Chapter 90

The chief examiner sat in the middle, an old man with a long white beard, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, and one could tell at a glance that he was an experienced potion master.

Luo En immediately recognized him—Ma Genusi Ke Lao, one of the most senior potion mentors in the school.

"Welcome everyone to this potion master certification exam."

Ma Genusi's voice was loud and powerful, showing no signs of old age:

"I am the chief examiner Ma Genusi, and today I will judge everyone's performance with two deputy examiners."

He briefly introduced the exam process: "The exam is divided into three parts—theoretical test, material identification, and actual refining. Those who meet the passing standard in all three items can obtain the potion master certification."

The assistant began to distribute the theoretical test papers, and after Luo En received the paper, he browsed through it quickly.

The questions covered all aspects of basic potion-making, including both basic knowledge points and some advanced questions that required deep thinking.

Thanks to his hard study during this period, he found that most of the questions were within his grasp.

Luo En started to answer calmly, his thinking clear, and his writing was as if helped by a god:

"There are four basic principles of pharmacology, please elaborate and give examples"

"The reaction differences of star grass and moon shadow flowers at different temperatures."

"Why does the 'sobering' potion need to be brewed in a special airtight container."

With the answer to one question after another, Luo En felt that the knowledge in his mind seemed to be spontaneously connecting into a network.

Those once scattered knowledge points were now naturally merging into a whole, and every answer gave him a feeling of being hearty.

During the theoretical exam, he was surprised to find that he could even recall every page of "Basic Potion-making," including those small notes and charts.

This photographic memory allowed him to handle it with ease when answering.

Two hours later, the theoretical exam ended.

Luo En checked the answers once to ensure there were no mistakes and handed in the paper.

A premonition flashed in his heart, as if some change was about to happen.

Next is the material identification link:

Each candidate is brought to a workbench, on which twenty different materials are placed. The task is to correctly identify the type and approximate quality of each within thirty minutes, and point out the counterfeits mixed in.

Luo En stood at the workbench, took a deep breath, and focused his spirit completely.

Thanks to the 【High-Speed Identification】 feature obtained after the 【Herb Identification】 skill broke through to the proficient level, he could judge the authenticity and quality of most materials at a glance.

He quickly began to identify, his movements skillful and precise.

The moment his fingers touched the materials, various information flooded into his mind through special perception:

This silver mushroom has been picked for too long, and its activity has slightly decreased;

This dragon blood leaf is genuine, but improper preservation has weakened its efficacy;

This piece of so-called stardust crystal is actually processed quartz powder, a complete counterfeit.

During the material identification process, Luo En found that it was not only 【Herb Identification】 that was playing a role, he could even compare these materials with the records in various obscure classics he had read in the past.

Those once scattered knowledge points all surfaced in his mind, forming a complete cognitive map.

"Time's up!" The invigilator announced, "Please stop identifying."

Luo En let out a light breath and looked at his answer sheet, which had been checked countless times by him to ensure there were no mistakes.

He was very confident in his judgment, especially those few counterfeits that were deliberately mixed in, all of which were identified by him.

The candidates next to him had different situations, some looked confident, some looked solemn, and some looked frustrated, clearly not satisfied with their performance.

"Apprentice Luo En, please come over." Ma Genusi suddenly called his name and signaled Luo En to approach the examiner's seat.

Luo En's heart tightened, and he walked quickly to the chief examiner: "Master Ma Genusi."

"Your judgment on the 18th material is very interesting." Ma Genusi's eyes flashed with curiosity:

"Half of the candidates think it is the root of moon shadow orchid, while you judge it to be a counterfeit disguised by winter night grass. Can you tell me your reason?"

Luo En thought for a moment and answered directly:

"The root of the real moon shadow orchid has seven concentric rings on the cross-section, and it has a faint sweet fragrance after being crushed. Although the 18th material looks similar, the cross-section only has five rings, and the smell after being crushed is bitter, which is a typical characteristic of winter night grass."

Ma Genusi nodded expressionlessly: "Very good, continue."

"More importantly." Luo En added calmly:

"The silver stripes on the root of the moon shadow orchid will change position with the moon phase. Today is the first quarter moon, the genuine product should have left-leaning patterns, while the 18th material is fixed right-leaning patterns, which is clearly caused by artificial dyeing."

A trace of surprise flashed in Ma Genusi's eyes, and then he returned to seriousness: "Who did you learn material identification skills from? This ability to observe details is very unusual."

"I worked in a potion shop for a while, and the shop manager taught me some basic methods."

Luo En answered truthfully: "The rest were accumulated through practical experience."

"Potion shop, huh..." Ma Genusi narrowed his eyes, probably having a guess in his heart: "Alright, you can go and continue to prepare for the next link."

The actual refining link is the most critical part of the exam:

The staff prepared a relatively independent refining table for each candidate, equipped with basic refining equipment and common materials.

Ma Genusi walked to Luo En and handed him a note: "These are the three potions you need to refine."

Luo En looked down, and his pupils couldn't help but shrink: wound healing potion, spiritual stabilizer, and "sobering" potion.

The difficulty of the "sobering" potion is extremely high, and even among professional potion masters, few can refine it perfectly.

This was clearly a bit out of scope, like a final question specially designed for top students in a math test.

"This..." Luo En looked up at Ma Genusi, who looked at him with a kind smile.

"Are there any difficulties, young man?" The old potion master asked, his voice carrying a hint of probing.

Luo En took a deep breath and answered calmly: "No, Master Ma Genusi, I will do my best to complete it."

"Very good." Ma Genusi nodded: "You have four hours."

Luo En quickly planned the refining order and time allocation.

The wound healing potion is relatively simple and can be completed first;

The spiritual stabilizer needs slow fire brewing and can be started immediately after completing the first potion;

As for the "sobering" potion, it requires full concentration and will be done last.

He first took out the silver wing separator and began to process the materials needed for the wound healing potion.

As soon as this set of precision tools appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of other candidates. Some were surprised and whispered, clearly recognizing that this was an extremely rare silver wing separator.

However, the more precise the instrument, the higher the difficulty of operation. Those who are not skilled in technology often get twice the result with half the effort if they use it rashly. Being able to use it well can be considered a kind of skill for a potion master.

Therefore, using precision instruments brought by oneself does not violate the basic requirements of the exam.

Luo En turned a deaf ear to those discussions and gazes, focusing on his own work.

His movements were smooth and precise, every step was just right, without any extra movements.

The wound healing potion was completed quickly, the finished product showing a perfect amber color, exuding a faint herbal fragrance.

Luo En put it into a small bottle, placed it aside to cool, and began to prepare the materials for the spiritual stabilizer.

"Completed a potion in half an hour..." The candidate next door glanced at his movements and exclaimed in a low voice: "And it looks like high quality. Who is this kid?"

The refining process of the spiritual stabilizer is more complex, requiring brewing at a specific temperature while maintaining uniform stirring.

Luo En used the special technique of Lady Ailan's mentor to adjust the order of several steps in the traditional formula, making the refining process more stable.

Just as he finished the spiritual stabilizer, a strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart.

He saw a familiar semi-transparent prompt in front of him:

【Basic Potion-making (Proficient) Experience +1】

【Breakthrough! Basic Potion-making (Proficient 100/100) → Basic Potion-making (Mastery max)】

【Additional trait has advanced:

High-speed memory → Extensive knowledge

(Super memory → Photographic memory;

Knowledge integration ability increased, learning efficiency increased;

When knowledge increases, comprehension will increase slightly)】

At the moment of the breakthrough, Luo En felt his thinking become exceptionally clear, just like the thin mist that had always existed was suddenly blown away.

All the knowledge he had learned in the past, whether it was the chapters and paragraphs in "Basic Potion-making," the experience taught orally by Lady Ailan, or even those scattered potion preparation records, were all integrated in an unprecedented way in his mind.

That feeling was like the scattered puzzle pieces in his mind suddenly automatically assembling into a complete picture.

He could clearly see the internal connections between various materials, the principles and mechanisms of various reactions, and could even predict the changes that might occur under different conditions.

"Is this the difference of the mastery level..." Luo En exclaimed in his heart.

One hour later, the spiritual stabilizer was also completed, showing a satisfactory dark blue color, with silver light spots floating on the liquid surface, proving that its energy was extremely active.

Ma Genusi patrolled among the candidates from time to time, and whenever he passed Luo En's workbench, he would always stay for a while to observe this young man's operation.

In the last two hours, Luo En began to challenge the most difficult "sobering" potion.

This potion requires extremely high precision, and any tiny mistake can lead to the failure of the entire finished product.

At this time, Luo En, after completing the breakthrough to the mastery level, felt that his understanding of potion refining had reached a whole new height.

He was no longer operating according to the steps mechanically, but could see the essence through the appearance and understand the principles behind every step.

Luo En first used the silver wing separator to extract the purest part of the stardust pollen, and then added three drops of moon dew according to Lady Ailan's suggestion to improve stability.

Subsequently, he began to slowly prepare other materials, while controlling the heat to ensure that the temperature was always kept within the best range.

When other candidates were still refining their second bottle of potion in a somewhat flustered manner, he had already begun to enter the final stage.

Under the new perspective brought by the breakthrough to the mastery level, Luo En suddenly discovered a subtle defect in the traditional formula.

"If silver tree root extract is added in the final stage, the effect will be more stable and lasting..."

He thought to himself: "And it can make the color more uniform and improve the overall quality of the potion."

Although Lady Ailan did mention the characteristics of silver tree roots, applying it to the sobering potion was Luo En's own innovation.

He took out a small bottle of silver tree root extract from the side, added a drop when the potion was about to be completed, and stirred it gently three times.

The color of the potion immediately became more uniform, turning from light blue to clear sky blue, exuding a fresh and pleasant fragrance.

At the same time, Luo En was also pleasantly surprised to find that the potion effect, which was expected to last for four hours, now lasted for at least five hours or more according to his calculations.

A semi-transparent prompt appeared in front of him:

【Successfully improved an existing potion formula √】

In this way, only the last item of the advanced requirements remains—independently preparing three types of advanced potions, which is also the easiest to achieve among the advanced requirements, and he can complete it himself after he goes back later.

"All three potions are completed." He carefully put the potion into the prepared crystal bottle and began to check carefully if there were any details that were not in place.

"Time's up!" The magic eye vine responsible for invigilation automatically descended and began to play the pre-recorded sound:

"Please stop all operations and hand over the finished products to the staff."

Luo En placed the three bottles of potions neatly on the tray and looked at the situation around him.

Most of the candidates had exhaustion and nervousness on their faces, and about one-third of them hadn't even finished their second bottle of potion.

"This kid actually finished everything..." The lizardman next to him exclaimed in a low voice: "And just by looking at the quality from afar, I can feel that the quality is very high."

Ma Genusi and the other two examiners began to check the finished products of each candidate.

Their inspection was extremely strict, not only observing the color and smell of the potion, but also taking samples to test its efficacy and stability.

When Ma Genusi came to Luo En's workbench, his expression became exceptionally focused.

He first carefully observed the three bottles of potions, then took out a set of special testing tools and began to conduct a more in-depth analysis.

"Wound healing potion—high purity, active substances evenly distributed, good extensibility."

He nodded to Luo En and said his evaluation in a low voice:

"Apprentice Luo En, your foundation is very solid, it should be at least three years of hard work."

Ma Genusi remained expressionless on the surface, but was secretly praising in his heart:

"This kid looks no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. To have such a level at such an age, old Ailan really picked up a treasure."

Next is the spiritual stabilizer, Ma Genusi took out a drop and placed it on a special crystal sheet.

The crystal sheet immediately lit up with blue light, and complex energy patterns appeared on it.

"Stability exceeds expectations, the decay cycle is extended by nearly 30%."

Ma Genusi's pale eyebrows raised slightly: "Very insightful processing method."

Finally, the "sobering" potion, which is the most difficult part of the exam.

Ma Genusi carefully took out a drop and dripped it on a black stone slab.

The potion spread rapidly, forming a perfect circle with clear edges.

What is even more amazing is that tiny starlight patterns appeared on the liquid surface, flickering like constellations in the night sky.

Ma Genusi was silent for a moment, turned to Luo En: "This starlight reaction... what did you add to the formula?"

Luo En answered calmly: "Added a drop of silver tree root extract in the final stage, Master Ma Genusi. It can stabilize the energy structure of the potion and make the effect more lasting."

"Silver tree root extract?" Ma Genusi was surprised: "This is not an ingredient in the standard formula, who taught you this improvement?"

"I explored it in experiments, and of course there was some guidance from the teacher."

Luo En answered cautiously, without directly mentioning Lady Ailan: "After many experiments, I found that this additive can significantly improve the stability of the potion effect."

The appreciation in Ma Genusi's eyes became more obvious.

Although he believed that this level of improvement mostly came from Lady Ailan's guidance, being able to fully master this technique at this age was enough to be amazing.

At this time, the old potion master had already made a judgment in his heart:

The level of this young man is probably quite close to many senior potion masters, just lacking enough experience to independently improve new formulas.

If he is given ten or twenty years, becoming an outstanding potion professor is almost inevitable.

Ma Genusi exchanged a look with the two deputy examiners and continued to check the finished products of other candidates.

As the inspection progressed, the atmosphere in the exam room became more and more tense.

Many candidates showed disappointment on their faces, clearly their finished products failed to meet the standards.

Finally, all inspections were completed, Ma Genusi returned to the examiner's seat and discussed with the two deputy examiners in a low voice.

A moment later, he stood up, looked around the audience, his expression solemn.

(End of chapter)