I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 171 - 169: Festival of Light
The days of attending classes during the day and extra training at night were monotonous yet routine. The excitement of the competition hadn’t diminished at all, even with a two-month break; instead, it was like aged wine, growing more intense with time.
As the dark horse team of this competition, Li Xing and the others were undoubtedly the stars of Harass Academy, drawing attention from classmates wherever they went.
Considering that seeing these four star students bruised and limping back from training every day might frighten other students and negatively impact new enrolments, some adjustments were made. Once more, the training instructors were called to a meeting to shift the training mode from hellish back to humane.
Days passed by like this, and now there was less than a week to the Xi Yuan Tournament. The closer it got to the competition, the less demanding the teachers became of the four.
The purpose was simple: firstly, getting injured close to the tournament would definitely affect performance, so any possible injuries had to be avoided; secondly, to ease the students’ mental pressure.
Flexible and balanced, the art of both civil and military, excessively high-intensity training wouldn’t be effective. It’s necessary to relax when it’s time to relax.
Today is the Festival of Light, and Harass City is holding a grand parade celebration.
Harass Academy had a day off today, and all the students rushed to the streets to revel. Li Xing and the others were no exception, slipping out under the indulgent eyes of the teachers to enjoy the festivities.
Exactly ten thousand years ago today, the Thirty-Six Sages rescued the last tribe of primitive people on Qianyuan Continent, helping them ignite flames, drive away the Star Beasts, and bestow upon them light and hope.
To commemorate the Thirty-Six Sages and show gratitude for their kindness, the people of Qianyuan designated this day as the Festival of Light. Every year on this day, the twelve cities on Qianyuan Continent would host grand celebrations.
All streets of Harass City were lined with ribbons and balloons, and various street-side shops and restaurants spontaneously decorated their establishments to be festive and beautiful, full of the holiday spirit.
The streets were bustling with people, many residents dressed in animal skin, with oil paint drawing various primitive totems and patterns on their faces. They carried simulated bouquets, disguised as members from ancient tribes saved by the Thirty-Six Sages, and flocked to the streets to join the celebration.
Countless flying devices decorated as giant flower baskets trailed colorful flames, writing all sorts of blessings and slogans in the sky before showering artificial petals in all colors on the tourists below, rushing past.
Gigantic parade floats formed a long line and moved slowly down the center of the road, featuring various captivating performances—acrobatics, dances, combat techniques, magic, music—leaving the viewers dazzled.
Li Xing, mingling within the crowd, found everything fascinating. Datang City also celebrated the Festival of Light, but compared to the scene before them, it looked minor.
The festive atmosphere touched everyone, and smiles of happiness adorned the faces of people young and old, making one marvel at the beauty of such a prosperous era.
After walking through most of the city with the parade, Li Xing and the others were getting hungry when they noticed a nice-looking restaurant by the street and lined up to get seats.
For the customers to better experience the festive atmosphere, the restaurant specially set up an outdoor dining area at its entrance.
When it was Li Xing’s group’s turn, a table in the outdoor area just happened to become available. It was sheer luck, and the four of them gladly claimed this prime spot, eating while enjoying the parade’s performance up close.
To create a retro and traditional dining atmosphere, the restaurant used manual service, and not long after they sat down, a blonde waiter served them the appetizers.
Cui Tianxiao tasted a spoonful of black trout roe and complained with a frown, "This kind of thing for six hundred star coins a portion? They haven’t even removed the fishy smell properly! Might as well go back and eat Xing Er’s stew!"
Ye Qingting ordered the quads of foie gras as an appetizer, which wasn’t fishy or foul, but also didn’t taste particularly good.
"It’s a festival, with lots of customers, and the kitchen is too busy, so most dishes are pre-made, naturally sacrificing some flavor. Just eat it as it is!"
"Brother Xiao, be content. I haven’t even eaten yet!"
Qi Ming struggled with the shell of a fortress snail, regretting ordering the appetizer, as it was not only laborious but also offered little meat, causing frustration.
Li Xing wasn’t very picky. She could enjoy the food at Datang Academy’s cafeteria heartily, let alone a restaurant in an upper city. Li Xing stuffed smoked molar salmon into her mouth while waiting for the float to come by.
The float closest to them was performing a dance. Five men, bare-chested, wearing animal skin skirts around their waists and exuding a wild beauty, formed a circle and danced to the beat of the drums.
The dance moves were powerful, and with each step and spin, the dancers exuded a masculine beauty. The rhythmic beating of the drums transported the audience back to the difficult times of raw survival and fierce battles with Star Beasts.
The drums grew louder and faster, and the dancers’ movements became frenzied. Suddenly, all dancers stood back-to-back, facing the audience on both sides of the float.
Amidst the storm-like drumming, all dancers simultaneously raised their hands, releasing dazzling Elemental Power towards the sky.
Gold, water, wood, fire, and earth—these five elements clashed in the air like ribbons, emitting brilliant light. The aftershock of the collision spread around, and the abundant Elemental Power turned into tiny sparks, falling into the crowd.
The crowd erupted in excitement; it turned out each dancer represented an Elemental Spirit, and they were performing an epic about the awakening of Elemental Spirits among the people of Qianyuan!
Those smeared with Elemental Power considered it a good omen and were particularly delighted.
The performance was so spectacular that the audience broke into enthusiastic cheers and applause, throwing simulation flowers one after another towards the float.
There was competition among the parade floats too; the one that gathered the most simulation flowers would be the Festival of Light’s float champion, to be rewarded by the City Lord Mansion. Judging by the audience’s reaction, this float was definitely a top contender for the title.
After releasing their Elemental Power, the dancers formed a circle again, repeating the earlier dance. With the float surrounded by eager spectators wanting a second watch, it slowly made its way towards Li Xing and her friends.
The waiter arrived with the main course, roasted water rhinoceros meat, carefully slicing the large pieces into smaller ones and dividing them among Li Xing’s group.
The float was now directly in front of the restaurant. Li Xing curiously examined the five dancers, accidentally locking eyes with one of them.
Though it was only for a moment, Li Xing clearly saw his eyes. Despite the smile on his face, his gaze was as cold and merciless as a killer, entirely incongruent with a dancer’s demeanor.
Li Xing thought something was wrong—this float was about to cause trouble.
No sooner said than done, before Li Xing could warn anyone, all five dancers simultaneously launched an Elemental Attack on the crowd.
Most of the spectators were ordinary people, powerless against the Elemental Attack of Elemental Spirits. The area around the float immediately turned into a living hell, with flesh and limbs flying everywhere.
Crowds farther from the float, witnessing the terrifying tragedy and screaming, tried to flee.
Among the crowd were Elemental Spirits; seeing the violence, they attempted to intervene, but the density of the crowd only pushed them further away instead of closer.
Near the float, people fled in panic, while those behind, unaware of the danger, were trampled in the chaos, causing a stampede. The street descended into utter chaos, filled with cries and screams.
Li Xing’s eyes turned red, and she shouted, "Save them——!" and dashed towards the float.
At that very moment, a dagger was thrust unexpectedly from behind, about to stab into Li Xing’s back when Ye Qingting, his eyes wide with rage, screamed:
"Ah Xing——!"
