"Could it be… he's the Little Turtle!!" The crowd was in an uproar.
Of everyone present, the most shocked was **Xu Baocai**. He stared blankly at Bai Xiaochun, eyes nearly bulging out of his head. He had just been silently mocking Bai Xiaochun for treating the third level of the Beast Codex so lightly… but now it seemed Bai Xiaochun really *did* have the right to not take it seriously.
"Herbal mastery perfected, beast mastery perfected… Bai Xiaochun was clearly teasing me just now!! But this is too unbelievable… He's only been in the sect for a few years… Could he really *be* the Little Turtle?" Xu Baocai took a deep breath, hastily pulled out a small notebook, and began scribbling everything down. Deep inside, he felt lucky he had reconciled with Bai Xiaochun earlier, and relieved that he hadn't voiced his disdain too loudly.
While everyone was still in shock, Bai Xiaochun walked out of the archway with a sigh. In truth, he would've preferred *not* to reveal that he had reached the tenth stele in both Herb and Beast Codices. After all, among Zhou Xinqi's admirers were even inner sect disciples.
But he had no choice. He couldn't forgo the advancement test just to avoid exposure. Although he felt helpless, seeing the awe on everyone's faces and hearing their exclamations made Bai Xiaochun's heart warm with emotion.
**"Such good fellow disciples… If only everyone were like this."** He sighed inwardly, then under the crowd's watchful eyes, walked over and sat down in front of one of the cauldrons.
Elder Xu gave Bai Xiaochun a meaningful look, the corners of his mouth curving slightly before he returned to his calm demeanor and spoke evenly:
> "Before you is a pouch containing ten sets of herbs. You are to refine **Mò Líng Incense**, a Tier One spirit medicine. You may attempt up to ten times. Passing requires **two successes**. The one with the most successes… will receive five thousand contribution points. Begin."
As Elder Xu's voice echoed out, the observing outer sect disciples around the square immediately focused.
> "They're actually testing Mò Líng Incense this time!"
> "It's not the hardest Tier One medicine, but it's definitely no pushover… It's not like Condensing Spirit Incense, which many apprentices have practiced before."
> "Hmph, exactly because of that, it really tests a person's talent. Didn't you notice? The herb requirement increased from four chapters to five, and now even the medicine is harder. The exams will probably just keep getting tougher."
While the crowd whispered among themselves, the candidates seated at the cauldrons wore solemn expressions. Even though many silently cursed the choice of medicine, they couldn't afford to be distracted. They opened their pouches to inspect the herbs.
Bai Xiaochun had already heard about the five-thousand-point reward from Xu Baocai, and now his heart stirred. His contribution points were running low, and he would need more for both prescriptions and herbs later.
**"If I can win those 5,000 points, it'll save me a lot of trouble… I won't have to spend all that time earning them."** With that thought, Bai Xiaochun opened the pouch. Inside, aside from ten sets of herbs, there was also a jade slip. Holding it up, he saw that it contained the prescription for Mò Líng Incense.
Instead of rushing into refining, Bai Xiaochun first sat quietly and began studying the prescription meticulously.
His pace was **very slow**—a habit of his when it came to alchemy. Even the smallest detail had to be fully understood before he felt confident enough to proceed.
And so, **an entire hour passed**.
During this time, Du Lingfei and the others had already finished checking their herbs and begun refining. The faster ones had nearly completed their first batch.
Across the entire square, **only Bai Xiaochun** was not refining. He sat there still examining the jade slip, creating an odd scene. Even Xu Baocai and the other outer sect disciples watching were baffled.
Then, the first batch of spirit medicines began to show results. Aside from Bai Xiaochun, there were 18 candidates, most of whom failed—black smoke rose from their cauldrons. Only **Han Jianye** let out a triumphant laugh as a medicinal fragrance wafted up from his cauldron and a three-inch block of Mò Líng Incense formed.
The crowd immediately looked over.
> "He succeeded on the first try!"
> "Han Jianye must have real skill in alchemy!"
Han Jianye looked ecstatic, throwing a smug glance at the other examinees. When he saw Bai Xiaochun still studying the jade slip, his eyes filled with scorn. He took up a second batch of herbs and began refining again.
Du Lingfei and the others looked glum but gritted their teeth and continued.
As the second hour passed, the second round of pills was completed. Once again… *no one* succeeded. Everyone failed.
At that moment, Bai Xiaochun finally put down the jade slip. He had completely memorized and internalized the Mò Líng Incense prescription. But just as everyone thought he was about to begin, they were dumbfounded to see him pick up a single herb and begin *studying it*. He looked incredibly focused.
> "What is Bai Xiaochun doing now? Studying herbs? After two hours of studying the prescription?"
> "Even if you're checking the herbs, this is way too slow…"
Xu Baocai's eyes were wide in disbelief. Meanwhile, the others were already starting their **third attempt**.
In the third hour, all 18 candidates **failed again**. But in the **fourth** and **fifth** hours, four people finally succeeded: **Du Lingfei**, **Chen Zi'ang**, and **Zhao Yiduo** among them, each refining their first piece of Mò Líng Incense.
As the scent spread, Han Jianye smiled proudly—he had already produced **two** pieces, more than anyone else. He cast a disdainful glance at Bai Xiaochun and resumed refining.
At that moment, Bai Xiaochun was studying the fourth herb. Occasionally, he would even tear off a small strip and observe it. The audience became more and more puzzled. Even Elder Xu glanced over a few more times.
The **sixth hour** arrived. Once again, everyone **failed**, except for Han Jianye, who succeeded in refining his **third** piece.
The onlookers gasped, and even Elder Xu nodded slightly.
> "Three pieces from Han Jianye. Everyone else has only one!"
> "In previous tests, a 20% success rate was passable, 40% made you a genius. If he makes one more, he'll be in the genius category!"
Han Jianye's eyes gleamed with confidence as he murmured:
**"The fourth piece… I'll make it! I'll be a genius and take first place!"** He waved his sleeve and fired up the **seventh batch**.
Du Lingfei's face was pale. She bit her lip and joined in. Everyone began refining their **seventh round**.
When the seventh hour ended, Du Lingfei alone succeeded—her second piece!
> "I passed! I can advance now… but just passing isn't enough!" she thought, trying to suppress her excitement and focus on refining.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun was only now studying the **final herb**.
> "This exam is too hard…"
The crowd could feel the pressure. All examinees had only **two sets of herbs** left. Apart from Han Jianye and Du Lingfei who had passed, **Chen Zi'ang** and **Zhao Yiduo** needed at least one more success to pass. For the others… the **ninth attempt** was their last chance. A failure would mean elimination.
Everyone, tense and nervous, went all in for the ninth batch.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun… still sat there, frowning at the last herb, deep in thought. People basically ignored him by now.
The **ninth hour** seemed endless. As it ended, one disciple—who hadn't succeeded even once—failed again, went pale, and bowed to Elder Xu before quietly leaving.
More failures followed. One after another, candidates left. Only **six people** remained.
Soon after, of those six, only **Zhao Yiduo** succeeded.
He clenched his fists, eyes red, heart pounding—he had passed!
Others rejoiced, others despaired. Two more disciples who had yet to succeed also failed and left.
**Chen Zi'ang** was on edge. He glared at Zhao Yiduo, full of bitterness, then focused on his final attempt.
**Du Lingfei** closed her eyes to concentrate. **Han Jianye**, confident in his three successes, aimed for a fourth to solidify his title as a genius.
> "Final attempt!" someone whispered, and the crowd held their breath.
Now, only **five people** remained: Han Jianye, Du Lingfei, Zhao Yiduo, Chen Zi'ang, and… **Bai Xiaochun**.
The first three had passed. Chen Zi'ang had one last chance. Bai Xiaochun… well, nobody even counted him anymore. After nine hours of study, he still hadn't refined a single pill. People assumed he was just there for show.
With utmost seriousness, the remaining four began their tenth and final attempt. Time passed slowly.
**Boom!** Zhao Yiduo failed. He sighed—he had passed, but still felt disappointed.
At that moment, **Chen Zi'ang's cauldron released medicinal fragrance**! Not just his—**Du Lingfei's** and **Han Jianye's** did too!
Fragrance spread, and all three showed ecstatic expressions—they succeeded!
> "I did it! Four Mò Líng Incenses—I'm first!!" Han Jianye jumped up and laughed loudly, joy overwhelming him. Du Lingfei also exhaled in relief—three successes was a stellar result. Chen Zi'ang felt as if he had returned from the dead and laughed as well.
The crowd erupted after holding their breath for so long.
> "This exam was so difficult… For Han Jianye to succeed four times, he's definitely a genius!"
> "Du Lingfei three times, Chen Zi'ang and Zhao Yiduo two—tough conditions, but they made it!"
As the audience celebrated, and Elder Xu nodded in approval—particularly toward Han Jianye, who had clearly impressed him—
**Suddenly, Bai Xiaochun moved.**