novelraw Chapter 534 - 533 - Different Goals
Chapter 534 - 533 - Different Goals
As the sun was dipping to the edge of the arena, the crowd began to understand that the grade 3, while still under restrictions, were making what they were best at with the materials given.
They had a selection to choose from!
Compared to the clearly directed goal of the peak mortal grade competitors, the grade 3 round was about making some sort of set of artifacts, weapons, and armor that work together with whatever the alchemists and elixir masters were making.
"Does anyone know what that pill is?" Master Ye was sitting comfortably with his fellow elders in the VIP suite but all of them shook their heads. They all recognized the herbs but the exact combination was unknown.
What was that pill?
They turned towards the peak mortal grade side and several of them narrowed their eyes as they had a strong suspicion on that pill at least.
The clues were clear based on what all of the others were building.
The refiners were all making artifacts most were familiar with in some fashion but the dark blue metal shone with a strong luster as a spherical object was fused to a base plate while some inscriptions glowed with Qi.
It was actually a very well known artifact and used for various applications but given the other areas, they were inclined to think of something very odd.
The Forgers were making dark metal rods few of them had ever heard of let alone seen. It had been a recent aid made for facing tribulations!
Confusion covered their faces as it seemed odd to make 10 platforms to let people ascend so close to each other and reaching the Star Tier had no tribulation involved as transforming the dantian is already trial enough.
Still, they were curious about the pills and elixirs as they were only half sure what they saw in the pill section.
Back at the grade 3 area, the smell of medicinal herbs began to waft over from the alchemist area and several vials began to gleam with crimson, violet, and green colors.
A few of them identified the Recovery Elixir as well as the Blood Cleansing Elixir but the violet one could be one of a few. Qi Elixir or Stamina Elixir had similar colors so they waited as the proctors examined each result.
Scores began to appear, a culmination of each aspect listed out before.
Master Ye smirked as his direct disciple got in the top 10 right away. He did not assume she would be the best but her name shifted around until it settled in slot 5!
"Master Ye, Junior sister Elise is top 5!" The old man preened a bit as his wrinkled face glowed with pride. The girl in question was a tiny one with mousy brown hair and pale blue eyes.
"It looks like Moebius Sect is not as good as we thought." Master Ye looked and noticed that only 1 of the elixir masters got in the top ten and he was a demon to boot! His eyes narrowed at that name.
[9 - Roulin - 33 points - Demonic Resist Elixir]
"I would not judge them yet. Remember, this was a test of personal skill under heavy restrictions. The next round will show what they can really do." Master Ye knew the current round made things roughly clear on who would be getting into the top ten, but unlike the elimination round, all 100 competitors would still get a chance at a comeback.
He could also see how close things were. While the top 10 were of interest, the next 30 slots were very close! Some had identical points but there was no explanation why some were higher than others.
As a well versed alchemist, Master Ye knew that while the points were similar, likely there were details not revealed to the crowd as it would just confuse them. A pill could be excellent but have a slight instability when compared to a pristine pill.
A small difference but it could make a massive difference in the future if such an instability was not resolved.
Suddenly, a tribulation drew their eyes to the other section as an elixir master was panicking. No one knew what happened but the true masters around the arena. The elixir master had broken through in grades!
There was no way to fully predict it but in a competition it could be disastrous as a tribulation was still a tribulation. Before anyone could fully take it in, 4 black rods slammed around the sphere of liquid just as the lightning struck down.
Some were blinded but as the defensive arrays snapped on, the crowd was able to stare in awe as the elixir inside began to sparkle with a profound aura. The cultivator quickly put it into 4 vials and stoppered them as they shook with fear.
The young man was an itinerant elixir master so it made many glint with greed but his pale face was stark against his dark hair as his dark brown eyes were confused as to what happened.
The proctors were examining his elixirs before they smiled at him and a new display appeared with a name on it.
[1 - Ishin - 40 points - Meridian Cleansing Elixir Heaven grade 5]
Shock flooded the crowd. How?! Peak grade 5 was only mortal grade, so how did the cultivator skip to the peak of Heaven Grade 5?!
Only one person understood what had happened. He had been watching closely the moment he noticed. Elixir creation was part endurance of will and comprehension of how to fuse essence together.
Accumulation of experience could suddenly open the door to enlightenment when least expected. The proctors noted the oddity but Lind had confirmed it was not normal skill, but inspiration driving the young man.
He was tested on arrival at only a century old so he was assumed a native of the Floating Isles as the higher density Qi made reaching the Sky Realm immensely easier.
Still, as an itinerant cultivator, he likely had many stories to tell. He had all 4 primary elements so his range of creation was close to a 6 elemental as well. Still, his skill was very different from how Lind was taught.
Lind also noticed his condition. It clearly nearly wiped out his Qi reserves to make that single batch. His Sky Core was unstable as he tried to recover as he was near breaking through to tier 5 of the Sky Realm.
"Give him a Restoration Elixir but I doubt anyone will do better than him this round." Lind sent a command and the proctors took care of the boy. Many noticed their actions and knew what had happened.
Enlightenment! The ephemeral experience few had grasped, the itinerant elixir master had in the middle of the competition! It was the best time!
His clear lead was impossible to beat but the other elixir masters did not pause as they finished their batches as well. Now that they saw all the elixirs were the same, inspiration came to the masters in the crowd.
They knew what was going on!
The platforms were for breakthrough but not tribulations! They were for Star Tier breakthroughs!
The elixirs would purify the meridians to let the dangerous step of Sky Core to Star Tier have an increased chance of taking that step. Impurities were always a drag on any cultivator no matter where they were.
Bodies were fairly easy to purify over time, but meridians were delicate. Pills were too harsh in their energies to control, yet elixirs solved the problem. The powerful cleansing was also moderated to protect the meridians as they did it.
It all but confirmed what the pill would be but shock flooded Master Ye as results began to post all over.
[3 - Yuan - 38 points - Shatter Core Pill peak grade 5]
It was not the pill they expected at all! It was something close but the name made it clear it was different. Master Ye had thought they were Dantian Strengthening Pills that were taken before peak Sky Realms attempted to break through.
"W-what is that pill?!" Master Ye could only nod in agreement to that question. They had never heard of such a pill but its similarity made them think it was better than the one they knew.
The reaction of the alchemists made a lot of sense as they were allowed to learn a pill like that! Even if they did not get into the top 10, the knowledge of that pill was now part of the powers they represented!
"I want to see Yuan after this round concludes!" Master Ye practically screamed into a jade stone but he was not alone. To make a pill was more than a recipe, they had to understand what it did to combine the energies correctly!
As the results were all posted, Mythra finally rose back into the air for all to see.
"And time! I see only a handful did not make it to the end, but do not worry, there is another chance for you to shine with your personal tools 3 days from now. Take the next day to recover and digest all you learned." Some relief came across a few faces but then all realized they did not know what was going to happen in the next 2 days.
"For those that are able to move, please exit the arena. Those that need to recover, feel free to do so. Tomorrow the Heaven Grade experts will have their round and we will also test the items made by grade 3 experts!" All looked at that side and saw similar colored weapons, armor, and artifacts in the refining area while the Forgers had crimson colored shields, armor, and one had a spear.
The clear sign was that the schematics were a set that each group had chosen what to make but all realized the cores on the refining side were made by the Forgers!
The limits of the refiners had been liberated as they simply incorporated that pre-made work! It let their skills shine when not worrying about making compatible cores! Further, the few failures were tests of the formation masters and weavers.
Still, it showed their skill that only a handful failed and part of that was evaluated based on the cause. One elixir master overloaded the sigils so they shattered and his batch failed. He lost some points because he rushed while the weaver lost less points for not taking that into account.
Things like that were common and the final results for the round made many sharp eyes gleam while the 3 Moon Tiers in Babylon Guild trudged away as if sentenced to death. They assumed another long night and the arena broke up as they looked forward to the next day.