As soon as Bomo left the house, he saw Kunta standing at the door like a black iron tower. He bent his head and tried to retreat, but Kunta had already seen him. With a five-finger gesture in the air, a blue-green light engulfed Bomo and pulled him towards Kunta.
Kunta was a ninth-level warlord, and his combat aura was blue-green. The warrior of the Starforge world was divided into twelve levels, with each level having a different combat aura color. The lowest is white combat aura, followed by red, orange, yellow, green, blue, cyan, purple, blue-green, rainbow, silver combat aura, and the twelfth level, gold combat aura. It is said that transcending beyond the twelfth level, the combat aura returns to its original state of being colorless.
Kunta always took his orders from Master Aqina without question, and he wasn't particularly concerned about how to complete the tasks assigned by Master Aqina. Like an old eagle preying on a chick, he held the poor Bomo in his hand, and coldly asked, "Have you found the swordsmanship alchemist?" Bomo dared not struggle, and being held by the back of his collar was very uncomfortable for him, so he hoarsely pleaded, "Lord Kunta, could you put me down first?" Kunta snorted, loosened his grip, and Bomo stumbled to the ground.
"Why haven't you found him?" Kunta was obviously not satisfied. Bomo helplessly replied, "The master is probably just a passing alchemist. I have searched all of Wangshan City and have not found him." Kunta got his answer and turned away. Bomo hurriedly caught up, "Lord Kunta, could you please put in a good word for me in front of the master? I really want to enter the Dongsheng Academy…" Kunta pushed Bomo aside and, even if he wanted to chase, how could he keep up with the speed of a ninth-level warlord?
Bomo watched Kunta leave, feeling disappointed and sighed.
"Master, the Dean Lamir has sent a second magical message, urging us to return to the academy," reported Egas. Outside, there was a commotion as Kunta walked in, "Master, as you expected, that kid Bomo didn't manage to find the swordsmanship alchemist." Master Aqina sighed and felt a sense of desolation. Was this fate? Clearly, he was so close to breaking through, yet it seemed he would fall short of the title of Grandmaster. Is Pallaselces really an insurmountable peak?
"Let's return," Aqina said despondently. "The inter-academy competition is about to begin, and the Alchemy Division must have me in the lineup." He thought for a moment and said, "Bring Bomo along. No matter what, he has completed the task I set for him. Find a suitable mentor for him in the academy. This matter will be handled by you, Egas." "Yes, sir."
When Bomo gleefully followed Master Aqina to leave Wangshan City, Ge Zheng happened to walk out of his newly acquired shop. The shop was next to Lao Hans' and came with a small courtyard in the back, which could serve as a bedroom and laboratory. With this back courtyard, Ge Zheng returned the previous house.
Bomo, who had already been in despair, did not expect to have the opportunity to enter the Dongsheng Academy. It should be noted that the selection process for the Five Great Academies is strict, and only the best among their peers can pass the entrance examination. In Wangshan City, Bomo was the first to enter the Five Great Academies. As they crossed paths, Bomo was so excited that he was surrounded by aunts and older sisters who came to see him off. They gave him advice and instructions, and Bomo's affairs were unfortunately blocked, and he did not notice the passing of the alchemist who had just left.
As for Ge Zheng, he had already forgotten Bomo. Even if he did remember, he might not have greeted a former customer like him.
The next day, Hans was surprised to see his new neighbor and hadn't had time to greet him when he ran to report it to Bomo's house, only to be told that the young master had gone to study at the Dongsheng Academy and wouldn't be back for three years.
Ge Zheng's alchemy shop was unique. He personally set up a flagpole in front of the shop, with a lamp hung on top, which was an ancient "Qisi Feng" lamp made according to Ge Zheng's memory. Below the lamp, a long cloth banner fluttered in the wind, bearing the two large characters: "Ge's Gate."
If the master Ge Yuan, who was in another time and space, knew his disciple used the name of the school as the name of a small store, would he not be angry enough to spit blood?
This kind of sign can be seen from afar and is also unique in Wangshan City. According to Chinese tradition, it is customary to set off firecrackers for good business, and when Ge Zheng was competing with Parachelsus under the cloak of wisdom, he had already converted the formula of gunpowder into the formula of this world and had made firecrackers that frightened Miss Bean for several days.
The two greatest contributions of the Taoist alchemists to Chinese civilization were medicine and the world-famous Chinese invention of gunpowder, one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. The earliest recorded gunpowder formula is from the alchemical work "Lead Mercury Jia Geng Zhi Bao Ji Cheng," written by Qing Xu, which contains the "Fuhuofan Method": two liang of sulfur, two liang of saltpeter, and three and a half qian of aconite. Mix them together, bury them in a vessel and cover it with earth, and when it heats up, take it out when it cools.
In the different schools of alchemy, the method of making gunpowder also varies, and there are many sects that have developed various powerful firearms. Most of the famous firearms from ancient China, such as the fire-crossbow box arrows, thunderous cannons, swarms of fireballs, mostly come from these sects. However, the firepower of these firearms produced in large quantities for military use is far less impressive than the firepower of the firearms secretly produced by the alchemy sects themselves.
"Bang! Bang!" The peace of Wangshan City was shattered by a series of piercing explosions early in the morning. Some residents who were still in bed were startled and jumped out of bed, and those rushing to the market on the street panicked and scattered, screaming and running. The city guard sounded the alarm, and in the urgent toll of the bell, the deaf ear deaf city guard, dressed gaily and distracted, came rushing out of the barracks and rushed to the city walls in a frenzy. The front runners were pulling up their pants as they ran, and those behind stepped on the pants of those in front, causing them to fall down like dominoes...
In the chaos, a careless crossbowman shot an arrow, and the city guard's commander, Lord Bamos, had just charged out of his own house with a giant sword. A rush of air passed by his ear, and as he turned to look, an arrow was embedded in his door, vibrating vigorously! Bamos' morning resolve was shaken.
The shopkeepers who had just opened their doors quickly closed them and propped them up with a stick behind the door. Then they hurried to bury their belongings and money in the backyard...
The city lord's mansion received reports and issued an emergency mobilization order for the entire city. The people of the Starforge world had never heard such an explosion, and although the fire-based magic often caused such explosions, the frequency of this many explosions was unprecedented in the skies of the Starforge world.
Being able to consecutively cast "fire-based magic" like this must mean that a large army was encroaching, backed by powerful magic-wielding warriors.
The city lord hastily put on the armor he hadn't worn for decades. In the long period of peace, Wangshan City had forgotten what war was like.
Ge Zheng had never expected that his string of firecrackers would cause such a stir in Wangshan City. Fortunately, it was only a little over a thousand shots, and they were over in a moment. If they had set off tens of thousands of shots, it would have scared the residents of the entire Wangshan City for several minutes, if not all of them.
However, Ge Zheng also admitted that it was his first time making firecrackers, and without experience, he put a bit too much gunpowder, making them sound a bit too loud, but was there really a need to be so alarmed?
After a series of firecrackers, the soldiers finally stumbled onto the city wall. They looked out to the city, and it was quiet outside the city. The wind blew through the wildflowers, scattering seeds like dandelions.
Quiet, too quiet. It was as if the whole of Wangshan City had held its breath.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" A thunderous rumble rolled past them from the street just opposite the gate of the city lord's mansion and arrived at the front of Ge Zheng's shop.
The "Qisi Feng" lamp hung high, but it didn't need to be lit during the day. Below it was a long cloth banner fluttering in the wind, bearing the two large characters: "Ge's Gate."
At this point, Ge Zheng realized that he had accidentally triggered the surprise of the illustrious city lord. Nonetheless, this could not prevent the determined city lord from punishing the troublemaker.
"Was it you who cast fire-based magic just now?" the city lord pointed with his riding crop, coldly asking. Ge Zheng was briefly taken aback but then quickly understood. He nodded honestly, "It was me." "Hmph, alright. Men, get him!" Five guards rushed out from behind the knights, surrounding Ge Zheng.
Since Ge Zheng had released a continuous string of "fire-based magic" just before, even though the destructive power of these fire-based magic couldn't be seen, anyone who could consecutively release so many spells should not be underestimated. Everyone instinctively regarded Ge Zheng as a strong individual. Although it is well known that magic users have a weak physique, a high-level magician can cast magic in an instant, so the five who came to seize him were all the best among the city guard's attendants.
Five people spread out and surrounded Ge Zheng, then suddenly rushed towards him after taking a few steps around him.
With a "bang, bang," two of them flew straight out and fell five paces away, struggling to get up and failing. These five people were all elite guards of the city lord's mansion, two were third-level warriors, and three were fourth-level warriors. The two who were knocked out by a single blow were a third-level and a fourth-level warrior. The remaining three were also stunned, knowing that even if they attacked, their fate wouldn't be any better than these two.
The practice of alchemy is divided into internal and external elixirs. The external elixir is for refining elixirs and tools, while the internal elixir is for one's personal cultivation, ultimately forming the golden elixir, ascending in broad daylight, and achieving immortality.
Ge Zheng's internal elixir practice involves five methods and nine realms. The five methods are: breathing, consuming qi, moving qi, refining qi, and fetal breath. The nine realms are: entering stillness, sitting forgetfully, inner vision, guarding the opening, guarding unity, establishing view, containing thought, refining spirit, and meditating the mind.
Ge Zheng's method of practice had reached the third step - moving qi, but his realm was only at the third level - inner vision. This was not because his cultivation and realm were not in sync, but because the first three steps of the method were relatively easy to complete, while the transition from moving qi to refining qi was a challenge. It was often said by ancient people that one who comprehended the method of refining qi would have gained a deep understanding of internal elixir practice.
Although Ge Zheng was talented, he was restless and troublesome since childhood. While his external elixir cultivation progressed rapidly, internal elixir cultivation had always been his weak point. Just attaining the level of "entering stillness" took him three whole years. It took another six years to achieve "sitting forgetfully." Two years before he left the mountain, he finally attained inner vision.
According to the evaluation standard for warriors in the Star Refining World, his current strength was at best that of a level six warrior. Dealing with three level four and two level three enemies was quite a challenging task. However, the disciples of the Ge family practiced martial arts from a young age, so as to temper their bodies and support their internal elixir cultivation.
These martial arts did not contain any secret techniques and mostly consisted of easily learnable techniques such as Tai Chi and mind control. They were not considered the main subjects of Ge family disciples.
Ge Zheng was not proficient in these martial arts, but he was particularly fond of the "cannon hammer" in Tai Chi. Among the forty-two movements of Tai Chi, there were only five hammer techniques- overturning fist, advancing and blocking fist, elbow-striking fist, hidden hand and arm strike, and advancing and planting fist. Ge Zheng was extremely interested in the vigorous and unpaired nature of these techniques and practiced them meticulously.
For an ordinary person who only practices the moves without cultivating qi, just mastering these few moves would allow them to knock someone back several steps with a single fist. What about Ge Zheng, with his skills and understanding?
Considering Ge Zheng's current level, it was probably impossible to maintain the flying sword technique for even the duration of a joss stick's burning time. Furthermore, if such a valuable treasure was seen by others, it would no longer be safe, and he would be held responsible. The flying sword was his last resort, and he would not use it unless absolutely necessary.