Chapter 2363 - Shocking the Venue

Chapter 2363 – Shocking the Venue
Silence filled the competition venue as everyone stared at Silent Wonder’s triple-moon Alchemist Insignia.
They could all understand Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian becoming Advanced Master Alchemists, but none of them could fathom out Silent wonder had become one as well.
It wasn’t easy to reach Advanced Master rank. Even now, very few of God’s Domain’s superpowers had successfully nurtured an Advanced Master Alchemist, yet Zero Wing had. It was utterly unbelievable.
“How is this possible?!” Cold Memory was shocked to see Silent Wonder’s Advanced Master Alchemist Insignia. “How has she been promoted so quickly?”
Completing the requirements to become an Advanced Master Alchemist was easier said than done. Aside from talent, the rare resources required for research and experimentation were more than enough to give any superpower a huge headache. Dark Pursuit had only been able to supply these resources due to its control in the Moon God’s World and access to precious alchemical resources.
This was why Cold Memory was so confident in Dark Pursuit’s ability to nurture Advanced Master Alchemists. Any other superpower would likely run out of materials before one of its alchemists could reach Advanced Master rank.
Zero Wing had the Research Workshop, but that only provided guidelines to assist the Guild’s Lifestyle players. In doing so, it would only slightly reduce the amount of materials one would need for their experiments. Moreover, Silent Wonder had been some time away from reaching Advanced Master rank during their last meeting. She hadn’t progressed as far as Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian, who had stood before the threshold to Advanced Master rank.
Even as talented as Silent Wonder was, she should’ve needed another fortnight to complete her promotion, yet she had caught up with Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian in less than a week. Cold Memory couldn’t imagine how Zero Wing had helped her accomplish the feat.
Even Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian, who stood beside Silent Wonder, were astonished.
Little Sis actually succeeded? Silk Moon could not help but glance at Shi Feng, who watched from the spectator stands, with a soft smile. It seems Zero Wing is quite capable, after all.
Silk Moon knew better than anyone here how difficult it was to reach Advanced Master rank. One needed talent and resources. Anyone who said otherwise was either lying or a fool.
“An Advanced Master Alchemist! Hahaha! This girl is quite impressive!” Long Xianglong laughed when he saw the Alchemist Insignia in Silent Wonder’s hand. Now, he was even more determined to take the girl with him to the western continent.
Even without a superpower’s support, Silent Wonder had become an Advanced Master Alchemist. She proved to be frighteningly talented.
Long Xianglong acknowledged that Zero Wing had played a massive role in his niece’s success, but how could such a small Guild compete with the Azure Chamber of Commerce’s resources?
When the Duan Family’s members saw that Silent Wonder was also an Advanced Master Alchemist, they watched on with grim expressions. Although the final victor would decide the competition’s outcome, the fact that the Long Family had one more Advanced Master Alchemist than they did gave their competitor an edge.
“Why are you so worried? She’s merely an Advanced Master Alchemist,” Duan Hanshan said as he eyed the people around him. “So what if she’s a talented alchemist? This competition won’t be won on alchemy standards alone.”
The competition would determine which of the two families had a stronger heir. Even though this was an alchemy competition, it wasn’t any ordinary battle between alchemists.
High alchemy standards would provide an advantage, but combat power would also play a significant role.
The participants would have to fight for the materials they needed. If they weren’t strong enough in combat, they wouldn’t secure enough materials, and without materials, how were they supposed to brew the required potion?
With Duan Hanshan’s comment, realization dawned on the other Duan Family members. After all was said and done, this competition would rely on the strength of the competitors’ backers. In this regard, Zero Wing was no match for Dark Pursuit.
While everyone chatted amongst themselves, Hermit, who had inspected all six participants’ insignias, spoke again.
“Since the remaining participants have met the minimum requirements, let’s officially begin this competition. As you all know, the participants are required to produce Meditation Soul Potions, an Intermediate Master Potion. However, participants must earn their required materials,” Hermit explained as he gestured to an approaching group of players. These players carried gigantic cages into the venue, all containing incredibly powerful beasts. He then turned to Silk Moon, Yan Xiaoqian, and Silent Wonder. “You will face these Level 100 wild beasts. You will earn more materials by defeating stronger monsters. Of the monsters we’ve prepared, the weakest is a Lord; for defeating this monster, you’ll acquire three sets of materials. The next monster is a High Lord, and you’ll earn six sets for defeating it.
You will not be required to defeat the Level 100 Great Lord, but if you survive against it for ten minutes, you’ll receive ten sets of materials. If you survive for ten minutes against the Level 100 Grand Lord, you’ll receive twenty sets of materials. However, you will only have one chance to challenge a monster, so choose wisely.”
As Hermit finished his explanation, a commotion erupted in the venue.
“The Azure Chamber of Commerce is so generous! It’s captured so many Level 100 wild beasts!”
“Crap! Isn’t this challenge a little too difficult? Not even Level 100 Refinement Realm experts can defeat a Level 100 Lord one-on-one, yet it’s the weakest monster here. Do the participants even stand a chance?”
The various superpowers felt a cold chill when they saw Azure’s Level 100 wild beasts. Capturing wild beasts to tame as Mounts was extremely difficult, especially at such a high level. Ordinary powers couldn’t afford to spare the amount of manpower the task would require, yet Azure used these precious Level 100 wild beasts to test its heirs’ strength.
Even the various superpowers’ upper echelons thought this competition was absurdly difficult.
At this stage of the game, Level 100 peak experts would, at most, be strong enough to challenge a Level 100 High Lord. If they encountered a Level 100 Great Lord alone, they’d have no choice but to flee. Even worse, Lifestyle players had far less combat power than actual combat players. Whether or not Silk Moon and the others could fight a Level 100 Lord was already questionable, not to mention a High Lord.
The various superpowers’ members couldn’t help but glance at Silent Wonder in pity.
Of the three remaining participants, only Silent Wonder was under Level 100. Other experts might be impressed that she had reached Level 99, but it put her at an overwhelming disadvantage in this competition.
Although there was only one level between Level 99 and 100, the difference between the strength one could command at those levels was tremendous. A Level 100 player would have far more control and flexibility than a Level 99 player, and the difference between the Basic Attributes provided by equipment was just as drastic.
“I had never thought you’d become an Advanced Master Alchemist before the competition as well. Had you joined Dark Pursuit, we might have been rivals in this competition. However, it seems you’ll just be watching from the sidelines,”
Yan Xiaoqian said, chuckling. “If you have to assign blame, blame yourself for being so stubborn. Rather than accept Dark Pursuit’s invitation, you chose to remain with a non-superpower like Zero Wing.”
Everyone has constantly compared Silent Wonder and Yan Xiaoqian, assuming one of them would win this competition. However, their Guilds were simply on different levels. Now, only Silk Moon had a chance of giving Yan Xiaoqian a run for her money.
Silk Moon was powerful in every aspect and had been known as an unrivaled genius. Unfortunately, she had become quite strange after surviving an illness a few years ago. Now, Yan Xiaoqian didn’t even think of Silk Moon as a competitor.
Cold Memory and South Dream watched the three participants, frustrated. They had thought Silent Wonder had a significantly higher chance of winning now that she had become an Advanced Master Alchemist, but even they would struggle in this competition, not to mention Silent Wonder.
“Pick a difficulty. Remember, you only have one opportunity. You won’t get a second chance,” Hermit told the three young women before him.
This trial wasn’t a simple test of strength; it would also test the participant’s understanding of their strength.
“I choose the High Lord,” Silk Moon said after giving the matter some thought.
“I choose the High Lord, as well,” Yan Xiaoqian said without hesitation.
Hearing Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian’s decision, Hermit nodded, satisfied. He then turned to Silent Wonder, curious about which beast the girl would choose. Although Silent Wonder hadn’t yet reached Level 100, she should have a chance against a Level 100 Lord. If she could defeat it, she’d still have a chance at victory.
“I wonder which difficulty Silent Wonder will choose?”
“Is that necessary? She’ll definitely challenge the Lord. That’s her only hope. If she tries to face the High Lord, she’ll likely die after a single hit.”
“I guess you’re right. She’s talented, but it’s a pity she only has Zero Wing’s support. If she were backed by a superpower, even an ordinary one, she might have had a chance against Silk Moon and Yan Xiaoqian.”
Quietly, the audience discussed Silent Wonder’s situation, glancing at Shi Feng with mocking sneers. So what if Zero Wing were supported by Giant’s Heart? In the end, Zero Wing’s weakness would be exposed before them all.
While everyone softly talked among themselves, Silent Wonder had made her decision and looked at Hermit, announcing, “I choose the Grand Lord!”