There were 3 tests left for Palkus to take, one of which he could not handle right now, or at least, the elders thought.
"Alright, you may stop now, young man." When Palkus was done concocting the SSS-rank potions, once again without a single percent less purity, the elder who analyzed the potions looked at him and said, before he turned to head back to his seat.
"I'm sorry, Elder, isn't there another test?" Palkus asked, slight confusion on his face.
The elder turned to look at him and after a moment of confusion, he smiled.
"I understand where you're going, young man. Unfortunately, no matter how good your technique and understanding of alchemy are, you cannot take on the EX-rank test until you can infuse law into your potions." The elder explained.
"But I can." Palkus, confused, pointed at himself and stated.
The elder, hearing this, couldn't quite understand what Palkus was trying to say. He turned to look at the alchemists behind him and back at the young man.
"This is no laughing matter, young man. No one below EX-rank has ever been able to deal with laws." The elder explained, still controlling his nerves and speaking calmly with Palkus.
"I do understand that; however, I have my own reasons for saying that." Palkus replied back, his eyes expressing his confidence.
Once again, the elder looked at his fellow alchemists, not knowing what he could do.
It was worth noting that the alchemy king was also an EX-rank; the only difference between him and them was that he was the only one with a badge that held not the regular 5 that expressed the peak of an alchemist's rank but 6, which held a grand meaning.
"Young Palkus, you do understand that EX-rank materials are very precious, right?" The first elder asked; he wanted to put his blind trust in Palkus but even he had a hard time doing so.
"I know that, elder. I do not have any money on me, but, I can promise that I can pay them back if I was to waste them." Palkus replied.
"He's using laws?!" The elders expressed their confusion and utter shock. One of them couldn't take it and shouted with full force, quaking the entire room and almost making Palkus lose concentration.
"Elder Red, please keep your calm." The first elder who had discovered Palkus asked the elder who had just shouted to shut up respectfully, as his excitement currently knew no bounds.
From Palkus' body, strings of fire, water, and healing law appeared. They began to spin around him slowly and leisurely as the young man did not open his eyes yet.
Nobody could understand what, or how this was happening, but nobody said a word in fear of stopping this miraculous spectacle.
Precisely and accurately, a few ingredients floated from the table as the strings of water law transformed into the familiar spherical shape the guests and elders fell in love with.
The ingredients entered the floating puddle as the strings of fire law became dark like the abyss and changed their trajectory to surround the water puddle.
A similar process to the previous ones took place, as in a matter of minutes, the floating water changed colors to red as it went from a bucket-sized drop of water to cup-sized.
Usually, this would have been the end; the current red liquid was already far surpassing the effectiveness of a perfect purity SSS-rank healing potion, but it was still not on the level of an EX-rank one. It only needed a finishing touch—the healing law strings.
In one swift motion, Palkus opened his eyes, the healing law strings flew towards the red liquid, changing its color from red to sparkling green, and the young man floated down alongside the potion that he poured inside a special bottle that was similar to the regular ones in shape but more effective at protecting EX-rank potions.
"Marvelous!" The elders got up one by one, their eyes wide in shock as they couldn't do or say anything other than applaud.
The guests also got up one by one as the cumulative force of 5000 beings applauding at once could be heard even by those outside the building, making them even more curious about what was going on.
Checking the potion, the elder once again found a perfect result as he just sighed at the amazing capabilities of this young man.
"You are officially an EX-rank alchemist." The elder announced.
-----End----