Practical Assessment

Long Qiqi's short legs carried her forward as she walked up to the group of Dan Peak geniuses. Her adorable, chubby face was stern, exuding an air of authority.

She swept a cold gaze over them, instantly silencing their chatter and making them stand at attention, no longer daring to glance around.

This little girl had the body of an eight- or nine-year-old, but the presence of someone eighty or ninety zhang tall.

"I've reviewed your written exams for the cultural subjects," the little girl said, standing before the eight Dan Peak prodigies with a mature demeanor, her hands clasped behind her back. "Frankly, I'm disappointed!"

"Five years! Five whole years!! I gave you five years to build your foundations, and this is what you've learned? A complete mess—not a single one of you is satisfactory!"

The eight fifth-year disciples exchanged furtive glances, their eyes mostly conveying the same thought: Who are you? Since when do we need your approval for our cultivation?

Long Qiqi pulled their exam papers from her Universe Bag, flipping through them before continuing her scolding. "The Foundation Establishing Pill! A simple Foundation Establishing Pill! All you had to do was analyze its formula, and this is how you handled it?"

"For example, this paper…" She pulled out one exam and scanned the crowd. "Who is Wei Ziqi?"

One of the disciples raised his head high, tilting his chin up so that Long Qiqi could only see his haughty expression.

"So it's you, huh? You even got the basic ingredients of the Foundation Establishing Pill wrong!" Long Qiqi marched up to Wei Ziqi, standing on her tiptoes to glare at him. "Do you think the supplementary herbs in a pill are unimportant? That you can just swap them out and scribble whatever you want?!"

She raised her voice. "Answer me—is that what you think?"

"N-no," Wei Ziqi stammered, his eyes flickering downward to meet Long Qiqi’s fierce glare. Unconsciously, he took a step back.

"Every single supplementary herb in a pill has its purpose—none of them are replaceable. Our predecessors refined these pills millions of times, experimenting at the cost of countless lives to perfect these formulas. The supplementary herbs are just as important as the main ingredients!"

Long Qiqi slapped the exam paper against Wei Ziqi’s chest. "You lack familiarity with pharmacology, your foundations are weak, and you don’t even have basic respect for alchemy… You’re out. Try again next year!"

Eliminated before the practical exam even began, Wei Ziqi’s face flushed with rage, veins bulging in his eyes as he glared down at Long Qiqi. "On what grounds?!"

"On the grounds that I decide here!" Long Qiqi shot back, unflinching, her voice even louder. She tilted her head up, meeting his glare. "If I say you’re not qualified, then you’re not qualified!"

"I’ll take this to the Peak Master! Dan Peak answers to the Peak Master, not you!" Wei Ziqi retorted. "Who even are you?"

"You can take it to the Sect Leader for all I care!" Long Qiqi snapped. "I have full authority over you. Even if Qin Ran himself showed up, he’d have to listen to me!"

Wei Ziqi clenched his fists, crumpling the exam paper in his grip as he locked eyes with Long Qiqi. She was just a little girl—his fists itched to swing at her.

But before his rage completely clouded his judgment, he glanced at the senior disciple, Zhang Junyi, who was watching them calmly from the side, offering no intervention.

The longer he held Long Qiqi’s gaze, the more it felt like he was being stared down by a venomous serpent, sending chills down his spine.

Finally, he relented. Taking two deep breaths, he turned and stormed out of the Research Building.

As he fled, Long Qiqi signaled Zhang Junyi with a look, and the senior disciple immediately chased after him.

Then, Long Qiqi picked up another exam. "Who is Lan Xinyu?"

Lan Xinyu quickly stepped forward half a pace.

"Your understanding of the main and supplementary ingredients is lacking, especially the role of supplementary herbs in supporting the primary ones…" Long Qiqi dissected his mistakes one by one.

Lan Xinyu held his breath, bracing for the inevitable verdict of failure.

"This is a common issue among all of you… But once you actually start refining pills, failing a couple of times will hammer it into your heads." Long Qiqi finished her analysis and fell silent.

"Who is Zhang Shaohu?" She pulled out another paper.

"Huh?" Lan Xinyu blinked. "That’s it?"

He looked at Long Qiqi, only to find her already berating Zhang Shaohu.

"So… I wasn’t eliminated? I still get to take the practical exam?" Realization dawned on him, and he quietly retreated back into line.

All eight fifth-year disciples were scolded by Long Qiqi.

Aside from the first, another disciple was disqualified for mixing up the refining steps.

In the end, Long Qiqi led the remaining six into the Alchemy Chamber.

"Over the past few years, the practical sessions have familiarized you with alchemy tools, pill refinement, and the control of Dan Water and Dan Fire…"

Long Qiqi walked up to the alchemy furnace. Despite her small stature, her movements were practiced as she lit the furnace and activated the earth fire, demonstrating each step meticulously for the disciples. "Today’s session is just about combining everything you’ve learned so far. It’s simple—no need to be nervous."

As she demonstrated, she explained every detail with precision.

Though strict, Teacher Long was undeniably knowledgeable. Having refined pills from scratch for years, her expertise was vast. By the time the furnace cooled, every disciple had learned something valuable.

When Zhang Junyi returned, he took the water-aligned disciples for water-based refinement. One by one, the six attempted their own pill refinement. Under Long Qiqi and Zhang Junyi’s guidance, five succeeded in producing viable pills—though none were high-grade, at least they weren’t duds. Only one unfortunate soul failed completely, losing his chance to obtain Dan Water and Dan Fire.

The next day tested their cultivation subjects, and on the third day, they descended the mountain to gather Dan Fire.

At dawn, in the assembly square halfway up Dan Peak, Lan Xinyu arrived to find a towering white tiger, a boy no older than seven or eight, and their senior brother Zhang Junyi waiting.

"What the—?" He froze. "The Great Demon King and the Little Demon King? What are they doing here?"

Once all five disciples had gathered, Zhang Junyi addressed their bewildered and uneasy group. "This is your Uncle Chasing the Wind, and this is Junior Brother Li An. They will be escorting you on your journey to obtain Dan Water and Dan Fire, ensuring your safety."

"Them?! Protecting us?" Lan Xinyu’s shock deepened.

It wasn’t that he doubted the Great Demon King’s strength—but the reputations of the Great and Little Demon Kings within the Dao Sword Sect were… complicated. He had a hard time believing they could handle guard duty.

"Uncle Chasing the Wind is immensely powerful, experienced, and benevolent. He takes great joy in mentoring juniors. With him accompanying you, this trip will be flawless," Zhang Junyi continued. "As for Junior Brother Li An, don’t let his age fool you—he’s already a Foundation Establishment cultivator and has comprehended sword qi. His strength is exceptional, and he may soon rank among the Geniuses Ranking!"

Though alarm bells rang in their minds, the disciples couldn’t deny the intimidating aura of the massive white tiger. If anyone could protect them on this journey, it was him.

They stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Uncle… and Junior Brother!"

"Hmph!" The eleven-year-old white tiger replied solemnly, his voice deep and dignified. "Good children, all of you."

With that, he transformed in an instant, morphing into a colossal beast standing four to five zhang tall at the shoulder. Crouching low, his voice boomed like a great bell as he said, "Climb on. This old man will take you down the mountain."

The five disciples were awestruck by the giant tiger's imposing aura, their hearts trembling with fear as they exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to step forward.

"Let's go, down the mountain we go!"

It was Li An who acted first, his sword energy swirling around him as he leaped into the air and landed squarely atop the massive tiger's head.

"Let's move!" Zhang Junyi also soared through the air, alighting on the tiger's broad back.

Only then did the five disciples suppress their terror, each summoning their flight techniques to ascend onto the tiger's back.

"Hold on tight!"

The giant tiger roared, its tail flicking once before its limbs coiled like springs, launching them high into the sky in an instant. A fierce wind surged forth, propelling them swiftly into the distance.