Chapter 658: First Test
Artificial ocean current boosters were large-scale alchemy devices capable of artificially generating temporary currents between two points.
Ships navigating these currents sailed as if on a fast lane.
Though activating such devices consumed significant resources, they saved immense amounts of time.
After much deliberation, the spy chief resolutely chose this method to circumvent greater risks.
His concerns were not unfounded.
The Divine Wind Pirates had been blocked.
The Thorn Pirates' captain stood astride the foremast, hands on hips, bellowing, “Feng Lian, show yourself!”
Feng Lian stepped forward.
Tall and lean, he wore a bronze mask, wielded a scythe with a blade nearly two meters long, and was cloaked in white feathers.
Jing Wen puffed out his chest, pointing a thumbed finger at himself. “Feng Lian, your luck has turned!”
“Our leader, Da Han, has taken a liking to you and invites you to join us.”
"You wiped out the Intoxication Church's fleet; you must've seized plenty of sorrow-dispelling red wine. Our boss, Da Han, takes a keen interest in that wine. You know what to do."
Silence fell. No one spoke.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Jing Wen felt belittled, his eye twitching. “Hey, Feng Lian, are you deaf?”
Feng Lian finally spoke, his voice hoarse: “Just now, what did you say your name was?”
Jing Wen flared with anger: “I'm Jing Wen! Just like you, I'm a gold level!”
Feng Lian pressed further: “You claim to represent Da Han. Are you part of the Fire Beard Pirates?”
Jing Wen's expression darkened, his voice dropping: "Not yet. But I'm following Da Han's orders closely. Joining the Fire Beard Pirates is only a matter of time..."
Feng Lian snorted coldly: “If you're not, how dare you brag in front of me?”
“Do you realize you've already put yourself in a deadly situation?”
The words had barely left his mouth when Jing Wen saw Feng Lian and his scythe blur into a haze.
The next instant, everything returned to normal.
Jing Wen thought he'd seen things and dismissed it.
He pointed at Feng Lian, cursing, “You brat! We're both gold level, what are you showing off for... Huh?”
The next moment, pain surged through Jing Wen.
He instinctively looked down at his chest, where excruciating agony radiated.
Pop.
Blood gushed violently, staining Jing Wen's vision crimson.
Staring fixedly at his chest, he saw a massive gash slashed diagonally across his torso.
The wound ran long, from left to right.
Then, Jing Wen watched his body slowly slide sideways and sink downward. His head and neck section crashed directly onto the deck.
Pfft... pfft...
His lower half remained standing, blood gushing relentlessly from the severed abdomen.
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Jing Wen had been cleaved clean in two!
When did this happen?
“When?”
“I... I actually...”
Jing Wen's face contorted with terror, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks before plunging into endless darkness.
“Boss!”
“Captain!”
“Oh no! The captain's been cut in two!”
The pirates behind Jing Wen erupted in a chorus of gasps and cries.
Some seethed with rage, ready to strike back. Others retreated in sheer terror, their flight evident.
The pirates, moments ago brimming with fury, now descended into chaos.
In stark contrast, the Divine Wind Pirates' morale soared. They roared in unison, drew their weapons, and charged forward at the first mate's command.
The two ships were already close together, allowing many transcendent pirates to leap directly across, slashing at anyone in sight.
Feng Lian stood motionless, clutching his long-handled sickle.
He remained as still as a mountain peak, letting his subordinates surge past him like a raging tide. The contrast between movement and stillness was stark.
Battle skill - Wind Blade: Formless.
Battle skill - Wind Blade: Instant.
Feng Lian unleashed both battle skills simultaneously.
But that wasn't the crucial point.
His gaze lingered on his wrist.
Once bare, it now bore an alchemy bracelet.
“This aura-concealing artifact is surprisingly effective,” Feng Lian silently praised.
It was spoils seized from the enemy after he had annihilated the fleet of the Intoxication Church's fleet.
Soon, the battle before Feng Lian concluded.
Jing Wen's pirate crew's morale had collapsed completely, offering no organized resistance.
In an instant, some died, others surrendered.
Of course, some chose death over submission.
Like the first mate and second mate.
Forced to their knees, the first deck was already soaked in their blood.
The first mate glared at Feng Lian with hatred. "Feng Lian, do you know what you're doing? "
“We served Da Han! You slaughtered so many of us, offending Da Han himself. You're doomed!”
The second mate added, "Hahahaha. We die first; you die later. But your end will be far more miserable than ours."
Among pirates, there were indeed many such stubborn, fearless brutes.
Feng Lian looked at them and spoke calmly: I've never heard of this Jing Wen fellow. But seeing the two of you, he does seem somewhat worthy."
“Compared to those spineless cowards who surrendered, I admire you more.”
“Take my next words back to Da Han.”
"Tell him that Feng Lian here does indeed possess a batch of sorrow-dispelling red wine. If he wants it, he'd better come negotiate with me personally."
“Just because he drops a line and sends a few men, he expects me to hand over the wine?”
“Does he think he's Fire Beard?”
Feng Lian stood firm, his resolve unshaken, showing no fear toward the saint level Da Han.
Soon after, he sailed away triumphantly with his spoils, leaving behind only a single ship and a handful of survivors, the first mate, second mate, and scattered stragglers.
"He really let us off." The second mate watched the Divine Wind Pirates depart, dazed.
He hadn't expected to survive.
Ironically, those who surrendered earlier had all been killed. Only the die-hard resistors remained.
“Hah—!” The first mate spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged phlegm. "That coward Feng Lian, killing our captain with a sneak attack! "
“Wait for death. Once we report this to Lord Da Han... Ugh.”
The next instant, a wind blade sliced through the air.
The first mate was cleaved in two, from head to toe.
He was dead.
The second mate jolted in terror and immediately ordered the ship to set sail.
The sea fell silent once more.
Both combatants had vanished, leaving only shattered hull fragments, sunken corpses, and an ocean stained crimson.
Blood swirled within the cup.
Zi Di scrutinized its composition, her focus razor-sharp.
This was the Ice Sculpture Capital, the Alchemy Guild's dedicated examination hall.
Zi Di wasn't the only alchemist taking this round of tests. Dozens of other alchemists surrounded her, each engaged in their own alchemy work.
Twelve examiners patrolled the hall, maintaining order throughout the testing grounds.
The subject of this assessment was one of the classic alchemy trials—Extreme Synthesis.
The Alchemy Guild distributed identical quantities and weights of alchemy materials to every examinee. The requirement seemed simple but was actually quite difficult: using alchemy synthesis methods, create as many different types of items as possible within the allotted time.
A key point was that it had to be synthesis alchemy, not decomposition or degradation methods.
Zi Di observed for a moment, confirming the blood water in the cup met the standards. She then poured a 4-gram piece of pure white crystal into the cup.
The crystal touched the blood, immediately triggering a minor explosion.
The blast was so small it produced only a faint crackling sound.
As the explosion occurred, a thick red mist rose.
Zi Di quickly stepped back to avoid it.
When the red mist dissipated, both the blood and the white crystal in the glass beaker had vanished completely. In their place lay a thin layer of finely ground brown sugar.
“The blood sugar is refined!” A look of joy spread across Zi Di's face.
This was the final step in her alchemy plan, the most complex and challenging part. Yet she succeeded in her very first attempt.
“This assessment is going exceptionally well!” Zi Di assessed her progress.
She then cataloged all the items she had refined.
“Sunlight petals and moon shadow grass stems synthesized into a thermoregulating stone, capable of adjusting temperature.”
“Moon shadow grass stems ground into juice, combined with purple jade, yielded purple crystal powder for inducing sleep.”
“Hallucinogenic mushrooms and purple crystal powder synthesized into a hallucinogenic floral scent.”
“Blending firebee tails and flame demon scales produced blazing powder.”
“Distilling shadow blossom and night dew yields a single drop of shadow essence.”...
…
Including the freshly concocted blood sugar, Zi Di had produced a total of 37 alchemy creations.
On the surface, the exam seemed to test only alchemy technique. But in reality, it encompassed many aspects.
Take alchemy recipes, for instance. Without knowing or accurately recalling all 37 recipes, producing this many creations would have been impossible.
Beyond that lay the hands-on alchemy execution.
How to decompose diverse materials, make precise adjustments, control reactions, handle deviations, these intricate details demanded profound skill.
Next came the design of alchemy trial procedures. With limited assessment time, maximizing output required meticulous time management and step sequencing. For instance, the most frequently used sunlight petals could be processed in bulk during the initial stage. Processing methods included drying, grinding, and puffing, each yielding specific quantities with clear requirements.
Only by mastering these could one save time from every tiny crack. These minute time savings, when accumulated, became significant.
After her calculations, Zi Di ceased alchemy.
Glancing at the hall clock, she knew the hour was nearly upon them. The remaining time was insufficient for any meaningful refinement.
Moreover, her materials were running low.
Soon, the clock chimed: ding-dong-ding. Present alchemists sighed in regret or jerked their hands away as if electrocuted.
The frosted glass panels around each alchemy table descended, revealing the others’ creations.
Zi Di was slightly taken aback.
“Even the least accomplished among them produced over ten varieties. The Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s alchemy techniques truly are world-class.”
“Had I not received the assignment in advance and prepared beforehand, I doubt I could have managed even ten.”