I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield - Chapter 478 - 398: Sudden Upheaval, Celestial Barrier

Chapter 478: Chapter 398: Sudden Upheaval, Celestial Barrier

Time quietly slipped away amidst the faint glow of the alchemy furnace and the flow of Spiritual Energy. The sky outside the venue gradually darkened, while the atmosphere inside grew increasingly tense.

Another three hours passed, and a low sigh suddenly echoed through the hall—a middle-aged alchemist gazed at the failed remnants in his cauldron, shaking his head helplessly; his second batch had also failed.

Soon after, another contestant stopped, his face full of regret and frustration—less than four hours remained until the competition ended, not enough time to start another batch, sealing his fate outside the finals.

The remaining six contestants quickened their pace, progressively entering the final stage of pill formation.

The white-haired elder was the first to harness Spiritual Energy, weaving seals with both hands, causing a faint red glow to emanate around his cauldron. He enveloped the cauldron with fire-type Spiritual Energy, precisely controlling the final temperature with practiced, steady motions.

Dongfang Xi refused to be outdone, her fingertips shimmering with Spiritual Energy, using a family-secret fire control technique to accelerate the pill formation, a confident smile on her lips.

The audience held their breath, their eyes switching between the contestants, even holding their breath softer.

As time went on, the first contestant to complete the pill formation emerged—it was the white-haired elder.

When a lustrous Jade Heaven Essence Pill flew out from the cauldron, the hall was filled with low murmurs of admiration. The elder exhaled a long breath, a look of relief gracing his face.

Closely following was Dongfang Xi. Her pill’s color was slightly inferior to the elder’s, but it was formed completely and highly accomplished.

As she placed the pill into a Jade Bottle, she gave a deliberate glance towards Dongfang Mingyue, her eyes full of pride.

Third, fourth… More and more contestants completed their refining, as the numbers on the electronic timer kept jumping, with only five minutes left until the end of the competition.

At this moment, only two contestants who had previously failed and Dongfang Mingyue were left unfinished.

“Looks like Dongfang Mingyue won’t make it?” someone muttered softly, tone filled with regret, “What a pity, she was doing so well just now.”

Xiao Yu clasped her sleeves tightly, her palms cold with sweat, too nervous to blink.

At that moment, a clear hum resonated from Dongfang Mingyue’s cauldron, clearer than any previous time.

Soon, a completely green, jade-sculpture-like pill rose slowly from the mouth of the cauldron, its surface swirling with delicate Spiritual Energy halos—Jade Heaven Essence Pill!

Dongfang Mingyue’s quick reflexes allowed her to catch it stably into a white jade bottle, her actions swift and decisive.

Just seconds after she secured the bottle cap, the electronic timer emitted a prolonged beep, officially marking the end of the competition.

The contestant who failed to complete their task looked at their cauldron with resigned disappointment but continued refining at Gu Chao Xian’s suggestion—”It’s a rare chance to practice a new recipe, don’t waste the materials.”

Gu Chao Xian’s gentle voice eased their disappointment.

After the competition ended, staff members collected the pills from the six contestants, delivering them to the judges’ table.

Gu Chao Xian and several other judges gathered, carefully evaluating the pills from multiple aspects, such as color, gloss, and Spiritual Energy fluctuation, exchanging soft whispers, jotting notes with their scoring pens.

Soon, the electronic scoreboard at the center of the venue lit up, displaying the contestants’ scores one after another. The white-haired elder took first place with 78 points, followed closely by contestants scoring between 62 and 75 points.

When Dongfang Xi’s score flashed, a cry of surprise rose from the crowd—85 points! The highest score yet! Dongfang Xi’s smile grew broader; she had already secured her spot in the finals.

All eyes focused on the last empty space on the scoreboard—Dongfang Mingyue’s score.

Xiao Yu’s heart leaped into her throat, and Min Wenbing and others stared intently at the screen, forgetting even to breathe.

The next second, the numbers slowly appeared: 83 points!

Though two points lower than Dongfang Xi, it was still firmly in second place!

The audience erupted instantly, voices of discussion intertwining.

“To get 83 points after being two hours late, Dongfang Mingyue’s strength is incredible!”

“Seeing her earlier state, I thought it was over, but she turned it around!”

Some were curious about her initial performance issues, but were ultimately impressed by her later stability.

Dongfang Mingyue gazed at her score on the board, her tense shoulders finally relaxing. She turned to look at Xiao Yu below the stage, exchanging a smile that melted away all her worries and tension.

Despite a rocky start, she had successfully advanced to the finals.

Seeing the numbers on the scoreboard, Dongfang Xi’s face darkened instantly—she could never have expected that even after falling behind by two hours, Dongfang Mingyue not only completed the pill formation but also scored just two points less than her.

If Dongfang Mingyue hadn’t made early mistakes, perhaps she would have dominated as before, leaving Dongfang Xi behind. This unwillingness and jealousy pierced her heart like a needle, dousing her celebratory mood.

“All contestants’ scores have been tallied.” Gu Chao Xian stepped onto the stage, his voice amplified by the array spreading throughout the venue, “Now, I announce the four alchemists advancing to the Star Cup finals—Dongfang Xi, Dongfang Mingyue, Ren Changhe, and Fu Ze!”

The moment he finished speaking, the venue erupted in prolonged applause.

According to competition rules, completed pills would be returned to the contestants—both as a reward for their ten hours of hard alchemy work and a display of the Alchemy Association’s wealth.

Dongfang Mingyue received the Jade Bottle handed over by a staff member; the cool touch on her fingertips caused her to gently caress the bottle, her taut nerves finally relaxing,

As soon as she exited the arena, Xiao Yu darted over, her eyes sparkling, her tone filled with excitement: “Miss! That was amazing! Getting second despite being two hours late is incredible!”

Dongfang Mingyue grinned, reaching out to ruffle Xiao Yu’s hair, yet as she recalled last night’s dream, her initial happiness suddenly turned heavy, letting out a deep sigh, her smile somewhat forced.

The group quickly left the venue, boarding a private flying device waiting outside.

The flying device rose steadily, heading toward the hotel, with two escort flying devices closely tailing it at a safe distance; not far to the side, a discreet small flying device accompanied, housing He Wu and Nie Yunxing from the dark unit, responsible for outer perimeter vigilance.

Outside the window, snowflakes fell gently, sticking to the windshield only to be swiftly swept away by the automatic cleaning device, leaving streaks of water marks.

The streets below gradually emptied, passersby few, and even shops usually lit up closed their doors, the silence somewhat unnerving.

“Strange, even if Shuang Hua star is cold at night, it shouldn’t be this quiet.” Xiao Yu murmured, frowning as she leaned against the window, “This time of night, there should at least be some night stalls open.”

Dongfang Mingyue leaned closer to check out the window, a vague sense of unease arising in her heart.

Just then, the communicator on the flying device sounded, Min Wenbing’s voice carrying a weighty tone: “Miss Ming Yue, wait a moment! Something’s off, slow the flying device down!”

As soon as he finished, the two escort flying devices quickly accelerated, closing in on the main one; the small flying device to the side immediately altered its course, He Wu and Nie Yunxing deftly maneuvering to converge with the other escorts, forming a tight protective circle around the main flying device.

Dongfang Mingyue’s heartbeat quickened gradually, she looked down again— there wasn’t a whisper of movement on the streets below, not even a breeze, unnaturally quiet like a still painting, vastly different from the occasional car and human sounds of the past, reeking of something eerie.

“Buzz—!”

Suddenly, the flying device shuddered violently as if slamming into an invisible barrier.

Instinctively grasping the handrail, Dongfang Mingyue shot a glance out the window—below, the streets and buildings appeared as if shattered glass, cracks forming and then dissolving completely, replaced by a gray void.

Immediately following, the surrounding space rippled like water, a semi-transparent sky curtain rose slowly, enclosing all the flying devices within, forming an enormous cage.

“This is… a Sky Array!” Min Wenbing’s voice, tinged with shock, reached everyone through the communicator.

Inside the flying device, Dongfang Mingyue’s face changed dramatically, Xiao Yu clutching her arm tightly, eyes filled with tension and fear.

He Wu and Nie Yunxing immediately piloted the flying device in an attempt to break out, but no matter how they crashed against it, they couldn’t shatter the watery sky curtain, only going in circles.

Everyone understood they’d fallen into a carefully orchestrated trap set by someone else.

The target was Dongfang Mingyue herself.