Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

"Show us," the elderly woman at the center spoke, and everyone went quiet.

Alex sighed and moved his hand so that he was pointing ahead of him. Suddenly, a meter away from him, the air started glowing red.

Particles in the air burned as slight smoke appeared out of nowhere, and the 9 women felt the air shift as the newly formed hot air began to rise to the ceiling while the cold air came downwards.

They also felt the world\'s energies moving onto the point in front of the young man, letting them know for sure that he was using some sort of Dao.

"Use the next one," the woman said and Alex nodded.

A small tongue of fire appeared in front of him and using the least bit of energy he could, Alex exploded it.

The bang from the explosion shook the room, but aside from that, it did nothing. Still, the women managed to see the movement of Qi in the air and knew it was Dao.

"Wow, you really did manage to learn two different Dao," the woman said. "Are you really not from any sect?"

"I haven\'t been in any sect for over a dozen years now," Alex said.

The elderly woman nodded. She hadn\'t found anything incriminating amongst the items in his storage bags. However, there was something that made her extremely curious about what she saw in his items.

"I found a lot of artifacts and books and many other things from your storage bag. How did you come by them?" she asked.

"A few of my enemies ambushed me and I killed them. I got these items as spoils," he said.

"Oh… and, did you get the empty talisman papers, formation plates, and alchemy ingredients the same way as well?" she asked.

"Uh, no I bought those," Alex said.

"Do you wish to start learning how to make formations and such?" the old woman asked.

"Not exactly," Alex said. "I already know how to make them. My intention is only to improve."

The woman\'s eyes narrowed and the rest of them got closer to look at him too. "For all of it?" she asked.

"Yes," Alex said.

"You\'re a formation master, a talisman maker, and…"

"And an Alchemist," Alex finished her words.

GASP~!

All the women there gasped at once when they heard that.

"Alchemist, he says."

"We found a criminal."

"Find his master and kill him."

Alex suddenly realized he had said something wrong. Were they angry that he was an alchemist?

"Who taught you Alchemy?" the woman at the center asked.

"Uhh… my master," Alex said.

"Who\'s your master? Name him!" the woman demanded.

"Uh, may I ask what\'s the problem? My master has been dead for over a dozen years now, so surely her name won\'t help you," Alex said.

"Your master is dead? Then name the sect or organization your master belonged to. Letting someone pass along Alchemy knowing that it is forbidden in these lands is not a crime we can simply let aside," the woman said.

"What?" Alex cried out in surprise. "Alchemy is forbidden? Why?"

"Because we say so. Now tell us," the woman said.

"Senior, I don\'t come from these lands. I come from the state of Xue. One of the reasons I ran was that I didn\'t want to get hunted down in that state. Is the situation the same here?" he asked with fear in his voice.

"We don\'t stop people from learning Alchemy here, but we do forbid it from letting someone pass what they learn to others. If you did come from the state of Xue, then I have no reason to punish the sect or organization your master belonged to. Rather, I have no authority," she said.

Alex was very much weirded out by the situation on this continent. Why the hell was that in both of the states he went to, there was some sort of law punishing Alchemists?

"Congratulations, you have proved your innocence," the woman said, making Alex feel surprised and happy.

"Am I free to go now?" he asked excitedly.

"Ah, not yet. There are still a few more questions we have to ask," she said.

"Okay," Alex said, wondering what they might be.

"You said you came here by accident. Can you tell us where you were intending to go?" she asked.

"I wanted to go to the Dao mountain to possibly learn some more Dao," Alex said.

"Hah! You wanted to go to the Dao mountain?" the woman repeated amusedly. "How do you intend to enter when you\'re not even a Saint?"

"Uhh… I intend to find some other way," Alex said. "I read that even those that didn\'t enter the Saint realm can go in there."

"Yes," the old woman said. "But only if they are part of the 5 Ancient sects. Did you not know that?"

"What? I didn\'t know that," Alex said and frowned a little. "Is there no way?"

"You can join one of the ancient sects? But the better way would be to simply break through to the Saint realm. All Saints are allowed free entry," she said.

Alex\'s frown didn\'t disappear as he fell into thought.

So if he wanted to enter the Dao mountain, he had to either break through to the Saint realm or enter one of the 5 giant sects.

He wanted to keep his freedom, so joining a sect didn\'t feel right to him. But, if he wanted to wait until he entered the Saint realm, that alone would take at least 2 years.

"Is there no other way?" he asked.

"No," the woman said.

"I see," he thought. "Can I join your sect then perhaps?"

"Are you a girl?" the old woman chuckled.

"Haha, I suppose I can\'t," he said. That was to be expected. \'It looks like I might have to go back to the Heaven\'s Frost sect.\'

But he simply didn\'t want to go to that sect. That sect was trying to have a monopoly on Alchemists, and Alex simply didn\'t feel right joining them.

"If I may ask, which sect treats Alchemists the best?" he asked.

"None," the old woman said.

"None? Not even the Heaven\'s Frost sect? They have a monopoly on Alchemists though," he said.

"Yes, but they don\'t treat them well," the old woman said.

Alex frowned. Was that true?

"Alchemy is taboo in the northern continent, so I\'m afraid no matter where you go, you will have a disadvantage. Most will try to keep you confined, others will push you away from their land," she said.

"Can I ask why?" Alex questioned.

"No, you may not. That is how the rule is," she said.

Alex frowned. What the hell was he supposed to do now then? Seeing his frown, the woman spoke up.

"I have a suggestion for you," she said. "Become our alchemist."

"Sorry?" Alex was confused. "Why?"

"We\'re lacking good alchemists and desperately need some. If you join us, solely as a pill provider, you will get many cultivation resources, which you can use to quickly break through to the saint realm," she said.

"Don\'t you hate alchemists?" Alex asked.

"What made you think that?" the woman asked.

"You forbid Alchemists from passing down their knowledge. Isn\'t that because you hate them?" he asked.

"No, we do not hate Alchemists. We appreciate them very much," she said.

"Then why the forbidding?" he asked.

"You will not get an answer from me," the woman said. "Now chose. Will you leave here and go somewhere else, or will you stay until you enter the Saint realm and in return get aid from one of the best sects on the entire continent?"

Alex frowned.

He frowned because there was really just a single choice he could make in this case.

"Fine, I will join your sect as an Alchemist. And only as an Alchemist. Also, I will leave whenever I want," he said.

"Very well. If you are worth it, we will work hard to keep you from leaving then," the woman said.

"Murong will take you to your quarters. You will be under constant surveillance, so be careful what you do," she said.

"Also, you are not allowed to speak with any of the disciples unless they speak with you first. Got it?" she asked.

"Understood."