Alchemy Master

Chapter 1095, The Pavilion King

Translator: Silavin

“We pay our respects to the Pavilion King!”

“We pay our respects to Her Highness, the Princess!”

Even as Qin Yichen swept his gaze across the assembled gathering, the Elves had already lowered themselves in reverent prostration, pressing their foreheads to the ground in the highest ceremonial gesture their kind possessed. They directed that level of devotion toward the two approaching silhouettes.

“Pavilion King!”

Not even the Elf Queen proved to be an exception. She inclined her body toward the figure at Avril’s side in a measured, respectful bow.

And with his arrival, the complexity that had haunted the Elf Queen’s expression eased, a measure of tension retreating from her features like morning frost before sunlight.

[Who is this…] Qin Yichen’s gaze settled upon the old man with a full head of silver-white hair, and something in his own expression crystallised. From this elderly man, he sensed that same concealed, subdued fluctuation he had only ever detected before on the Manor Master of Saints Heavenly Manor. A hidden depth, coiled and immeasurable.

Yet what kept Qin Yichen’s attention most keenly were the words this old man had just spoken.

“Senior, do you truly mean what you said?” Like a man plunging through despair who has seized upon a lifeline, Qin Yichen’s voice carried a barely contained urgency as he pressed forward with the question.

“You dare be so impudent, this is…” The words had barely left Qin Yichen’s lips before the Jade Elder at his side furrowed his brows and moved to sharply cut him off.

What station did the Pavilion King occupy? Who was this Foreigner to voice such doubt? Even granting that he had shown great kindness to the Elf Race, in their hearts, that grace did not constitute the capital to challenge the Pavilion King.

“It is not a problem. The fault lies first with our Race for breaking his faith in us.” Before the Jade Elder’s reprimand could land in full, the old man gave a gentle shake of his silver head and offered a light chuckle. There was not a single trace of reproach crossed the weathered landscape of his face. Instead, a pair of deep, penetrating eyes turned toward Qin Yichen with something resembling measured interest.

Under that gaze, Qin Yichen experienced a peculiar sensation, as though he stood utterly bare before this elderly man. He had compressed every trace of his aura, drawn it inward to nothing, yet his identity as a member of the Human Race could not be concealed from those all-discerning eyes for even a heartbeat.

“Young Friend has shown great kindness to our people. This matter is not unreasonable.” Having studied Qin Yichen for a long moment, the Pavilion King continued, the corners of his mouth carrying a smile that resisted easy interpretation.

“Pavilion King…”

Those words sent a visible ripple across the faces of the assembled Elf Elders, each expression shifting in unison.

The Life Scripture had always been beyond the reach of many Royal Elves whose constitution fell short of the required threshold, and now he had agreed to permit a Foreigner to attempt to learn it.

Yet because of who the Pavilion King was, not even the Elf Queen raised her voice in opposition.

Perhaps the latter had her own considerations in this.

And in truth, only beings of the Elf Queen and the Jade Elder’s stature could fully comprehend the magnitude of what Qin Yichen had done before this moment, and how weighty a debt of gratitude the Elf Race now owed him for it.

“I offer my deepest thanks to Senior for granting this.”

Qin Yichen’s face flooded with an excitement he could no longer suppress, and he pressed his fists together in a bow of gratitude.

“Avril, are you prepared?”

The Pavilion King turned his head toward Avril and directly posed this question.

She had already received the baptism of the Tree of Life and completed her coming-of-age ceremony. Given the purity of her Bloodline, she naturally possessed the right to attempt comprehension of the Life Scripture.

“I am ready at any time.” Avril gave a single nod, her voice composed and certain.

The baptism had stripped away every last trace of juvenility from her bearing. Each gesture, each movement now radiated the authority befitting a High Rank Royal Elf. She now held a presence that was both commanding and serene.

“Excellent.” The Pavilion King nodded his approval, his smile unhurried. “In that case, both of you enter together and try to comprehend.”

“Pavilion King, perhaps we should wait a while longer.” At that moment, the Elf Queen’s sculpted brows drew together in faint concern, and she spoke a word of gentle caution, as though something weighed upon her thoughts.

“The Ancestral Tree has only just recovered. The Power of Life it accumulated over the long years has not yet dissipated. If they enter now to comprehend, I fear that…” Then, as though suddenly aware that Qin Yichen might misread her intent, the Elf Queen wanted to clarify.

“*Ha ha ha.* The Power of Lfie gathered over years of accumulation represents an extraordinary opportunity for our people.” The Pavilion King’s laughter rang out. It was rich and unrestrained, as undisguised delight spreading across his aged face.

In the next instant, his palm turned with deliberate ease. The green barrier of light the Elf Queen had laid across the area dissolved and dispersed, and in that moment, the vast tide of Power of Life it had contained surged outward in all directions, flooding the surrounding world.

From within the Tree of Life itself, an even greater wellspring of Power of Life steadily seeped forth.

“The Ancestral Tree has recovered. Let this amount of energy serve as repayment to our people for the endless years they have endured without it.”

The Pavilion King murmured those words half to himself, and in the depths of those ancient eyes, without anyone quite noticing when it had happened, a trace of old tears had gathered.

When the Tree of Life had first suffered its affliction, the Ancestors had forcibly suppressed the Power of Life that bled ceaselessly from it. Yet in doing so, they had cut off the countless ordinary members of the Elf Race from the shelter of the Ancestral Tree, placing shackles on their cultivation that had grown heavier with every passing generation.

Now, in this singular moment, a vast torrent of Power of Life radiated outward from the Tree of Life.

That energy rippled and spread across the whole of the Elf Forest in the span of a breath. Every towering tree it touched, already magnificent beyond reckoning, seemed to grow before the naked eye, reaching higher still. Trees that had begun to wither stirred once more with renewed vitality, their bark flushing with colour as life returned to them.

“A blessing! This is the blessing of the Ancestral Tree!”

“Heaven smiles upon our Race!”

In that moment, countless members of the Elf Race lifted their faces toward the Tree of Life as one, sinking to their knees in profound reverence.

None of them knew precisely what had come to pass, yet every last Elf felt it, the sense of being bathed in a purifying force of immense power. More than a few who had found themselves trapped at a particular stage of cultivation felt the very shackles restraining them begin to fracture and give way.

The entirety of the Elf Race plunged into a joy too vast for words.

…

“Send them inside. Whether they can comprehend the Life Scripture depends entirely on their own fortune.” The Pavilion King tilted his head back, eyes tracing the Tree of Life’s height into the sky, its crown lost beyond sight, and spoke in a voice both unhurried and certain.

“Yes.” The Elf Queen, hearing this, said nothing further.

She cast Qin Yichen one brief, apologetic glance, then raised the Life Scepter in a slow, graceful motion.

Two beams of vivid green light shot forth from it, enveloping Avril and Little Ling’er within their radiance.

“Go.” Qin Yichen released Little Ling’er, his eyes brimming with tender, indulgent affection as he whispered the words softly.

*Whoosh!* Beneath the gaze of every member of the Elf Race, the figures of Little Ling’er and Avril were consumed by the green light. They transformed into a streak of green radiance and in the span of a single breath were swallowed into the Tree of Life ahead.

“Oh?” At the instant the two figures vanished into the Tree of Life, the Pavilion King let out a soft sound of surprise, a flicker of astonishment crossing his aged features.

“The Princess’s Bloodline is exceptionally strong. I believe she will not require a great deal of time to comprehend the Life Scripture.”

“Indeed. As I recall from the records, Her Majesty required a month to comprehend the Life Scripture. I wonder whether Her Highness the Princess will surpass that time.”

“Now, that is far from certain…”

With the two figures gone, the assembled Elf Elders could not help but begin to speculate quietly among themselves about Avril’s prospects.

Avril’s Bloodline surpassed even that of the Elf Queen by a margin, and she had long since been recognised as the next generation’s Elf Queen.

Avril’s performance would naturally command their keenest attention.

[Ling’er… you must succeed.] But in that same moment, Qin Yichen’s eyes remained locked upon the Tree of Life, unwavering and unblinking.

He had endured a thousand hardships and crossed a thousand obstacles to secure for Little Ling’er this single chance to attempt comprehending the Life Scripture. Now, it rested entirely with Little Ling’er herself.