Make Danfeng Great Again

In recent days, Dan Peak had developed rapidly, recruiting many new disciples.

They cleared the trees and rocks halfway up the mountain, constructing new buildings and establishing a renewed Dan Peak.

The cleared area was paved with bluestone slabs, transforming it into an assembly square for Dan Peak. The newly enrolled disciples now practiced cultivation, alchemy, martial arts, and leisure activities on this square.

Numerous new structures were erected around the square to house techniques, books, alchemical recipes, medicinal herbs, elixirs, and other essentials. Some served as dormitories, dining halls, or classrooms.

Of course, cave dwellings were also built, as some disciples preferred them, believing such abodes better suited true cultivators.

The summit of Dan Peak remained perpetually shrouded in mist, rarely visited by anyone. It was said to be the residence of Peak Chief Qin, a perilous and forbidden zone of Dan Peak.

The true heart of Dan Peak, however, lay firmly at the mountainside.

Today was a scorching day, the blazing sun hanging overhead like a fiery orb, baking the disciples gathered on the assembly square.

Neatly arranged across the square were over sixty desks, each occupied by a teenager around ten years old. Every one of them sat rigidly upright, meticulously focused on answering the exam papers before them, as if the sweltering heat above didn’t exist.

What were they doing?

Well, they were taking an exam.

Today marked Dan Peak’s annual mid-year assessment. The test before them was the cultural subject of the examination.

Dan Peak’s assessment system differed entirely from other peaks, divided into three parts: cultural subjects, practical subjects, and cultivation subjects.

The cultural subject tested theoretical knowledge, primarily related to alchemy—medicinal herbs, human physiology, Dan Fire and Dan Water principles, and so on.

The format was straightforward: written answers.

Questions were tiered by difficulty. Basic levels required reciting herb names, intermediate levels tested knowledge of herb properties, advanced levels demanded explanations of spiritual herbs’ applications, and the most challenging involved analyzing alchemical recipes.

Different age groups faced different difficulty levels.

The practical subject assessed hands-on alchemy skills—controlling alchemical furnaces, refining medicinal essences, burning away impurities, synthesizing elixirs, and the like.

Naturally, the evaluation method was direct experimentation.

This, too, was tiered. Beginners were tested on cleaning alchemical equipment—porcelain bottles, furnaces, beakers, test tubes, and so on. Intermediate levels involved operating furnaces and identifying spiritual herbs in the field. Advanced levels examined control over Dan Water and Dan Fire, while the most difficult required actual elixir synthesis.

Again, different ages faced different challenges.

As for the cultivation subject… Other peaks emphasized it heavily, but Dan Peak paid little attention. It was merely a perfunctory assessment.

Dan Peak’s exams followed a set order: culture first, practical next, and cultivation last. Today was culture, tomorrow practical, and the day after—a break.

Of course, this biannual assessment was of utmost importance to Dan Peak’s disciples.

For them, knowing herb names was the prerequisite for understanding their properties; understanding herb properties was essential for applying them; and only with that knowledge could they combine herbs into elixirs. The same logic applied to the practical subject—each step built upon the last.

Failing to complete one stage meant never advancing to the next, forever barred from true alchemy.

Given the stakes, the exam environment was strictly enforced.

Though only sixty-plus disciples were taking the test, five proctors oversaw them. One stood at the front, one at the back, and three patrolled the middle, leaving no room for cheating.

Yan Yi, an outer elder of Dan Peak responsible for teaching basic herb knowledge, was one of the proctors.

His face stern, he stood at the front of the examination hall, his hawk-like eyes scanning the room, striking fear into any disciple who met his gaze.

Elder Yan was notorious for his severity. Any disciple caught slacking off faced the punishment of copying medicinal scriptures—repeatedly.

One disciple had once copied the scriptures ten times in a month, their hand cramping beyond use.

This reputation earned him the fearful nickname "Yan the Demon" among the disciples.

With Yan the Demon overseeing the exam, the disciples trembled in their seats, not daring to act out.

Even as the exam ended, they dispersed in silence.

The five proctors collected the papers by grade. Zhou Fu, holding the fifth-year exams, approached Yan Yi and teased, "Elder Yan, quite the imposing figure today!"

Yan Yi glanced around sternly, ensuring all the disciples had left, before letting out a weary sigh. "These children are unruly. Without severity, they’d never take it seriously."

"Youthful, talented—hard to keep in line," Zhou Fu agreed with a chuckle.

Since the fall of Zhican Valley, many gifted disciples had joined Dao Sword Sect to study alchemy.

"Peak Chief Qin always says they are Dan Peak’s future," Yan Yi sighed. "So being strict, making them learn more—it’s for their own good."

Zhou Fu glanced at the test papers in her hand and asked Yan Yi, "These are the fifth-year disciples' exams. Today’s topic was pill formula analysis. Should we grade them ourselves, or send them to Peak Chief Qin?"

"Peak Chief Qin has already instructed that he wants to review them personally," Yan Yi replied, taking the papers. "This group of disciples has reached the stage where they should begin pill refining. The Peak Chief wants to assess their aptitude before arranging for them to obtain Dan Fire and Dan Water. Once they have Dan Fire, they’ll be taught to refine pills."

"Will Peak Chief Qin personally instruct them?" Zhou Fu asked.

"Not necessarily. It depends on their performance," Yan Yi said. "Right now, there are only four people on Dan Peak who can refine pills—you, Junior Brother Zhang, Senior Sister Long, and Peak Chief Qin. So, you might end up teaching them."

"Me?" Zhou Fu shook her head. "I’d rather not. I don’t want to lead them astray!"

"Ah!" Yan Yi sighed with envy. "You have a talent for pill refining and seized the opportunity to become an alchemist. I, on the other hand, have no such gift—no matter how hard I try, I can’t master it. Even now, I only know some basic herbal knowledge."

He admired Zhou Fu, but she, too, looked at him with envy. Nowadays, very few could freely pass through the protective formation at the summit of Dan Peak, but Yan Yi was one of them. He alone enjoyed Peak Chief Qin’s trust—truly something to envy.

"You’re always by the Peak Chief’s side. Why would you even need to refine pills?" Zhou Fu said. "A single casual batch from him is beyond anything I could achieve in a lifetime. You’ll never lack for pills."

Yan Yi shook his head. "Still, I’ll never truly know how to refine them."

"Enough of this," Zhou Fu sighed, not wanting to dwell on it. "Take the papers to Peak Chief Qin. We’ll grade the rest."

"Very well," Yan Yi agreed.

Holding the fifth-year disciples' exams, he walked along the stone path until it joined the main road, then continued upward through a forested trail until he reached the mist-shrouded summit.

As he gazed at the swirling clouds before him, an overwhelming sense of reverence filled his heart. He carefully adjusted his attire, ensuring nothing was out of place, then solemnly retrieved the Identity Token given to him by Peak Chief Qin. With it, he parted the protective formation and the mist, stepping onto the hidden path that led to the true heart of Dan Peak.