The Dao of Alchemy Division was in a tumult. More and more people were showing up outside the Medicine Pavilion to stare with astonishment at the brilliant light that shone up into the sky. Eyes wide, they immediately began to ask others in the area what was going on, and when they heard that Meng Hao had entered the Medicine Pavilion, giving rise to these transformations, their expressions were that of incredible shock.
“I can’t believe it’s Fang Hao!!”
“So, he’s the one going through the Medicine Pavilion. His… his skill in plants and vegetation actually made the Medicine Pavilion shine with that much light!?!?”
“I listened to one of his lectures on plants and vegetation once…. But, is the person who caused such shocking transformations really Fang Hao?” By now, more than 10,000 people were present. Even as everyone was staring in shock at the bright light, some people turned their attention to the stone stele outside of the Medicine Pavilion.
Hundreds of thousands of names could be seen on the lowest level of the stone stele. As of this moment… all of the names went dim, and then seemed to move backward one space. At the very top of the list… was a new name!
Fang Hao!!
When the onlookers saw the name there at the top of the list, another buzz of conversation rose up.
“It’s really Fang Hao! His name is first on the list!”
“Most people who pass this trial have their names show up in the bottom, and only a few ever make it even to the middle of the pack! And yet Fang Hao is actually in first place!”
“For him to take the first spot means that his skill with plants and vegetation is greater than all of the other hundreds of thousands of people on the list!”
“Of course, all the strong alchemists’ names are higher up on the stele. Who knows whether Fang Hao will actually continue higher in the Medicine Pavilion this time, or whether he’ll try to find a flaw in the system to benefit the apprentice alchemists, just like the rumors said he did last time.”
The conversations continued. Eventually, they realized that Meng Hao had not emerged from within the Medicine Pavilion. That led them to the conclusion that… he was continuing with the examination!
Everyone immediately got even more excited than before. Also, they wanted to know… the exact level of skill Meng Hao had with plants and vegetation, this newcomer who had just recently risen to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division.
It wasn’t just them who wanted to know. The surrounding alchemists were also very curious.
Inside the Medicine Pavilion, Meng Hao took a deep breath and waited for the mists around him to slowly fade away. A staircase appeared in front of him, which led to the second level. Meng Hao immediately headed up the stairs.
“If I’m going to shock people, then I might as well do a thorough job of it,” he thought. “I’m also curious how far my level of skill with plants and vegetation will take me in the Fang clan’s Medicine Pavilion.
“In the Fang Clan, plants and vegetation are the most important aspect of their Dao of alchemy. In order to rise among the ranks of the alchemists, one must first earn qualifications in the Medicine Pavilion. Actually, this system makes a distinction between apothecaries and alchemists!” After reaching the top of the stairs, he found himself on the second level.
Bright light filled the second level, and yet again, 10,000,000 medicinal plants appeared, some of them repeats from the first level. They quickly merged together into the form of a tome.