"Elder Lu, his scroll."
He stretched out his hand.
The elder respectfully handed him the scroll, and he opened it, carefully scanning through the questions and answers one by one.
"Question 1: When refining a Blood Coagulation Pill, what happens if Whispering Grass is replaced with Silent Sage Grass?"
"The medicinal harmony collapses. Silent Sage Grass carries suppressive properties incompatible with blood-activating compounds, resulting in coagulation failure and potential toxin formation."
...
"Question 7: Identify the cause of instability in dual-element pill fusion."
"Imbalance in elemental guidance materials. Failure to align elemental flow results in internal conflict, leading to pill fragmentation."
Then he shook his head.
"Hahahaha!"
"Lin Feng, see the Vice President's disapproving look."
"What else do you have to say?"
Seeing the Deputy Pavilion Master still shaking his head, Ouyang Jun beamed in delight and could no longer suppress himself, erupting in manic laughter while mocking Lin Feng.
'Humph, Lin Feng, you trash, still dreaming of competing with me—are you worthy?'
'When you are disqualified and kicked out of the guild, I will let you die without a burial ground,' he snorted in his heart.
Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, because the next moment the Vice Leader turned around, his eyes cold and indifferent. He waved the back of his hand, and an aura projection of a palm flew out and hit Ouyang Jun square in the chest.
"Crack!"
A faint sound of bones crunching could be heard as Ouyang Jun spat out a mouthful of blood, drawing a beautiful arc in the air as he flew across the room and landed heavily on the floor, foaming at the mouth and twitching, as the marble where he fell shattered.
"Hiss!"
Everyone present couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air, feeling the pain for him. The marble could withstand a full attack of a fourth-level peak Martial Master; in other words, his landing alone was akin to a full-level attack of a fourth-level master—not to mention the aura palm which struck him.
Lin Feng, opposite the elders, had his lips twitching as he barely suppressed his laughter, feeling satisfied. The other party had been provoking him time and time again; now, seeing the other person's state was satisfying. He also felt Ouyang Jun's situation was self-inflicted, as the Vice Leader had warned him, yet he persisted.
"Somebody get him a healing pill," the Vice said.
Only then did a few of Ouyang Jun's lackeys rush to either side, helping him stand up.
Soon, a deacon walked out of the crowd and handed one of his lackeys a healing pill as instructed.
"I will only heal you this time because you're here for the second-tier assessment."
"Remember, being a genius doesn't give you the right to act atrociously."
"In the Alchemist Association, if you cannot follow the rules, nobody will keep you," the Deputy said threateningly.
"Thank you, Lord Vice, for your teaching," Ouyang Jun, who had recovered a bit after taking the pill, hurriedly bowed and thanked him, feeling fortunate to escape with only slight injury.
"Oh, remember to send the bill for the destroyed marble, as well as the healing pill, to the Ouyang family."
"Pffft!"
Ouyang Jun, who was originally feeling lucky, upon hearing the last sentence, suddenly felt a surge of anger at the humiliation. Thinking how he was the one beaten, yet he not only had to thank the other party but also pay compensation, his heart skipped a beat and his blood flowed in reverse, causing him to spit another mouthful of blood while clutching his chest.
"Young master, are you fine?" The lackeys were stunned seeing their master spitting blood again, but reacted quickly, seeing him clutch his chest, and immediately helped him stand properly again.
"I'm fine—unhand me!" he said irritably, then pushed the lackeys away, even kicking them.
Seeing Ouyang Jun behaving himself again, the Vice Leader turned away, no longer paying attention to him, but instead turned his attention back to Elder Lu and the rest of the elders.
"The reason I shook my head isn't because Lin Feng failed," he said, then paused, leaving everyone confused.
"But because I am very disappointed in your inability to analyze this."
"Let me tell you—not only is Lin Feng correct, but every answer in this script is correct and flawless."
"What?!"
His words stirred the crowd; some looked incredulous, others shocked, while Ouyang Jun looked pale as a corpse, as though the color had been drained from his entire face.
The Deputy Pavilion Master slowly raised the scroll again, his gaze calm yet sharp.
"Listen carefully," he said.
The entire hall fell silent.
He pointed to the first question.
"Blood Coagulation Pill—replacement of Whispering Grass with Silent Sage Grass."
He glanced at the elders before speaking.
"You all judged this as 'exaggeration'… but you only considered surface properties."
He tapped the scroll lightly.
"Whispering Grass is not merely a supporting herb—it acts as a catalyst for blood activation. Its subtle stimulating nature balances the aggressive properties of Blood Fruit."
He paused.
"Silent Sage Grass, on the other hand, suppresses activity. When introduced, it does not simply weaken the effect—it disrupts the entire reaction chain."
A few elders' expressions changed.
"The result?"
He spoke calmly.
"Medicinal collapse. Energy stagnation. And under certain conditions—yes—poison formation."
Silence.
Elder Lu's eyes widened.
"Th-this…"
He suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Ah! I was wrong! I only evaluated the herb properties individually, not the interaction dynamics!"
A ripple spread through the crowd.
"So he was right?!"
"That explanation… it makes sense!"
"Incredible…"
The Deputy Pavilion Master did not pause.
He moved to the next.
"Question seven—dual-element instability."
He looked at the elders again.
"You called this 'too general'."
A faint trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.
"This is not general—it is fundamental truth."
He continued:
"In dual-element fusion, instability does not originate from the main ingredients—but from guidance failure."
He raised a finger.
"If elemental alignment is not achieved, the internal flows clash."
"Once conflict begins, fragmentation is inevitable."
A deep silence followed.
One elder muttered under his breath.
"…So that's the core issue…"
Another nodded slowly.
"We've been focusing on refinement technique… but ignored flow alignment…"
Elder Lu clenched his fists, his face turning red.
"Damn it!"
"I completely missed such a simple principle!"
The crowd erupted.
"Incredible!"
"He answered perfectly!"
"Not just correct—this is beyond the standard!"
All eyes turned toward Lin Feng.
But—
He stood there calmly.
Unmoved.
As if everything being said had nothing to do with him.
Seeing this, the admiration in the crowd only deepened.
On the other side—
Ouyang Jun clenched his palms hard.
His nails dug into his skin.
'Impossible…'
'How can he…'
Frustration, disbelief, and humiliation churned violently within him.
Meanwhile—
The Deputy Pavilion Master lowered the scroll slightly.
His gaze toward Lin Feng grew deeper.
"This level of understanding…"
"…is not something an ordinary examinee should possess."
"So, I announce—"
"Lin Feng—"
"Full 100 points."