Death... and me

Old Worm then sent Roan a Spiritual Sense Message.

'Is it about the war for the throne? You already got the information you needed. In fact, I also got things sorted on my side, so Mia would be prepared. There's no need for you to involve yourself in this any further.'

Roan shook his head in response.

'I have my reasons for having a talk with him.'

At first, Rean and Roan thought that getting an audience with Huan would be useless. However, there was also the fact that they didn't know if they would be able to get something like this. After all, Huan wasn't someone you could pay a visit to anytime you wanted.

As for entering his house without anyone perceiving it, that was even more of a dream. As the right hand of the Emperor, there should be no lack of high-level cultivators present. Otherwise, the princes and princesses fighting for the throne would have used other methods already to get in contact with him alone. Let alone that Huan himself was known for having very high cultivation as well.

However, the Alchemist Guild was considered a neutral power. It would not take part in the Throne Struggle. Perhaps, Huan wouldn't mind allowing them to see him.

Of course, there was another reason why Roan made such a request. It was present in the information he got from the Dark Web Organization. It was stated that Huan was also an alchemist and often concocted pills for the Emperor.

Werxa, as the guild leader, knew very well about the situation in the court as well.

"What would a kid like you want from him? Let me warn you. I don't know if you understand what is happening with the court now. Still, our Alchemist Guild doesn't take part in any countries' internal struggles. You shouldn't get yourself involved with Huan or any of those people."

Roan didn't care.

"I do know what is happening with the Imperial Family at the moment. You should know as well that it won't stay hidden from the masses for long either. Still, don't worry. I have no intention whatsoever to involve the Alchemist Guild in it. I just need one answer from you. Can you do it or not?"

Werxa narrowed his eyes as he looked at Roan and Old Worm. In any normal situation, he would have sent them out without even caring about their reasons. However, Roan was vital for their guild at the moment.

"Let's see how you fare in the Alchemist Exam first. Depending on your result, I might consider giving you that chance."

Old Worm sighed before saying.

"Since you already decided, then I won't stop you. In that case, you might as well stop holding back and show them the alchemist you really are."

Roan nodded as he turned around and left the room with Old Worm. However, they didn't see the shocked expression on Werxa's face.

"Holding back?! He was holding back?! Are you fucking serious?!"

Old Worm wasn't joking when he said that Roan's combo of Light and Dark Element was simply way too good for alchemy. Others might not know, but Old Worm had never thought about acquiring a disciple in his life. His guidance at first was basically due to Roan's incredible memory and focus on the work. Only when he saw what those two Elements could do did he finally change his mind and put his all into teaching Roan.

The weird thing was that both Old Worm and Roan had never talked about becoming a disciple and the other a master. It was extremely rare for the two to even call each other by names, let alone using honorifics. Their situation was ambiguous, just like that.

After returning to the Alchemist Test Room, Roan and Old Worm sat in a corner and waited. While they did that, all the other alchemists attended to their own Green-Spotted Foxes. It might be impossible to surpass Roan's results, but there were still 99 more slots available for the last phase. With Roan's overwhelming results so far, they were pretty sure he would finish in the top 10. Nevertheless, the guild would also accept 9 more alchemists.

Well... there are also those stubborn ones like Cluhe, who didn't want to admit that they would lose to Roan or anyone else.

The alchemists themselves massaged their foxes while they slept to help their bodies absorb more of the Medicinal Paste's efficacy. Others used some lotions approved by the guild's exam, etc. And just like that, three hours passed until finally, the first Green-Spotted Fox woke up.

Just like Roan's fox, this fox also seemed a little larger than before. However, it still couldn't compare to Roan's fox. After the examinators confirmed that the fox was in a perfect health state, they brought it to be tested against the dummy.

It used the same attack, but everyone could see that its dash and bite were far behind what Roan's fox did.

-Attack Power: 829-

-Attack Power: 843-

-Attack Power...

This one's average points ended up being far behind Roan's one. However, he felt excited nevertheless. In the end, he got an average of 856 points—his chances of being in the top 100 were very high now.

As if a chain reaction happened, one Green-Spotted Fox after the other woke up from their slumbers. They all felt full of energy, ready to take the test, and so they did.

The majority only showed results around 750 and 800 points. Some got above 900, which obviously made them very happy and prideful. At this point, everyone simply ignored Roan's results. It was as if he wasn't even fighting in the same league anymore.

A guy called Joan was the first one to present a fox that surpassed the 1000 point barrier... after Roan. His average results finished with 1007 points.

Cluhe came next and amassed 1045 average points. Still, this prideful man didn't feel the least bit happy. He was worlds apart from Roan in both exams, which deeply bothered him.

Unfortunately for him, another guy surpassed his result with an average of 1051 points. His name was Kobe Vuis. He was also a disciple of one of the Alchemist Guild members. The number could still be considered in the error margin, but Cluhe felt worse nonetheless.

Finally, it was Lita Xue's turn. Roan, who had been keeping his eyes closed all this time, finally opened it as Lita's fox came forward. Surprisingly, Old Worm also paid attention to her as he commented through Spiritual Sense messages.

'Her abilities are quite similar to yours and Rean. The difference is that she can use both elements independently, while you have your connection with Rean to use the Light Element. I'm sure your results would still be above hers even if you didn't use Light Element, but she's still a remarkable alchemist.'

Roan was surprised to see Old Worm talking so much. Still, he could understand. After all, he also commended her abilities in the previous phase.

'Just like me, her existence was a pile of coincidences. Born woman, having an affinity towards the Fire Element, cultivating a rare Yin Energy Cultivation Technique to control water. Since she's already a woman, it made it easier for her to achieve that Yin Energy control. Of course, she has the talent, and I can tell how much effort she put into it.'

Old Worm agreed with Roan as he lightly nodded.

Lita's fox attacked the dummy, and sure enough...

-Attack Power: 1189-

Her fox was far above others, only losing to Roan. As her fox continued the barrage of ten attacks, it got used to its new strength as the points increased. In the end, she finished with an average of 1268 points, much to Werxa's delight.