Chapter 72: Another Invitation and the Empty Alchemist Status

"Are you sure this is it? What even is a shithole? An abandoned village? How could anyone possibly live here?" With a dissatisfied face, Shepor Dunt walked ahead of Mi Mili, constantly complaining about everything, from the road surface to the too-bright sun.

"If you didn't want to come so badly, why are you even here? Hmm?" Holding the artifact in her hands, Mili didn't even look at him, having already grown tired of his constant whining.

"You saw him yourself in the Beast Lands, he's too unpredictable... Who knows what he might do to you if you went alone." Dunt immediately straightened up, and all the dissatisfaction disappeared, even his aura changed, becoming wary.

"You don't understand anything. With his difficult background, I'm sure that deep down, he's the complete opposite. We just need him to trust us, and then you'll see for yourself… The main thing is to handle the conversation correctly!" Smiling, Mili put away the artifact and stopped at a plot with an active formation.

"This is definitely it?" Standing next to her, Dunt tapped his fingers against the formation.

"Uh-huh! Can't you smell the aroma of pills? Even with the formation around, it manages to seep through. Besides, are you that unobservant? This is the only plot with active protection." Nodding, Mili clenched her fist and began hitting the formation, trying to announce her presence that way.

"Indeed..." Sniffing a few times, Dunt did indeed catch the rich aroma of freshly refined pills.

….

"Hm?" Opening his eyes, An felt his personal plaque vibrating. Raising his gaze and looking toward the front part of the plot, he saw through his mansion and the high stone walls the energy flows belonging to two people.

Frowning, he thought for some time, and closed his eyes again.

"We're not leaving until you open up for us! And we'll come every day! We just want to talk, that’s all!" Suddenly, a loud female voice sounded from beyond the formation.

Mili, holding a cube-shaped artifact, pressed it to her lips and spoke into it, amplifying her voice so it could easily pass through the barrier before them.

'Eh... Better to end this quickly.' Taking his plaque in his hand, he opened a section of the formation to let the two inside.

….

Entering, they saw the mansion, ravaged by time, completely overgrown with vines and cobwebs. They walked forward along the stone floor toward the mansion's entrance.

"Stop, he's not in the building." Stopping Mili with his hand, Dunt pointed at the path leading to the back of the plot.

Mili only nodded, and they walked along the path around the mansion, straight to the shore.

Coming out to the back, the first thing that caught their eyes were the two storage sheds. One radiated intense cold, all the walls and the ground around it were covered in ice. The second shed, on the contrary, radiated intense heat, drying the ground next to it.

Walking farther, they saw a fat chicken looking like a ball, dragging a two-meter fish toward the large stove.

Standing on his tiptoes and looking inside this stove, Dunt was surprised to see a stable source of fire, hovering in the air, with no fuel, no source in the form of a talisman or artifact. Thinking, he threw a glance at the person sitting in the open veranda with his back turned to them.

"Inner Disciple An, we are Mi Mili and Shepor Dunt. We greet you and are grateful that you've taken the time for us." Walking along the pier closer to the pergola, Mili stepped forward and greeted the person sitting there. She folded her hands and showed a gesture of respect.

"There are no chairs or tables for you, and I don't drink tea... Only wine." Turning his head slightly, An glanced at the two out of the corner of his eye and exhaled. Waving his hand toward the storage shed dozens of meters away, he caused an ice-covered bottle to fly out and instantly appear in his palm.

Turning to them, An took out old mugs with slight cracks from his pouch, each easily capable of holding half a liter of liquid.

Laying out four mugs on the pergola floor, he filled each to the brim.

Standing opposite him, both Mili and Dunt frowned. They had never been in such a situation before. On one hand, he was showing them respect, on the other, he was humiliating them, by pouring into old and cracked vessels and leaving everything on the floor, where people usually walk.

Dunt finally noticed that An was barefoot, with his bare legs tucked under himself.

"Bok!"

Before they could figure out what to do, the huge feathered ball ran past them, grabbed one of the mugs, and emptied almost all of it in one gulp.

"Cluck." Extending the almost empty mug, Baldi asked for a refill.

After waiting for An to fill his mug to the brim again, the rooster turned around and ran to the stove, where the fish was already ready for frying.

Still not understanding how to proceed, they remained standing in place.

An looked at them and, raising his mug, took a sip.

Finally orienting herself, Mili took a step forward, closer to him.

"I would like to congratulate Disciple An on successfully obtaining Master status! Even for the Heavenly Soul Sect, it's rare for a student at Qi Condensation to successfully obtain such a status!" She smiled and slowly approached him. She sat opposite and looked into his eyes.

Shepor Dunt followed, slouching down next to her, showing with his whole demeanor that he was at ease, in reality, he was tense for some reason he didn't fully understand being so close to this Alchemy Master.

An only looked at them, taking small sips of his wine.

"Ahem, when we arrived, we smelled the aroma of pills, and as we understand, you're very busy, so I'll get straight to the point!" Seeing that he was demonstrating through his whole demeanor that he wasn't very interested in all these pleasantries, Mili straightened up and made a serious face.

"You may already know this, but still, in six weeks the opening of the Sacred Land of the First Devil is planned. The Sect has already compiled lists of participants, who will have to take part in conquering this difficult place."

"Your name, Disciple An, has been written on the list!" Mili stared into his eyes, trying to catch a change in his expression.

"According to Sect rules, I have full immunity from such things." An only lowered his eyes at the mug.

"This time, the lists were compiled by the Main Council of Elders. It was unanimously decided that any immunities related to the Non-Combat Path do not apply in this case." Seeing his reaction, a gleam flashed in her eyes.

"Hmm... And why are you here then? Clearly not just to warn me about this..." An smirked and refilled his already empty mug.

"The opening of the Sacred Lands involves not only our Sect, and not even just the Alliance of Four, but also the Demonic Alliance, which means eight Sects will be fighting for the resources and inheritance hidden inside." The more she explained, the more serious her face became and even fear occasionally flashed in her eyes.

"For safety, we must unite into groups and help each other. If we don't understand this and act alone… only death awaits us." Emphasizing death, Mili watched his reaction.

"In short, due to the specifics of this place, we need an alchemist in the group, you're an alchemist. You need help and a group that will help you survive inside, so we're that group. It’s very simple!" Unable to hold back, Shepor Dunt interjected, and received a frowning glance from Mili in return.

"Well, your goal is to invite me to a core disciple support group? And that's all? And why should I accept your invitation?" An thought and asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yes and no! I want to assure you right away, in our group, everyone is equal, and everyone has a voice! You'll be treated properly, and the head of our group, Mo Fan, he only recently became a core disciple, and on top of that, he became the personal disciple of Sect Leader Gu Bai himself!"

"Which means his position is much higher and more stable than other core disciples! Which will give you additional protection, and of course, more opportunities and resources." Puffing out her chest, Mili began praising Mo Fan in every way, giving arguments why choosing their group was the only correct decision.

"Thank you, of course, but I'll decline. I don't want to become part of your group." With a calm face, An set his mug down next to himself and shook his head.

Even though her offer was beneficial to An and could easily provide him with a safe space from Elder Shoa, he perfectly understood that all the positive aspects of joining a group were outweighed by the negatives, which were dozens of times greater.

If he joined one of the groups, it would mean that he would essentially become a worker, who would be obliged to spend all his time on the needs of others, and on top of that, constant conflicts between groups would take even more time and energy.

But in the case of Mo Fan's group, he was actually even afraid to join this bunch, perfectly understanding what awaited them ahead, what kind of utter horror this Mo Fan could lead his entire group into, and he had no desire to become a victim for the sake of a hero's rise.

"You're refusing? Do you understand what the Sacred Lands even are? Even if we don't consider this mission, what about the internal struggle between core disciples and their groups? Do you think they'll leave you alone, and won't do everything to force you to join them?" Not expecting to receive a negative answer, Mili frowned and clenched her fists.

"Even if I choose your or some other group, the rest will continue to stand in my way, making my life harder. Only this time, it will be out in the open, since we all know it's encouraged by the Sect itself and its rules. So tell me, what's the point for me in choosing someone's group? So that what? So I can sit around all day refining pills for you? Is that the point of joining a group?" An was tired of listening to this and began releasing his Qi outward, deactivating his Qi Silence. His Qi began to collide with the neutral energy, creating conflicts. Due to his Sharpness aspect, microscopic cuts began to appear on the surfaces around him.

He activated his Qi and showed his cultivation on purpose to bring this dialogue to a close, showing that he wasn't going to listen to them anymore.

Feeling their surroundings change and the very air becoming heavier, both paled slightly, with their backs covered in sweat, and from the depths of their souls, fear sent sharp signals, slowly enveloping their bodies.

'Ninth layer... But how?' The same thought flashed through both their heads.

"I'm not going to limit my progress for the sake of a shield called protection. Let's speak frankly, you need me to become part of your group. You need my help. Staying completely neutral and maneuvering between your groups is the only correct step for me… And do you think I'd trade my safety for hypothetical resources that I can obtain at any time, again, using my alchemy skills." An raised his mug and finished all the wine in one big gulp.

"And as for protection in the Sacred Land, are you serious right now? In a simple trial, you managed to lose six people, and nearly got me killed because of your greed. What makes you think I'd entrust my life to you?" Internally he remained calm, but for appearance's sake he frowned and increased his Qi output, creating unbearable pressure around himself.

But a moment later, he demonstratively exhaled and removed the pressure, freeing the two pale-faced people before him.

Even though An was calm, he didn't like the thought that he was being used again, forced to do what he didn't want, which he had been trying to avoid throughout his time in this world. How much effort had he spent to obtain this long-awaited Master status, only for it to mean nothing a moment later.

Constant manipulations, intimidations, insults, contempt and disgust. All those kind looks, behind which perverted filth hid, and those smiling faces were plain to him, especially when the person before him was weaker.

Even looking at these two before him, he could feel what they truly felt toward him, albeit with difficulty through the veil of their artifacts. And these true vile emotions were no different from those others who spat in his direction, not forgetting to throw threats.

The moment they entered his plot and saw him, he already saw these hidden emotions, their true opinion of him. And now, to sit and try to manipulate him, trying to convince him that An needed the group, rather that the group needing An.

'Even though I understand their behavior, I could probably even say I'm starting to get used to the local flavor and customs, and their strong love for the caste system… But at the same time, I'm starting to get tired.' Looking at their pale faces, he understood that there would be consequences, but for some reason, he wasn't worried about it at all. He was already tired of worrying.

Only the constant thoughts about Elder Shoa, replaying his emotions at that very moment every day, had given him constant worry, which over the time that had passed, had begun to dull. And problems from a few inner disciples no longer posed any issues for him. Even though he understood that he shouldn't cross the line, or else he wouldn't even have enough time to worry about Elder Shoa.

'On top of everything, if I'm honest with myself, I'm sure Mili has huge problems, and even if I overstep today with my behavior, it won't affect my immediate future in any way…' Looking at her twitching eyes, An's gaze suddenly darkened.

"Ghh!" Feeling the pressure lift, Shepor Dunt made a throaty noise, feeling his bones creak from the loosening of Qi around him.

"My answer is no. If that's all, you can go. I still have many things that require my attention." An turned back to the lake, his whole demeanor freezing them out.

Dunt stood up and took a step forward, ready to say something, but was stopped by Mili, who grabbed his shoulder and shook her head.

Snorting, he turned around and headed for the exit. What angered and even humiliated him the most was that he himself was at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, just like this alchemist. But the moment he felt the pressure emanating from him, he realized they were in no way equals, and the fact that he was even partially frozen by just the bursts of Qi, that was what hit him mentally the hardest.

Dusting off her robes, Mili threw one last glance at An's back. Opening her mouth, she immediately changed her mind, and just exhaled.

She turned and followed Shepor Dunt.

….

'I hope that's enough to ward them off me…' Waiting until they left his plot's formation, An turned his head to follow them.

Seeing they had left, he pulled the full mugs toward himself and poured everything back into the bottle. Sending it back to the storage shed, he thought about Mili's words specifically about the Sacred Land.

'Damn this Sect! Constantly breaking their own rules… And what was even the point of this status, if every time, it doesn't help me… What bastard keeps throwing me into these trials?' Looking at the calm surface of the lake, he tensed slightly, understanding that the moment he returned from one mission, he was immediately thrown into another, and he was sure that these two missions would be like heaven and earth.

"What do I do now..." Standing up and sitting at the edge of the pergola, he lowered his legs into the water. He watched the fish fighting over a fried piece of their kin, which Baldi had scattered a short while before.

'Looks like I have no choice again… then I need to prepare. Pills to maintain cultivation while I'm there. Find information about this place they want to throw me into.'

'And most importantly, find information about the Foundation Establishment realm...' Mentally noting all the points and reaching the last one, he frowned slightly.

Up to this point, he had never once seen information about breaking through to a new realm. He didn't know if pills were needed to support the breakthrough, as was usually the case in the novels he had read.

Even in the book with recipes and plants, there was no record of such a pill. And this bothered him even more, seeing that he couldn't find any information at all.

'Do I need a pill for the breakthrough? Do I need a new cultivation technique? What about my Evergreen Qi technique? What do I do with it… Looks like I need to go to the Scripture Archives, and see if they have everything necessary.' Raising his head to the horizon, watching the sun waiting for its cue over the mountains, he made a decision.

Standing up, he headed straight for the exit of the plot.

"Cluck?" Leaning against the now-cooling stove, Baldi, holding his bloated belly from the huge fish he had just eaten, watched An leave.

Reaching for the mug next to himself, with a satisfied expression, he finished the last drops and closed his eyes.