Bursting into the inn, I darted upstairs and ran to Mandakh’s room as quickly as my feet would carry me. Just as I reached his door, I pulled to a stop and reached out with my soul, testing the formation that I had laid down the night before. No one was inside. Not a single person had entered the room since early in the morning.
Where had he gone?
Extending my senses, I checked on the formations that I had set up to monitor our other teammates. They weren’t there, either. Where were they? Would one of the inn’s maids or attendants know? Maybe, but that seemed unlikely.
Reaching into my inner world, I connected to an avatar. “System, where are my teammates?”
Cost 1 credit.
That… wasn’t good. Such a low cost could only mean that knowing this information wouldn’t change anything. Still, I had to try. “Purchase it!”
Purchase confirmed. 90 credits remaining.
Host’s teammates are currently located in the Green Dragon Room of the Plum Blossom Restaurant.
Spinning on my heels, I turned and dashed away. I didn’t need to stop and ask for directions. I already knew exactly where the Plum Blossom Restaurant was located. It was the gaudy behemoth just down the road from our inn.
Pulling on my moon spade qi and using it to activate a movement technique, I sprinted, not stopping until I reached the two golden columns that framed the entrance of the Plum Blossom Restaurant. Not waiting for one of the attendants to open the building’s massive, carved wooden doors, I stepped forward and yanked them open myself. Then, I hurried upstairs, where the private rooms would normally be located.
Thankfully, the doors of each room were adorned with a large, bronze plate, denoting its name, so it only took me a handful of seconds to locate the Green Dragon Room. Swiftly opening the doors, I braced myself for what I would find inside.
Five people sat around a dining table, enjoying a meal. The far seat was empty, with Mandakh sitting to its left and Lau CoiHung to its right. All four of my teammates were here, but this didn’t make me happy. Not at all. My eyes locked on the fifth person at the table—an unknown young woman who was dressed head to toe in fine silks and shiny baubles. Her chair was butted right up against Mandakh’s, leaving not the slightest gap between the two.
Mandakh stood and beamed at me with the happiest smile I had ever seen.
“Su Fang, you finally made it! I was worried you didn’t get my note.” He motioned to the woman, urging her to stand and greet me. “Su Fang, this is An XunFei. She’s from one of the nearby kingdoms and came to watch the alchemy competition. XunFei, this is our Teacher, Su Fang.”
The girl, An XunFei, gave me a deep bow. “Greetings, Teacher Su.”
As she straightened, she shifted her body so that her left shoulder was firmly pressed against Mandakh’s right arm, causing Mandakh’s smile to brighten.
Doing my best to hide my roiling emotions, I replied with a curt nod. “Hello.”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Mandakh gestured toward the empty seat. “Come, Teacher, sit. We’ve ordered all the delicacies this tiny city has to offer. They don’t have anything that’s too special, but they do have a few unique types of seafood that you won’t find anywhere else.”
As Mandakh practically shoved me into the seat of honor, he rotated the table’s central plate, presenting me with a massive lobster claw. Then, he retook his seat next to An XunFei.
“XunFei, don’t be fooled by appearances. Teacher Su is practically an ancient monster. It’s amazing that he’s still young enough to compete for a spot in the Temple. If you have any questions about cultivation, you should ask him. He likely mastered anything that you’re struggling with long ago.”
I cleared my throat. “Mandakh, how did you and Miss An come to meet each other?”
A scowl crossed Mandakh’s face as he patted the young woman’s hand. “It was terrible, Teacher. After returning to the inn, I decided to go out and do a little shopping. However, just as I turned onto the nearby commercial street, a despicable thief charged into me, and I knocked him to the ground on sheer instinct.”
He turned and gave An XunFei a soft smile. “That bastard had just stolen XunFei’s money pouch. I returned it to her, and we started talking. A few hours later, we ran into CoiHung and the others and decided to go out for a meal.”
My cheek twitched in anger.
What were the chances that a thief would suddenly plow into the boy as soon as he left the inn? A thief who had stolen the purse of a beautiful young woman who just so happened to be fluent in the language of the Heroes Domain? This was obviously a setup. But what was I supposed to do? The fool boy was so smitten that if I tried to explain this to him, it would only create a rift between us, a rift that might damage our team’s chances.
“Mandakh… Just… be careful.” I briefly glanced at the young woman before returning my focus to my pig of a teammate. “Our opponents might use this kind of opening to force you into challenging them. Whatever you do, you cannot allow that to happen.”
Mandakh gave me an offhanded nod. “Of course, teacher.”
I was really starting to regret accepting Mandakh onto my team, but at this point, there was little that I could do. I would just have to keep a closer eye on him.
The next morning, we stepped through a portal and entered a cramped atrium, with several hallways leading off in different directions. Once again, Jalari was the only elder who had come to greet us.
“Today, we will start by testing everyone’s resourcefulness and creativity.” He waved a finger, causing a storage bag to fly to each of us. “These bags contain a unique selection of herbs that you may use however you wish. We will be judging you on both your final product and the methods you use to arrive at this product.”
After pausing a moment to let us absorb this, he continued. “You may spend however long you wish on this task—you do not need to feel pressured to complete it before some arbitrary deadline. However, wasting time will negatively impact your final score. When you have done as much as you can, come back and report your results.”
Jalari motioned toward the various hallways. “Choose a workshop and get started. If you need any additional tools or supplemental herbs, activate the formation next to the door, and an attendant will come by to accept your request.”
With that, the elder stepped back, sat down in an armchair, and closed his eyes to meditate.
Alone in a workshop, I opened the storage bag and sorted through its contents. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t contain a single herb that I was familiar with. Slightly more surprisingly, analysis ability showed that each of these herbs contained some strange new form of medicinal energy.
Rank 2 Flying Fang Radix – Energy Type: Fang
Rank 2 Ephemeral White Peony – Energy Type: Hunt
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Rank 2 Black-Veined Ginseng Root – Energy Type: Fear
Rank 2 Screaming Licorice Root – Energy Type: Pain
What were the Temple’s elders playing at? The idea that Mandakh and the others could invent new pills using entirely unknown herbs was absurd.
The moment this thought passed through my mind, I understood. This test wasn’t for Mandakh, and it wasn’t for any of the others, either. Ever since we had first arrived and been subjected to that suppression formation, I had suspected that the elders were designing these tests based on detailed information that they had received from the various Palaces. This latest assignment only served as confirmation.
The elders weren’t expecting everyone to develop new types of pills. This ‘test’ was targeted directly at me—and if the elders knew enough, possibly Jon, as well.
So, what should I do?
Attempting to hide my abilities would be meaningless. I had already caused a big enough commotion in the Palace to draw the attention of two Martial Ancestors. Trying to be low-key was no longer an option.
Though, I didn’t think this would matter too much. Worst-case scenario, they would lock me away, provide me with an endless supply of herbs, and force me to develop new recipes. They might even provide me with fire seeds and other rare treasures to make my work more efficient. Overall, such an outcome wouldn’t really be too objectionable. The only downside was that it would make it harder for me to scout out the Heroes Domain for my clan.
Of course, this didn’t mean that pushing myself to the limit was the right answer, either.
Developing new, high-quality pill recipes took an inordinate amount of time—time that Mandakh and the others weren’t going to waste. How long would it be before everyone else gave up and returned to the inn? Then, after returning, how long would it take for Jon to trick someone into offering him a challenge?
Elder Jalari had said that this test didn’t have a time limit, but that was a lie. The limit was the length of time that it would take for Mandakh to do something stupid.
So, reaching into my storage bag, I pulled out dozens of empty teapots and got to work. I needed to find a way to make use of these strange herbs, and I needed to do it as quickly as possible.
Roughly eight hours later, I exited my workshop, walked up to Elder Jalari, and presented him with my creation.
Pain Numbing Tea
Primary Effect: Greatly reduces the feeling of pain while not affecting any of one’s other senses. Effect lasts 28 minutes. Effective on cultivators below Martial Master 7.
Potency: 47%. Toxicity 0%.
It wasn’t a pill, but I doubted this would be a problem. Jalari had only said that we needed to present him with a ‘product.’ And, while this tea might not have been anything too special, it was the best that I could come up with on short notice. Even incremental improvements would have necessitated several more hours of work.
Jalari glanced at the teapot, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he tapped on the air to his right, creating a portal. Then, he stood and guided me through.
We appeared in the center of a small audience hall, and Jalari stepped forward, taking a seat next to the vine-like Elder Khaltmaa. Behind them, a bush of violet roses—Elder Yargui—rested upon a raised platform.
“Su Fang,” announced Elder Jalari, “tell us about what you have been able to produce.”
Bowing my head, I raised the steaming pot. “This is Pain Numbing Tea. It’s a blend of the Black-Veined Ginseng Root, the Screaming Licorice Root, and a few more common Rank 2 herbs. It should produce a numbing effect in anyone below Martial Master 7, but this effect should only target what the user considers ‘pain.’ No other senses should be affected.”
Elder Khaltmaa reached out with a long, vine-like tendril, took the tea from my grasp, and set it to the side. Then, the elder sent a wave of qi at me, speaking in the urgamal’s language.
Very good. Now, let’s discuss your answers to the questions on yesterday’s exam. When asked about Lords stealing resources from their people, you stated that Emperors should not do anything to stop them. Won’t such a lack of response only encourage greater acts of corruption?
I froze, unable to respond. How… Why did Elder Khaltmaa just assume that I could speak her language.
Jalari sent out his own wave of qi. Do not underestimate the resources of a Saint. Answer the question.
“Y… Yes.” Not confident in my ability to use the urgamal’s language myself, I spoke in the Southern Yue language that I had become accustomed to. “This answer comes from a Legalist point of view. Lords should be allowed to seek out their own benefits—as long as said benefits ultimately aid their superiors. While diverting resources to one’s own household may go against the desires of a Lord’s superiors, it will still aid in the production of karmic energy. So, as long as such graft does not harm the Emperor’s interest, it should be allowed to continue. However, if the Lord crosses this line, they should be immediately punished and dismissed from their post—possibly even killed.”
This was, more or less, exactly what I had written on my test paper, so I knew that it wouldn’t be enough to sate the elder’s curiosity. As expected, Khaltmaa almost immediately began asking a series of follow-ups. I did my best to answer these questions as completely and as succinctly as possible, but with each minute that ticked away, I could only worry about what Mandakh and the others might be doing back at the inn.
Four hours. For the next four hours, I stood in front of the three elders and faced an endless stream of questions about each of my answers from the previous test. Didn’t they have other things to do? What about the other competitors? Surely they couldn’t be spending this long on everyone. I began to wonder if I was talking to some form of soul avatar, but I didn’t see anything in energy vision to indicate that this might be the case.
Finally, after one last question, Elder Jalari stood and exited the room, followed soon thereafter by a shuffling Elder Khaltmaa. Then, the rose bush, Elder Yargui, began to transform. Its hundreds of thin branches pulled together and twisted. First, forming two slender arms. Then, two oddly shaped legs.
This process wasn’t fast, giving me the sense that this was something the elder rarely did, but after five minutes or so, Yargui had transformed into what appeared to be a woman-shaped topiary.
‘She’ took a step forward, and this feminine shape distorted, transforming into something that looked more like a scrawny man. Then, after another step, it distorted further, turning into a creature that barely looked human at all.
A few steps later, Yargui settled into the chair that Jalari had recently abandoned and pulled herself together, taking on the look of a woman-shaped topiary once more.
Sending out a burst of wood qi, Yargui spoke using the Southern Yue language. “Alchemist Su, you have no interest in joining the Temple or becoming one of its Ancestors, do you?”
Struggling to pull my thoughts together, I considered this question carefully. This was something that I had been thinking about for the past several years, and I knew my answer. However, faced with the immensely powerful creature in front of me, I was afraid to say it.
Slowly, I shook my head. “No… I do not.”
“This is only to be expected.” Elder Yargui moved a ‘hand’ as if brushing away the topic as unimportant. “You must still be rather young. As I understand it, abandoning the bitter cycle of reincarnation and reaching for something greater can be challenging. Eventually, though, you will choose to ascend, like all who came before you. I can only hope that when you choose to do so, you will consider leaving your Gift to the Temple. The Gifts of reincarnators are said to be among the most powerful in the world, rivaled only by those that were captured during the ancient incursions.”
Yargui lifted a ‘hand’ and stabbed it into her chest, extracting a storage bag. Then, she reached into this bag with a branch, pulling out a table and a couple of teacups. “Come, let us enjoy this new tea that you have created.”
I winced. “It’s already getting late, Elder. Maybe I should return to the inn.”
Yargui’s leaves rustled in what I could only interpret as a chuckle. “Alchemist Su, please, understand. I am tasked with pushing each of you to your limits, to see what you are truly capable of. If I let you return so soon, then I wouldn’t be doing my job. Would I?”
I stared blankly as Yargui lifted the pot of Pain Numbing Tea and poured some into her cup. Then, she extended a thin vine into the liquid, ‘drinking’ it. “This certainly is an interesting brew. Once I return to the Temple, I will need to study its effects more thoroughly.”
Not knowing what else to do, I could only stand there nervously as the elder drained her cup.
“Alchemist Su, I must say, I am impressed by what I have read about you. Unlike the reincarnators of old, you don’t simply rely on long-forgotten knowledge. To help so many of our alchemists earn enlightenments, you must have designed dozens of pill recipes that were truly novel. Even if you decide not to join us, I believe that we can still work with each other. The Temple has access, or can gain access, to almost every herb this world has to offer. However, due to our lacking affinities, there are many that we have little understanding of. If you are willing to help us with this, I believe that we can establish a mutually beneficial relationship once this competition is over.”
I shakily lowered my head, my mind still stuck on what was happening back at the inn. “Yes… That… I might be able to agree to something like that…”
Finally, Yargui sent out a pulse of intent, creating a portal directly behind me. “Ah, there we go. Good luck in the upcoming competition, Alchemist Su. I have high hopes for you.”
Struggling internally, I cupped my fists and gave a deep bow of respect, then I turned and darted through the portal. As soon as I appeared on the other side, a shout echoed out around me.
“You want us to challenge you, right? Fine. Blessing or not, you don’t stand a chance against our Teacher. So, let’s make a bet? If we defeat you, immediately cancel your marriage contract with XunFei.”
Before I could even turn to see what was happening, I heard Jon’s happy reply.
“Agreed.”