NOVGO.NET Chapter 312: An Impossible Challenge
Chapter 312: Chapter 312: An Impossible Challenge
Chapter 312: An Impossible Challenge
"I will simply challenge the Alchemy Emperor to a refinement duel, right before the eyes of the whole dynasty."
The words dropped like a catastrophic meteor into the center of the grand hall.
The recruited Domain Masters simply stared at their Grandmaster with eyes full of reverence and shock.
To them, Grandmaster Korryn was an unfathomable entity, perhaps even an Alchemy Emperor himself.
Challenging the Royal Court’s supreme alchemist was a clash of titans!
But the reactions of the Valdris Royal Academy’s thirty elderly Grandmaster Alchemists, Lyra, and Vulcan were fundamentally different.
They knew the truth!
They knew that beneath that dignified, middle-aged disguise was Rhain Voss—a nineteen-year-old youth!
Even though they had witnessed him casually refine flawless Mystic-Grade pills, the Alchemy Emperor was a monstrous existence who had practiced the path of Alchemy for over eight hundred years!
He had the entire accumulated wealth, ancient scriptures, and supreme inheritances of the Solathane Royal Family backing him.
Could a nineteen-year-old boy truly defeat an eight-hundred-year-old monster in a direct, public duel?
It sounded like utter suicide!
Meanwhile, standing silently near the entrance, Rhain’s seven subdued slaves—Skullcrusher, Deathblade, Peregrine, and the others—were exchanging intensely bewildered glances.
They had been locked inside the blood-soaked hell of the Crucible Arena for years.
They had no idea what the "Celestial Elixir Pavilion" was, nor did they know who "Grandmaster Korryn" was.
But they unquestionably knew who the Alchemy Emperor was!
The only Alchemy Emperor of the dynasty.
An existence whose mere name commanded the utmost respect of the Imperial Families!
And their new master was now casually declaring that he was going to challenge the greatest alchemist in the dynasty to a pill refinement duel?
Was their master insane?
"Master..." Vulcan asked hesitantly. "Are you absolutely certain? A public duel with the Alchemy Emperor..."
Rhain’s dark grey eyes locked onto Vulcan, instantly silencing his next words.
"Vulcan," Rhain commanded, his voice turning chillingly cold and authoritative. "Send a formal, public missive directly to the Royal Court."
Vulcan straightened his back, "Your orders, Master!"
"Tell them this," Rhain instructed, "Since the esteemed Alchemy Emperor dares to claim that there is something fundamentally wrong with the pills of my Pavilion, then I, Grandmaster Korryn, will prove him wrong right before his very eyes."
"The Royal Court will provide the raw herbs. They can dictate the exact choice of pill to be refined. And he and I will refine that exact pill, simultaneously, before the eyes of the entire Solathane Dynasty."
Hearing Rhain’s words, everyone’s heart collectively skipped a beat.
Giving the enemy the advantage of choosing the herbs and the pill?
It was a display of a confidence bordering on arrogance.
"The winner will be decided solely by whoever refines a pill of superior quality," Rhain continued coldly, "If I lose... my life will belong to the Royal Court, and they may dismantle the Celestial Elixir Pavilion as they please."
"Master, no!" Vulcan blurted out, his face turning white.
"But," Rhain interrupted, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, "if I win... the Alchemy Emperor will drop to his knees before me, in front of the entire dynasty, and publicly apologize, confessing that his earlier statement was nothing but a baseless, malicious lie."
The sheer audacity of the stakes made the elderly Valdris alchemists nearly faint.
Forcing the supreme Alchemy Emperor to kneel and apologize to the world?
It was an insult worse than death! The Royal Court would go completely mad!
But Vulcan, looking at the unshakable, god-like confidence radiating from Rhain’s middle-aged disguise, felt the blood in his veins boil with fanatical devotion.
"I understand, Master!" Vulcan bowed deeply. "I will have this challenge broadcasted to every corner of the dynasty within a day!"
"Good," Rhain nodded. He then swept his gaze across the trembling alchemists, the recruited Domain Masters, and the anxious Lyra.
"Everyone else, please leave the hall. I have private matters to discuss with Vulcan. My seven personal guards will stay behind."
The crowd didn’t dare to disobey the oppressive authority in his voice.
The recruited Domain Masters and the elderly Valdris alchemists quickly offered their deep bows and retreated from the main hall.
Lyra shot Rhain one last complicated glare before stomping out the doors.
Once the heavy wooden doors clicked shut, only Rhain, Vulcan, and the seven bewildered Crucible Arena slaves remained.
Rhain leaned back in his chair.
"Vulcan," Rhain gestured toward the seven towering men standing nervously near the entrance. "These are my subordinates. I acquired them during my recent trip to the Crucible Arena."
Vulcan’s eyes widened slightly as he sized them up.
He could clearly sense the overwhelmingly dense, bloodthirsty auras of early and middle-stage Domain Masters radiating from them.
"Greetings," Vulcan offered a respectful nod.
Skullcrusher and Peregrine awkwardly returned the nod, their minds still spinning with confusion.
Rhain looked at his seven slaves.
"I know you all must be very confused right now," Rhain said calmly.
As he spoke, his face began to ripple and change.
Swoosh—!
The dignified, middle-aged features of Grandmaster Korryn melted away like an illusion, replaced by the handsome, sharp, nineteen-year-old face of Rhain Voss.
The seven slaves froze completely.
"Y-You... you’re that teenager again?!" Deathblade stammered, entirely forgetting his manners as his brain struggle hard to process so many things happening around him.
Rhain simply smirked.
For the next few minutes, Rhain briefly narrated the truth of his situation.
He explained that Rhain Voss was his true identity, while Grandmaster Korryn and the Celestial Elixir Pavilion were his creations.
And then, with the utmost casualness, he mentioned the tiny, insignificant detail that he was currently being hunted by the Emperor because he had recently pulverized the Crown Prince’s clone into a bloody paste.
Thud.
Skullcrusher staggered, collapsing onto the floor.
Bloodfiend clutched his chest, looking as if he was about to suffer a heart attack.
Peregrine’s refined face turned ashen.
They had fled into the Crucible Arena years ago because they were terrified of being hunted by regional Noble Clans and provincial sects.
When they were forced to swear the Heavenly Vow and follow Rhain out of the arena, their biggest fear had been encountering their old enemies.
But their Master?
Their Master was a step ahead of them.
He hadn’t offended a mere sect.
He had committed outright regicide and declared a one-man war against the entire Solathane Dynasty!
’We are dead,’ Skullcrusher wailed inwardly, tears of pure despair threatening to fall. ’I want to go back! Please, throw me back into the blood pits! The Crucible Arena is so much safer than this lunatic!’
Seeing their utterly horrified, despairing expressions, Rhain let out an amused chuckle.
"Relax," Rhain said, his voice instantly calming their frantic nerves. "For now, the seven of you will stay here in the Celestial Elixir Pavilion and assist Vulcan. To the outside world, you will not be associated with the wanted fugitive Rhain Voss. You are the newly recruited enforcers of Grandmaster Korryn."
Hearing this, a collective wave of relief filled the seven slaves.
As long as they were hidden behind the untouchable facade of the Grandmaster, the Royal Court’s executioners wouldn’t immediately hunt them down in the streets.
Their Master was actively protecting them.
"We understand, Master!" Peregrine bowed deeply, the color slowly returning to his face.
Rhain then turned his attention back to his manager.
"Vulcan," Rhain spoke, his tone turning serious. "You have been handling the Pavilion exceptionally well, but your personal strength must also increase. You are the face of this establishment. You cannot remain below the Domain Master Realm forever."
Vulcan lowered his head in shame.
"Master... thanks to the limitless supply of your flawless Epic-Grade pills, my essence has already reached the peak of the Half-Step Domain Master realm," Vulcan explained bitterly. "But I am firmly stuck at the comprehension of Law. Without grasping ten percent of my Law and forming a Domain, no amount of flawless pills can force me to break through."
Rhain nodded. He knew perfectly well that pills could only build the foundation; the mind had to unlock the door.
"What specific Law are you trying to comprehend?" Rhain asked.
His enemies were far stronger than him, and he alone wasn’t enough to face them all.
He needed his subordinates to evolve into true powerhouses.
"Law of Fist, Master," Vulcan replied respectfully.
"I understand," Rhain nodded. "Give me a few days. I will prepare the foundational truths you need to shatter that bottleneck."
Vulcan’s eyes widened in ecstasy. "Thank you, Master!"
After giving Vulcan a few final instructions regarding the impending duel and the pavilion’s security, Rhain prepared to leave.
With a swirl of essence, his features shifted again, transforming into a completely ordinary, forgettable face.
He slipped out the back entrance of the Celestial Elixir Pavilion, melting into the bustling crowds of Valdris City.