Young man, are you ready?
In the dimly lit room, Mokelan smiled and looked at Logo in front of him, speaking softly.
The Grand Elder stood to one side, accompanied by a curious young magician. The boy was looking around with wide-eyed curiosity, as if he had a strong desire to explore everything in the world.
"I'm ready, senior." Logo nodded slightly, his expression calm.
Seeing this, Mokelan couldn't help but look at him with new respect. Knowing that he was about to face a six-star alchemy master, he was still able to remain so calm and composed. His temperament was truly remarkable. As far as he knew, this was only a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy.
Thinking of this, Mokelan couldn't help but glance at his precious apprentice beside him. He had thought he had found a treasure before, but now it seemed that there were always people more capable than him, and the sky was always higher than the heavens.
Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it. Under the watchful eyes of the others, he took out a white jade disc from his sleeve. The square-shaped stones inside were arranged in some mysterious array, like stars in the sky. As Mokelan focused on the Magical Energy, the entire disc suddenly lit up with a bright Radiance and then transformed into a portal about five meters high.
A gentle breeze arose from nowhere, ruffling the hair of the group. A moment later, a foot stepped out of the doorway, followed by the entire body.
What came into view was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with short, bluish stubble on his chin, and his overall demeanor was quite composed.
"Huh? Why is it a clone? I thought it would be your real body!" Mokelan exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him.
"A clone?"
Logo raised his head slightly, his Eye of Insight opened slightly, scanned the area up and down a few times, and then closed again.
"So what if it's a clone? On the same planet, as long as the consciousness descends, what difference does it make to us alchemists?" Madison scoffed, his tone quite impolite.
Mokelan didn't react with any dissatisfaction. Firstly, he had a good temper, and secondly, he knew the alchemist's bad temper and didn't have the time to argue with him.
But inwardly he was thinking, "No wonder Madison is known for its caution and meticulousness; they really hid their true strength very well."
"Kid, the way you were using your eyes to examine me just now was quite unusual." Suddenly, Madison shifted his gaze to Logo, a smirk playing on his lips.
Logo, however, remained completely unfazed. He had deliberately used his Eye of Insight to examine him earlier precisely to verify certain things.
It seems this alchemist is quite capable; he was able to detect the Eye of Insight's prying eyes with just a clone, something an ordinary Demigod couldn't do.
"Senior, please understand. My Eye of Gendaya has undergone a benign mutation, granting it extraordinary perception and computational abilities. My observation just now was merely to admire the master alchemist's prowess, and I meant no harm. If you felt offended, I apologize." Logo bowed slightly, his tone tinged with apology, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"A benign mutation?" Madison's eyes flickered with thought as he recalled the information Mokelan had given him. "Could it be that this kid's alchemical talent stems from this mutated eye?"
The thoughts in his mind were naturally not for Human Dao. Madison glanced at Logo and then nodded slightly, indicating that the matter was over.
"You all know why I'm here. I'm willing to take you on as a disciple, but your talent must satisfy me. Otherwise, not only will our master-disciple relationship be off, Mokelan you'll also have to take responsibility for the unpleasantness of my trip!"
"Of course. If this trip doesn't satisfy you, I'll let this Starflow Tear as an apology." Mokelan said, flipping his hand to reveal a shimmering, teardrop-shaped silver crystal. Wisps of mist flowed gently and gracefully within the crystal.
Upon seeing this, Madison's expression softened. He turned his gaze to Logo again, "Then let's begin."
The Grand Elder and his apprentice Mokelan left the main hall, leaving only Logo and Madison in the empty room.
"Before the test, answer me one question: What is an alchemist? And what is your understanding of alchemy?" Madison looked at the young man before him, his voice slowly echoing in the hall.
Logo raised his head slightly, his eyes sparkling with a unique brilliance. This time, he did not answer with the knowledge system summarized by the Aslant Civilization civilization, but with his own insights from studying alchemy over the past year. Every word he uttered was filled with unique emotions.
Alchemists are those who wield the Power of Creation, analyzing and reconstructing all things in the world. The path of alchemy is also a path of exploration, exhausting one's knowledge to understand, touch, perceive, disassemble, and reassemble the world!
Hearing this, Madison paused for a moment, then spoke, "Although still inexperienced, you haven't gone astray. Remember your words, and in the years to come, slowly refine them. When you feel you can neither add nor subtract anything, your alchemy will have truly reached its peak."
"Thank you for your guidance, senior!" Logo bowed respectfully.
Madison waved his hand, and a strange chessboard about two meters square appeared on the ground. Countless lines crisscrossed on its surface, seemingly without any pattern at first glance. However, if someone with certain abilities were to look at this chessboard, they would definitely discover its unusual nature.
Logo was like that; the moment he saw the chessboard, his gaze became absorbed into it, and his consciousness shifted, arriving in a strange space that seemed like a dream, filled with white light, and devoid of heaven and earth.
"This chessboard is called the Morning Star Chess. It is based on the movement of stars and the evolution of Space-Time. It is a tool created by the Alchemists' Association to enhance one's computing power. Your task this time is to make 300 moves on the chessboard. If you do that, you will pass."
Madison's loud voice echoed, Logo's expression shifted slightly as he immediately understood the content of this assessment.
Computing power.
For alchemists, the importance of computing power is self-evident. Only by possessing sufficiently powerful computing capabilities can one handle the increasingly complex knowledge of alchemy; this is a fundamental requirement.
"Three hundred steps—by Morning Star Chess's standards, that would require at least a level 27 advanced alchemist to complete, but I'm only level 21. The challenge is truly immense, but..."
As for computing power, Logo has long since broken through the existing level constraints. Not to mention advanced alchemists, even top-level alchemists would have no choice but to grovel and admit defeat in front of him.
"I can't go too far, lest I frighten the old man. Hmm... I'll just use 10% of my computing power to barely manage. How far I can go depends on fate." Muttering to himself, Logo began to place his pieces.
In the Morning Star Chess, the stars are the chess pieces, and the crisscrossing lines are the Star Tracks. What he has to do is place the right stars on the right Star Tracks to form a well-functioning celestial system.
The more complex, sophisticated, and massive this celestial system is, the greater the computing power required.
The test comes precisely from this.
His gaze searched around, and soon, Logo found a turquoise star that looked rather pleasing to the eye. With a wave of his hand, the star, trailing a long tail, disappeared into the middle of an elliptical line.
The first one is guaranteed to succeed; you can place it anywhere without any problem.
Starting with the second star, the position of the star becomes crucial. If it is placed in the wrong position, preventing gravity from successfully pulling the star, it will cause chaos in the system, collapse of the celestial body, and failure.
Ordinary mathematical calculations require considerable computing power, let alone the evolution of stars and the movement of celestial bodies, which require unimaginably terrifying computing power.
Although Morning Star Chess only simulates the movement of celestial bodies and its complexity is less than one percent of that in a real scenario, it still requires an astonishing amount of computing power, and it becomes even more terrifying as it progresses.
"I wonder how far this kid can go. His answer just now was quite good, and judging from his expression, he really does love alchemy. Although his purpose isn't entirely pure, he's still much better than most alchemists. He's quite to my liking..." Outside, Madison stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the chessboard in front of him. His deep and distant gaze seemed to pierce through Space-Time, seeing many things that ordinary people couldn't see. A light called wisdom danced in his eyes.
"The stars are the chess pieces, the ritual is the Star Tracks, and the chessboard is the universe. The person who invented this game must be an alchemist with unparalleled wisdom. I really want to meet such a person." The more pieces Logo placed, the more he could feel the greatness of the Morning Star Chess. He could feel that while playing, his thought process was being subtly optimized, becoming more natural and seamless.
"Putting everything else aside, just playing one game of this Morning Star Chess is enough to yield significant gains." Logo's eyes gleamed. This alchemy master named Madison, though short-tempered, was not one to fool people.
Everything they brought out was of the highest quality.
A person who can see the whole leopard from a single spot—would such a person be stingy with their disciples?
"Thick thighs, I must hug them, hug them tight!"
With this firm idea in mind, Logo placed one star chess piece after another. Gradually, a star system of moderate size was built by him. As he continued to place pieces, his mind became completely immersed in the chessboard. He was unaware of the shock that his actions and progress had caused to Madison, who was observing from the outside.
"875 steps? That's impossible! That's already at the level of a top alchemist..." Madison's eyes widened, his chest heaving violently. He even thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes.
Only after confirming the fact did he calm down, staring with a strange look at the hazy figure enveloped in white light on the chessboard, a deep expectation quietly emerging.
"Perhaps he can help me..."
876, 877...901, 902, 903!
Finally, Logo stopped.
It wasn't that he was powerless, but rather that the alarm bells he had set in his mind beforehand had gone off.
"That was close. It slightly exceeded the limit by 10%, but thankfully I stopped in time. Nine hundred and three, that's not bad, it should satisfy this alchemy master."
Thinking this, Logo suddenly felt a force like flowing water enveloping his body, and then, as if pulled by a beam of light, his vision blurred and he appeared in the outside world.
At this moment, although Madison was roaring with joy inside, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor on the surface.
"Hmm, your performance was acceptable, a little better than I expected. I'd say you passed this round."
"Barely?" Logo frowned slightly. Could it be that he had suppressed his computing power too much?
That shouldn't be the case; they've already exceeded the original target by so much.
Or perhaps Madison is deliberately suppressing himself to prevent him from becoming arrogant?
Yes, that's the most likely possibility.
After all, he was still a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy. Logically speaking, he should be at the age where he is impetuous, spirited, and arrogant. Composure has nothing to do with this age.
To avoid becoming arrogant, one can use words to suppress it, which is a fairly standard practice.
What made Logo happy was that since Madison had made this move, he probably already approved of him. Otherwise, if he wasn't satisfied, he wouldn't have cared so much.
Having thought this through, Logo already knew what was going on, but he still showed the appropriate reaction on his face.
Three parts dissatisfaction, three parts respect, three parts approval, and one part disappointment.
That expression was truly lifelike, perfectly capturing the emotions of a young boy at that moment.
At least, Madison was satisfied with his reaction.
"Alright, the computational test is over. Let's begin the second challenge: spirituality!"
"As an alchemist, you should know how important flashes of inspiration are to us. Adaptability is an important stepping stone in the progress of alchemy, a catalyst for the transformation from quantitative to qualitative change. Without sufficient spiritual thinking and the ability to think flexibly, one can only learn by rote and achieve so little..."
After accepting Logo's opinion, Madison became more talkative.
In fact, his instruction had already begun from this moment on, and Logo keenly noticed this, so he listened very attentively.
Teaching by example is different from learning from books. Many things can only be fully understood by being taught face-to-face, and that is the meaning of a teacher's existence.
Otherwise, all you need to do in a school is put a bunch of books.
After giving him some instructions, Madison looked at Logo with even greater satisfaction. He then waved his hand again, and the Morning Star Chess on the ground disappeared, replaced by a huge, emerald green leaf.
"Go in."
After giving his instructions, Madison stepped forward, his figure disappearing into the leaf as if merging into the water.
Logo did as instructed, and the scene before him changed. A cluster of buildings billowing thick smoke, resembling a primitive workshop, came into view. In the distance, there were several enormous volcanoes, piercing the clouds, with crimson lava flowing out.
Arriving at an unfamiliar warehouse, Madison explained the nature of the test.
"See these ordinary materials? None of them possess Transcendent properties. My requirement is that you must use them to forge at least a one-star Rare quality piece of equipment, of any type, within one day."
"Are you confident?" Madison looked at the boy in front of him with a half-smile.
Logo looked up at the ordinary middle-aged man's face, and the thought of his own talent, [Power of Legend], involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
confidence?
How do you guarantee a minimum loss?