Chapter 44 - It’s Dawn Already
Bai Xiaochun had finally finished inspecting the last type of herb and had solved the final and hardest question, paying no heed to the cheers around him. He was utterly immersed, having lost himself in inspecting the medicinal recipe and the herbs from the very moment he picked up the jade piece.
Other than the thunderous rumbles, none of the surrounding disruptions had managed to break his concentration. He paid no attention to those who finished their refinement either, ignoring everyone around him.
His focus had attracted the attention of the surrounding people, Xu Baocai included. All of them looked at him oddly, sensing a different air about him, as if his perception of time was different compared to everyone else.
“This Bai Xiaochun is way too slow. He has just been staring while the others have already finished - I think that concludes the test?”
“Hmm? I don’t recall hearing there’s a time limit for the exam takers…” Everyone blinked, searching for the one who had spoken that last sentence amidst the crowd’s discussions. It was Elder Xu.
And he was right. The promotional examinations did not have a time limit. And so, he stood there, observing Bai Xiaochun.
Han Jianye felt no pressure as he smiled coldly, his eyes darting from one test taker to the next. He had seen Bai Xiaochun as a strong opponent, but currently, he found it difficult to think that Bai Xiaochun could surpass him.
Du Lingfei frowned, she found Bai Xiaochun extremely irritating no matter how she looked at him.
Bai Xiaochun worked fast, his eyes shining, leaving the whole world in the background, the only thing left was him and the furnace in front of him. The shifting stalks of herbs in his hands turned into either liquid or powder, all of them falling into the furnace. He pointed at the furnace with a finger from his right hand, and it lit up.
An hour passed by and a thick aroma of medicinal fragrance spread from the furnace. Bai Xiaochun grabbed with his right hand as a four inch Black Incense stick appeared. Bai Xiaochun frowned as he stared at the incense stick in his hand.
At this moment, the surrounding people focused their attention on him, Elder Xu included, his eyes with a hint of anticipation. But just when everyone was expecting him to start the second batch, they realized that the incense stick in his hand was under Bai Xiaochun’s inspection.
“What the hell is he doing?”
“Why would he continue to inspect a successful incense stick? He should be on the second batch after that!” everyone was shocked.
Bai Xiaochun, at this moment, stared at the incense stick in his hand with great dissatisfaction. It was successful, yes, but in his estimation, it should have been seven inches.
“What went wrong?” Bai Xiaochun mumbled as he tried to figure it out. Three hours passed.
Just when everyone had just about enough, Bai Xiaochun’s eyes brightened. He took out the herbs and started refining again, attracting the attention of the crowd once more.
An hour later, an even stronger fragrance spread from the furnace as a five inch Black Incense stick came out.
Du Lingfei, Chen Zi’ang and Zhao Yiduo were surprised. Han Jianye’s eyes flashed, but kept his appearance calm as he panicked inside.
They weren’t surprised because Bai Xiaochun succeeded twice - they were surprised because it was two successful refinements in a row!
Suddenly, the third batch shook as an even thicker fragrance spread out. In the furnace, a six inch incense stick appeared.
“Three in a row, how is this… How is this possible?”
“How is he doing it... this Bai Xiaochun? Was it possible that he has refined the Black Incense stick before?” The crowd was shocked - it was just unbelievable.
Du Lingfei was breathing hard, staring at Bai Xiaochun with a death glare, waves of rage churning inside her. The others simply stood there, stunned.
“Three in a row… He must be very familiar with the Black Incense sticks and lucky as well… There is no doubt, the next one will not succeed.” Han Jianye clenched his fist tightly, his eyes bloodshot.
Just as everyone was waiting for Bai Xiaochun to get on with the fourth batch, he started staring at the six inch incense stick in his hand, his brows furrowed. He placed his hand under his chin and started thinking.
And five more hours passed.
If he had taken five hours to think at the first attempt, no one would have stayed to wait for him. But Bai Xiaochun was now a man who had three successful attempts in a row. If the fourth one were to succeed as well, he’d be a man surpassing the others, one at the same level as Han Jianye. The curiosity burning within the crowd made them stay.
“Bai Xiaochun is way too slow. It’s just Grade One medicine, does he really need to think that long?!”
Du Lingfei and Han Jianye in particular stared at Bai Xiaochun with more alertness than the others, and were very reluctant to leave.
Bai Xiaochun’s eyes suddenly lit up once more, beginning the fourth batch under everyone’s stares.
An hour later, the resounding roar from the furnace was not one of failure, but one caused by the billowing aroma. In the blink of an eye, a fragrance even thicker and stronger than the preceding ones spread around the arena as a seven-inch-long Black Incense stick appeared.
The fourth batch was yet another success.
The crowd burst into an uproar.
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