by Gore, A. P.
Sun Nuan closed her eyes when the young man’s palm pierced the old man’s stomach and blood sprayed out like a stream falling from a high cliff. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the sight. That was too brutal.
“If you want the flower, clean this mess up for me and find me in the nearest inn tomorrow morning.” The young man’s voice struck her ears, and she opened her eyes to see him leaving.
Sun Nuan gasped hard. Seeing blood splattered everywhere, she wanted to throw up, but she held it inside. This was a big mess, and she might have to use her identity to clear this up.
Killing inside Black Alley Town was strictly prohibited, but it was nothing her imperial clan couldn’t handle.
Chapter 22
Trading for a slot
In the room he’d rented from the inn, Li Wei wiped his long black hair with a gray towel before tying it neatly with a soft cloth. Fei’er had prepared many such headbands for him. Despite her naivety, she was a meticulous girl. His gaze fell from the mirror on the to the six-foot-wide bed, and he frowned. The contents of his pouch littered the bed, but he was too lazy to clean it up. What a pile of junk.
Damn, he was carrying too much in his pouch. No wonder he hadn’t been able to reach the threshold for cultivating the Basic Movement Art with that thing weighing him down.
If only he had that storage ring. Everything would have been easy.
A knock on the door attracted his attention, and he quickly donned a sky-blue robe. Before bathing, he had asked an attendant to bring him a pot of Two Fragrance Tea and some snacks. It was Black Alley Town’s specialty; coming here and not drinking it would be an insult. Just the thought of savoring some Two Fragrance Tea made his mouth water, and he rushed to answer the door.
But before he reached the door, it opened with a bang and a girl in a red dress walked in with a scowl plastered on her face. She was one of the Sun girls he had met last night when he’d killed a Foundation Realm cultivator on the street. Those bastards around young master Fuji went overboard and tested his patience, so he did what he had to do. And with a girl from the imperial clan, Sun clan, protecting him, why wouldn’t he dare to kill a peasant?
“Where’s my tea?” he asked, taking a seat at the small table. With two people, a bed, and a table, his modest room seemed insufficient.
“You stupid man. Do you know how much trouble you caused for elder sister Nuan yesterday?”
“Where’s my tea?” He frowned. Right now, he wanted a nice, peaceful cup of tea. Instead, an immature lass had come to irritate his brain.
Right at that moment an attendant walked in with a large tray filled with snacks and a steaming tea pot.
Wei’s face broke into a wide smile. The heavenly scent of the Two Fragrance Tea instantly lifted his mood.
As soon as the attendant left, he poured himself a cup of tea and brought it to his lips. Pausing, he inhaled the aroma for a few breaths before savoring it slowly. Once he built an immortal palace for himself on the highest peak of the Martial Realm, he would cultivate hundreds of different trees around his abode and then enjoy a new tea thrice a day.
That was his dream. The dream of a lazy immortal.
“You stupid man, pour me some tea.”
The stupid lass’s shrill voice brough him back to the present and soured his mood. He opened his eyes to glare at her. Suddenly he wondered if he should sell the Two-Colored Poison Repelling Flower to these girls or not.
“Young master, may I enter?” The other Sun clan girl, the mature one, appeared at the door. She too wore a red dress, and her fantastic figure dazed Wei for a moment, but he shook his head and minded his thoughts. She was exactly the opposite of the irritating girl sitting across him.
“Princess Nuan, why are you asking him to enter?” A young man in a black robe appeared behind Sun Nuan and entered the room without permission.
Sun Nuan’s eyes twitched for a moment before going back to normalcy.
“What do you want?” Wei asked nonchalantly. From the moment he’d seen these two girls in the forest, he’d known they were princesses from the royal Sun clan, but there were hundreds of royal clans in the Mortal Realm. His goal was to reach the top of the Mortal Realm, so why would he worry about a simple princess from a small country like the State of Zin?
“Impudent fool. How dare you to talk with princesses like this?” The young man in the black robe stepped forward and drew his sword.
Wei pursed his lips. Another fool in layer one of the Foundation Realm had delivered himself at death’s door.
“Young master Qin. It would be better if you stay out of this.” Sun Nuan frowned.
“Princess Nuan, my father has ordered me to follow you around, so it’s my duty to help you.” The black-robed man puffed his chest out and brandished his sword. “Come, Princess Nuan, don’t fear this bastard.” He glared at Wei as if he could kill him with his ugly gaze. “Idiot, get up and give your seat to Princess Nuan. Are you trying to rebel against the royal family by doing this?” He pointed a finger at Wei.
Reflexively, Wei lashed out and broke his finger.
The youth cried out in pain. “You! Why did you break my finger?”
This was frustrating. Without warning, Wei sent a kick at the idiot young master Qin.
Qin’s eyes widened a moment before Wei’s kick struck him, and before he could act, he was flying out the door.
Boom! He crashed into the opposite wall and slid limply to the floor.
The younger Sun girl froze in her seat and then looked at him like he would do the same with her. “You . . . What did you do?” She jumped to her feet with a cry.
“Young master!” A group of people rushed down the hall and helped young master Qin to his feet. One of them glared at Wei and then dashed in with his sword raised.
“Stop!” Sun Nuan shouted and extended her hand to send the servant flying back through the door. “Take him away and don’t return.”
A golden token appeared in her palm, and the martial artist assisting young master Qin retreated.
“Young master, may I come in now?” Sun Nuan asked in a polite tone.
“Suit yourself.” Wei shrugged.
The immature lass, Sun Hua, stood and gave her place to her elder sister. After a glance at the littered bed, the only other possible seat in the room, she merely stood behind her sister.
“Young master, we want to buy the Two-Colored Poison Repelling Flower from you. Please state your price.”
Wei flipped his sleeves, and a fragrant flower with two-colored petals appeared on the table. “I want hundred low-quality Qi Stones and an entry token for the Alchemy Comprehension Tower.”
Sun Hua stomped her foot. “Are you crazy? Do you even know the value of an Alchemy Comprehension Tower entry token?” Her fair cheeks flushed red.
“If you don’t have one, the deal’s off the table.” Wei reached for the flower.
“Young master, wait.” Sun Nuan spoke in a determined tone. “I can’t get you an entrance token, but I can take you inside the tower.”
“Sister, you can’t be—”
“Hua’er. Stop making trouble. We need this flower at any cost.” Her brown eyes turned back to Wei. “Young master. I can take you inside as my attendant, but I can’t help you obtain any reward or help you with the final treasure collection. Once in, we will walk our own paths.”
Wei smiled inwardly. This had turned out to be easier than he’d thought. “Yes, that sounds good.”
Chapter 23
Alchemy Comprehension Tower
A huge stone tower stood erect in the distance, penetrating into the clouds and sending chills through people’s hearts from ten miles away. A hundred youths were heading toward the tower at a steady pace in the warm sunshine. There was some time yet before the Alchemy Comprehension Tower opened, so no one seemed to be in a hurry.
A group of four people walked among them, headed by a girl in a red dress. Li Wei was among them, and observed everyone carefully. The r
ed dressed girl’s every step was steady, royalty radiating from her disposition. Another girl walked behind her, but she lacked the gracefulness of the girl in lead. Her steps were unsteady, and she swayed here and there constantly. Two young men, one wearing a sky-blue robe and one wearing a gray robe, followed them. The young man in the sky-blue robe observed the surrounding scenery with casual curiosity while the man in the gray robe looked around warily with his right palm pressed to the hilt of the metal sword hanging at his waist.
The man in the sky-blue robe was Li Wei, and he was enjoying the virgin forest smells around them. This was the first time he had visited the Alchemy Comprehension Tower, and his divine sense had been restricted to a one hundred foot area since they stepped in the tower’s proximity.
Seeing the gray tower, awe filled his heart. This was indeed a spirit artifact, and a high level one at that.
“Princess Nuan and Princess Hua, you’ll have to be careful inside the tower.” The gray-robed man spoke in a low voice, but Wei heard anyway thanks to his divine sense. “I’ve heard a rumor that the Destiny Mirror Sect’s elder’s grandson was killed in proximity of Black Alley Town, and the whole area is going to be wrapped in turmoil.”
“Wei Lin, why do I still detect the smell of the Two-Colored Poison Flower from your body? Did you cheat us?”
Wei rubbed his chin and looked away. He had given them a fake name, but this immature girl kept using his name like they were friends. If he had a choice, he would have stayed away from this irritating girl who had more questions than a five-year-old kid had hairs on his head. But to enter the tower, he had to stick with them. When he put forward this condition, he hadn’t expected Sun Nuan to agree to it right away. But she’d agreed readily, and in order to bring him with her, she’d had to leave one of her guards behind. The tower had limited slots; only one hundred people could enter it per year, and only people below age eighteen and below the Bone Baptization Realm could enter. So, all the spots were divided up by various sects from nearby countries. Even the royal family of the State of Zin only had four slots allocated to them. If he hadn’t had the Two-Colored Poison Repelling Flower with him, it would have been impossible for him to get a token. It was heavily restricted. In worst case, he would have shown a little bit of his array mastery and bought one token for himself.
But thanks to Sun Nuan, who’d sold him the spot—and hundred low-quality Qi Stones—for the Two-Colored Poison Repelling Flower, he was in. Considering how easily Sun Nuan had agreed to his conditions, maybe he should’ve asked for more.
But he had given his word, so he didn’t ask for anything more.
“Young master Wei, the tower has six levels, and every level has a different kind of test you will need to pass,” Sun Nuan said in a soft tone. “Also, we can only trust a few people inside—allies of the State of Zin. All others are our enemies, especially those from the White Feather Kingdom.”
Sun Hua glared at her like she had made a grave mistake. “Elder sister Nuan, why are you telling him all of this?”
Wei ignored the immature princess. “Thank you, princess Nuan. I shall bid you goodbye once we step through.” He had no plan to stick with this party. He would go his own way, but as Sun Nuan had shown him courtesy, he would reciprocate it. That’s why he called her “princess.”
“Wei Lin, you didn’t answer me. Did you cheat us?” Sun Hua asked in a threatening tone.
“Hua’er. Shut up. I have the flower with me and it’s absolutely real.”
“Let me see again,” Sun Hua chirped.
The young man in the gray robe tightened his grip on his sword hilt as he glared at Wei. He was a royal guard at layer three qi Foundation Realm cultivation, and he was always with the Sun girls.
Wei snickered. “Sun Hua, if you don’t want to die in the tower, don’t go showing your wealth.” He gazed at the guard in the gray robe. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not stupid enough to desire a mere storage ring from a princess.”
Sun Hua snorted. “Coward. After seeing our guard, he is afraid of death.”
A gray-robbed youth jumped in front of them, blocking their path. “Princess Nuan, who is this guy?”
“Tiang Chi, it’s none of your business.” Sun Hua stepped forward and glared at the youth.
“Is he courting you, Princess Nuan?” The youth glared at Wei like he had seen an ant.
Wei frowned. What the heck did this guy want? His eyes were drawn to the golden mirror embroidered on Tiang Chi’s shiny gray robe. It was the symbol of the Destiny Mirror Sect, another sect that excelled in alchemy. They were stronger than the Divine Fragrance Palace too.
“So, what if he is?” Sun Hua smirked, and Tiang Chi’s face turned gloomy.
“You. Get lost or don’t blame me for being merciless,” Tiang Chi said.
Wei chuckled. Another young master who thought highly of himself. Tiang Chi only had cultivation at layer seven in the qi Foundation Realm, and he wanted to threaten Wei? How naïve. It would be difficult to beat him, but not impossible.
“Juniors.” A strong voice reverberated in the air and everyone stopped. An old man in a purple martial robe stood next to a white circle drawn around the tower. He had layer five qi Bone Baptization cultivation. “After this line, only those holding a token can enter. Once you finish your trial, you will be teleported back outside. I wish you all the best.”
With a loud crack, a black door opened at the base of the tower and a bright passage called them in.
Boom! Another crack echoed from the left side, and when Wei looked that way, he found five burned bodies lying on the ground.
“That’s what happens when you try to enter the tower without a token.” The old man chuckled. “You can walk past this line by holding that token in your hand.”
Sun Nuan pulled a bright green token out of her pouch and handed it to Wei. “Young master Wei. I wish you all the best.”
Nodding, Wei stepped forward while holding his token in hand. He was eager to know what lay beyond the bright passage.
A bright light blinded him for a moment before he appeared in an unknown place. Others began appearing around him, and everyone looked bewildered.
System: New plane detected. Composition similar to the Mortal Realm.
Wei was shocked. This was a secret realm formed inside the tower. Whoever had crafted this spirit artifact was a figure of unfathomable power. After becoming an Array Master, he had met many people who excelled in alchemy, refining formations, talismans, and so on, but none of them could craft a spirit artifact of this level. In the Inheritance of Arrays, there was a mention of an array that could stabilize spatial space, but it was just a mention. The other two volumes of inheritance were lost, so he knew nothing about them.
“Welcome to the Alchemy Tower of Comprehension.” A voice reverberated through Wei’s mind and a blue ethereal man appeared in the air. “This is the first level of your test.”
“A tool spirit.” Wei gasped. This was insane. This spirit artifact had given birth to an artifact spirit.
Chapter 24
First Level
Li Wei appeared in a patch of green grass. The moment he appeared, a stone tablet rose from the middle of the patch.
“This must be the first level.” Whispering to himself, he walked toward the tablet. The grass swayed, but there was no wind. Even his sky-blue robe hung motionless. In fact, the patch of grass only occupied a thirty-square-foot area surrounded by black walls. He suspected everyone was separated from each other by those black walls. After the blue man welcomed them to the Alchemy Comprehension Tower, he’d opened a door for the first level, and then Wei had appeared here.
This spirit tool had a separate space inside it, so it wasn’t the job of a low-level refiner. Any top refiner he knew in his previous life dared not proclaim they could create a separate space inside a spirit tool. This must be a trial site from ancient times.
Anyway, he was here to take tests, so he placed his palm on the cold stone tablet.
Bone-melting fire entered his skin and rushed to his heart.
Heart Warming Pill
Write down ten ingredients of the pill.
Reward: Ingredients of the pill.
Wei frowned. The first question was a pill he had not heard of before. Either it was too low level a pill, or it was something very precious. But he remembered reading this name in Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy.
With a thought, the content of Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy appeared inside his mind.
System: Accessing Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy.
System: Searching Heart Warming Pill.
System: Accessing page 35.
System:
Heart Warming Pill [Ancient Category]
Mid-tier Bronze Grade
Replenish lost blood and repair minor injuries to meridians. Can be used on mortals.
Ingredients:
One Flavor Grass.
Peak Vigor Fruit.
Three Thread Grass.
Twisted Vitality Fruit.
Five Petal Life Herb
A formula appeared in his mind, and then the question from his mind disappeared.
Damn! It was in the Ancient Category, and that meant the ingredients couldn’t be found in the Mortal or Martial Realms. The Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy was like a guide to all known Bronze Grade and Silver Grade alchemy ingredients. It even mentioned ingredients used in known ancient recipes.
Wait, wasn’t that only five ingredients?
The area around him changed, and he found himself in a small herb garden. There was another stone tablet in the center of the garden.
So, did he pass or not?
The question had asked for ten ingredients, but the Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy had listed only five ingredients. The system was like an arcane magic that copied everything line for line. It had even saved the pictures drawn in the Basic Compendium of Herbs and Alchemy. So, he couldn’t believe it had given him a wrong answer.