Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Momo was fascinated with her new cauldron. She immediately ditched her old cauldron and began using the new one, trying to get the hang of it.

Alex told her about her bond with the cauldron and how, after it had been Blood Refined, it could now possibly create a spirit of its own. Learning about this, Momo was ecstatic for her future.

Alex began teaching her more now, even about knowledge that was beyond what she needed. He especially focused on Immortal rank poisons and their effects. It was a precautionary measure.

After being taught so much, he hoped Momo wouldn’t make any obvious mistakes in the future.

He focused on his own cultivation too, slowly improving his eight Origins. The fact that he had eight of them still surprised him. While training, Alex found himself in some of the worst mental pain he had ever felt, but he stuck through it.

It was just for the duration of the Immortal Origin realm and maybe the Immortal Transcendent realm. Once he was beyond those realms, his Origins wouldn’t exactly improve, but his body and mind would still continue to do so. At that point, he could be free from the pain.

Each of the eight Origins was now the size of a pigeon egg. Together, they were the size of a big orange. He would need to continue cultivating much more than this.

On the other side, his Blood Origin was coming along at a much better speed. The fetus that was his Blood Origin now looked much bigger, reaching half the size of a newborn baby.

At his current estimation, considering how much time he had found to put into improving his Blood Origin, the fetus would grow to become the size of a regular newborn by the time he returned to the tournament.

Alex was in the middle of cultivation when he received a message from his master, asking him to meet after he was done. He hadn’t seen his master for a while and had wondered where he had been all this time.

It seemed he would find out now.

A day later, Alex left his room and went to meet his master. Silvermist sat in his room, seemingly going through a bunch of talismans that lay before him, scattered all around the desk.

The sight reminded Alex of his childhood when he would occasionally see his father and mother doing the same at the dinner table, with a bunch of bills he didn’t understand as a child.

“Is everything alright, Master?” he asked as he walked in.

Silvermist looked up and gestured for him to wait for a moment, seemingly focused on the talisman he had in his hand. Alex went to sit by the side and wait. After a while, the man finally put down the talisman with a heavy sigh.

“What are those?” Alex asked, curious.

Silvermist chuckled a little. “Complaints,” he said.

Alex raised an eyebrow in response. “Complaints? Against…?”

“Me, of course,” Silvermist said. “These are messages from people who commissioned pills from me and didn’t get them in time.”

“Oh,” Alex said, surprised. “Did you not make them in time?”

Silvermist shook his head. “I was a little busy, you see.”

“With what, if I may ask?” Alex leaned forward.

“Your treasures,” Silvermist said, his emotions changing as a wide smile appeared on his face. “I found them all, finally.”

It took Alex a moment to register what the man was talking about. “The wood treasures?” he asked.

“Yes,” Silvermist said. “I found them all. When you’re ready, we can leave.”

Alex quickly thought about all the important things he had to do. There was nothing. Everything could wait.

“I can leave right now,” he answered.

“Great. Then we’ll leave in a few hours when I’m done with these,” Silvermist said and got back to the talismans.

Alex paused for a moment, looking at the talismans and then back at his master. “Master, were you really gone for a year and a half just to find these treasures for me?” he asked.

Silvermist put down the talisman and slowly nodded. “Where else would I be?” he asked.

Alex wasn’t sure how he should feel about that. He was glad, yes, but on the other hand, he also felt guilty for taking over this man’s time so much. “You could’ve had someone else search for the wood treasures,” he said. “You didn’t have to go.”

“No, but I wanted to,” Silvermist said.

Alex didn’t believe that. “Even if you did, Master, shouldn’t you prioritize the Court before me?” he asked. “I understand that you care very much for me, and I do appreciate it greatly, but you should care for the Court even more.”

“Why?” Silvermist asked. “Because you’ll leave me when this is all over? I don’t mind. Wherever you go, you will still be my disciple. And I am allowed to do this for my disciple. You will leave Momo too once you’re done with this competition, and yet you treat her better than her family would have, giving her things you don’t have to.”

Alex paused for a moment and nodded. “You’re right, Master. You are allowed,” he said. “But I am losing nothing by helping Momo the way I have. Meanwhile, you are putting the Court in jeopardy by focusing more on me than on the Court.”

“The Court isn’t just a thing that exists, Master. It’s the livelihood of thousands of people, trying their best to survive in this world. Every time you deny making a pill or fail to deliver on time, the Court loses its name, and thus its customers. If by helping me, you worsen the lives of thousands of other people, then I don’t want that.”

Silvermist remained silent for a while, staring at Alex with a perplexed look. He spent a few seconds internalizing the words Alex said, as well as his own thoughts that were trying to rush out.

He calmed himself and finally said a single sentence.

“I… I don’t like making pills.”