Chapter 938: Chapter 726: Undermining the Enemy from Within
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s Alchemy Guild set the venue for the second test of the Warm Snow Cup in a dueling field.
“I didn’t expect so many people to participate in the second test.” The Dragon-man youth glanced around; besides the audience who paid for tickets, there were over a thousand alchemists competing.
This number is quite significant!
One must know that those who could advance to the second test of the Warm Snow Cup had already seen Black Iron and Bronze levels eliminated, with the minimum Extraordinary Level being Silver Level. Moreover, there were Golden Level alchemists sitting outside, each surrounded by a crowd.
This is a world of the strong, and alchemy mages are no exception.
The majority of alchemical plans require an Extraordinary Level. If one’s level is too low, sometimes even observing the experiments is impossible.
“There are still a number of participants who were eliminated in the first round. Yet, so many remain… truly worthy of being a leading alchemist nation on the Main Plane.”
Sitting beside the Dragon-man youth, Cang Xu discreetly transmitted his voice at this moment.
“In terms of national territory, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is just a tiny country compared to most land kingdoms. But its alchemical strength is exceptional. Coupled with its fierce folk customs and maintaining a large-scale army, it is truly a military power.”
“The disadvantage of this country is its impoverished resources. It has only one major resource point, focusing mostly on ice, snow, and water elements, which indicates a severe specialization deficiency. However, through its developed export trade, selling a large number of high-quality alchemical products, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom earns considerable foreign exchange. By using foreign trade to support itself domestically, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom maintains a high amount of R&D and military expenditure.”
He seldom had the chance to be with the Dragon-man youth, not missing any opportunity to impart knowledge to him, and tried to elevate his cognition level and broaden his international perspective.
The youth listened earnestly, actively absorbing knowledge, wishing he could note everything down.
He is growing continuously, never missing a learning opportunity.
After Cang Xu’s earlier admonishments, the Dragon-man youth discovered many of his own shortcomings.
Previously, he had orchestrated against the City Lord of Snowbird Port, Tan Mo, and Cong Mang, capturing a Golden Level pirate alive, and conducted large-scale preaching to the likes of Da Dou, Cong Mang, and Hun Tong, with a full sense of accomplishment.
However, after communicating with Cang Xu, the Dragon-man youth realized that these accomplishments were actually born from ignorance and fearlessness, merely blind charges riddled with risks, only fortunate for not blowing up on the spot.
Cang Xu’s admonitions made him deeply understand what knowledge and wisdom truly are.
Admiring the virtuous and striving for similitude, the youth also yearned to wield talents like Cang Xu’s, so he decided to learn earnestly and align himself actively with Cang Xu.
Although he obtained a wealth of experience from a Divine Blessing, these experiences were all concentrated on Extraordinary Cultivation.
The gain toward life’s wisdom was minimal.
Under the Alchemy Guild’s hosting, the second test began methodically.
According to the arrangement on-site, every ten alchemical teams took turns ascending the vast dueling field to perform alchemy in public.
The Dragon-man youth observed and found that each team consisted of three people; no team of two was seen. The second test’s alchemy workload was too enormous, so each team was fully staffed, reaching the set limit.
Only three teams succeeded in the first round. Just the first step—creating a complete Alchemy Puppet—eliminated 70% of the participants.
Though the three successful teams had complete Alchemy Puppets, they were all defeated in subsequent battles against the Ice Sculpture Guards. The best achievement was sustaining for merely three rounds.
The Dragon-man youth frowned slightly, seeing the outset.
The combat quality of the Alchemy Puppets made was quite good, with little difference from the Ice Sculpture Guards. The real gap was in intelligence.
Those hastily made puppets seemed like imbeciles. In contrast, the Ice Sculpture Guards were exceedingly agile, like ordinary people. The intelligence disparity made the battle results distinctly obvious.
After five consecutive rounds, the best result appeared in the third round, where four teams had formed combat puppets. Among them, one team’s puppet persisted for a dozen rounds, then suddenly started smoking spontaneously, becoming immobile and was easily taken down by the Ice Sculpture Guards.
It was thereby evident how high the difficulty level of this year’s Warm Snow Cup test was.
The Dragon-man youth sat in the audience, watching in all directions, listening all around, overhearing people nearby’s screams about the soaring difficulty of this year’s Warm Snow Cup.
The youth sighed inwardly: “To some extent, these people have been burdened because of us.”
He gazed at the judge’s seat and found Hua Ni sitting in the center, her face full of gloom.
She was the most prominent formidable enemy in the Alchemy Guild!
The Dragon-man youth couldn’t help but recall Cang Xu’s previous words.
Cang Xu: “Before that, we must first save someone.”
Zi Di: “Shi Liu?”
Cang Xu shook his head and revealed the answer: “It’s Jiu Jin.”
Ever since Zi Di caught him, Alchemy Guild’s Elder Jiu Jin had become a planted axe for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps within the Alchemy Guild.
Cang Xu’s revealed answer was unexpected.
The Dragon-man youth thought of Zong Ge, Shuanglian, and Bu Quan.
In the youth’s view: Elder Jiu Jin, dignified as he was, had no safety issues. Why need rescue?
Yet, Cang Xu explained: “Currently, we know that the Lijian family possesses unusual surveillance abilities. When Zong Ge played squad leader, they saw two Long Fu, deciphering the Deception and Disguise Skill, Anti-Intelligence Prophecy Skill from this angle.”
“Initially, Miss Zi Di held Jiu Jin’s flaw, successfully blackmailing him, which the Lijian family also knew of. It’s just that they did not possess concrete evidence as we have.”
“Nevertheless, the Lijian family can already deal with Jiu Jin using this intelligence alone.”
Zi Di frowned, still puzzled.
She had calculated this situation but felt it was not a big deal. The undead aura on Elder Jiu Jin had already dissipated, and the real evidence was in her hands. Even if the Lijian family made trouble, it wouldn’t endanger Elder Jiu Jin’s life, nor would it implicate the Purple Vine Secret Stash.
Of course, Jiu Jin would be suspected, ostracized, suppressed, and at most dismissed. Zi Di also considered that if such a situation occurred, she could use it to win Elder Jiu Jin over to her side.
However, Cang Xu shook his head and expressed his thoughts: “We need to save Jiu Jin! More precisely, save his current position in the Alchemy Guild.”
“Jiu Jin can only be more effective in the Alchemy Guild and the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital. As an elder, Jiu Jin indeed brings us a lot of help. Isn’t that right?”
Zi Di nodded. Without Jiu Jin leaking the questions to her, she couldn’t even pass the first round of the Warm Snow Cup.
Cang Xu: “The Lijian family is very likely to report. In that case, Elder Jiu Jin’s position would be in great danger. We desperately need external support right now. We are outsiders and must quickly establish ourselves and integrate into the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. It’s like we are rock climbing, and Jiu Jin is one of the few footholds we have. If he loses his position, it will be a significant loss for us.”
“Jiu Jin is actually an excellent candidate to support.”
“Firstly, he has cooperated with the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce and received funding from the guild, having such life experience. Secondly, he has significant weaknesses that are in my hands. If exposed, it would ruin him, at best imprison him, at worst be sentenced as a collaborator of the undead. Lastly, he has already yielded to us. Even if he is unwilling, having leaked questions to us, he will only sink deeper.”
After a pause, Cang Xu looked at the two: “Passing the second test of the Warm Snow Cup is not the point. We need to pass all the first-round tests and move to the next stage of the Warm Snow Cup: showcasing our alchemy products.”
“At this stage, using the inheritance of the War Merchant, we have a great chance of winning first place. The reward for first place can help us build a Mage Tower. Once it’s built, we will have firmly established ourselves in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Besides being strong enough in combat, the Mage Tower can also serve as a production base, safeguarding our alchemy business.”
“If we don’t directly deal with the Alchemy Guild and eliminate us, Hua Ni might not let it rest. There’s a high possibility that she will continue to organize eliminations. If we compete according to the rules, we will be too passive!”
Cang Xu’s words made the young folks frequently nod.
Cang Xu took a deep breath: “We need to establish ourselves here, root ourselves in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom!”
“The Ice Sculpture Kingdom and the Holy Bright Empire are secretly competing, having a natural conflict, with fierce under-the-table maneuvering. The empire, although strong, is cautious and entangled. The Ice Sculpture Kingdom, although weak, has legendary heritage and is a local tyrant.”
“In the clash of two giants, the situation will inevitably be turbulent, which is our opportunity to capitalize on greatly.”
“Snake Rat Island, Twin Eyes Island, these places are too small and have already been controlled by the Holy Bright Empire. Even if there’s a free island, there’s simply not enough space for us to operate.”
“Here in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, the local culture is bold, and the dueling atmosphere is thick. We have enjoyed the convenience of dueling. The squad leader is already famous nationwide, gaining widespread public support, something hard to achieve elsewhere in a short period.”
“Resources here are relatively abundant. Although it is considered a small nation, it is large enough for us.”
“Moreover, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom has a conducive environment for alchemy. Our alchemy products still hold considerable competitiveness, selling them for profit, which reinvests into ourselves, heightening our strength while expanding production, forming a positive cycle.”
At this point, Cang Xu looked at Zi Di and cast her an appreciative glance: “Thanks to you, Miss Zi Di, our business plan was a great success, and the funds are ample, crucial for establishing ourselves, accelerating our growth.”
In business, Cang Xu admired Zi Di’s methods. If it were him, he couldn’t achieve this level. It wasn’t just excellent; Zi Di single-handedly developed a new market for mount magic potions, causing a huge stir in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s magic potion market. The enormous profits made even a behemoth like the Alchemy Guild eager to personally get involved in the gambling, showing that Zi Di was exceptional to the extreme.
“Given Miss Zi Di’s animosity with the empire’s seventh prince and numerous nobles, we need to find suitable high-level connections in the empire. But building connections often takes a lot of time.”
“The redemption plan still needs continuation.”
“During this period, we must grow actively, strive to absorb all surrounding resources and opportunities, and desperately develop and expand. If we can become a significant influential force in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, it will surely increase our bargaining power.”
“If the redemption plan succeeds, our Extraordinary Level, overall battle power, and influence can be fully showcased on the stage of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Our value will be established, negotiation chips enlarged, the less spoils we tribute, the more we retain.”
“If the redemption plan fails, we’ll assist the Ice Sculpture Kingdom! It will serve as a temporary shelter, withstanding external threats, buying critical time. This is, of course, a last-resort bad scenario I’d rather avoid.”
Cang Xu fully considered the current situation and effortlessly devised a survival strategy for the future survivors.
Zi Di’s eyes sparkled as she immediately agreed: “Exactly, this is how it should be.”
She then looked at the squad leader: “If the redemption plan succeeds, we can collaborate with the empire’s spy to deal with the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
“If the redemption plan fails, we’ll provide intelligence to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, expose the empire’s spy, showing our willingness to cooperate.”
The main point is a flexible alignment.
The Dragon-man youth did not object. Cang Xu’s strategy continued their redemption plans, incorporating the latest circumstances, considering success and failure, progressing with evidence, extremely prudent.
Cang Xu added: “To root ourselves in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, we cannot continue acting as we are. Hoarding the magic potion’s profit is unacceptable. Forming an interest alliance would bring more hidden benefits.”
“Naturally, decoupling from the Lijian family is imperative!”
“They suffered a big defeat in the naval battle with Da Han, deliberately preserving strength, a political blunder leading to their family’s disgraceful reputation, currently having a grim political environment in the kingdom. If we continue cooperation, they will only drag us down, hindering our rooting plan.”
“The Lijian family hasn’t been settled yet because the National Ceremony’s great duel is looming, the Duel Godhood is forming, and externally there’s the strong threat from Da Han and the empire, keeping the Ice Sculpture Kingdom occupied.”
Cang Xu raised a finger: “First resolve the Alchemy Guild’s issue, then decouple from the Lijian family.”
“Involving ourselves in the Alchemy Guild, we need to support our proxy, dismantling the formidable enemy from within.”
“We must rescue Elder Jiu Jin. We cannot let him fall; we must stabilize his current position with all our might.”
“The current danger is that the Lijian family might reveal his real relationship with us. The reason Hua Ni hasn’t acted might be to lull us into a false sense of security. The list we obtained, Jiu Jin secretly copied from the database and brought out himself.”
“This might just be the enemy’s trap.”
“Therefore, everyone on the list has the risk of being eliminated. For this assessment, the third person besides me is quite crucial.”
“Here, I first recommend someone…”
“Cai Jing!”