"Ground one gram of dried star leaves, two grams of calen petals, a stalk of dragon wort, three sun-dried emera pit, a kilogram of two hundred year old scarlet timber bark, toss in four grams of brown iron sand, pair of wings from a croaking nemur moth, two sun dried rivertail, one gram of shaved demon boar tusk . . . this is an amazing breakthrough for our Alchemy Division!" exclaimed Rain, his eyes almost popping out as he continue to read further.

"This revised formula is truly simplified! Based on each property of each individual item, they can increase the medicinal strength by at least three-folds...if this formula is shown to the public this could cause mass disorder. Especially amongst those clans, sect and nobles. Lo Cheng, send that young genius a message for me. Ask him, how much he wants for the formula."

"What do we do if he says he won't sell it to us?" inquired Lo Cheng.

"Then we'll ask what he wants in return! Our Alchemy Division name cannot be tarnished since we also represent Gold Spring Merchant Association too! Added to the fact Sir Silver has an extraordinary unknown background that our superior won't speak off, we must act carefully!"

"You know what? Shui Guiying and I will go see him instead. Lo Cheng, you and the others go examine the other two alchemists who has passed the third round. The others have failed! We don't need alchemists who loses their concentration over a slight medicinal odor."

"Yes, Grandmaster Rain and Grandmaster Guiying!"

**Knock Knock Knock

After hearing the knocks, Silver got off his chair and reached out to open the door. To his surprise, both Grandmaster Guiying and Rain stood before him, smiling amiably. Both showed eyes full of admiration as they continued to look at each other.

"Grandmasters are going to check my work?" asked Silver, acting as if he was in awe and slightly fearful.

If Alchemist Faction Leader Mochi saw how well Silver could act, he would be hysterically laughing as the fact Silver was better than him, a great grandmaster of alchemy. Alas, Mochi was no longer in this world but these grandmasters would go through cardiac arrest if they knew that even Mochi had to concede to Silver.

Great Grandmaster Mochi, a legend of the Floating Cloud Sect that achieved many unprecedented achievements during his later years. He became renowned at the age of 68, becoming the youngest Great Grandmaster of Alchemy.

"Yes, examinee Silver," replied Rain, passionately eyeing the pills sitting on Silver's desk.

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"En."

"Silver, I want to know who your master is. I wish to meet such a master who can teach a young prodigy like yourself," inquired Shui Guiying with curiosity. Yet, unlike Shui Guiying who wanted to know about Silver's background, Gu Rain continued to walk towards Silver's desk in a tranced manner. His eyes sparkled as he carefully inspected the pills Silver made.

In Shui Guiying's mind, there's nothing better than to admire an alchemist who can train a disciple in a very time consuming field. Many great alchemists would either have disciples or "fake disciples" which are known as pill tester. A majority of them had these so called pill testers in their communities. Using these individual fanaticism, the masters who take these individuals who lack the skills in alchemy and make them unknowingly become their pill tester.

As such, there were thousands of cases where one was forced to try an experiment, eventually dying from too many ingesting poisonous pills. Some were killed from toxic fumes, a high percent will die from a cauldron exploding or in rare cases, their master's will go into a deranged state and use them as materials.

However, those that do become deranged from their obsessive desire in the path of alchemy are deemed Lost or even some called Tainted. These individuals or groups have strayed off the path of alchemy and begun losing their humanity and morals. They'll experiment on unsuspecting fools who can be conned in becoming a disciple of a "great alchemist" but then turned into a dark pill, a human furnace, or a mindless slave.

Without a firm foundation, any masters can become fodder for their own very heart demon.

"Hmm, I'm sorry I cannot inform you on who my master is due to swearing his secrecy," replied Silver, expressing a stern face, completely erasing his naive acting, convincing the grandmaster duo.

'Maybe I should become an actor instead . . .'

"Ahh, I'm sorry to ask for something disrespectful," apologized Shui Guiying.

"I'm sure tha-"

"THE HEAVENS ARE BLESSING OUR ALCHEMY DIVISION!" shouted Rain, staring at the Foundation Setting Pill between his right index finger and thumb.

"Silver, do you know what you have created!?"

"A standard pill . . ." replied Silver, scratching his head sheepishly in confusion. He was actually unsure what the huge deal was.

'It's just a Foundation Setting Pill. Did the standards of alchemy drop since that war? Or do I know too much?'

"Pills have percentage ranks, where basic 10-20% efficacy is considered the standard, anything lower would be mortal. 30-40% are above average, 50-70% are imperfect, 80-90% near perfect while anything higher would be considered perfection," informed Gu Rain, eyes were still glued to the pill he was holding.

"These pills, based on the efficacy, are 100% more potent than a mortal Foundation Setting Pills! The texture is smooth, not a single impurity within by looks, taste and its potent smell. Just going by pill aesthetics, it so round and not one scuff, dent or mark could be seen and felt. Even with my high cultivation, just tasting a small shaving of it could make my foundation a tiny bit firm. It's truly heaven defying!"

"I'm glad I was able to make a pill up to your standards," smiled Silver, acting naive with a mixture of pride hidden within his eyes.

"Such a humble and modest young alchemist!" exclaimed Shui Guiying, patting Silver's shoulder in excitement.

"We'll be glad to have a growing prodigy like you into our ranks!" added Gu Rain, excited.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Guiying and Grandmaster Rain. So I'm hoping to know if I certainly passed in becoming a tier alchemist for the Alchemy Division?"

"Yes, yes! Definitely passed, we will review your work, come back in a few days since such an amazing findings so we cannot calculate your tier on the spot. Here is a temporary badge we prepare for those with extraordinary potential," beamed Shui Guiying reaching into his robe, handing Silver a black cauldron shaped badge.

"Thank you again, Grandmaster Guiying," smiled Silver, formally bowing in respect. He accepted the black cauldron shaped badge from Shui Guying and took a glimpse at it as he put it away. On the badge was the name "Alchemy Division" in gold lettering embedded into it as the outer edges were outlined with a glossy red. Below the "Alchemy Division" were tiny engravings of intricate symbols.

"How does the tier system works for the Alchemy Division, if you don't mind me asking."

"The tier system is not as complex as it seems. Although we are all considered Alchemy Masters, the tier is a way to differentiate our grades and current skill level. Tier 1-3 are considered Black Grade Alchemists, which are many in the thousands. Tier 4-6 are Azure Grade, Tier 7-8 is what we consider a Master Grade Alchemist. But, Tier 9 is Great Master Grade which is then followed by those who are Grandmasters of Alchemy at Tier 10. Once we reach Tier 10, we go by a different way to differentiate our alchemical prowess. Every tier goes through many complex and onerous tasks and/or exams. To become a Grandmaster requires acknowledgement from the association, Alchemy Division, and your reputation throughout all the Desolate Tundra," explained Guiying, perusing his memories, nodding habitually like a wooden drinking bird.

"I'll let you in on a secret, there's another title, which only one individual can gain, Alchemy God. Only someone who can become reputable throughout all the nine continents can obtain such a title, but how to actually obtain it, I do not have enough information about it. All I know is that the founder or whoever is in control of the Gold Spring Merchant Association is a power that even the nine demonic emperors, more or less, are wary of. Back then, they never seem to bother our association too much but as of late, they killed many of our Alchemy Division people. It seems like the treaty or peace agreement with them has been broken since the end of that war. I'm only telling you this since our association and division as a whole cannot lose anymore talented individuals! You must stay cautious and ensure that safety is your priority, as well as increasing your comprehension in the Dao of Alchemy."

"Thank you for explaining and giving me valuable tips, Grandmaster Guiying."

"Alright, come back in about four days time to our Alchemy Division. There's a good chance you'll have to do another set of tests or tasks to ensure you have the proper grading."

"Thank you."

Silver watched the grandmaster duo stroll out of his room. With an audible sigh and his perfect acting, the duo didn't suspect a thing about him. Of course, Silver wouldn't have guessed they didn't suspect him due to his extraordinary and mysterious background. If they could not divulge such confidential information, how can they suspect him? It was better to go along the stream and increase their strength than to meddle with someone who could potentially help them.

Not long after, Silver exited his room and continued to exit the Alchemy Division building and out onto the busy streets of Blue Dream City. With his main goal finished, Silver decided to pay a visit to the Kiu Clan.

"Excuse me, do you know the way to the Kiu Clan?" asked Silver, stopping a random person on the bustling main street.

"Kiu Clan? Just head south, take a left when you see the Jade Dragon Restaurant. Once you reach the restaurant, you'll reach a fork road, take a right and keep following that street. After, you'll reach a red wooden bridge crossing over the river. Once you cross that bridge, you'll see a small fork on the road once more and take the right one too. From there on, the Kiu Clan's main gates will be right before you. If you take the left road, it brings you to our Blue Dream City famous and beautiful lake, Dragon's Gate Lake! Legend has it that an ordinary carp once jumped out of its water, transforming into an Azure Dragon, ascending to the heavens!"

"En, thank you! Here's a few coins for your service," smiled Silver handing the informative person the coins. Not long after, Silver began sifting through the streams of individuals as if a ghostly mirage. His destination, the Kiu Clan.

'Twenty sols!!' thought the random person, exclaiming inwardly.

'I've finally met a blessing after all these years!'

This amount of sols could feed his small family for their whole life and allow his kids to receive the best education they could get their hands to. With such a large fortune, the random man was in a state of pure euphoria. But, before he could thanked the kind stranger, Silver disappeared before him as if he dreamt the whole situation.

...

"Sir, we have the reports from Grandmaster Rain and Guiying," informed a messenger clothed in all black. The mysterious face was covered with a half black, half orange mask with one eye hole on the orange side. They stood there in a fully lit room respectfully saluting. Within their right hand, it held onto a scrolled document with the Alchemy Division Grandmaster Seal stamped on it. Across the mysterious masked person, a middle aged man sat on a chair behind a wooden desk whilst staring out the windows. His gaze firmly onto the spot where Silver had vanished.

"Hmm, brief me on what is on the report" replied the middle-aged man. His head slightly shifted towards the mysterious person, taking a quick glimpse and back on to the bustling streets of Blue Dream City.

"They would like to formally request on giving an individual a considerate grade and check their background to ensure this individual would not cause harm to them and the association. They're also hoping you to check and possible revise the two formulas by this individual to see if it is deemed necessary to post or sell them publicly."

"To catch the attention of my grandmaster alchemists and make them ask for this much . . . what is the name of this individual?"

"He goes by the name, Silver!"

Hearing the name, the middle-aged man ears perked up for a split second as he turned himself around and gazed at the reports in the messenger's hand.

"Pass me the reports, return to your duties."

-

:: To my readers, LOABA is just an abbreviation of Life Of A Boring Asian! You can find my twitter @loaboringasian and my fb page, Life Of A Boring Asian. I rarely update them, so it wouldn't matter much ::

:: Thank you for reading! :: I have been taking my time to learn how to write fancy and descriptive but my writing and grammar skills are horrid. How do they write so poetically? Such amazing metaphors, idioms, similes and much, much more T^T ::

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