“Four times, that has to be the limit. No way can he keep that up!”
As the anticipation and excitement was at its peak, the crowd soon realized that Bai Xiaochun was staring at the incense stick and thinking again.
“This fellow, he’s inspecting it again!” The crowd could only feel helpless as they continued to watch Bai Xiaochun. There was no way they’d leave now. They could only wish that Bai Xiaochun would stop scrutinising for so long.
Time flew by and eight more hours had passed. Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, his eyes showed exhaustion. The spectators were unaware, but he knew perfectly well that he had almost failed the fourth refinement.
As for the discussions the people were having around him, he chose to continue ignoring them. When it came to refining, his determination was inconceivable. Regardless of what people said about him, he couldn’t have easily succeeded without a firm view of his success.
After a while, he finally began the fifth batch, to the relief of the spectators straining their eyes to observe him.
Soon after, an explosion echoed out as a thick aroma billowed out, waking the crowd up.
It was a success once again.
Han Jianye just stood there, speechless. He felt deep bitterness, but no words could come out from his mouth.
Without having everyone wait this time, Bai Xiaochun flourished his sleeve and proceeded to refine the sixth batch.
Not long after, another explosion echoed out and an even denser aroma wafted out, signaling that the sixth batch was a success.
His eyes shining, his hands continuously in motion, Bai Xiaochun picked up another set of herbs and started refining the seventh batch. An unusual burnt smell was released, shocking Bai Xiaochun. It was subtle, and only he was able to smell it.
He pinched with his right hand’s fingers, lowering the temperature to correct it. The seventh batch - success!
The incense stick that was produced, however, was only three inches long, and was full of impurities, almost falling into the low quality category. Even so, it was still a success!
At this moment, everyone was wide awake and breathing heavily. Xu Baocai, especially, was even more shocked, his eyes full of disbelief.
“Seven in a row! Heavens… This Bai Xiaochun... he succeeded seven times in a row!”
“The same as Zhou Xinqi! According to a legend, one guy from the Jade King Mountain succeeded eight times in a row, but he was already the best of the best, the absolute top of his generation!”
“As for nine times… Is that even possible? None have managed!”
The crowd was in an uproar. Bai Xiaochun, on the other hand, thought silently, his eyes fixed on the furnace. He had already forgotten about the examination, all that was in his mind was the batch in front of him. He had almost failed, and after careful and lengthy thinking, he took out the herbs and inspected them once again, finally locating the reason.
“It’s these spirit roots, this Black Spirit Fruit… All the basic black components have a slight difference in the roots.” Bai Xiaochun stared at the Black Spirit Fruit in his hand, thoroughly analyzing the fruit as he tried to create possible solutions.
Time passed by bit by bit, the people around him were fascinated with his absorbed thought and research, while smiling bitterly. They were excited, but Bai Xiaochun’s thought process were too long for them.
Unwilling to just leave after all that, the disciples crossed their legs and sat down, waiting for Bai Xiaochun. Some, who were at their limits, even took a nap on some nearby boulders.
Elder Xu had an odd expression on his face. He coughed dryly and took a seat on the ground as well, his legs crossed.
Du Lingfei and Han Jianye refused to leave as well. Naturally, they were also tired, but they were forced to sit along with the others.
It was quiet. Some snores could be heard coming from the surrounding spectators. As for those who weren’t snoring, they were still staring at Bai Xiaochun. Xu Baocai was one of them.
Several hours later, some of the nappers woke up to see Bai Xiaochun still thinking.
“He’s still inspecting it?”
“It’s dawn already…”
At long last, ten hours later, Bai Xiaochun’s bloodshot eyes opened as he lifted his head.
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4/4 guaranteed chapter of the week.
To our continuously growing reader base, expect another chapter soon! And perhaps even more in the weekend. Again, thank you so much for the support!
Translated by: Marcus
TLCed by: Nat Nat
Edited by: Arch, Crimsonguard