Chapter 127: The President Wants You to Leave

Although the fireball was tiny, the violently compressed power contained within it was enough to completely shatter the alchemy formation in an instant. Not only would the formation be destroyed, but even Luo Lin, standing right before it, risked being injured. Mackie, however, gave no thought to such things; his only goal was to ensure Luo Lin failed his third attempt. Everything else was irrelevant to him.

The moment the fireball was launched, it drew no attention from the onlookers. Firstly, it was extremely small; secondly, everyone was holding their breath, focused intently on Luo Lin’s work. No one imagined that in an alchemy guild with such tight security, someone would dare to launch a sneak attack on an examinee.

However, once the fireball neared the alchemy formation, it was finally spotted. Even so, for those who wished to intervene, it was already too late. In their hearts, they could not help but curse. Most of these onlookers were alchemists themselves, and one could only imagine their frustration at seeing a nearly perfect alchemical creation destroyed by such a sudden, external force.

Yet, just then, a bizarre event occurred. The fireball flying toward the alchemy formation suddenly stopped less than three inches away. It hung suspended in mid-air in an eerie silence. At the same time, Mackie was horrified to discover that his entire body had been rendered immobile, tightly bound by an invisible force of dark energy.

This series of harrowing events transpired in the blink of an eye. After the fireball was frozen in place, the crowd was stunned for a moment before a wave of angry shouting erupted. When Mackie had first released the fireball, the few people standing near him had judged by the magical fluctuations around his body that the perpetrator was none other than Mackie, a deacon of the Alchemy Guild.

"Damn it! He calls himself a deacon, yet he sabotages someone in the middle of brewing a potion!"
"The standards for staff at this Alchemy Guild are truly pathetic!"
"Who would dare come to the Alchemy Guild for an examination after this?"
"Damn it all, how can such a shameless person even exist?"
"No, we must demand an explanation from the Alchemy Guild!"

For a time, Mackie’s actions provoked collective outrage. The crowd became incensed. While they had been relatively civil at first, seeing Mackie stand there with a livid, silent expression, they began to unleash a barrage of vicious insults, all directed at the motionless man.

Mackie was nearly bursting with suppressed rage. It was not that he didn't want to retort, but he was completely bound, unable to move a muscle or even open his mouth.

However, amidst the chaos, no one noticed a figure in a black robe walking away from the crowd with hands clasped behind their back. Wherever the black-robed figure passed, the guild staff bowed respectfully.

Luo Lin was breaking out in a cold sweat. When the fireball had neared the formation, he had realized it instantly, but fully immersed in his brewing, he had no power to stop it. Then, the fireball had stopped as if by magic, and his formation was saved.

With no time to investigate who had employed such formidable means to intercept the fireball at the critical moment, and no time to listen to the crowd's shouting, Luo Lin focused his mind and accelerated his work. Regardless of anything else, he had to finish the task at hand.

Simoni had successfully brewed a five-star low-grade potion on his second attempt and had been watching Luo Lin from beside the stone table. When Mackie launched the fireball, Simoni had been unable to stop it, but when the fireball was restrained by supreme power, he was the first to cry out in anger. He wished he could go over and kill Mackie. As a deacon of the Alchemy Guild, to sneak an attack on someone taking an exam was an act of such malice that it was utterly intolerable.

Teacher Menglu had failed her second attempt, but with the experience of two failures behind her, she finally succeeded on her third. She had not seen Mackie’s sabotage, but she had heard the loud shouting of the crowd. Determined not to let down the opportunity Luo Lin had fought so hard to secure for her, she steeled herself against the outside interference and successfully brewed a five-star low-grade potion.

However, the others taking the exam were not so lucky. It was already difficult to maintain their composure under the gaze of so many, and the crowd’s shouting further shattered their focus. Four or five people failed their assessments. These failures slammed the charred remnants from their stone tables onto the floor and joined the ranks of those shouting, though their curses carried an extra layer of grief and indignation.

Luo Lin possessed excellent psychological fortitude. Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, he was barely affected. With his incredibly fluid movements, he successfully completed his third potion. Only after collecting the final drop of the anti-toxin did he exhale a long breath of relief.

"Alright, all of you have passed the examination. Here are your membership badges; take them and leave!" By now, the bindings on Mackie had vanished. Amidst the crowd's verbal abuse, he wanted to send Luo Lin and the others away as quickly as possible. Seeing that Luo Lin had succeeded, he hastily pulled several red badges—each engraved with the character for 'Medicine'—from his spatial ring and tossed them to those who had finished their potions.

Seeing the shouting grow even louder, Mackie grew angry and embarrassed, barking, "Get lost, all of you! If you dare to incite a riot again, I will have you all thrown out!"

The remark dampened the shouting somewhat; after all, he was a deacon of the Alchemy Guild and the nephew of the Vice President. If he were truly provoked, many of those present would suffer.

Seeing that many had been silenced, Mackie gave a contemptuous snort. But when he saw that Luo Lin and his two companions had no intention of leaving, he shouted angrily, "You three, leave at once! Do not obstruct the rest of the examination!"

Hearing the bluster in his voice, Luo Lin chuckled softly. "Deacon Mackie, don't you think you owe us an explanation for that fireball you launched earlier?"

The question instantly reignited the crowd. Seeing that Luo Lin was a man of spirit, unafraid of the deacon's high status, many began to cheer for him.

"Hmph! What right do you have to question me? This is the Alchemy Guild, my territory. I will deal with what happens here myself; I don't need you telling me what to do!" Faced with Luo Lin’s challenge, Mackie replied with arrogance.

"Damn it, Mackie! Do you really think you can cover the sky with one hand in this Alchemy Guild?" Terryxi’s presence began to fluctuate. As the son of the Vice President, he could no longer tolerate such vile, guild-corrupting behavior.

Teacher Menglu’s fiery temper could no longer be contained; a delicate staff was already firmly gripped in her slender hand.

"What—what are you trying to do?! Guards! Seize these people who are attempting to disturb the order of the guild!" Mackie shrieked at the top of his lungs.

However, just then, a slightly aged voice boomed from outside the crowd: "Mackie, you have been dismissed from your position as a deacon of the Alchemy Guild. Your membership is revoked, and you are forbidden from ever stepping foot into the Alchemy Guild again!"

As the command echoed, the cursing and shouting of the crowd ceased. The people automatically parted to create a path, and an elderly man with gray hair stepped in.

"Deacon Gisford, by what right do you impose these punishments on me? I do not accept this!" Mackie shrieked hysterically as the old man walked toward him.

However, the old man’s next sentence caused the nearly crazed Mackie to deflate like a punctured ball, stripping him of every trace of his arrogance.

"This order was passed down by the Guild Master himself!"