The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron - Chapter 350:
Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Poor Talent?
After Fang Lin roared those words, he strode towards the Gold Testing Stone with a fierce and imposing demeanor, a look of disdain and pride towards the world on his face.
Everyone who witnessed this felt a frisson of fear. Despite their outward contempt for Fang Lin, whether it was Zhao Shenkong, Guo Zhen, or anyone else, no one truly dared to underestimate him.
The reason was simple: Fang Lin was quite renowned in the Lower Three Kingdoms, especially through his stunning performances.
Moreover, Fang Lin was the youngest among them and was already a Three Cauldrons Pill Refiner. This was sufficient proof that Fang Lin’s talent was not weak.
Even with all the dazzling figures like Zhao Shenkong, Guo Zhen, and Su Xiaotong around, Fang Lin was not overshadowed by their brilliance.
Now, Fang Lin was about to showcase his talent, and everyone was curious to see just how strong this rising star’s talent truly was.
Fang Lin took a deep breath, then slowly rested his hand on the Gold Testing Stone.
At this moment, everyone held their breath, quieting down instantly.
After a moment, a ray of light illuminated the stone. But just as everyone quickly opened their eyes to gaze in wonder, the light vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Yes, it had disappeared, like a shooting star crossing the sky, bright for a brief moment before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The venue fell silent. At this moment, even the falling of a needle would have made a crystal-clear sound.
Fang Lin, too, was stunned. He stood there, staring at the Gold Testing Stone, his face blank.
What had happened?
Fang Lin looked dazed, raising and lowering his hand on the Gold Testing Stone repeatedly.
However, all his attempts were futile…
The Gold Testing Stone behaved as if it was dead, it didn’t respond no matter how many times Fang Lin rested his hand on it.
The spectators around were just as dumbfounded as Fang Lin, their expressions filled with confusion and bewilderment.
The elders in the loft exchanged puzzled glances, at a loss for words.
“What… happened?” A young man from Yun Country cautiously broke the tranquil silence.
Everyone turned to look at him, making him shrink back as if he had said something wrong.
“Ahem, well, I suppose the Gold Testing Stone has been overused today, hence its unresponsiveness,” Fang Lin said, maintaining his composure without showing a hint of embarrassment.
However, his comment earned eye-rolls from the four Pill Alliance Stewards.
A Gold Testing Stone wouldn’t fail unless it was shattered. They were perturbed by Fang Lin’s nonsensical explanation.
“Hahaha!” All of a sudden, a young man from Meng Kingdom started laughing.
One by one, others joined in, laughing so hard they doubled over, their mouths agape with mirth.
“My God! This Fang Lin is such an oddball!”
“His talent is so weak, it’s an eye-opener indeed.”
“Did I see things wrong, was there even a hint of light emitted just now?”
The audience around was roaring with laughter. Especially those from Yun Country and Meng Kingdom, they were absolutely delighted, not ever having expected such a comedic situation to unfold.
In the past, they had imagined many scenarios, but never something like this. The result caught them by surprise.
The Pill Refiners of Black Cauldron City were also amused, shaking their heads in disbelief. In their eyes, Fang Lin was merely bluffing and making a fool of himself, he wasn’t worth any anticipation at all.
The expression on the faces of the Li Family members turned into derisive sneers after the initial shock.
Su Xiaotong stared wide-eyed, seemingly unable to believe what she was seeing.
The others sighed in disappointment. Apparently, Fang Lin’s performance was a letdown for all of them.
Up in the loft, Elder Su had a stunned expression and rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he saw, while the elder with the surname Yan laughed out loud without any reservation.
“Who would have thought that this Fang Lin is all style and no substance? So much for those grandiose rumors, turns out he’s not up to snuff.” The elder Yan laughed mockingly.
Old Woman Gu also laughed coldly. She no longer paid attention to Fang Lin. As the reactions of the Gold Testing Stone indicated, Fang Lin’s talent in Alchemy Tao was quite ordinary, he couldn’t even compete with an average genius. Naturally, she didn’t think he deserved any further attention.
“His talent is lacking. Even with opportunities, he’ll have a hard time making any progress,” said Chen Mu with a furrowed brow.
Lu Wuwei made a face but unusually didn’t say anything.
Zhuge Cang forced a smile, glanced sympathetically at Elder Su.
No one would have expected Fang Lin’s talent to be so unsatisfactory. Everyone had thought that, although he might not be as talented as Zhao Shenkong and the others, he wouldn’t fall too far behind. Now it seems they had overestimated him.
And Elder Su, caring so much for a person like that, was indeed lamentable.
Elder Su wore a bitter expression but didn’t say anything. He was naturally disappointed, but he didn’t lose his composure.
“Talent doesn’t determine everything. Fang Lin has opportunities others do not. He will not be weaker than those geniuses in the future,” Zhuge Cang tried to console.
Elder Su gave a nod, feigned a recovery of his spirit, and said, “As long as one enters the Pill Pole Tower, their talent can also be improved.”
As soon as the words came out, everyone present was taken aback.
“Heh, you’re still planning to let Fang Lin enter the Pill Pole Tower? Are you dreaming?” The elder surnamed Yan said disdainfully.
“There’s no way Fang Lin could enter the Pill Pole Tower,” Old Woman Gu stated without an ounce of tact.
Elder Su regained his composure and smiled, “Whether there’s a chance or not, it’s not for us to say. It depends on their own performances.”
He said so, but even Elder Su himself had little faith. After all, Zhao Shenkong was really impressive and basically, he was most likely going to secure a place in the Pill Pole Tower.
Moreover, Guo Zhen of Meng Kingdom was also a formidable figure, no less promising than Su Xiaotong. With only three available slots, it would be extremely difficult for Fang Lin to compete with these people.
Standing before the Gold Testing Stone, Fang Lin listened to the derisive laughter and mockery, remaining calm. However, he was puzzled inside. What was wrong with the Gold Testing Stone? Did he really lack talent?
Impossible. Fang Lin instantly denied the thought. His talent had nothing to do with being poor. If he, with his Pill Sovereign Soul, is called lacking talent, then there probably wasn’t anyone in the world who could claim to be a genius.
Fang Lin was puzzled. When he turned around to look at the Gold Testing Stone again, there were still no anomalies.
“What are you still standing there for? Don’t tell me you want to try again and embarrass yourself?” Li Feng sneered.
Fang Lin frowned slightly, ignoring the mockery around him and rested his hand on the Gold Testing Stone again. Unfortunately, there was no reaction at all this time.
“Hahaha, it seems his talent is really poor, the Gold Testing Stone doesn’t respond at all.” The participants from Meng and Yun Countries alike, all jeered.
