Chapter 54 - The Yin Yang Fishes (2/2)

Mo Teng smirked as he looked at Ye Chen. At least now he had regained some confidence after realizing he was not that all useless. Mo Teng may have lacked Ye Chen’s talents for cultivating Celestial Chi but the former had certainly outshone the latter in other areas.

While the crowd looked elsewhere, Ye Chen stilled himself and tap into the Nine Astra within his meridian channels, which spun in a captivating manner. As if heeding Ye Chen’s command, all nine types of residual Celestial Chi began to move in an orderly fashion. There was a trick to controlling one’s Celestial Chi after all!

Ye Chen may have found the secret to controlling his chi but he remained as steady as the homeostasis.

“Look, the powder is moving!” Someone pointed out.

Finally hearing something, all eyes fell on Ye Chen’s powder again. The powder was slowly spreading out.

“There’s a degree of movement. Impressive but far from what Master Li seeks!” A couple of onlookers shook their heads. Much time had gone by now and they were beginning to think Ye Chen might not impress Master Li after all.

Li Xu set his sight on Ye Chen’s powder after hearing what the crowd had said. The powder only moved ever so slightly as there were no noticeable changes. Looking at the time, it seemed like a hundred and ten breath counts had already passed. Even if Ye Chen began now, he would not complete his drawing. Ye Chen took so long to fire up his Celestial Chi. That was a sign of bad Celestial Chi control and that was certainly not an apothecary’s trait!

After seeing Ye Chen could barely muster a drawing even after a hundred and ten breath counts, Yun Yiyang breathed a sigh of relief. So long as Ye Chen was not affiliated with Master Apothecary Xuanyi, all would be fine. Yun Yiyang smirked with disdain. There was no such thing as a prodigy!

“Lord Ye, your grandson’s talent for cultivation is outstanding but it seems like the same can’t be said for Alchemy.” Mo Feng laughed as he stroked his white beard.

“Good on you, Mo Feng. Soon, the clan will have another mid-ranking apothecary,” Ye Changxuan responded. Ye Changxuan would be lying if he were to say he did not feel a shred of jealousy. It was just such a massive disappointment. Was the Ye Clan destined to never have an apothecary in their ranks at all?

“We should visit each other’s clan more often next time, Lord Ye.” Mo Feng was a sly fox. Even if Ye Chen did not have a talent for Alchemy, it was best for him to get on the Ye Clan’s good side.

“You’re too kind, Lord Mo.”

As the two were engrossed in their conversation, the crowd turned lively once more.

“Hmm?” Li Xu was surprised. He could see the powder swirling vigorously in the air. The powder started moving from the center and began to spin quickly like a whirlpool. Li Xu was puzzled. In his years of experience, he had never seen a person who could condense their Celestial Chi into the shape of a whirlpool!

The quicker the powder spun, the higher it lifted off the table. It rose to the air briefly, then settled down again. The powder had been shaped into a circle on the table. It was a unique circle with a curve in between that split the image into half with both sides adorned with the image of two tadpole-like figures.

What an interesting drawing!

The crowd had never seen the likes of Yin Yang fishes, Taiji-Bagua and the likes. So, this was rather new to them.

The lines to the circle were smooth and even. There was a distinct yet indescribable scent to it. Compared to the other candidates including Mo Teng, the lines had a perfect finish. Only, the image was a tad bit too simplistic.

The crowd looked at the remaining time. A hundred and fifteen breath counts! Ye Chen had drawn a picture at the eleventh hour. How astonishing.

“I wonder if Ye Chen’s circle or Mo Teng’s image will win.”

“The circle looks beautiful but Mo Teng’s bunny has an intricacy to it. It’ll be difficult to judge.”

“Does that make Ye Chen a suitable talent for Alchemy then?”

“That’s up to Master Li to say.”

As the crowd mused on, the circle spun once more. It had settled into a pile of powder again.

“Is Ye Chen calling it quits?”

“That was a beautiful image, why destroy it?”