Full of Scripts

"What? Alchemist Skill Exchange Grand Assembly?"
In the VIP lounge, Gu Ni tilted his head, looking at Chu Chen with a questioning expression.
"You heard correctly, it is indeed the Alchemist Skill Exchange Grand Assembly. I need you to use your years of connections to summon alchemists. What tiers of alchemists can you find?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Ni raised two fingers, "I should be able to find mostly Tier 1 and Tier 2 alchemists. Perhaps I can invite a few Tier 3 ones. Teacher, you know, alchemists are already few, let alone those of Tier 3 and above; they are all busier than the next."
"Hmm." Chu Chen nodded, showing little expression; such a result was within his expectations.
"Teacher, why are we organizing this alchemist skill assembly?"
Looking at Gu Ni, in Chu Chen's eyes, there was again the demeanor of a teacher wanting to instruct others, though he was merely feigning it.
"Do you know why I broke through to a Tier 2 alchemist at such a young age?"
"I await Teacher's enlightenment."
Chu Chen looked askance at the ceiling, an expression of recalling past sorrows.
"That is a relatively distant story. Beside the Jia Ma Empire, there was a city called Ge Da, backward and desolate, and I was born there.
Fortunately, I became an alchemist. The guild elders told me that if I wanted to grow stronger in alchemy, I needed to constantly compete with others, using competition as motivation.
So I always participated in alchemist competitions everywhere, absorbing experience, taking defeating opponents as my sole goal. In one year, I participated in dozens of competitions, even though those competitions were very small in scale, and sometimes the number of participating alchemists was less than five.
But from those small competitions that most people looked down upon, I gained countless valuable experiences.
And most of these experiences came from opponents, observing them, reflecting on myself, and finally, a year ago, I successfully broke through to Tier 2 alchemist.
I still remember the name of that alchemist competition, Jia Ma Good Alchemist. Gu Ni, do you know, when I participated in Jia Ma Good Alchemist, I had already participated in over a hundred competitions.
I realized a truth: sometimes, burying oneself in hard work alone often leads to stagnation. One must be good at observing opponents and oneself to absorb experience... Do you understand?" Chu Chen displayed an extremely firm gaze, nodding vigorously.
"So that's how it is. Teacher, now that you've said that, I immediately comprehended. You want me to absorb experience in this skill exchange assembly and try to break through!"
"Clap if you understand."
Chu Chen placed a hand on Gu Ni's shoulder, lowering his voice, "This time, try to gather alchemists who are Tier 2 or below. Similar tiers make observation easier. The more people, the better, but not too many, otherwise it's hard to observe them all."
"Teacher, you're telling me to invite so many people, it's not really for skill exchange, is it? What are you planning?"
Although Gu Ni rarely interacted with businessmen and seldom encountered insidious situations, he was, after all, old enough. How could he view things so superficially? Chu Chen was immediately exposed.
Seeing Gu Ni's tone suddenly change, Chu Chen's expression also returned to normal. He sat in his seat, took a few sips of tea. Regarding his shattered plan, Chu Chen was not in a hurry to explain.
And Gu Ni was not in a hurry to ask. Neither spoke, and the room fell into a strange silence.
A few minutes later, Chu Chen slowly opened his mouth, his tone profound, "If you've already guessed that this isn't my true purpose, then I won't pretend anymore."
Gu Ni frowned, pondering something in his heart.
Chu Chen spoke again, like a wild horse unbridled, charging forward, "Actually, I want all the Tier 1 alchemists around to break through to Tier 2!
I know what I'm saying is hard for you to accept. You are also a Tier 2 alchemist, so this is very disadvantageous for you, but this is one of my goals. Another goal is for you to make progress, as I said before.
Although I haven't been in Wutan City for long, I have deeply fallen in love with this place. The scenery here reminds me of my hometown. I want to make this place stronger, to bring the surrounding cities along to grow stronger.
I hope to see more alchemists, to see more Dou Practitioners. Even a small place like ours can make people look at us with new eyes!"
Gu Ni was silent for a long time. He was completely convinced, his agitated emotions difficult to calm for a moment.
With a "thump," which startled Chu Chen, Gu Ni slapped the tea table, extraordinarily excited and thrilled.
His chest heaved violently, the dormant flame in his heart seemed to be gradually awakening, and he seemed to have become younger.
"Small, my perspective was small. How could Wutan City not be a place I love? I have lived here for so long, so naturally, I have feelings for it. Teacher's words were like a bell tolling in the deep night; I understand now. One person prospering is not prosperity; hundreds and thousands of people prospering, that is true prosperity."
Filled with passion, Gu Ni suddenly stood up, sweeping away his previous gloom. His feet moved swiftly, erupting with an unprecedented spirit. Before Chu Chen could finish speaking, Gu Ni hurriedly moved.
"Ai, you..."
"Teacher, I've awakened! I'll go find people now!"
Looking at the rapidly departing figure, Chu Chen couldn't help but feel a little dazed, "Did this old man Gu Ni awaken too quickly? Or have I been slacking off for too long, making it hard to feel passionate? Hmph, overthinking it. Perhaps my story was just well-written."
A few days later, in the Jia Lie Clan of Wutan City, several important figures of the clan were seated on the second floor at night. A man with a narrow, long face was savoring a small jade bottle emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
On his chest hung an alchemist's badge, clearly visible under the lamplight. Beside him, two young, beautiful maidservants stood to his left and right.
These two maidservants had been specially chosen by Clan Leader Jia Lie Bi to serve Liu Xi well. In public, Liu Xi did not restrain himself, directly surrounding the two.
He often brought his narrow, long face close to the maidservants' chests, then took a deep breath, the body fragrance entering his nose. His lecherous eyes would then widen slightly, and his hands, like withered branches, unreservedly stroked the maidservants' fair and smooth skin.
The maidservant on one side dared not speak much, her soft body trembling continuously, tears welling in her eyes, and her delicate face had turned crimson.
"I've heard about the Xiao Clan's situation. That Blood Condensation Pill is indeed effective. I've refined a batch of Spring Return Powder and sent it to your market. You should lower the price of healing medicine. Gradually, you'll be able to recover the market, but the former prosperity cannot be restored."
After Liu Xi finished speaking, his narrow eyes shifted to Jia Lie Ao next to Jia Lie Bi.
At this moment, Jia Lie Ao was hunched over, leaning on a chair, his upper body wrapped in bandages. His originally handsome face was covered with terrifying scars that made people shudder.
Jia Lie Ao no longer had his former heroic demeanor; he looked like a survivor who had just crawled out of a battlefield full of corpses, covered in wounds, having lost half his life.