Black-hearted person

  Phoenix's eyes narrowed, vinegar came down, and the breath of his whole body became very frightening, making the little An who was held by Tang Xin also shrink his neck and lie on Tang Xin's shoulder, not daring to look at him.

  "Xiao An, let's go." Táng Xīn walked forward with a pleasant stride, speaking to the child in her arms: "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"

  Mo Chen pursed his lips and continued to follow from behind. He had made up his mind not to return for now, but to follow her until she returned to the South Immortal Gate. This was the only way to prevent those men from getting close to her side. Hmm, it would be better if he could keep an eye on her at all times, so that he could notify him as soon as anything unusual happened. But what should he use?

  Along the mountain path, the two of them came to a civilian residence to borrow lodging. Without needing Tang Xin to open his mouth, Mu Chenfeng would automatically go forward and introduce himself. Ordinary civilians seeing their extraordinary clothing and demeanor, and then taking out several gold coins, were naturally delighted to clear out a room for the couple to stay in.

  She was used to his self-righteousness, so Tang Xin didn't bother saying anything. The little An in her arms had been frightened and had walked a lot, and now he was sound asleep in her arms. She gently put him on the bed and then sat down at the table.

  As soon as Mo Chenfeng saw her sit down, he handed the tea to her and smiled slyly: "Lady, have a drink of water!"

  Tang Xin didn't mince words either, took a sip, and then pulled out the talisman paper and cinnabar from her space, gesturing: "You go on your way, don't distract me."

  "My dear, I'm already on one side." He sat across from her, his phoenix-like eyes smiling at her.

  "I don't want you in front of me." She said irritably: "Go to sleep first, don't sit here, your presence will only distract me."

  "Hehe... I didn't know being a husband was so charming. Alright, I'll go to bed and wait for you, don't take too long." He stood up happily, helped her clean up the tea cups and other things on the table, then went to bed first.

  All he saw was a figure in white clothes, who had taken off his boots and was reclining on the bed with an air of languid elegance, yet exuding an aura of evil charm. The white clothes were holy, but they somehow accentuated the demonic aura emanating from his body, making him look both charming and lazy. Tang's eyes flickered as she gazed at him, silently cursing: "You demon!"

  She composed herself, focusing her attention on the talisman paper on the desk, dipped her finger in cinnabar and drew a flying symbol on the paper with concentrated spiritual energy. This time, she drew a paper crane, the spiritual energy following the cinnabar to the end, infusing into the paper crane, sealing it once. Withdrawing her hand, she couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile.

  Flying Crane, the most common type of Flying Talisman, can carry one or two people's weight after unsealing. This is also a talisman that foundation-building cultivators can refine. Seeing the first one succeed, she continued to draw more talismans, all of which were flying talismans. After all, she currently didn't have a flying spirit beast or a mount, and while flying with her sword was possible, it consumed physical energy and required controlling the sword's movement and speed, far less comfortable than these Flying Cranes.

  However, not every drawing of the flying crane was successful. Late at night, she was still studying at her desk, how to avoid wasting a single talisman paper? How could she draw a successful talisman with 100% success rate?

  At this time, Mo Sheng saw that she was not going to sleep and got out of bed. He walked over to her side and took a look at the talismans: "Are you going to keep doing these all night? Don't you plan on sleeping? Although we have flying mounts, it's also not good for you to not rest, do you know that?"

  "You go to sleep first! I'll draw a few more." She said, and had just arranged some paper on the table when he swept her up in his arms and carried her straight to bed.

  The whole person was held up by him, Tang Xin's face turned bright red, and because it was a residential house, the night was deep and it wasn't good to shout too loudly, so she could only grit her teeth and lower her voice to scold: "You bastard! Put me down quickly! This is a residential house, do you know? Don't disturb others' sleep in the middle of the night!"

  "Do you know it's already late at night? Why are you still staying up?" Mu Chenfeng walked to the bedside before putting her down, pressing her to sit on the bed: "Sit well." He said in a low voice, squatting down to help her take off her shoes and socks. His movements were gentle, as if he was taking care of a precious treasure. Tang Xin looked at him like that, and for a moment, she was also stunned, letting him help her take off her shoes and socks like a doll. Then, he helped her lie down and pulled the quilt up to cover her well.

  "Alright, sleep!" He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her beside him with a gentle smile, his eyes shining with a doting light that could drown people, making Tang Xin dare not look directly at him, afraid that she would get lost in his tenderness and deep emotions.

  The bed was a bit small, three people could sleep on it but would be crowded, while two people slept and still had plenty of space left. She looked at him again and saw that Xiao An had been pushed inside by him. After a pause, she asked: "Are you going to sit like this until dawn?"

  "Do you want me to go to bed?" He raised an eyebrow and hooked a sly smile.

  She caught sight of his cunning smile like a fox and turned around to close her eyes: "Consider me as not having asked."

  Upon hearing this, Mu Chenfeng just smiled and walked to the table to blow out the candlelight. He sat down in a chair with one hand supporting his head and dozed off lightly.

  In the darkness, Tang Xin opened her eyes and stared at the inky blackness before her. A peculiar emotion flashed across her mind, and after a brief moment, she slowly closed her eyes again, unable to resist the creeping drowsiness that eventually led her into a deep sleep.

  The morning sunlight spilled across the land, and Tang Xin on the bed caught a whiff of fragrance wafting over. In her sleep, she slowly came to, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that white figure busily arranging bowls and chopsticks. Seeing her awake, she revealed a gentle smile: "Awake? Quickly go wash up and come eat breakfast."

  "Oh." She responded with a sound, seeing that Xiao An was still sleeping inside, she called out to him: "Xiao An, get up."

  The little guy rubbed his eyes, got up, looked at Tang Xin, and then looked at Mu Chenfeng by the table. He only remembered what happened yesterday, his expression was slightly dazed, until Tang Xin called him again before he came back to himself.

  "Get out of bed, wash up and have breakfast." The Alchemist Guild was not far away, she could reach it today, she planned to go for assessment first, get the badge and then send him back.

  "Good." He followed Tang Xin down from the bed, and the two of them went outside to fetch water and wash up, only coming back in after a while.

  Looking at the exquisite pastries on the table, her eyes were filled with surprise: "Where did you get these?" It's impossible to have such things in this ordinary house.

  "I bought it in the city, there's also meat porridge here, try some." He smiled and brought a bowl of meat porridge to her face, and then picked up some pastries and put them in front of Xiao An: "Little devil, eat!"

  Hearing his nickname, Tang Xin's mouth twitched involuntarily: "He's called Xiao An, why is he called Little Devil?"

  "In my eyes, he's just a little devil." He said casually, not even looking at him, but instead elegantly eating his pastry and occasionally helping Tang Xin with some, placing them in the small bowl beside her.

  Ta Ba An glanced at the two of them, lowered his head and continued eating, not daring to say another word. Until after finishing breakfast, Tang Xin asked him with a smile: "Xiao An, have you ever ridden a flying paper crane? Do you want to ride one?"

  He finally revealed a childlike expression, curiously and expectantly nodding his head: "I want to."

  "Come, I'll take you up." Tang Xin removed the seal from the paper crane, and in an instant, the small paper crane grew larger. The two of them sat on it, holding onto its head as they flew towards the sky, with Tuoba Anqi letting out excited whoops of joy, while Mu Chenfeng, following behind, had a gloomy expression.

  It turned out that she had drawn so many paper cranes last night just for this purpose, and sitting on the back of Huo Qilin with him would be even better.

  "Sister, what is that beast?" Ta Ba An pointed at the mount beside Mu Chenfeng, asking with a curious face.

  "That is a Qilin."

  "It looks so fierce, will it eat people?"

  Mo Chenfeng saw him snuggled in Tang Xin's arms, that little head occasionally rubbing against her soft chest, his eyes darkened and he said coolly: "I know, especially good at eating children like you."

  "Ah!" Ta Ba An exclaimed and rushed into Tang Xin's arms, not daring to look at the terrifying Huo Qilin beside him.

  Tang Xin glared at him: "What's the point of scaring him? You can't even get along with a kid, you really have some nerve."

  Feng Rou raised an eyebrow and gazed at her calmly, saying: "I've decided, I won't leave for now. Wait until you return to Nan Xian Men, then I'll go back to Xiuzhen Realm."

  "What! You're still following me?" She cried out in surprise, her face full of astonishment. Didn't they agree that he would leave after she obtained the Alchemist badge? Why had he changed his mind now?

  He hooked his lips into a smile: "No way, I suddenly found out that I don't want to leave you."

  Tang Xin's mouth twitched at the corner, and she looked at him silently. It seemed that getting rid of this tail was going to be a bit difficult...

  At noon, they finally arrived at the Alchemist Guild in the Dongxianmen region. The three entered the city and first found a place to settle down. Tang Xin handed Tuoba An over to him: "You take care of him for now! I'll go to the guild for assessment myself."

  "Don't you really need me to go with you?"

  "No need, alchemy takes time, you'll just be waiting there too. I reckon we can return before sunset, so take a rest!"

  "Is this you caring about me?" He raised the corner of his lips, and his eyes were full of joyful smile.

  Tang Xin turned her head and glanced at him: "Who cares about you? It's just that I saw you didn't sleep well last night, so let you make up for it. Besides, what can you do if you don't sleep?" She said, looking at Tuoba An who was a little afraid of Mo Xunfeng, and softly said: "Little An doesn't need to be afraid, sister will go out in the afternoon and come back, you just stay here with him, he's not a bad person, you don't need to be afraid of him, do you know?"

  "Uh, sister should come back quickly."

  His voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of shyness, his delicate face was very cute. Looking at this cute face, Tang Xin found it hard to imagine that he and the bearded Tuoba Ye were actually brothers, it was too unbelievable.

  Xiangping City is very large, with a population of tens of thousands. This is mainly because many cultivators from all over gather here, and there are also many merchants who have developed their businesses in this place. Xiangping City can be said to be the most complete city on the Tiger Roar Continent, where any item can be found.

  In the city, there are three large auction houses. The shops here mainly cater to cultivators and the prices of goods are relatively expensive. Although the shops have a wide range of items, some rare and precious medicinal pellets can only be found at high prices in the auction houses. Generally, even if you want to buy them from ordinary shops, they are hard to come by.

  Apart from the materials for making talismans, there are also many cultivators who specialize in talismans. They may not be as good as other cultivators in other aspects, but when it comes to making talismans, they are skilled craftsmen.

  As she walked through the city, she took in the sights of Xiangping City. After about half an hour, she arrived at the gate of the Alchemy Association, looking at the majestic facade, then at the large characters carved out of unknown materials, as well as the long queue of people waiting outside, and her eyebrows rose involuntarily.

  It seems that even coming to this assessment requires queuing? Is the Alchemist Guild always crowded with so many people taking the assessment, or did she just happen to arrive at a busy time? With so many people, if they really have to queue like this, it's likely that her turn won't come until tomorrow.

  "Miss!"

  Just then, a joyful voice was heard. Upon hearing this voice, she couldn't help but turn her head around and saw that it was the twelve dragons, who were now transformed into twelve human figures.

  "Is that you?" Did they really listen to Mu Chenfeng's words and ran here to wait for her? I really don't understand them, why are they so stubborn about this? It's just a small matter, besides, saving them wasn't even something she wanted to do.

  "Miss, Long Qi is queuing over there, you can go now! There are only three people in front of you." Long Yi showed a hint of a smile. They had arrived just then and saw that they still needed to line up, so they let Long Qi queue first. This way, when she arrived, she could enter right away without having to wait.

  Looking at the crowd in the morning, I saw that the tall and straight man was stiffly standing in front, she couldn't help but smile. These people, uh, no, they should be dragons, judging by their appearance, not very close to humans. Looking at the seven dragons standing there with their waists straight and stiff, it feels strange somehow, but also moved by their thoughtfulness.

  "How long have you been here?" Her gaze swept over the dozen or so people standing in the scorching sun: "Have you all been waiting here? Why don't you find a cooler place to sit and wait?" Long's temperament was proud, but they, because she had saved them time and again, couldn't help but remember that kindness in their hearts.

  Long's eyes lit up with joy when he heard her words, and he hastily said, "We're not tired."

  "You all go and wait aside first! I'll go in for the assessment." She nodded at them, then walked to where Long Qi was standing: "You also go take a rest!"

  "Miss." Long Qi called out, looking at Long Yi, seeing him nod, he then walked out, but who knew that as soon as he walked out, the people behind him hurriedly squeezed forward and immediately occupied his position.

  "What are you doing?" Long Qi frowned and asked in a low voice.

  "You leave and I'll get up. What's wrong with that?" The man glared at Long Qi, his face full of arrogance.

  "Haven't you seen me lining up here for a long time?" Long Qi's face sank, his voice filled with strong discontent.

  The man looked Dragon Seven up and down, sneering: "What's the big deal? You don't look like an alchemist either. What are you doing following him around? Scram! Don't block my view!"

  "Are you cool?"

  Tang Xin raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man. The man was a cultivator of the eighth level of Qi refinement, and probably also an alchemist, but despite not having been assessed yet, he had an arrogant appearance, not putting others in his eyes, and being too self-conceited would not achieve much, at most, he could only be promoted to the level of alchemist and no further.

  "What? You want to interfere with other people's business?" The man gave Tang Xin a sidelong glance, not taking her seriously.

  Tang Xin hooked his lips into a smile, and said in a leisurely tone: "If I were you, I'd retreat quietly for now. At most, it's just a matter of waiting a little longer. Otherwise..."

  "What if not?"

  "Do you really want to know?"

  "Hmph! I suppose you won't be able to come up with anything impressive!" The man crossed his arms over his chest, watching as the person in front of him went inside. Next was his turn, and suddenly his eyebrows rose in excitement.

  "What's the fun in that? I've never really played, I prefer doing something more practical, like beating you up and throwing you out, making you go from first to last." She said casually, looking at the man in front of her, while the man clearly didn't take her words to heart.

  "You think you can? Don't be ridiculous!"

  "Long Qi, take action!" Tang Xin shouted, and saw that the man's collar was lifted by Long Qi and thrown out. The twelve people instantly surrounded him, punching and kicking at the man.

  "Ah! You, you're bullying the weak! Do you know who I am? Offend me and you'll have no good days... Ah! Stop hitting! Stop hitting! Ouch, it hurts so much... Help!"

  The man's cries changed from shouts of surprise to curses, and finally to pleas for mercy. The crowd watched in shock as the twelve men, who were much stronger than him, beat him up one by one, each punch landing with a loud thud that seemed to shake his internal organs. What was even more astonishing was that these twelve men, whose strength far surpassed that of the man who had been seeking fame through getting beaten up, all pounced on him at once because of a single sentence spoken by Tang Xin.

  "What are you doing? How dare you cause trouble in front of the Alchemist Guild?" At this time, a middle-aged man walked out of the guild, looking at the scene with displeasure.

  "That man was causing trouble here, my people taught him a lesson." Tang Xin smiled and said slowly, seeing that they had beaten him enough, "Wasn't it just supposed to be a lesson? Why did you use such heavy hands? Quickly drag him to the back to line up."

  "Yes!"

  The twelve Dragon Riders stopped in their tracks, and it was only then that the crowd saw the man being beaten to a pulp, his originally high-quality robes now tattered and worn out, looking like a beggar on the streets. His limbs hung limp and lifeless, as if he had been crippled, leaving the onlookers gasping in shock.

  It's all come to this, can you still participate in the alchemy assessment? The answer is no! Just like that woman said, there's only a breath left.

  Even the middle-aged man from the Alchemy Guild couldn't help but frown when he saw him, his gaze shifting away from that person and falling on Tang Xin: "Do you know, in Xiangping City, there are not many people without a background. Don't look at how ordinary that person is, maybe the power behind him is very strong, it's not something you or your mercenary group can withstand."

  Upon hearing this, Tang Xin smiled: "I've heard that if one becomes a member of the Alchemist Guild, then the safety guarantee for alchemists is also within your power. And if someone gives trouble to the Alchemist Guild, you will handle it, right?"

  "Not bad, but only high-level alchemists can be included in the protected ranks." He looked up and down at Tang Xin: "In my opinion, you want to take the alchemy exam, it's not very possible. The youngest alchemist in the Alchemist Guild is 34 years old, with your current level, at most you can only be a Dan disciple. Don't look at the many people who come here every day to practice alchemy, but truly passing the assessment and becoming an alchemist is extremely rare."

  "Oh? Then how many high-level alchemists are there on the Tiger's Roar Continent?"

  A middle-aged man glared at her and said, "For high-level alchemists registered in our guild, their information is confidential. Except for the president of the Alchemist Guild, only three elders know about it. You're just a little girl, what's the point of asking so many questions?" He sized her up, seeing that her face was ordinary, and the only thing that left a deep impression on him was those eyes that seemed to see through everything.

  Gazing at her pair of clear eyes, he secretly wondered that this woman was born so ordinary, and her strength was only in the refining stage, but these eyes emitted a confident aura. Looking closer, there seemed to be a faintly discernible air of nobility on her body, as if that air had been hidden away, yet it also seemed like there was a mysterious veil shrouding her, making him want to peek but unable to see through.

  Tang Xin smiled and saw the person who had gone in earlier walking out with his head hung low. A young man walked out and called, "Next one."

  She glanced at the middle-aged man, smiled and said: "It's my turn." As soon as her voice fell, she stepped inside and walked a few steps before stopping again. She turned around to look at Long Yi and the others: "You guys find a place to rest for a bit!"

  "Yes!" Unconsciously, they followed her orders, taking her as the leader, taking her words as commands, unconditionally believing in her and trusting her.

  A middle-aged man glanced at the Twelve Dragon Riders, then looked at the blue-clothed woman walking in with a steady pace. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward as well, wanting to see what she was capable of and what level her alchemy would be.

  "What kind of person is that woman? She doesn't look very old, yet she's come to the Alchemist Association for an assessment. Her courage isn't small." A middle-aged man in the queue said, and the scene earlier had been witnessed by the surrounding crowd, who naturally also heard the conversation between the middle-aged man from the association and her.

  "A little girl who doesn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth, what can she do? I reckon she's just here to have some fun and take a look around the guild. I bet she'll be out of there with her tail between her legs in no time. Someone like her probably can't even tell what a spiritual medicine looks like!"

  "That's also true, looking at the many people who went in, they came out after a short while, I reckon they couldn't even pass the first test. If this Alchemy Association was really that easy to enter, there wouldn't have been only thirteen high-level alchemists in nearly a hundred years."

  "Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Just wait and see, won't you know then?" said an older man who came to take the test every year but always failed. As he grew older, he was still in the Qi-refining stage, and if he couldn't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his life wouldn't last much longer.

  On the other side, after Tang Xin went out, Mu Chenfeng took Tuoba An out as well. They strolled around the city and entered an auction house, sitting in the back to watch the items being auctioned off. Originally intending to kill time, they didn't expect to find something that caught their eye at the auction. Seeing it, Mu Chenfeng couldn't help but curve up a smile - it was a treasure, the Purple Gold Gourd.

  A small, purple-golden gourd looked like it could only hold about a catty of wine, but because this thing was a treasure, no matter how much wine you poured into it, it would never be full. No matter how much you filled it, it couldn't be filled to the brim. When he saw this purple-golden gourd, he thought of Tang Xin who liked to drink a little wine in her free time, but her gourd seemed too big and was just an ordinary gourd, not like this one which was a treasure after all.

  Having made up his mind, he then knocked down the purple golden gourd and prepared to go back into the city to see if there was any place with better wine, so that he could bring some back to give to her and make her happy.

  On the other hand, Tang Xin entered from there and passed through a fence to arrive at the first trial. The assessment of the first trial mainly focused on recognizing and distinguishing spiritual medicine. Three elderly men sat in chairs, knowing someone had come in, but they didn't even lift their heads, some continued flipping through books, others sipped tea, while another was recording something on a notebook.

  "What's your name? How old are you?" The old man who was recording in the book flipped to another page, moved his pen and made a gesture of registration.

  Tang Xin glanced at the three of them and saw that the middle-aged man from before had also walked in, but he was standing aside without making a sound. She then said: "I'm Tang Xin, 17 years old."

  "Is it Tang Xin?"

  Upon hearing this name, the three elderly men and the middle-aged man couldn't help but look at her with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

  "Are you Tang Xin?" An old man looked at her with a strange expression.

  "Uh-huh."

  She nodded, if she hadn't known that the badge after the assessment must be engraved with her real name, she wouldn't have reported her true name. According to what her master said, all alchemists who passed the assessment would be registered in the confidential files of the guild, and this guild was not only the Alchemist Guild of the Tiger Roar Continent but also a branch guild of the Alchemist Guild in the Immortal World. The alchemist badge obtained here is also valid in the Immortal World, and the name engraved on the badge will be hidden after engraving, except for her, no one else can see it.

  "Is your name really Tong Xin?"

  Another old man also looked at her in surprise, from top to bottom, from bottom to top, carefully and did not miss a single detail. However, after a while, he shook his head: "No, how could you be Tang Xin?"

  "Hmm, I also think it's unlikely. Except for this set of green clothes, there's no other resemblance. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that people have the same name." Another old man spoke up, and after sizing up Tang Xin, he took a sip of his tea.

  And the middle-aged man on the side also furrowed his brow and looked at her, asking: "Are you Tang Xin, who killed Li Yuqiu?"

  Upon hearing this, she raised an eyebrow: "This assessment of alchemy masters also requires a thorough investigation?"

  "So are you or aren't you?" The three old men and the middle-aged man all fixed their gaze on her, not missing a single expression on her face.

  "Yes."

  Without any hesitation or evasion, she responded succinctly. Looking at their astonished expressions, she slightly raised an eyebrow: "Any other questions?"

  Three old men looked at each other and said, "Tang Xin, who relied on the green door, killed his master and escaped, and then became an enemy of the Jiang family, one of the four major families in the Tiger Roar Continent? Now you want to enter our guild and become a pill alchemist for your own safety? Tang Xin, do you know that entering our guild is not an easy thing?"

  "It's no wonder you're from the Alchemist Guild, you seem to know a lot about my affairs." She smiled and said: "However, I didn't obtain this badge just to get your guild's protection. If I didn't know that an alchemist's badge was valuable, do you think I would have come to this place? The Jiang family? The people of the Jiang family dare to be my enemy? They're just a bunch of cowards who fear death, one person is enough to deal with them."

  "Your tone is quite big, but here, it's not easy to get through just like that. Only high-level alchemists can receive our guild's protection, and only high-level alchemists have the priority right to take all kinds of spiritual medicine at each of our announcement points."

  "Huh?" She raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it said that after becoming a high-level alchemist and obtaining the badge, the guild will also give out 50,000 gold coins and allow you to choose ten spiritual herbs from the Alchemist's Spiritual Herb Field?"

  "Humph, that's also a privilege only high-level alchemists have. If you're just an ordinary alchemist, those things aren't even worth mentioning."

  "You're so sure? Or are we going to make a bet?" She raised the corner of her lips, and a hint of sly smile flashed in her eyes.

  "Want to make a bet?" Several people were taken aback, looking at her in confusion, unsure what she was getting at.

  "Hmm." She took out the Thousand-Year-Old Blood Ginseng from her space and swung it around in her hand: "Do you know what this is?" If they wanted to get more, then they had to let them jump into the trap first. She took out this thousand-year-old spiritual medicine to entice them, hehe, such precious medicinal materials, how could they not be moved?

  "A thousand years of blood and sweat!"

  Three old men suddenly stood up, along with the middle-aged man, looking at her in utter astonishment as she held a crimson, blood-soaked ginseng in her hand. For a moment, they were shocked to the core, wondering where she had obtained such a precious item. The thousand-year-old spiritual medicine was extremely rare on the Tiger's Roar Continent; how did she manage to get it?

  "Hurry up, let me see if it's really the thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng!" One of the old men excitedly stretched out his hand, his eyes burning with intensity as he stared at the thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng in her hand.

  Tang Xin walked up to them with an air of nonchalance, handing over the thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng in her hand. Just as they were all gathered around, lowering their heads in astonishment and incredulity, she suddenly produced another spiritual medicine from thin air, "And this one too."

  He casually tossed the spiritual medicine to them, and the three old men instinctively reached out to catch it. However, when they took a closer look after catching it, they were so startled that they almost dropped the medicine on the ground.

  "This, this, this Purple Heart Thunder! How did you get all these thousand-year-old spiritual medicines?" The three old faces turned bright red, unsure if it was from excitement or something else, holding the medicinal herbs with an unwillingness to let go.

  Tang Xin smiled and said, "How's that? Are these things enough to make a bet? I'll bet that I can become a high-level alchemist. If I fail to reach the level of a high-level alchemist or above, then these two thousand-year-old spiritual medicines will be yours." Her voice paused, and she looked at them with a sly smile: "But if I succeed, or even surpass that..."

  "What does it matter?" they asked hastily.

  "The Alchemy Guild should have plenty of good things. If I reach that point, then I can pick and choose whatever I want, how about it?"

  "This..."

  The three of them hesitated, and by rights, this little girl didn't seem to have any special abilities, so what harm would it do to agree to her request? Moreover, these two thousand-year-old divine medicines were priceless treasures, extremely precious. If they could get them, that would be even better. However, the things of the Alchemy Association, could she just take them as she pleased? Although there weren't any thousand-year-old divine medicines here, there were many precious medicinal materials, and these were not something they could casually give away.

  "How?"

  "Wait a minute, we need to consult with the Sect Leader," one of the elderly men said, still holding the two thousand-year-old spiritual medicines in his arms, and was about to walk away. Tang Xin saw this and smiled playfully: "You go ask the Sect Leader if you must, but why take my spiritual medicines with you? Are you trying to pull a fast one on me?"

  "Nonsense!" The old man's face turned red: "I, I just forgot to put it down for a while." He then put down the two medicinal materials, took a glance, and quickly walked away.

  She walked over to a table and sat down, sighing: "Alas! The grand Alchemist's Guild, I've been here for so long, and not even a drop of water to drink."

  Upon hearing this, the two elderly men and the middle-aged man involuntarily twitched at the corners of their mouths, glanced at her, and said: "Someone, bring her tea." Before long, a woman brought up a tray with tea and placed it beside Tang Xin: "Miss, please have some tea." The woman spoke softly and retreated respectfully.

  Tang Xin glanced at the woman, who was indeed a beauty with clear eyebrows and bright eyes. She smiled: "I thought this guild only had old men! I didn't expect to see such a lovely young woman with a gentle and elegant demeanor."

  Old man?

  Upon hearing this address, the two elderly men were taken aback for a moment before glaring with their eyes wide open. As guild elders, no one had ever dared to call them "old men" like that before. This little girl was truly too presumptuous!

  He glanced at her ordinary face and said, "I heard that Tang Xin of Qing Yi Men was favored by Li Wanqiu because she had a stunning beauty, but you...". His meaning was clear, asking why her face was so ordinary. As alchemists, they naturally saw that she didn't eat any easy-to-change pills to transform, so what's going on?

  "And is this face of mine too ordinary?" She smiled, with a radiant glow in her clear eyes: "Does it have a great deal to do with me being Tang Xin from the Green Leaning Door and obtaining the badge? Moreover, it seems unnecessary to answer the question you raised."

  At these words, the middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his eyes. Indeed, whether she was or not had nothing to do with anything. As long as her alchemy skills were outstanding, the guild wouldn't care about other things.

  "Could it be that there's actually a thousand-year-old divine medicine? I haven't seen one of those in ages." A thick, resonant voice rang out, and then an old man in white robes walked over, followed by the elder who had gone to invite him.

  "Chairman." Seeing him, several people hurriedly bowed.

  "Hmm." The old man responded with a sharp gaze sweeping across several people, falling on Tang Xin who was elegantly sipping tea, carefully sizing him up: "I am Tang Xin?"

  "This is the second time I've been asked to verify my identity with a badge, must I do it again?" Tang Xin put down his teacup and looked at the old man who was exuding an aura of authority: "I've been here for quite some time now, and this isn't the first time I've been questioned. The delay is already long enough, I'd like to ask, when can I start refining the elixir and obtain the badge?"

  "I heard you want to make a bet with our guild?" The old man took a step forward, his sharp eyes shooting out an intense pressure that fell on her body, but saw that she didn't react at all, and couldn't help but feel secretly surprised.

  "Not bad, but I wonder if your guild dares to make a bet with me." She stood up, fearlessly staring at him. Since they came, wouldn't it be a waste not to take some treasures?

  "Using those two thousand-year-old divine medicines?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Alright! I'd like to see just how capable you are!" He nodded in response, then turned to the several people behind him and said: "Prepare everything, let her refine the dan, test its quality!"

  "Yes!" The three elders and the middle-aged man responded respectfully in unison, quickly going down to prepare.

  "Chairman, don't be too disappointed when you lose. I'm the kind of person who takes whatever is good." Tang Xin said with a smile, glancing at the chairman's stunned face before walking away with a smile.

  "Move?" The old man's face was filled with astonishment, his complexion strange as he looked at the cyan-colored figure. After hearing her words and seeing the confidence emanating from her eyebrows, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered in his heart. Could it be that she really had the ability to take the advanced alchemy exam? No, no, no, how could this be possible? She's still so young! Is becoming an advanced alchemist really that easy?

  He suppressed the unease in his heart and said in a low voice, "Pass down the order, today's assessment is suspended, let them come back tomorrow for the next one." As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and strode inside.

  At this time, the people who had been waiting outside for a long time still didn't see the woman who went in earlier come out. They were all discussing it among themselves when suddenly they heard that the examiner from Jinzhou was saying that today's assessment was cancelled and told them to come back tomorrow? Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

  "What's going on? I've been queuing for several hours and now you're telling me to go back? No way!"

  "Is it just because we've been standing here for so long that they think they can get rid of us by saying there's no assessment today? How is this possible?"

  "What's going on? I'm asking what happened. How did it suddenly stop being evaluated? That woman in green clothes didn't go in just now, and she still hasn't come out. Why haven't they said anything about not evaluating?"

  "This is the president's personal order. If you want to take the alchemy master badge, come back tomorrow! Disperse quickly! Don't discuss it in front of the guild!" The middle-aged man from before walked out, and at the same time, several men with foundation period strength blocked the entrance of the guild, staring at those people with a gaze that seemed like they would kill them if they dared to rush in. This made everyone's heart skip a beat, and they dispersed one after another.

  It's okay to offend anyone else, just don't offend the Alchemists' Guild!