Unrivaled Miracle Doctor: The God-Defying Demonic Consort

Chapter 808: Chapter 243: What Does It Mean to Be a Genius! (First Update)

Outside the Outer Court of the Alchemy Institute, the long staircase is a symbol of the Institute’s status and a test.

Above the starting point of the staircase, a burning incense stick hovers. Only one-third remains before it’s completely burned.

Yet, on the staircase, two figures, one in white and one in red, are rushing upward at incredible speed...

At the bottom of the staircase, tens of thousands of people stare in disbelief at the scene before them, unable to trust their eyes!

Where are the so-called incompetent ones?!

Where are the ones who supposedly couldn’t take a few steps?!

Where is the so-called intimidation through status?!

Where is the amusement we were promised?!

Even Feng Ping is extremely shocked at this moment, his eyes wide open. Just now, he was mocking their overconfidence in his heart, but now, with their wind-like speed and ease as though walking on flat ground, it felt like a slap in the face, making his cheeks burn with pain.

The silence among the crowd is so intense that a pin drop could be heard.

Zhao Nanxing stands among them, feeling refreshed and as if he can hear the continuous sound of face slapping in his ears.

Moments ago, this crowd had looked down so much on his fellow disciples, mocking and sneering at them. Now, their faces hurt just as much as their remarks had!

The two figures, with a slight lead of one over the other, dashed into the mist at the top of the stairs. Then, they appeared once again within view, rapidly approaching the bottom of the staircase.

The incense still hanging in the air had just a small portion left.

The speed of the two accelerated even more; the red silhouette seemed to be slightly faster.

In fact, the difference between the two was less than two feet.

Finally, the red figure stood at the starting point first.

As soon as she steadied herself, the white figure stopped beside her. The two exchanged smiles, and at that moment, a breeze blew off the last bit of incense ash floating in the air.

The incense had burned out.

Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong had returned to the starting point before the incense finished burning.

’How is this possible!’ Feng Ping stared at the two of them in shock, feeling a tightness in his chest, something stuck in his throat, unable to utter a word.

He didn’t want to believe the scene before him, but it was an undeniable fact!

It wasn’t just him who was shocked; thousands were shocked as well.

The crowded square of thousands fell silent. Their shock wasn’t as profound as Feng Ping’s. They hadn’t personally experienced the difficulty of the staircase. But Feng Ping, he knew that even for himself, making a round trip within one incense stick’s time was very difficult.

The institute had actually given him the timeframe of two incense sticks.

But there was an ambiguous instruction given: ’Do as you see fit.’

Therefore, he took the liberty to change it from two incense sticks to one.

He originally thought that this first hurdle could chase away these two who dared to challenge the rules and exploit shortcuts. Unexpectedly, they delivered such a shocking blow.

"This..."

"Am I seeing things?"

"Could it be a fake staircase?"

The crowd slowly regained their senses.

Someone, skeptical of how hard the staircase was to climb, stealthily approached it out of curiosity. As he set foot on the staircase and took the first step, a strong repelling force met him head-on, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

His face turned red, and he bit his teeth, forcing himself to take another step.

As soon as his foot landed on the second layer of the staircase, he felt a massive impact on his Spiritual Sense, causing him to spit blood and his body to fly back out.

His body traced an arc in the air, plummeting to the ground.

The onlookers hurriedly backed away, creating an open space. He crashed heavily to the ground, and all that was heard was the sound of bones cracking.

His attempt, and its result, made tens of thousands anxious to enter the Alchemy Institute inhale sharply.

The surroundings became even quieter.

The crowd only heard Feng Ping coldly snort and disdainfully say, "Overestimating himself."

Quickly, some Protectors from the Alchemy Institute stepped forward to carry the person away. Naturally, he had no chance of further assessment. Anyone who could only reach the second layer of steps could not possibly pass the test.

However, his actions made the crowd realize that the staircase was truly bizarre and not easy to ascend. Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong each managed the feat with ease and speed, something not everyone could do.

With this comparison, the crowd’s perspective on Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong shifted.

They couldn’t help but wonder, were these two who could easily and quickly run on the stairs really just incompetent and privileged individuals?

The air went silent.

"Ahem." Mu Qingge gently cleared her throat, breaking the silence around.

Her voice caught Feng Ping’s attention, his not yet fully concealed surprised gaze instinctively landed on her.

Mu Qingge smiled slightly and asked, "May I ask if this counts as passing the first test?"

Her tone held no arrogance, only calm composure. She seemed entirely unaware of the shock she and Mei Zizhong had brought upon everyone else.

Feng Ping’s eyes became cold.

This result was something he had not anticipated.

However, being able to complete the staircase within the set time doesn’t guarantee them entrance to the Inner Courtyard!

The Inner Courtyard of the Alchemy Institute is a sacred place, not something just any cat or dog can enter!

A hint of malice flashed in Feng Ping’s eyes; reluctantly, he said, "Consider it passed." Then he quickly added, "But don’t get too full of yourselves; you just barely made it through the first trial. The remaining two will only be more difficult."

Mu Qingge’s lips curled with a playful smile as she silently thought: ’Which eye of yours saw me being smug?’

"Please present the challenge." Not wanting to argue with Feng Ping, Mu Qingge gracefully flicked her sleeves, placed her hands behind her back, and lifted her chin toward him as she spoke.

Feng Ping gave a cold smile and said loudly, "The second test is to identify medicinal materials."

"Identify medicinal materials? What’s so difficult about that? Anyone who can make it to this Alchemy Institute would know a few kinds of medicinal materials, wouldn’t they?"

"Could it be that this Alchemy Institute is going to deliberately go easy on them?"

"Impossible. If they were to go easy, they could have secretly admitted the two of them into the Inner Courtyard. Why bother with today’s examination?"

"Then this second test is way too simple."

Voices of discussion arose one after another.

Most were questioning the test. This doubt challenged the shock brought on by Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong passing the first test earlier.

Feng Ping raised his hand to silence the surrounding discussions.

Once the surroundings were completely quiet, he said, "This identification test is divided into two parts. In the first part, each medicinal material can only be seen for the blink of an eye before you must name them. Hesitation or error, and you’re out. In the second part, eyes will be covered, relying solely on scent to identify, again, error and you’re out."

Holy shit!

Identify medicinal materials in the blink of an eye? Just by smell?

And no mistakes allowed?

It’s important to know, there are thousands of medicinal materials. In many similar ones, the only differences are in the details; without careful observation, it’s easy to make mistakes. As for scent... to those who don’t understand medicinal materials, it probably smells the same. For those who do, judging by scent alone is not enough.

It’s a setup!

This is really a setup!

Those who previously said this examination was easy, saying the Alchemy Institute would go easy, now obediently shut their mouths.

"This is too much! It’s so difficult that at least a few mistakes should be allowed. Not allowing a single mistake, can people in the Alchemy Institute even do this?" Suddenly, a female voice boldly spoke up for Mu Qingge and the others.

With this voice, Feng Ping’s face darkened.

But Mu Qingge raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t unfamiliar with this voice. It was Song Jinsan. What surprised her was that Song Jinsan would speak up for her at this moment.

"Ignorant child! If a Pill Master cannot be thoroughly familiar with various medicinal materials, and mistakenly uses the wrong one when making an Elixir, turning a life-saving potion into a deadly Poison Pill, what then? Identifying medicinal materials is merely a basic skill for a Pill Master. Not making a single mistake is also the most basic self-requirement of being a Pill Master." Feng Ping coldly reprimanded.

As he spoke, he looked at Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong, mockingly saying, "If you can’t even meet this basic requirement, why bother making Elixirs? You might as well go home and play in the mud."

"You!" Song Jinsan, unable to contain her anger, wanted to speak again.

But her female companion beside her pulled her, whispering in her ear, "Keep your mouth shut! What does this have to do with you? Challenging the elders and masters of the Alchemy Institute like this, do you not want to enter the Alchemy Institute?"

Song Jinsan struggled, wanting to continue speaking, when Mu Qingge suddenly spoke. "Let’s begin."

Those three words were so crisp and decisive that they attracted attention.

At this moment, the tens of thousands of people finally noticed that from beginning to end, these two who were supposedly taking the backdoor route had been remarkably calm, without a trace of difficulty or panic on their faces.

How are they so confident?

This confidence made Feng Ping quite displeased. He snorted coldly and gestured with his hand.

The two young boys behind him immediately stepped forward. Each of them held a thick book in their hands.

The two boys opened their books simultaneously, and instantly, a golden light shot out from the pages, projecting into the air, forming the shape of a plant.

"Holy shit! Recognizing through images! This really tests one’s eyesight!"

"And only having the blink of an eye to recognize... how can you see clearly enough to identify?"

Ignoring the murmured discussions around them, Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong remained unaffected.

Feng Ping coldly announced, "Begin."

As his voice fell, the two young boys standing on either side of him began rapidly turning the pages of their books. The order of the pages in their books was different, yet they both tested Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong simultaneously.

When the first different medicinal material names came simultaneously from both their mouths, the crowd finally understood Feng Ping’s ’painstaking intentions.’

’This is too much!’ Zhao Nanxing’s gentle and handsome features were filled with gloom. Others could see it; how could he not see that Feng Ping was deliberately making it difficult for Mu Qingge and Mei Zizhong, intending to make them interfere with each other.

"Wormwood Grass."

"Leghorn King."

"Sword Bean."

"Distant Light."

"Phoenix Eye Fruit."

"Three-white Grass."

"Three-split Bitter."

"Nine-dragon Vine."

"Seven-leaf Lotus."

"Star Anise Maple."

"Seven-leaf Flower."

"Leaf Elephant Flower."

"Valley Bud."

"..."

Yet, as each medicinal material name was reported crisply and smoothly, shock gradually appeared in the eyes and faces of tens of thousands of people...