Seeing Cui Yu and Dill slightly open their mouths in astonishment, Fang Hong simply handed over the crystal in his hand and asked, "Want to learn?" They both nodded in unison.

"This is a special kind of alchemy. It is very complex, but sometimes it can have miraculous effects."

The afternoon sunlight was streaming through the light tea-colored window, casting golden shadows on the side of Fang Hong's face. His voice was calm, unhurried, with a reassuring quality: "But time is limited, and I may not be able to teach the principles, so I can only teach you the drawing methods of three formations."

Fang Hong looked at the two: "Cui Yu must remember one of them, while Dill should remember at least two. As for how much you can learn, it depends on your respective abilities."

With that, he extended his hand. Using the black claws of Pride of the Lonely King, he dipped a bit of water and began to draw on the wooden table, stroke by stroke.

The water had not yet seeped into the lacquer of the wooden table.

But when the light reflected, it appeared as if a golden line was being illuminated in their eyes.

Just like in those months after the Hall of Thousand Doors, a similarly long and strong hand drew the formula etched in his memory stroke by stroke.

The café fell silent for a moment.

The three quietly watched as the line slowly extended under Fang Hong's hand. The slightly corpulent owner, not understanding any alchemy, had this scene etched into his memory earlier. Cui Yu and Dill watched for a moment, then swallowed uneasily.

Their foreheads were covered with fine beads of sweat, glistening.

...

Virus was holding the form in his hand, looked up, and saw the schedule information already refreshed on the big screen.

The upcoming semifinals would no longer be split across different venues, but occur sequentially. They drew the first lot, and the next match was against Ragnarok. The staff surrounded them, discussing the arrangement of the venue and preparation of materials.

However, Virus showed no particular reaction, his lips pressed tightly, forming a straight line that seemed unwilling to curve upwards. In the distance, the alchemist's projection crystal captured this scene in the sky, causing the Ice Queen to elicit gasps in the square.

"It's Virus!"

"Ah ah ah, it's really the goddess!"

"I came here for the goddess, go Elite!"

The community was equally lively in the livestream.

Stargate Port China Competition Region had the broadcasting rights for this exhibition match.

Previously, no attention was paid to the preliminary matches, and the Super Competitive League only sent reporters to cover it briefly, resulting in merely a few news snippets in the community.

But today's three matches had been announced early by the community. With the Princess of Silver Weslan and Elite's Virus leading the teams, the livestream had indeed gathered a significant audience.

Of course, it still couldn't compare to the grandeur of top-tier events, but the influence of the first and second guilds was enough to gather hundreds of thousands of viewers—most of whom were fans of Silver Weslan and Elite. Colors indicated allegiances, with the discussion area full of silver and light green bullet comments—

Stray Horse was one of them.

However, as a scenery streamer, he was neither a diehard fan of Silver Weslan nor a staunch supporter of Elite. He liked both guilds, but didn't consider himself a devotee. After helping the officials in Elpaxin last time and achieving good results, the Super Competitive officials gave him a special privilege to continue broadcasting the subsequent Continental League matches.

He was not entirely sure when he became interested in Super Competitive—

During these days, he repeatedly watched many classic past matches.

So much so that his fans jokingly called him an aspiring competitive streamer.

However, despite the jokes, he had indeed lost quite a few fans over the months—many complained he had lost his way, something Stray Horse was well aware of.

Yet he couldn't let it go.

The day of the Elpaxin match.

His chest had surged with blood as if it would burst out, his throat involuntarily dry, as if something had entered his eyes, capturing the glint of tears.

In that late summer, early autumn transition, he would never forget the emotions he felt then.

Just that few noticed—

Every match he watched was a classic confrontation between Chinese and foreign teams in history.

He saw the rise of a dynasty and the fall of an era, truly realizing how he had seemingly missed out on the best of times. While he paid no attention, some things had quietly slipped away.

Upon looking back, he realized that the China Competition Region had such a magnificent history, one he had merely heard of in the past but now felt deeply connected to.

Fortunately, though he lost many fans, he gained many new ones.

Because like-minded people always find ways to come together.

Most of the bullet comments in the livestream were discussing Virus, the 'goddess who never smiles'. Beyond the Super Competitive League, her fame as the Ice Queen was renowned. Before delving into Super Competitive, Stray Horse had even heard of Virus's name.

But at this moment, that was not his focus.

In the livestream, someone noted that Ragnarok had eliminated Silver Weslan in the previous schedule, and many had disbelief as their first reaction.

Stray Horse was also a bit surprised. As a meticulous streamer who liked doing homework, he naturally knew the strength comparison between Ragnarok and Silver Weslan. However, in competitions, there are wins and losses, and upsets are not uncommon.

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