Cultivation Online

Upon entering the second floor, Yuan found himself in a vast research room with hundreds of Alchemists bustling about with scrolls and medicine in their grasp.

Yuan, still in his Shadow Veil, walked around like he owned the place. Due to how busy and focused everyone there was, Yuan was able to investigate the whole floor without any issues. Hell, he could even do jumping jacks in front of someone and they still wouldn’t notice him.

It was almost as if Shadow Veil’s effect was similar to the Celestial Emperor’s curse, where it naturally made everyone oblivious to Yuan’s existence.

This level of concealment was heaven-defying, and if the world knew of its existence, there would be wars to acquire it.

Through his observations on the second floor, Yuan quickly realized that everyone there was engaged in the process of creating new pill recipes. He also noticed that the recipes being developed were relatively basic, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 2.

The next floor was the same as the second floor, but the pills being created were much more complex, ranging from Tier 3 to Tier 4.

This went on for the next several floors until he reached the 11th floor, where there were many rooms with closed doors. Yuan used his divine sense to peek inside these rooms to find Alchemists at work inside.

Not wanting to risk detection, Yuan took only quick glances into each room as he moved steadily from floor to floor.

The moment Yuan stepped onto the 30th floor, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The pristine environment of the lower levels was replaced by a grim, unsettling corridor lined with prison cells. The air felt heavy, and the dim lighting cast eerie shadows across the cold, grimy walls, starkly contrasting the clean and orderly nature of the floors below.

As Yuan peered into the prison cells, he saw live magical beasts confined within them. Considering the crucial role magical beast materials played in alchemy, it wasn’t surprising for the Alchemy Tower to house such a facility.

From their skin to their nails, almost every part of a magical beast could be utilized in alchemy. Their blood, bones, fur, organs, and especially their monster core were valuable for crafting pills, elixirs, and other alchemical creations. Because of this, Yuan didn’t find the magical beast prison to be anything out of the ordinary. They were simply no different from livestock.

As Yuan continued climbing the tower, the magical beasts grew increasingly rare and powerful. Unfortunately for them, every prison cell was enforced with Level 7 formations. They were so powerful that even Yuan would have difficulty dealing with them.

A pungent stench of blood suddenly assaulted Yuan’s nose when he reached the 45th floor, causing him to frown. ’This isn’t the scent of magical beasts…’ Yuan thought to himself as he used his divine sense to check the prison cells.

Sure enough, imprisoned on the 45th floor were not magical beasts but humans.

’Using humans as resources, huh? Why am I not surprised?’ Yuan shook his head after seeing the grim situation before him.

The concept of using humans as resources for alchemy dates back to the Primordial Era, long before the emergence of demons in the world. Back then, human blood and other components were studied for their potential alchemical properties.

However, this practice was deemed highly immoral and unethical, leading to its swift prohibition. Over time, it became a forbidden art, with strict penalties for anyone who dared to pursue it, most cases being the death penalty. Despite this, whispers of its use occasionally surfaced in dark corners of the world, often associated with the most desperate or depraved Alchemists.

As Yuan continued walking down the grim corridor, his attention was drawn to one of the cells. Inside, a woman lay on the floor, seemingly asleep. Her appearance caught his eye, as her features closely matched the description the homeless little boy had given him earlier.

However, before he could even consider rescuing her, Yuan noticed another presence appearing on his floor, forcing him to hide.

Although he needed to hide, there were no suitable places to do so in the narrow corridor. Left with no other choice, he relied entirely on his Shadow Veil and remained perfectly still. Fortunately for him, the darkness of the area enhanced the effectiveness of his skill, allowing him to blend seamlessly into the shadows and remain undetected.

The other presence belonged to a middle-aged man with a hunched back. However, he didn’t appear to be affiliated with the Alchemy Tower, as he wasn’t wearing their distinctive uniform, which all the other individuals Yuan had encountered so far had worn. Moreover, his cultivation was pathetically low, being only a Spirit Warrior.

Yuan observed silently as the hunched man unlocked the prison cell containing the little boy’s mother and dragged her out. Then, Yuan followed closely behind the man as he made his way through the corridor and toward the teleport formation.

Despite Yuan trailing directly behind him, the man remained completely unaware of his presence.

The man was so oblivious to Yuan’s presence that Yuan managed to step into the teleportation formation alongside him, completely undetected. Moments later, they emerged on the 60th floor—the tallest floor in the Alchemy Tower.

As the hunched man approached the only door on the 60th floor and prepared to knock, Yuan quickly concealed himself behind one of the large pillars.

Moments later, the door opened, revealing an old man dressed in the distinctive uniform of the Alchemy Tower. The old man glanced at the hunched man and spoke in a commanding tone. ”Bring the material inside.”

”Yes, Master.”

While the two men had their backs turned, Yuan seized the opportunity. Moving like a shadow, he slipped through the open doors and entered the room undetected. Once inside, he quickly found a dark corner to hide in, ensuring he remained out of sight as he observed the scene unfolding before him.

The first thing that caught Yuan’s attention inside the room was a large crimson cauldron filled nearly to the brim with blood. The pungent, metallic scent of human blood was so overpowering that Yuan had noticed it even before the door was opened.

However, the most horrifying sight in the room was the corpses suspended above the crimson cauldron. Their lifeless bodies dangled ominously, blood dripping steadily into the cauldron below, resembling the process of drying out slaughtered chickens.