Lord of Prayer

Chapter 216: Chapter 162: I Have a Special Alchemy Technique (2)

“He also bet two million on you,” Li Xiye said mysteriously, lowering her voice and the brim of her hat. “My brother just said that once you’re up there, you should make it look like you’re losing at first, then pull off a comeback in every round. That way, fewer people will bet on you, and we’ll win more.”

“I get it, I get it.” Zhou Chen flashed a knowing smile.

Just then, a loud horn sounded, announcing the contestants’ entrance.

“Go for it, Zhou Chen! Whether I can get a new motorcycle is all up to you.” Li Xiye clenched her fists to cheer him on.

Ten workstations stood on the massive stage, each laid out with different tools. They were all the personal Alchemy Tools of the various Alchemists, each set bursting with individual style. Only one workstation seemed out of place. It was stocked with the most basic of basic tools, no different from the crude equipment in a middle school chemistry lab.

Zhou Chen leisurely walked to that workstation and glanced around at the other contestants. He found them looking back at him, their eyes holding not contempt or disdain, but deep confusion.

’What forgotten corner did this kid pop out of? He dares to join the competition without even his own Alchemy Tools? Has Antonio gone crazy?’

The black market boss watched this scene and smiled without a word. He was certain that Antonio must have had a falling out with his own Alchemist, forcing him to grab a random rookie as a replacement.

A chorus of boos erupted from the audience. Most, however, were just there for the entertainment, eager to see how Zhou Chen would embarrass himself in a bit.

“Alright, now that all the contestants have arrived, I’ll give a brief introduction.”

The lights dimmed and a female host’s voice rang out as a spotlight hit Billy on the stage. “First, we have Mr. Billy from the Fire Pattern Nightclub! He is the three-time reigning champion of the Alchemy Competition and the clear favorite to win. His mastery of Alchemy is extraordinary, and he took home the crown in the last competition with an absolutely crushing victory!”

The gamblers erupted in excited cheers—he was their cash cow!

“Next up, we have Mr. Lü Qiang from the Wild Wolf Bar! He is a contestant who once took the Alchemist certification exam but unfortunately failed. According to our files, a single tiny mistake cost him his future as a registered Alchemist. But as the saying goes, if you fall, you get back up again. We believe Mr. Lü Qiang will succeed next time and become a venerable registered Alchemist.”

“And then, from the Dark Matter Nightclub, we have Mr. Ah Bin! He is a goblin and, according to his profile, is highly skilled at creating aphrodisiacs and Enhancement Potions. He runs his own small shop in the black market with a stellar reputation. His skills are formidable, making him another top contender for the championship.”

“This is…”

“…”

“And finally, we have Mr. Zhou Chen from the Rebirth Bar! His profile says he’s a twenty-one-year-old student, six feet tall, and 163 pounds. He doesn’t play any particular sports, but he works out and is solidly built. He knows a little bit about Alchemy… erm, and that’s all.”

The boos from the audience grew louder, especially from the gamblers who had suspected Zhou Chen was a dark horse playing weak. They immediately sold their betting slips and put their money on other contestants.

Li Xiye propped her chin on her hand, watching Zhou Chen on stage with keen interest and anticipation.

“Xiao Ye, think you can reel him in?” Li Xiangyang asked with a wide grin, sliding into the seat next to her.

’If only I could pull Zhou Chen into the Li Family…’

Li Xiye shot him an unhappy glare. “Stop talking like I’m some kind of seductress. If you want to hook a rich guy, you do it yourself. Or go find those sluts from our aunts’ and uncles’ families.”

“That’s not what I meant… I’m talking about a normal relationship. I can tell he’s a man of integrity; a honey trap would be useless on him.”

“…” Li Xiye stared at him like he was an idiot. “I’ve known him for less than a day. How am I supposed to start a ’normal relationship’? Besides, he’s an Ascender and I’m a normal person. We’re not from the same world at all. He’s investigating something, and once he’s finished, our paths will probably never cross again.”

Li Xiangyang said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “That’s why you have to act now! You’re young, you get it. It’s only natural for sparks to fly. He seems like a decent guy. If you two were to… you know, seal the deal, I’m sure he wouldn’t be irresponsible…”

“Piss off!”

“It’s just a suggestion! Look, he’s handsome, funny, and powerful. Can you honestly say you’re not the least bit interested? I’m just worried you’re actually going to turn into a lesbian and give Mom and Dad a heart attack… Speaking of which, what happened with those girls at school who confessed their feelings to you? You’re not really planning on being a stone butch, are you?”

“PISS OFF!!!”

On the stage, the contestants had entered their warm-up phase.

The goal for the ten contestants in the first round was to concoct a type of Healing Potion called a Regeneration Potion. This potion could stanch bleeding, relieve pain, heal wounds, and act as a disinfectant. It was an essential Alchemy Potion for any traveler and the top-selling item on the black market.

Zhou Chen studied the formula for the potion provided by the competition, feeling a nagging sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, it clicked. He remembered.

This was the precursor to the Blood Bottle—the very first version!

Back when Alchemy first became widespread, the market was flooded with a wide variety of Healing Potions. However, their effects were all different, which made them a huge hassle to use in battle. That is, until a genius Alchemist developed a universal Healing Potion capable of mending most injuries with a single dose.

That Healing Potion was the Blood Bottle. However, before the Blood Bottle was officially developed, many potions with similar effects had appeared on the market, like the very Regeneration Potion they were now tasked with making.

The Blood Bottle was later developed as a breakthrough, building upon the Regeneration Potion and several other types of Healing Potions.

’This thing…’

’He could casually whip this up while eating, watching a show, and picking his feet!’

“Oh? A Regeneration Potion. The difficulty of brewing this is quite high…” Billy stroked his chin and chuckled. It was difficult, yes, but he was more than confident.

“A Regeneration Potion…” The expressions of a few other contestants changed. They clearly lacked confidence.

Billy glanced around at the other contestants with a small smile. ’Looks like the real winner will be obvious after just the first round.’

After a few minutes of warming up, a solemn horn blast echoed, and the competition officially began.

Time limit: Thirty minutes. Target: Regeneration Potion.

At the judges’ table, a few veteran Alchemists invited to score the event observed the contestants’ work, nodding to themselves. Their actions were synchronized with the expert commentator, who was whipping the audience into a frenzy.

“Contestant Billy takes an early lead! He’s processing the Sunlight Orchid, and you can see his technique is incredibly refined. In less than three minutes, he’s prepared the entire plant to perfection. Even I can’t find a single flaw. His skill is truly terrifying.”

“Contestants Lü Qiang and Ah Bin are also moving quickly! The other contestants better hurry, because time is running short, and the next ingredients are the most difficult to process… Wait a minute. Let’s turn our cameras to contestant Zhou Chen. He… what is he doing?!”

The commentator’s exclamation echoed as a spotlight landed on Zhou Chen, making him the center of attention. He was holding the officially provided kitchen cleaver and was skillfully chopping something on a cutting board.

The plant looked exactly like a Sunlight Orchid, a key ingredient for the Regeneration Potion. Yet Zhou Chen had diced it into shreds in a few swift moves and set it aside. He then used his cleaver to crush two cloves of garlic, washed and peeled an Ox-Hoof Potato, and shredded that too. His methods weren’t even in the same universe as the other contestants!

“He—he shredded the Sunlight Orchid and the Ox-Hoof Potato! And he minced two cloves of garlic!”

“Contestant Zhou Chen is clearly just messing around! Is he hungry and trying to cook himself a meal? Should he be penalized for not competing in good faith? Wait, what’s he doing now?”

As countless people stared, dumbfounded, Zhou Chen turned on the gas stove, placed a wok on top, and started heating up some oil!