Son, Put Your Father To The Test (FF)

After Gao Jianli spoke, he turned and walked away.

Qin Zi watched his retreating figure, a playful smile gradually spreading across his face.

"Not bowing down when you're weak is a sin. Such a harsh truth, but... who's truly weaker here?"

The Gao family, strong?

Heh…

In his mind, he had already marked this as a guaranteed moment for a face slap. When such an opportunity presents itself, it would be a waste not to seize it.

In short, his father was an invincible powerhouse, so what did he have to fear?

"Well, well, you little pauper, your courage is growing. You even dare to talk back to Gao Jianli now."

At that moment, a slightly haughty yet sweet voice sounded.

Qin Zi turned to see a beautiful young girl in a blue dress walking leisurely towards him.

She was stunning, around sixteen or seventeen years old, already showing a hint of natural allure, a true beauty in the making.

"You little vixen!"

Seeing the girl, Qin Zi's face darkened, and he even gritted his teeth a little.

The last time, this little vixen had taken away the servant girl he had chosen. After he knocked her unconscious, her father came after him. If not for his father's immense power, he would have lost his life to this little vixen.

"Hmph, how dare you call me a pauper! My name is Chen Biling, Chen Biling!"

The girl huffed, puffing out her chest.

"Call me a pauper again, and I'll knock you out like last time," Qin Zi threatened fiercely.

"You…" Chen Biling's face turned red with embarrassment. She glanced around and stomped her foot in frustration, "You wouldn't dare!"

"You can try me."

Qin Zi shrugged.

Knocking out a pretty girl on the spot wasn't that hard—physically, he was more than capable, and mentally, he had no qualms about it.

"Uncle, look at him!"

In the end, Chen Biling pouted, looking pitifully toward the high platform where the City Lord Bai Chen stood.

Bai Chen furrowed his brows slightly, giving Qin Zi a warning glance before saying to Chen Biling, "Ling'er, since you're here, go take your place."

"Oh."

Seeing that her uncle wasn't siding with her, Chen Biling realized the seriousness of the situation and stopped pouting.

She walked onto the field.

Soon, a young man gave up his alchemy furnace for her. It was clear that he was prepared—perhaps even a line-stander.

"Master, this is my niece, Chen Biling. She has had strong spiritual power since childhood and should be quite talented in alchemy."

On the high platform, Bai Chen leaned toward Master Pang Qi as he spoke.

In fact, the reason Chen Biling arrived so late was part of his plan.

On one hand, it was to ensure she secured an alchemy furnace since she was young and not very strong.

On the other hand, it was to give her a chance to stand out in front of Master Pang Qi. After all, the last to arrive often leave the strongest impression.

"Hm… She is indeed extraordinary."

Master Pang Qi's deep eyes scrutinized the girl in the blue dress, and his brows gradually furrowed.

Deep inside, he felt a growing sense of surprise and excitement as if he had discovered a rare treasure.

However, he used the furrowing of his brows to mask his true thoughts, leaving others unaware of what he was really thinking.

"Master, why the frown?"

Bai Chen asked with a hint of concern.

"Hmm, while she is extraordinary, there are some flaws. Whether she can become an alchemist remains uncertain."

Master Pang Qi said calmly.

When making a purchase, you need to haggle.

The lower the price, the lower the cost!

"How serious are the flaws?"

Bai Chen asked, frowning.

"It's hard to say. Alchemical talent is elusive. While some aspects can be discerned, they are not absolute—like how even the gods struggle to judge a piece of jade. So, we'll see."

Master Pang Qi replied ambiguously.

"I see."

Bai Chen nodded thoughtfully.

At that moment, Master Pang Qi slowly stood up and addressed the crowd below, "Now, I will announce the rules of the competition."

"I will provide a half-grade alchemy recipe that I've developed myself. You may use it freely today. Follow the recipe to refine the pill."

"Alchemy involves four steps: extraction, fusion, transformation, and spirit-locking. Do your best; you're not required to complete all the steps."

"For example, someone might only complete the extraction process, but if they extract the herbal juices without any impurities, they can still earn high marks."

"Conversely, if someone successfully refines a pill but makes a mistake during the transformation step, causing the properties to go awry, or fails to properly lock in the spirit, resulting in loss of potency, they will receive a low score."

"This is the recipe."

Master Pang Qi waved his right hand, and a golden light shot out, unfurling in the air, transforming into a glowing script.

Hundreds of golden characters hovered in the air, refusing to dissipate, like clouds.

"Vitality Pill!"

"The effect is to clear blood clots, unblock meridians, treat various internal injuries, and can even remedy congenital meridian blockages. The ingredients needed include black goji berries, white lingzhi, red truffles, rehmannia fruit…"

As they read the recipe, many felt dizzy and overwhelmed.

They realized that even for this lowest-grade, first-tier pill, over a dozen herbs were involved.

Alchemy seemed to have only four steps, but each herb required numerous sub-steps because of their different properties and the need for distinct handling methods.

In short, it was headache-inducing.

This was why alchemists were so rare and revered.

"Next to each furnace, you will find two sets of ingredients. Follow the detailed instructions in the recipe… you may begin."

Master Pang Qi announced calmly.

Whoosh! Instantly, the participants' eyes filled with determination, like soldiers marching to war, filled with ambition!

Every participant entered the competition with grand aspirations, hoping to impress Master Pang Qi and soar to greatness...

"This is bad!"

"Ah, no…"

"How could this happen…"

In the next moment, many faces turned pale, their ambitious expressions giving way to looks of despair.

They were shocked and dismayed to find… they didn't recognize the herbs listed in the recipe!! The ingredient boxes by the furnaces were filled with a haphazard assortment of herbs, leaving them utterly bewildered.

"Just as I expected."

Master Pang Qi, looking down from above, smiled with narrowed eyes, "It seems many of you lack even the most basic knowledge of herbs."

Many young people lowered their heads in shame.

Master Pang Qi's smile faded, replaced by a stern expression as he continued, "Do you all think so little of the alchemy competition I've arranged? Did you think you could just try your luck without any preparation?"

"I don't care how exceptional you are in martial arts, but alchemy is not something anyone can just decide to do."

"Whether or not you have alchemical talent is one thing, but your attitude toward alchemy is equally important. Those who can't even identify herbs, leave the field voluntarily."

As his words echoed, the entire field fell silent.

Many young participants wore expressions of reluctance, but they didn't dare argue. Clenching their fists, they left the competition area.

Soon, nearly half of the thousand alchemy furnaces were left vacant.

"Well, well… you're still here, aren't you? You're not pretending to know what you're doing just to muddle through, are you?"

Chen Biling sneered at Qin Zi.

She had been about to call him "pauper," but remembering his earlier warning, she held back and changed her tone.

"Right back at you."

Qin Zi retorted.

"Hmph! I've dreamed of becoming an alchemist since I was a child. I'm thoroughly familiar with herbs and their properties!"

Chen Biling boasted, proudly puffing out her small chest.

"I've even received guidance from an alchemist. My alchemy skills are not something a poor boy like you could understand."

"Anyone can brag."

Qin Zi scoffed.

Though he believed her, he couldn't resist the urge to tease her.

"You! You dare accuse me of bragging? Let's have a competition. Whoever loses must publicly apologize to the other!"

Chen Biling demanded, gritting her teeth.

"Why not!"

Qin Zi grinned and then pressed his right hand on the furnace's air vent. A roaring fire burst from the furnace.

With a swipe of his left hand, several herbs with similar melting points flew into the flames, starting to melt and extract their juices.

When a man decides to act, he acts!