Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

Clang——

Clang——

In a secluded corner of the back mountain, a seemingly young boy appeared to be scraping something with a whetstone in his hand.

He casually used a wooden stake as a workbench, throwing various metal parts onto the table, including triggers, springs, lacquer, black powder, talisman papers, and small, exquisitely carved metal tubes.

A bowl and a pestle were on the table, grinding innumerable granular fragments into powder.

Potassium nitrate seventy-five percent, charcoal fifteen percent, sulfur ten percent, mixing while constantly stirring to blend them evenly. In any era, as long as these three things are mixed in proportion, they can unleash quite a frightening power. Yet, in this era, people still haven't evolved to the age of firearms.

Because the most important thing couldn't be resolved.

Which is potassium nitrate.

"Just spent two days out fiddling with these things?"

A calm and cool voice came from behind.

In the past two days, Jiang Feng surprisingly did not cultivate, did not cram at the last minute, nor did he tease the juniors at home. Instead, he chose to head north along the Zixiao Mountain, choosing to leave the sect's mountain gate during the important occasion of the martial arts competition.

And not just a simple tour downstairs, he ran north for a day and a night before rushing back home, and after hurriedly eating at home, he came to the back mountain without a moment's pause.

"Hmm."

The boy just lightly nodded, his expression unchanged. His sturdy and steady hands showed no sign of trembling, even as he mixed the blended gunpowder with strong alcohol, forming it into a mud-like substance. Next to him were many small, molded pellets, each one smooth and perfect, like soybeans.

He glanced at his junior sister.

Although chatting with Jiang Feng, she always kept about ten meters away from him. Truth be told, she didn't like this smell, not out of a physiological aversion, but because the smell made her feel a bit uneasy.

She always thought that if her junior brother gave up sword cultivation and sincerely joined Chi Xiao Peak to learn smelting, or followed an Artifact Refiner to forge Magic Treasures, with his mind, he could achieve quite remarkable success.

Back in Qingshui County, her junior brother had already tinkered with this stuff. Each about the length of a ruler, he placed them all in a bookshelf. She remembered out of curiosity she once crushed one, and as for the result…

It added insult to injury for poor Jiang.

The house got blown up, even her cuffs got destroyed, which was simply unimaginable for someone of her realm.

"These days, at the Inner Sect Disciple's martial competition, Dragon Head, Qingxia, Divine Wood, Zhu Ming, the four peaks were in full swing. These four peaks are also the most established sects within the Purple Cloud Palace. Among the top sixteen, except for you, only two are of high-grade Core Formation, and the rest are at the peak."

The person preparing the gunpowder paused for a moment. From his actions, it was evident he was seriously listening to his senior sister speak. Naturally, he was interested in the overall strength distribution of the sect's other disciples.

After all, those onlookers never tire of the excitement.

"Compared to previous years, the sect has indeed prospered significantly in recent decades, with more heavenly treasures and a growing number of people. Naturally, the quality of the disciples improves."

"If I remember correctly, in the competition at the Nine Peaks after the sect had been severely weakened, the winner was only at the peak of Core Formation. The entire sect faced a generational gap, everyone was anxious and hopeless. Now, the peak of Core Formation is just the threshold, which is why this grand event invites celebrities from all walks to observe."

"With your mind, you should've guessed that the Nine Peaks competition this time is not solely to select outstanding disciples, but also to announce the return of the Purple Cloud Palace to the public."

"In your words, it's..."

The man naturally took over the topic.

"Flexing muscle."

Leaning against a big tree, it was clear that Liu Tangxi was in a good mood recently. The biggest highlights of the previous round were none other than Jiang Feng and Liang Yu. This round of the exciting competition was no less remarkable. The disciples who hadn't been eliminated by this round were nearly all elites of each peak.

True elites.

They are the future pillars of the sect, qualified to sit at the management level. Each peak's leader and personal disciples clashed at this time, each possessing superior talent, each equipped with formidable Daoist Skills, each holding treasured artifacts inherited from their sect.

Even without witnessing it on site, Jiang Feng could imagine such a grand scene. Unfortunately, he was busy preparing his "trump card" in recent days, leaving no time to watch. This was a significant loss for him.

But it seemed he had no choice.

"Flexing muscle, indeed. If I were you, I'd choose to watch the battles between senior brothers and sisters to gain experience."

She didn't ask directly, but from her tone and words, it seemed she somewhat blamed her junior brother, thinking he shouldn't spend his thoughts on trickery at such a time.

Yet, her next words overturned the previous judgment.

"But I am not you."

"Since you entered the sect, no matter when you wanted to delve into these intricate things, I never stopped you. Although I don't understand how the Magic Treasures you study are formulated, I know this thing is incredibly powerful. Without these things, you might have lost your life long ago."

"If you are willing to forfeit this precious learning opportunity for a two-day trip, I imagine you're somewhat confident to venture, given your personality, this chance of success must be over twenty percent for you to willingly take the risk."

"But the problem is..."