Chapter 284: The Golden Legend!

Chapter 284: The Golden Legend!

As the bell chime rang out, a dazzling column of light shot down from the Central Tower, forming a massive Seven-Color Halo at the plaza's center.

This marked the official beginning of the triennial "Rainbow Ring" competition.

"Respected guests, welcome to the one thousand one hundred twenty-seventh edition of the Lance Festival's Rainbow Ring competition!"

A middle-aged man dressed in ceremonial robes materialized within the rainbow-colored halo.

His voice, amplified by a special sound-amplification spell, echoed across the entire plaza:

"I am Morris Wendell, an associate professor at the Crystal Spire Bloodline Academy, and today's competition host.

Today, we will witness the ancient art of bloodline formulation being displayed in all its infinite splendor through these outstanding modifiers!"

At the referee's signal, a massive glowing screen unfurled above the plaza.

The screen simultaneously projected footage of each competitor's workstation, allowing every audience member to clearly see every detail of the competition.

"The rules for this competition are simple", Morris continued explaining.

"Each competitor must use the provided standard materials to complete the bloodline formulation for a Crystal Lizard.

The results will be judged by the reaction of the autophagic slime mold, ranging from gray representing failure, to pure gold indicating perfection, and finally to the legendary rainbow color that transcends all limits - five ranks in total."

At his signal, staff members delivered specially designed containers holding both the autophagic slime mold and Crystal Lizard to each competitor.

This gray-brown autophagic slime mold looked like nothing more than an ordinary glob of slime.

But its sensitivity to bloodline mana transformation was unimaginable, capable of precisely displaying the purity and strength of the post-formulation bloodline mana.

The Crystal Lizard was a small reptile with a semi-transparent body that appeared carved from crystal, its interior revealing intricate mana circuits.

In its standard state, it already possessed an early warning capability against danger, making it an ideal companion for mages exploring unknown territories.

"Competitors will have two hours to complete the formulation."

Morris reminded everyone:

"When time is up, all work must stop immediately, regardless of whether it's completed or not. Now, the competition officially begins!"

At the sound of a crisp bell, the competitors immediately focused on their workstations.

Luo En calmly surveyed the materials on his table.

Besides a dozen backup autophagic slime molds and Crystal Lizards, there were dozens of standard formulation ingredients.

From the common Moonlight Grass essence to the rare Diluted Dragon Blood, everything was provided in full - clearly the organizers hadn't been stingy with the supplies.

His gaze swept across the other competitors, most of whom had already begun working eagerly.

Under the rules where only the top three received awards, an aggressive approach had become the majority choice.

"It seems most have chosen the high-risk, high-reward path."

Luo En mused internally:

"They hope to achieve high scores through radical mutation formulations, but excessive mutation often leads to instability, ultimately backfiring."

After brief observation, Luo En determined his own strategy.

Neither overly conservative nor as reckless as those risk-takers, he would find the optimal balance between the two extremes.

First, he needed to divide the autophagic slime mold into multiple groups to test various material combinations' effects.

Then he would determine the final formulation plan for the Crystal Lizard based on these test results.

Luo En's hands gently brushed across his workstation, as if feeling the energy fluctuations emanating from the materials.

This small gesture attracted the attention of many audience members.

Unlike the frantic displays of other competitors, his calm demeanor stood out remarkably.

"What's that guy doing? The competition has already started, why hasn't he begun working yet?"

A Lizardfolk merchant in the audience asked in confusion.

"Don't be in a hurry, this is the rhythm unique to mage sirs."

A human merchant beside him explained with a smile:

"True masters often observe before acting. Look at that expression, I bet he's already mentally mapped out the entire formulation process."

In the Vip section, Eve was also intently observing every movement of Luo En.

Her amethyst eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Luo En truly has nerves of steel."

Eliot remarked softly, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly:

"While others have already begun their operations, he's still observing the materials. This calm attitude is truly rare among common people."

Valen remained silent as always, but his eyes already showed signs of approval.

As an experienced practitioner, he deeply understood how crucial early planning and material perception were in such delicate work.

"Just wasting time." Nuo Yi Man, however, remained unconvinced:

"The timer has already started, such excessive caution will only backfire."

Just at this moment, Luo En finally took action.

His movements started calmly and unhurriedly, but soon became fluid and effortless.

A series of seemingly simple yet precise operations unfolded cohesively, like a meticulously choreographed dance.

First, he divided the autophagic slime mold into nine groups, beginning preparations for different experimental combinations.

The first group was a foundational combination of Moonlight Grass essence and diluted dragon blood, serving as the control group.

The second group incorporated stardust powder to enhance perception ability.

The third group infused a drop of Lightning Essence with the aim of activating the Crystal Lizard's latent vigilance instinct...

Each formula had been precisely calculated, with each material's quantity carefully controlled to perfection.

Neither causing excessive activation nor compromising the expected effect.

This meticulous approach, even to the untrained eye, exuded an air of exceptional quality.

"Look, he's divided the slime mold into so many groups for comparison instead of experimenting directly like the others."

A slightly knowledgeable audience member pointed at the glowing screen explaining:

"This allows simultaneous testing of multiple formulas, saving time while obtaining more comprehensive data. Very wise indeed."

Meanwhile, other competitors adopted various approaches.

Mu Le chose a more aggressive strategy.

He boldly fused multiple mana attribute conflicting materials, attempting to create a unique resonance effect through high-energy collisions.

Though extremely risky, if successful, the effect would be extraordinary.

Ai Ha Mai De pushed aggressiveness to the extreme.

He almost incorporated all materials into his experiment, aiming to create a complete elemental cycle system.

While theoretically capable of achieving breakthrough results, this approach was also most prone to becoming uncontrolled.

Jenny, from the "Zhenyin Tower", took the most conservative route by contrast.

She carefully handled each step, continuously using stabilizers to ensure the bloodline mana's stability.

While this method was safe and reliable, it also limited the potential heights that could be achieved.

When the competition reached the one-hour mark, the first accident occurred.

A competitor from the "Emerald Tower" after a rough attempt on the slime mold, suddenly triggered a violent reaction when injecting the enhanced bloodline mana into the Crystal Lizard during the final stage.

The lizard's body rapidly expanded, then erupted with blinding green light, finally disintegrating into dust with a soft popping sound.

"Oh! It seems Leslie sir's formulation has failed!"

Referee Morris's voice carried just the right amount of humor:

"This is the charm of bloodline formulation—just one step off, and it becomes a world of difference."

The audience erupted into a wave of good-natured laughter. Such "accidents" were precisely one of the spectacles they expected to see each year. Watching those usually aloof mages flustered was a small pleasure for ordinary folk.

Failure cases began emerging one after another.

Some Crystal Lizards grew abnormally rampageous, thrashing wildly against their containers;

others suddenly liquefied, unable to return to their original form;

one even developed six additional tails, coiling together into a grotesque structure.

Each failure was accompanied by audience gasps or laughter, making the competition atmosphere increasingly intense.

Amidst this chaos, Luo En still maintained astonishing calm and focus.

His seventh experiment displayed unusually ideal results.

When the chimera substance at a specific ratio contacted the autophagic slime mold, the slime monster immediately took on a rare pure silver hue, its surface shimmering faintly with golden light.

"I've got it", Luo En murmured softly, clearly satisfied with his achievement.

Then, he began preparing the final formulation plan.

This scheme fused the essence of previous experiments.

It retained the Crystal Lizard's original traits while cleverly enhancing its perception ability and reflexes.

Meanwhile, the Mentors in the Vip section closely monitored every detail.

"Do you see that?" William pointed at Luo En's operation.

"He just used a rare mana containment loop to perfectly fuse two mutually exclusive mana types. This technique requires at least a senior modifier to master proficiently."

Eliot nodded in agreement.

"Moreover, his material usage is extremely precise—each drop perfectly placed, neither wasteful nor lacking. This level of control is rare even among senior modifiers."

Valen's eyes already gleamed with obvious admiration.

"More importantly, his grasp of pacing throughout the process. Every step connects seamlessly, with energy fluctuations maintained at optimal levels. That's true formulation artistry."

Even Nuo Yi Man could only tighten his brows, falling silent.

At this moment, he couldn't help but admit inwardly, "This kid... feels like the entire process is under his control..."

On the plaza, other competitors' situations varied greatly.

Mu Le's attempt had reached a critical stage—his autophagic slime mold displayed a rare pure silver hue.

Though not fully golden, it was remarkably close.

Jenny's approach, while conservative, had been executed near-perfectly.

Her slime mold exhibited a stable light silver hue—not achieving higher transformation, but ensuring a solidified result.

Ai Ha Mai De, however, seemed to encounter trouble.

His slime mold's color kept transforming—shifting from blue to purple to red—indicating an extremely unstable mana system.

His expression grew increasingly tense, hands moving more hastily.

"Looks like Ai Ha Mai De's elemental cycle conceptualization was overly complex", commented Judge Morris.

"In bloodline formulation, simplicity often proves more effective than complexity. Excessive ambition may lead to catastrophic consequences."

Indeed, less than ten minutes later, Ai Ha Mai De's experiment encountered serious issues.

As he stubbornly attempted injecting the formulation liquid into the Crystal Lizard,

the lizard's body suddenly trembled violently, its skin surface displaying glaring red patterns.

"No, no, no!" Ai Ha Mai De screamed in panic, desperately trying to stabilize the situation with a mana stabilizer.

But it was too late.

The Crystal Lizard's body began distorting and twisting, then exploded with a deafening boom!

The intense energy fluctuation overturned the entire workstation.

Ai Ha Mai De himself was thrown backward by the shockwave, landing in a humiliating sprawl on the ground, his body completely covered in multicolored slime.

The audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, as if this astonishing "performance" was exactly what they'd expected all along.

"This is why the 'Rainbow Ring' competition is so popular", a spectator laughed to his companion.

"Look at those usually lofty mages now—turns out they're nothing special. Everyone loves seeing authority figures embarrassed, right?"

Judge Morris had no choice but to pause the competition, stepping forward to assess the situation and restore order.

Thankfully, as an experienced Dawn Star Rank mage, Ai Ha Mai De had an automatic protective barrier. He suffered no serious injuries—just bruised pride.

"Thirty minutes remaining! Competitors, please hurry!" Morris reminded.

By now, Luo En had entered the final stage.

His formula had already tested successfully on the autophagic slime mold.

The slime monster displayed an astonishing pale golden hue—the highest evaluation aside from the legendary rainbow color.

Now, he needed to apply this perfect formula to the Crystal Lizard. This crucial step required extremely fine control and patience.

Luo En took a deep breath, gently lifting the Crystal Lizard with both hands.

The small creature remained remarkably calm in his grip, seemingly sensing his steady presence, showing none of the panic and resistance other competitors had experienced.

"Look at that lizard—it completely trusts him!"

A spectator in the audience felt puzzled:

"These creatures are usually extremely wary of strangers. For it to relax so thoroughly... this mage..."

Luo En slowly infused the prepared bloodline mana into the lizard's body.

The process was exceptionally slow and meticulous—each strand of mana precisely guided into the lizard's correct internal pathways to form a complete bloodline circulation.

The Crystal Lizard's body began subtle transformations.

Its skin became increasingly translucent, the internal mana circuits growing clearer and more defined.

Most astonishingly, its eyes shifted from pale blue to profound purple-gold, radiating wisdom's glow.

This transformation was perfectly harmonious, lacking the artificial rigidity seen in other competitors' attempts.

The Crystal Lizard seemed reborn from inside out, yet retained its original elegant balance.

"Beautiful!" Eve couldn't help whispering, "This master's creation is as perfect as an artwork!"

The Mentors in the Vip section also displayed astonished expressions.

"This balance has nearly reached perfection", William observed, realizing the opponent's performance exceeded his expectations.

"He not only strengthened the lizard's traits but preserved its essence, making the enhancements appear so natural—like this is exactly how it should be."

Eliot nodded in agreement.

"This level of bloodline formulation has transcended technical mastery, reaching the realm of artistry."

Valen, unusually, allowed a faint smile.

"Fascinating. Crystal Spire is about to gain another 'Cassandra.'"

As the competition neared its end, Mu Le seemed determined to take one final gamble.

After witnessing Luo En's exceptional performance, clearly feeling immense pressure, he decided to pursue a more aggressive strategy.

"Mu Le appears to be attempting a last-ditch effort", Judge Morris observed with interest.

"He's trying to fuse Lightning Essence with Blazing Essence—two mana types notoriously difficult to coexist.

If successful, the effect will be extraordinary; if failed..."

Mu Le's forehead already bore beads of sweat, his hands trembling slightly, yet his eyes burned with determination.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end