Chapter 136: Were You Looking for Me?

"He, he is actually drawing with both arms at the same time!" It was unclear who shouted first, but the silence of the crowd was immediately replaced by a renewed roar of commotion.

Many of those present were alchemists, and almost none of them had ever seen someone draw an array with both hands simultaneously. The drawing of an alchemical array is no simple feat; even the slightest distraction almost guarantees failure. While these four-star high-level alchemical arrays are significantly lower in grade than five-star or six-star ones, they had truly never seen anyone like Lorin, who drew with such split-focus from the very beginning.

Anthony’s deep, sea-like eyes could not help but turn toward Lorin. He had not expected Lorin to possess such a flashy skill. Princess Nancy’s small mouth hung wide open; as a member of the Alchemist Guild with a respectable level of pharmaceutical alchemy herself, she had never once imagined that one could draw two alchemical arrays at the same time.

After watching for a while, Terry could not help but sneer, "Humph, just grandstanding." Karina, however, seemed to disagree, shaking her head slightly at his assessment.

"Hey, Simone, why is your mouth hanging open so wide? Is it really that hard for the Fourth Brother to draw two arrays at once?" Malle and the others, seeing that Simone’s mouth was currently wide enough to fit two steamed buns, asked with confusion.

"Damn it, Malle, you guys aren't alchemists; you have no idea the level of difficulty involved here. This—this kid is simply defying the heavens!" Simone, in his excitement, became somewhat incoherent.

Levin naturally sensed the commotion on Lorin’s side. While drawing, he stole a glance at Lorin and saw him hunched over, both arms extended, rapidly sketching on two adjacent alchemical stone tables. He was stunned for a moment before letting out a cold scoff in his heart. "Drawing alchemical arrays with split focus? You really are daydreaming. If that were possible, I would have done it long ago."

As it turned out, Levin had a natural interest and keen intuition for drawing arrays. He wouldn't brag about his potion-making skills, but when it came to the ability to draw arrays, few in the younger generation could rival him. When his drawing speed reached its limit, he had once attempted to draw with both hands as well.

However, after repeated practice, he found that while his five-star high-level alchemy allowed him to barely manage drawing a three-star low-level array with both hands, the speed was agonizingly slow, and the error rate was extremely high—nowhere near as efficient as his single-handed speed. Now, they were drawing four-star high-level arrays; he simply did not believe Lorin could succeed using both hands.

Therefore, he remained unmoved by Lorin’s actions and continued drawing at his own pace. Before long, he successfully completed one array. Ignoring the glowing array before him, he moved to the second stone table and began to draw rapidly once more.

As time passed, just as his second array was nearing completion, a sudden outburst of gasps erupted from the crowd. He hurriedly stole a glance at Lorin’s side, only to be struck with astonishment: on the two stone tables pressed tightly together, fiery red light was glowing simultaneously. With a single glance, he clearly saw the shape of the light: an incredibly complex four-pointed star!

Based on his profound understanding of arrays, he could easily determine that the four-pointed star was identical to the four-star high-level alchemical array he was currently working on.

"He... he succeeded. He actually succeeded! Not only did he draw the array, but he was even faster than me!" Levin’s mind roared. He could not imagine that Lorin had accomplished what he, with such exceptional talent for drawing arrays and so much effort, had failed to do.

"No! I cannot admit defeat so quickly. Maybe he can’t keep up this dual-handed drawing for long; his goal is just to intimidate me. If I give up now, wouldn't that be playing right into his hands?" Thinking this, Levin braced himself and poured every ounce of his strength into his work, his arms moving with such speed they seemed to create a breeze over the stone table.

Lorin ignored the gasps and shouts from the outside world. He was currently concentrating all his mental energy on the arrays. Drawing two four-star high-level alchemical arrays simultaneously was difficult even for him, and he had to be fully focused.

Almost everyone who begins learning alchemy attempts to draw with both hands, but very few succeed. Lorin had also experimented with it during his daily practice. At first, it was impossible, but as his alchemy improved, he found he could manage some low-level arrays.

Over the years, as his understanding of alchemy deepened, he realized that few people could draw like him. He had pondered the reasons and concluded two points: first, he possessed genuine talent for drawing arrays; second, the effect of the White Stone.

The presence of the White Stone allowed his control over fire-attributed magical energy to reach an almost ultimate level. It felt like an extension of his own arms, obeying his will perfectly. Sometimes, he didn't even need to consciously control it; as soon as a thought arose, the fire-attributed magical energy followed his intent. This only made him more curious about the mysterious White Stone.

However, he found that this ability to draw two arrays simultaneously had its limits. For example, since his current alchemy level was six-star low-level, the highest-level arrays he could draw simultaneously were five-star low-level, and at a significantly slower speed. Fortunately, today’s four-star high-level arrays were well within his comfort zone.

By now, Lorin had successfully finished his second pair of arrays. Two rounds of work had completed four arrays, while on Levin’s side, he had only just begun his fourth.

At this moment, not only were the alchemists in the crowd marveling at Lorin’s technique, but even the ordinary mages could see the logic: it didn't matter how fast you drew a single array; if one used both hands, it was two at once. This level of efficiency was something Levin could not match. They also realized that Lorin’s method was not as simple as it appeared—otherwise, why wouldn't Levin do it?

"No wonder Lorin hasn't improved his mage cultivation over these years; it turns out he was busy cultivating pharmaceutical alchemy!" one person slapped his forehead, suddenly 'enlightened.'

"I knew it! With talent like his, how could he suddenly become mediocre? It turns out he had other plans all along."

"It seems I misjudged Lorin before. I even cursed him behind his back, calling him trash, saying that the Academy's Three Greats had become a pair, and one had devolved into a loser. I think the people who made up those rumors have nothing better to do. They can't improve their own cultivation, so they pick on others. It's truly infuriating!"

"So that means Lord Lorin is magnanimous. So many people in the academy mocked and ridiculed him, yet he didn't lower himself to their level. He really is a superior person."

...

Levin performed beyond his limits today. Every array he drew was a success on the first attempt. He had poured all his focus into it, to the point where he had ignored the gasps of the crowd moments ago. When the timekeeper from the Dark Alliance listlessly announced that the half-hour was up, Levin had just finished his last array.

He straightened his aching back and looked at the glowing stone tables in front of him. A flash of surprise crossed his face, for he realized that while his limit for four-star high-level arrays in half an hour was usually twelve, he had actually completed fifteen today. The first three rows were all successfully completed.

"This result will definitely crush Lorin!" he muttered, happily waving at his brothers from the Dark Alliance.

However, he did not see a single trace of happiness for him on their faces. Instead, he was shocked to see Terry, Karina, Gavin, and the others looking at him with expressions of profound discomfort.

Levin realized something was wrong immediately. He quickly turned his head toward Lorin’s side, but to his surprise, Lorin was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was puzzled, a voice spoke from behind him: "Levin, are you looking for me?"

The sudden sound startled him. He hurriedly turned around to see Lorin standing behind him with a calm expression. Before he could ask why Lorin was behind him, his eyes widened, and he stared in disbelief at the row of tables behind him.

The tables that should have been empty were all glowing with fiery red light. He turned his head to the side and saw that all twenty of the alchemical stone tables on Lorin’s side had successfully completed their arrays!