Actually, My Surname Is Tang

(Ultimate cup, 2 chapters, 6000+ words! Hands on hips!)

Without a doubt, war is fond of Blood and Fire.

However, not every Believer in "War" has an affinity for the fire element.

Most of His Believer only received half of His blessing, which was the power of violent combat; only a lucky few also gained the power to control fire.

Zhao Qian was one of them.

His control over the flames was a trump card he kept hidden, never easily revealed to others; it was a surprise attack.

So he was very curious about how Cheng Shi knew.

"You are a Hunter, but you are not anxious even after losing your bow and arrows, which shows that you have a backup plan to deal with the Trials."

I observed that when you were climbing the mountain, you consciously avoided the vines with your left hand and only grabbed the edges of the mountain. This indicates that the strength of your left hand is not entirely under your control, and it may at least cause damage to the wood.

Recalling your battle with Edict of Passage Old Cui, your left-hand defensive stance was always geared towards offense, but each time the offensive ended up fizzling out. Your right-hand punch wasn't a clarion call for a counterattack, which means the original offensive should have come from your left hand.

You've hidden your trump card, and you're also a Believer in war.

Therefore, the answer is obvious...

"You have a keen eye for observation, but what if I say you're wrong?" Zhao Qian raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

Cheng Shi said with a rather "serious" look in his eyes:

"Then Old Cui will die."

Zhao Qian raised his eyes Indifference sized up Cheng Shi, then glanced at Cui Ding Tian lying between two logs. A conflicted look flashed across his face, but he finally sighed and said:

"That's right, I will definitely become famous."

Zhao Qian raised his left hand, and the instant his arm was raised, a thin layer of crimson flames ignited against his skin.

Sure enough, he has the power to control flames!

Cheng Shi smiled knowingly and handed the medicine furnace to him.

Fortunately, this person was still able to cooperate at a time when his personal safety was not at risk.

It seems he wasn't the kind of absolute egoist he thought he was.

Zhao Qian shook his head and chuckled, then took the medicine furnace.

What should I do?

Cheng Shi's eyes flashed with madness again. He stared at the medicine furnace and said, word by word:

"Scorch, keep scorching, until the furnace explodes!"

"?"

This statement left everyone dumbfounded.

Gao Yu looked completely bewildered and said:

"What's the point of refining medicine if the furnace explodes?"

Cheng Shi laughed heartily:

"You don't understand. Alchemy is a very mysterious thing. My previous Experiment have never succeeded."

It wasn't until one of my ovens exploded that I realized that 'Fleeting Radiance' requires contact with enough air at the moment of depressurization to finally take shape.

I have never been able to determine which component in the air is the key to the drug.

Therefore, exploding the oven is the most reliable method!

The final form of the medicine is a black paste, with a yield of about 70%. If we can catch enough paste and roll it into pills at the moment of the explosion, then Old Cui's life can be saved!

Alright, now that things have come to this point, Zhao Qian had no more questions.

He began to mobilize all his [war] power, igniting the flames to scorch the medicine furnace.

The pressurization process in the medicine furnace was lengthy, so during this time, others began collecting driftwood and building a platform in the sea.

Tao Yi also took the opportunity to solve the clothing problem. She used magic to peel off the bark of the log and turn it into tight-fitting clothes to cover her not-so-curvy figure.

As for the men... a scrap of cloth is enough to cover them up, they don't need to be so particular.

Before long, with everyone's efforts, a sea platform pieced together from driftwood and branches was completed.

"If the area is sufficient, do not build any more. The pressure device is alarming. Everyone be careful, it's about to explode!"

Zhao Qian roared, summoning everyone back. Seeing the medicine furnace in his hand emitting a hissing sound under the strain, everyone tensed up.

Only Cheng Shi held a ball of mud he had just scraped off the wood, looking completely confident.

The trick to close-up magic is to distract attention.

Everything before was just a prelude; the pill in his hand was the real life-saving medicine.

If a teammate manages to scoop up one or two clumps of ash from the wreckage of the explosion, that would be a failure.

Sacrifice to the Void cannot be stored. Cheng Shi would not allow them to keep them as life-saving medicines, because after the expiration date, they would just be a lump of burnt flesh and blood ashes, completely useless.

"It's coming!"

Zhao Qian roared and threw the stove in his hand into the air.

"Boom--"

The medicine furnace exploded instantly, spraying ash and slag everywhere.

Everyone used their unique skills and did their utmost to collect the ointment.

Only Cheng Shi moved quickly through the ashes, decisively reached out, and then vigorously kneaded something before running to Cui Ding Tian and shoving it into his mouth.

"..."

Gao Yu's hands were covered in black ash. He looked at Cheng Shi in surprise and muttered to himself:

"If you react like that, would you need someone to carry you up a mountain?"

Cheng Shi laughed and didn't respond.

Sure enough, the potion was successfully made, and not only was it a success, but its effects were also exceptional.

Cui Ding Tian felt a surge of Vitality burst forth from his heart, then flowed into his limbs and bones with the circulation of his blood. All the pain vanished at that moment, and his pale face gradually regained its color.

"Isn't this the Past Prosperity?"

Tao Yi looked at Cui Ding Tian's Change in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that her own flesh and blood could have such a great effect.

Cui Ding Tian was completely bewildered. The moment he regained consciousness, he even felt as if he had returned to his youth.

He sat up, looked at his own body, and sighed with admiration:

"Xiao Cheng, how did you do that? I..."

How could that be?

Cheng Shi blinked twice and laughed:

"What? How is that possible? This is just a temporary resurgence of your physical peak, a brief moment of lucidity before death. How does it feel?"

Cui Ding Tian looked at his body in disbelief and slowly said:

"Past physical peak? Even so... this medicine is probably not Grade A?"

"Grade A? Old Cui is joking. You'll be finished in five days. If this counts as B-rank, my ancestors' graves will be burning forty meters of incense."

"Could B-rank potion possibly block His [Oathbreak Curse]?"

???

"What is that??"

It exploded!

Cheng Shi's mind went completely blank!

Why is the Oathbreak Curse appearing?

"Old Cui, are you Oathbreaker?"

Everyone was stunned; at least for this moment, silence descended once more.

Cui Ding Tian nodded with a complicated expression, looked at the bewildered Cheng Shi, and began to tell his story.

His story is not complicated.

Before the arrival of the gods, Cui Ding Tian and his son lived an ordinary and happy life.

Until they descended and changed the world, the old man and his son never saw each other again.

In order to find his son, he resolutely stepped into the Starting Point of Life Path and chose [Prosperity] as his Lord of Grace.

Because the will of [Prosperity] perfectly aligned with his goal, he unleashed all his power before his death to find his son.

However, the old man is old after all, and even with the power of [Prosperity], he will not have a significant advantage compared to other players.

Without an advantage, one will find it difficult to make any progress in increasingly difficult Trials.

So, after surviving a Trials by a hair's breadth, he made an extremely difficult decision.

Abandon prosperity and embrace Decay!

Given his increasingly deteriorating physical condition, Faith "Decay" is practically equivalent to getting divine Divine Power for free.

As for the curse inflicted upon betraying one's Lord of Grace...

As I always say, survival comes first, then everything else.

So, driven by that the First obsession, he initiated the [Oathbreak Prayer].

He did indeed succeed in the final Trials, gaining the gaze of [Decay], but also suffering the curse of [Prosperity].

His betrayed Lord of Grace seemed to see through the old man's inner desires, so the curse He bestowed upon him was:

He was granted a stone body that would never Decay!

How absurd!

A warrior who revered Decay became a stone mummy whose muscles could never Decay.

Even though [Decay] did not treat him unfairly, bestowing upon him a sufficiently powerful talent, the curse of [Prosperity] has always prevented him from obtaining enough [Decay] power.

This was a successful conversion, yet also a failed betrayal.

He didn't make himself stronger, but he made himself inhuman.

This is also why he is more resistant to the corruption of the Void than others, because both his body and his skin carry their will.

"..."

Everyone listened in silence, remaining speechless for a moment.

Cui Ding Tian stood up, stretched his body, and said with a wry smile:

"My muscles are cursed with prosperity, while my skin is blessed with Decay. They are at odds and incompatible. The internal struggle between them makes me cough incessantly. This is not a disease, but a price to pay!"

So, Xiao Cheng, I'd like to ask you some questions...

What kind of medicine could cure this? If I could, I would give everything I have in exchange.

"..."

Everyone looked at Cheng Shi, their eyes filled with obvious surprise and doubt.

Tao Yi covered her mouth, Gao Yu glared, and Zhao Qian raised an eyebrow.

Only Su Yida, after listening to Cui Ding Tian's words, secretly put his hands behind his back, scraped off all the ash from his hands, gathered it into a pill, and tucked it between his buttocks.

Damn, this is too much.

How do I know this medicine can suppress your [Oathbreak Curse]?

He didn't say that!

However, it's obvious that the [Deception] power within the potion must have been at work, since it was something created by His talent. So, is there a possibility:

His power deceived both prosperity and Decay?

But is this something that can be said?

Cheng Shi gave an awkward smile, his mind racing as he racked his brains to figure out how to fool the skeptical crowd.

"I mean, is it possible that Cheng Shi isn't my real name?"

"Huh? What's your name?" Tao Yi asked innocently, playing the role of the straight man.

"Uh... actually, my surname is Tang, the Tang of Tang Seng."