https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-524-Heading-to-the-Heavenly-Alchemy-Expo/12995454/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-526-Conversation-with-the-Second-Elder-of-Zhu-Ming-Gong/12995460/
Chapter 525: The Heavenly Alchemy Expo Begins
Chapter 525: The Heavenly Alchemy Expo Begins
In the Summer Region City, Su Chen noticed that the farther away the forces were, the earlier they arrived.
Due to the vast distances, many of these medium and small-sized alchemy factions would set off one or two months in advance.
However, these smaller factions ultimately failed to attract much attention.
The focus of everyone's attention remained on the large alchemy sects from the Jin and Chu countries.
Years of experience had taught them a valuable lesson.
Even before the start of the Heavenly Alchemy Expo, there had been instances where small and medium-sized alchemy factions suddenly rose to prominence.
But when the expo began, their performance fell far short of the expectations set by the major sects and factions from the two great countries.
After witnessing this pattern repeatedly, people understood the truth.
To put it bluntly, these smaller alchemy factions resorted to self-promotion and exaggeration to gain fame.
Initially, some believed that a genius alchemist might emerge from these smaller factions.
It was possible that a small or medium-sized alchemy faction could awaken and produce top-tier elixirs.
After all, no one could guarantee that alchemy geniuses would only appear within the ranks of the major alchemy sects.
However, experience had shown that alchemy geniuses tended to emerge from these larger sects.
In the past thirty years, every renowned alchemist who made a name for themselves hailed from the top ten alchemy factions.
Su Chen, blessed by Heaven's Will, was an exception.
For other alchemists, their path to growth required an enormous amount of medicinal resources.
The art of alchemy was a practical skill, much like the way of martial arts and formation arrays.
It required hands-on practice and experience.
But unlike martial arts and arrays, alchemy practice consumed medicinal resources.
This significantly impacted the cost of training an alchemist.
Ordinary alchemists could manage with the more common and affordable ingredients, even if they wasted some in the process.
However, for mid-level and above alchemists, the cost of resources became daunting.
Precious ingredients could not be squandered by alchemists in training.
But every young alchemist had to start somewhere.
Without that first attempt, how could they gauge their mastery of more complex elixirs?
This situation led to the reality that only the major sects had the resources to nurture these alchemy geniuses.
Within smaller sects, even if an alchemist showed promise, they would eventually fade into obscurity after a few years.
As for the elixirs, Su Chen felt that he hadn't gained much new knowledge during his observations.
He decided to take a short break and relax for a while.
While enjoying his tea, Su Chen overheard some intriguing conversations among the tea house patrons.
Their voices were loud, and it was unclear if they were being intentional or not.
"I think Wulan Manor did the right thing. Those thieves who steal others' techniques should be captured and punished.
If they don't take action, they should hand them over to the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion for justice."
"I agree. Negotiating with such thieves is like digging a hole for ourselves.
You have to fight fire with fire. There's no point in being polite."
The group was engaged in a lively discussion, and when others asked about the context, they eagerly explained the situation.
Their words, both spoken and unspoken, seemed to be defending Wulan Manor.
Su Chen's personal impression was that these people were likely hired by Wulan Manor to sway public opinion.
This tactic, put simply, was an attempt to manipulate public sentiment.
As Su Chen listened to their conversation, he chose to focus on the less significant aspects.
The actions of Wulan Manor were only briefly mentioned, and the issue of breaking promises was largely ignored.
Instead, they even praised Wulan Manor's approach.
Hearing their conversation, Su Chen couldn't help but chuckle.
Before leaving, he stood beside them and spoke in a louder voice, "Are you being paid to praise Wulan Manor?
Their nature of breaking promises might leave you disappointed when the time for rewards comes."
After saying this, Su Chen left without waiting for their reaction.
As soon as he departed, the tea house erupted into chaos.
The individuals who had been praising Wulan Manor snapped out of their trance and rushed to confront Su Chen.
But their agitated response only made the surrounding crowd more suspicious.
Many sided with Su Chen, accusing the others of being paid to speak favorably about Wulan Manor.
Their words condemned the betrayal of trust and the breaking of promises, which were considered serious character flaws in the Jin State.
Trust is the cornerstone of cooperation between sects and warriors.
Wulan Manor faced a challenging issue, and they sought to defend themselves.
However, the difficulty of this defense was not to be underestimated.
Su Chen knew that this situation would likely unfold in many places.
As a major sect in Jin State, Wulan Manor had the resources to enlist numerous supporters to speak on their behalf and even disparage themselves.
Furthermore, this was their primary means of clearing their name.
They would vilify themselves as evil, making it easier for others to accept their betrayal of a promise.
Over half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The official opening of the Heavenly Alchemy Expo had finally arrived.
The leaves around Summer Region City began to turn golden.
The leaves transformed from verdant green to a warm, sunny hue, while the weather grew cooler.
Autumn arrived late in Summer Region City.
But autumn had indeed come.
The city was no longer muggy as it was in early October, instead embracing the comfort of autumn.
Numerous alchemy forces from Jin State and Chu State, the two great powers, had gathered.
As the top two powerful nations of their time, there was much competition between them.
However, with the threat of demons looming, cooperation between the two countries prevailed.
The underlying theme was indeed collaboration.
But in many matters, there was still a need to determine who was superior and who was inferior.
Take, for example, the Heavenly Alchemy Expo.
Chu State sent twelve alchemy forces this time.
Naturally, they couldn't send many to participate in the expo in Jin State.
Twelve forces were already considered a significant number.
These twelve Chu State forces were likely carefully selected and sent by Chu State.
Their presence meant they would compete with the various alchemy forces of Jin State.
Of course, this competition between the two great nations held little relevance to Su Chen.
It wasn't something he should concern himself with.
He merely wanted to witness the spectacle.
As another great nation, Chu State's martial arts and alchemy differed significantly from Jin State.
Su Chen hoped to broaden his horizons.
He wanted to experience something new, something different.
Today marked the first day of the Heavenly Alchemy Expo.
The expo's main event was the exhibition.
Each sect and alchemy family displayed their highest-quality elixirs, showcasing their alchemy prowess.
The first day was straightforward.
Each force set up their elixirs in designated areas for others to observe.
Some smaller sects' alchemists were particularly enthusiastic.
They explained in great detail the effects, medicinal properties, and optimal methods of consumption of their elixirs.
Su Chen acted as a casual observer.
He strolled around, looking for novel or research-worthy elixirs.
The entire Summer Region City served as the venue for the expo.
The usual markets were all canceled.
The corresponding areas were now dedicated to displaying the exhibited elixirs.
As Su Chen walked, he noticed a pattern.
The more enthusiastic forces seemed to have rather ordinary elixirs.
It felt like they were compensating for their lack of skill with marketing techniques.
Summer Region City was bustling with activity.
Besides being a festival for alchemists, countless people came to witness the spectacle and purchase elixirs.
Despite the entire city being used for the exhibition, it still felt crowded.
Along the way, Su Chen spotted three alchemy forces from Zhou State.
Their location was surprisingly livelier than many of the Jin State alchemy forces.
The Jin and Shen families, two Zhou State alchemy families, presented Jade Essence Pills for visitors to admire.
However, the Jade Essence Pills they crafted only possessed about one-third of the jade essence quality.
Each pill, overall, still exhibited a grayish-brown hue.
They had learned the basics, and the elixirs they crafted were neither truly Jade Essence Pills nor ordinary pills.
But regardless, this unique quality ensured that the two families wouldn't be overlooked at the expo.
The two alchemy families lacked slightly in talent.
If they were slightly more skilled, they should have discerned more from the elixirs Su Chen had given them.
They shouldn't have learned only the most superficial aspects.
Su Chen continued his leisurely stroll past the Jin and Shen families' locations.
And with this stroll, he entered the area where the alchemy forces of Chu State were exhibiting.
Observe its form, smell its scent, and taste its properties.
These are the three steps to evaluate the quality of an elixir.
However, most of the time, people can only manage the first two steps.
Wanting to taste an elixir is simply out of the question.
Pushing through the crowd, SuChen approached the elixirs displayed by various forces of Chu State and took a close look.
From the outside, SuChen did not feel that the Way of Elixirs in Chu State had anything particularly unique.
He could only say that the elixirs they displayed were indeed very difficult to craft.
However, the core techniques were almost identical to those used in Jin State for crafting elixirs.
During his time at Zhu Ming Gong, SuChen had systematically studied the knowledge of elixirs.
He taught Zhu Ming Gong the technique for refining Jade Essence Pills.
In return, he had also gained some benefits from Zhu Ming Gong.
However, this benefit was not of high value.
Based on his own understanding, SuChen reached the conclusion that the elixir techniques in Jin and Chu States were like those taught by the same master.
The differences between the two were even smaller than those between Jin State and Zhou Kingdom.
Of course, having the same core techniques was not necessarily a flaw.
The elixir techniques in Jin State were already very prosperous, and being similar to them should be a form of praise.
In the area where the forces of Chu State were exhibiting, there were many people observing.
Some people, whether intentionally causing trouble or for other reasons, asked if they could buy elixirs from Chu State.
The forces from Chu State that could participate in the Heavenly Alchemy Expo were naturally very prestigious alchemy sects in their own country.
Their elixirs were already in high demand in Chu State, so why would they sell to people from Jin State?
However, in front of others, they all exchanged pleasantries and jokes, giving each other a way out.
Everyone was a distinguished figure, and they all needed to maintain their dignity in public.
SuChen wandered around, covering most of the Summer Region City.
He seemed toHave walked through most areas.
However, on his journey, he noticed that quite a few forces had not come to participate in the exhibition.
For example, the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion.
After these two sects joined forces, their reputation skyrocketed.
Many people had some expectations for these two sects and wanted to see what results they could present.
Previously, it was widely publicized that under the joint efforts of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion, the quality of Jade Essence Pills was on par with Zhu Ming Gong.
Moreover, the variety of elixirs they could craft usingJade techniques was greater than that of Zhu Ming Gong.
The resurgence of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion had effectively pulled Zhu Ming Gong down from its pedestal.
For most people, this was definitely a good thing.
With these forces competing, they could obtain Jade Essence Pills at a lower cost.
After wandering around, SuChen found the area where Zhu Ming Gong was displaying their elixirs.
However, he still did not find the exhibits of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion.
Seeing this, SuChen asked some of the onlookers around him.
A fellow bystander answered, telling SuChen that the exhibits of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion would only be available the next day.
Moreover, the second day of the Heavenly Alchemy Expo was typically more interesting.
On the second day ofThe Heavenly AlchemyExpo, many alchemy platforms would be set up.
Some alchemists from various forces would refine elixirs on the spot, showcasing their exquisite skills.
The elixirs displayed could only demonstrate the highest level of an alchemy force.
However, the elixirs refined on-site would prove the minimum standard of an alchemy force.
Using such hastily prepared tools in a noisy environment, if they could still refine high-quality elixirs, the refining ability of that force would definitely be excellent.
If one commissioned them to refine elixirs, the medicinal herbs would not be wasted so easily.
This method was the most direct way to prove the capability of a sect.
Moreover, it was also very entertaining.
At every such Heavenly Alchemy Expo, many people would fail during the on-site refinement of elixirs.
Watching whether an alchemist succeeded or failed was extremely interesting.
Some elixirs took one or two hours to refine.
Many people would place wagers and make bets, guessing whether the elixir would succeed.
Compared to simply watching how elixirs were refined, this added a lot of fun.
Over the years, many people came here just for this enjoyment.
If one was not an alchemist, why would they have the interest to study elixirs closely all the time?
Hearing this, SuChen decided to return and rest, preparing to come back the next day to take a look.
As the sky grew dark, after the first day of the exhibition ended.
SuChen took the initiative to find the people from Zhu Ming Gong.
(End of Chapter)
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