novelraw Chapter 540 - 539 - Showing Off
Chapter 540 - 539 - Showing Off
The day after the stunning testing, all were wondering how the competitors could one up that show, but as was announced throughout the tournament, it was the final chance to set the top 10 in each level!
The prizes were now the goal which made the crowd cheer loudly as the proctors were accepting slips from each of the grade 3 and peak mortal grade experts. Only a handful were told no but an alternative was accepted.
Lind watched the process as it was actually that day that he looked forward to the most. He was actually looking at the grade 3 experts more than the peak mortal grade.
It was similar to before where they had until sunset to complete whatever item they were working on. The setup, however, was far more interesting to look at.
Several alchemists had gold or silver cauldrons with some artifacts that helped regulate the temperature or controlled their fire in general.
The refiners had crystalline smelting pots with hammers, molds, and other tools of incredible quality saving them a lot of effort to focus on critical steps.
He smirked as some intentionally asked questions outloud to the proctors about their tool limits to reveal what they had.
A refiner that was in the top 50 asked if using a peak grade 5 hammer would be an issue. It was clear some were trying to prove their importance or their arrogance needed to be praised for what they had.
Lind narrowed his eyes at the few that only had a few tools to aid them and continued to use the Moebius Sect supplied items. He smirked as some had supreme tools but were going to be one upped by those experts.
Master Cain had been a highly valued refiner in Cimmeria and would have excellent facilities for his disciples to use, but their tools had to be made by them. They actually became independent when they could prove how far they could go with standard tools.
A smile crossed his face as he moved on and nodded in approval at the formation masters.
They were carving arrays into high end plates but their tools were not much higher than their cultivation. Of all professions, formation masters could easily exceed their cultivation level without heavy investment.
It was simply a matter of comprehension and a proper medium to hold it.
He then turned to the professions he knew the best. The elixir masters were very similar to his own style.
They summoned their own water and fire if they could or used artifacts to supply any missing elements. Unlike the alchemists, it was purely supplying the missing element to then be commanded by their own will.
He nodded in approval but noted a few issues to address with his own disciples later.
The Forgers were actually the focus of many as ores danced under their control. The molten metals floated in midair but they had various artifacts to give them greater Qi density as well as some showing they too can make other elemental items like Lind could.
He frowned as clearly they would barely make low grade 3 from what he could tell, yet the fact they could was not bad. Still, they would not make the top 10 like that.
Some were not going to make it so he understood what they were doing but a few were close and still chose to do that as well. Lind shook his head but let them show off as they liked.
The competition was now in the home stretch for most of them but he recalled the rewards for the top 3.
The first place of grade 3 would get a bag of grade 4 materials and a request from Moebius Sect to have something made for them at peak grade 4.
The second place was a number of World Stones of grade 3 and 4 as they requested but not to exceed 10,000. It was a small fortune even in the Floating Isles but the other part was dependent on their profession.
Forgers, for instance, would get a peak grade 5 smelting pot that would help spare their Qi consumption by a massive amount. Lind had made it himself and tested it. He had also made similar grade items for each profession. The unused items would be held for future possibilities.
The third place would be given an artifact to assist in their profession in the same fashion and a set of materials to help progress their mastery.
The 4th through 10th place would get a few resources and QI stones but also a chance to join a lecture of their choosing at the Moebius Sect.
While it sounded lackluster, the resources were the best of the best, just reduced quantity as each place dropped. Lind knew well the issue of resource consumption and such rewards were better than gold for a mortal.
The remaining 90 competitors would be allowed to join a special auction where their current creations would be put up and the proceeds would go to them.
That particular detail had made the various powers rejoice as they could both recoup lost resources and possibly get excellent items for their disciples or subordinates.
It had not been made public as only the participant powers would attend. It was different from Cimmeria as Lind did not see the need to have an open auction at that point.
The main reason being the testing of the previous rounds destroyed or consumed the created items. Also, his competition was about promoting cooperation. In the future, the situation would change.
Still, Lind finally turned to the last section, the weavers.
Unlike the other professions, they had not fancy tools or other flashy things to show off, instead they were engraving sigils and embedding catalysts to see what could improve their chosen weaving.
Lind was like a hawk as he watched them push their limits and while most of it was the simple fare he expected, a few drew his eye.
There was a demonic weaver, a very rare being, that was trying to connect demonic sigils with standard sigils. It was ingenious and also, it was working! He was unsure what the demon was making but it was clearly taking a massive toll to do it.
Still, the demon was in the lower third of the group so his efforts were clearly to show what could be done.
An aether child was clearly attempting to break the 1st circle limitation as a shining ring appeared around them. Lind narrowed his Eyes but then shook his head. There were too many incorrect sigils.
They were going to fail but the backlash should be reduced so he gave no signal to the proctors. Failure could be as much inspiration as success in any part of cultivation.
His Eyes roamed the field but nothing spoke to him nor inspired him. The problem was that most weavers were from his sect. They all used his methods and the modified village training he had learned previously.
Thus, there was no mystery. Aside from the demon weaver, the rest were techniques he was more than familiar with as he had helped improve most of them.
He turned to the peak mortal grade weavers as the flashy artifacts and tools were just increased for the rest, but all he cared about was the weavers.
Unlike the grade 3, there was one weaver that drew his eye.
She was a slim girl that had robes that had seen better days. She was not from his sect but apparently a rogue weaver that had forged her own path.
He saw her work in the previous round was not inferior to Moebius Sect at all but she was far from the top 10.
He saw her sigils were a bit rough but her threads were exquisite. She could condense many more sigils thanks to her threads between them. Lind focused on her and ignored all else as he watched her work.
He slowly saw something strange.
Where most weavings were simply connecting the desired sigils into a single pattern, the woman was layering her sigils.
She was making more than a formation master could do! Sigils could be engraved into the very air but the instinct to make it all of one surface remained but now Lind saw a 3 dimensional set up unlike anything he had seen before!
The sigils were stable and he slowly rose from his seat before a wide smile crossed his face.
He quickly pulled up her information.
[77 - Solea - Sky Realm tier 4 - itinerant cultivator]
Kexin saw his interest but before she could ask a question, Lind vanished!
He created a weaving to hide his presence entirely and came to Solea's work area to see her weaving up close.
He saw her sigils were barely stable but the connections were like the finest steel. If her sigils were better, her output would be stunningly high.
He watched as she worked and slowly the weaving settled before Lind realized what she had created.
His weaving could only due maybe 2 or 3 effects at once, but he watched in awe as a defensive shield, Qi gathering, elemental resonance, and finally isolation wards went up. The proctor was about to approach when Lind dropped his cover.
The crowd went silent as Lind looked over the weaving before his shoulders began to shake and laughter echoed everywhere. It was not mocking laughter but joy. Pure unbridled joy!
"GENIUS!" His voice shook them all but he then waved off the proctor. "I cannot change the competition results, but I would like to sit down with you and discuss your ideas on weaving. Do you agree?"
Many people were stunned as Lind was considered the authority on weaving since he was Heaven grade 3. Solea was slightly older looking but she was now blushing at the attention of the entire arena on her.
She bowed low and smiled.
"I would be most happy to discuss weaving with you, Master Frey!" Lind smiled and waved the proctor back over. He then flew back to his VIP area while many looked with sharp eyes at the woman being evaluated.
Master Ye was one of the few that understood something she did was special and made sure to confirm none should touch her until Lind let his intentions be known.
The contest was getting very exciting now!