Chapter 63: Fallen Star Stone
Some families are happy, some families worry. On the second day of the competition, Sun Ming looked at nearly half of the crowd and suddenly thought of this phrase. Looking at these so-called winners standing here talking loudly, wasn't there still a burst of laughter coming from them? Sun Ming's heart felt gloomy, after all, there were only ten places available, too many monks but not enough porridge.
"Ah! The sects in the Cultivation Realm are too conservative. If everyone could openly share their cultivation methods, that would likely bring the artifact refinement level of the Cultivation Realm to a whole new height." Sun Ming said to himself.
"Heh heh, silly kid. If the Cultivation Realm could reach this point, it wouldn't be called the Cultivation Realm anymore. The current Cultivation Realm is filled with conflicts of interest and contradictions everywhere. What you're talking about might only have appeared in the ancient Cultivation Era." Suddenly, Ming Xin appeared beside Sun Ming, laughing as he spoke.
"Yes, nowadays cultivators would go all out for some precious materials and treasures, let alone precious cultivation scriptures. Alas, I still hope that such a day will come." Sun Ming sighed.
"Tomorrow, it's good that you have this idea, but never show mercy to the enemy, after all, the Xiu Zhen realm is still a world where the strong prey on the weak. Any kindness shown to the enemy will lead you into an irredeemable situation." said Ming Xin Dao.
"The master's teachings are just a momentary sigh for the disciples," Sun Ming said with a smile.
"Gentlemen, today's trial will be held on this square. The spiritual fire is the most important thing for a refiner, and the intensity of the spiritual fire directly affects the refiner's future achievements. Today, I will personally test you with the fallen star stone."
The old master, Kong Wu, was indeed a man who would not rest until he had shocked everyone to death. The fallen star stone was formed when the spiritual energy on a planet combined with the most spiritual iron on the planet during an explosion, and it condensed into a stone in that instant. Usually, only one or two fallen star stones would appear when a planet fell, so the fallen star stone was also known as the rarest stone in the cultivation world.
The fallen star stone was not only rare but also a very difficult material to refine. According to records in the cultivation world, even the worst of the treasures refined with the fallen star stone were all top-grade spiritual instruments. As long as the refiner's level was decent, it wouldn't be strange if they refined a sacred instrument. After all, the spiritual energy contained within this thing was so abundant that it made people jealous.
If a sect's spiritual vein was dry and caused trouble, then just placing a fallen star stone on top of the sect's residence would fundamentally solve the problem. The fallen star stone was equivalent to a huge spiritual vein in the cultivation world, so when Kong Wu said the three words "fallen star stone", it would cause such a big commotion. After all, the cultivation world hadn't seen this thing appear for hundreds of years.
While using the fallen star stone to assess the intensity of the spiritual fire is the most fair, the fallen star stone will exhibit different changes when exposed to heat, in sequence: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Red is the lowest, followed by the others, with purple being the highest, at which point it will start to melt. Moreover, among the alchemists who can refine the fallen star stone in the Cultivation Realm, none have appeared below ten stars, so Empty Self Old Dao took out this extremely precious fallen star stone for testing simply to save trouble. After all, it is truly impossible for these juniors to produce a ten-star cauldron.
"Alright, I've told you the method of trial. Next, in no particular order, whoever has confidence in themselves can come up and take the test. Those with orange robes, including orange-robed cultivators, are not allowed to participate in tomorrow's test at Xianyun Temple." Kongwu Old Dao said, taking out a piece of meteorite from his storage treasure that made everyone present hold their breath for a few moments.
The square was suddenly quiet, everyone was waiting for the first person to appear, and the scene became very strange. A meteorite floated quietly on the square, while a group of people stared at it quietly. If it were in peacetime, they would have been fighting, but now they all stood there quietly staring.
"I can't take it anymore, since that's the case, let me be the first one. Although coming to Xuandu Star this time won't allow me to receive guidance from the seniors of the Sacred Alliance, I'll at least get a close look at the legendary 'Meteorite'. It was worth coming all this way despite the hardships." One of the cultivators finally couldn't bear the eerie atmosphere and walked to the center of the square on his own when the persuasion from the seniors in the sect didn't work.
This cultivator comes from a small, unknown sect. Sun Ming has never mentioned in the sect's classics that any disciple of the Qixiu Sect dresses like this, but still admires the courage of this unrefined cultivator.
The first cultivator slowly walked to the front of the Meteorite Stone, making a gesture as if to sacrifice the spiritual fire. Perhaps due to tension, both hands were trembling slightly. Finally, under Sun Ming's prayer, this brave cultivator successfully sacrificed the spiritual fire.
A not-so-weak spiritual fire appeared below the Meteorite Stone. In an instant, the color of the Meteorite Stone changed. A red glow first appeared at the place where the spiritual fire was burning, and slowly it became dazzling like a newborn sun. Suddenly, as if joking, the strong light disappeared, and a soft orange glow slowly filled the entire Meteorite Stone, just like the small lanterns made by ordinary people during festivals.
Along with the transformation of the brave cultivator's magic, this was also the result of his hard work. Although he looked pale, all the people present knew that this was a sign that his true yuan energy was about to be exhausted. No one thought he could advance to the next round of trials. However, perhaps heaven pitied this brave cultivator, and finally, an orange glow appeared with a not-too-large yellow block.
This was when the brave cultivator finally fell to the ground with a satisfied expression.
Two senior members of the sect walked up with great enthusiasm and lifted him down, still looking very happy. Sun Ming sighed softly when he saw this.
"Heh heh, tomorrow, being able to participate in the next round of trials means they still have hope. In the eyes of these small sects and schools, if their disciples can receive guidance from the sacred door's instrument refinement lineage, it will undoubtedly bring great progress to the entire sect. It's only natural that they would be able to perform like this." Yan Xin smiled and said.
"I just don't get it, is a qualification to guide more important than a disciple? That Qi Xiu obviously exhausted his true yuan, as a senior of the sect not going to heal him, instead discussing there and even being quite happy about it, truly...". Sun Ming couldn't help but look down on them.
"Tomorrow, this is also the current state of the Cultivation Realm. If you were in a small sect or school, you would understand their feelings now. Remember that the Cultivation Realm is a place where the weak are preyed upon by the strong. Don't show sympathy for that cultivator again, otherwise, you will suffer losses sooner or later." Ming Xin said seriously.
"The disciple knows." Sun Ming said in a low voice.
"Tomorrow, are you thinking of your Master Xuan Kong again? Alas, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Your master was right, whether it's in the Cultivation Realm or anywhere else, never show even a hint of compassion." Yun Zhongzi comforted.
"Yes, Master, I will be careful."
With the success of the first cultivator, new cultivators continued to go up to participate in the initial test on the square, and those glows also reappeared continuously. Sun Ming finally went from his initial liking, to appreciation, and now to disgust, no longer having a single thread of interest in the light emitted by the Meteorite under the effect of the Ling Fire.
"Huh?" Sun Ming exclaimed in surprise, as a new light emerged from the Meteorite Stone. It was green, a vibrant and thriving green that gave off an aura of vitality. Sun Ming looked up, his eyes widening in astonishment. But it wasn't Mu Rong Yun Luan. Sun Ming took a closer look and discovered that it was another female cultivator, one who was beautiful but completely different from Mu Rong Yun Luan. If Mu Rong Yun Luan was a volcano on the verge of eruption, then this female cultivator was like an iceberg frozen for thousands of years. Despite being dozens of meters away, her expressionless face sent shivers down Sun Ming's spine. What made it even more unbearable was that she didn't show any change in expression when faced with the sighs and gazes of the surrounding cultivators, silently walking on instead.
Sun Ming's face was full of suspicion, and he thought to himself: "I've never heard that the Cultivation Realm had such a beautiful ice mountain-like alchemist."
"This female alchemist is called Nangong Liuyun, a direct disciple of Kongwu Old Dao. I didn't expect her to be interested in this trial as well." said Mianxin, seeing the doubt on Sun Ming's face.
"The Shengmeng Clan's repairmen will not participate in the competition for the 'Number One Repair School in the World', it seems that Nan Gong Liu Yun is treating this assessment as a test of his own sect." A nearby Ming Ting smiled and said.
Sun Ming also smiled and thought to himself, "What a clever master, instead of focusing on his cultivation, he's participating in this messy competition. It seems that Nan Gong Liu Yun has quite the personality."
A burst of cheers interrupted Sun Ming's thoughts, and he looked up in the direction of Meteorite Stone. Sure enough, Murong Yun appeared there, her eyes glanced at Sun Ming with a provocative meaning that was evident.
Putting aside personal grudges (it seems they didn't have any anyway), Murong Yunlang was also a pretty good equipment refiner. A green light, even more vibrant than the previous one, shone from the Starfall Stone, illuminating Sun Ming. Even Nangong Liuyun, who had just walked away, stopped in his tracks and turned back to glance at Murong Yunlang beside the Starfall Stone, but still didn't show any expression.
Murong Yunfan walked away amidst cheers, and when she did, she didn't forget to glance at Sun Ming with a "you're not as good as me" expression.
Sun Ming smiled slightly, looking at the surrounding Ling Xing and Ling Yue, thinking to himself: "These two seniors are not bad, yellow... forget it, don't bother with them. It's better to strike them down a bit, otherwise these two won't have any motivation." Then he tidied up his attire and walked forward.
Unlike the cheers just now, when Sun Ming walked to the front of the Meteorite Stone, all the cultivators on the scene, whether successful or failed, had a puzzled expression. "Golden Elixir" How could there be Golden Elixir cultivators? What is this guy doing here? Is he here to humiliate himself? Everyone was silent, and for a moment, suspicious, sarcastic, and uncomprehending gazes fell on Sun Ming.
Sun Ming, however, was not convinced. He glanced at the fallen star stone in front of him and skillfully activated his magic spell. A spiritual flame quickly appeared under the fallen star stone, burning fiercely. However, after a long time, there was no change in the fallen star stone. The cultivators below started shouting "Stop embarrassing yourself!" and other similar phrases. Sun Ming, on the other hand, had an air of confidence about him. Finally, a hint of blue color appeared on the fallen star stone.
Jian Ge wasn't at home for the first time. First time typing in an internet cafe. First time uploading so many things in an internet cafe, hehe, please collect, hehe.
