Chapter 94: Alchemy

"Who made you cry?"

Vespera’s relaxed posture vanished. She set her wine gourd down, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the tears streaming down Elara’s face.

"Nobody," Elara sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I just... I got scared."

"What kind of coward bullies a little girl in broad daylight?" Vespera stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "Point them out. I will bury them beneath the floorboards right now."

"Master."

"What?"

"Right there."

Theo pointed directly at the peak of the Heavenly Mandate Stele, where the golden characters for *Aurelius* burned brightly against the sky.

Vespera stared at the name. She blinked, her fiery momentum stalling entirely.

"Ah," Vespera coughed, leaning back into her chair.

She crossed her arms and looked away. "I could easily crush him, naturally. But striking a junior who hasn’t even reached the Mystic Core realm would severely damage my reputation. It would be highly inappropriate."

Theo stared at her in disbelief. "You threatened to crush a Soul Formation Archon into fertilizer ten minutes ago."

"That was different," Vespera waved a dismissive hand. "This is a matter for the younger generation. When the Imperial Summit convenes next month, you can challenge the Crown Prince yourself. Defeating him in front of the emperor will be entirely justified."

"And if I lose?" Theo asked dryly.

Vespera grabbed her own throat, rolled her eyes back, and let her tongue loll out.

Elara, who had just managed to stop crying, saw Vespera’s morbid pantomime.

The thought of Theo being beaten to death by her brother sent her into a fresh panic attack.

"Master, please," Theo groaned, rubbing his temples.

He needed to fix this quickly. He pulled a blank ledger from his spatial ring and gestured for Corey to hand over a charcoal pencil.

Corey tried to help by drawing the initial sketches, but his crude squiggles looked more like deformed earthworms.

Theo quickly took over, his precise sword-control translating perfectly into fast, detailed charcoal strokes.

A few minutes later, he walked over and handed the thick booklet to Elara.

"What is this?" Elara sniffled, looking at the blank cover.

"Flip the pages quickly," Theo instructed gently. "Use your thumb to release them one by one."

Elara hesitated, then mirrored his demonstration.

The charcoal drawings inside sprang to life. The animation depicted a chibi-styled Elara carrying a branch.

In the sequence, she found a strange, glowing seed and buried it in the dirt. She watered it diligently through rain and snow.

On the final pages, the seed sprouted into a miniature, grumpy-looking Theo, who immediately drew a sword and chased away a shadowy dragon.

Elara stared at the final page. A small, genuine laugh bubbled up from her chest, cutting through the terror.

"I grew you from a seed?" she asked, a smile reaching her eyes.

"Exactly," Theo smiled back. "So you have nothing to fear. Now, let us go find something to eat."

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the capital in hues of deep violet and gold.

The group had leased a private courtyard estate near the merchant district.

The accommodations were luxurious, a stark contrast to their humble beginnings on the outer peaks.

Liana sat on the sweeping clay tiles of the estate’s highest roof, bathed in the pale light of the moon.

She stared at the distant, fading glow of the Heavenly Mandate Stele.

The name *Aurelius* lingered in her mind.

In her past life, she had crossed swords with the Crown Prince.

She had defeated him in a duel that shook the foundations of the Central Dynasty.

Shortly after his defeat, the reigning emperor abdicated, and Aurelius ascended the throne...

That was when the true nightmare began.

The Crown Prince’s temperament had fractured upon taking the crown.

Some claimed his True Dragon Physique had mutated.

Others whispered of demonic corruption. Whatever the cause, Aurelius plunged the empire into a golden age of slaughter.

Liana closed her eyes, banishing the memories of burning cities.

She needed to focus on the present.

[Ding!]

[Heavenly Mandate System Notification.]

[Countdown to the next Fate Comparison: Four Days.]

The chime echoed in her soul. The system was meticulously punctual, ensuring she never forgot the looming threat of failure and the subsequent punishments.

She remembered the humiliating penalty she was currently enduring: sharing a bed with him for thirty days.

The system was ruthless, treating her pride as a secondary concern. If she failed this upcoming foundational comparison, the next penalty could be far worse.

During their last comparison, Theo’s Abyssal Forge had overwhelmed her. However, circumstances had changed.

She was now ranked eighteenth in the province. The title of *Aurora Sword Empress* was not just for show; her comprehension of sword intent had deepened exponentially.

Furthermore, she now possessed the premium Ice-Vein Lotus extract to stabilize her Supreme Yin meridians.

Theo’s strength was monstrous, but his primordial tempering required vast, unrefined energy.

She opened her eyes, drawing a steady breath of night air. The moonlight gathered around her like a cloak.

She would not lose the next comparison...

---

The estate’s secluded eastern courtyard.

Elder Thorne, a senior alchemist from the Silent Thunder Sect’s capital branch, stood before a broad brass cauldron.

Fiery serpents made of pure qi coiled around the base, keeping the temperature perfectly regulated.

"The condensation phase is complete!" Corey announced, stepping back from the heat. He wiped sweat from his forehead.

The flames died down. Elder Thorne reached into the cauldron with a pair of jade tongs, retrieving a glowing, three-striped pill.

"Another success," Thorne sighed, stroking his white beard. "Yet, the final step eludes me. I remain a half-step away from true Grandmaster status."

"So you are still just a regular Master," Corey summarized helpfully.

Theo, who had just entered the courtyard, shook his head.

"No, Corey. It is a prestigious title. He is a ’Peak Master, Half-Step Grandmaster.’"

Corey blinked, looking profoundly confused. "That sounds like you are just making up words because you cannot reach the next realm."

Elder Thorne coughed loudly, his face turning a distinct shade of crimson.

"Disrespectful youth," Thorne grumbled, though he quickly composed himself as he noticed Theo.

The elder’s eyes lit up. He had seen the stele. The nineteenth-ranked prodigy of the province was standing in his courtyard.

Theo had recently purchased premium Ice-Vein Lotus extract, a complex ingredient.

Thorne assumed the young genius was finally ready to abandon his brute-force tactics and learn the refined, orthodox art of pill crafting.

"Young master Theo," Thorne greeted warmly. "Have you come to study the orthodox path of internal alchemy? I would be honored to guide your initial steps."

Theo stepped forward, his expression serious.

"I appreciate the offer, Elder Thorne," Theo said. "However, I have no interest in internal pills. I came to discuss the methodology of forging External Qi-Cores."

Elder Thorne’s warm smile vanished.

External Qi-Cores... It was an unorthodox, unstable branch of alchemy.

Instead of refining energy for consumption, it involved compressing volatile qi into shells to create devastating, single-use explosives.

It was a path favored by desperate rogues and madmen, not provincial prodigies.

Thorne looked at the sky, a profound look of despair etched into his features.

"You..." Thorne stammered. "You have achieved early-stage Inner Scenery. You are ranked in the top twenty! And you want to study the art of making explosive metal spheres?!"

Theo nodded earnestly. "Yes. I require a method to condense my Abyssal Forge heat into a throwable projectile. Can you assist me?"