Time flowed by at an astonishing pace. After their brief leave, Chu Yang dispatched them once more to other worlds to rescue their compatriots who were suffering greatly.
Since embarking on the path of the Human Emperor, Chu Yang could feel the hatred for the Sky-Slaying Clan and the joy of survival in the hearts of everyone in the connected planes.
This immense collective emotion indirectly influenced Chu Yang, instilling in him a greater sense of responsibility and a desire to bring victory to more suffering compatriots.
As he himself could not leave Blue Star, this task could only be entrusted to the members of the Ice Sword Mercenary Group.
Perhaps it was due to Chu Yang's excellent tutelage, or perhaps they were inherently outstanding, but they possessed a strong sense of empathy for the humans in other worlds. They grieved for those who sacrificed their lives and felt anger on their behalf.
When you know you are needed, a sense of responsibility is cultivated.
Meng Zibin and Chen Xiaohan were initially quite selfish. They had only viewed the Sky-Slaying Clan as mere training targets. Later, with Wang Teng's arrival, he instilled certain principles in Meng Zibin, and through their experiences on the battlefield, a sense of responsibility, of being needed by the humans of those worlds, was gradually fostered within him.
Chu Yang could not devise any better training strategies. This method of constantly engaging in combat and saving worlds was a countermeasure he had devised in consultation with the Immortal Emperors within the Ascension Tower. According to them, unless one was at a bottleneck in their cultivation, combat was the best form of practice.
Through their relentless campaigns, the Ice Sword Mercenary Group had become the most troublesome existence for the Sky-Slaying Clan. All Sky-Slaying Clan members scattered across various planes were now aware of their presence, and they lacked sufficient means to restrain them.
Chu Yang was also quite cunning. When selecting trial worlds, he always chose those where the high-end combat power was evenly matched or slightly disadvantaged. This referred to the realms above the Nascent Soul stage.
In such worlds, disparities in numbers were merely a trivial matter for Chen Xiaohan.
The low-end battlefields would often turn into a defense of Chen Xiaohan, and many human powerhouses sacrificed themselves to protect her, much like Qiu Yun.
However, Chen Xiaohan never disappointed them.
Each time they appeared, the Ice Sword Mercenary Group brought new experiences to the Sky-Slaying Clan.
For instance, while Chen Xiaohan had initially only manipulated Gu worms, her poisons now affected the soul, capable of dissolving their very essence.
Those killed by Chen Xiaohan suffered flesh corrosion, and their souls were scattered into oblivion.
When Sky-Slaying Clan members whose physical bodies had died escaped with their souls, Chen Xiaohan would control them, directing them laden with potent toxins towards their companions. The scene was akin to a hundred ghosts on a night march.
...
"The finals of the First Blue Star Apex Alchemist Convention, proudly sponsored by Brother Xian, are about to begin! This is the ultimate stage for all alchemists. Those who place in the top three will not only receive a luxurious gift package customized by Brother Xian but also become direct disciples of Boss Xue! Let us eagerly await!"
This promotional advertisement frequently appeared on television. The Blue Star Apex Alchemist Convention was currently the hottest event on Blue Star, and its popularity stemmed from Chu Yang's sponsorship. Chu Yang would be present on the judging panel during the finals.
To vigorously promote the development of alchemists, Chu Yang and Boss Xue jointly organized this competition specifically for alchemists.
Alchemy was a secondary profession that only cultivators who practiced fire-attribute techniques could pursue.
A saying was now circulating on Blue Star: "So, you're a noble fire-attribute cultivator!"
This was because, in addition to alchemy, artifact refining was also a secondary profession that only fire-attribute cultivators could undertake.
When the competition was first announced, Chu Yang even hosted a live stream, making everyone realize that alchemists were the next significant development.
Furthermore, aside from alchemists, Chu Yang had also implemented numerous support policies for medicinal herb cultivators.
He had an abundance of medicinal herb seeds; if his own medicinal garden was full and couldn't accommodate more, it would be a waste. Therefore, having others cultivate them was paramount.
However, such rare and precious spiritual herbs were not ordinary crops; they required spiritual energy irrigation and the expenditure of spirit stones to construct spirit gathering formations.
The hesitation in the past was mainly due to the fear of going bankrupt before these herbs could mature, especially since spirit stones were quite expensive at the time.
Now, with extensive support policies and Chu Yang's overt backing of alchemists, herb cultivation had become a burgeoning and highly sought-after industry.
After a month-long competition, the top ten contestants were selected to vie for the championship of the alchemist title.
Xue Qianwei had now also advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, making her a sixth-grade alchemist.
As for the "Alchemy Emperor's Handbook," Chu Yang had not drawn it again since that instance. Therefore, replicating another alchemist like Xue Qianwei was difficult.
Thus, they had to let Xue Qianwei train her own disciples. Apart from Xue Qianwei, Blue Star had no other fifth-grade alchemists; the highest were only fourth-grade alchemists.
This kind of talent gap was not a good sign.
The finals were held at the Cultivation Era Plaza and were broadcast globally.
Chu Yang, Xue Qianwei, Ao Qi, and Old Wang were all seated on the judging panel, observing the ten spirited alchemists before them.
"Chu Yang, who do you have your eye on? You're not allowed to use the [Eye of Insight]!"
Chu Yang's lips twitched, and he then looked at a young man with long hair, saying, "Wei Zhiyan, this kid still has the [Netherflame Sacred Body]. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the one. His potential is on par with Brother Da Teng. He possesses the Nine Netherflame by default, and based solely on the quality of his flame, he already stands out from the others."
Old Wang asked with a touch of regret, "Isn't it a bit of a waste for such a promising talent to become a full-time alchemist?"
Ao Qi nodded in agreement. With such a constitution, if cultivated normally, he might become another formidable general for the Ice Sword Mercenary Group.
Chu Yang smiled and said, "Everyone has their own path to choose. In the past, promising talents like Meng Zibin had no choice; they had to fill our high-end combat power. But now, we are not lacking in cultivators with strong combat capabilities. We are short of alchemists, geniuses like Boss Xue. Therefore, even if they possess heaven-defying talent like Li Qingyun, let them choose what profession they want to pursue..."
After all, a group of people were shouldering the burden for them.
The host stood on stage, reciting from a prepared script: "All contestants will first select the pills they wish to refine, then go to Brother Xian's medicinal garden to gather the freshest herbs. You will perform every step to the best of your ability. The difficulty of refining each pill varies greatly, and the final judgment will be made by Brother Xian..."