Chapter 25: Step By Step
Now fifteen days had passed since John first stepped into the Apothecary Chamber.
Time flowed like sand slipping between his fingers, and the countdown to the Blue Cauldron Sect Examination now showed only fifteen more days.
He sat cross-legged on a thick fur mat inside the chamber, his eyes half-lidded in contemplation.
A faint trace of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, mixing with the metallic tang of spirit stones.
John opened his eyes slowly, the amber light of the spirit lamp casting a flicker across his irises.
"So... this year’s examination won’t just be about pill refinement, but combat as well," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.
The news had first trickled through the bustling streets of Nine Sky Clan, through idle gossip and hushed conversations in tea stalls, but over the past ten days, it had become increasingly clear.
The Blue Cauldron Sect, known across the Wild Southern Continent for its alchemical prestige, had suffered a devastating beast tide last year.
Waves upon waves of spirit beasts had descended upon their mountain stronghold, and while their alchemists were skilled in concoction and theory, few had the martial experience to survive direct combat.
Dozens of lives had been lost, promising pill refiners, herbologists, and even instructors.
The aftermath had shocked the sect to its roots.
To prevent such a tragedy from repeating, they had adjusted their recruitment standards, this year’s entry exam would include both alchemy assessment and a strength evaluation, testing not just intellect, but blood and bone.