Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

The woman was surprisingly prepared for the test. She hadn’t asked for the challenge for no reason at all.

She brought out a formation plate that was used to test the very thing and placed it on the ground before them all, explaining the purpose of the formation.

”I’m sorry, but this will test all of your spirit roots instead of just one, but it will show colors for each in response. We can compare the colors afterward and see whose is more vibrant to see who is better.”

Alex nodded. ”I accept. Please, go ahead.”

The woman tinkered with the formation plate for a bit, placing spirit stones into it before placing her palm at the center. As the formation activated, several colors popped up all around them.

Alex looked at the colors, finding the information gained this way so very rudimentary when compared to the artifact he had used in the Sky God’s Palace. Greensoul’s spirit root tester was so much better, but that was to be expected considering it was a Divine-grade artifact.

The colors bloomed into shades of red, brown, yellow, and gold.

The yellow was so faint that if it were not separated on its own, one would have mistaken it for a gray color. She had a Yang root in name only. Her Metal root wasn’t that much better either, but it was okay. Her Fire root was better, with the red color flashing with a lot of vibrance.

However, it was the rich brown color of the Earth root that took center stage. Her Earth root simply dwarfed every single one of her other roots to the point where it was the only color that stood out.

”Well, there’s mine,” she said, standing back. ”Your turn.”

Alex nodded and stepped forward, placing his palm atop the formation. For a few long seconds, nothing happened as the formation poured Qi into him and then returned.

And then, the colors appeared.

Red, green, blue, brown, gold, black, and yellow. Each one brighter than the last. Each one that much more vibrant.

The woman stepped back in surprise, staring at the colors. Her jaw opened wide as she looked from the colors atop the formation to Alex.

”How...”

She failed to make up any words.

To the side, Ronron returned, having won her challenge this time around. Since she wasn’t restricted from using her physical strength, she had quickly overpowered the man she was fighting.

Alex looked at the woman. ”You can be the judge of this. Whose Earth root do you think was better?”

”What?” the woman asked, barely catching onto his words. For a few seconds, she stared blankly before turning toward him. ”Oh, yes. You win.”

Alex smiled. ”Thank you. It was close, but I do believe mine is slightly better.”

”Yes,” the woman said meekly before bringing out a star to hand over to Alex.

Alex took it and put it away. He then turned toward his mother and pointed toward the man who was just done with Liz. ”You should fight him.”

Helen nodded. ”Okay.”

After a few rounds of each person challenging someone else, Alex was left with one of the men and one of the women whom he hadn’t challenged or been challenged by.

He challenged the woman first, and she chose a race again. She had a movement technique that allowed her to be confident in her speed. Alex didn’t compete against her and simply handed over the star.

The man, however, appeared to want to fight. While he wasn’t confident that he could win, he still wanted to try.

Alex accepted his challenge and brought out a sword.

Helen and Ronron immediately recognized that the sword Alex brought out was not the sword he always used. It was instead a random sword made of some sort of steel. It had a silvery metallic color to it that his good swords didn’t have.

”Is Father going to fight?” Ronron asked. ”I thought he said he had no plans of fighting.”

”Seems like it,” Helen said. ”I told him to train if there is something he can train, and it looks like he’s thought of something.”

Ronron was curious what it was that her father had to train at this point.

Alex gently held the sword. It was a good sword, quite durable from what he understood of the material, but it was far too light to ever be used by him. In his hand, it would feel like a feather.

He let go of the sword, and it floated next to him. ”We can begin any time.”

The man gave a warning and started with an attack. Wood energy coalesced around him to become thick thorns that shot toward Alex.

Alex moved the sword toward them, flinching slightly as he did so, striking two of the thorns at an angle and stopping them. The sword rolled back toward Alex, but he stopped it from coming toward him and sidestepped the rest of the thorns that flew past him.

The man narrowed his eyes. Something about the whole thing felt off, almost too easy. Alex had managed to dodge the attack, and while it did look intentional, something about it all still made him look weak.

Alex flew toward the man, the sword floating next to him. As Alex arrived, the sword moved before him, striking at the man.

The man replied to the attack with one of his own, blasting the sword away. The sword spun out of control for a bit before steadying itself and flying back toward the man. Alex remained close by, but he never touched the sword at all, letting it do the work all by itself.

Ronron and Helen watched the battle with some intrigue, wondering what it was that Alex was really doing.

”Huh...” Helen made a sound as she noticed something.

”What is it, Grandma?” Ronron asked.

”Do you sense any Qi around the sword?” Helen asked.

Ronron sent her senses there and her eyes widened in surprise. ”No. There’s none.”

Helen nodded. ”I thought so. Then... how is he controlling the sword?”