While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 34 Alchemist Guild

Blackrock City, early morning.

As one of the leading cities in the Gama Empire, the bustling city was already lively even before the morning mist had completely dissipated.

The wide streets were bustling with pedestrians, and the cries of vendors rose and fell. Every now and then, city guards in full armor would pass by in formation, the clinking of their metal armor ringing out sharply in the morning light.

Lu Yu and his group left the Flying Monster Club and stepped into the bustling streets.

"Young master, candied hawthorns!" Qinglin tugged at Lu Yu's sleeve, pointing to a small stall by the roadside.

The stall owner was an elderly man with a wrinkled face, his straw basket adorned with glistening, translucent candied hawthorns. Seeing a customer stop, the old man immediately put on a smile: "Sir, three copper coins a skewer, very fresh."

Lu Yu touched his storage ring, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat embarrassed—he carried only gold coins with him and couldn't find any loose copper coins.

Just as he was about to take out a gold coin, Little Fairy Doctor deftly counted out nine copper coins: "Uncle, we want three strings."

She reached out and took the candied hawthorns, giving one skewer each to Qinglin and Lu Yu, a mischievous smile in her eyes, and teased, "My dear alchemist, you even have to show off when buying candied hawthorns."

Lu Yu touched the tip of his nose somewhat awkwardly: "I rarely come into contact with these kinds of street food on a regular basis, but Qing Lin really wanted to eat them..."

Little Fairy Doctor gave a soft hum, parted her red lips slightly, and bit into a candied hawthorn. The glistening sugar coating cracked between her lips, reflecting an alluring luster in the sunlight. She casually licked the corner of her lips: "Yes, yes, it's all for Qinglin."

Lu Yu pretended not to notice the sarcasm in her words, looked up at a luxurious hotel in front of him, and said, "Let's settle down first. We've been traveling for so long and we must be tired. Let's rest for a day and go to the Alchemist Guild tomorrow."

Qinglin licked the candied hawthorn with small sips, then nodded obediently upon hearing this. Hai Bodong and Little Fairy Doctor also had no objections.

Immediately, the group headed towards the hotel ahead.

……

The next day.

After washing up and having breakfast at the hotel, Lu Yu and his companions left the hotel early. After asking passersby for directions, they headed straight for the Alchemist Guild along the main street of the city.

After passing through several long, dark alleys, a magnificent building with a unique shape suddenly came into view. The entire building was crimson red, surrounded by ventilation windows with flame patterns, and the dome was carefully designed in the shape of a cauldron lid, like an enlarged alchemy furnace.

Above the main entrance, a sandalwood plaque bears the five ancient characters "Alchemist Guild" in a flowing, elegant style, with a faint shimmering light between the characters.

Lu Yu paused, gazing intently, noticing that passersby all cast respectful glances at the plaque. Occasionally, someone would curiously observe the young man standing lost in thought in front of the guild's entrance, but would quickly hurry away.

"Wait for me outside for a moment, I'll be right out."

Lu Yu gave some instructions to Little Fairy Doctor and the others, straightened his robes, and walked towards the gate.

"Wait a minute!"

Two fully armed guards blocked the way with their halberds. One of them said in a deep voice, "Young master, this is the Alchemist Guild. If you do not have a formal alchemist identity, you need a letter of introduction from your mentor to enter."

Lu Yu was slightly taken aback, then calmly said, "This is my first time at the Alchemist Guild, and I am here to participate in the Alchemist Examination."

As he spoke, he took out two white jade bottles from his sleeve and handed them over.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; I hope you can do me a favor."

One of the guards was about to refuse when the other had already opened the bottle. Upon seeing the pills inside, his expression changed slightly. He quickly put the stopper back on, then pulled his companion aside to make way, respectfully saying, "Please come in, sir!"

After Lu Yu's figure disappeared inside the door, the guard asked in confusion, "Old Zhou, how come you..." "A Grade Three Qi-Recovery Pill!" The guard called Old Zhou lowered his voice, "He casually throws two bottles of Grade Three pills at him. This young master is either a Grade Three alchemist himself, or he has a powerful alchemist of Grade Three or above standing behind him!"

Seeing that his companion still had reservations, Old Zhou patted him on the shoulder: "With our meager salaries, it's not worth offending someone like that. Let him be..."

The two men exchanged a nod, tacitly putting the jade bottle into their pockets and returning to their posts, though their eyes kept glancing towards the doorway, clearly curious about the generous and mysterious young man.

……

Alchemist Guild.

The hall was sparsely populated, with only a few people busy with their own tasks. Hearing footsteps, someone looked up and glanced over, saw a strange young man, and then continued with their work.

Several young female alchemists were attracted by Lu Yu's handsome appearance, and one of them, a woman in a red alchemist uniform, even took the initiative to come forward.

She was in her early twenties, with a pretty face and a curvaceous figure, which looked even more captivating in her tight-fitting uniform. Although she was wearing alchemist's attire, she did not wear any rank badges on her chest, clearly indicating that she was only an apprentice.

"Young master, are you also here to participate in the alchemist assessment?" the woman in red asked with a smile.

Seeing Lu Yu nod, her eyes lit up: "My name is Lin Fei. You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting the Alchemist Guild in Blackrock City? Come on! I'll take you to the registration desk first."

As she spoke, she enthusiastically took Lu Yu's wrist and led him to a counter.

Behind the counter, a woman dressed in a light blue dress looked surprised upon seeing this: "Miss Linfei, who is this...?"

"Ruolan, he's going to take the alchemist exam, could you help him register?" Linfei said readily.

Upon hearing this, the woman in green turned serious and immediately took out an ancient piece of parchment. Holding a pen, she softly asked, "Sir, please tell me your name, age, and the title of your mentor."

"Lu Yu, twenty years old."

Lu Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't have a mentor; I'm just self-taught."

He was actually only sixteen years old, but a sixteen-year-old third-grade alchemist was too astonishing, so it was more appropriate to lie about his age.

Ruolan paused slightly, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Sir, you are truly a young man of great talent."

She gave a soft compliment, then lowered her head to record the information, casually asking, "Sir, are you going to participate in the first-grade alchemist assessment?"

"Third rank," Lu Yu replied calmly.

"pat-"

Ruolan's brush suddenly fell onto the parchment, splattering ink. She hurriedly picked it up, her voice trembling slightly, "I...I'm sorry, sir, you mean...a third-grade?"

Standing to the side, Lin Fei's eyes widened suddenly, and she unconsciously raised her voice: "Third rank?!"

She looked Lu Yu up and down, as if trying to get to know this young man again, and said in surprise, "You...you're sure you're not a first-rank official?"

The hall fell silent. Several alchemists who were reading books looked up and their eyes turned to the counter.

Ruolan forced herself to remain calm, but her fingers holding the brush were still trembling slightly: "Mr. Lu, the third-grade assessment requires a fourth-grade alchemist to supervise it, so I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little while..."

Before she could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the second floor. An elderly man in fine clothes, wearing a fourth-rank badge on his chest, strode down the stairs, his sharp eyes sweeping over the surroundings: "Who just said there would be a third-rank assessment?"

(End of this chapter)