"You finished already? That doesn't seem like your usual strength!"
Zhao Xiyue looked at Zhang Chen, surprised, and asked.
"It's nothing. When we submit the results later, let's swap, okay?"
Zhang Chen said with a grin.
He seized the opportunity to stuff the eighth-tier spirit power pill into his ring.
"Let's each take our own. Although what you made is definitely better than mine, I don't want to covet such unearned fame."
"What I want is to truly become stronger myself, not to gain false glory by stealing the efforts of others!"
Zhao Xiyue said with a serious face.
"Then... alright!"
Zhang Chen sighed.
"Let me see the pill you made. It's the first time I've seen you work so hard on something; your back is soaked!"
Zhao Xiyue asked curiously.
"Is that so?"
Zhang Chen was startled, only then realizing his clothes were indeed wet with sweat.
He had been so engrossed and focused that he hadn't noticed at all.
Now, even moving his arm felt a little sore.
He had held the same posture for too long.
Zhang Chen looked up at the clock again. In just this short while, forty minutes had already passed!
"Here, let me show you!"
Zhang Chen took out a sapphire-blue spirit power pill.
At the same time, Zhao Xiyue also took out the spirit power pill she had made.
Hers was also blue, but Zhao Xiyue's spirit power pill was dim and lusterless, even looking somewhat dull and gray.
Zhang Chen's spirit power pill, on the other hand, allowed one to see the spiritual energy slowly flowing within the pill.
Even with a casual scan, one could clearly sense that Zhang Chen's pill contained far more potent energy than Zhao Xiyue's.
"You... how did you do it?! Is this what they call talent?"
"No, this shouldn't be related to talent. We both used a first-tier spirit core, so the contained energy should be roughly the same."
"But yours clearly holds much stronger energy. Why is that!"
Zhao Xiyue was full of confusion.
At this moment, Zhou Feifei had already descended from the podium and began inspecting everyone's finished spirit power pills.
"D, fail!"
Zhou Feifei walked up to the first student. The spirit power pill in his hand was scorched and stuck to his hand.
It bore no resemblance to the word "pill" at all.
"C, pass!"
Zhou Feifei looked at the next student. In his hand was a dull, gray spherical object.
This level could pass?
Zhang Chen's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.
Could this thing really be eaten?!
Should he call an ambulance in advance?!
"C, pass!"
"D, fail!"
"B, good!"
"A, excellent!"
"B+"
"C+..."
Zhou Feifei moved down the line.
Only a very few managed to achieve an A rating; the vast majority received C and B ratings.
In fact, one could roughly tell the score just by looking at the appearance of the object in hand.
Soon, Zhou Feifei arrived beside Zhao Xiyue.
Looking at the slightly dim spirit power pill in her hand, she paused for a moment before slowly saying:
"S, perfect!"
"Everyone should learn from Zhao Xiyue. The spirit energy pill she condensed is the most outstanding, with absolutely no flaws!"
Zhao Xiyue held her head high, a smug expression on her flushed face.
However, she soon hesitated, her gaze shifting to the sapphire-blue spirit energy pill in Zhang Chen's hand. Her spirit energy pill was far inferior to the one in Zhang Chen's hand. If she could be rated a perfect S-rank, what rating would Zhang Chen get?
At this moment, Zhou Feifei also noticed the spirit power pill in Zhang Chen's hand.
She carefully took it into her hands and examined it closely.
Her face showed an expression of disbelief.
However, she quickly returned the spirit energy pill to Zhang Chen's hand and said faintly:
"D, fail!"
"???"
Upon hearing this, both Zhang Chen and Zhao Xiyue were dumbfounded.
A spirit power pill of this caliber was on the same level as those black, shapeless things that couldn't even form a sphere?!
Zhang Chen didn't mind. He intended to live a low-key life anyway.
Zhou Feifei giving him a failing grade suited Zhang Chen's intentions perfectly. If his pill were to be displayed for everyone to learn from, Zhang Chen would truly be in a panic.
But Zhao Xiyue was not satisfied. After class, she dragged Zhang Chen to find Zhou Feifei, demanding an explanation.
"You want an explanation?"
"I taught in class that the violent energy of the spirit core must be removed."
"But Zhang Chen violated this rule. Not only did he fail to remove the violent spirit energy, but he also fused it into the spirit power pill!"
"Even if you've cleaned this spirit energy, what if it wasn't completely cleaned?"
"If it's consumed by the human body, it could very well turn someone into a half-demon, half-human monster. Can you take responsibility for that?!"
Zhou Feifei questioned sternly.
However, Zhao Xiyue's focus was on the key point: Zhang Chen had actually managed to refine the violent spirit energy into normal absorbable energy... what a powerful talent this was!
(Three updates today. I have to help with cooking tomorrow, and there's a lot to do. I'll be taking a leave of absence for one day. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Even though there's no update tomorrow, I'll be celebrating New Year's Eve with you all. Sending hearts ❤)