An Unconventional Alchemy Competition

Wang Tianhao was deeply attracted to Nalan Yanran from the first moment he saw her.

Therefore, Wang Tianhao resolutely chose to join the Misty Cloud Sect.

But what's the problem? He hasn't even been able to get into the inner gate yet!

But if Yang Shan hadn't been stopped by the "Online Health Survey Questionnaire," he probably would have already been arrested!

Damn it!

He deserves to die! Wang Tianhao knew he still had a chance.

Because he had used his connections to consult with internal staff at Tian Yao Company.

Although insiders remain tight-lipped about the game's contents.

However, he also revealed some details that had absolutely no impact on the game.

For example, if a player's favorability with a character like Nalan Yanran, who has a significant role in the original novel, exceeds 80 points, the official team will issue an announcement! Currently, no such announcement has been issued across the entire server.

This means that Yang Shan's relationship with Nalan Yanran is at least not good enough for them to be engaged!

It's not too late.

But Wang Tianhao saw that the beauty he admired was now with another man.

The worst part is that the guy had two stunningly beautiful women with him! That bastard Yang One-Blade! Even burnt coal wouldn't be as bad as him!

Nalan Yanran, wake up! But Wang Tianhao said nothing.

Because eight Royal Guard, whose arms looked thicker than his thighs, had already surrounded him.

Yang Shan simply ignored Wang Tianhao's loud chatter.

However, Hao Yunqi, who was next to Wang Tianhao, caught Yang Shan's attention.

Yang Shan remembered that Hao Yunqi in his previous life also had a very impressive performance at this Alchemist Convention.

Of course, the one who stood out even more than Hao Yunqi in his past life was Xiao Aotian, who was also staring intently at him now, and who had Xiao Mei by his side.

That was the runner-up, only losing to the number one Alchemist in the entire server in his previous life.

Su Yitang whispered, "Boss, boss, I beg you, please go inside. If you keep standing here, you're going to cause a traffic jam!"

Su Yitang really wants to escape now.

Too many people were watching her.

If she stayed here any longer, Su Yitang was worried that her gaming helmet would sound an alarm! "Looks like there's no way we'll encounter it again. We'll see later, sigh."

Yang Shan also knew that he couldn't delay for too long.

There's no way around it; people are afraid of becoming famous, just like pigs are afraid of getting fat. Now, I don't know how many players want to kill him.

If his combat power hadn't surpassed the current version, he probably would have already been sent back to the Novice Realm.

Yang Shan entered the competition tunnel.

[Ding! Player, please note that you are about to be teleported to the preliminary round of the Alchemist Convention.]

The scene before Yang Shan's eyes was like ripples on a calm lake.

As the ripples gradually subsided, Yang Shan still saw the Royal Plaza.

On the two thousand high stone platforms, many people were already standing.

The surrounding stands were already full of people.

The VIP viewing platform at the very front has three levels.

Although they were in a secret realm, Yang Shan still saw Ya Fei smiling at him from the second floor of the VIP lounge, and Nalan Yanran with a calm expression who only nodded slightly to him.

Sure enough, Nalan Yanran's arrogance kicked in at formal occasions! In fact, there should already be at least a thousand similar secret realms in this Royal Plaza.

The difference lies in the NPCs' behavior and the surrounding audience.

Players can choose to find the secret realm number where their friends are located, and then enter it to become spectators.

For example, right now, when Yang Shan saw the audience seats on his left, he stood up and shouted to Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng:

"Keep it up, Great God!"

"Brother Yang, it's your turn to perform!"

The lines spoken by Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to cheer them on were utterly unoriginal, even less creative than those of Mei Yangyang standing next to them.

"Great God Yang! Hey! Great God Yang!"

Mei Yangyang waved frantically at Yang Shan.

After all, he was his inside man at the Jia Nan Academy, so Yang Shan politely waved in response.

Mei Yangyang's voice was much louder. "Great God Yang, if you win the championship, I'll send you pictures of stockings, unedited! You can choose any style!"

Yang Shan: "."

Unfortunately, Mei Yangyang is fairly good-looking, but her figure is rather flat, and only her legs can really show off her charm.

Chao Bafang: "Holy crap! What an open-minded girl!"

Zhu Tianpeng, with his beer belly sticking out, approached and said, "Hello beautiful, I am Zhu Tianpeng. Can we be friends?"

Mei Yangyang: "Hey! Pig Ganglie, I remember you. You seem to be a player signed by the Great God Yang. I heard you're very powerful."

Zhu Tianpeng: "."

Chao Bafang laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face.

Indeed, what can make a grown man shed tears is definitely not sadness.

But when you're happy and laugh for too long, you really can't stop the tears.

Su Yitang kept her head down, but she was also secretly glancing at Mei Yangyang.

"Has the boss signed any other female gamers? She's quite cute, and those stockings... is this the boss's fantasy?"

After responding to everyone he knew, Yang Shan continued to scan the contestants in the secret realm.

There are three minutes left on the countdown timer in the lower left corner of your eye.

Almost all of the two thousand participants have arrived.

Yang Shan still did not see the number one Alchemist from his previous life.

However, a rather handsome man standing next to Yang Shan asked:

"Are you Yang Shan? The one who beat Mu Zhan down?"

Yang Shan nodded:

"It's me."

"I've heard you're quite skilled at alchemy. Would you like to go to another platform? Stay away from me."

Yang Shan: "Why?"

The man smiled and said, "I'm afraid that if you're next to me watching me concoct medicine, you'll lose your composure."

Yang Shan carefully examined the man's face.

I can't recall anything.

Looks like a nobody.

Seeing that Yang Shan did not move, the man continued:

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Liu Ling, and my master is Pill King Gu He."

Yang Shan then remembered.

Liu Ling is a disciple of Pill King Gu He.

Yes, Yang Shan's previous view was correct.

He's really just a nobody!

Although Liu Ling performed quite well in this conference in the original work, almost ranking in the top three.

However, in the game, some players who specialize in alchemy can develop at an extremely abnormal speed!

Liu Ling is Tier-4 Alchemist, but there are no fewer than twenty Tier-4 Alchemist participating in the tournament in Gama Holy City this time! Yang Shan yawned, calmly sat down cross-legged, and quietly waited for the competition to begin.

After the countdown ended, on the third floor of the VIP lounge, several NPCs who clearly didn't fit the description of "young" came to the railing.

The Imperial Family Old Ancestor, Jia Xingtian, dressed in a hemp robe!

Nalan Jie, the patriarch of the Nalan Family.

Mitier Tengshan, head of the Mittel Family.

Mu Chen, the patriarch of the Mu Family.

Unfortunately, Yun Yun didn't come; Nalan Yanran came on Yun Yun's behalf.

The appearance of the elite elders of the Jia Ma Empire has undoubtedly attracted the attention of players.

After all, most of the players present had joined one of their sides.

Of course, the main character of the group of elders today is not Jia Xingtian, who is the strongest, nor the patriarch of the three major families.

Instead, it was the Alchemist Guild Master, whose face was now covered in wrinkles, who stood in the center.

Fa Ma!

Dong! The clear sound of the bell rang out in the square.

The previously noisy chatter immediately stopped.

The two thousand contestants who had already taken their seats, as well as the surrounding audience, all turned their attention to Fa Ma.

"In my capacity as the president of the Alchemist Guild of the Jia Ma Empire, I hereby declare that the new Alchemist Convention of the Jia Ma Empire is now in session!"

Boom! A spectacular display of fireworks exploded in the sky.

The audience erupted in cheers!

[Ding! Attention players, the rules for the preliminary rounds of the Alchemist Convention have been released. Please read the rules carefully. The preliminary rounds will begin in ten minutes.]

Tian Yao Company kept the details of this Alchemist Convention very well hidden.

No player knows exactly how this alchemy competition works.

After all, players are playing a mini-game when they are making medicine, not like NPCs who control flames and seriously make medicine.

All the participating players began to carefully read the rules issued by the system.

Yang Shan was quite familiar with the rules.

After all, I participated in it in my previous life.

And I was lucky enough to pass the preliminary round.

They failed in the semi-finals.

The final round was reduced to watching the audience, but in order to prevent memory lapses or confusion.

Yang Shan still read it carefully once more.

In this preliminary round, all participants will refine the same elixir: "Muscle-Regenerating Powder".

The rank is second grade.

This recipe has been deliberately hidden by Tian Yao Company, and absolutely no player possesses it! Players who participate in the competition will receive the recipe for "Muscle-Regenerating Powder" unconditionally after the preliminary round rules are announced.

However, the information in this pill formula is not absolutely accurate!

The prescription lists four types of medicinal ingredients, excluding a second-tier Wood Attribute Magic Core:

Bone-Penetrating Grass, including * Chicken-Blood Vine, Spatholobus suberectus, Baikal Skullcap *, and * Chinese Angelica *.

Of the four medicinal herbs, only two need to be selected and combined with the Magic Core to successfully refine the Muscle-Regenerating Powder.

This time, the only mini-game players need to play in the alchemy process is: If You’re a Man, Descend 300 Floors!

The key to the rules is:

The four herbs each have a different impact on the difficulty of the mini-game! If a player chooses the worst combination of herbs, the ladder will climb much faster! This preliminary round will eliminate half the players!

Therefore, all participants must try their best to last as long as possible in each level! Normally, they play mini-games while making medicine in order to "meet the target".

Now, it's become a "competition"! In his previous life Yang Shan was foolish enough to choose the Bone-Penetrating Grass and the Chicken-Blood Vine, and as a result, the ladder in the mini-game rose at an incredible speed!

Later, Yang Shan realized that these four medicinal herbs were actually the same as traditional Chinese medicine in the real world.

The description of Muscle-Regenerating Powder) states that its main function is to heal external injuries, especially to promote wound healing.

In the game, if a player is injured due to a cut or tear in the skin, taking the Muscle-Regenerating Powder will provide an extra boost to health recovery.

Bone-Penetrating Grass, Chicken-Blood Vine, Baikal Skullcap, and Chinese Angelica are all used in traditional Chinese medicine. The first two are mainly used to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, while the latter two can promote wound healing.

The choice is obvious.

Yang Shan took a second-tier Wood Attribute Magic Core, as well as Baikal Skullcap and Chinese Angelica from the medicinal herbs prepared by the system.

Then he took out the Silver Frost Cauldron from his Storage Ring!

Thump! This is a fourth-level Cauldron.

The Silver Frost Cauldron is significantly larger than ordinary Cauldron! And its design is much more exquisite.

Liu Ling, who was sitting on the high stone platform next to Yang Shan, also noticed Yang Shan's situation.

A fourth-tier Cauldron?

Pill King Gu He was actually quite strict with Liu Ling, so even for Cauldron, Liu Ling had to find them on her own.

Therefore, Liu Ling was only using a third-tier Cauldron.

With a wave of his hand, Yang Shan threw a cluster of Scarlet Serpent Flame into the Silver Frost Cauldron.

Liu Ling's eyelids twitched:

"Just who is this Yang Shan? A fourth-tier Beast Flame? My Beast Flame is only third-tier!"

Liu Ling is a tragic figure. Tian Yao Company arranged for him, a character from the original work, to participate in the Alchemist Convention, not to bully the players!

Instead, they were bullied by the players!

Gamers are the real bosses of game companies!

Are they really the players of today or the leeks of the 21st century?

You can only make money if you take good care of your father!

As the medicinal herbs were thrown into the Silver Frost Cauldron one by one, Yang Shan heard a system notification:

[Ding! Because the Cauldron you are using is a fourth-tier Cauldron, the difficulty of refining Second-Grade Medicinal Pill can be reduced, and the difficulty of your mini-game has been lowered accordingly.]

[Ding! Because the Yao Huo you are using is a fourth-tier Beast Flame, the difficulty of refining Second-Grade Medicinal Pill can be reduced, and the difficulty of your mini-game has been lowered accordingly.]

[Ding! Because your Soul Strength has reached the Mortal Realm Perfection, the difficulty of your mini-game has been reduced accordingly.]

Online games are also a form of competition.

However, it's not a match played game by game.

It's a competition of development that has been ongoing since the server opened!

Therefore, although the main focus of this Alchemist Convention is on competition.

However, the players' continuous development and progress also need to be acknowledged! Players with better game items should naturally be stronger! Therefore, the only attribute that was balanced in this preliminary round was the different Alchemist levels among the players!

In later competitions, even this attribute will be "unlocked" and become an advantage for players! Only players with top-tier skills and character development can become champions! Yang Shan, who has chosen the best herbal formula, is now facing the challenge of "If You’re a Man, Descend 300 Floors." Just how difficult is that?

Even Yang Shan's grandmother could climb a hundred or so floors of those slow, tortoise-like stairs! The countdown ended, and all players started the mini-game at the same time.

The loser of the game is out!

The competition will end when a thousand participants are eliminated! Yang Shan heard many players around him complaining, "Damn it! How is it so fast?"

"Wipe! It's gone!"

"Don't underestimate the abilities of Second Grade Alchemist! My title back in school was 'King of Kings of the 300 Floors'! Only a cheater can beat me on this level! Come on! I'm going to go down to the 300th floor!"

Yang Shan, who was manipulating the little figure in the picture to walk slowly, yawned again.

What a fast staircase! Among the participants around me, some were drenched in sweat, while others gritted their teeth.

Some people couldn't sit still and swayed left and right with the little character in the game.

Yang Shan looked like he was meditating.

Sitting still, they were completely motionless! The number 2000/2000 in the lower left corner had started changing rapidly.

In just two minutes, it had already become 1450/2000.

Hang in there a little longer, and the preliminary round will be almost over.

Five minutes later.

[Ding! Preliminary round ended. Congratulations on passing and qualifying for the semi-finals. Please adjust your state; the semi-finals will begin in thirty minutes (game time). You can choose to rest in the temporary dungeon that will only be open during the competition.]

Yang Shan immediately spent 5 yuan to buy a temporary secret realm.

This little secret place is actually just a small room.

It contains sofas, a mahjong machine, a pool table, and a karaoke room.

There were even fruit platters and snacks on the table.

As expected of Tian Yao Company, they really went to great lengths to trick players into spending money.

Yang Shan expressed his satisfaction, saying he was happy to spend the five yuan!

Yang Shan made a series of moves in the friends list.

Su Yitang, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng were teleported to the small secret realm.

Su Yitang: "Wow! A temporary secret realm for five yuan for half an hour? Is that luxurious?"

Chao Bafang had already picked up the fruit plate at the table and started eating.

Zhu Tianpeng then looked around the room:

"Tsk tsk, if only a row of karaoke princesses came along."

Yang Shan lay on the sofa. "Do whatever you like."

Su Yitang sat down in the single chair, like a curious child:

"Boss, I just watched your game view, and wow, you climbed the stairs at a snail's pace! You're amazing!"

Chao Bafang: "The game rules are fire and Cauldron, both of which affect the game's difficulty. Our Great God has maxed out both of these, so the difficulty is naturally low."

Yang Shan: "Ba Fang, do you know why you weren't well-liked when you were at work?"

Chao Bafang scratched his head:

Why?

Yang Shan: "You're really too blunt. You should learn from Su Yitang how to compliment people when you have time."

Chao Bafang: "Praising someone isn't that simple, is it?"

Yang Shan: "Give me a compliment!"

Chao Bafang: "You're awesome, Great God!"

Zhu Tianpeng almost choked with laughter:

"Damn, Ba Fang, I think you're the real deal!"

The official figures also show the number of participants in this Alchemist Convention from the Four Great Empires.

On the Jia Ma Empire's side, the number of participants was 2,733,276.

After the preliminary round, the number jumped to 1,366,638!

Yang Shan took a nap and then the semi-finals of the Alchemist Convention began.

Compared to the preliminary round.

The semi-finals are even more brutal!

Because the semi-finals will randomly select games from the built-in potion-making mini-games for the competition.

They kept eliminating contestants until only 2,000 remained to participate in the final competition!

Moreover, the number of people eliminated varies in each stage.

Yang Shan remembered that in his previous life, the grand tournament in the Jia Ma Empire consisted of 22 mini-games in the semi-finals, which took more than three hours (game time) to finally eliminate more than one million people until only two thousand remained!

This semi-final will test not only the players' character development and skill sets since the game's launch, but also their gaming abilities.

It's also a huge test of your energy and patience!

The pills refined in the semi-finals were grade three Swift Gale Pill.

Logically speaking, Second Grade Alchemist should not be able to refine it.

However, Tian Yao Company, under the guise of "believing that every player has the potential to become a dark horse," made an exception and "cheated" Second Grade Alchemist! These Second Grade Alchemist can also refine third-grade Gale Pill.

However, the difficulty of the mini-games will increase! Although these Second Grade Alchemist will definitely not make it to the finals.

But at least it gives you a sense of participation!

Yang Shan even went offline to wash his face.

Although his combination of fourth-tier Beast Flame and fourth-tier Cauldron can greatly reduce the difficulty of the mini-game.

But there are too many mini-games to play in this semi-final.

If we are too lax, something might go wrong.

The only Rank Fifth Grade Alchemist in the entire server was eliminated in the semi-finals, which will probably become the top story on the forums after the tournament ends! Back in the competition venue of the secret realm.

Yang Shan noticed that there were some new faces around him.

However, Liu Ling is still on the left.

Liu Ling nodded slightly at Yang Shan:

"Not bad, you've got some skill. I hope to meet you in the finals."

In fact, apart from Liu Ling, the other participating NPCs are basically scattered in various secret realms, and then they find players who are stronger than them and make all sorts of sarcastic remarks.

Then they were slapped in the face by the players' "amazing" performance!

Tian Yao Company had already mastered this tactic by the time they launched the Novice Realm.

But the realism of Battle Through the Heavens the Heavens is just too high, and players just love it! Who doesn't like to slap someone back after they've been mocked, and then the other person can't even say a word? As the countdown ended, the semi-finals began.

The first mini-game is the most common one in the game pool: music beats.

A keyboard appeared in front of each player. They just had to type as hard as they could, following the music and the keys displayed on the screen!

However, the music this time is quite unique; Su Yitang once sang it:

The vast horizon is my love! Flowers are blooming at the foot of the rolling Qing Shan.

You tell me, how did Su Yitang manage to sing such a catchy and addictive song that appeals to all ages so off-key?

This is absolutely outrageous!

Aside from the NPCs, all two thousand participants in the secret realm were frantically typing on their keyboards.

The sound of slapping echoed throughout the competition area!

Some players even made particularly exaggerated movements, pressing the arrow keys on the keyboard with their right hand while raising their left hand higher than their shoulders.

When the rhythm reaches a crucial moment, it suddenly drops.

Smash! It seems that unless you smash the keyboard to pieces, you can't show how awesome you are at this game! If this player could have a Hua Hua, frizzy hairstyle with bangs covering their left eye, that would be perfect! You are the most beautiful cloud in my sky, let me keep you with my heart.

One of the contestants to Yang Shan's right couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, spittle flying everywhere, "Hey, stay here!"

Yang Shan was so startled that he almost pressed the wrong key! Luckily, his game difficulty was the lowest in the entire game.

Even if you press the wrong button, there will be enough time to fix it.

Successfully passed the first level! The second level is right around the corner:

Gold Miner.

The third level: Tetris.

Three hours passed.

Even someone as strong as Yang Shan had sweat beading on his forehead.

It's finally over.

This is fucking torture.

The two thousand players who managed to survive all the challenges are truly remarkable individuals with incredible perseverance!

To Yang Shan's left, Liu Ling was still trying to get noticed. "You really have some skills, Yang Shan, let's go to the finals."

Yang Shan rubbed his temples, completely ignoring Liu Ling, and clicked to leave the secret realm!

Ripples rose and then dispersed, and the place where Yang Shan stood this time was indeed the final venue of the Alchemist Convention!

Yang Shan looked around and finally spotted the small, thin figure he had been searching for! After all, judging by the timeline, Yao Xi should still be a ten-year-old girl.

Compared to adults, it would be really strange if she wasn't considered small!

On the top floor of the VIP lounge, Fa Ma was announcing the time for the final match, which would take place in five hours.

In other words, players will have one hour in real time to adjust themselves.

But Yang Shan couldn't care less about any of that now.

He pushed through the crowd and came up behind the ten-year-old girl.

At this moment, the little girl was carefully wiping her Cauldron with a small handkerchief.

Yang Shan tried her best to make her voice sound gentle:

"Little Friend Yao Xi, would you like to chat?"

Yao Xi turned around, her star-like eyes revealing a hint of fear. "You, how do you know my name?"

(Yao Xi image provided by a reader) This chapter is difficult to divide into chapters. For the best reading experience, it is better to read it all at once.

Today's update includes one chapter with 4,000 words and one chapter with 6,000 words.

Subsequent updates will likely involve two chapters per day. This is partly to maintain the continuity of the storyline, and partly because fewer chapters per day will make it easier to increase the average daily subscriptions.

Of course, the number of chapters has decreased, but the amount of content has not.

I still update at least 10,000 words every day.

How long it can last, only the heavens do not know.

If updates decrease, Sky will provide advance notice.

So, dear generous Battle Emperor Lord, could you please support me by subscribing to all of them for the price of a cup of milk tea, considering how hard I've been updating? The free trial period is over, and I need to start aiming for 800 average daily views!

For several years now, no virtual reality games have made the list.

It is our inescapable duty to restore the glory of online games.

Just use your liver!