance. Immediately, his Soul Power erupted, pushing the Stone Gate open. Zhao Li walked in.
"Oh? Someone else is here? What day is it today? We actually have three people assessing for Seventh-Grade Alchemist?"
As soon as Zhao Li entered, he heard a surprised voice. He looked up and saw a beautiful woman with her hair piled high standing in front of two people, seemingly explaining the assessment procedures to them.
The two people in front of her, a man and a woman, both seemed to be participants in the assessment.
The man looked about forty years old, while the woman was very young, appearing to be a girl in her early twenties.
Zhao Li was a bit surprised looking at them. If their age was truly what they looked like, then they were truly rare geniuses.
Soon, Zhao Li shifted his attention from the two of them, walked forward, and cupped his hands towards the beautiful woman in charge of the assessment, saying,
"Hello, what is the highest level of Alchemist that can be assessed here?"
Zhao Li remembered that the Alchemist badge assessment after Sixth Rank not only differentiated by grade but also further divided each grade into High Grade, intermediate, and Low Grade. This is why he asked.
The few people turned their heads to look. Zhao Li's appearance was like that of a clueless greenhorn who knew nothing. If he hadn't pushed open the Stone Gate and come here, they would have even thought he was deliberately here to play tricks on them.
Xuan Xueling was slightly stunned for a moment before saying,
"Seventh Grade High Grade. I will personally conduct the assessment."
"Then I'll assess for Seventh Grade High Grade. What are the steps, I wonder?"
Zhao Li's calm tone, however, caused a flicker of surprise in the eyes of the others.
Assessing for Seventh Grade High Grade Alchemist didn't mean his strength was only Seventh Grade, but rather that this was the highest level of assessment available.
Every Seventh Grade High Grade Alchemist, barring any accidents, had a high probability of entering the ranks of Eighth Grade Alchemy Grandmaster.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Xueling nodded and said,
"Since you've just arrived, I'll be a bit more long-winded and repeat what I just said. Please bear with me, both of you."
As she spoke, she looked at the two of them, a smile on her face. Coupled with her beautiful features, it made people feel quite comfortable.
None of them had any objections. After she finished explaining the assessment procedures, she looked at them:
"If there's nothing else, let's begin. You first."
She was referring to the middle-aged man.
He stepped forward first and entered the alchemy chamber.
Time passed. When the Stone Gate opened again, he came out with an Alchemist badge already pinned to his chest.
Flames swirled around it, a towering giant pagoda stood within, and seven stars shone brightly on the pagoda's body. Only the seventh golden star appeared dimmer compared to the others.
Clearly, he had passed the Seventh Grade Low Grade assessment.
The next was the young woman. After she went in, she stayed inside the Stone Chamber for much longer than the middle-aged man.
Seeing that the Stone Gate hadn't opened for a long time, Xuan Xueling even became a little anxious, frequently looking towards the Stone Chamber.
After nearly an hour, the young woman came out. She also had a badge pinned to her chest, which was brighter than the middle-aged man's.
However, she didn't have the joy of passing the assessment; she looked a bit dejected.
Earlier, hearing Zhao Li's calm tone, she suddenly wanted to try for the High Grade Alchemist badge, but she didn't succeed.
"Let's go, I will personally assess you."
Xuan Xueling looked at Zhao Li and nodded.
Zhao Li followed her into the Stone Chamber. The Alchemist assessment for levels above Sixth Rank was no longer about alchemy itself.
After all, assessments could fail, and if everyone who came to assess performed alchemy, there wouldn't be enough high-grade Medicinal Ingredients for them to waste.
Inside the secret chamber, the first assessment was Flame Control.
Inside a specially made Medicine Cauldron, the required temperature changed randomly. The assessor had to control the Flame to the corresponding temperature without damaging the Medicine Cauldron, which recorded the changes in the Flame.
Zhao Li found this test quite interesting, like playing a game. He passed easily, hitting the target perfectly every time.
What he didn't know was that when Xuan Xueling checked his results, her eyes were filled with extreme shock.
Although this test was only about basic skills, the Flame inside the Medicine Cauldron changed drastically and randomly, without any pattern, and the time left for the assessor to react was extremely short.
Results like Zhao Li's were truly rare.
The next assessment was for Soul Power, catching specially made small balls. And Zhao Li, still like playing Monopoly, caught every single one without missing any.
When she looked at Zhao Li again, her eyes held a hint of curiosity and a trace of respect.
Half an hour later, the door opened again.
Zhao Li walked out first, with Xuan Xueling following behind him.
The two who had just passed the assessment immediately looked at Zhao Li's chest, but saw no badge. They were instantly disappointed, realizing he was just someone seeking attention.
However, Xuan Xueling's voice soon came.
After much deliberation, she finally asked:
"Zhang Li, have you considered going to the Headquarters for assessment and study? I can recommend you. I feel your strength has already surpassed the Seventh Grade level."
Her words caused both of them to freeze. The young girl's expression grew even more dejected. She couldn't even get High Grade in the Seventh Grade, and Zhang Li getting High Grade in the Seventh Grade was because he only got High Grade in the Seventh Grade.
She suddenly understood the huge gap between Mid Grade and High Grade in the Seventh Grade.
Zhao Li shook his head:
"I will go to the Pill Tower, but I still have things to do. I'll go in a few more days."
Hearing this, Xuan Xueling didn't say anything more. She took out a badge and handed it to Zhao Li. On it, seven golden stars shone brightly, vying with each other.
"Since Mister Zhang still has matters to attend to, I won't keep you any longer. The Pill Tower welcomes you."
Zhao Li accepted it, said goodbye, and left.
After Zhao Li and the other person left, the young girl stepped forward and asked:
"Aunt Ling, is he really that amazing?"
Xuan Xueling nodded, saying affectionately:
"Yiyi, he's not much older than you, but his Alchemy Technique is far beyond yours. Remember, there are always people better than you. Study hard in the future."
"Got it, got it. Could he really be better than Brother Yao Chen? I wonder how Brother Yao Chen is doing. It's been over two years with no news."
Xuan Yi said dismissively when she heard her aunt was about to start lecturing again, then grew a little worried.
Hearing this, Xuan Xueling didn't refute her.
That young man's talent in alchemy was indeed astonishingly brilliant.
If he reached Zhang Li's age...
Zhao Li didn't know that after he left, the two of them mentioned a name he was familiar with.
This assessment went very smoothly and was quite fast. It was over in less than two hours.
Even so, by the time Zhao Li left the branch tower, the sky had already darkened. But he didn't want to delay and wanted to hurry to the Burning Flame Valley. However, he quickly realized he didn't know the way.
Helpless, Zhao Li turned back and walked into the Pill Tower branch tower again.
Standing before Xuan Yi, Zhao Li felt a bit awkward and asked:
"Excuse me, miss, could you tell me how to get to the Burning Flame Valley?"
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