Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 519 Is it just a publicity stunt or genuine talent?
At the very front of the alchemy arena, several chairs were set up, and several elderly people sat quietly on the high platform.

Lin Chen didn't recognize these old men, but the martial artists who came to watch the competition recognized them and their eyes lit up with excitement.

"The Pavilion Master of the Thousand Machines Sect's Pill Pavilion, the President of the Alchemy Guild, and two Alchemy Grandmasters... These people have never been seen in previous Alchemy Competitions."

"Nonsense, can previous alchemy competitions compare to this one? This year, it can be said that all the alchemists in the entire Yan Dynasty who are qualified to participate have come."

"I'm not surprised by the appearance of these four, after all, this year's alchemy competition is the strongest in the last dozen or so years. But why is the president of the weapon forging guild here?"

Above the platform, there were five old men. Many people were puzzled as to why the City Lord of Thousand Hammers City, the current president of the Forging Guild, would also come.

Although forging and alchemy have some similarities, they are also quite different.

Most importantly, the president of the weapon forging guild did not appear at the forging competition a few days ago, but he has now appeared at the alchemy competition, which is hard for many people to understand.

On the high platform, Gu Yunfeng, the head of the Pill Pavilion of the Thousand Machines Sect, looked at the people around him and asked, "Does anyone have any opinions?"

"I'm just here to watch the fun, Pavilion Master Gu, you don't need to mind me."

Yang Rongtian, the city lord of Thousand Hammer City, smiled slightly, while the other three elders remained silent. Gu Yunfeng then glanced at Lin Chen and his group of ten below.

"In this alchemy competition, there are no restrictions on the type of pills to be refined. You may choose the name of the pill you wish to refine and inscribe it on your jade slip. My Thousand Machines Sect will provide the medicinal materials for that pill. The final ranking will be determined by the quality of the pill, and the pill you refine will belong to you."

Gu Yunfeng's voice not only reached the ears of Lin Chen and the other ten people, but also reached the ears of all the martial artists watching the competition.

"The pills belong to the contestants, just like the rules in previous years. Those who didn't make it into the top three have also earned the medicinal materials for the pills."

"The rule of not restricting the use of elixirs is different from previous years."

"In previous finals, three types of pills were specified, and the winner was determined by who had the highest quality and the largest quantity of pills."

"I understand why the Thousand Machines Sect changed the rules of the final competition this time. If it were according to the rules of previous years, neither Jiang Yaoyan nor Jiang Chen would have been able to determine a winner."

The rules of previous finals were based on who could refine the highest quality and the largest quantity of pills, but this would probably not be difficult for Jiang Yaoyan and Jiang Chen, as they could both ensure that not a single medicinal ingredient was wasted.

"This approach, which does not restrict the types of pills that can be refined and allows each person to refine the pills they are good at, and ultimately determines the winner based on quality and quantity, is actually the most appropriate. It also involves everyone's strategic thinking and speculation."

A middle-aged man's eyes gleamed: "Even fourth-grade pills have different qualities. If you want to play it safe, choose a slightly lower quality one, while your opponent chooses a higher quality one. This puts you at a disadvantage before the competition even begins."

Listening to the discussions of some alchemists, many martial artists suddenly realized that choosing elixirs was already a contest.

Lin Chen looked at the blank jade slip handed over by the Thousand Machines Sect disciple, but he was in no hurry to confirm the pill to be refined. The Thousand Machines Sect had them choose the pill in this secretive way to test their confidence in themselves.

The higher the quality of the elixir, the more difficult it is to refine, and the more of its medicinal power is lost.

Should we choose a lower-grade pill for a safer option, or take a gamble by choosing a more difficult pill?
In addition to assessing one's own alchemy skills, one must also have a sense of what kind of pills the opponent will choose to refine.

"Alchemists never win by taking shortcuts or finding loopholes."

Seeing that no one was handing over the jade slip, Jiang Yaoyan, who was at the front, handed it over to a disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect with a disdainful look on his face.

Seeing that Jiang Yaoyan had made a choice, Jiang Chen also handed the jade slip to the Thousand Machines Sect disciple beside him. As for Lin Chen and the others, none of them were affected by Jiang Yaoyan's words. They were still thinking, and the slowest one even took a full hundred breaths to make a choice.

"This rule change makes it more interesting for us; at least we can guess what kind of pills each of these ten will choose to refine?"

"With the strength of these ten people, to compete for the top three, they would need at least top-tier four-star or even five-star pills, seven-star pills? Returning Origin Pill, Seedling Origin Pill..."

As everyone began to speculate, the ten disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect also began to read out the names of the pills in the jade slips. Perhaps to increase suspense, the first to read out the names of the pills in the jade slips was the alchemist who ranked tenth in the previous round of the competition.

"Seven-Star Pill!"

There was still quite a stir among the crowd when the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect loudly proclaimed it.

"Seven-Star Pill, a top-tier four-star pill. Even those who have successfully refined it before, aside from alchemy masters, cannot guarantee success the next time. This person is really going all out."

Even in normal circumstances, there is a probability of failure when refining pills, let alone in the tense situation of a competition.

"The Rejuvenation Pill!"

"The Seed Essence Pill!"

Soon, the pills chosen by the eighth and ninth ranked contestants in the previous round were also announced, both of which were top-tier four-star pills.

"I have a feeling that a five-star pill might appear!"

The atmosphere among the alchemists watching the competition was completely stirred up. The bottom-ranked ones all chose the top four-star level. What about Jiang Chen and Jiang Yaoyan?
"If one can successfully refine a five-star pill, it means that one can be called a master alchemist."

The Alchemy Guild's assessment of alchemy masters is to refine five-star pills.

On the stands, all the Li family members were focused on Lin Chen. Li Qin's beautiful eyes showed tension. Although Xiao Yan's entry into the top ten had already satisfied the clan, the clan members were now watching the battle more for entertainment than to expect Xiao Yan to enter the top three.

But she still hoped that Xiao Yan could achieve a good ranking in this final competition.

The Thousand Machines Sect disciple standing beside Lin Chen focused his divine sense into the jade slip. When he clearly saw the name of the pill in the jade slip, his pupils shrank, as if he had seen something unbelievable. He looked at Lin Chen and asked, "Are you sure the name of the pill is correct?"

The sudden action of the Thousand Machines Sect disciple drew the attention of everyone else on the field, even Jiang Yaoyan, who was standing at the very front, glanced at him sideways.

On the stands, many martial artists who had heard the words of the Thousand Machines Sect disciples now showed curiosity in their eyes. What kind of pill had Xiao Yan chosen that would prompt the Thousand Machines Sect disciples to ask such a question? "Yes, there's no mistake." Lin Chen nodded with a smile.

The disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect gave Lin Chen a deep look, took a deep breath, and announced loudly, "Xiao Yan, choose to refine the Five Elements Creation Pill!"

The disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect was noticeably more arrogant than the previous three. As soon as he said this, Jiang Yaoyan, who had been indifferent, stared intently at Lin Chen. Jiang Chen, who was beside him, did the same. The other nine people on the field looked at Lin Chen with a strong sense of scrutiny.

hiss!
In the stands, many alchemists also erupted in commotion, which puzzled many martial artists who knew nothing about pills. The pills chosen by the previous three contestants had not caused such a stir. Could it be that the Five Elements Creation Pill was something special?

"It's actually the Five Elements Creation Pill! Xiao Yan has gone mad!"

On the Li family's viewing platform, many of the Li family's alchemists looked shocked, and Li Qin's pretty face also showed a look of incomprehension.

The Five Elements Creation Pill is not only a five-star pill, but the top-tier five-star pill. Even alchemy masters cannot guarantee that they can successfully refine it.

The martial artists in the stands who were unfamiliar with the Five Elements Creation Pill understood its star rating after being explained by the other alchemists around them. In an instant, everyone's gaze towards Lin Chen changed.

"It's just a publicity stunt."

Jiang Yaoyan quickly regained his composure and withdrew his gaze. He didn't believe Lin Chen could refine the Five Elements Creation Pill. He was just knowingly choosing a pill he couldn't refine in order to gain some attention, since he knew he had no chance in the top three.

The others on the field also looked at Lin Chen with doubt, but they were not as outspoken as Jiang Yaoyan. However, they did not believe that Xiao Yan could refine the Five Elements Creation Pill.

On the stands, Yang Rongtian, who maintained a smile throughout, had a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

"The Five Elements Creation Pill, Xiao Yan's courage is not bad."

"If Xiao Yan can really refine the Five Elements Creation Pill, I am willing to take him as my disciple."

Another alchemy master also spoke with a smile, but as soon as he said this, apart from Yang Rongtian, the other three rolled their eyes inwardly.

If Xiao Yan could truly succeed in refining it, who wouldn't want to take him as a disciple?

If someone at the Innate Third Realm can refine the Five Elements Creation Pill, they are undoubtedly a potential alchemy master, without any surprises.

Despite the strange looks from the stands and Jiang Chen and the others present, Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged. He had anticipated this scene after choosing the Five Elements Creation Pill.

Admittedly, he could choose a pill with a lower difficulty level, so as not to be too conspicuous.

But this time he was determined to win first place, so he even went so far as to break into the Tower of Babel to expose his strength, and he absolutely could not allow any accidents to happen.

After Lin Chen, it was Wei Yang's turn.

The Thousand Machines Sect disciple in charge of Wei Yang looked surprised after reading the pill in the jade slip. However, whether it was because of Lin Chen's experience or some other reason, he did not ask Wei Yang again. He paused for a moment and then said loudly, "Wei Yang, Yin Yang Pill!"

As soon as the words "Yin Yang Pill" were uttered, everyone present turned their attention to Wei Yang once again.

Lin Chen didn't find it surprising because he already knew that Wei Yang had been hiding his strength, and his true alchemy skills were probably no less than those of Jiang Yaoyan and Jiang Chen.

The pill that Wei Yang chose now has confirmed his judgment.

The Yin-Yang Pill is also a five-star pill, and it belongs to the middle level among five-star pills.

The alchemists in the stands were completely aroused. They no longer cared whether Lin Chen and the others could succeed in refining the pills. Just the choice of the pills made them feel excited.

Sensing the gazes of Lin Chen and the others, Wei Yang smiled slightly at Lin Chen. Lin Chen was taken aback, but returned the smile.

After Wei Yang, the next four all chose top-tier four-star pills, which eased the previously heated atmosphere somewhat. However, with Jiang Chen and Jiang Yaoyan remaining, the faces of the martial artists watching the competition once again showed anticipation.

"Do you think these two will directly choose six-star pills? After all, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan both chose five-star pills."

"Hehe, what a thought. Six-star pills are already something only grandmasters can refine. Wei Yang and Xiao Yan might have given up on themselves and deliberately chose a pill that they couldn't refine to attract attention."

Compared to those martial artists who didn't understand alchemy, the alchemists present all knew that the pills Jiang Yaoyan and Jiang Chen had chosen should be five-star, but their difficulty would definitely not exceed that of the Five Elements Creation Pill chosen by Xiao Yan.

"Jiang Chen, the Glazed Defilement Pill!"

"Jiang Yaoyan, the Blood Soul Pill of Ten Thousand Beasts!"

The disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect announced the names of these two people's elixirs almost simultaneously.

Both of them chose mid-grade five-star pills, which were of the same difficulty as Wei Yang's Yin-Yang Pill.

At this point, the pills that the ten people were to refine had all been selected.

When the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect brought up all the alchemy materials, and seeing that two contestants had already summoned their innate fire alchemy furnaces, Jiang Yaoyan's face turned cold. In this alchemy competition, he not only wanted to win first place, but also wanted everyone to remember him. Only in this way would Young Master Dongfang truly respect him.

Snapped!
Jiang Yaoyan snapped his fingers, and a black flame emerged from his fingertips.

Lin Chen, who was hundreds of feet away from Jiang Yaoyan, looked over the moment black flames appeared at Jiang Yaoyan's fingertips.

The innate fire that had fused within him sent a feeling of hunger through him.

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(End of this chapter)