Chapter 30: Rapid Progress (Revised Edition)

The voices of the onlookers eventually reached Cheng Xiao. He opened his eyes to find that Song Changsheng was working with both hands simultaneously, with two magic arrays nearing completion.

"This... how is this possible?" Cheng Xiao could hardly believe his eyes.

Every array master hoped to master the ability to multitask, but almost all had failed—and Cheng Xiao was among those failures.

This had once caused Cheng Xiao to doubt whether multitasking was even real.

Clearly, the question had been answered: it was real, but it was manifesting in someone he had looked down upon.

In an instant, a surge of intense resentment and indignation rose within Cheng Xiao. He was unwilling to accept it; why was it that someone with his talent could find no path forward, while this fellow could do it so easily?

The violent fluctuation of his emotions immediately affected him. The third array, which was halfway inscribed, instantly collapsed. In that moment, Cheng Xiao felt as if something had pierced his sea of consciousness, causing excruciating pain.

As his sea of consciousness fell into chaos, the spiritual energy throughout his body lost control, surging wildly through his meridians and Qi sea. Cheng Xiao suddenly let out a "waah" and sprayed out a mist of blood.

His eyes rolled back, and he slumped over, losing consciousness.

Startled, Bai Ruofeng rushed over to support Cheng Xiao. Upon inspection, he discovered signs of qi deviation.

At this moment, he could not afford to care about anything else. Looking around, he declared, "The Hundred Treasures Pavilion concedes this match!"

After dropping those words, Bai Ruofeng picked up Cheng Xiao and quickly retreated from the crowd.

Everyone was caught completely off guard by this sudden turn of events.

One cultivator said in disbelief, "The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is conceding just like that?"

"Didn't you see Cheng Xiao vomiting blood? I reckon it's quite serious. Didn't you see Bai Ruofeng acting like his own son had just died?"

"If you ask me, it makes sense. That was multitasking. Since they were going to lose anyway, it's better to just pretend to faint and end it all."

In an instant, all sorts of speculations sprouted like mushrooms after rain, with dozens of different versions emerging in less than fifteen minutes.

Someone suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "Since the Earth Fire Sect has conceded, can we settle the spirit stones now? I bet on the Song family winning!"

"Yeah, it's time to settle up!"

In an instant, the side that had bet on Song Changsheng's victory turned into a sea of joy, as they rushed to the bookmakers to collect their spirit stones.

Conversely, the side that had bet on Cheng Xiao was shrouded in gloom, each person feeling more miserable than if they had swallowed a fly.

When Song Changsheng opened his eyes, he saw this chaotic scene. Cheng Xiao was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a conspicuous pool of blood.

"What's going on?" Song Changsheng was also somewhat bewildered.

"Nephew, you won! That Cheng Xiao from the Earth Fire Sect fainted halfway through the match and conceded long ago," Song Luyuan said excitedly in his ear.

"He left the stage?" Song Changsheng chuckled helplessly. He had originally treated him as a true rival and even intentionally refined a substandard magic tool to deceive him; it seemed he had overestimated the man.

Looking at the magic tool in his hand, he felt very satisfied. Because time was limited, both he and Cheng Xiao had chosen the simplest Tier 1 low-grade arrays.

In three hours, Cheng Xiao could at most inscribe four, yet he had inscribed six in just two hours. The gap between them was self-evident.

Aside from his superior strength, multitasking was the crucial factor behind this disparity.

He had discovered this by chance while practicing the [Water-Fire Control Method], so he had experimentally integrated it into his array formation, and to his surprise, the results were quite good.

Song Changsheng put away the magic tool, looked around, and cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoists, I will be stationed at the Treasure Seeking Pavilion for a while. If you have any needs, feel free to place an order. I will not refuse anyone."

His reason for participating in this match, besides slapping the face of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, was to promote himself. After all, to improve his artifact refining skills, practice was indispensable.

Just as he expected, business boomed in the following period. Song Changqian and the others were so busy every day that they were working themselves to the bone.

In contrast, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was not only deserted, but also plagued by various rumors and slander, resulting in a complete loss of face.

——————

"Bai Ruofeng, you have truly disappointed me." Inside the secret chamber of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, a middle-aged man in a blue robe spoke coldly with his hands behind his back.

Bai Ruofeng explained with a face full of terror, "Elder Cheng, I also didn't expect that Song Changsheng would..."

"Enough! Xiao'er was nearly destroyed because of you, and you still have the nerve to make excuses? You didn't even figure out Song Changsheng's background. What use are you?"

The middle-aged man flew into a rage. A single match had nearly caused Cheng Xiao to suffer qi deviation; he wished he could slap Bai Ruofeng to death.

Bai Ruofeng knelt on the ground in terror, saying tremulously, "I had no such intention."

"Hmph. This Song Changsheng has repeatedly disrupted our sect's affairs. I will not allow him to leave here alive," Elder Cheng said, his eyes filled with killing intent.

He looked at Bai Ruofeng on the floor and said, "Send people to watch him. The moment he leaves the market, report back immediately."

"Understood!" Bai Ruofeng felt a sense of relief and hurried off to make arrangements...

Song Changsheng was still unaware that an elder from the Earth Fire Sect had secretly arrived at the market and was preparing to deal with him.

He was currently soaking in the refining room every day, working day and night to improve his artifact refining skills.

"Finally, the last one is finished."

In the refining room, Song Changsheng let out a long sigh of relief. He could finally take a rest.

Half a year had passed since the last competition. Through a mountain of refining orders, he had undergone a transformation, successfully upgrading the Treasure Gourd to the Tier 1 top-grade level.

This marked his official status as the youngest Tier 1 top-grade artifact refiner of the Song family!

Song Changsheng walked out of the refining room and handed the finished magic tool to Song Luyuan. "Uncle, I want to rest for a while. If anyone wants to refine a magic tool, please push them back a bit."

"Ah, you've worked so hard lately. You've completed more orders in these six months than you did in the previous year. You deserve a good rest. Take a month off first."

Currently, Song Luyuan granted any request Song Changsheng made. Forget resting for a few days—even if he asked for his daughter, he wouldn't even blink an eye.

"A month?" Song Changsheng nodded. He hadn't properly toured the market yet, so this was a good opportunity.

Just as he was about to head downstairs, Song Luyuan called him back and handed him a spatial bag.

Song Changsheng opened it and found five hundred spirit stones neatly arranged inside. He asked in confusion, "This is...?"

Song Luyuan said in surprise, "This is your compensation for the orders you completed during this time."

Song Changsheng suddenly realized. In the Song family, completing shop orders earned a reward, but he had always assumed it was in the form of contribution points; he hadn't expected direct spirit stones.

Perhaps sensing his confusion, Song Luyuan smiled and said, "For those of us who are away from home for long periods, spirit stones are more practical. This should be your first time in the market, right? You might as well go have a good look around."

"That is exactly my intention. Thank you, Uncle." Only then did Song Changsheng accept the spirit stones and walk out into the street.

Having been here for half a year, he indeed hadn't properly explored...

(End of Chapter)