79: Chapter 79 The Clash of Alchemy

As soon as the voice of True Lord Xuantian fell, the center of the entire Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, the plaza paved with ten-thousand-year cold jade, split open in response.

The earth shook and the mountains swayed, and a rumbling sound came from the depths of the earth's core.

Accompanied by soaring flames and scorching heat waves, a giant bronze platform covered in ancient seal script and burning with raging alchemy fire slowly rose.

On the giant platform sat a primitive alchemy furnace, its body having three legs and two handles, carved with birds, beasts, insects, and fish. Every pattern seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, radiating a heat and Majesty that left one parched.

"The Alchemy Trial, begin!" True Lord Xuantian's voice was like a booming bell, announcing the start of the first duel.

On the side of the Sacred Land, a youth wearing a moon-white alchemist robe flew gracefully onto the high platform.

He had a face like jade and eyes like bright stars, his expression carrying a hint of innate arrogance.

"It's the Young Sect Master of the Danyang Sect, Yao Chenzi!"

"The champion of the Alchemy Conference from a hundred years ago! It is said that when he practices alchemy, he can summon alchemy clouds and canopies, with a unique fragrance spreading for a hundred miles!"

"With him making a move, do these barbarians still have a chance to live?"

The exclamations of the cultivators below the stage and their awe-filled gazes converged into an invisible aura, all reinforcing Yao Chenzi.

Yao Chenzi seemed oblivious to all this; he simply performed an ancient alchemist salute towards the bronze alchemy furnace.

Then, with a flick of his finger, a wisp of strange fire, as transparent as glaze, fell into the furnace.

Boom!

The furnace fire instantly surged, turning from red to green, from green to purple, and finally into a gentle, pure white, stable and serene.

Just this display of fire control technique drew applause from the entire hall.

His expression was focused, and like flowing water, he tossed medicinal herbs shimmering with spiritual light into the furnace, whether refining, fusing, or meticulously controlling the medicinal power with his divine sense.

Every movement was full of rhythm and beauty; rather than practicing alchemy, it was more like he was performing an elegant sacrifice.

In the player channel.

[Appearance is Justice]: Wow, to be fair, this guy is actually quite handsome, and his movements are good-looking too.

[Outlaw Zhang San]: Flashy and showy, it's all foreplay. Wait and see later as our STEM Man teaches him what "the beauty of industry" is.

[Wolf of Wall Street]: STEM Man, are you ready on your end?

In the corner of the channel, a player with the ID [The Romance of the Science Guy] slowly typed out one word: "Mm."

He had remained silent, standing at the very back of the team. His eyes behind his lenses, like a high-speed computer, were coldly analyzing every medicinal herb Yao Chenzi tossed in and recording every energy fluctuation of the furnace fire.

"It's your turn." True Lord Xuantian's cold gaze swept toward the player faction.

[The Romance of the Science Guy] pushed up the rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose and walked out calmly.

He did not fly; he simply walked onto the high platform step by step, forming a sharp contrast with the ethereal Yao Chenzi.

The eyes of the entire audience were focused on him, filled with disdain and contempt.

"Who is this person? He doesn't even have an alchemy furnace?"

"Maybe he knows he's going to lose and just came up here to die?"

Under everyone's gaze, STEM Man did not walk toward the ancient alchemy furnace.

He walked to the open space on the other side of the high platform, and then, from his storage treasure, he began to pull things out.

What he pulled out were not medicinal herbs, not an alchemy furnace, and not strange fire.

Instead, they were metal plates engraved with countless fine runes, energy pipes wrapped in spiritual energy threads, and spirit stones twinkling with a faint light, cut into standard hexagons.

"What is he doing? Building with blocks?" a scion of a noble family sneered.

But soon, he couldn't laugh anymore.

[Infrastructure Maniac], [Miner Boss], and a few other life-skill players also walked onto the high platform and began to assist STEM Man in assembling without a word.

Their movements were precise and rapid, without any superfluous action.

The metal plates were joined piece by piece, fitting perfectly;

The energy pipes were connected one by one, forming a complex circulation network;

The spirit stones were embedded one by one into the reserved slots, becoming the energy core.

In just the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a giant mechanical array composed of thousands of runes and tens of thousands of parts, full of cold, precise, and grotesque beauty, rose from the ground!

It did not look like a magic treasure, nor did it look like a formation.

It was like a steel beast from another world, filled with "logic" and "rules," quietly crouching there, completely out of place with the ethereal jade palaces and pavilions, radiating a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

"What... what kind of heretical trick is this!" True Lord Xuantian's pupils shrank, and he shouted sternly.

[The Romance of the Science Guy] ignored him.

He walked to the main control console of the mechanical array and fed the exact same medicinal herbs as Yao Chenzi into a device similar to a "feed inlet," one portion at a time.

He neither watched the heat nor smelled for the medicinal fragrance.

His hands turned into a blur on the main control console, and countless instructions flowed through the runes into the core of the mechanical array.

Hum—

The entire mechanical array came to life.

Tens of thousands of runes lit up simultaneously, emitting a low and rhythmic roar.

The energy provided by the spirit stones flowed at high speed through the pipes, making a "hissing" sound.

Streaks of blue data light flashed wildly under the transparent shell of the array.

[Medicinal Herb Analysis Module Activated... Similarity 99.87%...]

[Medicinal Power Decomposition Model Loaded... Executing Scheme A37...]

[Energy Output Curve Calibration... Error Rate 0.001%...]

A series of system prompts that only players could understand scrolled across STEM Man's vision.

But in the eyes of outsiders, that steel beast was just making monotonous noise, devouring the spirit herbs, but there was no sign of alchemy at all.

On the high platform, Ninth Prince Ji Haoyue's breathing involuntarily hitched.

He didn't understand it, but he was greatly shocked.

He realized for the first time that the group of anomalies he had "invested" in had a fundamental dimensional difference in their way of thinking compared to this world.

And in that mist-shrouded pavilion, the hand of Fairy Yunshang holding the teacup paused slightly.

In her eyes that saw through everything, for the first time, a glimmer of true brilliance flashed.

It was not an interest in the outcome of a match, but the surprise of discovering a brand new, efficient, and exploitable "rule."

"Playing tricks and putting on an act!"

On the high platform, Yao Chenzi snorted coldly; he had already completed the purification and was about to enter the most critical stage of pill formation.

He formed seals with his hands, and the white flame in the furnace suddenly surged. The ancient totems of birds, beasts, insects, and fish on the furnace body seemed to come alive, dancing around the alchemy furnace.

A rich medicinal fragrance, mixed with refreshing spiritual energy, spread in all directions.

"The pill is about to form!" The crowd below the stage perked up.

However, just at this moment.

"Ding."

A crisp, monotonous, and emotionless prompt sound rang out from that steel beast.

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, a "discharge port" of the mechanical array slowly popped open.

A pill the size of a dragon's eye, completely round, and radiating a soft, precious light, lay quietly on the tray.

There was no phenomenon, no medicinal fragrance, no brilliant light.

It was like a standard part on a factory assembly line, precisely manufactured, quietly waiting for quality inspection.

The whole place was deathly silent.

Yao Chenzi's hands, still forming seals, froze in mid-air.

The furnace fire, which was about to form the pill, fluctuated violently because his mind had lost its focus.

"Puff!"

With a muffled sound, a puff of black smoke emerged from the bronze alchemy furnace.

The furnace exploded.

In extreme shock and humiliation, this alchemy genius's first failure in a hundred years of alchemy ended in defeat.

His face instantly turned as pale as paper.

"Impossible... this is absolutely impossible..." he muttered to himself, soul-lost.

True Lord Xuantian's expression could no longer be described as ugly; it was a livid and furious look after being publicly played for a fool and having his orthodoxy ruthlessly trampled upon.

Several alchemy masters from the Sacred Land, who had been invited to serve as judges, looked at each other, and finally, biting the bullet, flew onto the high platform.

They first glanced at the residue in Yao Chenzi's furnace and shook their heads with regret.

Then, they walked toward the steel beast that was still humming softly.

A white-haired old master, with trembling hands, picked up the "plain and unremarkable" pill with jade chopsticks.

He first observed its luster; it was round and flawless, without a trace of impurities to be found.

Then he probed its internal structure with his divine sense; the medicinal power was distributed with hair-raising uniformity, every molecule seemingly having undergone the most precise calculation, arranged in the most perfect position.

Finally, he brought the pill to his nose, closed his eyes, and mobilized his lifelong cultivation to sense it.

There was not a trace of medicinal fragrance, because all the medicinal power had been 100% locked inside the pill, without the slightest waste!

"Perfect... this is... the most perfect 'Bigu Pill' that only exists in theory..." The old master's voice carried a hint of trembling and bewilderment.

Another master didn't believe it and also stepped forward to investigate, obtaining the exact same result.

They couldn't understand it, but they couldn't deny it.

Finally, the white-haired old master turned around, bowed with difficulty to the livid True Lord Xuantian, and announced in a dry voice:

"This pill, quality... flawless. The Alchemy Trial, the border anomalies... win."

Boom!

The whole place was in an uproar!

[The Romance of the Science Guy] calmly pushed up his glasses and typed the final command on the main control console.

The steel beast made a soft sound and entered standby mode.

He turned around and walked off the high platform, from beginning to end, not looking at anyone, as if he had just completed an insignificant experiment.

In the player channel, it was already an ocean of celebration.

[Outlaw Zhang San]: See that!

What is called dimensional reduction strike!

This is called dimensional reduction strike!

Knowledge is power, my friends!

[Appearance is Justice]: Although we won... but this machine is too ugly, isn't it?

STEM Man, when we go back, I'll design a skin for you, guaranteed to be cool and combat-ready!

[Wolf of Wall Street]: Well done.

Next match, Artifact Dao duel.

Everyone get ready, act according to the plan.

On the high platform, Ninth Prince Ji Haoyue slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.

He looked at the players' calm and collected appearance, and a stormy sea surged in his heart.

He suddenly understood that what he had invested in was perhaps not just a force, but a future capable of overturning the entire cultivation civilization!

True Lord Xuantian's body trembled slightly because of extreme anger.

He stared fixedly at that cold mechanical array, then looked at the group of fanatical and fearless players below the stage, and squeezed out the sound between his teeth, one word at a time:

"The second match, the Artifact Dao Trial! Begin!"

Before his voice had even faded, that bronze alchemy platform slowly sank into the ground.

Replacing it was a giant forging platform flashing with ten thousand thunder lights, which broke out of the ground amidst a clanging sound of metal colliding!