Sixty-four jade beads matched sixty-four kinds of medicine, but if the medicinal power contained within the holes of the jade beads were entirely absorbed, wouldn't any medicine condensed into a thread be able to pass through every bead at will?

In that case, one would only need to focus on refining the sixty-four types of medicine, completely saving the time spent identifying the medicinal power of the jade beads!

A thought struck Nie Kong. From the implication of Sha Yan’s earlier words, one only needed to thread the medicine-silk through the jade bead holes to hang them onto the circular plate; there were no restrictions on the method used. Even absorbing all the medicinal power from every jade bead would not violate the rules of the monthly assessment.

Decision made, Nie Kong hesitated no longer, moving both hands to grasp all sixty-four jade beads from the tray. If he were to circulate the Spring and Autumn Vitality Art to absorb the power himself, the speed would inevitably be much slower. Thus, Nie Kong delegated the task of absorbing the medicinal power to Xiangxiang.

The medicinal power within the jade bead holes had already been refined, which Xiangxiang did not particularly enjoy, but at a moment like this, even distaste had to be set aside. The little creature seemed to understand the importance of the task; as soon as Nie Kong’s thought moved, the little one exerted itself to the utmost. Streams of green energy rushed out of the Yaochi Acupoint, traveling along Nie Kong’s arm into both palms, darting madly through the holes of each jade bead like spiritual snakes.

With every pass through a hole, a faint burst of medicinal power was extracted and then coiled back by the little creature. In a mere instant, various types of medicinal powers accumulated within Nie Kong’s Yaochi Acupoint, and the jade beads in his palms could no longer emit any fragrance.

“Begin!”

An instructor shouted out loud. The hourglass was turned over, and the soft sound of trickling sand echoed gently in the hall.

Almost all the disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall placed their palms on the props on the table, channeling spiritual power into them. Amidst the intense humming, the spiritual patterns burst forth with brilliant, colorful, and interlocking rays of light. For a moment, the entire hall seemed shrouded in a dreamlike hue.

Nie Kong retracted his right palm, watching the circular plate spinning at high speed with a buzzing sound, a look of astonishment gradually appearing in his eyes. Amidst the continuous rotation, many small, through-and-through holes began to appear on the surface of the plate. Upon seeing them, Nie Kong understood the next difficulty of the task.

That was to thread the medicine-silks, which were tied to the jade beads, through the holes of the plate to hang them on it. While the plate was spinning rapidly, accurately threading the medicine-silk through the holes and quickly tying a small knot so it wouldn’t fall off was by no means easy.

Furthermore, the rapidly spinning plate could at any moment fling off the already hung medicine-silks—if this happened, it would mean all effort was wasted!

This seemingly simple spiritual pattern implement tested not only the disciples' eyesight and dexterity, as well as their subtle control over spiritual power, but also pushed their fundamental medicine refining abilities to their peak. This assessment required no great expenditure of mental energy to refine spiritual medicines, nor did it require forcibly fusing multiple medicines; merely condensing the power of a single medicine into a thread appeared, truly, to have no difficulty whatsoever.

However, this assessment placed extremely demanding requirements on the suppleness of the condensed medicinal power. If the suppleness of the thread-like medicinal power wasn't good enough, let alone enduring the rapid rotation of the plate, it would be difficult even to tie a knot after passing it through the plate’s hole.

Understanding this, the expressions of many Medicine Heart Hall disciples grew grim.

The previous monthly assessment provided one Dragon Whisker White Beauty Flower seed and various medicines, with almost no restrictions, allowing everyone to perform as they wished; even those who couldn't identify all the medicines could try their luck. But this month’s assessment had almost cut off any possibility of luck.

To succeed, one could only rely on strength!

The surrounding disciples displayed various expressions, some looking as if they were facing a death sentence, others full of confidence. Nie Kong, however, could not afford to ponder; he picked up a pinch of medicine from the first compartment of the medicine box and tossed it into the cauldron, and the green flame emerging from his palm immediately engulfed the medicine cauldron. Refining this medicine required fierce fire.

However, Nie Kong's green flame was a bit too fierce. A huge mass of it erupted, resembling a ghostly green sun, bursting forth with countless rays of light. The dazzling, magnificent brilliance was overwhelmingly bright, making it hard for the surrounding Medicine Heart Hall disciples to even keep their eyes open.

What fierce heat!

Everyone instinctively narrowed their eyes, staring blankly at the large ball of spiritual fire in Nie Kong’s palm, the words "Such strong fire!" appearing almost simultaneously in their minds.

They all knew that the first medicine in the medicine box required fierce fire for refining, so they tried their best to make their own fire as intense as possible, but compared to Nie Kong, the gap was far from minor. Even the fire controlled by Miao Ge, Feng Biao, and Jiang Liu was far less robust than Nie Kong's.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

A series of explosive sounds rang out. Several Medicine Heart Hall disciples had their concentration disturbed by the green flame Nie Kong generated, causing explosions within their medicine cauldrons. Fortunately, they were only refining a single medicine, and the amount added was small; the medicinal power wasn't potent enough, so even the explosions didn't cause much commotion.

However, the stench emerging from the cauldron lid holes still left many feeling frustrated. A poor start like this was hardly a good omen. But at this moment, there wasn't much time to complain; they quickly opened the lids, cleared the dregs inside, and started anew.

"This guy... changes so fast!"

Miao Ge murmured to herself.

After the last monthly assessment, Miao Ge had seen Nie Kong during every lecture, but this was the first time in recent months she had witnessed Nie Kong using his fire to refine medicine. She hadn't expected that in just about thirty days, Nie Kong's mutated wood spiritual power would undergo such a massive transformation.

The fierce nature of the fire was only the surface phenomenon, visible at a glance.

But Miao Ge could sense that Nie Kong's fire was significantly different from a month ago. She couldn't quite articulate what it was, only vaguely feeling that Nie Kong's fire was vibrant and alive, as if it possessed a life of its own. Fire having life meant spiritual power having life.

"How is this possible?"

Miao Ge unconsciously pinched the beauty mole near the corner of her lip and let out a dry laugh. Just then, Miao Ge noticed the flame in Nie Kong's palm suddenly retract and froze, stunned. Had he condensed the medicine into a thread that quickly? She exchanged a glance with Tai Ji, their expressions revealing surprise.

The dazzling green light that was hard to look at vanished without a trace. Nie Kong lifted the lid of the cauldron and drew out a soft white thread from inside, almost a foot long. Placing the slender medicine-silk on the table, Nie Kong then put the medicine from the second compartment of the box into the cauldron.

Miao Ge, Tai Ji, and the others snapped back to reality. Although they wished to observe Nie Kong’s operation further, the continuously falling sand in the hourglass offered them no time. They could only compose themselves and start working busily.

Compared to Nie Kong, Miao Ge and the others had already fallen behind by one medicine.

In the previous monthly assessment, Nie Kong’s sudden emergence had ensured that everyone dared not underestimate him anymore. For this month's assessment, whether it was Miao Ge, Tai Ji, or other capable disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall, they were all secretly exerting themselves, determined not to let Nie Kong climb over them again.

Nie Kong was only a new disciple admitted in February. If he were to continuously surpass all the Medicine Heart Hall disciples in the monthly assessment, where would they be able to show their faces? How could they maintain their transcendent status in front of the disciples from the Five Halls—Qing Feng, Zi Lei, Shan Hun, Huo Yun, and Shui Xian—in the future?

Nie Kong was oblivious to his fellow disciples, Miao Ge and Tai Ji, secretly competing with him. At this moment, he was entirely focused, his spirit fully immersed in refining medicine.

Medicines were continuously placed into the cauldron; strands of soft, thread-like medicinal power were condensed... Before half the time had elapsed, thirty-two slender medicine threads already adorned the table in front of Nie Kong...

Up front, Sha Yan stroked his beard with a smile, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the Medicine Heart Hall disciples. However, when he looked at Nie Kong, Miao Ge, Feng Biao, Jiang Liu, and Tai Ji, his pause would linger slightly, his eyes unconsciously revealing a look of admiration.

Beside him, the professors of the Medicine Heart Hall occasionally nodded slightly. The reason the Medicine Heart Hall consistently led in Lingyu City was precisely due to the continuous stream of outstanding disciples produced year after year. For the professors who imparted knowledge and guidance to them, the more outstanding the disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall, the happier they were.

But for Luo Ren, standing at the forefront, while he could take in every action of all the Medicine Heart Hall disciples, it was also an indescribable torment.

His two eyes darted around more diligently than Sha Yan or the professors, constantly comparing Nie Kong against excellent disciples like Miao Ge, Feng Biao, Jiang Liu, and Tai Ji. Among these people, almost all adopted the same method as Nie Kong: first condensing the medicine-silk!

However, what pained Luo Ren deeply was that none of these individuals were faster than Nie Kong. Even Feng Biao, the fastest, had only condensed thirty-two types of medicine so far, equal to Nie Kong. Miao Ge had thirty-one, while Tai Ji and Jiang Liu were somewhere between twenty-eight and thirty.

The more he watched, the more suffocated Luo Ren felt. He was paying such close attention to Nie Kong not because he wanted to see him lead everyone! Seeing Nie Kong's technique for condensing medicine-silk become smoother and smoother, and with no sign of Feng Biao and the others surpassing him, Luo Ren's patience was worn thin.

But just as Luo Ren prepared to look away, Miao Ge, Feng Biao, Jiang Liu, and Tai Ji suddenly stopped condensing medicine-silk; only Nie Kong continued...

Seeing this scene, Luo Ren was stunned for a moment before he understood. Miao Ge and the others must have been unsure if they could thread all the jade beads, so they stopped one after another, intending to thread the already condensed medicine-silks onto the jade beads and hang them first, lest they run out of time and waste their efforts.

Glancing at Nie Kong, who was still refining medicine, Luo Ren's mood instantly brightened, and a cold sneer involuntarily curled the corner of his lips. What a fool, still trying to condense all sixty-four types of medicine! By the time he finished refining all the medicine-silks, there would probably be very little time left!

According to Nie Kong's approach, in the remaining time, he would be lucky to successfully thread and hang ten or twenty jade beads. And with such a small number of jade beads, obtaining a good rank in this "January Monthly Assessment" would absolutely be a pipe dream! Luo Ren felt that heaven was still favoring him; if Nie Kong were to take first place again this time, how would he face everyone? If others knew that he had deliberately made things difficult for Nie Kong on registration day using the Nine-Colored Interlocking Thread, how would they view him, an introductory professor of the Medicine Heart Hall? As a petty man consumed by jealousy? BaDuBar Novel Network, Zi Zai Jue Bi, fastest updates, mobile site P. Zi Jue Bi Baidu search BaDuBar.

"Finally done..."

The green flame in his palm retracted, the heat dissipated, and the medicine core fell lightly. Nie Kong opened the cauldron lid and took out a strand of inky black, thread-like medicinal power, placing it on the table, releasing a breath of relief with a face full of smiles.

From the start of the assessment until now, Nie Kong had continuously condensed medicinal power sixty-four times, yet he remained spirited, and his internal spiritual power was surging and immense.

In the past, let alone condensing medicinal power sixty-four times consecutively, even condensing it thirty times would have exhausted Nie Kong to the point of collapse. But now, Nie Kong felt no fatigue at all; this was naturally due to the extra acupoint inside his body and the integration of vitality into his spiritual power.

Nie Kong looked up at the hourglass in front of him; the remaining sand was little. At the current rate of flow, he estimated only five or six minutes were left. In such a short time, threading all sixty-four jade beads onto the rapidly spinning plate still posed a challenge.

With a thought, Nie Kong gathered spiritual power onto his finger and picked up a strand of medicine-silk with his right hand. A streak of emerald green spiritual light flashed, and the originally soft medicine-silk suddenly stiffened, easily passing through the hole of the jade bead in Nie Kong's left hand.

Retracting his spiritual power, the medicine-silk softened again... Nie Kong quickly tied a knot around the jade bead, and a wisp of spiritual power leaked out, making the medicine-silk rigid once more. In an instant, Nie Kong thrust his right arm forward, moving like lightning beneath the plate. The medicine-silk shot straight into a small hole.

The moment he released his right hand, Nie Kong's left hand was already gripping the medicine-silk, which had softened due to the lack of spiritual support, on top of the plate. Nie Kong’s hands rotated along with the plate, and while rotating, Nie Kong rapidly manipulated his fingers to tie a knot in the medicine-silk.

In an instant, Nie Kong released the medicine-silk, and the scarlet jade bead could be seen spinning rapidly with the plate, flashing with red light wherever it passed, resembling a streak of flowing light. One jade bead was hung, and Nie Kong quickly picked up the second strand of medicine-silk and the second jade bead, working busily in the same manner. The holes in the plate were minuscule, almost the same size as the medicine-silk itself.

Nie Kong was able to successfully thread the medicine-silk through the holes mainly thanks to the practice he underwent in Jiyang City using the 'Gyroscope' spiritual pattern implement. Without the quick hands and eyes honed then, Nie Kong would be struggling immensely right now.

Only a few seconds passed before the second jade bead was hung.

Then came the third pair, the fourth pair...

The jade beads hanging below the plate increased, and the colors of the medicine-silks and beads became richer, while Nie Kong continued to work tirelessly...

Shhh...

The sand in the hourglass grew scarcer. The remaining time was not enough to condense another medicine and successfully thread it through a jade bead to hang on the plate.

Consequently, quite a few Medicine Heart Hall disciples stopped, looking around to see the progress made by their companions.

"Forty-five beads..."

Miao Ge smiled sweetly as she threaded a purple jade bead with the medicine-silk she had just refined. She glanced up at Feng Biao and Jiang Liu, who were diagonally in front of her. They had also just paused. Miao Ge’s gaze shifted to the circular plates on the low tables before them.

The plate was spinning extremely fast. It would be very difficult for an ordinary person to count the number of jade beads at such a speed, but for a Spirit Fusion Master like Miao Ge, it was much simpler. After focusing her gaze for a few seconds, Miao Ge had a clear picture. As of now, Feng Biao had forty-two beads, Jiang Liu had forty, and Miao Ge had forty-five, far surpassing the two of them. Even if the two made extraordinary efforts in the remaining time and added another bead to the plate, they couldn't catch up to her.

Compared to Feng Biao and Jiang Liu, Miao Ge was completely confident!

Her pretty eyes moved left and right, and Miao Ge then looked at Tai Ji, Ru Jie, and Ye Xinlian to the sides.

Tai Ji had forty-one jade beads; Ru Jie had forty, the same as Jiang Liu; and Ye Xinlian had thirty-nine. However, Ye Xinlian was still refining medicine, and it was estimated she would quickly succeed in condensing the medicine-silk and might be able to hang one more before the sand ran out.

Miao Ge pursed her red lips, the smile on her face growing wider, even the beauty mole at the corner of her mouth seemed to wear a charming smile. She had a good relationship with Tai Ji, Ru Jie, and Ye Xinlian, but as fellow disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall, they were also competitors. Miao Ge was naturally delighted to have surpassed them.

Feng Biao, Jiang Liu, Tai Ji, Ru Jie, Ye Xinlian...

They could all be ruled out now!

In the Outer City Medicine Heart Hall, only Feng Biao and Tai Ji and a few others could be considered rivals for Miao Ge. Although there were many outstanding disciples among the rest of the Medicine Heart Hall, they were still slightly inferior to Feng Biao and the others, even though they were all Third-Grade Spirit Pharmacists now.

Suddenly, Miao Ge noticed that many Medicine Heart Hall disciples had turned to look behind her, even Feng Biao and Jiang Liu in front were no exception.

She had actually forgotten that guy, her mind must have been muddled by refining medicine! Miao Ge realized, her heart skipping a beat, and she quickly turned to look behind her.

After just one glance, Miao Ge froze.

"Such speed..."

A gasp involuntarily escaped Miao Ge’s heart. Like a fish out of water, her scarlet lips parted slightly, her eyes widened further, and the expression on her face gradually aligned with that of the surrounding Medicine Heart Hall disciples. After a long moment, Miao Ge snapped back to her senses, blinking her eyes a few times.

"Forty-four! No, forty-five..."

Miao Ge had just finished counting the jade beads hanging on that plate when Nie Kong successfully hung another one; the number had caught up to her forty-five.

And looking at Nie Kong, he was already using another strand of medicine-silk to thread a bead, moving his hand under the plate, then poking and releasing the stiff medicine-silk upwards. His left hand above accurately drew the medicine-silk out of the hole, and following the rotation of the plate, he quickly untied the knot.

Not only was the speed astonishingly fast, but his movements were also as smooth as flowing water, seamless.

"Is this guy planning to thread all sixty-four beads?"

Looking at the remaining twenty-odd strands of differently colored medicine-silks on Nie Kong's desk, Miao Ge felt utterly incredulous. She had thought her speed in condensing medicine and threading beads was fast enough, but she hadn't expected Nie Kong's speed to far exceed hers. If he could maintain this pace, perhaps he really could thread and hang all those jade beads with the remaining medicine-silks before the sand in the hourglass ran out.

If that were the case, Nie Kong would have sixty-four jade beads, and she would have forty-five...

A disparity of nineteen!

Such a huge gap!

Miao Ge couldn't quite understand how Nie Kong had reached this level. Observing his bead-threading process, he seemed to casually pick up a bead and directly slip the medicine-silk over it. Did this guy not need to identify the medicinal power contained within the jade bead holes at all?

This was truly hard to imagine!

Miao Ge had tried this during her first attempt at threading beads, and the result was a mismatch between the jade bead's medicinal power and the medicine-silk, making success impossible. This was because the jade beads were very peculiar: if the medicinal powers were different, the holes would actually close up. She dared not force spiritual power through, as that might damage both the jade bead and the medicine-silk, leading to a loss greater than the gain. In the end, she had no choice but to diligently identify the medicinal power within the jade bead holes.

"Fifty-five beads..."

Miao Ge counted again and realized that in this short period, Nie Kong had hung up ten more beads, causing her to purse her lips slightly, glaring at Nie Kong with some frustration.

Could this guy truly be her nemesis?

Miao Ge muttered to herself. In the last monthly assessment, she had scored nine points and was on the verge of taking first place when Nie Kong suddenly produced a blooming and fruiting Dragon Whisker White Beauty Flower, easily seizing the top spot. This month’s assessment was the same; the first place she was about to secure was once again about to be snatched away by Nie Kong... Not 'about to be,' but already taken by Nie Kong! Fifty-five jade beads—who could surpass that?

"Fifty-six... fifty-seven..."

Disjointed voices echoed in the hall.

The disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall who had already stopped were almost all turning around, watching Nie Kong's fluid performance while counting the beads for him. Regardless of whether Nie Kong was an older disciple or a new one, this number was enough to shock and command respect from everyone.

"Fifty-eight... fifty-nine..."

The voices of the crowd gradually synchronized, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the movements of Nie Kong's hands. "Sixty! Sixty-one..."

"This young fellow always manages to do something eye-catching at the final moment,"

Sha Yan stood up from his cushion and said to the professors beside him with a beaming smile, "The first place in this monthly assessment will undoubtedly go to him again..."

"That is true."

A middle-aged professor chuckled, "Indeed, Nie Kong’s performance is astonishing! If I were participating in this assessment, fifty-five beads would likely have been my absolute limit. I never expected this fellow to have reached sixty-one... no, sixty-two already!"

Another individual sighed, "I've been watching him closely, yet I never once saw him discerning the medicinal properties within the jade beads. I truly don't know how he managed this!"

"..."

The voices of Sha Yan and the professors reached his ears, and Luo Ren’s entire face darkened. Hadn’t Nie Kong spent the majority of his time refining the medicinal strength? Shouldn't he have been doomed to failure? How, in the end, did he still seize first place, and by such a significant margin over the runner-up?

"Sixty-three!"

Except for Nie Kong, all the disciples of the Medicine Heart Hall had concluded their assessments. The moment they shouted those two words, their voices grew tinged with excitement, their eyes flicking between the hourglass whose sand was nearly run out, or towards Nie Kong, who was now handling the final pair of jade beads and silk threads, or turning to look at Sha Yan and the professors, a sense of anticipation involuntarily rising within them—could this last jade bead successfully be hung onto the disk?

Regardless of success or failure, the first place winner of this monthly assessment was now decided.

"Time’s up!"

Two calls exploded simultaneously within the hall. The first voice was naturally uttered by the Medicine Heart Hall disciples, while the second came from the mouth of that middle-aged professor. Almost at the instant the two sounds rang out, Nie Kong’s hands drew away from the disk—the final jade bead had been successfully attached.

Sixty-four jade beads, sixty-four different medicines. Nie Kong had executed it flawlessly.

Seeing this result, regardless of whether the crowd had hoped for the newly initiated disciple Nie Kong to claim first place initially, everyone felt a wave of relief at this moment. If even one bead had fallen short at the final hurdle, it would have felt like a regrettable imperfection to them all.

It was like having a girl with a stunning figure; no matter what preconceived notions the onlookers held, they hoped her face would match her body. If, upon turning around, they were met with an ugly countenance that didn't align with her physique, it certainly wouldn't bring joy.

The echoes caused by the two pronouncements faded. After a brief silence, the hall instantly erupted into a babble of chatter:

"This Nie Kong truly isn't human. I saw that Miao Ge only managed forty-five beads, yet he managed to string up all sixty-four..."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Vice Hall Master will likely give him top marks again—'Excellent, Supreme'—this time."

"I bet there was some hidden trick to this assessment’s prompt. How else could he lead Miao Ge and Feng Biao by such a wide margin?"

"..."

Listening to the murmurings of the crowd, Nie Kong smiled inwardly. There was indeed a trick to this assessment: completely absorbing the medicinal strength from the jade beads. It was just a pity that none of them were Wood Spirit Masters, nor did they have a little pet like Xiangxiang. Therefore, this secret could only be enjoyed by him alone!

"Everyone, please remain calm. In fifteen minutes, you will reclaim the spiritual energy from your implements. At that time, the esteemed Vice Hall Master will arrive to inspect your assessment results."

The middle-aged professor's voice sounded again, suppressing the buzzing noise in the hall. Badao Novel Network, the fastest update, mobile site NP. Badao search Badao Ba.

The crowd initially felt nothing regarding the middle-aged professor’s words. However, a moment later, when one Medicine Heart Hall disciple’s disk suddenly flung off two jade beads, their expressions soured considerably. The longer a bead remained suspended on the disk, the higher the demand on the silk thread’s tensile strength.

Once the thread could no longer bear the load and snapped, the bead was inevitably lost. Sha Yan certainly would not kindly count any fallen beads when examining the results.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

A sudden cascade of snapping sounds abruptly rang out.

Everyone turned to look. More than twenty beads suspended beneath one disk instantly halved in number. The Medicine Heart Hall disciple seated before the table cried out in despair. Twenty-odd beads might still secure a decent score, but what kind of result would ten or so beads yield? One could guess even with their backside!

Forgetting their astonishment at Nie Kong’s performance, everyone began to worry about their own beads. Time dragged on in this agony. Besides the low hum generated by the rotating disks, only the sharp snap of breaking silk threads could be heard, lending a rather oppressive atmosphere to the hall.

"A quarter of an hour has passed..."

No matter how many times he had wished for it in his heart, the middle-aged professor's voice finally sounded. A sigh of relief washed over everyone, and they scrambled to extend their hands, grasping the small iron rod supporting the disk, absorbing all the residual spiritual energy from their implements.

The shining spiritual patterns continuously vanished, and the disk spun slower and slower. Only when it came to a complete stop did the disciples truly let their guard down.

Nie Kong was utterly confident in the medicinal silk he had refined. After successfully hanging the last bead, he hadn't worried once. And indeed, his confidence was entirely justified. During that quarter of an hour, many Medicine Heart Hall disciples had their silk threads snap—even Jiang Liu and Ye Xinlian each lost one thread—yet Nie Kong’s sixty-four jade beads remained steadfastly suspended beneath his disk.

Seeing Sha Yan and the others begin to walk towards the crowd, a smile touched Nie Kong’s lips. First place in this monthly assessment was secured. Next time, he must also take first place.

Success is the only option; failure is impossible!