Chapter 24: Done For

This day was the basic theory class of the Alchemy Workshop.

Sunlight spilled in through the high windows, illuminating the face of Mentor Clark on the podium, which was as serious as ever.

He was explaining the energy conduction characteristics of a certain basic ore, his voice as boring as grinding stone materials.

Jie Ming sat in the back, mechanically recording in his notebook while skillfully running the internal circulation method to suppress True Essence fluctuations.

Along with the breakthrough in strength, his internal circulation method also became increasingly complete, and instead, it was hidden better than at the first level of Qi Condensation.

Thanks to that ray of Purple Qi from the East, the realm of the second level of Qi Condensation had been stabilized overnight, but the next step of cultivation required more accumulation and more credits to rent a laboratory.

After all, along with the washing of the soul by Purple Qi from the East, his aptitude had improved another step, and the growth of spiritual sense after the breakthrough of Qi cultivation also in turn promoted the efficiency of the meditation method.

Even if Jie Ming hadn't engraved the fourth Truth Rune yet, the speed at which the meditation method absorbed elemental power to transform into True Essence was so fast that it made him feel terrified, and he had to be careful to suppress it at all times.

He calculated that even if he didn't engrave the fourth Truth Rune temporarily to disguise his talent, at this speed, he would face a "crisis" of breakthrough again in about a month.

In order not to repeat the crisis moment like before, he must liver a few more missions before that to save enough credits for the next safe breakthrough.

Just as his thoughts were flying, as Mentor Clark left the classroom decisively as usual, a suppressed excited whisper came from beside him.

"Hey! Jie Ming, have you heard? Big news!"

It was Amy. She looked exceptionally energetic today, with the expression of having discovered a shocking secret, and secretly leaned over.

Jie Ming politely turned his head, revealing a smile with a trace of exhaustion, fitting the persona of a "six-level talent apprentice who is working hard but progressing slowly": "What news? Seeing you so excited."

"You absolutely can't imagine!" Amy lowered her voice, but the excitement in her tone couldn't be hidden at all, "A super amazing apprentice appeared in the workshop! Researched a new type of material, and even those official wizards were stunned!"

"Oh?" Jie Ming's heart moved slightly.

He was quite interested in this kind of new material that could attract the attention of wizards. After all, the material system of the Wizarding World was brand new knowledge for him, and perhaps he could find more inspiration for integrating the Cultivation system from it.

"It's not just 'oh'!" Amy waved her hands exaggeratedly, "It's big! Big! Big! News!" She emphasized with her mouth shape, and gossip light flashed in her eyes.

"I heard that the material was just submitted for detection, and it shocked the old wizard in charge of detection so much that he almost fell down! The assessment result was even more shocking to all the wizards in the detection center! Think about it, those are official wizards, what kind of rare things haven't they seen? They were actually shocked by something from an apprentice!"

Jie Ming listened with relish.

Indeed, a result that could shock official wizards must not be simple.

Thinking of his own Essence Gold material that could be described as a stone sinking into the sea, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Really, people compare with people and die. Even though he had opened a cheat, he still couldn't compare to those native geniuses?

By the way, it seems he forgot to check the audit status of the material yesterday, but it was probably still under audit, so he didn't need to care too much...

He cooperated and showed a surprised expression: "So exaggerated? What kind of material is it?"

"It's exaggerated!" Amy said mysteriously, "I asked for a long time before I heard! It seems to be an isolation material! But it's also especially, especially amazing! I heard the wind from the side in charge of detection, it seems... it seems that for elemental erosion, curses, etc., the resistance is terrifyingly high! There are even a few tests where even their instruments couldn't evaluate the upper limit, and directly reported an 'exceeds range'!"

Jie Ming was still laughing, with just the right admiration and curiosity on his face.

He imagined how genius that unknown apprentice was, being able to research such amazing things.

Being able to stir up the situation in the Wizarding World, this is the real genius...

Ah? Wait?

His smile froze for a moment.

Isolation material?

Resistance to elemental erosion and curses is terrifyingly high?

This description... why does it sound a bit familiar?

He shook his head:

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! There are thousands of materials in the world... and although Essence Gold involves a part of the concept, it is only a primary material, it can't be that strong... probably..."

Judging from the knowledge given by the Great Dao Library, Essence Gold is also just the most basic spiritual material. On the basis of Essence Gold, one can continuously refine related concepts to obtain more top-tier materials.

So theoretically there shouldn't be any problem... right?

Amy didn't notice Jie Ming's slight change and continued excitedly: "And the most extreme thing is, I heard that this material was just listed for sale on the internal Magic Net of the workshop, and it was snatched up by those official wizards in seconds! Now many wizards are secretly inquiring about who this apprentice is, wanting to buy it! The price has been hyped to the sky! I heard... one unit is 100 contribution points!"

"100 contribution points! My god!" Amy sighed at the staggering price, "I can't even afford a fraction of it after saving credits for a month! I don't know which genius it is, making a fortune in silence! And I heard that the submitter's information was kept confidential, it seems the academy attaches great importance to this material!"

In Jie Ming's mind, the apprentice number belonging to him in the submission record on the workshop mission terminal uncontrollably emerged.

Amy's description continued: "And I heard that the name of the material submitted by this apprentice is also very casual, just called... 'White iron-based isolation material'? Hahahaha, what an ordinary name, who could have thought of it? So, you can't judge a book by its cover, and materials are the same!"

Jie Ming's face completely stiffened.

Hearing the material name that made him yearn for it and curse it, a planet seemed to explode in Jie Ming's mind!

Looks like...

Seems like...

Probably...

Maybe...

Possibly...

That wizard apprentice... really... refers to himself?!

Watching Amy still vividly describing the "awesome" deeds of that "mysterious apprentice," Jie Ming only felt stars spinning in front of his eyes.

Silence? Making a fortune?

Making a ghost!

I just wanted to get some low-tier material to earn some credits, how did I suddenly become the focus for no reason?!

Now it's fine, no need to be silent, just because of this piece of material, it directly shocked the whole academy, and even other academies!

Amy was still talking, completely unaware that an apprentice was experiencing a tsunami in his heart.

"Amy, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent!" He found a lame excuse, couldn't care about Amy's confused eyes, and rushed out of the classroom like a gust of wind.

He ran to the mission hall, found the Magic Net terminal in the corner, and took out his badge with trembling hands.

Log in!

His gaze locked on the "Credit Balance" column on the personal information page for the first time.

On the screen, a dazzling and dizzying number, like the cruelest judgment, appeared in front of Jie Ming:

Credit Balance: 500

Five... five hundred?!

Jie Ming felt dizzy, his legs went soft, and he almost couldn't stand still.

Under normal circumstances, seeing such a balance, he would definitely be very happy.

But now, Jie Ming leaned against the cold wall, looking at the shocking credit number on the terminal, and the "Sold Out" status in the material sales record next to it, stars were spinning in front of his eyes.

"Done for!" ===== CHAPTER 25 =====