Chapter 20: Division in Half

Done by one person!
The hundred thousand alchemists in the hall burst into wild laughter upon hearing Qu Yi’s words.
If the Xiao Ding Hall arrogantly aimed to monopolize all the alchemy tasks, there was some basis for that, but for Qu Yi to attempt to craft a million divine artifacts alone—this was no longer arrogance; it was madness. He was a lunatic.
“Qu Yi, you’re here to make a joke.”
“I get it. You must have a grudge against the Xiao Ding Hall and are trying to ruin the atmosphere on purpose.”
“A million divine artifacts in a hundred thousand years? That means ten artifacts per year. How is that possible? Qu Yi is clearly here to liven up the mood.”
“Qu Yi, we believe in you. Leave the Xiao Ding Hall to you.”
…
In no time, the alchemists who had been enraged by the Xiao Ding Hall now believed Qu Yi was deliberately trying to undermine them. They stepped forward, vowing to take on the task themselves, and began to cheer him on loudly.
“I’m serious,” Qu Yi said coldly, his expression utterly serious.
Ha…
Qu Yi’s words once again provoked wild laughter from the hundred thousand alchemists, who once again misinterpreted him.
The alchemists’ laughter reached Tan Chongji and Tan Changhuo of the Xiao Ding Hall, sounding like mockery. Both of them turned red in anger, staring at Qu Yi with fury, ready to pounce on him.
Huangfu Ting, the head of the Alchemy Guild, grew even darker in expression at the scene. With the alchemy tasks yet to be assigned, these people still had the nerve to joke around—how unconsiderate of them toward his feelings as leader.
“Silence!” Huangfu Ting snapped angrily.
In the competition arena, the alchemists had never seen Huangfu Ting angry before. Hearing his voice, they immediately fell silent, not daring to breathe loudly for fear of attracting his attention.
“Qu Yi, this is a meeting to assign the alchemy tasks, not a place for you to confront the Xiao Ding Hall. Stop meddling. Now, let all the alchemists share their opinions on the proposals put forward by the Xiao Ding Hall,” Huangfu Ting said calmly.
It was clear to everyone that Huangfu Ting was furious at Qu Yi’s behavior. It was now certain that the Xiao Ding Hall would take on all the alchemy tasks.
Undoubtedly, upon hearing this, Tan Chongji and Tan Changhuo of the Xiao Ding Hall immediately lit up with excitement. Tan Changhuo even glanced at Qu Yi from time to time, casting him a look of disdain.

Qu Yi remained unmoved by Huangfu Ting’s words and stood up again with a smile. Huangfu Ting’s expression darkened; he was furious that Qu Yi still dared to interfere. Wasn’t this exposing his own shame? Where was his authority? All the artificers stared at Qu Yi in shock, unable to understand why he would stand up again. Would he not stop until Huangfu Ting held a grudge against him? Unaffected by the other artificers, Qu Yi looked straight at Huangfu Ting and said calmly, “President, I’m not joking. I want to take on the entire artification task alone.”

Huh…

The breaths of the hundred thousand artificers in the competition arena formed a gust of wind, as if they had all sucked out the air at once, allowing outside air to rush in violently. At that moment, all the artificers realized Qu Yi truly intended to take on the task alone—he wasn’t joking. At the same time, they were deeply puzzled—what ability did Qu Yi have to craft a million divine weapons by himself?

Tan Chongji and Tan Changhuo from the Xiaoding Hall stared at Qu Yi with wide eyes, filled with astonishment. Huangfu Ting wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. He just kept looking at Qu Yi, his mind racing.

“Qu Yi, do you really want to take on the artification task alone?” Huang Yunle, the vice president of the Artificers’ Guild, became calm instead and immediately spoke up to confirm.

All the artificers in the arena turned their attention to Qu Yi. If Qu Yi truly had the ability to handle the entire task alone, it would be a groundbreaking news in the entire Divine Realm. To produce a million divine weapons in just ten thousand years with one person’s effort would surely overturn the existing artification order. At the very least, the Fangqi Pavilion would dominate the production of divine weapons in Huobao Town from then on.

No artificer could take this matter affecting their own sect lightly. They all watched Qu Yi nervously, wanting to confirm it once more. Qu Yi smiled gently, nodded, and said, “Yes.”

Another wave of deep breaths filled the arena. Some artificers even fainted—what a devastating news! From Qu Yi’s calm tone, many already believed him. If he said so, it meant he had the power to complete the task. A myriad of thoughts rushed through their minds, leaving them in mixed emotions, unsure how to express their feelings.

“Impossible! Qu Yi, stop spouting nonsense. How could you single-handedly complete the entire forging task?”
Suddenly, Tan Changhuo, who had been full of pride moments ago, started shouting fiercely.
After the Xiao Ding Hall declared its intention to take control of the forging task, it made its stance clear. Essentially, other forging sects also realized the Xiao Ding Hall’s ambitions, thus setting them in opposition from that point on.
For the Xiao Ding Hall, the situation was now critical. If it couldn’t monopolize the forging tasks, its future would be squeezed by other sects, making it extremely difficult to survive in Fire Treasure Town.
Therefore, both Tan Chongji and Tan Changhuo, whether out of self-interest or for the sake of the Xiao Ding Hall, couldn’t allow Qu Yi to succeed and must stop him at all costs.
Tan Changhuo’s doubts were shared by all other forgers. Everyone’s gaze once again focused on Qu Yi.
Qu Yi smiled calmly at Tan Changhuo and said effortlessly, “Nothing is impossible. If I say I can do it, I will definitely do it. I promise everyone here that if I take on this forging task but fail to complete it, I will commit suicide right in front of you—self-destructing with my soul.”
Wow…
Oh…
Hah…
Various sounds of surprise merged together. All the forgers were shocked by Qu Yi’s utterly confident tone, their bodies shaking, yet their faces showed fear.
Self-destructing with one’s soul meant certain death. The fact that Qu Yi made such a vow showed his absolute confidence in completing this task.
Hearing Qu Yi’s words, Tan Chongji and Tan Changhuo sat down heavily on their seats, their entire bodies trembling. Their eyes were wide open as they stared at Qu Yi in astonishment, unable to speak for a long time.
At this moment, Huangfu Ting, the president of the Forging Guild, looked at Qu Yi meaningfully.
For Huangfu Ting, the rise and fall of the various sects in Fire Treasure Town wasn’t his main concern. What he needed was to complete the tasks assigned to him. Thus, he also needed to rise in status to gain more authority and learn more advanced formation techniques.
With the proposal from the Xiao Ding Hall, Huangfu Ting felt relieved. Now, with Qu Yi appearing as well, he could rest easy about the forging task assigned to him—it would surely be completed on time.

“Qu Yi, you haven’t even managed to craft a single divine weapon at the Divine Weapon level. Yet you claim to take on all the forging tasks alone—this is deceiving us all,” Tan Changhuo said, his eyes red with anger as he directly accused Qu Yi. Undoubtedly, this statement won the agreement of the other forgers as well. Qu Yi had yet to prove his ability to create divine weapons at that level, making it hard to believe he could complete all the forging tasks. Huangfu Ting also watched Qu Yi intently. Qu Yi smiled calmly and said, “Tan Changhuo, how about we gamble again? If I can complete all the forging tasks by myself, the Xiao Ding Hall will belong to our Fang Qi Pavilion from then on. If I fail, I’ll commit suicide, and Fang Qi Pavilion will go to you, Xiao Ding Hall.” Hearing this, Tan Changhuo was stunned, speechless, and sat down dejectedly. Making a bet with Qu Yi had already placed a heavy psychological burden on him; even the word “bet” scared him. Moreover, the fate of Xiao Ding Hall wasn’t something Tan Changhuo could decide alone, leaving him even more at a loss for words. By now, Huangfu Ting had figured things out. He didn’t want to push either Qu Yi or Xiao Ding Hall away; instead, he wanted to bring both sides on his side. Completing the forging tasks was the top priority. “Alright, Qu Yi and Tan Chongji, since both of you claim to have the ability to complete these tasks, I’ll believe you for now. Given the importance of these tasks, I hereby decide that within fifty thousand years, each of you must craft five million divine weapons. The side that completes fifty million first will receive a divine general-level weapon as a reward from me personally,” Huangfu Ting declared loudly, his face filled with joy. As soon as he spoke, he assigned the forging tasks, immediately drawing out cries of surprise and dissatisfaction from the other forgers. “President, our Lan Huo Castle also has forgers at the Divine Weapon level. We should get some of these tasks too.” “President, as the top-ranked sect, our Ling Qi Academy deserves some of these forging tasks as well.” … In an instant, countless forgers spoke up, filling the competition arena with chaos and noise. “Shut up!” Huangfu Ting suddenly shouted angrily. The pressure of his divine general-level cultivation covered the entire arena with his shout, silencing all the forgers.

“What I need now is a sect that can complete all the alchemy tasks. Which of your sects has such strength? If not, then shut up. No need for further talk—the alchemy tasks will be split evenly between the Xiaoding Hall and the Fangqi Pavilion,” Huangfu Ting declared authoritatively. No one dared to reply.