The alchemy badge in Miaowuyin's hand gleamed like a full moon, its silvery radiance casting a hush over the entire arena. Every last person stared, transfixed, at the Three-Moon Silver Glow alchemy badge.
Lingyue and Yan Xiaoqian ascending to the rank of Advanced Alchemy Masters was something the great powers present could at least understand. But Miaowuyin achieving the same rank was something they simply could not wrap their heads around.
After all, an Advanced Alchemy Master was no common cabbage. Even many of today's supreme powers didn't have a single one. For Zero Wing to possess one was almost unbelievable.
"How is this possible?!" Yi Han stared at the alchemy badge, shock and disbelief flooding her heart. "How did she advance so quickly?"
Advancing to Advanced Alchemy Master was far easier said than done. Setting aside the creation of formulas and raw talent, the sheer volume of rare materials required for experimentation was enough to give any supreme power a headache. The Dark Alliance had only been able to provide Lingyue and Yan Xiaoqian with the freedom to experiment because they occupied the Moon God World, which granted them access to a vast array of precious rare materials.
That was precisely why she had been so confident in the Dark Alliance.
Had it been any other supreme power, they would have burned through their supply of rare materials long before either of them could have advanced to Advanced Alchemy Master.
Zero Wing might possess a research workshop, but all that did was offer some guidance and help them avoid a few detours. The materials required for experimentation would still be consumed in nearly the same quantities. And as far as she knew, Miaowuyin had still been quite far from advancing to Advanced Alchemy Master — not like Lingyue and Yan Xiaoqian, who had been only a single step away.
Even with Miaowuyin's talent, it should have taken her another ten days to half a month to possibly succeed. Yet now she had somehow caught up with Lingyue and Yan Xiaoqian. Yi Han had no idea how Zero Wing had pulled it off.
At this moment, not only was Yi Han shocked — even Lingyue and Yan Xiaoqian, standing right beside Miaowuyin, wore faint expressions of surprise.
"So the little sister succeeded too?" Lingyue couldn't help but glance toward Shi Feng in the distant spectator stands, a hint of amusement playing at the corner of her lips. "It seems this Zero Wing does have a few tricks up its sleeve."
No one understood the difficulty of advancing to Advanced Alchemy Master better than those who had already done it. Reaching that level required both talent and resources — there was no such thing as self-teaching your way there or going it alone. That was pure nonsense.
"Advanced Alchemy Master! Haha, this little girl Miaowuyin really is something." Pang Xianglong burst into hearty laughter at the sight of the alchemy badge on Miaowuyin's hand, his resolve to bring her back growing even stronger.
For Miaowuyin to advance to Advanced Alchemy Master without the backing of a supreme power — her talent was nothing short of terrifying.
He knew Zero Wing had certainly played a role, but when it came to resources, how could they possibly compare to the Azure Trading Company?
And the fact that Miaowuyin was now an Advanced Alchemy Master left the people on the Duan family's side with increasingly grim expressions. Although the competition ultimately judged only the winner, having one more Advanced Alchemy Master undeniably shifted the odds further in the Pang family's favor.
"What is everyone worried about? She merely advanced to Advanced Alchemy Master." Duan Hanshan swept his gaze across the group, entirely unconcerned. "So what if her alchemy talent is exceptional? This competition doesn't simply come down to who has the higher alchemy skill."
This competition was indeed an alchemy contest — but it was no ordinary alchemy competition. It was a trial to determine which family's heir was more capable.
Superior alchemy skill was an advantage, certainly, but the demand for actual combat strength was even greater.
The materials needed for the alchemy had to be obtained through one's own strength. No strength meant no materials, and no materials meant no potions.
The crowd considered this and found it reasonable. Though billed as an alchemy competition, what it ultimately came down to was the backing and power of each side — and on that front, the Dark Alliance utterly outclassed Zero Wing.
Just as the murmurs were spreading through the crowd, the Hermit presiding over the competition verified the alchemy badges once more and spoke again.
"Now that the remaining participants have met the minimum requirements, the competition will officially begin. You already know the content — you must craft the intermediate master-grade potion, Soul of Meditation. However, the materials must be obtained by each of you yourselves." The Hermit gestured toward a group of people slowly approaching from the distance, each carrying enormous iron cages into the arena. Inside the cages were fearsome beasts of staggering presence. "These Level 100 wild beasts are your opponents for obtaining materials. The stronger the Level 100 beast you defeat, the more materials you receive. The weakest among them are Lords — defeating one grants three sets of materials."
"Defeating a High Lord grants six sets of materials. As for the even stronger Level 100 Great Lords — you are not required to defeat them. Merely surviving for ten minutes without dying earns you ten sets of materials. The same goes for Level 100 High Great Lords — survive ten minutes and you receive twenty sets of materials. However, you may only make your choice once, so I suggest you choose according to your true capabilities."
As soon as the Hermit finished speaking, an immediate wave of commotion and gasps rippled through the arena.