Chapter 581, Taking Positions

Translator: Silavin

 

“That’s… Qian Zhengchen?!”

 

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

 

It was a young man dressed in white robes, approximately twenty years old. Unlike those Nobles, he wore no expensive ornaments or accessories. His simple white garments made him appear extraordinarily otherworldly.

 

At this moment, not only did the Alchemy Masters already standing on the stone platforms turn their gazes towards him, but even the geniuses from the top Forces walking nearby cast their eyes in his direction.

 

Upon seeing Qian Zhengchen in his white robes, a clear flash of wariness appeared in their eyes.

 

After all, Qian Zhengchen was no simple character. Within the Heavenly Dragon Imperial City, there was a saying: “In Martial Arts, there is Ouyang Haotian; in Alchemy, there is Qian Zhengchen.”

 

This showed just how extraordinarily talented he was. Moreover, his background was even more remarkable, in no way inferior to Ouyang Haotian.

 

Qian Zhengchen was the Son of the Qian Family Patriarch and a mysterious woman from a Hidden Family. Since childhood, he had received training within that Hidden Family, which was why his cultivation far exceeded that of ordinary people.

 

He was born as someone chosen by Heaven. He possessed not only an illustrious background but also talent that ordinary people could never hope to reach.

 

With both concentrated in the same person, they had forged his current reputation.

 

“Brother Zhengchen has come as well…”

 

Those people from the top Families went forward to greet him when they saw him approaching.

 

“En.” However, Qian Zhengchen merely responded with a faint acknowledgement before ignoring them completely, walking towards his own position by himself.

 

This action clearly made the faces of those top Family members rather unsightly, but considering his status, none of them said anything.

 

One must know that the reason the Qian Family could compete with Feng Family’s business was entirely due to the Hidden Family behind the Qian Family.

 

“Qian Zhengchen…” Qin Yichen, who had originally planned to breathe a sigh of relief, clearly showed some gravity in his expression upon seeing him appear.

 

This Qian Zhengchen was a legendary figure of the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Dynasty. It was said that this person had broken through to become an Earth Grade Alchemy Master before the age of thirty, and had left the Imperial Dynasty to train elsewhere, achieving considerable accomplishments.

 

Although Qin Yichen had never seen him in his previous life nor crossed hands with him, he had heard quite a few stories about his achievements.

 

He was a prodigy! A genius! He had countless titles.

 

With such great fame, he naturally must have the skills to back it. Thus, Qin Yichen had his full attention on him.

 

If it came to comparing Alchemy Techniques, the current Qian Zhengchen might not necessarily be his match, but in terms of Spiritual Energy cultivation, Qin Yichen was at a disadvantage.

 

[This will be interesting.] Qin Yichen showed no trace of fear. On the contrary, he was full of enthusiasm, looking forward to crossing hands with him.

 

“You really did come to participate in the Alchemy Manor Summit…”

 

Just as he was focusing his attention on Qian Zhengchen, a rather grating voice sounded beside his ear.

 

It was Ouyang Wensu.

 

He was walking together with those people from the top Families but had now circled around to Qin Yichen, staring at him with a gloomy expression.

 

One could see that he was very dissatisfied about losing to Qin Yichen in the crystal gambling.

 

At least, from the surface, the reason Qin Yichen could defeat him was entirely due to his exceptionally good luck.

 

After all, who could have predicted that a Spirit Dissolving Stone could actually yield a Peak Grade Spirit Seed?

 

“If a defeated opponent like you can come, why can’t I?” Qin Yichen raised his head and retorted.

 

“You…” Immediately, Ouyang Wensu’s face flushed red with anger, his body trembling with rage. Particularly seeing Qin Yichen’s smug appearance made him feel like vomiting blood.

 

The Disciples from the top Families behind him also watched this scene with great interest. Perhaps they had not been present at Water Moon Crystal House at the time, but they had all heard something about what happened there.

 

After all, it was an incident that had caused the Ouyang Family to lose all their face.

 

However, no one believed that Qin Yichen’s strength was superior to Ouyang Wensu’s.

 

After all, Ouyang Wensu had been personally trained by Ouyang Zhutian, a Divine Appraiser. Even without Divine Eyes, he could still appraise the crystals, which further proved that Ouyang Wensu had reached a level in Spiritual Energy cultivation that ordinary people could never hope to achieve. Otherwise, how could he appraise crystals?

 

Yet at this moment, Qin Yichen still dared to actively provoke Ouyang Wensu. In their view, this was behaviour that showed ignorance of how high Heavens was or how thick the Earth was.

 

“Boy, I will definitely trample you underfoot in front of everyone!” Knowing he could not out-argue Qin Yichen, Ouyang Wensu spoke grimly, the corners of his mouth curving into a sinister arc. “I hope you can persist until that moment.”

 

Perhaps in Crystal Appraisal, Qin Yichen could win through luck, but in Alchemy and in Spiritual Energy cultivation, luck alone could not compensate for ones’ inadequacy.

 

His latter statement clearly had such a meaning.

 

However, Qin Yichen expression remained unchanged. From the beginning, he had known that Ouyang Haotian would definitely not let him go. But did that mean he had to fear him?!

 

…

 

As they took their positions, the atmosphere at the venue became solemn. On the high platform, above the stone platform, Dan Xuan spoke again. “’Free Participants’, take your positions.”

 

At this time, many stone platforms remained empty at the venue.

 

According to the rules of the Alchemy Manor Summit, ability determines position.

 

The ‘Free Participants’ could choose to occupy a stone platform and wait for others to challenge them. Of course, they could also directly challenge those Alchemy Manor representatives standing on the platforms.

 

However, challenging Alchemy Manor representatives carried certain risks.

 

After all, among the Free Participants, abilities varied greatly. No one was willing to expose some of their trump cards before things had even begun.

 

Unless they had sufficient confidence in their own strength.

 

In a casual glance, Qin Yichen spotted Gongshu Zhiyi and Shen Ling mixed among the crowd. Immediately, he slapped his forehead, feeling a great headache coming. [How did I forget about that troublemaker?]

 

However, just as he was feeling uneasy and worried about what Gongshu Zhiyi might stir up, a figure walked straight towards him.

 

This was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Although his appearance was not outstanding, his eyes seemed to flash with lightning. Just meeting his gaze once would give one the feeling of being struck by electricity.

 

Moreover, the Spiritual Energy fluctuations emanating from his body were particularly violent, making it seem as though a layer of electrical arcs surrounded him. Therefore, as he walked through the crowd, people around him automatically made way, avoiding contact with him.

 

“The Cold Lightning, Jiang Hao. Why is he here…?”

 

Upon seeing this person, someone cried out softly.

 

‘Cold Lightning’ It was said that the one who held this title had once been struck by lightning before but did not die. Moreover, his Spiritual Energy had undergone a terrifying mutation, carrying the might of lightning!

 

Although he was not particularly skilled at Alchemy, if one were to compete with him in terms of Spiritual Energy… the outcome would be miserable for the challenger.