Ten days have passed, and the day of Skills Trial has arrived.
Qin Tiexin got up early and went out before dawn. Ming'an was still sleeping. He warmed the food in the pot and left a note on the table, saying "Brother will be back in the evening."
Although the weapon refining assessment was only on the fourth day, he wanted to see if there were any changes to the rules first and observe the processes of several other assessments.
Morning Star Training Ground was in the east of the city, and it took two and a quarter of hours to walk there. He walked quickly, and when he arrived, the gate of the school grounds had just opened, but there were already people who had arrived earlier than him. The monks walked in in twos and threes, some competing, some watching the fun, and even some setting up stalls nearby.
Although the weapon refining assessment is on the fourth day, Lin Chuan heard from Lin Chuan two days ago that it is best to come and watch every game to familiarize yourself with the process and the number of judging methods.
Qin Tiexin thinks it makes sense. He knows how to refine weapons, but he has only participated in the sect's assessment and has never participated in anything like this. Only by seeing what is in the rules will he know clearly.
The school ground is very large and can accommodate thousands of people. It hasn't officially started yet, but a lot of people have already gathered in the place.
After Secret Realm Trial ended, there were originally more than a thousand participating monks, but by Skills Trial there were only less than three hundred left.
But the audience was several times larger than the contestants. The contestants' classmates, family members, informants from various forces, and Rogue Cultivator who were just watching the fun, packed the stands to the brim.
Skills Trial allows viewing, this is public.
Qin Tiexin searched in the crowd for a while, and first saw Du Heng. Du Heng was tall, standing under the stands, talking to Liu Suifeng.
Xu Ying was wearing a light green Alchemist robe, with a calm look on her face. She was reading the rules on the bulletin board. She was going to take the alchemy assessment today, but she didn't look nervous at all.
Lin Chuan was standing next to her, whispering something, Xu Ying was listening and nodding.
Qin Tiexin walked over, Lin Chuan looked up and said hello.
"Senior Brother Ming is here. He looks much better. It seems that his cultivation level has improved again."
"It has improved slightly, and so has Brother Lin." Qin Tiexin felt it carefully, and Lin Chuan's original cultivation level of Foundation Establishment Late Stage has stabilized at Foundation Establishment Peak Stage. It seems that he has improved a lot during this period.
After all, it will be Arena Trial soon. In a real combat power competition, Lin Chuan must get a good ranking in Arena Trial without participating in Skills Trial. Moreover, he has obtained a lot of resources, and it is normal for him to improve quickly.
"Come and see, have the rules changed?"
"It's basically the same." Lin Chuan pointed towards the big bulletin board in the center of the school ground, "It's still four events in four days, each completed within a time limit. But the scoring details are more detailed than last year. Spirit Rune Array's completeness and spiritual material utilization rate are all listed."
The two of them stood side by side, looking at the huge bulletin board in the center of the school ground. Detailed rules and regulations were written on the board in gold paint, and the handwriting was neat and dense.
Skills Trial There are four days in total, one item per day.
The first day is to refine elixirs, the second day is to refine talismans, the third day is to set up formations, and the fourth day is to refine weapons.
"On the fourth day of weapon refining." Liu Suifeng came over and said, "Senior Brother Ming, you are the finale."
"What axis should I press?" Qin Tiexin said, "It should be the least number of people participating in the weapon refining."
"Senior Brother Ming needs to take a closer look. I heard that four fourth-level refiners Alchemist were invited to take charge this year. They may be here to find fault." Du Heng added.
While several people were talking, a bell rang in the center of the school ground. At three quarters, Skills Trial officially started.
Morning Star Training Ground's stands are in a stepped style, and the higher you go up, the better the view. A few people chose a seat in the middle and back, and Xu Ying waved to everyone and walked to the competition venue in the middle.
At three quarters of the hour, a bell rang, and Skills Trial officially began.
Skills Trial The first day, the alchemy assessment.
The assessment table is located in the center of the school field, separated by formations. The audience can clearly see the situation inside through the translucent light curtain. Most of the sound and smell are blocked, so as not to affect the contestants, but they can faintly smell the medicinal materials.
The examiner on the stage is still the same prince, wearing royal uniform with star patterns embroidered on his sleeves. He has a dignified temperament and is sitting in the main seat.
There were four Golden Core Realm monks beside them, and they were introduced to be master refiners Alchemist who could refine fourth-level elixirs.
The host said that these four people will not participate in scoring and will only comment when disputes arise. There are also judges who are responsible for scoring and sitting in the audience, each holding a scoreboard.
The number of people participating in the alchemy was the largest among the four levels, with more than a hundred people.
One hundred Pill Furnaces were unfolded at the same time, two feet apart, neatly arranged, and the momentum was astonishing. Next to each Pill Furnace was an alchemy table, with Pill Furnaces, ground fire vents and medicinal material racks placed on it.
The rules are clear: you cannot use your own Spirit Fire and Pill Furnace, you must use the unified ground fire and Pill Furnace, and you can choose your own medicinal materials.
The content of the competition is to refine a furnace of elixirs within a limited time. The higher the quality, the higher the score. Failure to do so will result in no points.
After the host finished explaining the rules, the contestants entered the room. Xu Ying glanced at a few people, turned and walked to her position. Her position was to the left of the center. From this angle, Qin Tiexin and the others could just see Xu Ying operating.
The game begins.
One hundred Pill Furnaces lit up at the same time. Ground fire spurted out from the burner under the table, gradually heating the bottom of the furnace.
Some people are in a hurry to cut the material, while others carefully adjust the Flame temperature first. Everyone's method is different.
Due to the humid climate of Heavenly South Domain, the growth rate and types of medicinal materials are much higher than those of Azure Xuan Region, so the level of alchemy is also higher.
Whether they are monks from alchemy Aristocratic Clan, disciples of alchemy sects, or even some Rogue Cultivator, their techniques are all very skillful.
Some people choose to refine second-level elixirs for stability. Some people choose third-level elixirs to gamble on high scores.
However, third-level elixirs are more difficult to use and the risk of exploding the furnace is also high.
Qin Tiexin looked at it for a while, and then his eyes fell on Xu Ying. Among Secret Realm Trial, Xu Ying often stands at the back of the team. His main responsibility is to sort out the loot and provide logistical assistance. There is not much that stands out.
But Xu Ying, who was standing in front of Pill Furnace, seemed to be a different person. Although he was still quiet and unhurried, the look in his eyes was much brighter than before, and there was a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, with a confident self-confidence.
Qin Tiexin knows that this is a manifestation that can only be achieved by being extremely confident in one's own skills.
Xu Ying's movements are not fast, even a little slow.
She first checked the dozen herbs on the medicinal shelf one by one, pinched two of them with her fingertips, and then started to deal with them. Washing, cutting, and weighing the herbs, everything was done very carefully. When others started to throw the herbs into the furnace, she was still adjusting the heat of the ground fire.
Qin Tiexin doesn't know how to make alchemy and can't see any way. But he can see that Xu Ying's rhythm is very steady, the fire control is precise, and the timing of adding the medicinal materials is excellent. He always follows his own pace, without panic or chaos. His eyes only focus on the furnace mouth and his own hands, and are not affected by other people around him.
Time passed little by little, and the aroma of medicine began to spread quickly, but people also started to explode the furnace one after another.
Third-level elixirs are commonly used by monks Golden Core Realm. For monks Foundation Establishment, the difficulty of refining is not low. The energy of the medicinal materials is high. If the heat is slightly wrong, the spiritual power in the furnace will be out of control. Once the monk's control level is poor, it is very easy for the furnace to explode.
While watching, a muffled sound came from not far away from Xu Ying, and white smoke spurted out from the furnace cover. The contestant's face turned pale at that time.
The monk stared blankly for a while, and after trying several remedial measures to no avail, he had to pack up and prepare to leave. However, some people quickly opened another furnace and chose to refine a simple second-level elixir. A lower score is better than zero.
Xu Ying The furnace has been very quiet.
The ground fire was neither strong nor weak, and the furnace body was slightly red. Every time she added a potion, she had to wait for a while to see if the gas coming out of the furnace mouth changed before adding the same medicine. Qin Tiexin looked at it and felt that this was similar to the refining of weapons. They were all waiting for a "just right" moment.
If the medicinal materials are applied too early, their properties will be lost; if they are applied too late, they will not be able to condense. If the fire is too great, the furnace will explode; if the fire is too small, the elixir will not be made. From the beginning to the end, every step of a furnace of elixirs must not go wrong.
Two hours later, the game ended.