Sung Haoyu, Nadine Albrecht, May Shang, and two other candidates who had virtually no chance were all waiting for the famous alchemist to arrive and announce the results. Only May seemed calm.

  Sung knows he won't win because Tang doesn't like him. Nadine is unsure because of her origins... The other two were barely selected. Although I don't know what kind of projects the others have done and what results they have achieved, there is no way they could be better than me.

  She noticed Nadine's trembling hands, even though she tried to hide them. May felt a little pity for her because she evidently cared a lot. Unfortunately for her, May had no intention of backing down because of that.

  “He's already here...” Sung Haoyu whispered suddenly.

  The other three were surprised because they hadn't noticed or heard anyone. However, May also knew this because she was highly sensitive to Qi and could detect a strong presence even without using [Qi Sensing].

  Only after a moment did Hua Tang enter in all his glory. As usual, he was dressed in overly expensive robes made of the highest quality materials. He certainly gave the impression of someone who wanted to show off his wealth without coming across as a snob.

  “It has been exactly one month since my test began today.” He began without preamble, getting straight to the point. “I have been constantly watching your actions and trying my best to help. You have used your opportunities in different ways.”

  May and the rest looked at him expectantly. However, he didn't even look at her. He seemed to be extremely serious at the moment, which was quite different from the personal image she had come to know of him.

  “So, Senior, who succeeded?! Who won? Senior, you said my project had potential, didn't you?!” A boy whose name May couldn't even remember suddenly spoke up enthusiastically.

  Everyone frowned and looked at him with different emotions, some with anger, others with irritation, and even pity.

  May, on the other hand, felt embarrassed that he thought it appropriate to interrupt someone of such high rank. He must have been a spoiled kid who was allowed to do anything.

  “Be quiet!” Hua Tang suddenly exploded. “Your idea was not bad. Isolating the Killer Bee's poison with Moon Water was indeed good. However! The execution was not only lazy, but worse, wasteful!”

  The boy froze when he heard Hua Tang's sudden outburst. He seemed shocked that someone had raised their voice at him.

  “But Senior...”

  “Silence, I said!” He exploded again, even louder. “Your arrogance and lack of manners, not to mention your recklessness, are far worse than any alchemical mistake you've made!”

  The boy fell silent, not knowing what to say. He had seemed unusually confident, but that had been destroyed in a matter of seconds.

  Hua Tang continued, “Get out of my sight! You're only fit for the circus, not my disciple! Although your technique isn't the worst, you don't take it seriously!”

  Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, and without a word, he left the room, sniffling from time to time.

  Suddenly, Hua Tang turned to the girl sitting next to the boy who had exploded. His gaze was no longer as fierce, but he was still visibly irritated. May didn't remember the girl's name either, but she seemed much more composed.

  “You, on the other hand... Have achieved nothing. You have only wasted money,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It is normal that in alchemy we do not always get the desired results, and failure is also valuable, but I think you understand what this means.”

  The girl sighed. “Yes... I understand. Since my experiment failed and I ran out of money... there's no way I can become Senior's disciple.”

  “It's good that I don't have to explain that to you,” he replied dryly. May thought it was a bit too harsh.

  The girl slowly got up and headed for the exit. She bowed to Hua Tang before opening the door and leaving.

  “At least you have better manners than that boy,” he snorted. “You have potential, so don't waste it.”

  “Thank you, Senior, for your kind words.” With that, she left the room, but her expression was calm, as if she had already come to terms with her failure.

  May looked around. She was now alone with Nadine and Haoyu. There was a brief, tense silence. Although she had expected what would happen, she still began to feel anxious at that moment. That was simply the atmosphere in the room, and it would have been difficult not to be affected by it.

  “I won't keep you in suspense. May Shang will be my disciple. Both of your projects were outstanding, and under different circumstances, you would have had equal chances, but in the current situation, this is the only option,” said Hua Tang.

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  Nadine's face paled, and she seemed completely overwhelmed by the news. Sung, on the other hand, smiled wickedly and gave May a cheerful look. He didn't care who won as long as it wasn't Nadine. May didn't quite understand his reasoning.

  May bowed low.

  “Thank you for choosing me, Master,” May said, emphasizing his new title. He was no longer her Senior, but her Master. This was of great significance. Some said that the master-disciple relationship was stronger than even blood ties.

  Hua Tang returned the bow and replied, “However, that's not all...”

  “Huh?” Sung Haoyu was surprised and let it slip unconsciously.

  “Due to exceptional circumstances, I have decided to choose two disciples. In addition to May Shang, Nadine Albrecht, you will also become my disciple.”

  Nadine's eyes expanded in surprise, and she opened her mouth wide, unable to believe what she had just heard. Sung Haoyu, meanwhile, immediately frowned, though he tried very hard to pretend that he wasn't bothered by it.

  “I... Thank you so much for this opportunity, Master!” she cried joyfully, unable to hold back the tears of happiness that began to flow from her eyes.

  “Congratulations, Sister Albrecht.” May congratulated her.

  Although she hadn't expected this turn of events, she personally had no objection to it.

  After a moment, Hua Tang turned to Sung Haoyu and said coldly, “Although your skills are on par with Disciple Albrecht's, regrettably, alchemy is not your lover. You came here to take a test in dishonorable causes. I cannot accept someone who did not care in the first place.”

  “I understand,” he replied blandly.

  Master Tang, however, did not take it personally and turned back to the two newly accepted disciples.

  “Your official acceptance as my disciples requires celebration. However, we will do so at a later date, as you are currently busy with school and I have my own responsibilities.”

  “Master, that's more than enough.” Nadine said this, already completely absorbed by the fact that she had managed to obtain the master she had dreamed of.

  Hua Tang let out a quiet chuckle and waved his hand. “In any case, that’s enough for today. The two of you should come here tomorrow at 3 p.m. I’ll explain all the details then.”

  And so, May Shang officially gained the first true master of her life.Of course, she had already had many teachers before, people who had taught her cultivation and countless other things to an extraordinary degree: her own father, who taught her all the basics of cultivation; Elf Scar, who took care of her during the parasite invasion and showed her secret techniques of alchemy and other fields unknown to ordinary humans; La Xia from the Yun Clan estate, who greatly helped her with martial arts and taught her much about cultivation as well.

  But this situation was entirely different. Hua Tang was to become her official master. It was something far removed from ordinary instruction. One could say it was a lifelong bond.

  “I still can’t believe it!” Nadine said to May. She was beaming with joy and practically bouncing with excitement.

  “Yes, it really is quite amazing,” May replied, returning the smile. She wasn’t nearly as excited as Nadine, but she could certainly understand her feelings.

  It was said that their new master was the person closest to becoming the next elder of the sect. And while such claims were somewhat subjective, it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to call him the best alchemist in the entire sect.

  May could hardly have wished for a better person to become her master. Of course, in other sects there were far better alchemists, and Hua Tang likely wasn’t even in the top ten of the region. But given her current circumstances, she had managed to secure the best possible master she could hope for.

  May did not return to her room; instead, she went back to the alchemical workshop where she had first developed penicillin. Even though the test had ended long ago, she still had access to the place. Hua Tang clearly held considerable influence within the academy.

  Since it wasn’t late yet, she decided to work a bit more on finding a way to mass-produce it. With the resources she had received from her new master,and with the occasional help of the system that assisted her from time to time, it wasn’t too troublesome.

  “Hehe, you say that, but you’ve already spent over 5,000 mu and you’re still nowhere near your goal!” Minnie laughed, appearing out of nowhere.

  May rolled her eyes and sighed. “What are you even talking about? Five thousand? For an alchemist, that’s nothing special. Besides, I still have plenty of money from Master Tang.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not laughing at you,” Minnie replied seriously. “I’m simply pleased that your financial situation is finally improving. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but my main objective is to take as much money from you as possible.”

  “Right… I almost forgot. It’s just that lately you’ve become a bit less annoying and you no longer pester me every two seconds about money.”

  In the old days, Minnie would constantly pop up, displaying sudden advertisements for bizarre products sold at discounted prices. May had never bought anything from those offers, yet Minnie still tormented her for hours every day. Her current version was truly mild compared to what she used to be.

  The main problem May currently faced was the lack of adequate equipment. Although in many areas this world was better than Earth, it was still largely backward. The problem was not mass production itself, but how to do it with such primitive equipment.

  “The infrastructure and equipment alone would require tens of thousands of investment. Without Master Tang's help, it would take me years to raise the necessary funds.” She shook her head silently.

  Money really ruled the world, whether in the world of technology or in the world of fantasy. Without it, absolutely nothing could be done.

  Either way, that day marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, where she would be able to devote herself to alchemy and creating completely new things and spreading the knowledge she had gained on Earth.

  “There are so many things I want to do... it's good that cultivators can live for hundreds of years,” she said quietly, staring at the moon after leaving the laboratory a few hours later.

  Silence reigned around her, the entire student town had long since fallen asleep. Only occasionally did guards wander around. Staring at the night sky had become something of a routine for her, something she did regularly.

  She liked to imagine that somewhere far away, among one of those thousands of stars, was her home. Her real home. It gave her the motivation to continue her work, because maybe one day she would be able to achieve the impossible and create something that would allow her to leave this planet and return to her homeland.

  Just a little longer… just a little longer and I’ll succeed. Once I make my fortune, nothing will stop me.