Free Web NovelChapter 653: Chapter 652: The First Mission!
The surrounding older students were all taken aback, not expecting a newcomer to dare to take on such a difficult task.
One of them said, "Junior Brother, you’ve just arrived at the Sacred Institute, so you’re not yet familiar with how things work here. The tasks aren’t to be taken lightly; there’s real danger involved. For example, in tasks that involve slaying Demon Beasts, if you take one on and fail, you’ll either be injured or killed. While a task like this alchemy one might seem safe, it actually comes with its own losses. You have to provide the Medicinal Materials for the extraction yourself, and that’s a huge expense. If you fail, all those materials are wasted, and that’s your own loss to bear."
"That’s right," another older student added. "We’ve tried this task several times and failed every time. Only a fourth-grade Alchemy Master can successfully perform the extraction. You’re still a long way from that level. Young people shouldn’t aim so high; you need to keep your feet on the ground."
These older students were giving him sincere advice. They didn’t want this newcomer to waste his time, energy, and Medicinal Materials for nothing.
However, Lin Xuan simply smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brothers, but rest assured, I won’t fail. Because I am a fourth-grade Alchemy Master."
After saying this, Lin Xuan turned and left, leaving the surrounding older students stunned.
What? What did he just say? Did he claim to be a fourth-grade Alchemy Master? What a joke! While there were quite a few fourth-grade Alchemy Masters in the Sacred Institute, none were under the age of twenty. Furthermore, all the other fourth-grade Alchemy Masters had the cultivation of a Grandmaster. But this kid? Not only was he under twenty, but his own cultivation was only at the four-star Grandmaster level. How could such a person possibly be a fourth-grade Alchemy Master? He was clearly bragging. They all shook their heads in disbelief.
But Lin Xuan, looking excited, returned to Courtyard No. 8. He wasn’t bragging; he truly was a fourth-grade Alchemy Master, and a very formidable one at that. He could even refine high-grade fourth-grade elixirs. This trivial extraction task was no challenge for him at all. As for the required Medicinal Materials, Lin Xuan had plenty on hand from his time on Dragon Island with the Nine Nether Alchemical Alliance and from Master Situ of the Fire Dragon Sect.
With a wave of his hand, Lin Xuan brought out the Fire Dragon Cauldron. He tossed the necessary materials inside, then summoned an Anomalous Fire and began the extraction. The whole process was incredibly fast. In only an hour, he was finished. He carefully bottled the resulting medicinal liquids and, carrying over a dozen bottles, swiftly departed.
He returned once again to the Task Hall, which was still as bustling as ever.
In the alchemy task area, several older students were still discussing which mission to accept. Suddenly, one of them said, "Hey, isn’t that the newcomer from earlier? Why is he back again?"
Another replied, "Is there even a need to ask? He obviously couldn’t complete the task and is back to pick a different one."
"Hmph, I said it from the start. If we older students can’t do it, how could a newcomer possibly succeed? I told him to stay grounded."
The older students murmured among themselves, all convinced that Lin Xuan had failed and was here to exchange his task for another.
As Lin Xuan approached, one of them even said, "Junior Brother, I told you not to waste your time and energy, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you see that we were telling the truth, right? In the future, you should be more down-to-earth."
Another older student added, "You newcomers shouldn’t be taking on tasks yet. First, you should make good use of the Spirit Gathering Array to consolidate your cultivation. The newcomer battle will be happening soon. If you strive for a good rank there, you can also earn some points. It’s not too late to start taking tasks in a few months, once you’re completely familiar with the Sacred Institute."
They all chimed in, offering Lin Xuan advice.
Lin Xuan, however, just smiled. "I appreciate your kind intentions, Senior Brothers, but I’ve already finished it."
What? The older students were stunned. Finished? Finished what?
Lin Xuan said, "The task is complete. I’m here to turn it in."
The students were utterly bewildered. One of them couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Junior Brother, you’re hilarious. You were gone for just about an hour, and you’re saying you completed the extraction? What a joke. Even if you were a fourth-grade Alchemy Master, you couldn’t possibly extract over a dozen medicinal liquids in a single hour."
"Exactly," the others chimed in. "This junior brother is unbelievable. His boasting is off the charts."
"Hmph, I’ve never seen such an arrogant youngster. I’d like to see if you can actually turn this task in."
The older students were furious, all feeling that Lin Xuan was far too arrogant. What kind of nonsense did he dare to spout?
Lin Xuan paid them no mind and found an elder at the Task Hall counter. "Elder, I’m here to turn in a task."
The elder inquired, "Which task?"
Lin Xuan presented the task scroll along with over a dozen Pill Bottles. "The task to extract medicinal liquids. I have completed the extraction. Please inspect it, Elder."
The elder’s expression was initially indifferent, but his eyes widened upon seeing the dozen Pill Bottles. He picked one up to examine it, his expression growing more and more surprised. Soon, he had inspected all the bottles. He looked at Lin Xuan in astonishment and said, "These medicinal liquids have indeed been extracted to the required standard."
Impossible! The surrounding older students had been waiting for a show. They were eager to see Lin Xuan embarrass himself, but instead, he had proven them utterly wrong. He actually completed it! It was unbelievable!
With a great clamor, the older students swarmed the counter, crowding around to get a closer look at the liquids.
"Damn, they really are fourth-grade medicinal liquids!"
"The extraction is so pure!"
"You did this? Impossible! How can a four-star Grandmaster possess such skill?"
"Did someone help you from behind the scenes? Hmph, that must be it."
They refused to believe Lin Xuan had done it himself. Even the Task Elder was skeptical. However, he didn’t say anything more. It didn’t matter who did the refining, as long as the task was completed. He nodded and said, "You have indeed completed the task. According to the rules, you will receive 1,000 points. Hand me your token."
Lin Xuan handed over his token. The elder swiped his finger over it, and an additional 1,000 points appeared.
Great! Lin Xuan was overjoyed. Turns out earning points isn’t so hard after all!
Hearing this, the corner of the elder’s mouth twitched. The surrounding older students were about to cough up blood from anger. This guy was unbelievably arrogant. Earning points isn’t hard? What a joke! You only earned 1,000 points so quickly because someone helped you. As a newcomer on your own, you’d be lucky to earn that many in half a year.
"You’re a newcomer?" the Task Elder asked, extremely surprised.
Then it’s very likely he didn’t extract these himself, the elder thought. No new student could be this capable.
Lin Xuan then asked, "By the way, Elder, are there any more extraction tasks like this one?"
"There is indeed another one," the elder nodded, producing another scroll. "But this one is more difficult, requiring the extraction of liquids from forty Spirit Medicines. Of course, the reward is also more generous. If you complete this task, you’ll earn 2,000 points."
"Great, I’ll take this task," Lin Xuan said immediately.
After accepting the task, he asked, "Elder, is there a quiet place nearby? I’d like to perform the extraction right here."
Lin Xuan felt that returning to Courtyard No. 8 was too troublesome. The trip back and forth wasted a lot of time, so it would be better to perform the extraction nearby and save time.
The Task Elder replied, "There are a few quiet rooms in the back that could be used for extracting medicinal liquid. Little fellow, are you saying you want to do the extraction here on the spot?"
Lin Xuan nodded. "If possible, I’d like to do it on-site."
Upon hearing this, the Task Elder was taken aback. He had only said it offhandedly, not expecting the young man to actually agree. The surrounding older students were even more shocked.
"What?"
"He’s going to extract it on the spot? For real?"
"What a joke!"
"Does he really think he’s a fourth-grade Alchemy Master?"
"There’s no way he can succeed!"
