bookrandom Chapter 177: Stars Without Light
Chapter 177: Stars Without Light
Fairy Zhao?! Gao Xingchen stood up suddenly, frowning, with a hint of displeasure in his eyes. Ever since she was taught a lesson by Nan Li at the last trade fair, Fairy Zhao has been holding a grudge and looking for an opportunity to take revenge. But Gao Xingchen didn't expect that she would actually come to the alchemy room.
"Fairy Zhao, what are you doing here?" Nan Li said in a cold tone, with a bit of vigilance in her eyes. She knew Fairy Zhao too well. This woman was narrow-minded and vindictive, and she would never have any good intentions.
"Let me see what elixir our great genius is refining." Fairy Zhao smiled softly with her hands covering her mouth. Her tone was sinister, but her eyes were full of undisguised malice. She intentionally or unintentionally swept over the alchemy furnace, "Why, such a nice alchemy room, you don't plan to invite me in to sit down?"
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He knew that now was not the time to have a conflict with Fairy Zhao. He also had to hurry up and refine the medicine for the competition, and he couldn't let her affect his plan.
"Fairy Zhao, you are joking. This place is very simple. I am afraid I have neglected you." Gao Xingchen said lightly, "If you have nothing else, please go back. I have things to do here."
"Oh, are you trying to chase me away?" Fairy Zhao raised her eyebrows. She had no intention of leaving. Instead, she stepped into the alchemy room and scanned the room. Finally, her eyes fell on the alchemy furnace. A trace of greed flashed in her eyes. "I heard that you are researching a new alchemy method recently. Why don't you let me broaden my horizons?"
Gao Xingchen's heart tightened. His newly created "Star Alchemy Method" was still in the confidential stage. He did not want to expose it to others too early, especially to someone like Fairy Zhao who had ulterior motives.
"They are just some trifling tricks, not worth mentioning." Gao Xingchen stood in front of the alchemy furnace calmly, trying to stop Fairy Zhao from getting closer.
"A trifle? I don't think so." Fairy Zhao sneered, walked around Gao Xingchen, and went straight to the alchemy furnace. "Let me see, what kind of alchemy method can make our great genius treasure it so much?"
"You..." Gao Xingchen wanted to stop her, but was knocked back a few steps by the powerful spiritual pressure that suddenly erupted from Fairy Zhao.
"What do you want to do?" Nan Li flashed in front of Gao Xingchen, staring at Fairy Zhao with cold eyes.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to take a look." Fairy Zhao sneered, and a cunning light flashed in her eyes. She stretched out her hand, and gently tapped the alchemy furnace with her slender jade fingers. A strange wave instantly spread out...
A strange wave spread from the fingertips of Fairy Zhao, instantly disrupting the originally stable energy flow in the alchemy furnace. Gao Xingchen's face suddenly changed. He felt that the fire in the furnace was raging out of control, and the originally docile medicinal power became manic and restless, as if it would explode in the next second.
"What did you do?!" Gao Xingchen roared, but it was too late to stop him. The alchemy furnace shook violently, cracks appeared on the furnace wall, and dazzling flames gushed out from the cracks, illuminating the sinister smile of Fairy Zhao.
"boom!"
There was a deafening bang, and the alchemy furnace exploded, turning into countless fragments flying out. Gao Xingchen reacted quickly, and at the moment of the explosion, he threw Nan Li to the ground and protected her with his body. The scorching shock wave mixed with fragments whizzed past, and severe pain came from his back. Gao Xingchen groaned, his eyes went black, and he almost fainted.
The smoke cleared, and the alchemy room was in a mess. The originally neat room was now unrecognizable, with charred walls, various debris scattered on the ground, and a pungent smell of burning in the air. Gao Xingchen struggled to get up, not caring about his injuries, and looked anxiously in the direction of the alchemy furnace.
There was only a huge charred pit left, the precious alchemy furnace had been turned into powder, and the rare medicinal materials carefully prepared for the competition had also turned into ashes. Gao Xingchen's heart sank, he knew that the elixir he had carefully prepared for the competition was completely ruined.
"Why are you doing this?!" Gao Xingchen's eyes were red as he glared at Fairy Zhao angrily.
Fairy Zhao patted the dust off her sleeves with a smug sneer on her face: "It was just a joke, why is Mr. Gao so angry? Besides, this game is a fair competition. I am just helping you to face the reality in advance."
"Fair competition?! You destroyed my alchemy, and that's called fair competition?!" Gao Xingchen laughed in anger. He had never seen such a shameless person.
Nan Li helped Gao Xingchen up, and swept a cold gaze over Fairy Zhao, saying in a chilling tone: "Fairy Zhao, we have remembered what you did today, and we will repay you one day!"
Xiao Hei also roared angrily at Fairy Zhao, showing his sharp fangs, ready to pounce on this hateful woman and tear her to pieces at any time.
Fairy Zhao was not afraid at all. She smiled contemptuously and her figure gradually disappeared into the air, leaving only a few words echoing in the room: "I'll wait for you."
Gao Xingchen fell to the ground helplessly, looking at the mess in front of him, his heart filled with despair and anger. He knew that Fairy Zhao had deliberately come to cause trouble today in order to prevent him from participating in the competition. And now, he no longer had time to refine the elixir again.
Nan Li watched the figure of Zhao Xianzi leaving, her eyes were icy cold, she moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing. Xiao Hei roared angrily and wanted to chase after her, but was stopped by Nan Li.
"Let her go." Nan Li's voice was low and calm, but it carried an irresistible power.
Xiao Hei whimpered unwillingly, but eventually returned to Nan Li obediently. He knew that with Fairy Zhao's cultivation, it would not be difficult for her to escape from under their noses, not to mention that she also had strange and unpredictable magic.
Gao Xingchen slumped on the ground, his eyes empty, as if he had lost his soul. He looked at the mess in front of him, his heart filled with despair and powerlessness. He knew what this competition meant to him, how much effort he had put in to get to where he is today, but now, all of this was ruined by Fairy Zhao.
"Brother Xingchen, don't be sad, we still have a chance." Nan Li gently stroked Gao Xingchen's back, trying to comfort his wounded heart.
Gao Xingchen seemed to have not heard her words, still immersed in his own world. The day of the competition was getting closer, but he had lost the qualification to participate. How could he accept this?
"Chance? What chance is there? My alchemy furnace has been destroyed and the medicinal materials are gone. What can I use to participate in the competition?" Gao Xingchen's voice was hoarse and desperate, like a wail coming from the depths of hell.
Nan Li was silent. She knew that anything she said now would be futile. Gao Xingchen didn't need comfort, but time to slowly digest the pain and despair.
In the next few days, Gao Xingchen locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink, and not talking to anyone. Nanli and Xiaohei stayed by his side silently, watching him getting thinner and thinner with worry, but they didn't know how to help him.
Despair, like an invisible hand, tightly grasped Gao Xingchen's throat, making him unable to breathe. He once thought that as long as he worked hard, he would be able to change his fate, but now he realized that some things cannot be achieved by hard work.
Just when he was about to give up, Nan Li's voice rang in his ears: "Brother Xingchen, don't give up, I believe you can find a way to solve the problem."
Gao Xingchen raised his head and looked at Nan Li in confusion, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Yes, how could he give up like this? He still had Nan Li and Xiao Hei, he couldn't let them down.
"Lier, thank you, I won't give up." Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, and his eyes gradually became firm.
He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the sunset in the distance, and was filled with fighting spirit. He decided to challenge again. He wanted to repair the alchemy equipment in the shortest time and refine the elixir again. He must participate in this competition!
The fire of hope in Gao Xingchen's eyes gradually became brighter and hotter under Nan Li's firm gaze. He nodded heavily, his tone full of strength: "Li'er, you are right, I can't just give up like this! I must stand up again, and I will shock those who look down on me!"
Nan Li smiled with relief. She knew that Gao Xingchen would not be easily defeated. His unyielding spirit was what she admired most.
"Brother Xingchen, I believe you!" Nanli's voice was crisp and firm, like a stream of clear spring water, pouring into Gao Xingchen's dry heart.
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and turned to the corner of the room, where the alchemy equipment that had been destroyed by Fairy Zhao was. His eyes became extremely focused, like an experienced craftsman who was carefully checking his work.
Seeing Gao Xingchen's serious look, Nan Li quietly left the room. She knew that Gao Xingchen needed a quiet environment so that he could devote himself to the restoration work.
In the room, only Gao Xingchen and the broken alchemy equipment were left. He carefully picked up each piece of debris and carefully observed their patterns and structures.
As time passed, beads of sweat oozed from Gao Xingchen's forehead. Repairing the alchemy equipment was much more difficult than he had imagined. Fairy Zhao's methods of destruction were very cruel, and many key components were completely destroyed by her, making it almost impossible to repair them.
Gao Xingchen's fingers turned red from long hours of work, but he had no intention of stopping. He was like a tireless warrior, racing against time and fighting against fate.
Just when he was about to despair, a flash of inspiration suddenly came to his mind. He remembered an ancient repair technique that Elder Li had taught him. Although this repair technique was extremely complicated, the effect was surprisingly good. Even a severely damaged treasure could be restored to its original state.
Gao Xingchen felt a glimmer of hope, and he quickly flipped through his memories, looking for records of this repair technique. Finally, he found this ancient repair technique in his vast memories.
"The position of Tianshu star, moving stars and changing constellations..." Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, and quickly formed seals with his hands. Mysterious runes flew out from his fingertips and landed on the broken alchemy equipment.
As Gao Xingchen's movements became faster and faster, the spiritual energy in the room began to fluctuate violently. A powerful energy burst out from Gao Xingchen's body, covering the entire room in a dazzling light...