Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 508 Then I'll have to compete too.
Inside the Li family's alchemy building, the air was filled with the fragrance of elixirs accumulated over time, along with the slight spiciness of herbs and the faint scent of flames.

Lin Chen was not refining pills in the alchemy room, but was immersed in a jade slip. There were nearly a hundred jade slips on the table next to him.

He had read through these jade slips over the past few days. These jade slips contained notes on changes in the properties of medicines, the harmony of the principal, assistant, and adjuvant herbs, and the balance of extreme drug conflicts.

The jade slip shimmered, reflecting abstract diagrams of alchemical principles deep within Lin Chen's mind.

His fingers tapped lightly on the rosewood table unconsciously, sometimes pausing, his brows furrowing slightly as he used his divine sense to simulate the flow of medicinal power, and sometimes relaxing, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes.

His powerful level 7 comprehension was operating at full capacity at this moment. The experience of others was being rapidly absorbed, dismantled, and recombined, and integrated into his unique alchemy system, which was constructed from a vast divine soul and strange flames.

Just then, a slight ripple appeared in the array barrier downstairs, and a slender figure quickly walked in, heading towards Lin Chen.

Li Qin's face no longer held its usual composure and gentleness; instead, it showed a rare excitement and eagerness.

"Master Xiao!"

Lin Chen withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, looked up at Li Qin, and saw the excitement on her face. He put down the jade slip and said in a deep voice, "Miss Li, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Li Qin took a deep breath, staring intently at Lin Chen, and said in a deep voice, "The Thousand Machines Sect just released an announcement regarding the rewards for the Alchemy Competition... It has changed, and it's a huge change!"

"A dramatic change? Is it for better or worse?"

Lin Chen sat up slightly. For Li Qin to describe such a dramatic change, it must be something extraordinary.

"The winner of this alchemy competition will have the opportunity to study the 'Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture' of the Thousand Machines Sect. Moreover, not only the Thousand Machines Sect, but also the 'Taiyi Azure Spirit Record' of the Medicine King Valley will be available for study."

"The Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture and the Taiyi Azure Spirit Record?"

A glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. He had heard of these two techniques even before he started practicing alchemy. They were known as the two most advanced alchemy techniques in the Yan Dynasty. However, these two techniques were not just alchemy methods; they were also top-notch cultivation techniques in themselves.

The status of the Thousand Machines Sect goes without saying, and Lin Chen also knew about the Medicine King Valley. In the jade slip given by his master, only a few forces below the super sects were mentioned, one of which was the Medicine King Valley.

Although Medicine King Valley does not have any experts at the Myriad Manifestations Realm, it has a Grandmaster Alchemist in charge. A Grandmaster Alchemist may not have the strength of the Myriad Manifestations Realm himself, but he can still shake off experts at the Myriad Manifestations Realm.

The connections within Medicine King Valley should not be underestimated!
Why did the Thousand Machines Sect suddenly change the rewards?

"I'm not sure about that, but the Thousand Machines Sect has issued an official document stating that the alchemy competition will be moved from the second round to the last round. Alchemists who did not originally register are now eligible to participate in the final competition, provided they are under fifty years old and have a four-star alchemist certificate issued by the Alchemy Guild, or have passed the Alchemy Guild's assessment."

Li Qin's acceptance made Lin Chen's expression a little strange; it sounded more and more like a radish pit from his past life.

Is a certain reward established because of a specific person?
The only difference is that this kind of "radish pit" requires real ability.

“Master Xiao, this alchemy competition will probably be several times more difficult than in the past. Many alchemists will not participate in the competition for various reasons, but they will all be unable to resist the rewards offered by the Thousand Machines Sect.”

Alchemy competitions can make alchemists famous overnight and also bring them rewards, making it a win-win situation for both fame and fortune.

However, some top alchemy families might not even consider it a good fit. They might come if they have enough time, but not if they have other commitments.

But now, faced with such tempting rewards, these people will definitely be tempted and will rush to participate in the alchemy competition.

Listening to Li Qin's words, Lin Chen understood. This year's alchemy competition would have many alchemy geniuses participating. Perhaps alchemists who could enter the top 100 in previous years might not even be able to enter the top 200 this time.

"Have you heard of any powerful alchemists coming to Thousand Machine City?"

Li Qin shook her head, then a flash of understanding appeared in her eyes: "Master Xiao, are you saying that the Thousand Machines Sect's sudden increase in rewards is related to certain people?"

"In my hometown, the dynasty needed talented people to govern the country, and the selection of talents was mainly based on the assessment results. Only those who passed the assessment could be appointed to a position and receive a salary. However, there was an exception. Originally, the dynasty did not have this official position, but because the son of a powerful person needed this position, the government office created an extra position for selection."

Lin Chen said meaningfully, "Over the years, the rewards for the alchemy competition have never changed much. The only reason for this sudden and significant change is that someone needs the rewards and is just using the alchemy competition as an excuse to obtain them."

"I understand, Master Xiao. You mean this is a reward set up by the Thousand Machines Sect for a certain person? Could it be a genius disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect?"

"It's very likely, but it won't affect your Li family much, unless your Li family also has designs on this number one spot."

"Master Xiao thinks too highly of my Li family." Li Qin smiled bitterly, "The title of first place is something our Li family has never dared to dream of..."

Li Qin didn't say the second half of her sentence. What she was really worried about was whether Xiao Yan could still make it into the top ten if more powerful alchemists joined the fray.

But since Xiao Yan himself wasn't worried, she naturally couldn't show any lack of confidence in him.

After Li Qin relayed the news, she left not long after. She had received a reminder from Lin Chen that she should also inform the elders to see if any important figures had come to participate in this year's alchemy competition.

……

The Alchemy Pavilion.

The news brought by Li Qin did not affect Lin Chen's mood at all. After reading through several jade slips in the alchemy building, Lin Chen returned to the guest courtyard.

"Yin Yue, are you familiar with the *Taiyi Qingling Lu* and the *Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture*?"

Lin Chen recounted the information Li Qin had given him to Yin Yue, including his own speculations.

"You guessed right. This time, the Thousand Machines Sect has increased the rewards, and such rewards that drive all alchemists crazy. There must be a deeper reason behind this. You should know that the Thousand Machines Sect can take out the Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture, but it cannot get the Taiyi Azure Spirit Record. The Taiyi Azure Spirit Record is the supreme technique of Medicine King Valley, and only the Valley Masters and Young Valley Masters of each generation can cultivate it."

After a moment's thought, Yin Yue gave the same guess as Lin Chen.

"The Thousand Machines Sect may be willing to part with it, but the Medicine King Valley is a family power and would never be willing to part with it. If there is any special person involved, it is very likely that someone from the Medicine King Valley participated in this alchemy competition."

Yin Yue looked at Lin Chen and continued, "But even with Medicine King Valley's resources, it's impossible to get Thousand Machine Sect to cooperate. Unless..."

Yin Yue suddenly fell silent, as if she had thought of something. Seeing Yin Yue suddenly fall silent after speaking so well, Lin Chen couldn't help but ask, "Unless what?"

"It's nothing. It's also possible that the Thousand Machines Sect is eyeing the Medicine King Valley's 'Taiyi Qingling Record'. Both sects have produced alchemy geniuses and are confident of winning first place, which is why they set up such a reward."

Lin Chen pondered for a moment and nodded: "Your analysis makes sense. It seems this alchemy competition is going to be quite exciting."

"Lin Chen, since both the Thousand Machines Sect and the Medicine King Valley have arranged alchemists, you don't need to compete for first place. You're not going down the path of alchemy anyway, so just getting into the top ten is enough."

"They really think highly of me. I've only been refining pills for a short time. I'm not even sure if I can make it into the top ten. I don't even dare to dream of being number one. If these two companies weren't confident, how could they dare to offer such a top-notch reward?"

Lin Chen smiled, while Yin Yue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Lin Chen's answer.

If her guess is correct, and Lin Chen really wins first place, it will inevitably disrupt that person's plans. With the Canglan Sect and the Bahuang Sect at war right now, offending that person will bring great trouble to Lin Chen and even the Canglan Sect.

……

……

The Alchemy Pavilion.

As usual, Lin Chen continued to browse the jade slips in the building, but this time he was looking at a catalog that recorded the alchemy techniques of the Yan Dynasty.

[The recorded alchemical techniques number three thousand...]

【The Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture: An alchemy technique created by the founder of the Thousand Machines Sect. The nine revolutions refer to the process of refining the elixir nine times, during which impurities are eliminated. It is one of the strongest alchemy techniques in the Yan Dynasty】

[The Taiyi Qingling Record: Its origin is unknown. It was first revealed to the world by the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, but there are rumors that this technique was not created by him. In the world, elixirs are made by fusing main ingredients and auxiliary ingredients. When the ingredients are fused, some of the medicinal effects are lost. However, the Taiyi Qingling Record can preserve the medicinal effects of the ingredients. The elixirs refined by it are 30% more effective than those made by other methods of alchemy...]

[I once had the privilege of entering the ruins of a master alchemist. This master left behind a jade slip containing the following words: "The Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture and the Taiyi Azure Spirit Record are actually one method. The Nine Revolutions is the first volume, and the Taiyi is the second volume. If the two volumes are combined, it is hoped that a new height can be created in the art of alchemy."]

[There is no evidence to support this claim, but I've noted it down in my spare time for future readers to take a look...]

Upon seeing the contents of the jade slip, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. The Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture and the Taiyi Azure Spirit Record are the upper and lower volumes of the same cultivation technique.
If this news is true, it will likely shock the entire alchemy world. However, as far as he knows, the Thousand Machines Sect and the Medicine King Valley seem to have little in common, their only similarity being alchemy.

This is probably just the alchemy master's private speculation, and shouldn't be taken seriously...

Just as Lin Chen was about to continue reading, the panel in front of him appeared.

[Racing against time: Comprehend the "Nine Revolutions Azure Spirit Record," and if you gain insight, you may have the chance to obtain a martial soul phenomenon.]

Lin Chen: ? ? ?
Nine Revolutions Azure Spirit Record!
Lin Chen's eyes gleamed, so the grandmaster's guess was correct. The Nine Revolutions Primordial Scripture and the Taiyi Azure Spirit Record were indeed the two volumes of the same cultivation technique, whose real name was the Nine Revolutions Azure Spirit Record.

Lin Chen never doubted the correctness of the "Racing Against Time" strategy, because the panel never made a mistake.

"Martial spirits have no offensive power, but martial spirit diagrams do. When a martial spirit diagram produces a strange phenomenon, one can comprehend a special divine ability."

Lin Chen recalled Yin Yue's explanation of the rising moon in the sea of ​​martial souls within him. The difference between a martial artist with a martial soul diagram and one with only a martial soul diagram but no other phenomena is like heaven and earth.

"There's a chance..."

The phrase "seizing every second" implies a chance, not a 100% guarantee of obtaining the extraordinary phenomenon. However, recalling the previous hints about "seizing every second," Lin Chen understood perfectly well that "seizing every second" was a precise and well-chosen phrase.

Just like the doctors in those hospitals in my past life, even if a cure is absolutely certain, they won't say it's hopeless, they'll only say there's a high probability...

According to the prompt of "Seize the Day", as long as I can comprehend the "Nine Revolutions Azure Spirit Record" and succeed in comprehending it, then a strange phenomenon will definitely occur.

It seems that I really need to try and win first place in this alchemy competition.

……

……

Five days later.

The formation competition has come to an end. The winner is a formation master at the fourth level of the Innate Realm. The formation he set up in one hour trapped a martial artist at the fifth level of the Innate Realm for twelve hours. After breaking the formation, the martial artist was seriously injured. This result caused a sensation throughout the entire Thousand Machine City.

Generally speaking, when a formation master sets up a formation, with ample time and materials, they can trap or even kill a powerful opponent of the same realm within the formation. However, trapping someone of a higher realm for six hours is a first in recent formation competitions.

As a result, the name of Moqi spread throughout Thousand Machine City and became well-known to many forces.

……

While the many martial artists in Thousand Machine City were discussing the exciting scenes of the formation competition, the alchemy competition ushered in its first day.

It is still the Tiangong Pavilion.

But this time, there were tens of thousands of alchemists in the square, each with a pill furnace in front of them.

The alchemy furnaces used in the top 100 of the Alchemy Grand Competition were all provided by the Thousand Machines Sect.

"There are so many people."

In the stands, Li Qin and Yin Yue sat together, looking at the number of alchemists below the stage. Li Qin's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes showed surprise.

She had expected that there would be many more alchemists in this alchemy competition than in the past, but she did not expect that the number of contestants would increase by more than five or six times.

Li Qin glanced at the people from the other major families not far away, and their expressions also turned ugly. Some of those who came to watch this time were just there to join in the fun, but for these local forces, every weapon-refining competition was related to their own interests.

Those who focus their main energy on forging and setting up formations are fine, but for families like the Li family, whose focus this time is on alchemy, the pressure has instantly increased.

"Don't worry, Uncle Xiao will definitely make it into the top 100."

Yin Yue sensed Li Qin's tension and worry, and spoke up slowly from the side. In her usual way, she would never speak about things that didn't concern her, let alone comfort someone.

Even if Yin Yue didn't want to admit it, she was indeed influenced by Lin Xi.

"You have so much confidence in your Uncle Xiao?"

Looking at Yin Yue's delicate little face, Li Qin subconsciously reached out to touch it, but Yin Yue dodged her.

"I don't like people touching me."

Li Qin's hand froze awkwardly before she finally withdrew it, saying helplessly, "Sorry."

"I've witnessed Uncle Xiao's alchemy skills; he'll definitely be in the top 100."

Yin Yue comforted Li Qin once again. As for whether her daughter believed it or not, that was none of her business. The results would be out soon anyway.

The reason she had confidence in Lin Chen was because of the strength of his soul and his innate fire.

With four innate flames and a divine soul comparable to the sixth level of the innate realm, the first round was about the speed of refining pills, and they were using an ordinary pill furnace provided by the Thousand Machines Sect. Unless they deliberately held back, no one could take the first place from Lin Chen.

Based on Yin Yue's understanding of Lin Chen, Lin Chen should not finish first in the first round of the competition, but rather around 20th or 30th place. This way, he would pass the assessment without standing out too much.

……

On the plaza, Lin Chen sensed the shape of the pills in the alchemy furnace, remaining calm and composed. Just as Yin Yue had thought, he did not intend to achieve an outstanding result in the first round. The first round was only to select the top 100; whether one ranked first or 100th would not be counted in the second round's score.

The pills refined in this first round of assessments are three-star level Listening Tide Pills. Martial artists who take this pill at the third level of the Innate Realm can feel the surging of the Innate Liquid within their bodies, triggering a more rational circulation of the Innate Liquid.

For martial artists at the third level of the Innate Realm, their Innate Power liquefies and surges within their bodies like a tide; this is the origin of the name "Listening to the Tide."

For this alchemy competition, he specifically researched the alchemy situation of previous competitions.

In previous alchemy competitions, the first round of assessments used two-star level pills. This time, however, the first round used three-star level pills. This is obviously because there are more alchemists who have signed up, and their alchemy skills are much stronger than in previous years. If they had used two-star pills as in previous years, it would have been difficult to determine the top 100.

To obtain a three-star pill, the alchemist must also possess the strength of the Innate Third Realm, or at least have their spiritual soul reach the Innate Third Realm level, which eliminates a large number of alchemists.

An hour!
Lin Chen looked to his left and saw a young man with a smile on his lips. He flicked his right hand, and the lid of the furnace was lifted, releasing a fragrant aroma of pills.

"One hour... a full hour ahead of schedule."

The Tide-Listening Pill usually takes two hours to refine, but in such a competition, being able to finish refining it an hour ahead of time not only demonstrates extremely high alchemy skills, but also shows sufficient self-confidence.

In competitions, sometimes people try to be careful in order to play it safe, because if the furnace explodes, it means defeat.

The young man's successful alchemy instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"Who is this person? They look so unfamiliar."

"Judging from his appearance, he must be in his early thirties. To be able to refine the Listening Tide Pill so quickly, he must be no nobody."

"Just because you don't know him doesn't mean he's nobody. This is Jiang Yaoyan, the young master of Medicine King Valley."

"Hiss, the young master of Medicine King Valley is also participating?"

"No wonder, if it is the young master of Medicine King Valley, then it is not surprising."

The name of Medicine King Valley is known to every alchemist!
Jiang Yaoyan had a smile on his face. He had also heard the discussions of the others in the stands. Just as Jiang Yaoyan was about to get up and leave the square, a furnace lid on the far right opened, only ten breaths later than his.

"Who is this?"

The martial artists on the stands were stunned when they saw the second young man finish refining the pill. In previous years, the top few were usually well-known throughout the Thousand Machine Domain and were all over forty years old. How come the top two this year are so young?
(End of this chapter)