20: The taste of envy, jealousy and hatred

Jiang Donghua keenly sensed the subtle atmosphere in the dorm, an emotion called envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Zhou Mang's action of wiping his gauntlets paused slightly, a flicker of unnaturalness crossed his rugged face, then he let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, Formation Masters are just flashy."

But his eyes couldn't help but glance at the rune-covered parchment scroll on Wen Ziyu's bed, his fists unconsciously clenching and unclenching.

Shi Lei was even more direct; he flicked his fiery red short hair, draped a towel over his shoulder, and leaned towards Wen Ziyu's bed, marveling at the complex runes.

"Old Wen, if this thing of yours could be carved onto gauntlets, wouldn't it directly blow a Dou Master away?"

Wen Ziyu pushed up his crystal spectacles and sighed helplessly.

"Dream on. Formations require specific mediums to operate stably. Ordinary refined iron simply cannot withstand the power of runes."

He casually dragged a wooden box from under his bed, lifted the lid, and inside were piles of discarded formation plates and shattered crystals.

"See? Just these failed attempts have cost me over a hundred thousand gold coins."

"Over a hundred thousand?!"

Shi Lei's eyes widened, nearly leaping off the bed.

"I'd have to risk my life taking escort missions for three years to earn that much!"

Wen Ziyu shrugged.

"This is still the most basic 'Fire Spirit Formation'. If you wanted to carve a 'Spirit Gathering Formation' or a 'Defense Formation', the material costs would more than double."

He lightly tapped with his fingertip, and the parchment scroll on his bed automatically unfurled, revealing a half-finished complex formation diagram.

"See this?"

"Just this draft of the Profound Fire Formation is worth five hundred contribution points. This is my assignment for the year, and if I can't submit it to my instructor by year-end, I'll be in trouble."

Meanwhile, Shi Lei's mind seemed to be recalling something, and he suddenly widened his eyes, asking with some disbelief.

"The Profound Fire Formation, generally, unless one is at the peak of a Dou Practitioner, they would likely be directly annihilated within this formation."

Jiang Donghua secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

No wonder Wen Ziyu said Formation Masters were money-burners; this was practically piling up cultivation with gold coins!

Shi Lei scratched his hair, looking dejected.

"Damn it, I should have learned formations back then. Tossing a formation plate casually during a fight, isn't that cooler than swinging fists?"

Zhou Mang snorted coldly.

"With your brain, could you learn it?"

Despite saying that, his eyes were fixed on Wen Ziyu's formation diagram, his Adam's apple unconsciously bobbing.

The atmosphere in the dorm became somewhat subdued. Aside from Wen Ziyu who was still focused on his formation diagram, the other three fell into a brief silence.

Shi Lei scratched his fiery red short hair, plopped down on his own bed, a hint of unwillingness in his tone.

"Damn it, speaking of which, if a few of us had been able to test for Soul Power talent back then, we might have been able to become Alchemists by now. Why would we need to risk our lives taking missions every day?"

Zhou Mang snorted coldly, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.

"Alchemists?"

"Those guys walk around as if they're looking at people through their nostrils. I'd rather take a few more punches than beg them for an elixir."

Jiang Donghua smiled thoughtfully.

"Alchemists are indeed arrogant, but they have the capital to be arrogant."

"Even the most common first-grade elixir can sell for thousands of gold coins, not to mention those elixirs that can help people break through bottlenecks."

"Tsk, don't even mention it!"

Shi Lei waved his hand irritably.

"Last time I went to the Alchemy Department to ask for a healing elixir, that apprentice didn't even give me a proper look and just curtly said, 'No time.' It made me so angry I almost flipped the table on the spot!"

Wen Ziyu, hearing this, finally looked up from the formation diagram, pushed up his crystal spectacles, and said calmly.

"Alchemists indeed rely more on talent than Formation Masters. If one's Soul Power is even slightly lacking, they can't even do the most basic fire control."

"Moreover, they have to memorize the properties of various medicinal ingredients from a young age; just getting started takes several years."

"So what?"

Zhou Mang's tone was grim.

"Didn't we also practice our fists until our bones cracked since we were young? Why should they be so high and mighty?"

Jiang Donghua shook his head, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"Because elixirs are a necessity. Cultivation, healing, breakthroughs—which of these can do without them?"

"No matter how strong we are, if we're severely injured, we still have to beg them to save our lives."

Shi Lei slapped the bed board hard, gritting his teeth.

"Damn it, in the end, it's just that we don't have that fate!"

"If we had passed the Soul Power test back then, why would we need to endure those guys' attitudes now?"

Everyone's gaze collectively fell on Jiang Donghua, with a mixture of expectation and helplessness in their eyes.

Shi Lei grinned, reaching out to pat Jiang Donghua's shoulder with such force that it almost made him stumble.

"Donghua, you're the only New Student in our dorm. Go test yourself at the Alchemy Department and Formation Department tomorrow. What if you really get lucky?"

Zhou Mang crossed his arms, a rare encouraging look on his rugged face.

"Right, there's no harm in trying. New Students are supposed to have talent assessments when they enroll anyway."

Wen Ziyu pushed up his crystal spectacles, his tone calm but with a hint of seriousness.

"Soul Perception is fundamental, but Alchemists also require Wood Attribute within their Fire Attribute, and both must be balanced, otherwise, it's easy to burn medicinal ingredients during fire control."

Jiang Donghua felt a little unnerved by their gazes, and he gave a dry laugh.

"Your eyes... why do I feel like you're pushing me to a gambling den to try my luck?"

"Hahaha!"

Shi Lei burst out laughing.

"Isn't it gambling on luck?"

"When we were tested, our Soul Power couldn't even meet the minimum standard, let alone that cursed Wood within Fire."

Zhou Mang snorted coldly, clenching his fists.

"My Fire Attribute is fierce enough, but Wood Attribute?"

"Heh, not a trace. Born for battle."

Wen Ziyu shrugged.

"My Soul Power barely met the standard, but I don't have Wood Attribute. Instead, I have a trace of Earth Attribute, so I could only settle for learning formations."

Jiang Donghua scratched his head, feeling a bit uneasy himself.

Alchemists and Formation Masters are both professions that heavily rely on talent. Once successful, their status and resources would be completely different.

But if he failed, it wouldn't be like he lost anything.

"Don't overthink it."

Shi Lei saw his hesitation and waved his hand dismissively.

"Just go through the motions. If you succeed, our dorm will rise in status. If not, don't feel burdened; a simple Dou Practitioner can still make a name for themselves!"

Zhou Mang rarely agreed, but he did this time.

"Right, at worst, we'll cover for you later."

Wen Ziyu didn't speak; he just pulled out a dull crystal from under his bed and tossed it to Jiang Donghua.

"Take this. Hold it tight when testing your Soul Power; it can stabilize your mind."

Jiang Donghua took the crystal; it felt cool to the touch, and he could vaguely sense a subtle energy flow.

He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay, I'll try tomorrow."

The dorm fell silent for a moment, each person lost in their own thoughts.

Shi Lei suddenly grinned, a hint of slyness in his eyes.

"Donghua, if you really become an Alchemist, then if we get injured later..."

"Get lost!"

Jiang Donghua cursed with a laugh.

"You haven't even tested yet, and you're already thinking about my elixirs?"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

But after the laughter, Jiang Donghua looked down at the crystal in his hand, feeling inexplicably heavy-hearted.

Does he have talent?

If this Jiang Donghua had the ability to probe others' thoughts, he would know that more than one elder at Jia Nan Academy could already sense the purity of his Wood within Fire.

Why worry about not becoming an Alchemist?