I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 178 - 176: Xi Yuan Tournament (Part 2)

At the competition site, the host continued:

"Unlike the previous match, this competition has no time limit. Mr. Lin, what do you think this regulation signifies?"

Lin Zhian habitually adjusted his glasses frame and said:

"With no time constraints, it means that field survival is now part of the competition content. Contestants must be vigilant against attacks from desert wildlife, reasonably allocate their Energy Stones, find ways to locate food and water sources, and substitute high-grade Crystal Stones for Energy Stones. This significantly increases the difficulty of the competition."

"Even though there’s no time limit, the harsh climate won’t allow contestants to delay too long; otherwise, it could be life-threatening. Most teams will finish the competition within five days or withdraw."

Host: "Mr. Lin is right; this competition is far more dangerous than the Tianyi Race."

The host turned his face to Zou Huali and asked, "Master Zou, considering that the climate of the Yeya Desert is harsh, with little rain and plants suffering from long-term water deficiency, are they weaker than those in other places?"

"Certainly not."

When it comes to professional topics, Zou Huali is quite eloquent.

"The Life Force of plants on Qianyuan Continent is stronger than you can imagine. In the environment of high temperatures and water scarcity, weak plants die off, while the strong ones gradually evolve unique plant shapes and seeding methods, thriving even more."

"They won’t miss any opportunity to obtain water and nutrients, thus evolving various unexpected predatory methods. The density of desert plants may not be as concentrated as those in the Rainforest Region, but their danger level is certainly higher."

With Zou Huali’s explanation, thousands of floating invisible cameras above the desert transmitted panoramic images of the Yeya Desert.

The lenses stretched out, and viewers saw the desert wasn’t completely barren; amidst the dunes scattered thousands of oases, some as large as city squares, others smaller than a shoe sole.

Regardless of size, these oases are exceptionally covered with diverse plants, colorful, uniquely shaped, vibrant, yet menacing.

After experiencing the desert scenery, the camera switched back to the city square, and the host began routine introductions of the teams.

After the first race, viewers had become familiar with the four teams, so the host didn’t linger, allowing the camera to briefly focus on each team, giving room for the chat to unleash its creativity.

Host: "First, let’s introduce the previous competition’s champion team – the Tianyi Team!"

The four members of Tianyi Team appeared on the screen, and unsurprisingly, the broadcast lagged again.

//Ahhhh I’m dead! Chu God’s new hairstyle is explosively handsome!//

//Is Chu Yunyi really the male protagonist in that gossip post? Oh my, who is the female protagonist? Is it really Li Xing the god?//

//I heard the person who posted was a Yun fan, who initially posted because the male protagonist’s physique resembled Chu Yunyi’s, trying to gain heat. Unexpectedly, they got confirmation, now their heart must be shattered like minced dumpling filling, hahahaha!//

//Everyone stop talking nonsense, our Star Alliance doesn’t acknowledge the Starcloud CP! The internet is not lawless, rumors have consequences, I urge you all to be kind.//

//Please, Jiang Yuesheng, An Qing, and Lin Caier, show some spirit, don’t let Chu Yunyi carry everything alone, we mother fans can’t see him exhausted!//

...

Host: "In the previous match, the Tianyi Team obtained fifty Competition Tokens, and the number of Tokens corresponds to the number of minutes to enter the venue in advance. According to the competition rules, the Tianyi Team will enter the venue fifty minutes earlier than the Tu Ling Team."

Online, there’s another wave of criticism targeting the Tu Ling Team and Cold Smoke Pavilion, causing Zhou to shut down the chat function to avoid frustration.

The camera switched again.

Host: "Now appearing on the screen is the biggest dark horse of the last competition, the Neversettle Team!"

Though Neversettle Team is a new squad, they left many surprises and unexpected thrills for viewers in the last competition, overpowering opponents with strength, earning a good reputation for Harssas Academy, and gaining the audience’s favor.

When the camera focused on them, there was an enthusiastic applause on-site, not losing to the Tianyi Team, and the internet was filled with a cacophony of gongs and drums.

Datang City’s Li Family.

Anna’s belly was slightly rounded, and Li Yi thoughtfully placed a pillow under her lower back to make her more comfortable. On the living room TV, a close-up of Li Xing was being broadcast.

"Brother Yi, do you think this competition, can Xiao Xing and the others pass safely?" Anna’s only demand was safety.

Li Yi confidently replied, "Absolutely! Not only will they pass safely, but they are also highly likely to finish first!"

Li Yi has always had great confidence in their children’s abilities.

A shop is closed for routine today, and hacker Qian Xiaowu’s fingers tapped out shadows on the keyboard, providing special bullet screen effects for Harssas’s fan army.

Yang Dawei looked left and right, constantly feeling he had forgotten something.

Suddenly he shouted:

"Shit—! Wang Liang, hurry to the Alchemy Room and call out the two masters to watch the competition. I don’t have time to apologize to anyone today!"

Yang Dawei was referring to Ning Zhun and Ning Yao, who since becoming contracted Healing Masters for the shop, have been doing Alchemy under Li Xing’s guidance. There have been results, but the process has been somewhat tumultuous.

Initially, when producing simple medicine, Li Xing could modify the formula for Ning Zhun to use familiar alchemy tools for production. But as the medicine complexity increased, the Healing Master’s equipment could no longer suffice for refining the medicine’s purity.

After a candid discussion with Ning Zhun, Li Xing drew up a sketch referencing an Artifact Refining Furnace and had a simplified Alchemy Furnace made for Ning Zhun, allowing him to start learning Ancient Alchemy from scratch.

Starting from scratch, Ning Zhun is going through the darkest period of his life, with frequent furnace explosions, blowing away not only costly materials but also his self-esteem built over more than a decade.

Only now does Ning Zhun realize compared to him, Li Xing’s furnace explosion rate is incredibly low, and even Ning Yao is much better. He feels great disdain for himself for not understanding Li Xing at the time.

Li Xing, however, takes Ning Zhun’s failures with an open mind, understanding this is a necessary phase for Healing Masters transitioning from medicine making to Alchemy. Not everyone would necessarily do better than Ning Zhun.

Compared to Li Xing’s mindset, Yang Dawei’s mentality is much more collapsed. With Ning Zhun and Ning Yao causing various explosions daily, even with high-level defensive formation protection, the Alchemy Room looks like the site of a Xiandu Sect attack.

Although the shop’s surroundings have been leased by Ye Family, passersby and nearby residents are frequently frightened by the explosion sounds and aftershocks.

As the shop owner, Yang Dawei is constantly like a grandson, apologizing everywhere, to the extent he now involuntarily weakens when someone makes a fart sound, ready to kneel.

Not long after, Ning Zhun and Ning Yao hurriedly arrived, letting Yang Dawei finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Great, no need to kneel today.

These two are currently alchemy fanatics, deeply immersed in the Alchemy Dao world, spending twenty-four hours in the Alchemy Room. If Wang Liang hadn’t reminded them, they would have forgotten today is Li Xing’s competition day.

Ning Yao plopped down beside Qian Xiaowu, flexed her fingers, and took out a tablet to summon Star Alliance members for cooperation with Qian Xiaowu to cheer and support Li Xing and the Neversettle Team.

——————

Live broadcast scene.

After introducing the host Desert Boat Team, finally it was the Tu Ling Team’s turn.

Host: "Cold Smoke Pavilion sent the Tu Ling Team again this time. However, the captain position is now held by contestant Song Shurun."

In the footage, Lin Yin slightly lowered his head, black hair concealing his eyes, making it hard to discern his expression. Although the four of them stood together with no communication, Lin Yin’s aura seemed completely mismatched with the others.

After speaking, the host cautiously glanced at Lin Zhian, finding no dissatisfaction, he was relieved.

"Mr. Lin, contestant Lin Yin suffered serious injuries in the previous match, how is his recovery?"

Lin Zhian smiled gently and replied, "Thanks for the host’s concern. After the berserk status was lifted, Lin Yin’s condition stabilized. His injuries are external, appearing severe but not major. Recovery medicine was used, and he has fully healed."

Host: "That’s wonderful, let’s look forward to contestant Lin Yin’s performance in this match!"