Chapter 79: The Alchemist’s Toy

Ye Xingchen slowly raised his pistol, its sight firmly locking onto Lin Mo, who led the group.

That man possessed the foulest mouth, having just dared to utter such vulgarities as “submit to him” and other obscenities.

‘What, did he truly wish to engage in such an act with himself? Even the peerless Yaochi Saintess, with her constant longing, had yet to succeed in winning him over…’

Were it not for the fact that this was merely a practical training exercise and not a battle to the death, Ye Xingchen would have certainly made a man like him experience Su Liyue’s formidable, large-scale fire-element explosion magic, capable of scorching through the armored shell of a Gold-tier magic beast, the Armored Dragon Turtle.

Unleashing such a potent spell, however, would likely result in their demise before the instructors could even react, incurring a host of unnecessary complications.

It seemed, then, that he would ultimately be the one to bring this farce to an end.

Bang—

The crisp crack of the gunshot reverberated through the trees.

Though it was merely a specialized paralysis round, Ye Xingchen had deliberately avoided any vital organs, choosing instead to target Lin Mo’s arm.

“You—” Lin Mo began, a sharp pain flaring in his arm, but before he could complete his thought, an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over him. His legs buckled abruptly, and he collapsed to the ground like a marionette with severed strings.

This sudden turn of events left everyone present utterly dumbfounded.

Only then did the chilling realization dawn upon them: Ye Xingchen was not jesting; he was entirely serious.

What truly astonished them, however, was the sheer speed of his assault, executed without the slightest ripple of magical energy.

Zhao Yan, at the forefront, watched his expression abruptly contort.

“Ye Xingchen! What have you done! Killing is strictly forbidden in practical training! Your damned alchemical contraption actually rendered Lin Mo…”

Zhao Yan’s enraged bellow abruptly ceased, for the dark, gaping muzzle of the pistol was now aimed squarely at him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three crisp gunshots rang out in swift succession.

Before Zhao Yan and the two nearest unfortunate souls could even register what was happening, they felt a sudden dizzying lurch, plummeting into a profound slumber.

The sight of them collapsing limply to the ground, at first glance, made it appear as though they had been instantly struck down.

An immediate, deathly silence descended upon the scene.

The remaining four team members stood utterly pale, their lips trembling uncontrollably.

It was then that a horrifying realization gripped them: the “dead last” student, whom they had relentlessly ridiculed, was now calmly aiming a perilous alchemical toy at each of their foreheads, capable of delivering a fatal blow at any moment.

“Now…” Ye Xingchen began, unhurriedly reloading fresh rounds into the revolver, the metallic clicks echoing jarringly through the otherwise silent training ground.

“Who else cares to try my alchemical toy?”

A profound, deathly silence fell over the area, leaving the remaining students rigid with fear, terrified they might become the next target.

If Su Liyue were privy to their current thoughts, she would undoubtedly nod in satisfaction, recognizing this as the perfect demonstration of ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘qiāng dǎ chūtóu niǎo,’ literally ‘the gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out,’ meaning those who stand out or take the lead often face consequences).

In a secluded corner, the trio who had initially resigned themselves to defeat began to whisper amongst themselves once more.

“Now I finally understand why everyone calls Ye Xingchen the Alchemical Maniac. It seems spending all day cooped up in the lab wasn’t for naught.”

“Who could have imagined that such a small contraption would possess such overwhelming efficacy?” another remarked, his eyes filled with curiosity as he gazed at the revolver in Ye Xingchen’s hand.

Lin Yueyao, the Earth-elementalist, tentatively raised her hand.

“Um… is it just me, or is this why Su Liyue might have taken a liking to Ye Xingchen?”

Her words seemed to throw open the doors to an entirely new realm of thought.

“Now that you mention it… I used to wonder why the esteemed third-year chief would ever show interest in a ‘dead last’ student,” his companion suddenly recalled, a spark of realization in their eyes.

“Come to think of it… perhaps Ye Xingchen possesses some ‘special talent’ we’re unaware of!”

At this, the two nodded vigorously, their faces alight with a sudden, profound understanding, as if they had just deciphered some incredible philosophical truth about life.

Ye Xingchen calmly observed the remaining four individuals, the gun’s muzzle slowly traversing their faces.

“Will you continue to resist, or will you docilely surrender your magic cores?”

Witnessing their two captains inexplicably collapse, the remaining students were utterly terrified, frantically shaking their heads in a desperate plea of surrender.

One of the Water-elementalists was so utterly petrified that he had soiled his pants, a sight that caused Ye Xingchen’s brow to quirk in amusement.

‘Had his demeanor been too ferocious just now, or was this fellow simply too timid by nature? He couldn’t help but wonder how this individual had managed to join either Zhao Yan’s or Lin Mo’s squad.

Could it be… was he the legendary comic relief of the team?’

Just then, a luminous five-pointed star magic array suddenly flared to life on the ground.

Amidst the shimmering spatial distortions, a tall, cloaked figure gradually materialized: the black-robed instructor tasked with covertly overseeing the practical training.

“Everyone, cease all activity immediately!” the instructor’s authoritative voice resonated across the training ground, his gaze particularly stern as it locked onto Ye Xingchen.

“Especially you, Ye Xingchen! Put away that dangerous alchemical creation at once.”

Understanding the implicit command, Ye Xingchen tucked away his revolver, having already surmised the black-robed instructor’s purpose in appearing at this precise moment.

He was, in all likelihood, here to ascertain the vital signs of Zhao Yan, Lin Mo, and the others.

After all, while this practical training had explicitly forbidden the summoning of familiars, it had not, however, explicitly prohibited the use of alchemical creations.

Nevertheless, in all previous years of practical training, no mage had ever resorted to using alchemical products in combat.

Even for setting traps, no one would typically employ alchemy to directly engage in battle.

For these mages, alchemy primarily served the purposes of enchanting or concocting potions; fields such as chemistry, physics, and manufacturing did not, at present, appear to fall within their scope of research and development.

Upon seeing Ye Xingchen stow away the black revolver and Mu Wanqing dispel her ice magic, the black-robed instructor finally exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The Water-elementalist who had wet his pants, however, suffered a truly wretched fate; his urine had actually frozen solid under the influence of the magical frost.

Clasping his groin, he slumped to the ground, emitting ear-splitting, pig-like shrieks, creating an utterly ludicrous spectacle.

Ignoring the hapless comic relief, the black-robed instructor swiftly moved to the unconscious Zhao Yan and the others. He meticulously checked their breathing, body temperature, and any visible injuries, finding no substantial harm—they were merely asleep. Only then did the heavy burden on his heart finally lift.

After all, throughout years of practical training, the injuries sustained by these magic students had consistently remained at a student-level severity.

While causing harm was comprehensible, killing someone, especially when protected by magic robes, would be truly extraordinary.

This year’s cohort of third-year students, however, presented several exceptional individuals, markedly different from previous years.

The mere presence of Su Liyue, who had previously vanquished a Gold-tier magic beast, coupled with Mu Wanqing’s astonishing mastery over ice-elemental magic, was enough to warrant heightened vigilance.

The black-robed instructor had initially believed that an attribute-less “dead last” like Ye Xingchen would be incapable of stirring up any significant trouble, thus directing his attention primarily toward Su Liyue, Mu Wanqing, and the other more prominent combatants.

To his utter surprise, the young man named Ye Xingchen had inexplicably produced a black metallic object that, at first glance, appeared to be an alchemical construct.

At the time, he had secretly wondered what threat a mere alchemical creation could possibly present; any damage it might inflict could surely be dealt with swiftly.

Yet, to his astonishment, the black metallic object’s effects far surpassed his wildest imaginings. In a mere instant, Ye Xingchen had used it to incapacitate four individuals, including Zhao Yan and Lin Mo, with a speed that left even the instructor no time to react.

By the time he was jolted from his observation through the magic orb, all four individuals were already sprawled motionless on the ground.

Alarmed, the black-robed instructor immediately activated a teleportation array, rushing to the scene in a desperate hurry.