Translator: AnubisTL
Today was the foundational theory class at the alchemy workshop.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating Mentor Clark's perpetually stern face on the podium.
He was explaining the energy conduction properties of a basic mineral, his voice as monotonous as the grinding of stone.
Jieming sat in the back, mechanically taking notes while skillfully using the Inner Circulation Method to suppress fluctuations in his true essence.
With his breakthrough in cultivation, the Inner Circulation Method had become even more refined, concealing his true essence even more effectively than when he was at the first layer of qi refining.
Thanks to that wisp of Eastern Purple Qi, his second layer of qi refining had stabilized overnight. However, further cultivation required more accumulation and merit points to rent laboratory time.
After all, the Eastern Purple Qi had further refined his soul, enhancing his innate talent. Combined with the mental power boost from breaking through to the second layer of qi refining, his meditation technique's efficiency had skyrocketed.
Even without inscribing the fourth truth rune, the speed at which Jieming's meditation technique absorbed elemental power and transformed it into true essence was so alarming that he had to constantly suppress it.
He calculated that even if he temporarily refrained from inscribing the fourth truth rune to maintain the facade of his innate talent, at his current rate, he would likely face another breakthrough "crisis" in just over a month.
To avoid repeating such a precarious situation, he needed to complete several more workshop missions beforehand to accumulate enough merit points for a safe breakthrough next time.
As his thoughts drifted, Mentor Clark, as usual, promptly left the classroom when the bell rang. A suppressed, excited whisper came from beside him.
"Hey, Jieming! Did you hear the big news?"
It was Amy. She looked unusually energetic today, her face radiating the air of someone who had uncovered a monumental secret as she leaned in conspiratorially.
Jieming politely turned his head, offering a weary smile befitting his persona as a "sixth-tier talented apprentice who works hard but progresses slowly." "What news? You seem so excited."
"You won't believe it!" Amy lowered her voice, though her excitement was impossible to conceal. "There's a super talented apprentice in the workshop! They've developed a new material that's stunned all the formal wizards!"
"Oh?" Jieming's interest piqued.
He was intrigued by new materials that could capture the attention of wizards. After all, the material system of the Wizard World was entirely new to him, and he hoped to find inspiration for further fusion with his cultivation system.
"It's not just 'oh'!" Amy waved her hands dramatically. "It's HUGE! HUGE! HUGE! news!" She mouthed the words emphatically, her eyes sparkling with gossip.
"I heard that as soon as the material was submitted for testing, the old wizard in charge nearly fell over in shock! And when the evaluation results came back, they terrified every wizard at the testing center! Just think about it—these are formal wizards! What kind of bizarre thing haven't they seen? How could an apprentice's creation possibly scare them like that?"
Jieming listened with rapt attention.
Indeed, for an apprentice's work to shock formal wizards to such an extent, it must be extraordinary.
Remembering his own adamantium material, which had vanished without a trace, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Even with his cheat-like advantages, he still couldn't surpass these innate geniuses?
He realized he'd forgotten to check the status of his materials yesterday, but they were likely still under review, so there was no need to worry too much.
He feigned surprise. "That's incredible! What kind of material is it?"
"It's truly extraordinary!" Amy said mysteriously. "I had to dig for ages to find out! Apparently, it's some kind of isolation material, but it's unbelievably powerful! According to rumors from the testing department, it has... it has terrifyingly high resistance to elemental erosion, curses, and things like that! In some tests, their instruments couldn't even measure its limits and simply reported 'beyond range'!"
Jieming's smile froze for a moment.
Isolation material?
Incredibly high resistance to elemental erosion and curses?
This description... why does it sound so familiar?
He shook his head.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! There are countless materials in the world... and even though adamantium involves some conceptual aspects, it's still just a basic material. It couldn't possibly be that strong... probably..."
According to the knowledge from the Great Dao Library Pavilion, adamantium was merely the most fundamental spirit material. By continuously refining its associated concepts, one could obtain even higher-tier materials.
So theoretically, there shouldn't be any problems... right?
Amy, oblivious to Jieming's subtle shift in demeanor, continued excitedly, "And the most amazing part is, I heard that as soon as this material was listed for sale on the workshop's internal magic network, the formal wizards snapped it up instantly! Now, many wizards are secretly inquiring about the apprentice who made it, trying to buy more! The price has skyrocketed! I heard... one unit is going for a hundred Contribution Points!"
"A hundred Contribution Points! Oh my god!" Amy exclaimed, marveling at the exorbitant price. "I couldn't even afford a fraction of that with a month's worth of merit points! I wonder which genius is quietly making a fortune! And I heard the submitter's information is being kept secret—the academy must really value this material!"
In Jieming's mind, his apprentice number from the submission record on the Workshop Mission Terminal flashed uncontrollably.
Amy continued, "And get this—the apprentice who submitted it gave it such a casual name, something like... 'white iron-based isolation material'? Hahaha, how ordinary! Who would have guessed? It just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover—or a material by its name!"
Jieming's face froze completely.
Hearing the name of the material that had both haunted his dreams and earned his curses, Jieming felt as if a planet had exploded in his mind!
It seemed...
It appeared...
It was probably...
Perhaps...
Possibly...
That wizard apprentice... could she really be talking about me?!
As Amy continued to vividly describe the "mysterious apprentice's" "amazing" deeds, Jieming felt waves of dizziness wash over him.
Keep a low profile? Get rich quietly?
Get rich my ass!
I just wanted to earn a few merit points by selling some low-grade materials. How did I suddenly become the center of attention?!
Now I can't even keep a low profile! All because of this material, I've become a high-profile figure, attracting the attention of the entire academy, even other academies!
Amy continued her enthusiastic narration, completely unaware of the internal tsunami raging within Jieming.
"Amy, I just remembered I have urgent business!" He blurted out a flimsy excuse, ignoring her confused expression as he bolted out of the classroom like a gust of wind.
He raced to the mission hall, found a magic net terminal in a corner, and shakily retrieved his badge.
Login!
His gaze immediately locked onto the "Merit Points Balance" section of his personal information page.
On the screen, a dazzling and dizzying number appeared before Jieming like a cruel judgment:
Merit Points Balance: 500
Five... five hundred?!
Jieming staggered, his legs giving way as he nearly lost his balance.
Under normal circumstances, seeing such a large balance would have filled him with joy.
But now, leaning against the cold wall and staring at the shocking merit point figure on the terminal, along with the "Sold Out" status in the material sales record beside it, his vision swam with golden stars.
Fuck me sideways!
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
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