The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

Dear God! Nerissa had reached Transcendent Realm, too? Felix realized he had been progressing rather slowly-even his fiancée had surpassed him now. Still, her talent was truly terrifying.

Felix knew that Nala also possessed remarkable martial talent. But after the accident that scarred her face, her mental state became unstable. It became impossible for her to focus on practicing martial arts.

As Felix lay in bed that night, something felt off. Barry had gone to the bathroom and was taking an unusually long time.

Just as Felix was considering checking on him, Barry returned, appearing normal. However, he could not deceive Felix's keen perception.

Felix immediately took out a pill and approached him. "Take this."

Barry paused before accepting it. "Thanks."

He had suffered significant internal injuries, so someone had clearly attacked him. "Felix, you're a good man. Really, thank you."

Felix did not pry, and Barry did not give any information, either. The night passed peacefully.

The next day at sunrise, the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment officially began. All participants gathered in a small plaza. When they saw who emerged, everyone grew excited.

"My God! It's Mr. Whitwell!"

"What's going on? It's just an intermediate assessment. Mr. Whitwell never shows up for these."

One of them laughed as he said, "If we can catch his attention with our skills today, our future is set!"

Only Felix quietly observed Ezra.

Having been with Harmony Clinic for some time, he had heard plenty about the latter. Even Deborah deeply respected him, which was a testament to his influence.

"You are the future pillars of Harmony Clinic. I hope to see your best performance in this assessment!

"I declare that the first person to successfully cultivate their pill may choose any medicinal herb as a reward, regardless of its value. Consider it part of your legacy."

After Ezra's announcement, even Felix grew excited. If any herb was available, he already knew what he wanted, would be something so rare

teven Deborah could st

obtain it, found only on this mountain where Harmony Clinic stood.

"Let us begin."

Though there were 86 participants, Harmony Clinic's headquarters had more than enough private chambers for everyone to cultivate pills simultaneously.

Once everyone entered their

chambers through various corridors

from the plaza, the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment officially commenced. Everyone knew which pill they needed to process

beforehand. Yet each year, many still failed to make the cut.

Dickson and Ezra took their seats in the plaza. With their cultivation level, they could easily wait for several days.

"Mr. Whitwell, you're being quite generous this time," Dickson teased.

"Herbs are meant for pill cultivation. What's wrong with such a reward?" Ezra shot back.

Dickson smiled. "Aren't you worried that Felix might be the first to emerge?"noveldrama

Having served under Ezra for many years, he naturally understood him well. Such

a sudden big reward was clearly meant for Felix.

"Would that happen? It would be a total joke if someone Madam Goddard values so much were to falter in their performance."