Chapter 570 Fusheng and Dream Flower (3.5k)
Standing on the void, the third patriarch gazed at the bustling square, and after a pause, chuckled, “Please, the four of you decide on the participating personnel and enter the arena. Set different air temperatures and humidity levels according to your preferences.”
“The competition will be jointly supervised by the Alchemy Masters present. If there is cheating or replacement of results, they will be permanently blacklisted from the alchemy world.”
The third patriarch’s faint voice echoed in the air, carrying an irrefutable tone. Just by listening to his voice, one could tell that this young man was not as easy-going as he appeared on the surface.
Upon hearing the youth’s words, many alchemists from the VIP seats stood up and cupped their hands. Most of these alchemists were of a similar level.
The gear badges on their chests all shone with blue crystal badges, differing only in their simplicity or exquisiteness.
The profession of an alchemist inherently emphasized mentorship. These individuals, whether human or demon, came from relatively high-level factions, thus their levels were significantly higher than those of unaffiliated practitioners.
“Whoosh!”
As soon as the words fell, Su Jiu saw three streaks of light descend from different directions onto four positions in the arena, leaving only the bottom left position vacant. With a push off the ground, she quickly landed in the last remaining spot.
From the VIP seats, many recognized the Female Chief, and initially believed victory should fall upon her. However, after learning the competition rules, they felt regretful, as even if she won, she wouldn’t be able to truly become the National Master.
For this reason, the most cheers on stage were for the Female Chief, followed by the burly Mr. Da Han, as these two were not only famous from a young age but also held noble statuses and were renowned among these alchemists.
Bai Ming, standing in the front row, frowned as he looked at the people on his side, all supporting the Female Chief. He then cupped his hands and amplified his voice, “Brother-in-law, fight hard! Let’s get this done so we can implement the new policy ahead of schedule.”
Bai Ming’s words drew the attention of many. However, the Third Princess Hannah seemed to have gone to handle other matters. When people looked at him, he simply crossed his arms and glared at them with his nose held high.
“For this match, I’ve decided to bet one hundred thousand on Miss Su winning.”
In a civilian viewing area, four figures bustled about. They were Ye Jie and the others. Because of their relationship with Su Jiu, they had made a fortune in the previous competition. Their faces were naturally not dusty, but rosy, and their attitude towards Su Jiu was one of gratitude mixed with a hint of respect.
“Naz, do you think this girl can win?”
Elder Evelyn of the Nine Clans appeared behind the mascot suit at some unknown time. She was wearing ancient armor, as if she were about to leave for battle.
“I don’t know, I can’t predict it. But that Holy Emperor seems to be very supportive of her.”
Director Naz glanced at Evelyn beside him, subtly shook his head, and then looked at Bai Ming, smiling in response. But he quickly changed the subject, glancing at the armor she was wearing, and asked in confusion, “What is this…”
“Emergency mission.”
With a faint smile, Evelyn turned around and replied casually, “After discussion between the two wayfarers, I, as a neutral party, will go to the west to clear out the Ancient God Sect’s forces. They have been continuously smuggling our people. In fact, the Population Management Department has already noticed. This time, it is at the invitation of an inspector from Bear Country, and we need to uproot their forces within Snow Country.”
“The Ancient God Sect… an organization established by worshipping the Alien King Hall, and it’s strange that they can establish such a large scale in a human country.”
Naz chuckled and returned his gaze to the competition arena. He didn’t care much about these external matters.
Evelyn paused, then said nothing further, and quickened her pace, leaving the place entirely.
…
The third patriarch, suspended high in the air, waved his arm again and continued to explain the rules: “The rules are very simple. You can prepare your own materials. The time limit is 12 hours. Failure to complete within the time limit will be considered a forfeit.”
“What needs to be made is also very simple. Our Snow Demon Kingdom needs a National Master who can provide defensive means for the Snow Demon Kingdom. And the best defensive means is to attack…”
“Therefore, the theme of this competition is damage and power!”
As he listened to the voice, Su Jiu stood alone before the smooth metal platform. Her gaze swept across the stage and she saw that various materials were neatly piled on the stone platform. Next to the materials was a metal clock, and the second hand of the clock was already ticking.
Her gaze swept over the free materials, and then landed on the wooden table further behind. The wooden table was located in the center of the four-person space and served as a common material area. There were more than a dozen jade boxes containing low to high-grade magic crystals, sorted by attribute.
The high-grade magic crystals had inscriptions in several languages stating that they could only be taken once.
“Unlike others, my core is refining magic crystals. Even the initial inscription was done on magic crystals.”
However, Su Jiu knew very well what she needed to do. After glancing at the crowd who had started melting materials, she slightly raised her hand. Under the gazes of others, she absorbed the high-grade magic crystal with frost attribute and then slowly carved it with a finger.
When refining alchemical items, it was rare to start directly by carving magic crystals. Instead, alchemists would usually create a finished model and then engrave inscriptions and special formations on that model.
After all, the energy of magic crystals was too vast and unstable. Except for a few special alchemists who made specific products, no one would do this otherwise.
“First, I’ll explore the operational trajectory of this high-grade magic crystal. I’ll proceed according to the ideas from last night. The ‘Fusheng’ Plus should be producible in about five hours.”
As Su Jiu levitated the high-grade magic crystal above the table using her external qi, she suddenly noticed several gazes looking over in surprise.
The three people who were melting materials with special medicinal solutions to plasticize fragments looked at Su Jiu blankly. They had already looked over when Su Jiu directly took the magic crystal.
Especially the burly Snow Tiger Mr. Da Han was even more astonished. He stared at Su Jiu with wide eyes, as if he were looking at an amateur.
Perhaps out of too much curiosity, he raised his fist and actually tapped on Su Jiu’s invisible wall, very earnestly reminding her:
“In alchemy, the magic crystal, which serves as the energy core, is placed in the final step. You gradually select and tame the magic crystal to match the initial-stage crafted mechanism. By skipping the mechanism and directly working on the magic crystal, you are taking the wrong approach.”
The soundproofing effect of the wall was quite good, but the sound from the other person approaching could still be heard from above. Su Jiu, upon hearing the suggestion, felt a little wryly amused.
She was making a bomb, and a bomb didn’t need any basic surgical procedures. However, she was quite grateful for the simple performance of this contestant. She then chuckled and tapped back:
“It’s okay, I just want to do it this way.”
Shaking his head in exasperation, the Mr. Da Han resumed working on his material fragments. Opposite him, the Snow Tiger sneered, “Heh, as expected, this bat can only fight, but is clueless about alchemy…”
He had received the latest news that his clan was severely implicated due to the Frost Ghost incident by Grand Prince Levitt.
The Snow Tiger was not foolish, and naturally would not risk his life for him. The best way to resist was to completely suppress this Blood Clan young lady to fourth place.
Unlike the thoughts of the two, the Female Chief’s gaze fell on Su Jiu’s hand, a hint of contemplation in her eyes. She didn’t believe that this contestant, who could easily crush her, would be muddle-headed.
“She’s making a potent bomb, but I don’t know if it’s a military-grade or civilian-grade model.”
Her gaze fell on Su Jiu carving runes with her fingernails. Soon, she seemed to have an idea, her eyes narrowed slightly, but then she smiled and said, “However, whether it’s military-grade or civilian-grade, without top-tier magic crystals, it’s impossible to make a War God level bomb. The special edition ‘Fusheng’ below Demigod, with the greatest destructive power, can only be obtained by the Crow.”
Ordinary ‘Fusheng’ bombs were inferior to what she intended to make, and having a turret was also a small bonus.
The Female Chief planned to make a disposable turret herself, focusing her energy on the research and development of the shells. This approach was also to meet the “great power” requirement of the topic.
As the sun began to set, the vast square seemed to be draped in a wedding dress, appearing quiet and serene. There were faint murmurs, but they were always very low. The Alchemy Masters watched the scene in the arena, nodding their heads, or turning to exchange opinions.
“This Chief Executive has used Wind Spirit Steel, a purely hard material, to craft what should be a disposable alchemical weapon like the Amkar Cannon. The amplification formation on it should have two layers, but the specific power depends on the shells…”
“Shells? Didn’t you just see her take a fire-attribute high-grade magic crystal? This must be for making shells above the Demigod level.”
“That Snow Tiger made a basic model of a magic crystal cannon. Its power might not be very high. The big guy is also making a cannon, and it looks better than the Snow Tiger’s.”
“That Blood Clan girl seems to be making a bomb…”
After about another hour, many Alchemy Masters on the scene had expressed their opinions and views, but only a small portion of them had seen Su Jiu’s operation, and their voices were drowned out by other noises.
“This is…”
The third patriarch’s pupils slightly widened. Unlike the alchemists who only focused on the Female Chief, as the invigilator, he needed to observe the conditions of all four contestants.
Suddenly, he discovered that a blue rose had appeared on Su Jiu’s tabletop. When he focused his spiritual power to investigate, the rose seemed to contain an energy that made even him feel a sense of dread.
“‘Fusheng’? But isn’t ‘Fusheng’ just an ordinary bead?”
However, Su Jiu didn’t seem to report that she had finished directly. Instead, she made a stem for the blue rose. After about thirty more minutes, a real blue rose was completely finished.
But Su Jiu didn’t stop her hands. She continued to make something similar to a bow. She took out a tendon from her ring that exuded a fiery aura and refined it. Soon, a longbow was finally completed.
“This little girl is quite clever. She might have a chance to win the championship.”
On the commentary platform, the third patriarch narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but laugh. He understood Su Jiu’s intention. Using the bow as a weapon carrier would prevent any deduction of points.
Beside him, a royalist patriarch heard the third patriarch’s words. Not understanding alchemy well, he cupped his hands and smiled, “Third Patriarch, you have indeed taught a good disciple. If she wins the championship, the Cold Night Wanderer will surely reward her.”
“I hope you speak the truth.”
The third patriarch glanced at him but said nothing. His gaze continued to look at the stage, only to find that Su Jiu hadn’t stopped her actions and was continuing to refine using the intermediate magic crystals provided on the stage.
It was as if she were a hungry ghost, not letting go of any material.
If Su Jiu knew his thoughts, she would definitely retort, “What do you know? This is called thriftiness. You don’t know the value of rice until you manage a household…”
She had many gluttons to feed, and she also needed to prepare milk powder money for her possibly unborn daughter.
“Is she making a lower-grade ‘Dream Flower’?”
“Jingle bell ringing…”
This left him somewhat speechless. Soon, with a ringing sound, someone had finished first. It was the Snow Tiger. He slowly walked out, holding a magic crystal cannon nearly two meters long.
“‘Dream Flower’?”
As he passed by Su Jiu, he also saw what she was making. His brow furrowed first, and a trace of contemplation appeared in his tiger eyes.
The power of ‘Dream Flower’ was comparable to the magic crystal he made, both being around the Battle King Level, but its coverage area was larger…
Suddenly, noticing that Su Jiu seemed to have reached the critical moment of carving with her fingernails, a cold glint appeared in his eyes. After exiting, he deliberately bumped the cannon’s muzzle towards Su Jiu’s invisible wall.
“Bang!”
The cannon’s muzzle hit the invisible wall, producing a muffled sound. Su Jiu’s arm trembled, and the ‘Dream Flower’ she was carving was skewed. The energy on the ‘Dream Flower’ suddenly fluctuated…
