Time gradually passed, and in the blink of an eye, half an incense stick's worth of time had gone by. However, Ding Fan did not immediately call for the submission of the test paper but instead sat there and closed his eyes to meditate. Ding Fan understood that he was an outsider after all; this was his brother Long Ren's Great Alchemy Competition of the Thirty-Six Caverns, so Ding Fan didn't want to add pressure on the disciples by submitting his test paper early.

Yet, some young disciples around Ding Fan still noticed him. Seeing Ding Fan's demeanor, they couldn't help but be surprised; they didn't expect that, at this time, he would actually start to sleep. Had he completely given up? If so, why was he still participating in the Thirty-Six Caverns' selection competition?

Wouldn't it be simpler to just give up directly? The cultivators nearby didn't think Ding Fan would directly abandon the selection competition, but they were indeed puzzled why he wasn't using the time to observe the scent emanating from the alchemy cauldron, and instead, chose to sit there with eyes closed.

"Hmph, nothing but a name! Thought he was some sort of prodigy?"

A few cultivators beside Ding Fan saw his actions and spoke softly, holding him in disdain in their hearts. These cultivators knew that even if he hadn't given up on the selection competition, he had certainly abandoned the first round of the Great Alchemy Competition. Otherwise, he wouldn't be like this, closing his eyes after only half an incense stick's worth of time.

Those cultivators merely glanced at Ding Fan a few times, naturally unwilling to waste time completely on him, believing that the so-called big brother was just an empty title. With Ding Fan seemingly giving up on the first round of the competition, they didn't think he was worth their attention.

At this time, the elder in the middle, who was also an invigilator, saw Ding Fan's appearance and couldn't help but be puzzled. However, he didn't express much, just shook his head in resignation. He truly couldn't understand how the Lake Master had such a big brother. Clearly, apart from dismantling some advanced array formations, Ding Fan seemed to lack anything remarkable in cultivation or the medicine pill being tested.

The elder could only shake his head helplessly, glancing once at the Lake Master on the platform, inwardly pondering how Heart Sect could have such a big brother...

At this time, Long Ren and the Thirty-Six Caverns' sect masters quickly noticed Ding Fan's actions. For these sect masters who mostly focused on Ding Fan, they couldn't help but feel extremely surprised as Lake Master's big brother had been sitting there with closed eyes for so long. With less than half an incense stick's worth of time remaining, everyone was baffled by what Lake Master's big brother was doing.

"Lake Master, our big brother seems to have fallen asleep..."

Finally, a sect master couldn't resist his curiosity and asked Long Ren. Upon hearing the words, Long Ren glared fiercely at him, then looked at Ding Fan indifferently, saying disdainfully to the sect master:

"Sect Master Gao doesn't understand my brother; even if my brother fell asleep, it's to avoid disturbing those participating disciples! Understand?"

Sect Master Gao quickly nodded in agreement upon hearing Long Ren's words, then returned to his seat with embarrassment, inwardly thinking that speaking out really made him a target… but why did Lake Master say his big brother would sleep just to benefit sect disciples?

At this moment, many of the thirty-six sect masters were equally perplexed after hearing Long Ren's words. If it was to avoid disturbing sect disciples participating, why did he join the selection competition it all, wouldn't it be simpler to just withdraw? However, everyone noticed Lake Master's displeased expression.

As a result, the entire observation platform fell silent for a moment, though many thoughts were brewing in people's minds; clearly, none of them held high hopes for Ding Fan.

Quickly, half an incense stick's worth of time passed, at which point the elder sent someone to collect the test papers written by over a hundred disciples. Many cultivators, despite such a long time, failed to write anything, feeling frustrated, scratching their ears, and burying their heads on the tables, their minds in disarray.

Although they were the best disciples within their respective sects, this was merely concerning their cultivation; clearly, many of these cultivators lacked any talent in the field of medicine pills, which wasn't surprising. After all, becoming an alchemist is far more difficult than becoming a cultivator, as alchemists are a rare existence.

Several servant girls approached these cultivators, shaking their heads in sighs, moving past them without forcefully collecting their test papers. These servant girls, possessing good cultivation themselves, understood that failing to submit the test papers was indeed embarrassing, especially for these ambitious and top-tier disciples who would find it difficult to submit a blank paper.

Soon, a servant girl arrived beside Ding Fan, still with eyes closed. This time, she showed no sympathy for those disciples who didn't submit their test papers, expressing disdain. The few servant girls had already noticed Ding Fan's behavior, seeing him close his eyes from the start, now unsure if he's asleep or not.

Although those disciples who didn't submit their test papers achieved no results, at least they had been striving, using their brains, making efforts. Contrarily, Lake Master's big brother seemed to be sleeping from the start; hence, the servant girl looked down on him, although she didn't express it vocally, given he was the Lake Master's big brother, while they were mere servants.

But just as the servant girl was about to walk away from Ding Fan, he opened his eyes, his gaze unusually bright, feeling much better. Though it was only an incense stick's time of cultivation, Ding Fan wouldn't abandon any brief cultivation time.

Watching the servant girl about to leave his side, Ding Fan curiously asked:

"Why aren't you collecting my test paper?"

"Ah, you want to submit your test paper?" The servant girl was taken aback and said directly, but immediately regretted it; clearly, her words inadvertently indicated disdain towards him. Although he wasn't much, he was the Lake Master's big brother, and any accusation could result in a bad outcome for them.

But just as the maid was about to change her words, Ding Fan directly threw the test paper in his hands in front of her, then closed his eyes again.

Ding Fan naturally noticed what the maid was thinking about him, but he didn't take it to heart. All he needed was a spot; there was no need for so much fuss.

The maid received Ding Fan's test paper, and seeing him closing his eyes again, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the other party didn't mind... When the maid sorted out Ding Fan's test paper, she couldn't help but be shocked. Unexpectedly, Ding Fan's test paper was densely written with neat and graceful small script. This wasn't a blank paper at all...

At this moment, many cultivators noticed Ding Fan, and a trace of disdain flashed in their eyes. However, the crowd did not notice the maid's extremely wonderful expression. From time to time, they glanced at the big brother, who had already closed his eyes, and whispered to each other quietly...

"Humph! Big brother indeed, but Lake Master's skills are far superior to this guy's!"

"Yeah, it's hard to understand why Lake Master would recognize him as big brother? It's really ridiculous..."

"I bet the test paper he handed in is a blank one as well, no different from not handing it in!"

"Haha... who knows..."

...

For a while, the entire square was filled with discussions and ridicule about Ding Fan from some cultivators.

Long Ren, watching this scene from the viewing platform, couldn't help but sigh and murmured to himself:

"Alas... it's a grievance for big brother!"

"Sect Master, you have done very well. Our big brother will use brutal reality to shut those people up." The Great Elder beside Long Ren couldn't help but comfort him. The Great Elder naturally understood Long Ren's thoughts, and of course, knew Ding Fan's abilities. One must know that Lake Master's big brother is a Grade Nine Alchemist, and facing such a Great Alchemy Competition is nothing but child's play. Not to mention that he hasn't slept, instead cherishing time for cultivation, even if he did sleep, the first place would still be his!

Hearing the Great Elder's words, Long Ren nodded with some peace of mind. He didn't say much afterwards.

At this time, the other sect masters naturally saw this scene between the Lake Master and the Great Elder, and couldn't help but feel inexplicably strange. What on earth is the brutal reality mentioned by the Great Elder? The Lake Master's big brother closed his eyes from the beginning, what kind of brutal reality could there be?

...

It didn't take long before the maid had collected all the test papers. Of course, there were some blank sheets, and the disciples who didn't want to hand them in were not forced to by the maid.

The elder next to the Alchemy Cauldron began reviewing the test papers one by one. For the elder, this process was filled with frequent sighs. Obviously, among the best cultivators from the thirty-six caves, very few disciples could correctly name more than ten kinds of Spiritual Materials. Most of them only wrote down five or six kinds, and even then, many of them were incorrect.

However, the elder did find one test paper that pleased him very much. This paper listed fifteen correct kinds of Spiritual Materials, which was quite impressive. The elder had placed a total of twenty-five kinds of Spiritual Materials, and the last five had a very small amount, making them very faint in smell. Even as a Seventh Grade Alchemist himself, he might not be able to identify those five rare kinds.

But this disciple had already written fifteen correct Spiritual Materials, which was quite commendable. The elder glanced at the signature on the test paper, Lu Ferng. The elder couldn't help but look up at the young cultivator in blue, who had received the most attention from the disciples before. The elder looked at the upright and imposing appearance of Lu Ferng and couldn't stop a look of admiration at him, then nodded.

Evidently, the elder had heard of this disciple, who was said to be the most outstanding among all sect disciples of the thirty-six caves. It was said that not only was this disciple's cultivation very strong, but he also showed great talent in medicine pills and formations. A genius youth rarely seen, and now it seemed the rumors were not false. This young man was indeed excellent.

Being able to write down fifteen correct Spiritual Materials showed that not only did he have talent in medicines, but he had also put in the effort, reaching at least the standard of a Fourth Grade Alchemist.

The crowd noticed that the examining elder's eyes filled with appreciation lingered on that young man in blue. Naturally, everyone looked enviously at that young man in blue, knowing for sure that it was Senior Brother Lu Ferng's test paper that received the elder's recognition, even praise.

Everyone couldn't help but feel very envious.