Chapter 33 Testing Alternatives
Facts have proved that Long Aotian is worthy of being Long Aotian.
Even though Qi Qing was lying flat the whole time and Yue Ji was the only one exerting effort, they still won the semi-final very easily. It was so easy that everyone couldn't help but look sideways and pay special attention to their group.
Qi Qing looked calm and composed, but in fact he had a hundred claws scratching at his heart.
He still regrets it.
One of them was not kept under control, and Yue Ji signed up for the master-disciple track.
Putting aside his biggest competitor Miao Zheng, if Yue Ji wins the master-disciple competition, wouldn't it show everyone that he has a master - then would the old monster in the original novel still be interested in him as his apprentice?
After returning home, Qi Qing kept thinking about this problem, and even took out the original book and read it several times overnight, but still to no avail.
His points were only enough to redeem the plot after the alchemy conference just ended. From the description in the original text, the old monster was obsessed with alchemy all his life, and he hated evil. He valued Yue Ji's alchemy talent very much, and accepted Yue Ji to teach him a legitimate successor. After the master and apprentice returned to the sect, the old monster personally taught Yue Ji the alchemy experience every day, and taught him every detail. It was obvious that he was laying the foundation for Long Aotian's future development in all aspects.
It would be fine if he was just an alchemy instructor, but when reading it for the fourth time, Qi Qing discovered a clue.
There are three chapters in total in which the old monster teaches Yue Ji, two of which mention an unknown secret realm.
Although the name of the secret realm was not explicitly mentioned, the old monster bluntly stated that there was great fortune in this secret realm. When Yue Ji became a purple-level alchemist in the future, he would be able to enter the secret realm in advance to practice based on his identity.
This is obviously a "carrot" hanging by a thread, and Qi Qing has no idea what the plot will be like next.
He looked at the blank back page and sighed. The score requirements for unlocking the live broadcast were getting higher and higher. Maybe after the alchemy conference was over, he would not be able to unlock the subsequent plot.
You have to take it one step at a time to decide what to do.
The rest time after the rematch was not abundant. Yue Ji worked hard to learn alchemy while secretly improving the sign. Qi Qing turned a blind eye to the latter and pretended not to know.
Half a month passed in a flash.
When he actually stepped into the finals, Qi Qing no longer felt the nervousness he had before.
What if the old monster doesn't accept Yue Ji? The plot won't stagnate, and the sky won't fall.
Yue Ji noticed that he was absent-minded and asked quietly, "Master, didn't you get enough rest last night?"
Qi Qing came back to his senses and said, "It's okay."
The boy has always been perceptive, and his eyes are still fixed on him, as if he doesn't believe what he says.
Qi Qing had no choice but to say, "It's really alright, let's go in."
He took a few steps forward and suddenly said, "Yue Ji, if... I mean if, after this conference, a great alchemist takes a fancy to you and wants to take you as his apprentice, would you be willing?"
The young man spoke in a relaxed and smiling tone, as if he was telling a casual joke.
Yue Ji did not hesitate and said decisively: "No."
"Why?" Qi Qing raised his eyebrows and asked, "What if that great man comes from a famous family, is a decent person, and has a high level of cultivation?"
Yue Ji still said: "I don't want to."
Qi Qing smiled and shook his head, saying, "You, sometimes being a little flexible may not be a bad thing."
The boy's dark eyes looked straight at him, as if he had sensed something. Qi Qing was afraid that he might hear something behind his words, so he tried to smooth things over by saying, "Okay, hurry up and leave. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to squeeze in."
The two passed the gate guards with the qualifications for the semi-finals and officially entered the alchemy conference venue.
There were formation cultivators in the field who cast space magic, expanding the inner field into a vast space that could accommodate a thousand people. In addition to the first floor of competition seats and spectator seats, there were also two floors of VIP rooms above, which provided a resting place for the Liucheng nobles and elders of the major sects who came to watch the game.
When entering the venue, Qi Qing inexplicably felt a pair of eyes falling on him, as if someone was observing him secretly.
He immediately looked up, but the windows of the VIP room were half-closed and no one was visible. The gaze just now was just an illusion.
There were a large number of Dan practitioners who came to watch the finals, almost more than the first two games combined.
Qi Qing crossed the crowd and pulled Yue Ji to the side of the registration elder, and took out their qualification certificates: "Hello, we are here to participate in the finals."
The elder took a routine look and was about to make a note when his pen suddenly stopped.
"Yue Ji?"
He identified the name on the qualification order, raised his head, and looked at the two of them meaningfully. His eyes were fixed on the young man in black, and he smiled and said, "Your name is Yue Ji?"
Yue Ji frowned, instinctively feeling a sense of displeasure at his gaze, and said indifferently: "I am, what's wrong?"
"Genius emerges young," the elder handed the qualification certificate back to him and said with a smile, "Try hard in the finals and don't let people down... maybe an unattainable opportunity will fall from the sky."
Yue Ji narrowed his eyes and tried to refute the implication in his words, but Qi Qing quickly took the qualification order before Yue Ji and said with a smile, "Then I will accept your good words."
Seeing this, the boy paused, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
Due to the large number of people around, he didn't ask and just followed Qi Qing in silence.
Their assigned number was fifty-nine. The boy led the way, brought them to the cauldron, and brought them the necessary spiritual herbs.
There was a piece of black paper covering the tripod. Qi Qing turned it over and saw the final exam question on it.
To his surprise, the final did not use a random pill recipe like the preliminary and semi-finals, but everyone refined the same pill - the Soul-Condensing Pill.
This pill is of moderate difficulty, between green and blue levels, and has the effect of calming the mind and calming the spirit, but the dragon blood grass in it is very rare. Although other spiritual herbs can be used as substitutes, the grade and efficacy of the substitutes can never be compared with the soul-condensing pill with dragon blood grass added.
The Alchemy Conference naturally will not provide Dragon Blood Grass to everyone, so this question tests the alchemist's ability to choose substitutes.
Following the invigilator's command, hundreds of contestants quickly moved.
Yue Ji opened the furnace and used the fire spirit root to warm it up as usual, saying, "Silver square, six corners, and sky kudzu."
Qi Qing found the spiritual herbs one by one, and after Yue Ji confirmed that they were correct, he put them directly into the cauldron without any intention of waiting for the fire to set.
Dan Xiu next to him looked at him in shock and then shook his head.
He can’t even control fire, how did he make it to the finals?
Yue Ji didn't even glance at the man, and continued: "Li Bai, Gan Nian Zi, Che Hou Cao."
If other alchemists knew that his alchemy style has always been so simple and crude, and the only time he almost failed was because the process was too formal, they would probably vomit blood.
Qi Qing searched among the spiritual herbs and said, "There is no Chehou grass."
The temperature had reached a critical moment, Yue Ji quickly adjusted the recipe, and asked distractedly: "Where is the Jade Marrow Ganoderma?"
Qi Qing searched again and immediately frowned and said, "Nothing either."
Among the spiritual herbs that could replace dragon blood grass, only these two have the strongest medicinal properties. Why didn't the Alchemy Association prepare them? Or did they miss this ingredient?
Yue Ji dispersed the flame that was about to lick his palm and asked calmly: "Do you have Seven Star Flower and Red Gold Ganoderma?"
"There is a Seven Star Flower." Qi Qing flipped through it and his face quickly darkened: "... there is only half of the Red Gold Ganoderma."
Now even a fool can tell that something is wrong.
What a coincidence! There are only a limited number of spiritual herbs that can replace dragon blood grass. They are already missing two or three of them, and the only one they can use is red gold grass, and they only have half a piece.
If you say it hasn't been tampered with, no one will believe it.
Yue Ji's hand controlling the fire gradually slowed down, he pursed his lips, and his brows became cold.
At this moment, Qi Qing suddenly noticed again the gaze that was looking at him when he entered the venue.
He did not act rashly to alert the enemy, but pretended to look for spiritual herbs, while he glanced towards the second floor without revealing any expression.
The window of the VIP room diagonally opposite their position had become half-covered at some point.
A vague, hunched shadow quietly appeared behind the window.
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