Chapter 562: Off-Topic Question

Chapter 562: Chapter 560: Off-Topic Question

“Everyone, silence!”

Long Xingyun’s shout quickly silenced the crowd. Only then did he speak. “No whispering among yourselves. No causing a commotion. No looking around. Do it again, and you’ll be disqualified from the competition!”

The crowd fell silent at once. Getting disqualified would be utterly humiliating. They would much rather lose fair and square than be kicked out!

Stewards were stationed all around, and anyone who violated the rules again would be immediately removed from the venue.

Once silence fell, everyone wore a different expression. Some looked confident, others extremely frustrated. ‘To think the very first round would stump so many people.’

‘A bitter taste, followed by a hint of sweetness and a lingering aftertaste… They’ve used other ingredients to mask it, altering the flavor, but it has virtually no medicinal properties. Isn’t this just bitter melon, something I used to eat all the time? It’s a common food ingredient, not a medicinal one at all…’

Lin Xuan wore a strange expression. The item he had tasted was definitely not a medicinal ingredient. It had no medicinal effects whatsoever; it was an incredibly common, everyday food.

Back when he lived with the Lin Family, he had eaten it often. However, it had been masked by a few other ingredients, so it required careful tasting to identify.

The crucial part was that some people couldn’t identify it, which was truly bizarre. They had probably mistaken the bitter melon slice for some other ingredient, leaving them lost in deep contemplation.

‘I wonder if they can figure it out,’ Long Xingyun thought, his gaze sweeping over the many disciples. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched their deeply perplexed expressions.

“Valley Master, some of the items you included aren’t even medicinal ingredients!” an Elder at his side said with a frown. They knew what Long Xingyun had chosen but found this method of testing a bit strange.

This is a test of identifying medicinal ingredients, but some of the items aren’t medicinal at all. It felt like he was intentionally trying to trick them.

“Who said non-medicinal ingredients aren’t allowed? An Alchemy Master must not only know a wide range of medicinal ingredients but also have a broader knowledge of all materials. Besides, they’ve all eaten these things before. I’ve only altered them slightly. If they can’t even identify this, how can they possibly move on to the next round?” Long Xingyun snorted. “It’s meant to be tricky. It’s meant to be confusing. Let’s see if they can identify them correctly.”

The Elders exchanged glances. On second thought, his reasoning was sound. They would never have guessed that Long Xingyun was helping Lin Xuan—not that he was, really. He had prepared the ingredients normally, and the conditions were identical for everyone. Whether they could identify them or not was up to their own abilities.

This round was a test of identification skills. The bitter melon slice, for instance, had been processed and masked with numerous other flavors. There were even other medicinal ingredients added to create interference, but one could still identify it with careful tasting.

Long Yuwei sat off to the side, a faint smile on her face, her gaze never leaving her son.

While they were talking, most of the contestants had finished tasting all the ingredients. Some had already begun to write down the medicinal properties they sensed.

Lin Xuan, on the other hand, clicked his tongue. He had tasted all three “medicinal ingredients,” two of which were not medicinal at all but common food. One was a slice of bitter melon, the other a cabbage leaf. He was left speechless. Both items had been specially treated, however, making them difficult to identify right away unless one was extremely familiar with them.

This was evident on the faces of the disciples around him. Many were frowning, deep in thought, trying to figure out what those two items were. Others were hesitating, afraid of making the wrong guess.

As for the last item, Lin Xuan identified it with ease: Illusion Spirit Grass. It was a Third Grade Spirit Grass, and he recognized it effortlessly. It had also been processed to mask its flavor and mixed with other tastes, but it posed no challenge for him.

The memories he had inherited from countless powerful experts contained experiences of tasting such things. By combining those memories with his own judgment, he could identify them with ease.

But even without those memories, he could still have identified the bitter melon and cabbage. ‘I used to eat those all the time!’ The masking technique was impressive, but he could still taste the difference.

On the platform, many disciples of Medicine King Valley wore worried frowns, while in the crowd below, many were on the edge of their seats, anxious for those competing.

When the other disciples glanced at Lin Xuan, they all saw his relaxed expression. They couldn’t tell if he genuinely found it easy or was just pretending.

Across the plaza, Long Bin and Long Fan hesitated for a long time before finally writing down their answers. Time was nearly up, and most contestants were stuck, wanting to write something but not daring to commit. The tension was palpable.

The rewards were tempting, but if they couldn’t even pass the first round, those rewards would remain forever out of reach.

“Hey, the traitor’s son just submitted his answers!”

“He really was the first to submit! Even Long Bin and the others haven’t turned theirs in yet!”

The outcome was rather unexpected. No one thought Lin Xuan would be the first to submit his paper, rather than Long Bin or Long Fan.

All eyes focused on Lin Xuan. Was he just guessing, or was he grandstanding by being the first to turn in his answers?

Long Xingyun and Long Yuwei watched as Lin Xuan started to walk up. At that moment, Long Bin and Long Fan exchanged a look. Their gazes turned cold as they hastily finished writing, then strode forward, quickly overtaking Lin Xuan to submit their own papers.

Following their lead, the remaining Medicine King Valley disciples hurriedly filled out their answers and submitted them, knowing they would be disqualified if they missed the deadline.

“Stop!”

While many Alchemy Masters were still frowning in indecision, Long Xingyun’s voice boomed. The masters who were still hesitating over their answers looked up abruptly, only to see that the incense stick in the center of Dragon Cauldron Plaza had completely burned away. Those who hadn’t submitted their papers had just failed the first round!

“Time’s up! I only managed to fill in two… How can that be…”

“Dammit, I had just figured it out, and the whole incense stick has already burned down?”

“That was way too fast! I didn’t even notice!”

Cries of disbelief and despair rose from the crowd. They had all thought they would easily pass the first round. But reality was cruel, and they had been eliminated before even clearing the first hurdle.

Fortunately, no one caused a scene. The time limit was what it was. Plenty of others had managed to submit their answers; those who hadn’t could only blame their own lack of skill.

Even those who had submitted were anxious. No one was sure if their answers were correct, and some had even just guessed.

Out of roughly one hundred contestants, only about ten failed to submit, which wasn’t a huge number. They were the ones who had hesitated for too long, thinking things over and over without ever committing to an answer.

There was no age limit for participating in this grand Alchemy competition; as long as one’s Cultivation had reached the Spirit Pill Stage, they were eligible. Consequently, many older and higher-level cultivators were among the participants.

The submitted answers were handed directly to Long Xingyun and the Elders for personal review. They could determine the results with a single glance, so the process wouldn’t take long. Still, the contestants below watched the Valley Master anxiously, eager to learn their fate.

Lin Xuan, however, looked perfectly calm. He was already certain of the outcome and had nothing to worry about.