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Chapter 565: You Cannot Try

Xu Fu? Hearing this name, Zhong Shan couldn\'t help but become cautious. It wasn\'t because he knew how powerful Xu Fu was, but rather it triggered a memory from his younger days on Earth.

Xu Fu, a fangshi (alchemist) of the Qin Dynasty, was the one who sought the elixir of immortality for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, even proposing a voyage to the immortal islands overseas to obtain it.

Logically, Zhong Shan wouldn\'t connect the two Xu Fus together, but now he couldn\'t help but think there might be a link.

The Great Qin Dynasty, Emperor \'Ying\', even the capital \'Xianyang\' was exactly the same. Zhong Shan used to think it was just a coincidence. After all, the zombie Emperor \'Ying\' had been dormant for tens of thousands of years, whereas the Qin Dynasty on Earth was only a few thousand years ago, too far apart in time. If one were to say the Qin Dynasty traveled through time, it wouldn\'t make sense due to the time discrepancy.

However, the appearance of Xu Fu forced Zhong Shan to reconsider his previous assumptions. Xu Fu! The alchemist Xu Fu?

There must be some connection between the Great Qin Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty on Earth.

"Oh? Do you know me?" Xu Fu asked, surprised.

Bai Ye also looked at Zhong Shan with a strange expression.

"I\'ve heard a bit about you," Zhong Shan nodded slightly.

Heard a bit? It was like a thunderclap to him! Xu Fu, the most renowned alchemist who ever served an emperor on Earth.

"Oh?" Xu Fu looked at Zhong Shan with surprise, his eyes piercing as if he wanted to see through Zhong Shan.

Even Bai Ye beside him twitched his face slightly, looking at Zhong Shan with an extremely strange expression.

"Emperor Zhong, you are truly remarkable!" Xu Fu stared at Zhong Shan for a while, then seemed to think of something, revealing a strange smile and nodding.

Hearing Xu Fu\'s words, Zhong Shan realized things might be going wrong. It seemed he had said something he shouldn\'t have!

"Emperor Zhong knows so much about my Great Qin Dynasty! In fact, I also know a bit about your Great Yong Dynasty. This must be the leader of the Tai Dan Sect!" Xu Fu suddenly looked at Bao\'er.

Zhong Shan frowned slightly, looking at Xu Fu.

"Indeed, it\'s a pleasure to meet Daoist Xu," Bao\'er said.

"Tai Dan Sect, the former Wangu Dan Sect, the world\'s number one sect in alchemy. It is said that this Wangu Holy Platform is also your sect\'s property. The world\'s number one alchemy sect, Xu Fu looks forward to it!" Xu Fu smiled.

Hearing Xu Fu\'s words, Bao\'er\'s eyes were filled with surprise. How could he know?

Bao\'er immediately looked at Zhong Shan because she had only told Zhong Shan this secret. No one else knew, not even the elders in the sect. This concerned the life and death of the Tai Dan Sect. How did Xu Fu know?

Zhong Shan was also surprised. He knew that the Tai Dan Sect had more than just a hidden name.

After the decline of the Wangu Dan Sect, the Tai Dan Sect went into hiding. Later, the Tai Dan Sect had several moments of great glory on the land of Shenzhou. It could be said that the Tai Dan Sect was a symbol. Although it declined again, no one would think that the two sects were actually the same.

Seeing Bao\'er\'s surprise, Xu Fu revealed a strange smile.

"Daoist Xu has a good memory! Gan Bao\'er admires you!" Bao\'er quickly said to Xu Fu.

Xu Fu nodded, taking another look at Zhong Shan\'s group, a strange smile on his lips, showing even more disdain.

Xu Fu nodded slightly, then, with Bai Ye, stepped away. As they departed, Bai Ye cast a peculiar glance at Zhong Shan.

"Why do those two look so strange?" Gu Qianyou asked curiously after they had left.

"Xu Fu?" Zhong Shan\'s pupils suddenly contracted as he realized his mistake.

As a ruler, Zhong Shan had spies scattered throughout the world. Although they couldn\'t be everywhere, each of the three great dynasties had their own informants, even if they were just commoners.

However, the information returned from the Great Qin Dynasty did not include anyone named Xu Fu. In other words, Xu Fu had not shown himself publicly before this. So how could Zhong Shan have \'heard a bit\' about him?

This should have been the first time Zhong Shan heard of Xu Fu. No wonder the two had such strange expressions when Zhong Shan said \'heard a bit.\' Initially, it was grave, then it turned to contempt. Xu Fu ultimately decided that Zhong Shan was just pretending to know him.

However, this might be a good thing!

Watching Xu Fu\'s departing figure, Zhong Shan fell silent for a moment.

Bai Ye, also known as Lord Wu\'an, was a significant figure in the Great Qin Dynasty, a second-generation zombie under Emperor Ying. Yet he stood behind Xu Fu, indicating Xu Fu\'s higher status!

Could this Xu Fu truly be the legendary Xu Fu?

"Master, what are you still looking at?" Bao\'er asked.

"Nothing," Zhong Shan shook his head, suppressing his doubts.

The group approached an official standing nearby.

"Are you here to register for the Ten Thousand Pills Conference?" the official asked.

"Yes, here is the invitation," Bao\'er handed over the invitation.

The official accepted it politely and nodded. "Regardless of the invitation, everyone must undergo the registration assessment. Although you are esteemed guests of the Dan Sage, the rules cannot be waived. I hope you understand."

"Understood," Bao\'er nodded.

"What is the registration assessment?" Zhong Shan inquired.

"It\'s simple. You need to refine a seventh-grade pill on the spot to successfully register. After that, you will enter the palace in three months to officially participate in the Ten Thousand Pills Conference, where the Dan Sage will make a personal appearance," the official explained.

Zhong Shan and Bao\'er exchanged glances, and Bao\'er nodded.

A seventh-grade pill was a threshold that blocked most alchemists. Only those who could refine a seventh-grade pill could be considered true alchemy masters, eligible to participate in the Ten Thousand Pills Conference.

"As esteemed guests of the Dan Sage, you may choose any alchemy furnace you like and refine the pill on the spot. Once you succeed, I will issue you the conference tokens," the official said.

"Understood," they all nodded.

They selected a relatively secluded alchemy furnace and gathered around it.

"This will do. Will you use your own herbs, or purchase from us?" the official asked.

"We have our own," Zhong Shan replied.

"Please proceed," the official gestured.

Bao\'er nodded, walked to the alchemy furnace, and with a wave of her hand, the lid flew off. She then took out a pile of jade boxes. As soon as the boxes were opened, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air.

"Ten-thousand-year-old purple gold vine, ten-thousand-year-old poria, ten-thousand-year-old thousand-leaf grass, thirty-thousand-year-old spirit black..." the official\'s jaw dropped.

What kind of place was this Tai Dan Sect? Such a collection of spirit herbs, all over ten thousand years old. Were they really going to use these materials for refining pills?

As the official watched in disbelief, Bao\'er tossed all the spirit herbs into the alchemy furnace, closed the lid, and ignited a gentle flame beneath it, setting the furnace in motion.

As the alchemy process began, a tremendous amount of spiritual energy burst forth from the furnace, filling the entire square with an overwhelming medicinal fragrance that overshadowed the scents from the other furnaces.

Generally, alchemists strive to contain the spiritual energy and efficacy of the herbs within the furnace to maximize the quality of the pills. However, here, the spiritual energy and medicinal essence were pouring out in abundance.

This didn\'t seem like proper alchemy. If these herbs could produce a hundred pills, seventy of them would be wasted this way.

The official standing by, seeing Bao\'er throw all the herbs into the furnace, closed his eyes, unable to bear watching. By the heavens, who were these people? They were too wealthy, too extravagant. Even if they had money, they shouldn\'t waste it like this.

While the herbs used were top-notch and abundant, which seemed wasteful, it also had a benefit: it saved time.

Others would take at least three hours to refine a seventh-grade pill, and sometimes it could take as long as forty-nine days. But Bao\'er\'s method was incredibly fast—one incense stick\'s time!

After the incense stick burned out, Bao\'er made a hand gesture, and the pills were completed.

The speed was so astonishing that the official\'s eyes bulged. Could it be true? Even refining a second-grade pill wouldn\'t be this fast.

As the potent medicinal fragrance spread, it attracted numerous onlookers, all eyes on Zhong Shan\'s direction.

"One incense stick? It was finished in one incense stick\'s time?" someone suddenly exclaimed.

"No way! How is that possible?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. From when they took out the herbs, it was only one incense stick\'s time."

"How could a pill be refined in such a short time? This batch must be ruined!"

Voices from the crowd chattered incessantly.

But then, with a wave of Bao\'er\'s hand, seven emerald green pills flew out and landed in her palm.

"She really refined them? What kind of pills are these? What grade?"

"Only seven pills? They used so many top-grade herbs, each worth at least a million spirit stones. They used thirteen types, over ten million top-grade spirit stones worth!"

The crowd gathered, chattering noisily.

The official also swallowed hard and walked over, carefully inspecting the pills in Bao\'er\'s hand. They were emerald green, but he couldn\'t identify them.

"What are these?" the official asked, bewildered.

Officials tasked with overseeing the registration assessment were usually very knowledgeable about pills, but he didn\'t recognize these pills.

"May I try one?" the official asked.

Normally, this would be unacceptable, given the value and rarity of the pills. If he could identify them, he wouldn\'t dare make such a request.

The onlookers were envious. If these were truly seventh-grade pills, consuming one would be highly beneficial. Many secretly wished to be the one to try the pill.

"You want to try? That\'s not possible!" Bao\'er shook her head.

"If I can\'t try it, I can\'t verify its grade," the official frowned, thinking Bao\'er might be trying to pass off an unknown pill as a high-grade one.

A seventh-grade pill that didn\'t meet the criteria couldn\'t be considered a successful assessment.

"Yeah, no one has seen this pill before. How do we know it\'s a seventh-grade pill?"

"If it\'s not tested, how can we know? Are you trying to cheat your way in?"

The crowd clamored.

The official\'s gaze towards Bao\'er turned unfriendly.

Bao\'er smiled wryly. "It\'s not that you can\'t try it; it\'s that you can\'t handle it."

"Ridiculous! I\'ve even tried eighth-grade pills. How could I not handle it?" the official scoffed.

"This pill is called the \'Heart-Piercing Bone-Eating Pill.\' If you truly believe you can handle it, I won\'t stop you," Bao\'er said, extending one of the pills towards the official.