Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Fang Lin was calm and composed. In fact, he was even smiling ever so slightly. He clenched his fists and said, “What a coincidence. I know how to answer this question.”
Zhao Dengming frowned. “Do you really know the answer? If you give a nonsensical answer, I’ll never forgive your mistake!”
Fang Lin sniggered, completely disregarding Zhao Dengming’s threat. “The medicinal herb you mentioned should be the Golden Blast Fruit, isn’t it?”
As soon as those words were spoken, Zhao Dengming immediately revealed a tinge of shock on his face. On the other hand, many of the junior alchemy disciples below the stone platform were enlightened by Fang Lin’s answer.
“The Golden Blast Fruit? Oh! So, it turned out to be the Golden Blast Fruit! How did I not think of that?”
“It’s all yellow in color, is warm to the touch, and has a pungent scent. It blooms during the dawn and wilts by dusk and it repeats the cycle every day until it matures in ten years. It is the Golden Blast Fruit!”
“Fang Lin figured out that it’s the Golden Blast Fruit so quickly. That’s truly impressive!”
…
Lu Xiaoqing’s expression was a combination of surprise and happiness. She pondered for a long time but did not manage to think of the Golden Blast Fruit. Yet, Fang Lin managed to answer the question in a single attempt, truly surpassing her expectation.
Sun Hao clenched his teeth tightly in rage. He had been planning to watch Fang Lin embarrass himself, yet he was disappointed once again.
Meanwhile, Kang Lu’s face was dull and gloomy. The junior alchemy disciples by his side were glancing at one another without uttering a word.
“Senior Brother Disciple Kang, do you think that Fang Lin got it right by guessing it luckily?” queried a junior alchemy disciple cautiously.
Kang Lu took a glance at him. He grunted once but did not reply.
“I’m absolutely sure that he got it right by luck. Even experienced junior alchemy disciples like us can’t figure out that it’s the Golden Blast Fruit. How else could Fang Lin have done it then?”
“That’s right. He has never even visited the Herb Garden before. How could he possibly answer the question? He got it right by luck for certain.”
“What a lucky boy. However, he’s not going to be so lucky the next time.”
…
All of Kang Lu’s supporters refused to believe the heresy. They firmly believed that Fang Lin guessed it correctly by luck. Only Kang Lu’s expression was extremely sour because he had a feeling that Fang Lin did not answer it correctly by luck.
The shock on Zhao Dengming’s expression faded quickly. He was an elder after all. Despite the remaining shock he felt in his heart, he refused to reveal it on his face.
“Very well. You truly deserve the reputation of being the outstanding disciple amongst the newly-initiated disciples. Listen to my second question. It will not be as simple as the first one,” said Zhao Dengming while nodding. His tone of speech showed his approval of Fang Lin.
Fang Lin sneered coldly in his heart, but the kind smile remained on his face. “Please ask away, Elder.”
Zhao Dengming paused for a moment before he spoke, “The second question is related to the Herb Garden just as before. There is a species of herb in the Herb Garden that is pale red in color, odorless, rigid hard, and icy cold to the touch. What is it?”
At once, numerous junior alchemy disciples looked toward Fang Lin in an attempt to see if he could still manage to answer correctly once again. However, the majority of them did not think that he could do that. After all, the second question sounded even more ambiguous than the first. Perhaps it would be difficult to find this herb at once even if the person was standing in the Herb Garden.
Meanwhile, even a junior alchemy disciple that was slower than most could tell that Zhao Dengming was deliberately making things difficult for Fang Lin. Otherwise, there was utterly no point for him to propose such a difficult question to a disciple.
“Senior Brother Disciple Kang, Fang Lin isn’t going to answer correctly by luck this time,” said the person by Kang Lu’s side while sneering.
Kang Lu’s expression appeared much more relaxed than before. He nodded then turned around to take a glance at Fang Lin. ‘Fang Lin, I’m going to destroy your reputation of being a genius this time!’ he said ferociously in his heart.
Fang Lin’s gaze swept across the entire space and the numerous junior alchemy disciples. He was scanning through the people’s expressions. ‘Hmph, so do you think that you’re going to watch me embarrass myself? I’m sorry to disappoint all of you,’ he said inwardly.
“Fang Lin, do you not know the answer?” said Zhao Dengming. His voice carried a tinge of coldness and indifference.
“I was just pondering earlier, but I’ve already figured out the answer now. The herb you mentioned should be the Red Horn Branch.”
Zhao Dengming’s expression transformed for a moment. Despite his best efforts to conceal his shock, his expression exposed his emotions.
Every single person including Kang Lu, Sun Hao, and the junior alchemy disciples waiting to see Fang Lin embarrass himself had very irritated expressions, especially Kang Lu. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
On the other hand, the rest of the junior alchemy disciples considered it and realized that Fang Lin’s answer matched Zhao Dengming’s description perfectly. The characteristics of the Red Horn Branch matched Fang Lin’s answer flawlessly.
At once, many junior alchemy disciples studied Fang Li in a different light. It was utterly impossible for him to answer these two difficult questions correctly and consecutively by sheer luck. The word ‘genius’ emerged in their minds involuntarily.
Zhao Dengming’s level of astonishment was no less than the junior alchemy disciples below the stone platform. As an elder, he was well aware of the difficulty of those two questions earlier. Let alone a junior alchemy disciple, even some official disciples could not necessarily answer so quickly.
Despite Zhao Dengming’s reluctance to admit it, he was well aware that Fang Lin was genuinely a wizard. At least, no one amongst the junior alchemy disciples could compare to his knowledge in herbology.
However, Kang Lu had called Zhao Dengming over to demoralize Fang Lin after all. Even though he was surprised by Fang Lin’s performance, his determination to demoralize him did not waver.
“Very well, Fang Lin. I still have one more question to ask. If you can answer the question, I’ll reward you with an ancient alchemy book. If you fail to answer it, I won’t punish you either,” Zhao Dengming said loudly.
Fang Lin sneered coldly in his heart. The old man still refused to let the matter drop after he answered two questions consecutively. Lu Xiaoqing appeared to be infuriated by the situation. She wanted to speak on Fang Lin’s behalf, yet she dared not argue with the elder before everybody else.
Fang Lin patted her shoulder softly to calm her. Soon afterward, he said, “Elder, please go ahead and ask me.”
Zhao Dengming answered with a grunt before he made very subtle eye contact with Kang Lu who was sitting below the platform.
“So, how many leaves does a Serene Courtyard Flower have? How long does it take for the flower to mature? What is the difference between this herb and the Black Moon Flower?” said Zhao Dengming as he flung out three questions in a row.
This time, his intention to target Fang Lin was fully revealed. In fact, many junior alchemy disciples had strange expressions as they felt rage and resentment arise in their hearts.
“Kang Lu must have been given Elder Zhao an incentive to make things so difficult for Fang Lin in such a manner.”
“That’s too much. As an elder, he’s doing this over and over again to a disciple. His lack of ethics and dignity are being exposed.”
“Even if Fang Lin is a genius, the question related to the Serene Courtyard Flower is still troubling to an official disciple. How can he answer this question correctly?”
…
The Serene Courtyard Flower was an odd medicinal herb. It bloomed only at night and wilted in a hundred days.
On the other hand, the Serene Courtyard Flower was very similar to the Black Moon Flower such that even their appearances were almost the same. If not for the minute difference between these two herbs, one would regard them as one and the same.
Many official disciples were incapable of mastering the skill to identify these two herbs. Needless to say, it was impossible for junior alchemy disciples to do so. There was no way one could tell the difference just by looking at these two herbs with the naked eye.
A dash of pride appeared on Zhao Dengming’s face. It was also tinted with rage. His intention to target Fang Lin was already extremely obvious when he proposed such a question. After today, he predicted that he would be denounced by the others in the alchemy sect.
However, he did not mind. Anyhow, Kang Lu had already given him a rich incentive. Moreover, the first elder had also incited him to partake in this secretly too. As a result, Zhao Dengming was not concerned. Even if he was denounced by the others, the matter would be forgotten in time.
Zhao Dengming was considering if he should seek more incentives from Kang Lu in his heart when he was jolted awake by Fang Lin’s voice. “Kang Lu, oh, Kang Lu, the old man has tarnished his reputation for you this time.
“This isn’t a difficult question as well. Before maturing, the Serene Courtyard Flower has 39 leaves. After maturing, it has 99 leaves and it needs 17 to 20 years to achieve maturity. As for the difference between this and the Black Moon Flower, the scepter of the Serene Courtyard Flower is greenish-purple in color while the Black Moon Flower’s scepter is pale green in color. Moreover, the Serene Courtyard Flower has one single rhizome while the Black Moon Flower’s roots are made up of many parts,” Fang Lin answered fluently. He had a thoroughly confident expression on his face.
On the stone platform, Zhao Dengming was shocked. He looked at Fang Lin incredulously as he was utterly incapable of hiding the shock in his heart anymore.
Below the stone platform, Kang Lu was rooted to the spot as if his entire body had turned into stone. His brain was humming loudly. The entire alchemy altar was deathly silent such that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone’s gaze was fixed upon Fang Lin.
Lu Xiaoqing’s expression changed as well. Fang Lin felt like a stranger to her at this very moment. He was completely unlike the idle guy on a usual day.
Meanwhile, Fang Lin had a calm and composed expression as he looked at Zhao Dengming on the stone platform. He asked, “I wonder if you’re satisfied with the answer, Elder Zhao.”
The color on Zhao Dengming’s face alternated between being red with rage and ghastly pale with fear. He stared straight at Fang Lin and refused to believe that he could really answer his question. ‘How could he possibly answer the question correctly? That’s impossible! It’s absolutely impossible!’ he roared in his inner soliloquy. His face was pallid with rage, but he was rendered speechless.
The group of junior alchemy disciples noticed Zhao Dengming’s desperate expression as if he had just swallowed a dead moth and they instantly realized that Fang Lin’s answer was correct. Otherwise, Zhao Dengming would not have such an expression on his face.
At this very moment, the person with the exact same expression as Zhao Dengming was no one other than Kang Lu. He sat there with a stiff body and eyes filled with ferocity.
The people around him dared not speak in fear of provoking the already infuriated Kang Lu.
Meanwhile, Fang Lin spoke once again, “Elder, could I have answered wrongly?”
Zhao Dengming almost vomited blood from rage. He wished that he could immediately leap down from the stone platform and gave Fang Lin a beating. Still, regardless of the rage and hatred in his heart, he could only squeeze out a desperate smile at this very moment as he said, “You’ve answered the question very well. I’m very gratified to know that there is a genius like you amongst the junior alchemy disciples.”
Fang Lin giggled. “So, when can I get the ancient alchemy book that was promised earlier?”
The people were speechless while Zhao Dengming felt a gush of unknown rage surge inside his mind. He was well aware that Fang Lin was jabbing at him intentionally, yet there was nothing he could do.
At once, Zhao Dengming waved his hand once and he unleashed an ancient book in Fang Lin’s direction. Fang Lin accepted the ancient book and kept it inside his chest pocket before he cupped his hands at chest level towards Zhao Dengming to show his appreciation.
Many people were watching Fang Lin in admiration. He was just a junior alchemy disciple, but he was rewarded with an ancient alchemy book. It was a great opportunity for him that would suffice to allow Fang Lin to be in the lead amongst the numerous junior alchemy disciples.
Zhao Dengming did not wish to stay any longer in this place anymore. He had completely embarrassed himself today. Not only did he fail to demoralize Fang Lin, but on the contrary, he helped to promote Fang Lin’s reputation of being a genius.
Just as Zhao Dengming was about to announce the end of the lecture, he did not expect Fang Lin to suddenly shout aloud, “Elder, I have a question. I hope that you can help to answer my conundrum.”