Chapter 0099: Meteoric Fire

Chapter 0099: Meteoric Fire

Qin Yun walked in slowly. Though his attire was simple, it was tasteful and full of vitality. He exuded confidence without arrogance, possessing a composure beyond his years, making him quite noticeable.

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on the bronze badge on his left chest!

That was the badge only Runes Masters possessed, adorned with a gemstone indicating he was a Junior Runes Master.

Everyone knew Qin Yun's age; he was just fifteen and a half years old!

He was about four years younger than Liang Shuojin when he became a Junior Runes Master, leaving all the veteran Runes Masters present in awe.

Duan Qian, the Grand Steward, appeared with a slight smile. "There are quite a few participants this time, a total of eighty."

"Grand Steward, is Qin Yun really a Runes Master?" Master Wei found this the hardest to accept.

Duan Qian smiled. "Qin Yun has always been able to create talismans, which you witnessed yourself! After reaching the sixth level of Martial Body, he crafted a low-grade spirit artifact and then set up formations, thus passing the Junior Runes Master examination."

Everyone knew that Qin Yun had reached the sixth level of Martial Body, which was already hard to believe.

Especially those from the Blue Spirit Star Palace, who had declared that the single-veined Qin Yun would find it difficult to cultivate soul scriptures and would take many years to reach the sixth level of Martial Body.

But now, not long after, Qin Yun had broken through to the sixth level of Martial Body, delivering a stinging slap to their faces.

The most shocking thing now was that Qin Yun had become a Junior Runes Master!

In the Blue Spirit Star Palace, becoming a Junior Runes Master at nineteen was something to be proud of, showing how rare young Runes Masters were!

Yet, Qin Yun, the abandoned prince, had grown to such a terrifying level in just five years. Everyone wondered how much hardship he must have endured to reach this point!

Liang Shuojin clenched his teeth in frustration because Qin Yun's appearance had stolen his spotlight.

"Not bad, not bad. It's good to join in the fun, but don't expect to get a high ranking," Master Wei said with a forced smile.

His son died under mysterious circumstances, and the person he hated most, Qin Yun, had become a Junior Runes Master, causing his heart to bleed with hatred.

Qin Yun merely gave a faint smile.

Duan Qian said, "This competition is different from previous ones. This time, everyone needs to forge ten thousand pounds of iron into a spirit iron strip! Note that it's ten thousand pounds of iron, not spirit iron ore!"

Qin Yun frowned deeply, and the other Runes Masters also expressed their surprise.

Iron, of course, was the common iron used by ordinary people, extracted from iron ore. Unlike spirit iron, common iron lacks spiritual energy, is not strong enough, and contains many impurities.

Forging common iron into spirit iron was possible but very challenging.

Moreover, forging ten thousand pounds of iron into a thumb-sized piece seemed incredibly arduous.

"Isn't this a bit too difficult?" asked a man from the Star Palace.

Duan Qian smiled warmly. "Our Runes Hall knew you from the Blue Spirit Star Palace would come, so we've prepared a very precious reward for the winner, hence the increased difficulty."

Everyone cursed inwardly, realizing that the Runes Hall had suddenly changed the rules.

The representatives from the Blue Spirit Star Palace were mostly young, and their skill levels were not particularly high. The more difficult the competition, the less chance they had of winning.

"Grand Steward, if that's the case, the first prize must be impressive," Master Wei said with a smile. "Can you tell us what it is? Then we can decide whether to participate."

Forging ten thousand pounds of iron into a thumb-sized spirit iron strip was an extremely laborious task.

These Runes Masters usually did not engage in such strenuous work, especially the older generation, who delegated forging spirit iron to subordinates or purchased it directly.

"A cluster of meteoric fire!" Duan Qian's words sent the Runes Masters in the hall into a frenzy of excitement.

Qin Yun's heart pounded with excitement!

According to legend, meteoric fire was a heavenly fire soul that, upon successful fusion, could elevate a soul to a heavenly fire soul.

Seeing the astonished faces, Duan Qian added, "Actually, meteoric fire isn't as miraculous as the legends suggest. It doesn't instantly grant a heavenly fire soul but can elevate a fire soul by one rank."

"For example, it can elevate a gold fire soul to a platinum fire soul, and so on."

Even so, it was still very valuable.

Qin Yun glanced at the people from the Blue Spirit Star Palace; they clearly wanted the meteoric fire as well, indicating its rarity even within the Blue Spirit Star Palace.

"What's the difference between this and a flying soul stone?" Qin Yun himself had a purple-gold flying soul stone.

Duan Qian replied, "There's a significant difference. For instance, a gold flying soul stone can only elevate a fire soul to the gold level, with certain limitations, but the advantage is that it can elevate all types of souls."

"Meteoric fire, however, can elevate any level of fire attribute soul by one rank. You currently have a purple-gold fire soul. If it were elevated by one rank, what would it become?"

Everyone took a deep breath. A purple-gold soul was already top-tier; what would it become if elevated?

They were curious about the answer but didn't want to see Qin Yun's purple-gold fire soul elevated.

"You can now decide whether to participate!" Duan Qian chuckled.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Qin Yun knew the registration fee must be high, and he didn't have many crystals.

"Fifty thousand crystals, right?" Master Wei was the first to step forward. If his fire soul could be elevated, his strength would increase significantly, making fifty thousand crystals worth it, even five hundred thousand.

"This year, it's eight hundred thousand, no fee for minors," Duan Qian said.

The age of adulthood was sixteen, and Qin Yun was only fifteen, so he didn't need to pay the registration fee, which relieved him.

This rule had always existed, so others couldn't complain.

"Eight hundred thousand it is!" Master Wei was quite generous.

Duan Qian received the eight hundred purple crystal coins with a smile. The other Runes Masters also paid their registration fees one after another, but no one from the Blue Spirit Star Palace came forward.

"Can we wait a moment!" said the young man leading the group from Star Palace, his face somewhat embarrassed. The arrogance they had upon entering was now gone.

It was clear to everyone that they hadn’t brought enough crystal coins!

The registration fee was eight hundred thousand per person, and these young ones couldn’t afford it. There were twenty of them, totaling sixteen million crystal coins!

If they included the registration fees for the older Runes Masters, it would be an enormous sum. Even if the Runes Hall handed over the meteoric fire, they wouldn’t lose much.

"Are you really confident in winning first place?" Duan Qian chuckled, his smile polite but laced with a subtle mockery.

"Among our twenty members, someone will definitely win first place!" Feeling the ridicule, someone from the Blue Spirit Star Palace shouted proudly, "Can we wait? I’ll have someone bring the crystal coins."

Duan Qian still wore a full smile and said, "I can let you register now and start the competition this afternoon."

All the Runes Masters were envious of Qin Yun, who could participate in the competition for free. Even if he didn’t win first place, he would gain valuable experience.

"Alright, the registration for this year’s Alchemy Competition is now closed. It will begin this afternoon!" Duan Qian announced.