[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback":3,"chapter-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-512":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising from Obscurity: My Martial Path Comeback",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266347,4424,"Chapter 512","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-512",512,"\u003Cp>As the Alloying Competition neared, Qianji City was thronged with activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Alloying Competition, held once every five years, was not only the most influential alloying contest in the Qianji Region but also a grand event of the Yan Imperial Court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors from other regions of the Yan Imperial Court kept arriving here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For warriors from outside the region, every competitor who stood out in the Alloying Competition was a future Master Alchemist; cultivating connections early meant being able to seek their aid when alloying needs arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master-level alchemists could not be hired merely with money—you needed sufficient silver, personal connections, and sometimes even to wait in line; for weapon forging, waiting years was not uncommon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rules of the final round differed from those of the city contests: in Bai Lian City, events ran simultaneously, but in the final round, each event concluded before the next began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first event of the final round was forging!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forging—the speed bump for men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning the final round’s schedule, Lin Chen followed Li Qin to the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tian Gong Pavilion in Qianji City could hold a million people; as Lin Chen entered with Li Qin and saw thousands of furnaces below, he couldn’t help but sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The competitors below were all muscular men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pity—if only someone forged a Damascus blade here…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damascus blade? Brother Xiao, do you mean some special spiritual weapon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qin turned her curious gaze toward Lin Chen; he shook his head: “A Damascus blade is just a knife forged by ordinary blacksmiths in my homeland. When I was young, a village would consider itself mighty if it owned one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Yin Yue rolled her eyes; she was now used to Lin Chen casually mentioning his “homeland,” though that homeland differed from the Poyang County she knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qin listened, her expression thoughtful: ordinary blacksmiths, villages…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Xiao Yan’s origins were humble, yet a warrior of such low birth had reached the Third Stage of the Primordial Realm and possessed such exceptional alchemy skills—proof of his astonishing talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, as the judges announced the start, thousands of muscular men began forging; sparks flew everywhere, and Lin Chen noticed several furnaces emitting flames unlike ordinary fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Primordial Fire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Primordial Fire is rare, but with enough competitors, some will always be lucky; in every contest, the number of alchemists and forgers possessing Primordial Fire remains roughly equal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qin explained the forging contest to Lin Chen, comparing past and current events, ensuring he didn’t find it dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first round’s rule was simple: forge a weapon usable by a Primordial Realm warrior, one capable of withstanding a full-power strike from such a warrior; the fastest hundred would advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For those present, forging a weapon for a Primordial Realm warrior isn’t hard—the challenge is doing it faster than others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen nodded; everyone here was genuinely skilled. For them, forging weapons was easy—the hard part was being faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within just an hour, he saw many forgers finish; the judges immediately tested each weapon as soon as it was completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tested the competitors’ composure, especially as the top hundred neared completion; many grew anxious, and several furnaces exploded—clearly from poor flame control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After two hours, the top hundred slots were filled; Lin Chen saw many still unfinished, who abandoned their work the moment they realized the slots were full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yuan Shengyao was in the top five hundred of last year’s Alchemy Contest, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This ranking is full of water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen’s lip twitched; only the top hundred had official rankings—the rest were unofficial. The rules didn’t even recognize a top five hundred; by this logic, Yuan Shengyao’s rank was likely 450 or lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d been 450 or higher, he’d be called “nearly top four hundred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d been top three hundred or two hundred, they’d say “top four hundred” or “top three hundred”…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rank of 450 meant finishing late among alchemists—ignoring those who, like these forgers, abandoned the contest once they missed the top hundred; his true rank was probably beyond six hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was Yuan Shengyao’s exact rank?” Lin Chen finally asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Qin replied softly: “Four hundred ninety-three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Yue beside him: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen was speechless—he’d overestimated Yuan Shengyao. With this rank, his true skill in last year’s contest likely didn’t even make the top seven hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, as eliminated competitors left, only a hundred remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next is the top hundred to top ten—but it’s tomorrow. Then top ten to top three, and finally the champion. It’ll take four days total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the top hundred decided, today’s contest ended. Lin Chen didn’t linger; others wanted to memorize the names and identities of these hundred, but he had no need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t come again these next few days. I’ll stay in the Alchemy Tower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first forging contest had reminded Lin Chen: never underestimate anyone. With Primordial Fire, his control over alchemy was equal to anyone’s—but in alchemy theory, he still lagged behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d passed the first round, but the top hundred to top ten and top ten to top three… would no longer be about speed alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If speed were all that mattered, alloying results wouldn’t earn universal respect from alchemists—even with Qianji Sect backing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In actual alloying, clients never demanded speed; a day earlier or later made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Li family’s Alchemy Tower held many alchemy notes, insights, and multiple elixir formulas. Their permission for him to browse freely was meant to curry favor—but it would precisely fill his current weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qianji Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bell rang—three times in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A distinguished guest arrives?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Xi, hearing the bell, frowned in surprise; it was Qianji Sect’s guest bell—three rings meant an extremely honored visitor. Since joining the sect, he’d heard it only once, when the Crown Prince of the Yan Imperial Court himself arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Yan Imperial Court never interfered in regional affairs, it remained the supreme ruler of the realm; as the imperial heir, the Crown Prince deserved such honors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the visitor again the Crown Prince? Or perhaps the head of another sect?\u003C\u002Fp>",1024,"2026-06-19T20:25:58.850Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","251a81414797e3846be95b1940f217b900d964270eb801da61894bcc700bc3d7","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-513","rising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-chapter-511",591,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-from-obscurity-my-martial-path-comeback-cover.jpg"]