Is That A Wisp?

by Srtyi

What if a wisp, with zero EQ about human culture and habits, gains the opportunity to cultivate and finally achieve human form? Now he can enter cities, experience technology, and fight his way to the top, right? In this universe where wisps are seen as nothing more than cultivation resources, a wisp stands up to challenge the wisps destiny! Not without causing a lot of misundersta

9. 211

Read Is that a Wisp? Chapter 211 Wang Milia. online for free - AllNovelFull

Krune then asked something else.

"Does our universe send anyone?"

Cilia answered.

"Our Universe doesn't have a free pass to that place, so at most, the sacred lands might have paid the price to buy a few slots. But that doesn't matter. They have no influence in that place, so there is no need to pay attention to it. First of all, just the chance of you bumping into someone from our Universe there is pitifully small. It is an entire Universe, after all. Even if you do find someone, there won't be much that the other side can do, and that is considering that they know you in the first place."

Krune nodded and didn't ask anymore.

Feifei then thought about something.

"Father, how will you deal with the Sacred Land? Once they notice that I'm nowhere to be found, they definitely will come to our Wang Clan seeking answers."

Wang Xin smiled and said.

"That's not up to you to worry about, but don't worry, I will think about something. Our Clan has existed for so long, and it won't crumble now just because of a single problem."

Wang Mei nodded as well, she too is confident in keeping the Clan safe as long as Feifei really isn't there anymore.

Cilia then said.

"Alright, that's all I can help you with. Lani, let me talk with Krune a bit since he probably won't be back for a long time."

Lani nodded and guided everyone else out.

"Luvile, this was your idea, right?"

Light Spirit immediately agreed.

"Yes, I know you still remembered that place, so I was sure that you would propose that Universe."

Cilia then said.

"Well, whatever. I won't bring matters of the past anymore since it would be useless with our current state. Just be sure to recover your power and come back to help me out."

Light Spirit laughed.

"No worries. As long as this wisp doesn't die, I should have no problem recovering again. But anyway, our reencounter will be a lot faster than it was before. At least, millions of years won't have passed the next time it happens."

Cilia didn't say anything else and sent Krune out.

Once he was back, Mei and Lani were already discussing when to send them there or if they should send someone else too.

Mei then said.

"I told you before, I prefer that only those who are here to know about this issue. The less, the better. Why you insist on sending more people?"

Lani then said.

"With Senior Cilia's help, this turned out to be a good chance. The Sacred Lands won't be able to do anything there, so we might as well send some more."

Mei narrowed her eyes. She had to admit that the situation was a lot better, thanks to Cilia, but she still had her cautious nature.

"I disagree. If anyone of them let out the information that they came in uninvited, we might be in for a calamity even bigger."

After going back and forth, Lani and Mei decided that they will allow each to send one more cultivator or demon beast together. Also, they should not be more than an Early Stage Divine Soul Realm.

Mei then called Feifei over while Lani did the same with Krune.

"Krune, we decided that you can have one more person or beast coming with you. It goes without saying that you must have absolute trust in him or her. If you can't think about anyone, I can help you find a good option for it. So, is there someone you would like to bring with you?"

Krune was taken aback. Mei and Lani had decided this on their own, so it was the first time that Krune heard about that.

"This..."

Krune got lost at first since he had too many options. But he had to think about their own situations first too.

"Can I have some time to think?"

Lani nodded.

"No problem, I doubt that that Sacred Land will act straight away, so I will give you a day. If there is anything else you want to do, you better do it now."

Krune nodded and then asked.

"Is there a way I can talk with my friends? They are in different places at the moment, but I would like to be able to talk with everyone one last time before leaving."

Lani nodded and looked at Lucio.

"You go and bring his friends back, make sure to not be seen by unnecessary people."

Lucio's mouth twitched, how come he is acting like a taxi now? Still, he left without complaining since the circumstances are like this now.

Lani then looked at Krune and said.

"I believe you know what to say and what not, right?"

Krune nodded.

"Don't worry, Grandmaster. I won't touch the topic of the Advanced Major Cores, Heavenly Fragment, or the Dalin Universe."

Lani nodded, satisfied.

"Good, if you have any doubt about cultivation, you might make all your questions now."

Krune smiled and immediately put his mind into this. Lani then brought him to Lucio's cultivation room, where he patiently guided and answered everything Krune asked.

Sometime later, another Spatial Gate appeared outside the Divine path Sect. From inside, a young woman stepped out and looked at the Sect with worried eyes.

Moments after, a hole appeared in the protection formation, and she teleported inside.

When she appeared in the room, Feifei immediately spotted her.

"Mom!"

She was Wang Milia. She wasn't part of the Wang Clan in the past, so she only changed her family name after she got married. Still, her first name was the same.

Milia then immediately hugged Feifei and said.

"What is all this about, how come you are leaving?"

Wang Xin, who felt like he was being ignored, said.

"Cough, cough. I will explain it."

Milia then looked at him with as if she wanted to eat him alive, much for his sadness. It's not my fault, okay?

Xin then sent a Divine Sense message giving a resume of the entire situation. Milia is Feifei's mother, so there was obviously no problem in telling her everything. Only then, the angry expression on her face disappeared.

"I see."

She then hugged Feifei even tighter and said.

"Then, I'm going with her!"

Wang Mei immediately intervened after hearing that.

"Did you hear anything that was said? If a Semi Divinity Realm like you enter that Universe, there is no way that the powers controlling it won't notice. Let alone protect Feifei, you will be putting her at an even greater risk."

Milia still wanted to go, though.

"But Ancestor..."

Mei immediately cut her off.

"Enough! This is my final decision."

Milia knew that she wouldn't have her way, so she gave up. Not to mention that the part where she would bring more danger to Feifei affected her greatly.

"Fine! But I want to know who is going with her."

It was then that Wang Xin finally found the chance to ask something that was bothering him a lot.

"Oh, right! Milia, did you know that Feifei had given her mark away?"

Milia heard that and smiled playfully. If others didn't pay attention, they would not even see the difference between Feifei and Milia at all!

"Oh, that? When you told me about your Wang Clan tradition and gave me your mark in the past, I decided to leave a little thing inside Feifei's one when she was born. The moment that it left Feifei's body and entered someone else's, I immediately noticed it. It was at that moment that I understood that Feifei had finally found someone."

Wang Xin was speechless.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Milia shrugged her shoulders.

"Where is the fun in that?"

Wang Xin felt like crying already. Sure enough, Feifei is definitely this woman's daughter, no doubt about that.

"Then you didn't mind the fact that he was a demon beast and a wisp at that?"

Milia then answered.

"So what? I have a friend from my family's part from the time I was young who married a demon beast. They have been pretty much happy until today. Is there a need to care so much about it?"

Milia then looked at Feifei with a severe face and asked.

"Where is him? I didn't tell your father about his existence, but that doesn't mean that I approved him either."

Feifei smiled and then told Milia about what happened when Ancestor Mei asked for Krune's sliver of soul.

When Milia heard about that, her serious expression relaxed quite a bit.

"Hmph! At least he knows that you are worth much more than his own life. Still, I want to meet him and check if he is good enough."

Feifei heard her mother remark, but she knew better. That answer just now was basically her agreement signature, even though she didn't say directly.

Not long after, Lani had brought Krune back.

When Krune looked at Milia and Feifei together, he was quite surprised. The two of them looked too much alike! Still, it is Krune that we are talking about. So that thing about being nervous in front of the fiancée's parents simply didn't exist in his mind.

"Oh, hello there. I'm Krune."

Milia started to walk around Krune and measure him up and down.

"You were not lying, he really has Rainbow eyes and hair. Feifei, are you really okay with it?"

Feifei nodded.

"Yeap, that is the best. There is no way I can mistake him for someone else, either."

Krune felt weird with how Milia kept looking at him, it was like he was some kind of attraction.

Milia then said.

"Let me see your true form."

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Krune looked at Feifei, who nodded at him.

"Alright."

He then went back to his wisp form, colorful as ever.

Milia looked at him and couldn't help but comment.

"It really is a wisp, but why so colorful?"

Krune then said that it was because of his Elemental Core... or so he thought.

While Milia was talking with Krune in his wisp form, Lucio came back to the Sect. Since Krune's friends were all inside the Divine Path Sect Territory, it wasn't difficult for him to locate them.

Lucio then left everyone in Krune's house and came back to tell him. When he arrived, he saw that Milia was too. Milia also noticed him and smiled.

"Hey, if it isn't Lucio. It's been some time."

Lucio felt a little gloomy but didn't show it on his face.

"Indeed. I see that you got quite an interest in my disciple. How is it? Do you think he is good enough? I don't want to brag, but he is this old man's disciple, so you definitely won't find anyone better out there."

Krune was surprised by this sudden praise from his Master. But then he remembered what Feifei told him about Lucio and Wang Xin's past.

'I see, it's because of her.'

Milia then put a serious expression and said.

"He's not too bad, I guess. Although I can't understand why Feifei chose him, Love is not something that can be understood with words to start with."

Lucio heard that and couldn't help but agree with her. Even today, he is still unmarried because of what happened between him, Xin, and Milia.

"Indeed, that's not something that can be explained."

Lucio then looked at Krune.

"I brought all of them back and left them waiting in your home, so you should go back there now. Remember what and what not to say."

"Alright, Master."

Krune then disappeared from the room and went back.

Milia looked at Feifei and asked.

"Feifei, what about your choice of who you will bring with you?"

Feifei looked at her mother.

"I already know who to bring with me."

Back at Krune's residence, everyone was waiting with puzzled faces. Out of nowhere, the Sect master appeared right in front of them. He didn't say anything and immediately grabbed everyone before bringing them back to Krune's house. Fortunately, neither one was busy or doing anything important at that moment.

When Krune arrived, Ao, Yusa, Shinja, and Arlan looked at him. Also, the wisps, Ruik, Lizard Dragons, Ula, Lakin, Lofa, Tasier, and the rest were already waiting there. There was only one thing that was certain, the reason had to do with Krune.

Krune was already back to his human form. He then looked at everyone and said.

"I asked Master to call everyone back because an opportunity appeared. So I'll be leaving for a long time, and we won't be able to see each other anytime soon."

Krune then explained the situation while omitting what should be left out.

Immediately, everyone was taken aback.

"Where are you going?"

Krune shook his head.

"I can't say because it's a secret of the Sect. I agreed to not disclose any information about that place. All you need to know is that it's an excellent opportunity for me. Although I won't be able to see you for hundreds or maybe thousands of years, know that I will do my best to come back as soon as possible."

Lakin couldn't help but comment.

"But Master, without you, what will happen with the wisps here in the Sect?"

Krune only laughed at that question.

"Don't worry, I'm still a disciple of the Sect, so my residence and subordinates will keep being mine. You can stay here until the next Sect Entrance Exam and try to join it on your own."

Lakin then made another question.

"Can I go with you?"

Krune immediately shook his head.

"Can't do, you are the one who will be responsible for the wisps from now on, so you have to stay to take care of them."

Ao then asked.

"What about us? It's not like we are being held here anyway. I can talk with Master, and he probably will agree if I say that this is something prepared by the Sect Master."

Krune shook his head again.

"I can't bring you all with me either. Otherwise, I would definitely do so. Master only allowed me to bring a single person or demon beast, nothing more."

Everyone then looked at Krune, disappointed.

Krune then laughed and said.

"Anyway, I wanted to spend the rest of the day with everyone and cook to you all. So there is no deed for any gloomy farewells. As I said, this is an excellent opportunity, I'm not going to be sacrificed or anything like that. By the time I come back, I will probably have left you far behind in cultivation. Haha!"

Yusa snorted at that comment.

"Do you think we have been playing outside? I admit that you might have higher cultivation, but I will make sure it won't last for long."

Shinja and the others laughed at that. They, too, are confident in their future prospects.

Krune nodded and then went to cook. Lofa, as always, helped him this time too. It would be a lie if she said that she wasn't sad, but she already decided to leave things behind. So she was really just helping with the food.

Suddenly, Krune's eyes got sharp, and he looked to the ceiling.

"Old geezer, what do you want to eat? I'm feeling generous today, so I will make whatever you want."

A second later, Lucio appeared inside the room with surprise written on his face.

"How did you know that I was there?"

Krune laughed and said.

"I didn't, I just presumed. Sure enough, you fell right into it. Hahahaha! For once, I got you, and it was just before my leaving. Now I can say that I have no regrets."

Lucio felt gloomy when he heard that. Truth is, he didn't want to separate from Krune, his life had been a lot funnier with him around, after all. Of course, he would never admit it in front of Krune.

Lucio then looked at everyone in the room.

"I hope that all of you can keep it a secret that Krune is leaving. He trusts you all, so make sure to live up to his expectations. Sooner or later, people will notice that he left. Still, if anyone asks, just say that you also haven't seen him or whatever good excuse you can think of."

"Yes, Sect Master."

Lucio nodded, satisfied.

He then looked back at Krune.

"I want Dragon Pork Ribs."

Krune smiled and nodded.

Soon, everyone asked for the things they wanted too, which made Krune very occupied for the time being.

There was another thing that surprised him. Feifei had come with her mother and father to pay a visit. Krune, of course, cooked what they asked too.

When Milia ate Krune's food, she was taken aback. She didn't expect that food made with ordinary items could be that good! She couldn't help but give a nod of approval.

'At least my Feifei won't starve out there.'

Lofa noticed the new arrivals and immediately understood who they were. It was way too obvious since Feifei was basically a younger version of the woman. Their similarity was all over there for everyone to see!

'Wasn't Krune and Feifei's relationship a secret? How come Feifei's parents are here already?'

She wasn't the only one with that question in mind. Yusa couldn't hold anymore and asked Krune directly through a Divine Sense message.

"Oh, that? It goes like this..."

Krune then explained what happened while omitting the critical parts. When Yusa finished hearing, she thought that Krune was making fun of her. The Krune that she knows would never be this straight forward! Still, the proof was right in front of her eyes. So she could only accept and then tell the others through a Divine Sense message.

Immediately, everyone looked at Krune as if he was someone else. How come that low EQ wisp thought about something like that?

Yusa couldn't help but speak emotionally.

"Our little wisp is growing up."

Quite a few of them nodded after that comment.

But for some reason, Krune didn't feel like it was a compliment.

'What the hell are they talking about?'

By the end of the day, Feifei left with her parents.

The rest then looked at Krune with curiosity. There was one thing that Krune hadn't told them yet.

"Just who are you bringing with you?"

Suddenly, the entire room became silent.

Everyone had the same thought. They wanted to see this place that Krune was going and check how good it is. Of course, they wouldn't mind whichever Krune's decision is. In fact, almost everyone was looking forward to that. 'Maybe it would be me,' some thought. Still, they at least wanted to know who Krune would bring together.

Yes... everyone wanted to know... with a single exception.

"Rooooooonk... rooooooonk..."

Because of the silence in the room, a particular Double-Headed Snake's snore could be heard now in one corner of the place.

"Boom!"

Out of nowhere, Krune gave a Kick on it and sent that snake flying!

"Crash!"

Ruik then hit the wall, which immediately crumbled over him!

"Who the hell kicked this grandfather? Show yourself!"

But a second later, he noticed the guy with one of his legs raised.

"You... What's the meaning of this? I was having a great dream, you know? Also, I can't go without my afternoon nap."

Krune smiled and then started to touch Ruik's head. Ruik, of course, got even angrier.

"Do I look like a pet to you?"

Krune didn't mind, though.

"You know, our rainbow sect can't do with a weak Sect Master. So I thought that this would be a great opportunity for your training. Until the day we are back, Lakin can take care of everything. I have full trust in his abilities, after all."

Ruik immediately got a sense of foreboding. For some reason, he felt like his naps and sleeping time would go down by a lot!

"What are you talking about?"

Krune ignored him and looked at everyone else.

"What do you guys think?"

Lakin was the very first to answer.

"This is a great idea, Master! Ruik should be the one to go and experience all the dangers to temper himself. He is totally the type who would love it!"

Yusa was next.

"Indeed, there is no better choice in this world. With Ruik's enthusiasm for cultivation and training, it might be the perfect opportunity."

Then came Arlan, Shinja, Cassy, Dier, Juji, and everyone else. Every single one talked about how Ruik 'loves' training, cultivation, dangers, and all of that. That made Ruik himself think that perhaps there is another person or demon beast called Ruik in the room.

Ruik's feeling that something was not right kept increasing. What danger? What temper myself? What great opportunity? Love for cultivation? What is that? I just want to sleep!

Krune then smiled brightly!

"Right?! I also think that it is true. It's decided then, the one following me this time around is Ruik! We are going to cultivate and train like there is no tomorrow, a lot of sweat and effort await for us!"

Only now did Ruik remember about the one slot available to follow Krune into the 'opportunity.'

"Well... fuck!"

Ruik couldn't help but ask.

"Are you being serious? With so many good options you selected me?"

Krune nodded.

"Of course. I'm sure that they will eventually reach a high realm with their dedication. But if I don't keep an eye on you, what will happen with the face of our rainbow sect? A sect where all the members are stronger than the Sect Master? That can not happen, right?"

Ruik couldn't help but exclaim.

"Then why don't you select one of them as Sect Master? It's not like it has to be me."

Krune then looked behind and asked.

"Anyone here wants to be the Sect Master?"

The answer was unanimous.

"No!"

Krune looked back at Ruik and said.

"There you go."

Ruik's mouth twitched.

"Lakin is going to take my place for hundreds or even thousands of years. Isn't it better to simply make him the Sect master, then?"

Lakin was the one to answer this one.

"I'm just taking it as an experience. How could I rob the real Sect Master of his position? Don't worry, I won't betray the Sect like this."

Ruik was already feeling like crying.

"Do I really have to go?"

Krune looked at him and said.

"Well, I won't force you, of course. But out of everyone, I wanted you to come with me. Are you really going to refuse?"

Ruik then received a Divine Sense message from Krune.

"Out of everyone, you are the one with the most neutral position. If I selected someone else, I doubt that the others would complain or blame me in any way. Still, some will think: 'What or why didn't I select them?' You are the only one in our group that can make no one feel that way after being selected. I really put a lot of thought over it, and that's the kind of position that you have in everyone's mind."

Ruik didn't expect that he was seen like that. In the end, he just sighed and accepted his fate.

"Fine, once I get to the Divine Path Realm, I guess I can sleep as much as I want."

Lakin put one hand on his head and said.

"That is considering that you will ever get at that Realm. Even I have passed you already. Let's see what you can do with this personality of yours."

Ruik didn't care about that, though.

"That's only a temporary thing.

Ao then asked Krune.

"Is there someone else going with you?"

Krune nodded.

"Sooner or later, you would find out. But I hope you keep quiet for the time being. I'm going with Feifei too. That's because, as I told you before, we have that thing about destiny energy not moving with our actions."

Ao and everyone else remembered the day that Krune told them about it. For some reason, divination didn't work on him, and it seemed like it didn't work on Feifei either.

"I see, I understand. By the way, if you can bring someone, she probably can too. Who is she selecting?"

Krune shook his head.

"I have no idea. I guess I will know by tomorrow anyway."

Krune then spent the rest of the time chatting with everyone and doing whatever had to be done.

The next day. Krune was back into his Master's residence. Wang Mei and Lani where there already too. Beside him, Ruik had a gloomy face as if he was going for his execution.

Feifei was also there, and beside her, there was another girl with pure black hair. When Krune felt her aura, he knew that she was a demon beast. She wasn't that beautiful but not ugly either. Common was definitely the best statement.

As for her race? She could be said to be extremely common too. That's because she wasn't anything else other than a Demon Crow! That's correct, a very common animal that could be found almost anywhere in this Universe.

Krune then sent Feifei a Divine Sense message asking about.

"Oh, her? Her name is Tiane, and she had been following me ever since I was young. I've known her for even longer than you. Right, let me tell you how it became like this, I'm sure you will like it."

Feifei then sent a Divine Sense message to explain everything to both Krune and Ruik.

Usually, Demon Crows don't cultivate to the point where they get sentience. At most, they would reach the 2nd or 3rd stage of the Qi Condensation, they are even weaker than that Four Winged Crow that attacked Krune back then.

Due to a coincidence, Feifei was able to see Tiane's future. There was nothing impressive in it. In fact, it was quite bad. According to what Feifei saw, she was supposed to be killed by a stronger beast and eaten after that. Quite a common fate for a lot of animals. Still, Feifei as a kid, couldn't bear letting it happen.

At that time, Uncle Feng explained that this is how the world works. The weak become prey for the strong. If she decided to save every single animal that has this kind of destiny, even her entire life wouldn't be sufficient. Not to mention that she would disrupt the balance of other living beings. So he made a deal with Feifei as a kid. He would let Feifei bring that Crow with her, but she should not do that again unless it is something really important.

There was even a similarity with Krune, Tiane was able to get her human form the moment she reached the Foundation Establishment. It once again goes to show just how common her race is.

Still, once Tiane got sentience at the 9th stage of the Qi Condensation, she came to understand that it was Feifei that gave her that chance. So she decided to follow Feifei from that moment onwards. Tiane didn't have any talent whatsoever, she is as ordinary at cultivation as anyone could be. But thanks to her hard work and the Wang Clan's resources, she was able to reach the 3rd stage of the Core Formation Realm. That could already be said to be a miracle, and it only loses to Krune's case.

After hearing everything, Krune couldn't help but feel some admiration for Tiane.

He looked back at Ruik and rebuked him.

"Now look at that. Tiane's talents are worse than yours, her age is lower than yours, she doesn't have the Spiritual Energy Meridians either. A Demon Crow! Don't you feel ashamed of yourself for being in the 9th stage of the Foundation Establishment still?"

Every word was a knife passing through Ruik's heart. He looked at Tiane, who didn't know anything about this conversation, as if she was a great foe.

"Fine! I already said that I understand, didn't I? You just wait and see how this grandfather will surpass her in no time."

Krune laughed after hearing that.

"That's what I want to see because if not, you are definitely in for a beating!"

Lani and Mei came forward and asked.

"Are you four ready? We are going to open the passage now."

They all nodded.

Lani and Mei then helped each other so that nothing wrong would go with the passage.

After some time, Lani said.

"I found the location described by Senior Cilia."

Mei nodded.

"Let me help you open it up."

The power of space-time came from both of them, and soon, a spatial gate started to open in front of Krune's group.

"Alright, let's use this passage to find a planet for them to land. We can't simply throw Feifei and the rest in the middle of the void, after all."

Lani nodded.

"I hope it doesn't take too much time. The longer it takes, the higher the chances of the other side find out that a gate is open."

Mei nodded, and they started to spread their Divine Sense into the Universe.

But soon, both Lani and Mei were shocked!

At first, they thought that it would take some time until they found a planet with the right conditions. Things like a population, technology, cultivators, and demon beasts. After all, if they sent Krune and Feifei in a desert planet, they would basically be stuck there for decades, if not hundreds of years before they can open a spatial gate themselves.

But it turned out that every single planet that they scanned had everything that they were looking for! Soon, Lani and Mei understood the reason. That is a Universe that can speed up the rate of cultivation. So it goes without saying that every single Universe in control of this one sent as many people and demon beasts as possible. That way, their own universes would be strengthened. Because of this, now even the most remote planets had cultivators and demon beasts.

Even planets that were in no habitable zones of that Universe were no exception! Thanks to formations and other means, those planets also were flourishing with life.

Lani couldn't help but say.

"I thought that our problem would be to find a habitable planet. But I have never thought that the issue would be to select one instead."

Mei nodded after hearing that. Even she was having a hard time just picking one. There were just too many of them!

"I guess we might as well select a huge one. That way, Feifei and Krune will have a lot more chances of developing. It seems like Demon Beasts and Humans also live together without a problem there, so we don't need to focus on this issue either."

Lani nodded, and they immediately started to look for a good one. There were quite a few that fit this description, so in the end, they just selected the one that seemed to have the highest amount of spiritual energy.

"Alright, this planet here has everything needed. Let's go with it."

Lani and Mei looked at those four waiting and started to explain the little bit that they could see about that place. Like the landing point, the nearest city, etc...

"You can come now. Remember, no word about where you came from."

Krune's group nodded and bid their farewells.

Feifei gave her mother and father a hug while Krune simply talked with Lucio.

Lucio then remembered something and told him.

"Oh right, you probably will like to know that your Myriad Wisps Technique is spreading quite well. I looked into it last night for you. Quite a few wisps started to enter the cities in their human forms. Also, the market for wisps began to decline since the wisps that were found were no good for energy absorption anymore. Of course, the changes are very small, and few noticed it, but soon, it should become a much more common situation."

Krune felt a little emotional after hearing that. There was obviously a long way to go, but it seemed like that the wisp race in his home universe had finally crossed the start line.

Krune's group finished their preparations and went in front of the gate. Just when everyone started crossing it, Krune remembered something and quickly asked his Master.

"Oh, right! How do you call our Universe?"

Lucio was surprised that Krune still doesn't know that, before the gate closed behind, he answered through a Divine Sense message.

"Luvile Universe."

Once on the other side, Krune still had his surprised face.

"Light Spirit, isn't that your name?"

Light Spirit didn't mind it much, though.

"Since my Tribulation Power is sealed by the heavens of that Universe, its name was most likely selected because of me too."

Krune felt like that was more to it, but knew that Light Spirit wouldn't say anything even if he asked.

He then introduced himself to Tiane since he had not had the chance before.

"Hello, I'm Krune. As you probably know, I'm a wisp."

Tiane then answered.

"Tiane, a Demon Crow."

Tiane had quite a serious atmosphere around her that made it difficult for Krune to continue the conversation.

"Ruik, you should do the same."

Ruik didn't mind, but just as he was about to do the same as Krune, Tiane cut him off.

"I have no interest in lazy bastards, so I have no need to know your name."

Ruik's mouth twitched.

"Are you looking for a fight?"

Although Ruik is still in the Foundation Establishment, he is at the peak of it. So he is confident that with the Spiritual Energy Meridians, he will at least be able to put off a resistance even if he loses.

Krune looked surprised at Feifei, who sighed after hearing that. She then sent a Divine Sense message to him.

"She is not like that. It's just that after hearing about that another demon beast is coming, she decided to show a strong front to mark her territory. Usually, she is very gentle."

Krune had his doubts, though. Will a gentle demon beast act like that at the very first encounter? But he felt that it was also good. This way, Ruik would put a lot more effort in his cultivation.

Feifei looked around and said.

"Ancestor Mei and Lani made the landing point be somewhere around a mountain range. According to them, the closest city should be at north-east. They told us that they wouldn't be very precise, so we might appear between 200 to 400 km away from there."

Krune nodded.

"Indeed. From what they said, this Planet is even bigger than the Divine Path Sect home one. But fortunately, it wasn't protected by any anti spatial power formation. So that's why we could land here. As for the city, all they could tell us was that it had over a hundred million lives alone. They didn't try to pry further into it since they might have caught the attention of another Dinivity Realm."

Ruik, who decided to ignore Tiane for now, also did the same.

He looked around and could feel that the Spiritual Energy here was very rich. Of course, the Divine Path Sect home Planet wasn't any worse. But one must remember that this is just a single planet selected in a hurry. What kind of even better Planets aren't out there now?

"I guess I will try to enter the Core Formation Realm first so that I can try to use my human form."

Krune couldn't help but ask.

"Why didn't you do it back there, then?"

Ruik then said.

"I forgot."

Feifei, Tiane, and Krune almost fainted!

Tiane didn't hold back.

"Who the hell would forget something this important? Are you making fun of us? There is a limit for laziness."

Ruik didn't mind, though.

"What is the problem? Whether it is here or there, it's not like anyone could intervene anyway. I already have the soul healing pill, so it's the same."

It was then that Krune thought about something.

"Light Spirit, our Tribulation Lightning happens because of your stolen power. So what about the other universes, do they not have Tribulations?"

Light Spirit immediately answered.

"Of course they do, but they vary in elements. Like Tribulation Fire, Water, Wind, Etc. There are even a few who have a Spatial, Darkness, Light, and other uncommon Tribulation Elements. Now that I think about it, this Dalin Universe was a Tribulation Fire during my time, but I don't know if it has changed."

Krune couldn't help but ask.

"Does it mean that there are a lot of entities like you out there that had their power used as Tribulation?"

Light Spirit denied that conjecture.

"Although it is not impossible, it should be very hard to find such a place. Generally, the heavens of each Universe give birth to their own type of Tribulation."

"Then why did our Luvile Universe use your power for it?"

Light Spirit then said.

"I can't enter in details since even I am not sure about it. But I believe that it is to save energy."

Krune was taken aback.

"Save... energy?"

Light Spirit was just about to explain more when suddenly, Krune's meridians showed those irregularities again. Krune was surprised by that. Still, this time, Krune was prepared, so they Elemental Meridians didn't act on their own.

"I guess that's this is as much as you can say."

Light Spirit agreed.

"Yes."

But his Meridians being affected again wasn't the reason that Krune got surprised. Instead, it was the fact that whoever had this ability, was strong enough to know that he left the Luvile Universe and can still detect his presence.

Light Spirit knew what Krune was thinking and then said.

"I told you before, didn't I? The presence that I felt was someone who wasn't any weaker than me. So things like moving to another universe don't mean much for that guy, I can guarantee you that."

Krune nodded and didn't ask anymore. He then looked at Ruik and said.

"I came to know that the Tribulation of each Universe is different, so you probably won't get a Lightning Tribulation this time."

Ruik was taken aback but immediately got excited. That's because Tribulation Lightning was an element that worked quite well against demon beasts that had no affinity with Lightning. But if it was another element, Ruik is a lot more confident in surpassing it.

"I will try."

Feifei and Tiane looked at each other and could see that they were also curious about this different Tribulation.

Krune then said.

"Give me a few minutes to check the surroundings, and then you can start."

Krune had the most powerful Divine Sense in their group, not to mention his Tribulation Lightning movement. So it really took just a few minutes for him to do that.

"Alright, go ahead."

They are not too far but not too close to the city either. So it shouldn't be anything rare to see someone going through a Cultivation Tribulation to start with.

Ruik then concentrated on his soul and allowed his Core to absorb it. As expected already, the pain was enormous, and the damage was very serious. Still, after the process was done, Ruik immediately took his Soul Healing Pill and got his soul recovered almost instantly.

The Tribulation Clouds appeared right after. But different from their Home Universe, those Clouds were made of Fire instead. Sure enough, just as Light Spirit said, the Dalin Universe Tribulation is fire-based.

Krune then thought about something.

"Light Spirit, do you think that those flames are the same as the Purple Flames that I use? I can't help but feel like they are totally different."

Light Spirit agreed.

"It's different. You need to use several elements to get your result, while this one is basically Fire Element alone. If you try to add Wind Element to increase this Tribulation Fire, it won't work. Different from yours that Wind Element can increase the power a lot."

Krune then asked.

"Is there another Tribulation Lightning in other Universes?"

Light Spirit knew what Krune meant with that question.

"There are other Universes with Tribulation Lightning, but they are not the same as the one used by me. First of all, they aren't purple, but blue. As I said, my Tribulation Lightning is probably being used to save energy. In the other Universes with Tribulation Lightning, the energy necessary to summon it is several times higher just to achieve the same effect. I told you before, my Tribulation Lightning is only mine and no one else."

Krune nodded and didn't ask anymore. He could tell at least that Light Spirit's Tribulation Lightning is definitely stronger than that Tribulation Flame too. But this is, after all, a Tribulation. Krune still thinks that the lack of destruction power will be compensated by something else.

Sure enough, it was as Krune guessed. Simply put, it was the time! The duration of this Tribulation Fire was being a lot longer than the span of nine Lightning Bolts from the Luvile Universe. Not to mention that it was continuous. There was no pause like there is between the lightning bolts.

"It has already been the double of time from our Universe. It seems like we can't underestimate any Tribulation, after all."

Feifei nodded.

"Yes. Fortunately, it was, as Ruik said. I can see that it is a lot easier for him to resist Fire Element than it would be with Lightning."

Suddenly, Krune's eyes narrowed.

"There is a group coming our way."

Feifei and Tiane immediately were put on guard.

Suddenly, Krune's group heard a voice coming their way.

"What are you doing? Don't you know that it is prohibited to pass your Tribulation outside the regulated points?"

Krune and Feifei looked at the group that just arrived. They all used some weird clothes that they had never seen before. Still, it was evident that they were some kind of squad or team group since the clothes were the same for everyone.

Their leader was an Early Stage Divine Soul Realm cultivator while the other 7 members were all at the Core Formation Realm.

Krune then came forward and said.

"We just arrived here, so we didn't know that such a rule existed."

The leader narrowed his eyes since he also noticed that Krune's group clothes are very different from theirs.

"Are you perhaps not from this Planet?"

The reason he asked that was that everyone in this Planet knew the Tribulation Rules. Only those who came from outside would try something like that so close to the city.

Krune didn't know if he should say yes or not. But it seemed like that guy was pretty sure about his conjecture, so Krune decided to agree for the moment.

"Yes. Our elders just opened the Spatial Gate for us, so we arrived in this place. My friend then felt that it would be the perfect opportunity to enter the Core Formation Realm due to the amount of Spiritual Energy around. We apologize for our lack of information."

The leader then nodded and said.

"With your realm, no one would try to break the law unless they are idiots who want to die. Still, rules are rules. Your group will need to pay the fee for the transgression. After he finishes his trial, you four come with me to the city to get the paperwork done. At least, because you didn't know, and the fact that it should be your first time breaking the rules, you won't be imprisoned. But remember this: Our Riren Planet takes the laws very seriously, so you better be careful in the future."

Krune's group nodded and then waited for Ruik to finish.

Feifei then asked the others through Divine Sense.

"What should we do?"

Krune thought a little and then said.

"It seems like they are pretty used to receive outsiders. So I guess it won't be that bad to go to their place. Even if they ask from where we are, we can just say that by the orders of our Sect, we can't tell its name so that people won't give us an easier time because of our background."

Feifei shook her head.

"What if they ask for a blood contract to confirm if we are telling the truth?"

Tiane gave them an idea.

"We can do the same. Just say that we are also under a blood contract that we can't reveal our backgrounds. From what I can see, as long as we agree to follow the Planet's Laws, it shouldn't be a big issue once the proper price is paid."

Although Krune could still think about a few flaws in Tiane's plan, he would need more information to decide how to act. Not to mention that fleeing would be a very bad idea. If they become fugitives as soon s they arrive, they will have a hard time while developing here. They are all in the Core Formation Realm, so they can't simply flee from the Planet through the void.

"Alright, let's do as you say."

Krune then paid attention to Ruik once more. It was then that he noticed that the Core Formation Realm guys positioned themselves around Ruik. At first, he got a little nervous. If they decided to intervene in his Trial, Krune definitely wouldn't stay put. But soon, he let out a sigh of relief.

Those guys weren't doing anything to Ruik but stopping the flames of the Tribulation from spreading around. Only now did Krune notice that those flames were burning everything close to Ruik as well.

"I see, considering the number of cultivators and demon beasts in this Planet if everyone goes through their tribulations anywhere, soon, the Planet will become a charred ball in the middle of space. No wonder there are laws set in place for this. It's just like the Tribulation Ground back in the Divine Path Sect."

Ruik, as expected, passed the Tribulation without any significant issues. Although he looked like a charred doll, he was pretty much okay at the moment.

"Hahaha! As long as it is not lightning, this grandfather is not afraid of anything! Did you see that? Even though the time it takes is a lot longer, the different Element makes it a lot easier for me."

Krune gave him a helpless sighed and said.

"Can't you see that we have company? Stop your blabbering and quickly heal yourself, we need to go to the city to pay the fee for your transgression."

Only then did Ruik notice those guys with the same type of clothes around him and the leader looking at him outside.

"Errr... What's going on here?"

Krune then sent him a Divine Sense message explaining the entire situation.

"Oh, I see. Give me a second, I just need to heal the external injuries, and we can go."

Krune looked at the leader of the guards, and he nodded. It wouldn't be a problem to wait just a bit for that. Krune also helped Ruik with his Wood and Water elements, which increased his healing speed even more. Since he only needed to heal the external injuries, the process was over in only a few minutes.

Krune and everyone else bowed to the guards and said.

"Sorry for making you wait."

The leader's impression of Krune's group improved a bit after seeing how polite they were. For them to have arrived here through a spatial gate, it is apparent that they have quite a good background. Still, they know how to show respect, which is a good thing.

"Alright, let's move!"

Krune then asked.

"Could you tell us your name?"

The leader of the group nodded.

"Julian."

Krune also nodded, and their group then followed the guards to the city. Just as Lani and Mei mentioned, they were really just a few hundred kilometers away. From a distance, Krune and the others could see a gigantic wall that extended way past their Divine Senses. But that was to be expected since this is a city with over a hundred million people or demon beasts.

They could also see a protection formation the covered all the way up to the sky. Krune's knowledge of formations had fallen behind for some time now, but he could still tell that it was a detector type instead of a barrier one.

Also, Krune could see that quite a few cultivators of demon beasts passed through it with his Divine Sense. Those ones were not trying to hide, so it wasn't a problem for him and the rest to detect them.

'A barrier-type formation would be annoying to control with this amount of cultivators and demon beasts entering and leaving all the time. Still, it seems like the biggest majority of them have cultivation far higher than me or anyone in my group.'

Once they arrived at the city gate, they descended from the sky. It was then that Julian said.

"This is Galeri City. Remember, no one under the Soul Forging Realm can fly inside the city. Otherwise, they will be charged for breaking the law."

Krune couldn't help but ask.

"I can see that those guys flying have cultivations much higher than mine. Still, I can see a few who aren't that strong. Do they have some kind of privilege?"

Julian nodded.

"Exactly, there is only one way for that. Paying the fee! As long as you can afford it, you will get a token that can be used to prove your status. Of course, even I don't have one of those, so it goes without saying that it is quite expensive. The majority of those who have this token usually got it from their families who paid for them."

Julian guided everyone to one of the guards' office branches of the city, where he explained everything to his superior.

"Well, it's not like we don't get clueless travelers like your group now and then. So let's get done with it. First, I need your information so that an ID can be made. After that, you will need to pay the fee for the Tribulation issue. If you can't pay, then you can have your elders come by and do it for you. If that also isn't possible, we are going to assign you to a few places where you will work until you get enough Spirit Stones to clean your names. Any question?"

Krune's group shook their heads. So far, the system of the Riren Planet was pretty much the same as the one back in their homes. They had a specific set of rules and laws that had to be followed.

"Alright, I need your names and birth Planet. If you came from a different Universe, I would need that too. Don't forget your background if you are part of a Sect, Clan, or anything like that."

Krune then couldn't help but sigh.

"We can't give that information since it was the orders of our elders. At most, I can provide you our names. They made us swear to not divulge it so that our background wouldn't be considered when others decide to deal with us. We are sorry."

The guy heard that and didn't seem surprised at all.

"Tch, another group of young masters. Alright, but know that if you don't give me that information, it will be quite expensive to create an ID. Are you okay with that?"

The guy didn't suspect Krune's group since for Core Formation Realm cultivators to arrive on a planet through a spatial gate, they had to have some strong elders in their Clan or Sect. Even if they were some fugitives from somewhere, with their cultivation level, they wouldn't be able to do anything in this place either.

Krune's group immediately nodded. They didn't expect that everything could be settled that easy with Spirit Stones.

"Very well. The fee for the Tribulation Issue is 324 Rank 7 Spirit Stones. As for the IDs, it is 127 Rank 8 Spirit Stones for each one."

Krune's group almost fainted! That's too damn expensive!

But it was then that Krune thought about a possibility and asked the guy.

"By the way, if we had to work to pay for the transgression, how long would it take?"

The man didn't mind and answered.

"I reckon that if it is the four of you, it would probably take around a year and a half to pay for everything."

Ruik opened his eyes wide!

"Only one year and a half to pay for that amount?!"

Krune, on the other hand, just nodded. It was exactly as he thought.

He then explained to Ruik and the others through a Divine Sense.

"Did you forget the description that we received about this Universe? All the powerful Universes out there send their population here for training. It goes without saying that a lot of high-level Spirit Stones arrive in this place every single day. It might look a lot for us, but for them, this is nothing much."

Feifei and everyone else nodded after hearing that. They had to admit that Krune's thought made sense. Fortunately, both the Wang Clan and the Divine Path Sect had given a lot of high-rank Spirit Stone for Krune and Feifei just in case. So they could still pay for those fees. Still, it was evident that their reserves won't last for long in a place like this.

Krune looked at everyone and shrugged his shoulders.

"In other words, we will have to work!"

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Krune then looked back at the officer and said.

"We will pay the fees now, can you help us with the ID's?"

The guy nodded, and they went through the entire process.

Nighttime came, and Krune's group finally left the place with their new IDs.

"Let's find a place to stay tonight. We can look for a house or anything tomorrow."

Everyone nodded and immediately started to look for an INN, which wasn't hard to find. For a city of this size, you could find quite a few in several places. Still, they were amazed by the night fee! For a common one used by ordinary people, it was still possible to pay with gold or silver. But if you wanted one focused on cultivation, with spiritual energy gathering formations and the such, the cheapest one wasn't less than 20 Rank 4 Spirit Stones!

Although this number means nothing to Krune's group at the moment, it would be a price that the majority of new cultivators wouldn't choose to pay unless they didn't have a choice. Or at least, that is the case back in the Luvile Universe.

Inside one of the rooms that they rented, Krune and Ruik were looking at each other. It seemed like Krune was expecting something to happen and couldn't take his eyes from him.

Ruik noticed that, of course.

"Do you need to keep looking at me? Why don't you go cultivate or something else?"

Krune shook his head.

"I wouldn't lose this chance even if a meteor were to be falling right on me at the moment."

Ruik felt gloomy and then said.

"Then forget, I won't try it now."

Krune's expression immediately got ugly.

"Do you want to do it the easy or hard way?"

Ruik felt a chill on his back and shook his head.

"Fine! It's not like I will turn out as you did anyway."

What else could it be than Ruik's first time taking his human form? You might kill Krune, but you definitely wouldn't get him to not see it this time. Krune is totally looking forward to seeing Ruik tripling here and there just like he did.

As expected, his transformation went smoothly, and he soon took the form of a man. Black hair and no beard. Of course, he was completely naked, too, so that's why Feifei and Tiane were not present at the moment. Krune didn't care about any of this, what he wanted to see is Ruik trying to walk around.

"What are you waiting by not moving a single muscle there? Come on! Didn't you laugh at everyone who tried to move when they first transformed? Let me see it now! What goes around, comes around!"

Ruik hasn't moved yet because he was trying to get the feel of his new body. Still, it seemed like that Krune would kick him forward if he took to long.

"Fine!"

With trembling legs, Ruik gave the first step. Then he gave another and slowly started to make his way around the room. Krune was already laughing. Sure, he didn't fall. But it was very funny to see this trembling turtle speed walking.

"What are you laughing at?! At least I wasn't like a certain wisp who couldn't move a single limb correctly!"

Krune didn't mind, though.

"Of course, wisps don't have a body to start with, so we don't have a reference like you did. Besides..."

Krune then approached Ruik and gave him a gentle pat on the back.

Crash!

That was all that it took for Ruik to lose his balance and fall with his face on the ground. As a Double Headed Snake, he obviously didn't have limbs before. So he couldn't control his new arms to stop that from happening.

"Do you think I can't see that you were trying to not use your arms at all? Hahaha!"

Sure enough, Ruik arms started to move like a frenzy worms when he tried to use it to stop his fall!

"Fine! I admit I had it coming. Satisfied?"

Krune shook his head. He then put some clothes on Ruik and called Feifei and Tiane in.

"Of course, I'm not satisfied, so I brought them inside to appreciate the view."

With Feifei's playful mind, she obviously loved Krune's idea. As for Tiane, she couldn't help but feel a little curious about how Ruik would turn out, so she tagged along.

"Gogogo! Practice makes perfect! Keep moving!"

Ruik felt like crying, but he had no right to refuse it now. Much less complain about them laughing at him.

"Hmph! Just you wait and see, I will get used to it in no time. At least, I will be a lot faster than you were."

Sure enough, Ruik really did get used to it a lot faster than Krune. That was to be expected since even though Ruik didn't have limbs before, he still had a blood and flesh body in snake form. Different from Krune, Lakin, Cassy, and the other wisps, he had a reference from where to start. Still, it wasn't before he tripled, hit a wall, or was forced into those two previous conditions by Krune and Feifei, that he learned enough.

When Ruik finally got a hold of himself to be able to move without being afraid of falling, it was already the morning of the next day.

Krune noticed Ruik's gloomy face and laughed.

"Alright, alright. We haven't eaten anything since we arrived, so I will cook whatever you want today as long as I have the ingredients."

Ruik's dead eyes immediately resurrected!

"Blood chicken wings!"

Krune nodded and asked Feifei and Tiane as well. Tiane, of course, had heard from Feifei that Krune loved to cook. Still, she felt like it was a joke from Feifei. That is the Divine path Sect Master's disciple. How could someone like that waste his time cooking? So she felt somewhat lost when Krune asked what she wanted.

"Errr... Do you have Spirit Cave worms?"

Krune nodded.

"Tasier loved those, so I bought a few for when he asked for it. How do you want it? Fried? Steamed? I recommend it with soup, though."

Tiane just accepted Krune's offer. Feifei didn't feel anything from the fact that Tiane liked those worms. After all, the two of them have been together for a long time already. As for Krune, in his eyes, food is food, that's all!

While they were eating on the table, Krune brought the work problem out.

"I connected to this city network and checked the price for using formations, buying cultivation resources, rent a house, etc. Both me and Feifei have a little more than 10000 Rank 7 Spirit Stones. My master and Feifei's Ancestor thought that it would already be a lot of spirit stones for someone at our realms. In fact, it really is if we consider the Luvile Universe. We could live for years with this amount if we don't use them for cultivation."

"Still, this is almost nothing in this place. Just to rent a courtyard somewhere cheap that can fit us four, it is already 500 Rank 5 Spirit Stones monthly! And that is just to rent! I better not even talk to you about the buying price of those, let alone the price for good ones."

"Still, it is only expensive in our eyes. In the eyes of the people and beasts here, this is just common. Because of that, any job that you do also pays several times more than what you would receive back in the Luvile Universe. So we can also make a lot of spirit stones by just working on our side occupations."

Ruik then said.

"But, I have no side occupation!"

Krune then said.

"That isn't a problem, they also have something like the Mercenary Guild here. It is just that it is called the Mission Hall, you can complete the missions and receive the payment. Once again, you will get a lot more than what you would for a mission of the same level in the Luvile Universe."

Feifei couldn't help but comment.

"No wonder the cultivation of everyone around seems far above average. Even the ordinary people seemed to be at least in the Foundation Establishment. With ordinary jobs paying much more, even they can get this far. I can understand why the universe powerhouses out there blocked the entrance to this place. As long as one puts the effort, they will definitely soar at a much higher speed."

Everyone nodded, and Krune also added.

"Not to mention that this Universe has easier to understand Laws! Simply put, this is a cultivation paradise! It totally makes sense why such a place is sealed for anyone else who hasn't paid the price."

Krune then sent a link to everyone and showed a severe expression.

"Take a look at what I sent you."

Everyone opened that and soon were taken aback!

Tiane was the first one to comment.

"So many amazing cultivation techniques! There are even a few that would be regarded as treasures by our Wang Clan. There are also skills!"

Ruik also exclaimed.

"Every single one being shown here can be bought with Spirit Stones! Of course, the excellent ones are extremely expensive. Still, they are things that you definitely wouldn't get even if you had the money back in our Luvile Universe."

Feifei noticed that Krune's didn't seem that happy and asked.

"What is wrong with those techniques and skills?"

Tiane and Ruik also noticed the change and looked at Krune.

Krune, on the other hand, just shook his head.

"There is nothing wrong with them, and that is the worrying part. Can't you see it? Any enemy that we find from now on will be far above in strength than the ordinary ones back in the Luvile Universe."

"No! To be more precise, this new level of strength is what we should call ordinary from now on. I had the confidence of beating any usual Core Formation Realm cultivator or demon beast before with easy. But now, it is obvious that things won't be like that anymore. There is an uncountable number of battle videos around the network that you can take a look at. From what I could see, any 1st Stage Core Formation Realm from here can definitely put a fight to any ordinary 2nd to 3rd Stage back in the Luvile Universe."

Krune then looked at Ruik and said.

"So take this chance and go cultivate! Go take missions! Go make money! You have my Myriad Energies Technique and can now open the Elemental Meridians with your Core Formation Realm! If I see you losing a battle for an ordinary cultivator or demon beast of the same level, you better be prepared for the consequences!"

Krune then connected his communicator to the monitor in the room and started to play a video... of Ruik trying his first steps in his human form.

"Once we get back to our Universe, I will make sure to show this video to everyone!"

Ruik felt like the world went dark right there and then.

"You! Delete it now!"

Krune just laughed, though.

"Where is the fun in that? I already uploaded it to a safe place, even if you get my communicator, I still have my ways of getting this video. I'm looking forward to your improvement."

Feifei and even Tiane were just laughing on the side.

Feifei couldn't but think.

'Krune is getting more and more like his Master.'

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Sometime later, Feifei took the opportunity to ask Krune.

"Do you mind if I pass the Myriad Energies Technique to Tiane? Don't worry. I have full trust in her."

Krune nodded.

"I told you before, whatever you or uncle Feng decide to do with it, I will not complain."

Feifei then gave him a quick kiss and thanked him.

"Tiane, let's go back to our room. I have a few things to tell you."

Tiane didn't know what Feifei wanted but followed nonetheless.

Ruik then said.

"I'm going to take a look at the Missions Hall, wanna tag along?"

Krune pondered a bit and shook his head.

"I will be going to the Alchemist Gui... Organization. Yea, it's not called guild here. Anyway, I'm going there to see if I can improve my alchemy and make some money at the same time."

Ruik nodded and left after that.

Krune then checked a few more information on the network and left as well.

At the same time, back in the central region of the Luvile Universe.

There was a planet where the night was perpetual, there was no sun to be seen. In fact, even if this planet got close to a sun, the formations around it wouldn't allow the light to pass through.

This is the home Planet of the Darkness Sacred Land.

At this moment, an elder council was in progress, and only the highest echelon was allowed to participate.

At the highest seat, the Sacred Land Master, Yamio Halas, was waiting for his subordinate report.

"We confirmed that the mission is now a failure. Four assassins died, and we crushed the soul sliver of the last one to prevent any leakage."

Yamio's face went dark at that moment.

"What about that little girl? Have you located her already? We are running out of time! Once the other sacred lands find out, we won't be able to take her Heavenly Core back without a fight."

The subordinate then continued.

"From the information that we got, Feifei is now at the Divine Path Sect and hasn't left since then. Although we do have some eyes in the Western Protectorate, they aren't many. So all we can tell is that Feifei stayed inside sin-"

Suddenly, the subordinate stopped his report. It seemed like he received a message all of a sudden.

"Changing the report. We confirmed that the Divinity Realm of the Wang Clan arrived at the Divine Path Sect, which is quite weird since she rarely goes outside. But that only lasted a day. The next one, the Wang Clan members left the Sect, and we identified someone who looked like the target leaving together with the Wang Clan Ancestor."

"But that isn't all, the Wang Clan announced the assassination attempt and decided to use this chance to send her away for a secret training that will last several years. No one knows where she was sent to. At the same time, the Divine Path Sect Master, Lucio Koffel, did the same and sent his first Disciple, Krune, away too."

Yamio then said.

"Forget the Divine path Sect disciple since he was just caught in the crossfire. They probably thought that this Krune or whatever was also a target."

The subordinate acknowledged the orders.

Still, Yamio was feeling gloomy. If the Wang Clan sent Feifei away, probably only the highest echelon of the Clan know where.

'Do I need to mobilize some Divinity Realms to force them to talk? But if I do that, the other two Sacred Lands will definitely notice.'

Suddenly, the subordinate expression changed. It was evident that he got another message.

"Not good. The Extreme Yin Yang Palace and the All Life Sect are sending their Divinity Realm out. It seems like they are moving in the direction of the Wang Clan."

Yamio's face that wasn't looking anything good got even worse now.

He looked in the direction of one of the elders beside him and sent the orders.

"Hule Aforein, take another 10 Late Stages Divinity Realm cultivators and move out immediately. We can't allow the other two to put their hands on that girl first."

Hule nodded and quickly left. Together with him, another 10 Divinity Realm cultivators followed. All of them at the Late Stages of that Realm.

For Divinity Realm cultivators or demon beasts, traveling incredibly long distances is nothing complicated. So it wasn't long before they arrived at the Wang Clan.

Wang Mei was meditating in her room when suddenly, several powerful Divine Senses passed through her. She opened her eyes and looked in the sky above.

"They are here. It was a lot faster than I thought, though. Probably, the other Sacred Lands got some information that forced the first enemy's hand to come out in the open. In the end, they didn't try a second assassination after the news that I let out. But that doesn't matter. Feifei is already gone anyway."

Wang Mei and the other Divinity Realm of the Wang Clan then appeared in the void outside the Wang Clan home Planet. Mei looked at those guys in front of her and asked.

"Who are you guys?"

Hule Aforein knew that he was without time, so he went straight to the point.

"Hand over Wang Feifei, and your Wang Clan can see the light of the next day."

Wang Mei's face immediately got dark and snorted.

"And why should I do as you say? You come out of nowhere without even telling your identity. First of all, what Late Stages Divinity Realm cultivator like you guys want with a kid at the Core Formation Realm? Don't you feel ashamed of yourself?"

Hule then added.

"We are from the Darkness Sacred Land. As for why we want her, that's not your business. Last warning, hand she over, and you can prevent your Clan from falling into a calamity."

Suddenly, a few other Void Gates appeared, and some Divinity Realm cultivators and demon beast came out. They were Lani and the Divinity Realm protectors of the Divine Path Realm!

The Darkness Sacred Land had the advantage since all their 11 members were at the Late Stages of the Divinity Realm. As for the Wang Clan and Divine Path Sect, they only had two, which are Mei and Lani. Still, counting those at the middle and early stages, they definitely had the advantage in numbers.

Lani looked at the guy and said.

"This is not how you treat a lady, don't you think?"

Hule looked at Lani and asked with a cold face.

"What does your Divine Path Sect want by meddling in this issue? You have nothing to do with it. If you leave now, my Darkness Sacred Land can still pretend that we didn't see you."

Lani heard that and laughed out loud.

"Pretend you didn't see us? It was you who attacked our disciples, right? Do you think I'm idiot enough to not know that after here, you would come for our Divine Path Sect next?"

Of course, all that conversation was nothing more than a pretense from Mei and Lani since they knew very well what the enemy wanted. Still, it was very convincing due to the situation.

Hule remembered that the First Disciple of Lucio was also there and thought that the Divine Path Sect understood the situation wrong.

"Our target wasn't your disciple, only Feifei."

Lani snorted after hearing that.

"Is that so, then how come we got the reports that once they didn't get the information from the other participants, they tried to kill them to eliminate all the witnesses? You will have to do better than that if you want us to stay out of this."

Hule narrowed his eyes, he really didn't have the time to deal with both powers at the same time.

"What does your Sect want?"

Lani smiled and said.

"Oh, nothing much. Just that you guys leave and send a representative to talk things through. We will have a very long and nice chat with both my Divine Path Sect and the Wang Clan. Of course, both Feifei and Krune are out of this negotiation. Also, we need all the information related to the reason why you want to take our disciples and descendants away. I can't imagine why a Sacred Land would want to put their hands on some kids. That's too shameful."

Hule's face immediately got ugly! Let alone the fact that he can't wait to have a calm conversation, they didn't have any intention to give Feifei away. Worst of all, the Divine Path Sect 'thinks' that they also want their Disciple, which is not true.

"Enough! Since your two powers want to do it the hard way, I will force the information our of your mouths. Attack!"

Wang Mei immediately gave an order back to her Clan.

"Activate the protection formation!"

Just as both sides were about to crash with each other, several more Spatial Gates started to appear in the vicinity. From inside, more and more Late Stages Divinity Realm cultivators and demon beasts appeared.

"Now, now. Hule, you are too stressed. You should relax a bit, or it might affect your dao heart."

The one who talked was a young woman from the All Life Sect, Linda Ophin.

"Linda is right. Your Darkness Sacred Land wasn't that hasty before. What could have made you act like that against little powers like theirs?"

The next one was an old man from the Extreme Yin Yang Palace, Raro Tianmu.

Hule understood that he already lost his chance of getting the upper hand, so he stopped his attack.

He then snorted and said.

"As if you weren't here for the same purpose. What do you say we join hands to get rid of those flys and then the ones with the best ability get Feifei?"

Lani and Mei narrowed their eyes after hearing that.

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On the other hand, Linda Orphin just laughed.

"Wouldn't it be according to your wishes? From what we found out, you already have quite some information about this girl called Feifei. To get rid of the Wang Clan would definitely play in your favor. How could I accept that?"

Raro nodded after hearing that.

"We are all intelligent beings here, so let's stop playing dumb. Shall we, Hule?"

Hule just snorted, though.

"Then what do you propose?"

Linda looked at Wang Mei and said.

"Well, this is the situation at the moment. We want that girl called Feifei, and I believe that you don't want your clan to be exterminated. The same goes for the guys from the Divine Path Sect. So how about you just tell us where she went and forget about it? That would be for your own good."

Mei looked at Lani, and they nodded at each other. They had long since decided what they would do at this point.

"Very well. We didn't know who was after my Feifei. Because of that, my Wang Clan decided to use the favor that we had with an expert of another universe to send her away for the time being. As for who it is, we can't tell you since the power behind him is even stronger than your Sacred Lands. That was the deal."

Raro frowned and asked.

"Do you think we will believe that? If that's the case, which Universe did you send her?"

Mei nodded and said.

"You will believe it whether you want it or not. Through that favor, we sent Feifei to the Dalin Universe."

Immediately, Raro, Hule, and Linda opened their eyes wide!

"Impossible! There is no way you could have made the powers controlling that Universe accepts the entrance of a member of your clan."

Rora then complemmented.

"That is even harder to believe now. Wat proof do you have that you are talking the truth?"

Mei then sent a memory projection into everyone's minds. A memory project is totally different from saying something through Divine Sense, it has to be dragged out of real memories. If you try to create one, some discrepancies will definitely appear. For cultivators and demon beasts at their level, there is no way they couldn't find it. The only problem is that for one to drag a memory out willingly, the Semi-Divinity Realm cultivation or higher is necessary.

The memory that Mei sent them was the opening of the Spatial Gate that connected to the Dalin Universe. She also sent a feel of the images that she got from there together with what she saw about the laws there. Of course, she obviously didn't show which Planet Krune and Feifei were sent to.

Linda looked at that and didn't know what to say. In fact, at first, she wasn't certain if this one was really the Dalin Universe or not. But after checking the laws and the fact that that universe had almost all planets were occupied forced her to believe.

Hule's thoughts went even further. He knows that the fact that Wang Mei was able to connect to that universe and look inside for so long meant that things were bad. Even their Sacred Land wouldn't be able to connect to the Dalin universe without being found out, and it would probably bring a calamity to them. Since Mei was able to do it for so long, it meant that she really got the permission to send someone there. The problem now is, which is the power behind the Wang Clan that allowed them to do that?

Raro took a deep breath and said.

"I will have to have my Sacred Land analyze this memory of yours to confirm if this is really the Dalin Universe or not."

Mei nodded.

"Take as long as you want. But I will repeat, I can't tell you about the power which allowed us to send Feifei there. It was part of the deal. Even if you exterminate the entire Wang Clan and Divine Path Sect, I will still not say anything. It doesn't matter how strong your Sacred Lands are, it doesn't give me as much fear as them. If not for the luck encounter of a long-deceased ancestor of our Clan with them, we would never be able to ask for it."

Linda thought that something wasn't adding up and asked.

"I do believe that this is the Dalin Universe since you probably know that we can confirm it. What I don't understand is why you decided to use this favor with such a power to send Feifei away. It doesn't matter how I look at it, it's not worth to spend this favor on a single Feifei. So, why did you do that?"

Wang Mei smiled and said.

"Well, it's not every day that my Wang Clan gives birth to an Advanced Major Core that has one of the Fragments of the Heavenly Core. So, of course, we decided that it was worth investing in her."

Raro, Linda, and Hule expressions turned dark at that moment.

"Knowing too much isn't always good, you know?"

Lani heard that and snorted.

"Why are you even afraid? It's not like we can do anything even if we have this information. After all, there would be a need to kill the Advanced Major Core owners of your own Sacred Lands if we wanted her to give birth to a Heavenly Core. It doesn't matter how I look at it, we simply don't have that power."

Raro then asked.

"Then, I will ask the same question as Linda. Why did you send Feifei away? If you had negotiated with any of our Sacred Lands, you could have gotten several benefits from any of us. But look at the situation now. You have instead made an enemy of all three."

Lani snorted after hearing that.

"That would have been even worse. That meant that after one of you got Feifei, the other two would probably seek revenge for losing a Heavenly Core Fragment, so we would be inflicted anyway. As for the Sacred Land that we did the deal with, why would they try to stop the other two Sacred Lands once they already got the Heavenly Core Fragment? Would they really protect our Clan or Sect? I'm sorry, but neither of us has that much trust in any of you, especially the Darkness one."

They have reached an impasse. It is true that Feifei is now gone, and they won't be able to call her back. But if they decide to destroy the Wang Clan or Divine Path Sect, Feifei would definitely never come back unless she was absolutely sure that she could get revenge.

So either their Sacred Lands wouldn't be able to touch her any time soon, or they would pay a heavy price once she gathered enough power to attack. For them, it's not unheard of a single cultivator bringing the destruction of an entire power of their level. They have access to much more information than the Wang Clan and Divine Path Sect.

There is another thing as well, Feifei's Heavenly Fragment only works with the Heavenly Fragments of those of the Luvile Universe. It is useless for any Advanced Major Core of another universe to take it. So she won't need to be afraid of the other side trying to take her Heavenly Fragment. Of course, Feifei and Krune had no idea about that at the moment. So they won't show their Advanced Major Cores that easy to the others.

In the end, the best thing to do was to get Feifei first.

"What if we take the Wang Clan as a hostage and force Feifei to come back?"

Hule commented.

But Raro shook his head.

"It won't work. That is because Feifei probably doesn't have anyone to send her back. Did you forget? Even if they got her to go there through a favor, there is no way that their backing would allow a high-level cultivator to go together. First of all, how do we even contact her to tell that her Clan is in our hands? If I was Wang Mei, I would definitely cut all means of communication and tracking possible."

Linda then added.

"Not to mention, we don't know which is the power supporting the Wang Clan. But since they were able to allow Feifei to enter the Dalin Universe, it is evident that we can't offend them that easily. Was it really just a single Favor that was bestowed to the Wang Clan? At this moment, probably only Wang Mei and Lani Gobel know the answer. They are also exactly the ones that we can't injure because of this connection."

Raro understood that staying any longer would bring no benefit to them and said.

"I have no reason to stay anymore, so I'm taking my leave."

Before anyone could say anything, several spatial gates opened, and Raro left with his companions.

Linda just sighed and said.

"Same here, I'm out."

She then left right after.

Hule, on the other hand, was very unwilling to do so. But it was obvious that the other two didn't want to risk offending a Universe powerhouse. His Darkness Sacred Land, of course, couldn't take the brunt alone either. Other than that, he had to immediately go back. Just because Feifei is there, it doesn't mean that they can't reach her.

"Hmph!"

Several more Spatial Gates opened, and the Darkness Sacred Land people and beasts left.

Lani looked at the spot where they disappeared and felt like a huge boulder was lifted from his shoulders.

He and Wang Mei then went back into the Wang Clan home planet to talk.

"The lie seems to have worked out well. It is the fact that they don't believe that we would ever be able to connect to the Dalin Universe unscratched that allowed the plan to work."

Wang Mei nodded.

"Indeed. But if one day they found out that it was all a lie, we are going to be in great peril."

Lani looked to the sky and asked.

"Do you think they can find out that no one helped us?"

Mei immediately shook her head.

"I don't know, but I reckon that this would be a big challenge even for them. Also, even if they can't find this 'backer' of ours, they can't rule the possibility that they simply didn't find it. So for now, we should be safe."

She was also thinking a lot about this issue.

"What do you think they will do?"

Lani looked at Mei with a worried face.

"To be honest, considering their resources, I believe that they have a way to send people or beasts to the Dalin Universe if they pay the price. That is also the fastest way if I was them. As for the restrictions that they will get, that I don't know. Still, Krune and Feifei are definitely a lot safer there than if they would be here."

Mei nodded and didn't say anything else.

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Back in the All Life Sect Sacred Land, Linda Ophin finished reporting the entire issue to the Sect Master. The Sect Master just so happens to be a female as well. Her name is Tika Tarkulie, an 8th Stage Divinity Realm Demon Beast.

"I see, the situation got a little more complicated than we expected. Still, it was a lot better than if the Darkness Land had succeeded. As for how to get Feifei Heavenly Fragment, we can only send someone in that Universe to take it back. The problem is, that is the Dalin Universe, and I'm impressed by that Wang Clan 'backer.'"

At first, Tika thought to be a joke, but once she looked at the memories given by Wang Mei, she couldn't help but be careful. The Dalin Universe shown there is definitely the real one, which means that the Wang Clan probably wasn't lying. She, too, believes that the Wang Clan doesn't have the power to send someone there, and that can only mean that they have some kind of 'background.'

Linda couldn't help but ask.

"But how will we find her in that place? That is, after all, an entire universe. To find a single person in its middle is harder than a specific drop of water in the ocean."

Tika smiled and shook her Head.

"Finding her won't be too hard. There is something that you don't know since this kind of situation has rarely happened."

In the Extreme Yin Yang Palace Sacred Land, Raro was having precisely the same conversation with the Palace Master. His name was Lue Barcou, a 9th Stage Divinity Realm cultivator.

Raro couldn't help but ask.

"How come it won't be hard to find Feifei there?"

The Palace Master then said.

"Once an Advanced Major Core leaves its own Universe, it loses the 'coat' against the Destiny Energy. So it is possible to use Divination to find them. Still, considering the size of the Dalin Universe and the lack of information, it would be almost impossible to do so."

Raro once more got confused, didn't the Palace Master just say that it wouldn't be too hard to find Feifei?

Back in the Darkness Sacred Land, Hule Aforein was also confused in the same way as Raro.

"It is almost impossible to use Divination, then how come it's not too hard to find Feifei in there?"

The Darkness Land Head, Yamio Halas, then explained.

"That's because Heavenly Core Fragments can feel the presence of each other once they are outside of our Universe's Heavenly Protection. Although it rarely happened, there had been cases where an Advanced Major Core Owner fled to another Universe. As long as we send our own Advanced Major Core, he will be able to point their location."

Back in the All Life Sect once more, Linda was taken aback by that information.

"But if we send our own Advanced Major Core, won't it become the perfect chance for the other two Sacred Lands to attack?"

Tika nodded.

"Yes, but the opposite is also true. We can take this chance to take the other Heavenly Core Fragments from both the Darkness Land and Ying Yang Palace."

Linda had to admit that it was true. What they need to think now is who to send together with their own Advanced Major Core to guarantee victory.

Going back to the Extreme Ying Yang Palace, Raro Tianmu remembered something.

"But what about the fact that Feifei is in the Dalin Universe? Just how many members can we send, and what price do we need to pay for that? Wait, there is also the cultivation level issue. I doubt that they will allow anyone with cultivation too high to enter."

Lue Barcou couldn't help but sigh at this point.

"That is the issue. Considering how tight the Universes Powerhouses are controlling the Dalin Universe, any outsider entrance is extremely hard to happen. That is also why we shouldn't touch the Wang Clan for now. Just how much influence that 'backing' of theirs has to have to be able to send Feifei there without the others complaining?"

Raro understood the Palace Master's concern.

Lue Barcou pondered for a bit and then gave everyone his orders.

"Contact the Thakulo Universe. We had a few small deals with them in the past. Ask them the price to allow our members to enter and stay in the Dalin Universe. Don't mention Feifei once you do so, we still don't know the Wang Clan backer, so it is better to not catch his or her attention."

In the Darkness Land, Hule Aforein couldn't help but ask.

"But Land Head, wouldn't our pursuit of Feifei still infuriates the Wang Clan backer?"

Yamio shook his head.

"I don't think so, his favor is with the 'Wang Clan,' not Wang Feifei. It would be one thing if we decide to destroy the Wang Clan, but I refuse to believe that this person or demon beast will intervene because of a single girl. Even if he does, we have to take the risk. After all, the other two Sacred Lands will definitely do soo."

Yamio looked at his subordinates and then said.

"Get in contact with the Uline Universe, we are willing to pay the price to send our members inside."

Finally, in the All Life Sect.

Linda was put in charge of using their contact with the Galec Universe to send their own members.

"We need to be fast before the other two Sacred Lands jump ahead."

Tika heard that and then laughed.

"No need to be in a hurry. Even if they arrive first, their Advanced major Core owners won't be able to feel Feifei's presence."

Linda was surprised by that.

"But didn't you say that they can?"

Tika nodded.

"They can, but it will take time. Do you remember what I said? Once an Advanced Major Core owner enters another Universe, they lose their 'coat' against the Destiny Energy."

Linda immediately understood where the Sect Master was coming from.

"I see, even in the middle of the rain, it is not like you will get wet straight away once you remove your coat. There is a need for some time to pass before the anti-Destiny Energy effect disappears."

Tika was happy that Linda understood her meaning.

"Exactly. According to the records, it will take 5 years if fast, and up to 10 years if slow. Still, try to get them inside as soon as possible so that they can get a footing in that Universe."

But it was then that Linda got confused.

"In that case, isn't it better for us to wait 5 years before sending someone? If we do that, our own Advanced Major Core owner can hide from the other Sacred Lands since her 'coat' will still be active."

Tika smiled and didn't answer, but Linda noticed that something wasn't right with her idea just by looking at Tika's smile. Suddenly, Linda thought about something else.

"I see. That 'coat' works both ways, correct?"

Tika then laughed once more.

"Smart girl. You are right! If the 'coat' of our own Advanced Major Core owner doesn't disappear, it will be impossible to feel the presence of the other Advanced Major Core owners. That's why I said, you don't need to be in a hurry, but try to send ours inside as soon as possible."

Linda nodded and then left to do the preparations.

The same thing happened in the other two Sacred Lands.

Until now, all of them only recognized Feifei's existence. But what they didn't expect is that another Advanced Major Core was present at the moment. Krune, of course, is the variable that will change the entire outcome.

Still in the All Life Sect Sacred Land, Linda entered a palace where quite a few girls could be seen. They were all maids encharged of taking care of the Advanced Life Major Core owner. After entering a big room on the back, she found who she was looking for.

"Wamie, the situation has changed. The battle for the Heavenly Fragments is starting a lot earlier than expected."

Wamie Zark.

That is the name of the All Life Sect Advanced Major Core Owner. A female human at the 4th Stage of the Divine Soul Realm.

Linda then used a Divine Sense message to tell everything that happened.

"I see... Very well, I'm ready anytime. Just let me know when I should go."

Linda nodded and left right after.

In the Darkness Land, deep inside the Planet's Core, Hule Aforein appeared after using a teleport formation.

In front of him, he could see a chamber guarded by a few elders of the Darkness Land. Inside, a pitch-black Skeleton Dragon was absorbing the Spiritual Energy around for cultivation.

His name was Uer. Just like the majority of Demon Beasts, he also didn't have a family name. Uer is the Advanced Death Major Core owner, and he is in the 5th Stage of the Divine Soul Realm.

Uer noticed Hule's arrival and kept quiet.

Hule noticed that and then said.

"The Heavenly Fragments Battle is starting soon."

He did the same as Linda and gave all the information about what was decided.

"I will come back once the preparations are done, get ready."

Uer just nodded and still didn't say anything.

In the Extreme Yin Yang Palace.

Lue Barcou had personally come to inform their Advanced Major Core owner about the issue. The difference is that the Yin Yang Palace didn't have one, but two Advanced Major Core owners! As one can imagine, they were a man and a woman, and a couple on top of that. They also had the Yin and Yang Advanced Major Cores.

The Woman was called Rania Javiu and the guy Hobek Javiu.

"I believe the two of you already know what happened. So you better be ready to enter the Dalin Universe. With your combined effort, I don't believe that the other two Sacred Lands can stand a chance."

The couple smiled, and the man said.

"Don't worry, Palace Master. We will not let the Yin Yang palace down."

Rania was at the 3rd Stage of the Divine Soul Realm while Hobek was on the 5th. Still, with their abilities complementing each other, they could bring their combat power several stages higher.

Lue Barcou nodded, satisfied.

"Someone will come to fetch you two later, make sure you are ready."

With this, four Advanced Major Core owners were about to enter the Dalin Universe!

Back in the Riren Planet in the Dalin Universe.

BOOM!

Suddenly, an entire examination room of the Alchemist Organization branch came down! After the dust settled a little, the members looking at that apocalyptic scene noticed a young man with Rainbow Hair coming out of the rubbles.

That young man was obviously Krune!

Krune also noticed the others looking at him and felt quite embarrassed.

"Cough, cough. I think that the Energy Suppression Formation wasn't working properly."

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Going back to the morning of the same day.

Krune had arrived at the Alchemist Organization and went to the counter.

"Hello. I would like to apply for the alchemist exam."

The receptionist was a girl. She noticed that Krune's clothes were quite different and then asked.

"New alchemist, or do you have experience already?"

Because of the constant flow of people and beasts from other universes and planets, it was quite common to receive a new alchemist who already had a rank in their homes.

"I was a Five Bronze Stars Alchemist before coming to the Dalin Universe. But I don't know how my level is ranked here."

The girl nodded.

"In that case, you might want to take a look in our database for Bronze Stars level Alchemists. After that, you can try the examination and see where you are standing. Talk to me when you get a firm grasp of your current skill, and we can apply for a test of that level."

Krune was quite please with how smooth the organization dealt with his issue and accepted the receptionist's idea.

"Very well. Where can I get access to the database?"

The girl then gave him an electronic token and pointed to somewhere else.

"Can you see that entrance? Inside you will find several rooms that are used for study only. You can go there and read the content available for Bronze Stars alchemists and above. Although it would be better for you to keep at the Bronze Stars at the moment."

Krune agreed and then went to one of the rooms.

Just as the receptionist said, there were several rooms from which Krune selected one. The room was just big enough to hold a single person or beast in human form. In front of him, there was a terminal with a place for him to use the token. After inserting it inside, the terminal activated automatically and displayed all the information available for Bronze Stars alchemists and above.

"Well, let's take a look inside and see where I can start."

After just one hour of fast reading, Krune was utterly taken aback!

'The level of the alchemy of the Dalin Universe is several times higher than back in the Divine Path Sect. I haven't seen how the Central Region of the Luvile Universe alchemy was, but I don't think they would be better than this one. I wonder just how good the content for Silver Stars and above is.'

During his reading, Krune found an alchemy technique that caught his attention. It was called 'extreme infusion.' This technique further increased the quality of the pill, but it was tough to control at the same time. The reason that it caught Krune's attention was that the requirement was for the alchemist to have very high control of both elements and spiritual energy.

Krune, of course, thought that it didn't matter in his case. He has the Elemental Meridians, the All-Encompassing Soul Technique, not to mention his newest acquisition, the Elemental Regulation Technique from his Master. We also can't forget the fact that he has an Advanced Elemental Major Core, which makes things even easier for several elements control.

Simply put, Krune was brimming with confidence!

'If everything is as described, I believe I can jump straight to a Seven or maybe even Eight Bronze Stars Alchemist level. Let's take a further look into the information available to make sure nothing will go wrong.'

Krune then spent the day understanding the extreme infusion technique and the other content available. It had really been an eye-opener for him. He even took a quick look into the Silver Stars alchemist content available but decided to not spend much time on it due to his level.

The girl was still in her work shift when Krune returned. She didn't think much about it and just asked.

"How is it, what level would you like to try?"

Krune pondered a bit and said.

"I think I will go for a Seven Bronze Stars test. The techniques available in the Dalin Universe are much better than the ones I had, so I think I should be able to achieve this."

The receptionist thought that Krune was trying to bite too much by jumping two Stars at once. Still, it wasn't her place to stop him, only to collect the fees.

"Very well, you can participate in the daily alchemist test that we have at the end of the day. The material necessary for a Seven Stars pill will be given to you by the organization. The fee is 100 Rank 4 Spirit Stones, which will cover the test and the herbs."

Krune already got used to the extremely high price or everything in the Riren Planet, so he just paid without complaining.

"How long do I have to wait for the test?"

The girl looked at the time and said.

"It should start in one hour, so you better stay around to not lose it."

Krune nodded and went to a corner to wait. At the same time, he was revising all the information that he got in his head. As mentioned before, as long as Krune wishes for it, he will never forget what he doesn't want to.

The test soon arrived, and Krune entered the testing room. Inside, there were another 6 alchemists who applied to for the bronze star levels test. The testing room had several booths with some Alchemist tools inside. Krune also noticed that every single one of those booths had a formation which he believed was used to suppress the energy of a failed alchemy attempt.

Not long after, the examiner entered the room. Krune and the others noticed that he was quite young, definitely not above 30. He then went over to the stage in the back and started to talk.

"Alright, let's get over with it. My name is Yilio Tiun, and I'm a Four Sivel Stars alchemist. I will be responsible for this Bronze Stars Level examination."

Yilio looked at the seven contestants and said.

"Those in this room are all people or demon beasts that already have alchemy experience. I believe that the majority came from outside the Riren Planet and possibly from outside the Dalin Universe. Because you all just need to acquire the right rank for your actual skills at the moment, I won't be teaching you anything before the test."

Yilio continued.

"For those who don't know, each of the booths is protected by an energy suppressing formation. That means that even if you fail and your cauldron explodes, the other boxes won't be affected by the explosion, and no sound will come out either. The formation will be adjusted to the level of the Alchemist Stars that you intend to test yourself."

Krune and everyone just listened, so far, everything was going pretty much as they expected.

"Alright, you can select any booth and start your concoction. Once you input your electronic token in the terminal, you will be able to select the pill you want to concoct. The compartment below then will open and give you the herbs and other items necessary for your pill. Make sure you select the right pill since if you fail, you will need to pay the fee for the exam once more."

Krune didn't think much and just selected a Foundation Stabilizing pill. He had concocted this pill several times before, so he was confident in bringing this one to the Seven Stars level.

The examination started, and everyone put themselves to work. Yilio could see everything that was happening inside with his Divine Sense, so he just stayed sit put on the stage. Soon, he noticed the level of the candidates.

'Hum... everyone selected some simple pills to make. Well, that isn't wrong since they only want their alchemist qualification. Still, Krune's control of the Elements in the cauldron is quite good. I can also see that his Elemental Synch is quite refined. He should have no issues in bringing that pill to the seven stars level. As for the others, I can't tell yet.'

There was nothing surprising about it. With Krune's 'Alchemist Starter Pack' and the new techniques available in the Dalin Universe, it would be a wonder if Krune couldn't do this much. Let's not forget that Krune had also advanced to the Core Formation Realm. The last time he concocted something, he was still in the Foundation Establishment!

Krune was in the middle of the process when he finally decided to give the extreme infusion technique a try.

'It should be around now. I believe that my pill is already at the Seven Stars level, but I should try to do better. The synch can't go any further, which shows my lack of training and experience in alchemy. Still, with the extreme infusion technique, I might be able to bring it to the Eight or Nine stars level. It would be much better if I got an alchemist bad- that's right, they use the word 'Qualification' here. It would be much better if I get a Nine Bronze Stars qualification from the very start.'

Krune then decided that even if he failed today, he just has to apply for the next day test, and that was it. With that thought line, Krune started to use the extreme infusion technique. Spiritual Energy started to forcibly enter the medicinal liquid in the cauldron, which further increased the elemental synch. Not to mention the quality and impurity removal. Krune couldn't help but feel amazed by the result of this thing.

'Impressive! To think that such a technique existed. I just started a few minutes ago, but I already brought the pill to the Nine Stars Level! From what a know, to bring a pill to the Silver Stars level, one must infuse Elemental Source Energy inside. Just like the Spiritual Energy, the Elemental Source Energy Elements must also be brought into synch. The further synched, the higher the level of the Silver Star. Since I'm already here, I might as well go all out!'

Yilio, who was watching the alchemist, already had his mouth wide open!

'Impossible! Was this Krune really only a Five Bronze Stars level before? His medicinal liquid can already bring him a One Silver Star level pill!'

Krune, of course, didn't pay attention to Yilio at all.

'I still can go further!'

Two Silver Stars Level;

'Further!'

Three Silver Stars;

'Keep going, I still can do a bit more!'

Four;

Five...

Krune was just a Five Bronze Stars a few minutes ago, so the fact that he is pushing the pill to this level is already extremely taxing on him. His human body was sweating all over, but he didn't care about any of that! He was in a trance at the moment. In Krune's eyes, there was only him and the pill.

But Krune failed to notice one problem.

The pill ingredients quality... were not supposed to hold this amount of Spiritual Energy and Elemental Source Energy! Yilio, who was also in a trance watching Krune, finally noticed this problem.

'Not good!'

Still, it was too late.

The medicinal liquid inside the cauldron couldn't hold that amount of energy anymore and finally went out of control.

The result?

BOOM!

The Energy Suppression Formation from Krune's booth, which had been adjusted to a Seven Bronze Stars Level, broke apart as if it was made of glass!

The explosion swept all the other booths with the alchemists inside, and soon, the examination room was the next to not be able to hold it anymore.

"Crumble!"

And just like this, Krune sent another examination room to the other world.

Krune then started to move away from the wreckage and noticed the ragged Yilio on the other side. Not only him, but the other alchemists in the exam and the people and beasts outside were looking at Krune too. All that attention made him feel quite embarrassed.

"Cough, cough. I think that the Energy Suppression Formation wasn't working properly."

Yilio's mouth twitched after hearing that.

"Not working properly, YOUR HEAD!"

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Read Is that a Wisp? Chapter 221 Alchemist Organization's Plan online for free - AllNovelFull

Yilio didn't want anything other than cut Krune in pieces. Still, he couldn't deny that Krune's achievement before the explosion was amazing too. In the end, he just sighed and said.

"Alright, follow me for now."

Krune didn't say anything and did as asked.

Yilio then brought Krune to another examination room that was destined fro Silver Stars Tests.

"Before your pill failed, I could see that it had each the level of a Five Silver Stars pill. Still, that is also due to the level of the herbs and the other ingredients. I will give you another chance to try to make the pill, but this time, you will use much older herbs. With this, you shouldn't have a problem with an explosion due to the poor quality of the items."

Yilio continued.

"Also, because those herbs can hold a lot more spiritual and elemental source energy, they are harder to concoct. You probably won't be able to achieve the same level as you did previously. But I believe you can reach the Silver Stars anyway, so give your best."

Krune then asked something else.

"What about the room and the equipment? Also, what's the fee for a Silver Star test?"

Yilio answered straight away.

"The branch will calculate the damage and give you the fee to be paid after. As for the price of the Silver Stars test, it is 100 Rank 5 Spirit Stones, which will be included inside the damage fee."

Krune couldn't help but sigh. Still, he knows that it was his fault that things went out of control. If he had paid attention, he would have noticed that the medicinal liquid inside the cauldron couldn't hold anymore.

"Alright."

Krune then entered the booth in the other examination room and selected the same pill again. This time, he chose the Silver Star level, so the herbs and other ingredients that he got were a lot older and more capable of holding energy.

The process of the concoction went the same way as before, but Krune soon noticed a big difference.

'Silver Level herbs are a lot harder to infuse spiritual and elemental source energies than the normal ones. There is no way I can achieve the level that I did before with them. Of course, it is thanks to this resistance that I don't have to be afraid of how much energy I use. Even though it's harder, the amount of power that they can hold is several times higher too.'

After using the extreme infusion technique, Krune was able to bring it to the Silver Star level again. It's just that this time the pill could only reach the Two Silver Stars level, and that was after Krune put his all on it!

Yilio took the Foundation Stabilizing pill and nodded.

"Good! This pill can definitely be used by Core Formation Realm or maybe even some early stages Divine Soul Realm. Congratulations, from now on, you are a Two Silver Stars Alchemist."

Krune sighed in relief.

"Follow me to the office, I will get your qualification registered in the system. During your concoctions from now on, if possible, try to do it inside the organization branches. The rooms are equipped with formations for protection against cauldron explosions and anti-Divine Sense. Also, they are able to detect if the Alchemist inside has concocted a pill above his rank. If that happens, the organization will just check your pill and register you in the new rank."

Krune nodded. It was simply the same function as the Alchemist Badge back in the Luvile Universe.

Yilio left after they arrived at the registration office, and Krune started to wait for the attendant to come. Not long after, a few more alchemists came in as well to do the same thing. They were the alchemists that were first making the same test with Krune. The noticed Krune's presence and showed quite a few ugly faces.

They couldn't be blamed. After all, Krune destroyed the room while they were in the middle of the concoction. In the end, Krune could only apologize.

"I'm sorry for the previous event. I didn't expect that the medicinal liquid wouldn't be able to hold the energy."

The majority just ignored him, but there was still one who just sighed and came forward to talk.

"Well, as long as I got your apology, I don't mind. Still, what did you do to generate such a big explosion? Did you try to use the Extreme Infusion Technique?"

His name was Carlo Cabral, someone from another universe as well. Of course, different from Krune, he came into the Dalin Universe legally. Also, as someone from one of the powerful universes, he already knew about the Extreme Infusion Technique even before reaching this place.

Krune nodded.

"Yes. It was the first time I tried that. I had no idea about the existence of this technique, so I got fascinated by it. But in the end, that was the result. Even though the medicinal liquid inside got to the Silver Star level, I failed to notice that the herbs and other ingredients couldn't take energy anymore. Such an embarrassing outcome."

Carlo was surprised by that. Not because Krune used the Extreme Infusion Technique, but because he was still able to bring the pill to the Silver Star Level! Just as he was about to continue asking, the attendant in the room called Krune over.

"Krune, your Two Silver Stars qualification is ready. Please give me your ID and some other information."

Krune nodded and bid farewell to Carlo.

Carlo, of course, was once again taken aback.

'Did she just say that he got a Two Silver Stars qualification? Wasn't today the very first time that he used the Extreme Infusion Technique? I know that he was brought away to remake the test. But to think that he was able to create a Two Silver Stars Pill is unbelievable! Just what kind of monster control is that?'

Carlo wasn't the only one. In another room in the same branch, Yilio was talking with the current supervisor, Ramon Forkin.

After hearing Yilio's explanation, Ramon decided to take a look in the concoction video and couldn't help but ask.

"Are you sure he said that it was his first time using the Extreme Infusion Technique?"

Yilio nodded.

"Yes. Of course, Krune might be lying, but I don't think he would explode the entire examination room just to prove the contrary. I can tell that his concoction is very unrefined, and he made the mistakes that others do when making a Silver Star pill for the first time. Still, his elemental and energies control can only be said to be heaven-defying for someone at his level. With that alone, he was still able to make a Two Silver Stars Foundation Stabilizing pill."

Ramon pondered a bit and then said.

"Anyway, the fact that he is a genius at concoction is obvious. Even if he lied that it wasn't his first time using the Extreme Infusion Technique, just that level of control is already impressive enough. We will know the truth sooner or later once he stars concocting pills for selling. After all, he has to pay for the damage in the first examination room."

Ramon looked at Yilio and then said.

"Charge the max price for everything that was destroyed. I want him to stay here as long as possible for me to check his alchemist skills. If it turns out that it was really his first time using that technique, then his ability at concoction will improve by leaps and bounds from now on. Depending on the result, we might use him in the next solar system junior concoction championship."

Yilio wasn't surprised since that was the reason why he reported Krune.

"Yes, it would be best to have someone to participate with me. That way, our chances of getting a better position will increase. His realm is evident for everyone to see, 4th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. I just need to check his age when he finishes his qualification registration. As long as he is under 35 years old, we should be good to go."

Ramon nodded.

"Good! You can go now."

Krune, who was going through the registration process, didn't know anything about that. Sometime later, another worker from the Alchemist Organization entered the room where Krune was.

"Here is the total that has to be paid for the damage and the Siver Stars Test."

Krune took a look at the number, and his soul almost left his body!

"1532 Rank 7 Spirit Stones?! Are you serious?!"

The attendant nodded.

"The herbs, equipment, formations, and the room itself. All together is definitely worth at least this much. Of course, you don't need to be afraid of paying it. You are already a Two Silver Stars Alchemist, so it shouldn't be too hard to pay everything with. Not to mention that we are not charging the price for the time that the examination room will be deactivated."

Krune couldn't help but sigh. Still, he took out the payment and passed it to the worker.

"Here it is, 1532 Rank 7 Spirit Stones."

The worker didn't know anything about what was decided, so he didn't think that anything was strange. At most, he believed that Krune was some rich young master. But there was another person watching this scene, and that was Yilio!

"He can pay that? It seems like I will need to think about another reason to keep him working here."

But before he even started to think, he heard Krune's next words.

"Will it be a problem if I want to use the alchemist rooms anyway? Senior Yilio said that I should try to use them if possible."

Yilio's eyes immediately lit up!

"Great!"

In fact, Krune didn't have another choice to start with. Sure, he could go to another alchemist branch in the city since it had more due to the city's size. But it would be a lot further away from the place where his group is staying at the moment. With the city's flying restriction, it would be troublesome to make the round trip every time.

Also, Krune wanted to start as soon as possible so that he can gather enough Spirit Stones to buy or at least rent a courtyard for everyone.

The worker immediately nodded after hearing that question.

"Of course. As long as you don't destroy it, we don't mind letting you use our facilities. The majority of the alchemists of our branch do it anyway."

Krune nodded and decided to go back to his room. It was already getting dark, and he wanted to see what plans Feifei and Tiane had as well.

'We will need to work together if we want to increase our profits as fast as possible.'

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Once Krune got back, Feifei had already finished teaching Tiane how to use the Myriad Energies technique. Krune noticed that Tiane seemed to be looking at him differently now and couldn't help but ask why.

"I can't help it, this technique that you came up with is incredible! I have a new level of respect for you now."

Krune felt a little embarrassed with that praise but smiled nonetheless.

"Thanks."

Krune then told Feifei and Tiane how things went in the Alchemist Organization.

Feifei, obviously, immediately started laughing out loud.

"Unbelievable, you sent the entire examination room down? It's too funny! I can only imagine the others' expressions after that happened."

It wasn't before 5 minutes later that she stopped. She then looked with a smile at Krune and said.

"Don't worry too much about the spirit stones, we can get them back."

Krune felt a little gloomy but couldn't bring himself to feel mad at Feifei. In the end, he just put this matter on the back of his mind and asked something else.

"I pretend to gather spirit stones with Alchemy and, at the same time, improve my Alchemy Rank. What do you intend to do?"

Feifei then said.

"Oh, right! I haven't told you what kind of side occupation I have yet."

She then took out a 6 Stars Badge from her Spatial Ring. When Krune saw that, he got surprised!

"You are a 6 Silver Stars Formations Master!"

Feifei nodded.

"If not because I didn't bring any Formations Material during the Dimensional Realm event, I could definitely have built some good traps. Of course, considering the place where those assassins came, they probably would have countermeasures for it. Usually, I only do it as a hob, but I guess I can make quite a lot of Spirit Stones in this Universe with my skills."

Krune nodded, satisfied. It seems like there will be no need for him to sustain others this time.

Tiane then took another badge from her Spatial Ring as well.

"I'm not as good as Feifei, but I'm also a Formations Master."

Her one was a 2 Stars Badge.

Obviously, she selected that side occupation because it was the same as Feifei.

Krune didn't mind. Considering the price for the things in this Universe, both Feifei and Tiane definitely could provide for themselves with their abilities alone.

"We just don't know how we are categorized in this Universe. But considering that the Wang Clan Formations Guild was the top one in our territory, I believe it won't be much lower."

It was then that Feifei remembered something.

"I forgot. They call it Formations Master Organization here, right?"

Krune nodded.

"That's right, there is a branch of the organization close to the Alchemist one. I'm going there tomorrow after we check out for a courtyard for us to rent. So you can pass there and take the test too. As for the Courtyard, we need one big enough for the four of us. After all, staying in the hotel is too expensive."

Krune then thought about Ruik.

"Is Ruik not back yet?"

Feifei and Tiane looked at each other and shook their heads.

Krune then took his communicator out and called Ruik.

"Is everything okay over there?"

Ruik then answered.

"Everything is fine. It's just that I have to take a test to determine my level in the Missions Hall. As the Mercenary Guild back in the Luvile Universe, the missions and reward that you get are established according to your level."

Krune nodded and thought about something.

"Now that I think about it, we might need the Missions Hall qualification in the future. When does your test start?"

Ruik then looked at the time.

"It should start in about an hour."

Krune checked the distance to that Mission Hall Branch and asked Tiane and Feifei.

"What do you think? Should we go and get a qualification too? It's not bad to have one if there is something we need from their Reward System in the future."

Feifei and Tiane didn't have much to do at the moment anyway, so they nodded and decided to tag along.

Krune's group arrived at the Missions Hall 30 minutes later and went directly to the counter to apply for the examination.

"Core Formation Realm tests are 100 Rank 5 Spirit Stones per person or demon beast."

Krune and the others paid and went to the corner to wait with Ruik. Around 20 minutes later, everyone that had applied for the examination was called over.

In the examination room, the examiner started to explain the Missions Hall rules.

"Let me explain to those who don't know yet."

He looked at the contestants and continued.

"The majority probably already know it, but our Mission Hall qualification system is different from the other side occupations. We don't have Stars System. Our mission hall only cares about your combat prowess. We will judge here how many stages higher your combat ability is compared to ordinary cultivators of the same level."

"If it turns out that your power is the same as an average one, you won't be accepted in the Missions Hall. You must have the ability to fight at least one cultivation stage higher than your level, it's that simple. After that, the missions in the system will be unlocked according to your results."

"If your cultivation improves more than 5 stages, you will need to do another examination for us to make sure that you still have the same ability. So I urge you to not be hasty in your progress and damage your Foundation for short term strength."

Krune and the others didn't mind this new system. In fact, it was quite straight forward, which was good too.

The examiner looked at the room behind him and then explained the rules.

"This is the testing room for those at the Core Formation Realm. Inside we have an illusion formation that will spawn cultivators and demon beasts randomly. They will start with a cultivation one stage higher than the participant. After you defeat the first one, the next one will appear with a cultivation stage higher than the previous one."

"Our formation is based on the average level of cultivators and demon beasts of the Dalin Universe. So if you can't defeat the very first one, it means that you aren't qualified to part of the Mission Hall. Also, it goes without saying that there is no need to worry about injuries."

"Alright, that's all for now. If you have any other inquires, ask it after you pass the exam. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time to explain anything now."

The examiner took out a list and called the first name.

"Ruik, you can enter."

Ruik had arrived quite early that day, so he turned out to be the first to register for it.

Krune patted his shoulder and said.

"With all your cultivation advantages and the Myriad Energies Technique, you should be able to defeat an ordinary opponent at least two or three stages higher than your level. So don't worry, you will be fine."

Ruik nodded and then entered the illusion formation, disappearing inside. On the side, there was an enormous monitor that showed what was happening in the formation.

As soon as he appeared in the monitor, the illusion formation summoned a cultivator at the 2nd Stage of the Core Formation Realm. Ruik decided to take things seriously from the very start, so he immediately returned to his double-headed snake form and started the battle.

Ruik's poison was both effective against the body and soul. With his other perks, he got the upper hand almost immediately. Speed, power, elemental control, and spiritual control. Everything was much better than the illusory cultivator. Around 30 seconds later, Ruik's opponent was already on the ground.

The examiner saw that and nodded, satisfied.

The next opponent was a demon beast, a white turtle with two horns on the head. The illusion field also changed into an ocean type, which the turtle made full use. Still, Ruik was able to defeat the turtle after some time. It should have been much faster, but Ruik was trying to save as much Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy as possible. He relied on his poison to slowly weaken the turtle until it couldn't fight anymore.

As Krune mentioned, Ruik was really able to defeat the first two without significant issues. But the third one proved to be a big hurdle for him. It was then that Krune remembered.

'Oh, right! Ruik hadn't had the time to evolve his Spiritual Meridians into Elemental ones. No wonder he is already having trouble at this stage. Well, it doesn't matter. He can apply for the examination another time if he feels like it.'

Ruik was still able to defeat the third opponent three stages higher than him, but that was his limit at the moment. Krune and Feifei weren't surprised by this outcome, but Tiane had her eyes open wide! Ruik lost in the fourth battle and came out of the Illusion Formation.

Tiane couldn't help but think.

'Is this the power of the Myriad Energies Technique True Form? Once I'm back, I will focus on gathering spirit stones and create the Pseudo Energy Meridians with all my might!'

Thanks to the Wang Clan techniques, Tiane was confident in fighting against one or maybe two levels higher than herself. But she definitely wouldn't be able to jump three cultivation stages like Ruik. It was a big blow to her pride since she already found out how lazy that snake is.

Tiane wasn't the only one impressed. The examiner and the other contestants were also taken aback by how strong this double-headed snake is.

"Very good, you will get a good qualification and access to better reward missions in the system later. Make sure to keep the hard work."

Ruik nodded and went back to Krune's side.

"I guess this is my limit at the moment."

Krune shook his head.

"Once you get the Elemental Meridians, your combat power should increase a little bit more. Although you might not be able to defeat that last illusion, you definitely wouldn't lose that easy anymore. Not to mention that you also have to get used to your new realm. Still, you probably noticed that their concept of 'ordinary' is a lot higher than the Luvile Universe, right?"

Ruik nodded.

"Yes. If it was the Luvile Universe, I'm confident that I would be able to defeat an ordinary cultivator or demon beast 4 stages higher. But here, I lost almost instantly to their 4 stages higher 'ordinary.' In fact, I was quite luck against the demon beast 3 stages higher than me. If luck wasn't on my side, I could have totally lost. I reckon that my level at the moment is the same as an ordinary cultivator or demon beast 3 stages higher now."

There weren't many Core Formation Realm cultivators and demon beasts this time around, so after the 7th contestant, it was already Tiane's time.

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Before entering the illusion formation, Tiane looked at Ruik with a gloomy face. She knows her own power and is certain that she won't be able to defeat someone 3 stages higher than herself.

'Well, no point in keep thinking about it. Once I open the Spiritual Energy Meridians, this difference will disappear.'

As mentioned before, Tiane is at the 3rd Stage of the Core Formation Realm, so her first opponent was at the 4th stage.

Fortunately, it was as Tiane had predicted. She could still defeat someone one stage higher thanks to the Wang Clan techniques, which are top-notch in the Luvile Universe. As for the second opponent, it was a cultivator 2 stages above. Tiane had to go all out against this opponent, and even so, she could only barely defeat him. In the end, she stood no chance against the demon beast that appeared after the cultivator was done with.

Still, the examiner was quite pleased already, other than Ruik, Tiane was the only one to defeat more than a single opponent.

"Next, Wulia Feier."

Wulia Feier was the alias that everyone came up with. Krune didn't have to hide his name since the Sacred Lands don't know about his Advanced Major Core. But Feifei is different, they don't know if the Sacred Lands of the Luvile Universe can reach them here or not, so they decided for a different name for her.

Feifei entered the illusion formation and started her battle. As an Advanced Destiny Core owner, she obviously had an easy time predicting the opponent's moves. The only problem is that Feifei is already at the 8th stage of the Core Formation Realm. So after winning the first battle, the next enemy was already at the 1st Stage of the Divine Soul Realm!

One must remember that even though it is a single cultivation stage higher, the difference in realms can't be calculated in the same way. The Mission Hall also had rules for it. If you are at the peak of a realm, your test will be based not on defeating your opponent that is in the next, but how long you can fight against him. As long as you are able to hold for five minutes without fleeing or losing, you will be considered as someone who can fight those of a higher realm. Of course, if you defeated your opponent, that will be even better!

Feifei's opponent was an Ice Swan. Considering the ordinary level of attack power in the Dalin Universe, the swan was obviously stronger than what Feifei was used to see. Still, Feifei had already opened her Spiritual Energy Meridians and evolved it to the Elemental ones. With her Advanced Destiny Major Core, she was still able to defeat it.

There was also another reason for Feifei's improvement in combat prowess. That was the projection of the past Advanced Destiny Major Core Heavenly Fragment. Thanks to that, Feifei's prediction ability improved by leaps and bounds before she exited the Dimensional Realm!

The people outside were taken aback by that result, and the examiner's eyes lit up!

"A good seed! She probably has a Major Core. It had been a few years since a Major Core came to our branch, it's good to be able to see one again."

Feifei's next opponent was a cultivator at the 2ns Stage of the Divine Soul Realm. Fortunately, Feifei didn't use much Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy in the last fight, so she could battle this 2nd Stage Divine Soul Realm. Still, it was not easy to jump into another realm to fight on equal grounds. So even if Feifei could predict the opponent's movement, she had a hard time dodging and attacking.

In the end, the battle dured over 30 minutes. Feifei was still able to defeat her opponent, but that was at a high cost. Feifei could be said to be almost dead at the moment. Of course, that is just her appearance inside the Illusion Formation. Outside, she was completely fine.

Feifei didn't even wait for the next opponent to appear before leaving the formation. There was no way that she could battle anymore. In fact, she is pretty sure that she wouldn't win even if she was at her peak condition. The difference in cultivation is just too big. Even the previous victory might not happen again if she tried once more.

The examiner looked at Feifei excited. The stronger the branch's members, the more resources it gets from the headquarters. Someone like Feifei is sure to give the branch a good boost.

"Next, Krune."

The examiner had already noticed that Krune's group were all able to fight at least 2 stages higher than themselves, and the same could be said by the other contestants. When Krune came forward to enter the illusion formation, all eyes were on him to see just how well he would perform.

Krune, of course, felt that to be very annoying. Still, he also decided to put some effort into this test. The only thing that he won't do for now is to change into his wisp form. He isn't sure about the wisps standing in this Universe, so it is better to prevent problems if it is possible.

The first opponent appeared, and the landscape changed with it. It was a Demon Mantis at the 5th Stage of the Core Formation Real. The field became a forest where the Mantis could make the best use of its abilities. Unfortunately for it, his opponent was Krune. The moment that the Mantis charged in Krunes direction, its head suddenly fell.

It turns out that Krune used a simple wind blade that was summoned from behind it. With Krune's powerful Divine Sense, Soul Power, Advanced Elemental Core, and his Elemental meridians, his attack range was second to none in this place.

Outside, the examiner and the other contestants gasped. It was too fast! The battle didn't last for even a second, and it was already over. Krune didn't even move from his place to get it done. It was as if it wasn't Krune who attacked, but some other existence instead.

The second opponent appeared, and it was once more a demon beast. This time, the field changed into an ocean again, and the opponent was a Horned Demon Shark. The Shark didn't charge at Krune straight away. Instead, it tried to use the environment in its favor to catch Krune off guard. Unfortunately for it, that was useless.

Krune body started to give some electrical spark and suddenly.

Boom!

The area three hundred meters around Krune became a field of Blue Lightning! That's right, Krune didn't even use his Tribulation Lightning this time, but just the normal one. The Shark couldn't resist the electrical current inside its body and passed out almost immediately. Although this battle took a little longer to finish, it was primarily because Krune had to accumulate enough Spiritual and Elemental Energy to make that discharge.

The third opponent was already at the 7th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. This time, it was a cultivator with a bow in hands. It turns out that it was a cultivator specialized in long-range combat. He had good movement techniques, and his attacks were quite good. Too bad, though. He tried to play a long-range role in front of Krune.

None of the archer cultivator attacks could break Krune's defenses. In contrast, Krune's own long-range attacks finished the opponent almost instantly.

The examiner took a deep breath after seeing that. Until now, Krune hasn't moved a single step away from his starting position.

'Just what is wrong with his group? They must have come from the same background, and it seems that it wasn't a simple one either.'

Of course, such an event was more than welcome for him and his Mission Hall branch.

Krune's fourth opponent appeared with a cultivation at the 8th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. This time, Krune could few that if he stayed put, he would have to use more energy to defend than he wanted, so Krune opened distance on his own. As an excellent long-ranged attacker, Krune made sure to keep his distance while bombarding his opponent with his skills.

Sure enough, his opponent was not defeated immediately. If it was an ordinary cultivator of the Luvile Universe, Krune is confident that he would have already won. That was all, though. With his opponent not being able to get close and the damage increasing, it only took a minute or so for his opponent to fall.

'Indeed, their level is much higher here. Using my human form, I will need to put some effort if I want to defeat the next one.'

In the end, it was as Krune predicted. His next opponent was a lot stronger. Krune had to use quite a few good techniques, and even so, he could only get the upper hand. One must remember that Krune is fighting someone 5 stages higher than him now.

But there was a good thing, though. Krune still hasn't used his Hexagonal Flying Shields or Tribulation Lightning. Krune intends to keep them for when the Divine Soul Realm opponent appears.

His opponent, this time, was a Thunder Kaval. This is a type of Flying Demon Beast that looks like a vulture but had Blue feathers and one extra pair of wings. It's a demon beast that doesn't exist in the Luvile Universe but isn't too rare here in Dalin.

Thanks to its innate Lightning Element control, even Krune had a hard time hitting it. Of course, the opposite was the same. In fact, the Thunder Kaval was in a much worse condition since it hasn't hit Krune with one of its attacks even once!

The battle continued like that for over 10 minutes when finally, the Thunder Kaval received a fatal injury and fell from the sky.

Krune took a deep breath and looked at the Kaval that became specs of light.

'Divine Soul Realm. It will be my first time fighting this level head-on alone. Will it be a demon beast or a cultivator?'

Krune thought that he was ready for anything that might appear, but once he saw what it was, Krune was frozen on the spot!

'I must be hallucinanting!'

Not only him, Feifei, Tiane, and Ruik also had their mouths opened wide! Strangely enough, the only ones who seemed that surprised at the moment were Krune and his group. The other contestants and the examiner seemed to be fine as if there was nothing wrong with the race that appeared to test Krune this time.

Krune and his group couldn't help but think about the same question.

'Is that a wisp?'

But Krune didn't have time to think about it, that's because the wisp immediately started to launch a barrage of attacks. Not too surprisingly, that Divine Soul Realm wisp was also a long-ranged attacker. Of course, with its cultivation alone, most of its attacks were a lot more potent than the previous opponent.

Krune immediately activated his Tribulation Lightning movement and started to dodge. He might not be able to use it at full power output in human form, but it is definitely enough to at least keep himself in battle. Krune then brought out all his Hexagonal Flying Shields and was finally able to stand his ground.

The opponent attacks were an eye-opener for Krune, that's because it looked like the wisp was drawing out the spiritual energy that its body was made of. Krune had never tried anything like that before. Still, he could see that every time it happened, the wisp's core seemed to replenish the part that was used.

Only then did Krune understand the principle behind it.

'I'm such an idiot! I have always had so much extra and much easier to use spiritual energy, ready to be used, and I had never noticed it. My soul is inside my core, so my ethereal body isn't exactly that important. Now that I think about it, I have been hit on my core a few times before. Although it hurt when it happened, my ethereal body had never been affected. Not to mention that it had almost no use for the defense to start with.'

If not because Krune didn't want to show his wisp form, he would definitely try to do the same as his opponent.

Still, Krune was puzzled with the fact that the wisp had reached the Divine Soul Realm. As far as he knows, this illusion formation uses the ordinary level of the cultivation realm of the Universe. If there is a wisp here, it means that records of Divine Soul Realm wisps exist in this place.

'I will have to do research later. For a wisp to reach the Divine Soul Realm, there must be a reason for it here. Could it be a cultivation technique like mine?'

Krune finally stopped his thoughts and focused on the battle. It took some time to explain, but all his train of thoughts happened in just a little more than a second.

Krune then started to retaliate while making sure to protect himself with his Flying Shields.

"Tribulation Thunder Line!"

"Tribulation Blazing Wind Blades!"

"Myriad Tribulation Water Dragons!"

His opponent was just an illusion, so it had no emotions. That wisp used some attacks that looked remarkably like Krune's ones. Still, they didn't have the power of the Tribulation Lightning to increase the strength. Of course, as a Divine Soul Realm wisp, it was already enough to make Krune put his all on defense.

That wisp was really very much like Krune, it kept sending several long-ranged elemental attacks. Krune had to change the Elements imbued in his shields who knows how many times to counter the attacking element. Krune might have all his perks, but the difference in cultivation showed its face at this moment.

Outside, the examiner looked at Krune with puzzled eyes.

'That Lightning power is obviously the Tribulation type, but I've never heard about Purple Tribulation Lightning. Also, his Tribulation Lightning is much stronger than the common one, just how did he achieve this?'

There was another thing that he couldn't find an answer to.

'This Krune is at his limit on both attack and defense, so why isn't he going back to his true form? Demon Beasts in human forms usually are weaker. Could it be that he is an Ocean type demon beast or something like that?'

Krune didn't know what the examiner was thinking, but it didn't matter at the moment anyway.

'No holding back anymore. Although it will hurt my human body, I will have to bring the power of the Tribulation Lightning to higher output.'

"Tribulation Lightning, 80%!"

Krune and that wisp had been in a stalemate since the start of the battle. But now that Krune increased the Tribulation Lightning power in plus 30%, his attacks power surpassed the Divine Soul Realm wisp.

Speed, Strength, Elemental Control, Krune's overall combat prowess increased at that moment in exchange for damaging his human body. Of course, this is just an Illusion Formation. Krune's real human body is still fine outside it.

'This should be enough!'

The speed that Krune got hurt wasn't as fast as the wisp in the distance. Some of Krune's attacks started to hit its core one after another, and after not soo long, the wisp's core finally cracked. It wasn't enough to kill the wisp, but definitely enough to defeat it. The illusion Formation considered that the Divine Soul Realm wisp had no chance of victory anymore and immediately dispersed it.

Krune wasn't much better either, so he didn't even wait for the next opponent to appear before immediately exiting the Formation. He knows that for him to battle the 2nd Stage Divine Soul Realm, he would need to rely on his Wisp Form. Not to mention that he used a lot of Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy in the battle against the wisp, so his victory wouldn't be assured anyway.

Outside, the examiner looked at Krune's group as if they were a bunch of monsters! Still, he couldn't be happier with this outcome.

"Good! Those who have defeated at least one opponent can follow me to make the registration."

The examiner then looked at Krune and the others and smiled.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Rueter Kaves, I'm one of the examiners of this branch."

Krune and the others complimented Rueter and followed him. On their way to the registration office, Krune decided to ask the examiner about that wisp.

"Senior Rueter, that last opponent I fought against was a wisp, right?"

Rueter nodded.

"Yes, is there a problem? I can guarantee that the illusion formation did not make it stronger than it should."

Krune shook his head.

"That's not it. It's just that in the Universe we came from, wisps are extremely weak, and there is almost no one in its entirety that reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. So when I saw a Divine Soul Realm wisp, I was completely taken aback by that. Could it be that the wisps of the Dalin Universe are not like that?"

Rueter then explained.

"Oh, now that you said, I remember having read somewhere that wisps are quite a pitful race in other Universes. In fact, it could be said the same for our Dalin Universe. It's just that here they have a much better beginning. The reason for that is the much higher proximity of our Universe with its own heavens."

Krune was puzzled by that remark but knew that Rueter would explain to him.

"As you know, our Dalin Universe has much easier to understand Laws, and the overall concentration of Spiritual Energy is much higher than the others. It is because of this proximity that wisps have an easier time to cultivate here than anywhere else. Wisps are born from the Spiritual Energy from Heaven and Earth, so they do have a better connection to the heavens itself. Thanks to that, all wisps are born directly into the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

Krune and the others were taken aback!

"Directly into the Foundation Establishment Realm?!"

Rueter nodded.

"Some even have the luck to be already at the late stages of the Foundation Establishment. There are even some extremely rare cases of wisps being born directly into the Core Formation Realm. But those are as rare as phoenix feathers."

Rueter continued.

"Anyway, because they are already at a higher cultivation realm, they have the extra life span. That means that wisps in our Dalin Universe have at least 20 years of life span from the very start, different from outside where they have only 10. It gives them a lot more time to cultivate and the chance to fight for resources."

Krune then noticed something wrong.

"Wait! Didn't you say that the wisps are still considered a pitful race nonetheless?"

Rueter nodded.

"Yes. That's because even though wisps have better conditions here in the Dalin Universe, their greatest flaw still remains. Their life span is just too small! Because of that, they would usually reach the Core Formation Realm or, at most, the Divine Soul Realm. But as you know, the further in the path of cultivation, the harder it becomes, and higher is the time needed. Because of that, the biggest majority of wisps can only reach the Divine Soul Realm. As for Soul Forging, I've only heard about them before, but I have never seen one. Let alone a Void Breaking Realm one."

"Still, with the number of wisps that are born in this Universe due to its peculiarity, we have quite a few Divine Soul Realm ones. Too bad, though. Even at the Divine Soul Realm, they can only live at most 80 years. That is far from enough to surpass the Divine Soul Realm. Let's not forget that the wisps that enter the Divine Soul Realm usually are already in their thirties, so they have even less time."

Krune then sighed. For a second, he thought that the wisps in this realm had a cultivation technique just like him.

"Are wisps used as cultivation resources in this Universe as well?"

Rueter shook his head.

"In our Dalin Universe, the number of idiots that would damage their own foundation by using wisps is extremely low. Although I won't say that it doesn't happen, you will find it very hard to find someone who tried this foolish method."

Rueter then remembered something.

"Now that I think about it, there is a Planet called Wisp World where the majority of its inhabitants are wisps. Although you can find wisps everywhere, that place is where you will find the majority of the Divine Soul Realm wisps."

Rueter only talked this much because it was Krune's group. Otherwise, he wouldn't even pay attention to them. Still, he thought that Krune and the others were just curious, it had never passed through his mind the thought that Krune might be a wisp.

Krune, on the other hand, was pondering deeply about this situation.

'The wisps here have a much better starting line, not to mention that almost no one uses them as cultivation resource. Still, they are barred by the life span, and usually, Divine Soul Realm is the limit.'

Krune isn't idiot, his thought went much further than merely feeling excited that there was a lot of wisps with higher realm here.

'The power balance!'

This place is different from his home Universe. Although wisps aren't like humans or other common races, the Dalin Universe still has a lot of wisps since they aren't used as cultivation resources. Because of that, if Krune introduces the Myriad Wisps technique to them, there is no doubt that the wisp race power would explode in a very short time. It is different from the Luvile Universe, where the wisp race will need to gain its footing step by step.

It could be seen as a threat to the other races, and a mass wisp hunt might start because of that. That made Krune hesitate to whether he should spread his cultivation technique or not. Of course, he wanted to see that Planet at the very least.

'In the end, it might not only bring calamity to this Universe Wisp race, but also to me and the others. The wisps here still have their life span issue, but at least they aren't in a dangerous state. The only reason Rueter said that they are pitful is that they can't go too far in the cultivation path.'

Krune decided that for the moment, it would be better to refrain from intervening. First, he and his group need to cultivate and achieve a Realm where they can protect themselves. The Myriad Wisps Technique has already been spread in the Luvile Universe, and that's enough for now.

Of course, Krune could go to other weak Universes like his one to spread the technique. But for that, he will need to open the spatial gates for them. Obviously, neither he or Feifei are the least bit close to being able to do it. As for asking someone to do that, it doesn't seem a very realistic option since you need a Divinity Realm help. First of all, even if Krune could enter other weaker Universes now, how will he spread his technique with his Core Formation Realm?

'I will not do that before ascertaining the conditions of the wisp race here. After I get into the Divine Soul Realm, I will check if I can pay a visit to that Wisp World. Also, I will do some deep research during this time to see if I can predict the impact that my technique would bring.'

While Krune was thinking about all of that, his group had finally arrived at the registration office. The process was quite simple since there was no such thing as Stars Ranking, Krune's group got their qualifications and left around an hour later. Sure, his group was a rare gem in the eyes of this Mission Hall Branch. But considering the Geniuses that enter the Dalin Universe on a daily basis, Krune's group isn't particularly rare.

After they returned to the hotel, they ate their fill in the restaurant and returned to their rooms to cultivate.

The night passed, and on the next day, everyone left to do their own things. Of course, Krune had to kick Ruik once more for him to wake up. Ruik didn't have a side occupation, so the Mission Hall was the only place where he could make a living.

With a sleepy face, Ruik commented.

"I'm going ahead and do some missions. You guys can go and select any courtyard you like. Just send me the localization in the communicator device later. Oh, right! The mission will probably take a few days, so don't worry about me."

Krune gave Ruik a side glance and said.

"If I find out that you ran to a corner to sleep, you know what to expect once you are back, right?"

Ruik felt a chill on his back and immediately shook his head.

"I won't, don't worry."

Ruik then disappeared in the distance after saying that.

Krune just sighed and decided to not intervene for now. He would be able to see the results according to Ruik's cultivation improvement anyway. If that guy starts to fall behind Tiane, then we better be prepared.

Krune looked at Feifei and Tiane and asked.

"So, let's go find someplace to rent?"

The two girls nodded, and they asked around for information. It didn't take long before they arrived at a rental company's door. After entering there, they went to the counter where a female attendant was talking with another customer.

"Very well, then I shall go ahead and close the deal with that apartment's owner. I will send you a message through the communicator later once we get the contract ready."

The customer then exchanged a few more words with the attendant and left.

The female attendant noticed Krune's group waiting and asked them to come forward.

"Hello! My name is Yuka Xikin, and welcome to the Migge's Rental Office. Are you looking to rent or buy?"

Krune decided to leave it to Feifei and Tiane since he doesn't care too much about how the place looks like. He had long since noticed that females put a lot of importance to it, so it is better if he just tags along.

"Hi, I'm Wulia Feier. We are at first looking for a Courtyard with at least four rooms to rent. Can you show us some available? Also, we have Formations Maters in our group, so the owner must not mind if we put up our own Formations in the place. Another thing, we are not that rich, so we are looking for something not too expensive."

Yuka nodded and brought the group close to a big monitor in the room. There, she turned her communicator ON and connected it. After that, several images started to pass at very high speeds. Of course, as Core Formation Realm cultivators, Feifei and Tiane didn't lose any detail of what was shown to them.

"Those properties are the ones that match your preference. They are all in the City outskirts but have what you asked for. The monitor will keep passing the images for a while. Just pay attention to the number of the courtyard that you are interested in and tell me later."

Feifei and Tiane nodded while they were fully focused on the monitor in front of them. Yuka then returned to the counter since another customer had just arrived.

Krune already told them that he is fine with anything as long as it has enough space for them. Because of that, Tiane and Feifei were the only ones discussing what they saw with Divine Sense messages.

Around ten minutes later, the monitor finished passing the images. Feifei and Tiane then started a heated discussion about which ones to chose. In the end, they marked three numbers and passed it to Yuka.

"Very well, those are the prices and locations. Take a look and see if it fits your budget."

It turned out that all three weren't that bad both in localization and price. Of course, that is the case if you use the Dalin Universe standards. If you showed such a price back in the Luvile Universe, everyone would think that you are crazy!

In the end, Feifei and Tiane opted for a Courtyard that was quite close to both the Alchemist and Formations Mater Organizations. From what Krune heard, the design of the courtyard satisfied the girls very, very much. As for the price, it went for 1500 Rank 5 Spirit Stones per month.

Yuka received their request and said.

"Very well, give me one ID for me to include in the contract. If you want, I can include all the IDs together too. The minimal renting time is one year, and it can be extended indefinitely. The first three months have to be paid in advance."

Feifei nodded and gave the spirit stones over. They signed the contract after reading it and got the token that proved their rental. Krune's group then left after a few more words and went directly to that place. Since they had already seen the pictures, it wasn't hard to find. Once there, they used the token provided by the company and the simple detection formation protecting the place deactivated.

Feifei and Tiane were quite pleased with the place while Krune just looked around to see where is the kitchen. They soon selected a bedroom each and reunited in the living room. Krune then prepared some food, and they had their lunch together as well. Of course, Krune didn't forget to send the location of their new place to Ruik, who soon replied with an 'okay.'

Krune then said after they finished their lunch.

"I'm going to the Alchemist Organization to take a few jobs, what are you going to do?"

Feifei pondered a bit.

"We need the materials to remake the Formation Protecting the courtyard, so we are going with you since the Formations Master Organization is close to the Alchemist one. We can also take the chance to make the Formations Master test and see where we stand in this Universe."

Having decided what to do, Krune went back to the Alchemist Organization with Feifei and Tiane.

Once they got there, Feifei and Tiane left. Krune entered the Alchemist Branch and went directly to one of the private concoction rooms. The system wasn't much different from Kalin City. You could select the pills on the monitor that you wished to concoct, and any extra pills other than the number required were yours. The Organization taxed 10% of the Spirit Stones profit, though.

Krune didn't mind. With the price of the pill showed in the display, he simply couldn't complain at all.

'Other than profit, I want to improve my Alchemist Rank, so I better try some harder pills now and then. Also, I will use the Spirit Stones for cultivation. Putting everything together, I should first guarantee the profit, though. Anyway, I will only understand this place's concoction techniques after I try them out.'

Krune didn't know, but one person was paying close attention to his moves. He was obviously Ramon Forkin, the supervisor fo this Alchemist Organization Branch.

"Well, let's see what you are capable of during the next few months."

Report chapter

As time passed, things were getting agitated.

Back in the Luvile Universe, the Sacred lands were having talks with their own contacts through the Universes.

The first one to reach an agreement was the All Life Sect.

"Thank you, Kuley. We will send the payment today. When can our members enter the Dalin Universe?"

Kuley was the name of a Divinity Realm Demon Beast that lived in the Galec Universe. He had a lot of power, and allowing someone from outside the Galec Universe to enter the Dalin universe wasn't too hard. Of course, there were rules that he had to abide by if he did so.

"I can send them tomorrow. Remember, the highest cultivation I can allow to enter is Soul Forging Realm and only a middle stage at most. Also, they can only stay until they reach the Divine Path Realm. Once that happens, they will be sent back home."

Tika Tarkulie nodded.

"There is no need to worry. Well then, we paid for two slots, so we are sending one Soul Forging realm and one Divine Soul Realm. That shouldn't give you any issues with the management."

Kuley nodded.

"Good. You can simply send the payment over with the two kids that you want to enter. Once they get here, I will send them with the next batch that is entering in a week's time."

Tika Tarkulie agreed with the terms and the little spatial gate that was open for communication closed.

Together with her, there were another two girls.

One of them was the All Life Sect Advanced Life Major Core owner, Wamie Zark.

The other was a Soul Forging Realm cultivator called Gilia Mink.

"You two heard him. I will have the payment ready by the end of the day, and you two will be going together with it. Although the main objective is to take Feifei's Major Core Heavenly Fragment, it doesn't change the fact that this is a great opportunity for you two. That is the best Universe for cultivation that we know about. Since it will take at least 5 years before you are able to feel the localization of your target, make sure to cultivate properly during this time."

The two girls nodded and left the room to prepare for the travel.

Tika watched them leaving and couldn't help but think.

'It's not the first time that a Heavenly Fragment fight happens outside of our Universe. But this is definitely the first that we can't send any high-level cultivator or demon beast. Usually, the problems would be settled by the Divinity Realm experts. But this time, the Heavenly Fragment Owners can only count on themselves.'

Two days later, the Darkness Land was the next one to strike an agreement with the Uline Universe.

"As I told you, the rules are the same for the Universes in the alliance that takes care of the Dalin Universe. It doesn't matter how much you pay, the highest cultivation for outsiders is Soul Forging Realm Middle Stages. They can only stay until they reach the Divine Path Realm, and as soon as that happens, they will be sent back. Also, we can accept at most two kids."

Yamio Halas, the Darkness Land Master, agreed with those terms too.

"No problem, Juni, we already knew about the rules. We will be paying for both slots."

Juni was the representative of the Uline Universe and another Divinity Realm Expert.

"Very well, just send those two with the payment, and I will take care of rest."

The communication ceased after that.

Yamio then sent down his orders.

"Get Uer ready to depart. As for the Soul Forging Realm help, send Mino Jan with him. Only that guy will be able to deal with Uer's personality."

The other elders nodded, and a few left the room.

'So weird. Its the first time that our darkness land can't watch the development of the Heavenly Core Battle. I can't help but think something is not right. Just how did the Wang Clan get access to that Universe?'

Yamio had no idea that not only had they entered, but the Wang Clan and Divine Path Sect even sent 4 inside! Not to mention that they didn't pay a single Spirit Stone!

The last one to get a place was the Extreme Yin Yang palace through the Thakulo Universe connection.

"Haha! Lue Barcou, to think that you would need a favor from me so soon."

Lue Barcou, who is the Palace Master, had a gloomy expression on his face.

"Mirie, can't you forget about what happened? It's not like I'm not paying for sending my two kids over, right?"

Mirie was a female cultivator at the Divinity Realm from the Thakulo Universe. Also, it just so happens that Lue Barcou and her had some history together.

"Hmph! Fine! But are you sure you are not sending any Soul Forging Realm over? If you really send those two Heavenly Fragment Major Core owners at the Divine Soul Realm, the other Sacred Lands will probably be on the winning side."

Lue Barcou shook his head.

"There is no need to worry about that. If it is those two, I'm sure that the Soul Forging Realm that the other two Sacred Lands are sending will not be a problem. Besides, It will take quite a few years before all the Major Cores can feel each other. So they have plenty of time to cultivate in that place."

Mirie shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, they are not my kids, so it's not my problem anyway. Just send the items that I asked you with them when you are ready. Once they get here, I will arrange for those two to go with the next batch. I believe you already know the rules, right?"

Lue nodded.

"Yes, you don't need to worry about that."

Mirie continued.

"Very well. You own me one, Lue Barcou."

The communication ceased after that. Lue Barcou looked absent-minded for a few seconds and then sighed.

'Well, if everything goes as planned, it will be worth it.'

He then sent an order.

"Tell Rania and Hobek that the preparations are done. They will be departing tomorrow for the Thakulo Universe. From there, they will enter with the next batch into the Dalin Universe."

The subordinate in the room accepted the order.

"Yes, Palace Master!"

Back in the Dalin Universe, Krune was in the middle of concocting a new batch of pills.

'I see! When I used the extreme infusion this time, I lost control of the changes in the medicinal liquid. If I release the pressure of Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy and focus on controlling those changes, the synch level should go higher once again.'

The process went smoothly, and soon, the pills came out of the cauldron.

"Great!"

As soon as that pills appeared, Krune received an automatic message in his communicator.

"Congratulations! You have concocted a pill of a higher level than your alchemist rank. Please show the pill at your Alchemist Branch to have your Stars Level Qualification updated."

Krune felt even happier after that message. It confirmed that he really didn't fail this time around.

"It was the first time I tried this approach, so there is a lot of room for improvement."

Krune then sent the pills that the request showed back to the buyer and took the extra pill with him. Once he registers his new rank, he will have access to higher-level materials and offers.

At the same time, Ramon Forkin, the branch supervisor, received a message in his office.

"Hum? Oh! He advanced to the Three Silver Stars level, uh? Let's take a look at his pill."

He then sent a message to the alchemist that would check Krune's pill and had it sent over to his place. Once he tested it with his Divine Sense, he got quite satisfied.

"Indeed, it seems like he wasn't lying when he said that he had never tried the Extreme Infusion before. I can see the mistakes that a new user of this technique would make. Still, compared to the first pill that he made in the examination, the improvement is remarkable."

"Still, he had just started, so finding the main shortcomings of the Extreme Infusion is to be expected. He had been here for a week only, so I will keep watching you for the time being."

Ramon then sent the pill back, which was returned to Krune right after.

"Congratulations. We checked the pill, and it is indeed a Three Silver Stars level one. I already changed your qualifications in the system, so you should have access to better offers now."

Krune put the pill away and inquired.

"Thank you. By the way, I saw that the Alchemist Organization has a points reward system."

The attendant nodded.

"Indeed. There are several items that you can get through the reward system. Of course, you can buy them as well as long as you have the money. But I reckon that they would be cheaper if exchanged through the system."

Krune understood.

"Yes, I want to know how to accumulate points."

The attendant then said.

"It's very simple. Any extra pills that you make can be exchanged with points instead of keeping them for yourself. The total cost of your pills is definitely cheaper than the materials and cultivation resources you get."

Krune could see from where the Alchemist Organization is coming from.

"I see. To make an extra pill, the alchemists need to get a lot better at the concoction. It will force them to practice more and raise their ranks so that they can get more points."

The attendant nodded.

"Exactly."

Krune then took that extra pill out and a few more that he got but had no use for and gave it away.

"Take these ones and exchange for points for me, please."

The attendant was impressed with the number of pills. He knows that Krune was a Two Silver Stars Alchemist and that he joined the guild around a week ago. Not to mention that all the pills that Krune gave to him were at the Two Silver Stars Level too! It showed just how good of an alchemist Krune really is!

"Ve- Very well."

While the attendant was calculated the points, Krune told him.

"Just add it to my ID, I will go back to concoct more."

Once Krune returned to his room, he looked through the concoction list and thought.

"Even with all those pills, I'm probably far from getting enough points for that item. I guess it will take some time."

Report chapter

Time passed, and five months went by.

Feifei, Krune, and Tiane had been spending most of their time in their side occupations and cultivating. As for Ruik, since he didn't have a side occupation, he gathered his cultivation resources through the Mission Hall.

By now, Ruik had already finished evolving his Spiritual Energy Meridians into the Elemental ones. There is also the fact that the Spirit Stones that he gets here are of much higher rank than the ones he used in the Luvile Universe. Because of that, there was much more energy which then transformed into a higher speed of cultivation. Lastly, there is the battle experience that he accumulated through the missions.

With all that together, Ruik was successful in advancing into the 4th Stage of the Core Formation Realm.

Tiane started to practice the Myriad Energies Technique only after they arrived in this place, so it took her those same months to finish creating the Pseudo Meridians. After that, with the Spirit Stones that she got, Tiane focused on opening all the Spiritual Energy Meridians and finally evolving them into the Elemental Ones.

Still, it was only a few days ago that Tiane finished all of that, so her cultivation ended lagging behind. In the end, she only advanced a single stage, and that is because she was already close to entering the next one to start with. Now she was at the same level as Ruik, 4th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. She felt quite bad about it, so she started to put even more effort than before.

Krune was personally impressed with Ruik's improvement. It seemed like that Ruik's pride really took a shot when he first met Tiane. Otherwise, Krune believes that this snake would definitely have found a way or another to sleep somewhere.

Of course, Krune didn't show it on his face. Instead, he pressed Ruik even more.

"So what if you caught up to Tiane's cultivation? Aren't you already over 40 years old? Tiane isn't even 20 yet, and you are feeling proud of your accomplishments? Do you have no shame?!"

Ruik felt gloomy once more, but at the same time, his pride was fired up!

"Fine, you just wait!"

As for Krune, he didn't slack even a bit either.

His cultivation advanced to the 6th Stage already, and the elemental Regulation technique entered the middle Stage. As for his Alchemist Rank, Krune made a smooth advancement to the Five Silver Stars. In fact, Krune could have gone even further. But he also needed Spirit Stones, so he took a lot of orders where there was reasonable payment but gave no practical experience.

'I should have enough points for that item by the end of the week, once I get that, I will know if it is good for the Elemental Meridians too or not.'

The item that Krune was gathering Alchemist Points for was called Elemental Path Stone. It had several uses like strengthening the soul or being used directly as energy for cultivation. But Krune wasn't interested in those methods. What he interested in is that it is said that this stone can also be used to improve one's meridians.

Krune didn't know if it would work since the Myriad Energies Technique meridians are different from the normal ones. Still, he thought that it was worth a try. In the worst case, he could use it for cultivation too. As for the soul part, with his own Tribulation Lightning tempering, this use of the Elemental Path Stone wasn't that beneficial.

In Feifei and Tiane's case, they had their Formations Master Rank reduced by two levels each. There was no helping in it, the level of the Formation Masters in the Luvile Universe was just not on par with this one. Once the two girls finished the test to get their real qualifications, they found out that they were lagging quite far behind in knowledge and techniques.

In Tiane's case, she was just barely able to be accepted as a One Silver Star Formations Master. So after those five months of practice, Tiane was only able to improve her level by one while Feifei improved by two. Still, the jobs that Tiane and Feifei got had reasonable payments as well since everything here was expensive. Of course, the most profitable one had always been Alchemy since their demand is always high.

Another thing worth remembering is that Feifei was only able to go back to the Five Silver Stars level because of her Major Core. With that, she could predict the changes in the formation and deal with it. Otherwise, she probably would have advanced just a single level like Tiane.

Well, in fact, that was already terrifying in the eyes of the other members of the Formations Master Organization. Because of that, Feifei became quite famous in that Branch. Especially considering how young she is.

As for cultivation, Feifei was at the 8th Stage when she arrived, and now she almost at the peak of the 9th. One must remember that the higher the cultivation, the longer it takes to advance stages. So it is already excellent that Feifei achieved this level in just five months. Feifei also started to make arrangements to enter the Divine Soul Realm. Thus she was saving a lot of spirit stones.

Back in the Alchemist Organization Branch.

Krune was once more checking the price of the Elemental Path Stone when suddenly, he received a message in his communicator.

"The guild supervisor is calling you over, please go to his office once you get free."

Krune got puzzled with that message.

'Want to see me?'

Only now did Krune notice one thing.

'Now that I think about it, I don't even know who he is.'

Krune started to ponder if he had broken something again, but he couldn't recall anything like that. At least not since the Alchemist Qualification Test.

'Well, since I'm free at the moment anyway, I will go take a look to see what he wants.'

On the way, Krune ended meeting up with Yilio, the person who acted as the examiner in his test.

"Oh, hello!"

Yilio nodded back.

"It seems like you were also called by the Supervisor, right?"

Krune confirmed.

"Yes, although I don't know what he wants to talk about."

Yilio laughed a little and said.

"Don't worry, this is an excellent thing for you and me, but I will let the Supervisor talk about it."

Although Krune got puzzled again, he decided to wait to see what the Supervisor had to say.

Ramon was already there once they arrive.

"Hello. I guess this is our first time meeting each other, my name is Ramon Forkin."

Krune greeted him and waited to see what he had to say.

"Yilio already knows this, so it's basically Krune who I wish to pass this information."

"Krune, I would like to have you and Yilio to participate in the next solar system junior concoction championship."

Krune was surprised by that request.

"Me? But I'm just a new member and haven't participated in such a competition before."

Ramon shook his head.

"That's not a problem, the only requisites are that you can't be over 35 years of age, and be a member of our organization."

Krune, as always, still doesn't like to get attention.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any intention of participating in this competition. I'm the type that likes to keep a low profile."

Yilio heard that, and his mouth twitched.

"Is it something that the 'Crazy Alchemist' should say?"

Krune almost fainted after hearing that. After that event in the examination, everyone started to pay attention to him. Because of his rainbow hair and irises, there was no way he couldn't be recognized. With time, he began to be known as the 'Crazy Alchemist,' much for his displeasure.

That wasn't all. If it was just the event where Krune destroyed the examination room, the others would have forgotten about him already. But during these months, his number of requests accepted, points earned, and the 3 levels of improvement contributed to his famous image. So Krune wasn't regarded as 'Crazy' only because of the examination room event, but mainly because he was crazily charging up in the ranks. To advance 3 Silver Stars in just five months is unprecedented in their Alchemist Organization Branch!

Even Yilio, who was also considered a genius in alchemy, had only advanced a single rank during this time, being at Five Silver Stars at the moment.

Krune then looked at the Supervisor and said.

"Anyway, it's not like I wanted all this attention. But if I participate in this competition, it would get even worse, so I prefer to refrain from doing so."

Krune turned around and was just about to leave when suddenly, Ramon made a comment that made his steps froze in place.

"I know that you have been checking for the price of the Elemental Path Stone. What if I say that if you agree to participate, I will give it to you for free? That way, you can use your points in another item or get a second one."

Krune turned around and asked.

"Are you for real?"

Krune had been afraid that if the Elemental Path Stone didn't work, he would have spent his point for nothing. But if he can get one for free to test first, that would be the best! Krune then started to ponder whether he should accept it or not.

Ramon noticed Krune's struggle and decided to strike the iron while it was hot.

"In addition, I will give you an electronic token that will allow you to buy the items available in the reward system with a 20% discount."

Krune's eyes lit up!

"Deal!"

More important than his 'low profile life,' is his capital! The more he can save, the better it is!

Yilio, on the other hand, just shook his head.

'To think that an alchemist wouldn't want to participate in the competition. If the other members in the Branch hear about this, would they kill this guy straight away?'

Yilio couldn't help but feel that it was very likely.

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Ramon smiled and continued.

"Good! The competition is going to be held here in the Riren Planet in a City called Anach. You still have two weeks before we need to go there, so please prepare yourself well. Yilio is also under the age of 35, so he will participate together with you."

Yilio then got curious and asked.

"Oh, that's right! Since you accepted the invitation, it means that you are under 35 years old. But just how old are you at the moment?"

Krune was indeed under the age of 35, in fact, he is way below that.

"Oh, I'm 12 years old."

Yilio and Ramon opened their eyes wide!

"Are you making fun of us?"

Krune shook his head.

"I'm really 12 years old at the moment. Because my race doesn't have that much of a life span, it looks likes I am a few years older. But don't worry, my race reaches the adult mind around 3 years of age."

Yilio couldn't help but say.

"Adult mind at 3 years of age... Are you a wisp?"

Krune knew that hiding his race would be useless since there are bound to be several experts in this Alchemy Competition. If he stayed quiet in his corner, that wouldn't be necessary. But he really wants that Elemental Path Stone. Also, there is the fact that he knows that wisps don't need to be afraid of being used as cultivation resources in this place.

"Yes. Is it a problem that I'm a wisp? Could it be that wisps are forbidden from participating?"

Ramon immediately shook his head.

"Of course not, there are no restrictions to which race the participants are from. It's just that it is too sudden, I really didn't expect that you were part of the wisp race."

Krune let out a sigh of relief.

"There is another thing that I must ask. My identity has to be kept secret. I will use something to cover my hair and face, as well."

Ramon didn't mind it since there were a lot of junior alchemists that did the same during the competition. Their elders were afraid that they would be stolen by other branches, so the best way to keep them safe was to hide their identities. Yilio just so happens to be doing the same thing this time around. Until now, no one except the Branch supervisor and a few trusted subordinates knows about Yilio's attendance.

"That is not a problem, I will arrange for your name to not be displayed."

Krune was satisfied with that answer.

"Well, then, I will go back to my concoction room to take a few more orders. Let me know when you guys intend to travel to that city."

Once Krune left, Yilio couldn't help but say.

"There is indeed no rules saying that wisps can't participate. But is this okay to have a wisp taking part in it with their life spans? As you know, this is a competition for the Headquarters to reveal Alchemy Geniuses to be groomed in the future. But with Krune's life span, there would be no point even if he wins the competition."

Ramon nodded.

"Indeed, but that's why we have you too. Everyone thinks that you are at the Five Silver Stars Level, but we both know that you are already at the Seven. Krune will be a good distraction for the others to look into while you silent advance in the ranks. Who knows, he might go further enough in the competition to bring some glory to the Branch as well. I can simply say that we don't discriminate against other races, and no one will be able to say anything."

Yilio couldn't help but agree with Ramon.

"Now that you said that, it really is a good thing to have the attention to be away from me while we are in the first stages. But did you notice one thing? Krune is only 12 years old and is already at the Five Silver Stars level. To be honest, his talent is way higher than mine. Even if the old geezers ruling the competition don't want to spend anything on him, it might be a good idea for us to do so. After all, he is already at the 6th Stage of the Core Formation Realm. I have little doubt that he will become one of those Divine Soul Realm wisps, or maybe even one of the rarest Soul Forging Realm ones."

Ramon pondered a bit and then said.

"Let's see how he fares in the competition and depending on the results, I might as well go with your plan."

Yilio nodded and left the room. On his way back to his own room, he pondered about this issue.

'12 years old and already at the 6th stage of the Core Formation Realm, and he was only on the 4th stage 5 months ago. That's quite fast, even for a wisp.'

He continued to think about this issue all the way back.

'Perhaps, those Soul Forging Realm wisps that I heard about were like this as well. Anyway, this is not my problem, so I better focus on my concoction for the moment. I'm very close to reaching the 8 Silver Stars Level. If I succeed in it before the competition, I might really have a shot at the championship.'

Yilio closed the door behind and decided to seclude himself for the next two weeks.

Krune was also back to his room.

"Hum... As far as I know, it shouldn't be a problem to say that I'm a wisp. The research that I made after that examination proved that the wisps really have it quite easy here. Their only issue is their life span, and that's basically it. Of course, they are also looked down upon since they can't go too far into the cultivation path. But it isn't exactly a threat to their safety."

Krune decided that there was no need to overthink it and went back to work.

That same day at night, Krune discussed what happened with Feifei and Tiane. Ruik was out in a mission again, so he wouldn't be back for the next few days.

When Feifei and Tiane heard that, they looked at each other surprised.

"You too?"

Krune was taken aback by that.

"What do you mean by that?"

Feifei then said.

"I, too, received an invite of the Formations Master Organization to participate in the junior formations master championship. Also, it just so happens to be on the same day and city as your Alchemist one."

Krune couldn't help but ask.

"Did you accept?"

Feifei nodded.

"At first, I wanted to refuse since I don't want my face appearing everywhere. But the Branch Supervisor was very annoying about it. In the end, I made a deal with him. I would participate as long as my identity and face weren't revealed. He even gave me a temporary face changing pill to use."

Krune laughed a little.

"It is the same with me, I also asked to not have my identity being disclosed. Although the Sacred Lands aren't after me, they definitely should have found out that I disappeared from the Divine Path Sect. If they aren't idiots, they will be able to connect the dots. So concealing our faces and identities is the best for now."

Feifei agreed with him.

"Very well."

Krune then changed the topic.

"Anyway, let's eat something first, and we can talk more later."

Krune then went to the kitchen to prepare the food.

A few days later, Ruik had just finished another mission. When he returned to the Mission Hall branch, quite a few eyes were glued at him.

"Isn't him that Two-Headed Snake? I heard that all the missions he takes are always far above his cultivation level. Still, he always completes it without a problem."

"Yes. No one understands why Ruik is so strong since his race is nothing exceptional. The fact that he can jump at least three cultivation stages to fight is frightening."

"Could it be that he bought one of those extremely expensive cultivation techniques and skills? Still, where would he have found the money for that?"

Ruik heard some of them, but his face didn't change outside. Yes, outside! Because on the inside, the story was completely different.

'Haha! That's exactly it! I, your grandfather, am strong! As long as Krune or Feifei don't appear to make missions, I will be the star of the Core Formation Realm in this Branch. Such a great feeling! Tiane, you just wait! Now that this grandfather is putting the effort, your destiny is to fall far behind the great Ruik in cultivation!'

Ruik then handed over the report of the mission. In fact, this is just to make things more formal since the contractor would always contact the Branch to tell if the task was completed or not.

The receptionist took a look and nodded.

"Excellent, another well-accomplished mission. The average level of this mission is for those at the 7th stage of the Core Formation Realm. Since you are three stages behind, you will get a 30% bonus in the Mission Hall reward system."

The attendant then passed a spatial ring over.

"Also, here are the Spiritual Stones payment from the client after the tax reductions. Please confirm that the number is correct."

Ruik checked the amount and nodded his head.

"It's correct."

He then turned around and started to make his way to the exit. At the same time, he kept his 'cool' instance, which he had built his image in the Branch. Of course, if Krune was here, he would probably laugh out loud seeing this.

Just as Ruik was about to leave, someone called him from behind.

"Ruik, wait. I need to talk with you."

Ruik turned around and saw a young woman. Still, he knew it was just the appearance since he couldn't feel her cultivation. That meant that she was probably way older than it seemed.

"Do I know you?"

The woman's mouth twitched.

"Shouldn't you at least know your Branch Supervisor's face?"

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Ruik indeed didn't put much thought on it.

"I see... Now that I think about it, I don't know your name either."

The Supervisor felt like giving Ruik a beating but held herself back.

"Anyway, come with me. I need to talk to you."

Ruik didn't have anything else to do at the moment, so he followed the Supervisor into her office.

"First of all, my name is Tarsa Fila, the supervisor of this branch of the Mission Hall."

Ruik introduced himself as well.

"I'm Ruik, but you know that already."

Tarsa nodded and went direct to the point.

"The thing is, for someone of your cultivation, the missions that you have been doing are all far higher in level. Still, you are having no problem in completing them. For you and the Mission Hall, this is obviously a good thing, but there is a problem. You are a Two-Headed Demon Sneak, right?"

Ruik nodded.

Tarsa then continued.

"The issue is, our Riren Planet has a Snake Clan, which is quite famous. There several types of Snake demon beasts that receive the best treatment, missions, techniques, etc. They have noticed your presence and your combat power, so they probably will want you to join their clan."

Ruik was taken aback. The majority of snake species are solitary by nature. If Krune hadn't come to him on that day years ago, Ruik would definitely be living alone until now. So it impressed him that the snakes created a clan for themselves. But that wasn't the issue at the moment.

"It doesn't matter how good my talent is, I'm still in the Core Formation Realm. Why would this Snake Clan even pay attention to me?"

Ruik felt like something was fishy.

Tarsa explained.

"That I don't know, but I believe that talent is welcome doesn't matter which realm they are. Now, the problem is the fact that they will definitely ask for you to leave the Mission Hall and go live in their clan territory. As you can imagine, losing good talents is bad for my Branch too. But if I didn't contact you, they would do so sooner or later, so I might as well tell you everything."

Tarsa continued.

"Also, they are quite wealthy, so things like cultivation resources or whatever won't be a problem for you anymore. They are the type that thinks about it as a long time investment."

In Ruik's eyes, whether he is part of the Mission Hall or the Snake Clan doesn't matter much for him. As long as this Snake Clan could provide him the resources for his cultivation, that would be fine. The problem is that once he joins this so-called Snake Clan, he probably will be bound to it somehow. Losing his freedom is something that Ruik doesn't want to happen.

"If I'm not wrong, I will be attached to them and will have to follow their orders if I want all of those benefits, right?"

Tarsa confirmed.

"Probably."

Ruik didn't have to think much to know his answer.

Also, another issue is that he is supposed to be the 'Rainbow Sect Sect Master,' so he can't simply join another organization. Although he feels like it is troublesome, the fact is that Ruik always liked his position. He really expects to one day return to the Luvile Universe and shows how 'amazing' he had become. He even dreamed about such a scenario before!

"Hum... You don't need to worry since I don't have any plans to lose my freedom. So if they appear making this request, just tell them that I'm happy with their offer, but I have no intention of joining any Clan at the moment."

Tarsa heard that and let out a sigh of relief. Although Ruik's realm is quite low at the moment, she believes that he will enter far higher realms in the future. Since he is registered in her Branch, it will be her and her Branch's glory.

"Very good. But like I said, the snake clan didn't ask me to invite you, I'm just informing you according to what I know. That means that they will look for you at some point."

Ruik heard that and asked.

"Will they try to force the issue?"

Tarsa shook her head.

"I don't think so since we have rules to be followed. But that doesn't mean that they won't try some other methods."

Ruik pondered a bit and then nodded.

"Alright. Overthinking about it now won't help. I will see what happens once they show before me. Thanks for the advice."

Tarsa then asked another thing.

"Now that it is dealt with, I want to ask you about Wulia Feier and Krune. They have combat power higher than yours, but they have never done a single mission ever since they got their qualification. What happened to them?"

Ruik wasn't surprised by that question. If anything, he was wondering why it took so long for her to ask it.

"Krune is an alchemist while Feier is a Formations Master. Both of them are at the Silver Stars level, so they don't need to do missions to get the Spirit Stones needed. They had made the Mission Hall test basically because they might need something from it in the future. Still, they will probably come soon since only cultivation alone isn't good."

Tarsa nodded and didn't say anything else.

Ruik then returned home and found out that Krune, Feifei, and Tiane were eating.

"Oh! I arrived at the right time."

Krune looked at Ruik and then pointed at the pot.

"There is quite a lot of food, just take as much as you want."

Ruik nodded and then took some food too. After finish eating, he took the chance to tell what happened today in the Mission Hall.

"Snake Clan? Aren't snakes solitary demon beasts in general?"

Krune asked.

Ruik then laughed since that was also his first thought.

"Right? I also thought about that. Anyway, I won't be joining them since I don't want to lose my freedom."

Krune then added.

"Well, they probably think you have some heaven-defying talent. So chances are that you will also be used for breeding. Haha!"

Ruik felt a chill on his back, only now did he think about that possibility. If there is one thing that he doesn't want at the moment, that is to have a family. Especially when it comes around in such a process.

"Now, I'm even more certain that I don't want to join them. If I see someone from their clan, I will run as fast as possible!"

Everyone started to laugh out loud after hearing that.

Ruik felt gloomy again, but that also reminded him about another thing.

"Talking about family, how come you and Feifei are still sleeping in separated rooms? Shouldn't you two be enjoying your time together instead? I'm still very curious to know how a child of a wisp and a human looks like."

Feifei and Krune immediately smile froze on their face. Ruik's counter-attack was very effective! Even Tiane felt a little embarrassed with such a question.

"Cough, cough. It isn't the time to think about something like that, we are still young and have a long way ahead of us. Right, Feifei?"

Feifei immediately nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes! It's too early, very, very early!"

In fact, when Krune and Feifei returned home and Tiane wasn't around, they liked to be quite lovey-dovey. Still, they won't let those two know about it. Too bad, though. For Tiane, their real actions are as clear as day for her. Of course, Feifei and Krune haven't crossed that last 'line...' yet.

It was at this moment that Ruik noticed that he stepped on gold this day!

"Is that so? Well, I will let it slide for now, but don't think that I will forget about it."

Sometime later, Krune warned Ruik.

"Still, you better be careful with this snake clan or whatever. If something happens, just send me a message."

It was then that Krune thought about something else.

"Oh, right! Feifei and I are going to participate in the Alchemist and Formations Master competition that will happen in Anach. Tiane will be following to cheer for us, will you come too?"

Ruik pondered a bit about it. He had just come back from a mission, so it would be good to relax a little. He might as well use those competition days to sleep, which would be great.

"Sure, when is it happening?"

Krune could pretty much guess what Ruik was really thinking, but he didn't mind since Ruik had been advancing a lot in cultivation in the last few months.

"We received the news a few days ago, so there is still a week before it takes place."

Ruik nodded, and everyone talked about it for a while. Later, just as everyone was about to return to their own rooms, Ruik asked them something else.

"Now that I think about the Mission Hall, aren't you three going to do any missions? The Supervisor was asking why neither of you showed your faces. As you know, you can't rely only on cultivation alone, right? You need to go out to and do some battle so that you can get used to your levels."

Krune and Feifei nodded.

"We were already thinking about that too, especially Feifei, since she is close to the Divine Soul Realm. We are going to look for a good one once we return from the competitions. Now that you said, we might go together."

Tiane heard that and immediately shook her head.

"I won't be going with you, a mission that can give you or Feifei a challenge isn't something I can deal with. I'm planning to take another one around my own level. I believe I will get more experience like that."

Ruik then said.

"Oh, then let's go together. We are both at the 4th stage of the Core Formation Realm anyway. Not to mention that I know that Mission Hall quite well, so I can take a good mission for us. So far, I've been doing only solo missions, so it will be good to change a little."

Tiane immediately replied.

"No need, I don't want you to get in my way."

Ruik heard that but didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled playfully.

"Oh, I see. Because I caught you in cultivation, you are afraid of showing how weak you are in front of me at the same level. It's okay, it's okay. The great Ruik understands."

Tiane's pride immediately got a painful hit since it is true that she had been paying attention to Ruik's improvement.

"Hmph! Very well, let me show the difference between a lazy snake and a demon crow who had been putting the effort ever since she got sentience."

Krune and Feifei, on the other hand, just sighed and shook their heads. Tiane and Ruik had never been on friendly terms with each other to start with, so they decided that they might as well not meddle between those two.

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Krune decided to use the last few days to raise his alchemist rank. As mentioned before, he could have gone further than Five Silver Stars, but he focused on high payment first. Now that he is focused on trying harder pills, his alchemist skills started to grow at high speed. Not to mention that it has been over a month since he entered the Five Silver Stars level, so he was already used to it.

'Hum... This one was very close to Six Silver Stars level, but I messed in a few places during the concoction. Still, I should be able to reach the Six Silver Stars in my next few batches if I fix some of the points. Let's try it out.'

Although Krune thought that, it wasn't that easy to get it right. There were a few times that he got some of those points fixed but messed with others that were right before. It wasn't exactly his fault, it was just the law of cause and effect. By fixing a method, another one that was working didn't go as expected anymore. Krune needed to find the balance between each other so that they would come out okay.

In the end, Krune had to work on another 15 batches of pills until he finally broke the final barrier and entered the Six Silver Stars level. Once again, his communicator received a message congratulating him for creating a Pill above his level. That was the proof of his success.

'Finally done. Just two days before we departed. Let's bring the pill out to be checked and then spent some time getting used to my new level.'

At the same time, Feifei was going through a similar process in the Formations Master Organization Branch. The Formations Master test is different from the Alchemist one, where you only had to show the pill that you had concocted. Every time Feifei, Tiane, or anyone else wanted to have their Star Rank raised, they had to build a Formation in front of the examiners.

Other members of the Organization were also watching since it was suitable for their own training. Even Feifei herself had observed other Formation Masters during their tests, which helped her a lot in the past. Because Feifei is quite young and had been improving so fast, she was quite famous between this Branch's members, especially men.

"She is already trying the Six Silver Stars test. Wasn't her a Three Silver Stars Formations Master around 5 months ago?"

"Exactly, Wulia Feier is so talented in formations that even the Supervisor is putting a lot of effort into teaching here in the few last weeks. It seems like she will be participating in the Junior Formations Master competition in Anach too. I believe Supervisor Hulio is expecting her to get some experience."

"I see, but won't it instead backfire on him? What if the other bigger branches try to steel her with better offers? She might not have the highest rank between our members in this competition, but she definitely has the highest talent considering her age."

"That is a problem for Hulio to resolve. Still, if he asked her to participate, he probably has a plan to keep her in here. If I'm not wrong, he will probably have her join under an Alias and change her appearance. So other than the members of our Branch and our Solar System Headquarters, no one else will know her real identity and face. The Branch that she is from will also not be displayed."

"I see, now that I think about it, quite a few do that during the competition. Let's hope that everything goes well."

"Exactly. There is no risk of anyone of our Branch leaking this information either. After all, no one is idiot enough to buy a fight with the Formations Master Organization for no reason. The Headquarters is extremely strict with their rules."

Feifei was oblivious to such conversations since she was entirely focused on the formation under her.

'The northwest side in getting in conflict with the inner core, I have to rearrange the connections from the two ends;

The flow of spiritual energy of the southern border is getting out of synch with the northern one. Maybe I should use another material to reinforce its balance;

I used too much Elemental Source Energy in the outer core, I need to compensate it somehow.'

Thanks to the Destiny Major Core, Feifei was being able to see where the problems would occur even before it happened. Thanks to that, she could build counter-measures in time to prevent the formation from being ruined.

Around one hour later, Feifei wiped the sweat on her forehead and stood up. The trapping fog formation that she was building was finally completed!

The examiners watching it then said.

"Alright, give us the key to the formation and activate it, we need to check the level from outside and inside."

Feifei did as they asked and activated the formation. It soon came to life, and the fog started to spread around the structure. Some of the examiners entered it with the key, while others stayed outside to observe. Around ten minutes later, they deactivated the formation and started to examine the formation composition. Not too long after, one of the examiners smiled and said.

"Congratulations, this is a real Six Silver Stars Trapping Fog Formation, you can go to the office later and apply for your qualifications to be raised. I'm looking forward to what you will achieve in the Junoir Formations Master competition."

Feifei felt quite happy! Even with her Destiny Major Core help, she wasn't sure if she had succeeded or not. There were just too many components that she needed to pay attention to individually. If she had the time, she could read the destiny energy and find the answer, but that would take too long. It was a lot faster to let the examiners test it by themselves. Not to mention that Feifei doesn't like to see the future unless it is something necessary.

Later, she received a video call from the Hulio Gokin, the Branch Supervisor.

"I already arranged your entrance to the competition, so you just need to go to Anach City and talk with the members there who are organizing it. Come to my office later to take a token, just give it to them, and they will know what to do. Don't forget that if you want to hide your identity, you should use the appearance change pill I gave you previously before departing."

Feifei nodded to the Supervisor on the other side of the video call.

"Thanks, Supervisor Hulio. I will do my best in the competition, so don't forget about our deal. I will participate, and you will give me that all-time discount token."

Hulio laughed and nodded. That was part of the deal that Feifei made with him to participate in the competition. One was to have her identity not being displayed, the other was to give an all-time discount token for all the items available in the Formations Master Organization Branch. Just like Krune, Feifei also had several things from there that she wanted, so she convinced Hulio about it.

"As long as you don't fare too bad in the competition, it will definitely be yours. Don't forget that Julian and Binou will be participating as well, so you can count on them if you need any help."

Feifei nodded. Julian Vian is a Seven Silver Stars Formations Master while Binou Rure is at the Eight Silver Stars level. There were others under 35 years old around the same Level as Feifei. Still, Fiefei was by far the youngest one, so Hulio wanted her to gain some experience this time around. What he was really relying on was the other two. Their talent isn't as big as Feifei's, but they were close to the age limit, so they had a lot of experience higher ranks.

'Well, from what I found from previous competitions, there is always some Eight or even Nine Silver Stars participants anyway. It will probably be impossible for me to get the championship. Still, I shouldn't do too bad as long as I put the effort.'

After that, Feifei met with Tiane, who had been watching her test. The two girls then left together to buy a few things.

Ruik didn't have much to do in this week before the competition, so he decided to go back to the Mission Hall and take an easy and fast mission to not waste time. Of course, it was exactly because he got a quick and easy task that he also found some places where he could stop to sleep. That snake will probably never change. Fortunately, Ruik was still back home the day before Krune and Feifei departed.

The day that they would be going to Anach finally arrived and the group went to the nearest long-distance teleport formation. Arriving there, a few members of the Alchemist, Formations Master, and other side occupation organizations were there already. The Alchemist and Formations Master competition weren't the only ones happening. There were also Blacksmith, Runestone Formations, and other competitions happening at the same time.

Feifei and Krune had already changed their appearance, so only the members of the Formations and Alchemist Organizations noticed them.

The Alchemist Organization side didn't think that there was anything strange. After all, there is nothing wrong with their members having a lover. But on the Formations Master Side, Julian and Binou narrowed their eyes. Both of them had been keeping an eye on Feifei, or better, Wulia Feier. So seeing someone else holding hands with her immediately affected their mood. Especially since they have no idea who this guy is.

Feifei knew that and had even told Krune about it before, but Krune's answer was straightforward to the point that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

That day, Krune looked at her and asked.

"Do you plan to leave me for one of them?"

Feifei just shook her head. Krune then smiled and said.

"Then why should I care?"

On one side, Feifei was happy that Krune trusted her that much. She couldn't see any sign of him being afraid of losing her. On the other, she was a little sad that he didn't show even a bit of jealousy. But now, they saw her with Krune, so she was curious about how things would play out. As mentioned before, if there is not a need for it, Feifei will not use her Divination abilities since she doesn't really like it.

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Read Is that a Wisp? Chapter 231 How old are you? online for free - AllNovelFull

Krune looked at those two and decided to talk himself.

"Hello, my name is Jolk."

As mentioned before, both Feifei and Krune would take part in this Competition, hiding their own identities. So Krune went with the name of a person he had met a long time ago.

Julian was just about to ask his relation with Feifei when suddenly, he noticed that Krune was using an Alchemist symbol on his clothes.

"Are you going to participate in the Alchemist's Junior Competition?"

Krune nodded.

"Yes, since both Formations Master and Alchemist competitions will happen in Anach, Feier and I decided to go together."

Binou, who had been just hearing, decided to go direct to the point.

"What's the relationship between you and Hana?"

Although Wulia Feier was Feifei's alias here in the Dalin Universe, only Krune's group knew about it. So for everyone else, her real identity is really Wulia Feier. Since she agreed to have her identity hidden in this Competition, she had to once again change her name, which is now Hana Feli.

Krune smiled and then said.

"I'm her fiance."

Krune said that without the least bit of embarrassment on his face. If he can say that even in front Wang Mei, let alone some weaklings around the same cultivation level as him.

Julian snorted and asked.

"Do you even have the qualifications to say that?"

Julian turned to Feifei and said.

"Hana, have you not noticed that he is a demon beast in human form? You shouldn't waste your time with someone like him."

Feifei narrowed and was just about to talk when suddenly, someone intervened.

"I don't know what your Formations Master Organization is thinking to talk like this with our members. Do you think that you are some big shit or anything like that? Why would a member of our Alchemist Organization not be worthy of this girl?"

The one who talked was surprisingly Yilio, the other member of the same Branch as Krune, who was participating in the Junior Alchemist Competition.

Julian looked at the new comer and couldn't recognize him. But it was different for Binou.

"Yilio, why are you getting involved in this? It has nothing to do with you."

Yilio looked at Binou and smiled.

"You are wrong, Binou. Jolk is a member of my Alchemist Branch, so it has everything to do with me. I might as well tell you this, although his Alchemist Rank is smaller than mine, his talent is definitely higher."

Binou was taken aback. He and Yilio had known each other for quite some time, so he knows that Yilio is quite a straightforward guy who didn't like to play around. If he said that Jolk has a higher talent than his, then it is most likely the truth.

"Since when did your Alchemist Branch have someone like him?"

Yilio laughed and answered.

"That is not for your concern. Besides, from what I can tell from this interaction, I can tell that your Formations Master Branch had also found someone interesting. Could it be that this girl is someone good at formations?"

Binou knew that there was no point in denying since Wulia Feier would also be taking part in their Formations Competition.

"Yes. Hana's situation is the same as your friend. Her rank is lower, but her talent far surpasses mine. That's why we don't want her to get involved with no one else other than the members of our Organization Branch. It should have been the same for you, too, don't you think?"

Feifei and Krune looked at each other and then laughed after hearing that. That puzzled both sides, though.

Feifei, or better, Hana was the first one to talk.

"If that's the case, I might as well leave the Formations Organization."

Krune followed right behind.

"Yeap, I won't mind leaving the Alchemist one either. After all, both side occupations are something that we are doing just to gather Spirit Stones. If to stay there, we need to go separate ways, we would rather leave the Organizations behind and think about something else to do."

Both Binou and Yilio were taken aback. They didn't know that Formation and Alchemy were worthy so little in their eyes. Julian, on the other hand, got nervous instead. If Wulia Feier decides to leave their Branch because of him, Supervisor Hulio will eat his heart alive!

Yilio didn't mind what Krune said since he wasn't against it from the very start. But Binou was different, and it would be quite troublesome to explain if Feier decided to leave the Branch out of nowhere.

Yilio looked at Krune, or better, Jolk, and said.

"Don't worry, whether you two get together or not means nothing to us. I just don't like how Binou said that you are not worthy of Hana."

Binou narrowed his eyes and said.

"Whatever, the Junior Formations Master Competition is close, so I won't bother with it for now."

He thought that since he and Wulia Feier are in the same Branch, he will have a lot of time to convince her to leave that guy called Jolk.

Julian also didn't have much to say and followed. Different from Binou, he really can't afford the consequences of Feier leaving their Branch.

When the two were gone, Krune looked at Yilio and said.

"Thank you for your help."

Yilio shook his head.

"Just make sure to concentrate on the Competition. I wasn't lying when I said that your talent is higher than mine, so I believe this is going to be a good experience for you."

Krune smiled and nodded.

The long-distance teleport formation is activated every three hours, so Krune and the others had to wait for it. When the time finally arrived, he and everyone else going to Anach stepped on it. With a flash of silver light, everyone disappeared.

In the center of Anach City, one of the various long-distance teleport formations activated, and soon after, Krune's group appeared with everyone else.

As soon as they arrived, Ramon was there to receive Krune and Yilio. As the Alchemist Branch Supervisor, he had to come earlier to complete the procedures for his participants.

"Oh, I see you brought some friends together. Are you three following Jolk?"

Feifei and Tiane shook their heads. Feifei then looked at Krune and said.

"I will be going ahead since my competition site is somewhere else. Tiane will be going with me, too. Once you get some time free, send me a message."

Krune nodded and looked at Ruik.

"Are you going with the two girls or coming with me?"

Ruik pondered a bit and decided to go with Krune for now. He was just here to watch the fun, so it didn't matter which one he followed.

Krune gave Feifei a kiss, and they went their separate ways.

Ramon, who was guiding everyone, asked Yilio about Feifei with a Divine Sense message. Yilio then explained the little bit that he knew, which surprised Ramon.

"Isn't Binou a member of that Formations Master Branch close to our building? If I'm not wrong, he is the one with the highest Formations Master Rank under 35 years old from that place. Did he really say that that girl has higher talent than him?"

Yilio nodded.

"I was also surprised. I've known Binou for quite a few years already, so I know that he is quite proud. For him to say something like that, this Hana girl must really have an astonishing talent for Formations. Of course, this means very little for our Alchemist Organization anyway."

Ramon nodded.

"Well, that is true. Anyway, as long as it doesn't impact your or Krune's performance, we have nothing to do with it. If anything, I'm quite happy to see that a wisp like him was able to conquer such a talented human girl. Haha!"

Krune didn't know about what Ramon and Yilio were talking about, nor did he care. His mind at the moment was only thinking about the Elemental Path Stone that he will get after all of this is over.

'I hope that that thing also works with my Elemental Meridians.'

After arriving at the Alchemist competition site, Ramon brought Krune and Yilio to apply for their working stations. During the Competition, you can only rely on your skills. All the materials, cauldrons, and any other working tool will be provided by the Solar System Alchemist Headquarters. That is to guarantee that everyone would be at the same level.

Ruik noticed that it would take some time and decided to go somewhere else.

"I already know where you will be staying, so I will pass by there this night. I will take a look around since I have nothing better to do."

Krune nodded, he indeed had no reason to keep Ruik close by anyway.

Since there were a lot of participants, Krune and Yilio had to wait with Ramon until their time for registration came.

One of the employees in charge of making the registrations then looked at Ramon's group and said.

"Next."

Ramon then brought Krune and Yilio forward.

"Name and Rank."

Yilio came forward first.

"Yilio, Eight Silver Stars Alchemist."

Ramon was surprised to hear that and asked with a Divine Sense message.

"Did you advance in rank?"

Yilio nodded.

"Yes, I was already very close to making a breakthrough. So I used the last two weeks to give the final push. Still, I just barely reached this level, so I'm not very confident in controlling this level."

Ramon shook his head.

"That is not a problem, the fact that you went up a level is a motive to celebrate anyway."

The employee then brought out something like a crystal ball and said.

"Put your hands on it for the age check."

Yilio followed the orders and put his hand on the ball.

-Core Formation Realm, 8th Stage. Bone Age, 33 Years old.-

The employee nodded and passed Yilio an electronic token.

"Your working station is the 5781st one. The Competition starts at 11 AM tomorrow, so be sure to be in your working station before that. Anyone late will be automatically disqualified."

Yilio nodded and returned to Ramon's side.

Krune was the next one.

"Jolk, Six Silver Stars Alchemist."

Krune then did the same thing as Yilio, but surprisingly, the information given was different.

-Core Formation Realm, 6th Stage. Bone Age, impossible to determine.-

The employee and everyone else around got puzzled.

Soon, Ramon understood the issue.

"Oh, right! You are a wisp, the bone age check doesn't work on you."

The employee also understood when he heard that, but he was still surprised to see that a wisp came to participate. He then took a blood contract out of his spatial ring and wrote a few things on it.

The contract simply stated that Krune had to tell the truth when he asks how old he is. There was no punishment written since it was just a truth test.

Krune understood. Since he isn't a Divine Soul Realm expert, blood contracts still worked. Krune signed it without thinking. The contract then burned down, and a seal was put on Krune's soul.

"Very well, how old are you?"

"I'm 12 years old."

Immediately, the other competitors went silent, the employees went silent, every single being who heard that went silent. The only exception was obviously Yilio and Ramon.

The seal on Krunes soul then disappeared right after, which proved that he was talking the truth since his contract terms were completed.

"Holy shit! A 12 years old Six Silver Stars Alchemist!"

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Krune looked at everyone and then said.

"It's because I'm a wisp, so I achieved my adult mind when I was 3 years old. Sure there is nothing to be so impressed about, right? If I count the time that I started learning alchemist, it has been over 8 years already."

Krune's words made everyone almost faint! The average level of the participants is between Four to Six Silver Stars. There are very few above that level in this Junior Competition. But the majority is already over 30 years old and had been practicing alchemy for at least 15 or more years.

But the fatal blow was still not done yet.

Yilio came forward and then commented.

"Come on, Jolk. There is no need to be modest. Did you forget that you were a Five Bronze Stars Alchemist five months ago? Your talent is a lot higher than you picture."

The surroundings once again went silent, and Krune was the one who almost passed out this time. He looked at Yilio and said.

"Can't you pretend that I don't exist?"

As for everyone else, they already gave up thinking. Some could still accept the fact that Krune took 8 years to reach the Six Silver Stars level. Although it would be frightening, they could agree that Krune, or better, Jolk advanced step by step to reach this level. But now, they found out that Krune went from a Five Bronze Stars to Six Silver stars in Five months!

"Now, I understand why my master said that there is always a higher mountain."

"Five months... Just five months... All the effort and sweat I put into alchemy, was it all for nothing?"

"Fortunately, this is my last Alchemist competition. The next one, I will be over 35 years old already. I wouldn't have the heart to compete against such a monster when that time comes."

"Indeed. Also, he is just a wisp. If he was from another race, I think I would kill myself right here and right now."

Ramon and Yilio smiled even more after hearing all the comments. Their plan was for Krune to get all the attention, and it seems like it was working pretty fine.

Krune, on the other hand, wanted to cry already. He quickly got his electronic token and swiftly left with the other two.

Some distance away, there was another alchemist that didn't seem to care that much.

"Seems like that guy's talent isn't that bad. Sadly, he is a wisp."

That guy's companion then snorted.

"Hmph! What does that have to do with us? We came here to fight for the top positions. Since he is still at the Six Silver Stars level, he isn't our match."

"You say that, but I noticed the change on your face when you heard about he being a Five Bronze Stars five months ago."

"So what? Just because they said that it doesn't mean that this is the truth. Let's go, it's our time for registration."

Those two guys are from another planet in the same solar system called Fakie. Their names were Dano Fassi and Ernely Qitian, also members of the Alchemist Organization, and strong candidates on top of that.

The two then went through the same process as Yilio and everyone else.

"Name and Rank."

"Dano Fassi, Peak Eight Silver Stars Alchemist."

Dano put his hands on the ball, and soon, the information appeared.

-Core Formation Realm, 7th Stage. 25 Years old.-

Quite a few felt shocked when they saw that. Of course, it wasn't as much as it was with Krune.

The employee quickly finished this guy registration and asked for the next one to come.

"Ernely Qitian, Nine Silver Stars Alchemist."

Ernely did the same thing after saying his name.

-Core Formation Realm, 8th Stage. 26 years old.-

Another wave of exclamation appeared. To be at the Nine Stars level while still far from 30 years of age shows how much talent Ernely has.

Dano and Ernely ignored everyone's eyes and left right after getting their electronic tokens.

Of course, they weren't the only ones who caught the participants' attention. Soon, more and more talented alchemists started to appear. That was to be expected. After all, this is the place where all the alchemists of the solar system gather to compete. It wouldn't make sense if just one or two high-level young alchemists appeared.

Still, so far, there wasn't a single Golden Stars Alchemist below 35 years old. The bottleneck between both levels wasn't something that could be broken that easily. The average age of the alchemists that enter the Golden Star level would usually be 100 years old. That shows just how difficult the Golden Star Level Bottleneck is to be surpassed.

Of course, there is always an exception now and then. This time, such an exception happened once more.

"Kaio Tirenia, One Golden Star Alchemist."

Finally, someone was able to get the entire place quiet once more after Krune. Kaio then proceeded to put his hand on the crystal ball.

-Divine Soul Realm, 1st Stage. 34 years old.-

The place went in an uproar after seeing that. Being at the Divine Soul Realm before 35 years of age wasn't anything especially difficult. So far, there had appeared one or another on this registration day. But a Golden Star Alchemist is another story altogether!

Don't look down on his close to the age limit for the competition. Kaio was the only golden star alchemist who appeared until now!

There is a reason why the Golden Star level is so hard to be attained. That is because one will need to have the grasp of laws! Yes, Golden Star Level alchemists must at least have some understanding of the laws. Of course, having some knowledge and fully understand are two completely different levels. Fortunately, if you can apply the little that you know about it into your pills, you at least have achieved the very first condition to become a Golden Star Alchemist.

Divine Soul Realm cultivators or demon beasts that can use a little of the laws are rare but not impossible to find. But those would usually be already at the late stages or at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm. Not to mention that they would also have much more than 35 years of age. Now a 1st Stage Divine Soul Real under 35 years old who can use laws? That is what the cultivation world calls talent! Of course, there is also the fact that we are in the Dalin Universe, where laws are a lot easier to be understood.

It is also worth remembering that usually, one only starts grasping laws in the Soul Forging Realm.

Kaio, too, took his electronic token and left right after.

Because it was still early, there were a lot of alchemists waiting for their time to register. In the end, due to the number of talents coming out this time around, another 2 Golden Stars Alchemists appeared.

One of them was a demon beast called Irken. Also a 1st Stage Divine Soul Realm and a Demon Purple Jellyfish.

As for the other one, it was a female cultivator called Xaia Lian. A 1st Stage of the Divine Soul Realm as well.

Everyone was impressed with the high level of the alchemists this time around, even the Solar System Headquarters wasn't different. It was already quite hard for a single Golden Star Alchemist under the age of 35 to appear here, let alone three!

As expected, the three of them were soon recognized as the three main candidates to get the first place in this Junior Alchemist competition. It went without saying that everyone was talking or thinking about those three. There were quite a few that were feeling depressed too, especially the Nine Silver Stars Alchemists. With those three into the play, it goes without saying that their hopes of getting the first place disappeared like smoke.

Well, everyone except for a certain wisp.

In a restaurant somewhere in Anach City.

"The taste is great! Waiter, would you mind if I talked with the chef? I would like to learn this recipe."

Who else could it be other than Krune? After he and Feifei finished the registration, they decided to go out to eat with Tiane and Ruik. Both Krune and Feifei didn't care that much about this competition, only the things that they would get after it as over. Golden Stars Alchemist? Golden Stars Formations Master? What are those? We don't care!

Ruik looked at Krune and rebuked.

"Can't you stop being so shameless? If they start giving their recipes to everyone who appears, wouldn't that impact their own business? Think a little before talking."

Feifei, on the other hand, didn't mind.

"It's okay, Krune will probably pay for it anyway. Besides, it means that our food menu at home will increase once more."

Tiane sighed after hearing that.

"Feifei, your taste for food changed quite a little after you two got together, no?"

Feifei nodded.

"Once you get used to eating his food every day, you can't help but take a liking for it. Didn't you notice that you also don't eat just anything anymore? You always wait for us to get back home so that we can eat together."

Tiane sighed once more since she can't deny that. She, too, got used to how tasty Krune's food is and feels like something would not be right if she doesn't get her piece once a day.

Krune, of course, ignored everyone and kept insisting on talking with the chef. In the end, the restaurant boss agreed to it for a price, but he had to wait for when the rush time was over.

A few hours later, Krune left the restaurant with a big smile on his face. It was evident that this wisp was in an excellent mood.

"Finally, there was some use for coming to Anach City this time around."

Alchemist competition? What is that? Compared with the new food recipes he got this time around, that Junior Alchemist Competition can go to hell!

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With Krune's group caring little for the competition, the next day soon arrived.

Ruik decided to tag along with Krune once more to take a look. His reason was quite simple too.

"I understand almost nothing of both your side occupations, so I might as well go see the one the smells the best."

Medicinal herbs did have a pleasant smell when concocted properly. Since there were only geniuses this time around, Ruik wasn't wrong in saying that they would give quite a pleasant aroma.

Krune and the other felt like crying but had no tears.

Tiane, of course, followed Feifei instead. They bid their farewells and parted ways there.

After arriving in the Alchemist Competition site, Krune went directly to his working station, the 7359th one.

'Hum... It seems like everything I need is really here. Oh! The quality of the herbs listed in the system is quite high too, guess I can use more energy this time. There are a few types of cauldrons as well, this should be enough for me and everyone else to work.'

Suddenly, Krune noticed that a lot of the alchemists were looking in his direction. For a second, he thought that he had done something to catch everyone's attention again. But when he paid a little more attention, he noticed that they weren't looking at him, but the guy in the next workstation.

It turned out that Krune was placed right beside Kaio Tirenia, one of the Three alchemists in the Junior Competition at the Golden Stars level. Of course, Krune had no idea about who this guy was since he didn't pay attention to the commotion the day prior.

'Could he be someone famous?'

Still, Krune soon put those thoughts on the back of his mind.

'Whatever. If he can grab all the attention for himself, that will be for the best. I won't need to worry about having a lot of eyes on me anymore.'

Without Kaio knowing, he became Krune's scapegoat for the sake of his low profile life.

Alchemists arrived one by one, and soon, the place a full of them, and it didn't take long for the competition start time to come either. The place was enormous, and at the front, one could see the stage. Of course, because each alchemist needed a working station, a lot of them ended being way too far from it. To deal with this problem, several big monitors were put everywhere on the site.

Soon, an elder of the Solar System Alchemist Headquarters went up and started to talk.

"Welcome, everyone. My name is Palo Yiag, a member of the Solar System Alchemist Headquarters. I will be one of the examiners of our once in a 5 years Junior Alchemist Competition. I believe you all read the rules already, but I will talk a little about it just to keep the protocol."

"As you can see, we have way too many alchemists, 11238, to be more specific. Because of that, we need to first go through an elimination phase. In the end, only 1000 will remain."

"The first phase will be alchemist knowledge. Whats is the point of having talent if you don't even know what to do? That's what this test is for. Everyone should have a terminal in their own working stations, and there is where you will receive all the questions. It will go from knowledge about herbs all the way to concoction methods. The first 1000 best results will advance into the second phase."

Krune heard that, and his eyes lit up! He might not be the highest rank alchemist around here. Still, if they are talking about pure knowledge, he is confident of getting an excellent position in the end.

Palo then showed a serious face and said.

"I believe there is no need to tell that we are going to keep our Divine Senses on all of you. So if we get anyone cheating, you will be immediately eliminated and also expelled from the Alchemist Organization. Well, that is just the first part. As for what else we are going to do with the cheaters after that, I will keep it a secret so that they can enjoy the experience more thoroughly."

Some of the alchemists felt a chill on their backs. There had been one or another that really thought about trying something like using their communicators to find the answer. But with so many high-level Divine Senses around them, the majority immediately gave up the idea.

Palo then continued.

"The second phase consists of a simple task that all alchemists must go through. The medicinal properties extraction and impurities elimination. It is no secret that the better it is done, the easier it is for you to go through the synch of elements, energies, and everything else. Simply put, you can make a better pill if you can do this step well. We are going to select the first 100 with the best rates."

"The results will also be shown on all monitors and displays in the area, so those who failed in the first phase can stay and take a look if they want. This is not a competition only to find talents, but to spread the alchemy way too. I believe it will serve as a good experience for your future."

"The third and final phase should be quite obvious, though. Pill concoction! In the end, we are Alchemists, so pills are what we make. The one with the highest level pill will be obvious the winner. In case two or more alchemists make a pill of the same level, we will decide the winner according to the difficulty of concocting the pill. If they also selected the same pill, we will go into the pill elemental and energies synch rate."

Everyone just listened and made no questions, the Junior Alchemist competition had always been like this, so they were used to it. Krune, too, had read the information before he came, so he had no doubts either.

The examiners in the site then spread around to specific positions. That was obvious so that they could cover the entire competition with their Divine Senses and prevent other alchemists from cheating.

Once they were all in their positions, Palo, on the stage, started to talk again.

"Alright, the first phase will last eight hours. All that you guys need to do is to answer as many questions as possible. There are no multiple-choice ones, every single of them has to be answered with your own words. But don't worry, the sequence of questions is the same for every participant. We definitely put enough questions so that it will be impossible to answer all of them in just eight hours. But if by coincidence some of you start to jump all the problems, there will be a point where the sequence will reset to the first one, so pay attention to it."

"Lastly, every time a question is answered correctly, a point will be added to the participant who did that. Those points are being shown on the outside for the others through the network, so try your best to not shame our Solar System Alchemist Organization. There is no doubt that other Solar Systems' Alchemist Organizations will be looking into it as well."

This time, Krune didn't mind much it since both his appearance and name have been changed. According to Ramon, no one other than the Solar System Alchemist Headquarters that he is at the moment can find his identity.

Palo then sent a Divine Sense message to all the examiners on the site to see if they were ready. Soon after, he announced.

"The test starts now!"

Krune looked at the display in front of him and saw it coming to life. On the very top, there was a clock doing a countdown of eight hours. Krune ignored that and paid attention to the question in front of him.

-Talaka Herb is used for the Spiritual Flow Pill. What differences does it make in the pill's properties?-

'It can make improve the Flow trait. If done correctly, it can also be used as a catalyst for the other medicinal herbs in the concoction.'

Krune then answered in an easy to understand and fast way. He could have gone through a more detailed explanation, but this is also a run against time, so he had to save it. Krune was only making sure that the answer was correct and jumping to the next one.

-Once Uruk mineral is used during the Calm Mind Pill concoction, what advantages it brings to the final product?-

Krune pondered about the Uruk mineral for a second and made his answer.

Just like that, Krune and everyone else kept answering their questions. Not so surprisingly, there were one or two alchemists here and there that tried to cheat in the test. It went without saying that they were immediately disqualified and sent expelled straight away. Of course, that would be just the start of their nightmares. Once the others noticed those ones being caught, any idea of breaking the rules disappeared from their minds.

Krune, of course, didn't even notice that happening. It had nothing to do with him anyway, so he considered such events meaningless to be paid attention. At the moment, there was only him and the questions on the monitor in the front.

Krune didn't know, but the name 'Jolk' was becoming quite a trending topic between those watching the Alchemist Competition through the internet.

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1 - Kaio Terinia, 752 points.

2- Xaia Lian, 747 points.

3- Jolk, 744 points.

4- Irken, 721 points.

5- Firal Uelen, 627 points.

6- Dan Vinik, 620 poi...

The alchemists watching the competition were surprised by Krune's, or better, Jolk's score. A few looked into the information available for the public and even found out that he was only a Six Silver Stars Alchemist. Other than that, there wasn't much more to be seen. The more experienced alchemists immediately understood that Jolk was one of those who were hiding their identities.

"Just who is this Jolk guy? How come his score is on par with the Golden Stars Alchemists? If we don't count him, the alchemist closest to them is almost 100 points behind already. How is he even doing it?"

"Could it be that he is hiding his real ranking? No, that wouldn't be possible since the Alchemist Headquarters is very strict with this kind of thing."

"Aren't you all being just too much impressed? This is just a knowledge test. As long as you study hard enough, anyone can do this much. It's just that the others put more effort into their concoction experience other than plain information."

"The guy above is right, what can Jolk even be able to do against those Eight or Nine Silver Stars alchemists in the next phase? He probably thought that since he didn't have a chance, he might as well focus on the knowledge side to be close to the top at least once."

"Is that so? From what is available for us to look, it seems like he is a demon beast. Aren't Demon Beasts usually more relaxed when it comes to knowledge? Look at Irken, one of the Golden Stars Alchemists. It is obvious that he didn't as much effort into expertise as the other two. Since this Jolk guy is also a demon beast, it is impressive that he can do this much at his level. He might really have a trick or two once the next phase starts."

"Haha! Who doesn't like a black horse? I've decided that I will be cheering for Jolk from now on! Who is with me?"

"Count me in!"

"Here's another one."

"Me too."

So far, only two hours had passed. The only reason why Krune and the others could answer so many questions at this time is because of their cultivation. It allowed the participants to read and type the answer at speeds that a normal person could ever hope for. After all, quite a few problems needed a significantly long explanation that would typically take some time to type down. This is also one more reason that some of the alchemists watching it were surprised since the information available also stated that 'Jolk' is at the Core Formation Realm. Different from the Golden Star Alchemists that are in the Divine Soul.

Krune, of course, had no idea about what was happening. He was utterly focused in the middle of the questions and answers. In fact, he was feeling quite good to have his knowledge tested to this extent. Even for him, there had been quite a few problems that he didn't know the answer. In the end, he just jumped over those and went to the next. He made a mental note on every single one of them so that he could check it later, though.

Time passed, and soon, two hours went by.

"The test is over!"

Suddenly, everyone's monitor changed, and the questions disappeared. In its place, the score rank was now being shown. Immediately, everyone noticed that black horse in the middle of the Golden Star Alchemists.

1- Kaio Terenia, 3469 points.

2- Jolk, 3413 points.

3- Xaia Lian, 3395 points.

4- Irken, 3187 points.

5- Irman Golie, 2637 poin...

"Jolk? Who is this guy? He got second?"

"I feel like I heard this name before, where was it?"

Suddenly, one of the alchemists remembered who Jolk was.

"Isn't that the name of the 12 years old wisp from yesterday? The one at the Six Silver Stars Level?"

Quite a few had been there during the moment that Krune was registering. Although he wasn't as impressive as the Golden Star Alchemists, he still left a deep impression on those of the same level.

"Right! That was him!"

"Now, I remembered. I have heard that wisps are generally an intelligent race. But to get this kind of position while being just 12 years old? That is crazy!"

Krune, of course, was feeling like crying again. Before, everyone was paying attention to the guy beside him. But now, everyone is once more looking straight at him. The worst part is that even the 'famous' guy that he doesn't know is looking intensely at him too. That made everyone else even more aware of his presence.

The commotion continued for quite a few minutes until Palo Yiag finally put an end to it.

"Alright! This is all for the first day of the Junior Alchemist Competition. Tomorrow, the next phase will start at 10 AM, so be sure to be here, or you will be disqualified. As for those who haven't reached the top 1000, you are welcome to stick around to watch the rest of the competition, just use the workstations that you were in today. The formations inside will guarantee that you won't bother the ones who passed, so take this chance to gain more experience. You are all dismissed."

Krune, as fast as lightning, disappeared from the place in a blink on an eye.

'Sigh... How come I took the 2nd place? I always forget to hold myself back in the most important moments.'

Ruik was already waiting for him on the exit. This Two-Headed Snake knows Krune personality way too well, so he was confident that Krune would be flashing by anytime now. Sure enough, Krune almost passed without noticing Ruik's presence. Fortunately, Ruik had sent him a Divine Sense message as soon as he appeared.

"Instead of running back to our hotel, let's go to where the Formations Master Junior competition is happening. Their first test was also knowledge related, but their side started it two hours later than the alchemists."

Krune paused for a second and then nodded.

"That seems like a plan, let's go there."

Even though Krune took the 2nd place, the majority thought that it was only because he studied more than the others. Instead of those who decided to cheer for the black horse, the majority didn't spend much time overthink about his 2nd position. Thanks to that, Krune didn't have anyone bothering him after he left.

Back in the Alchemist Competition site, Yilio was looking into his position in the knowledge test.

'Hum... 78th place. That is well within what I predicted since I didn't make studies my main focus. Still, to think that Krune got second place. I guess that the fact that wisps are an innately intelligent race wasn't a lie.'

Yilio then looked at the three Golden Stars Alchemists rank and sighed.

'I thought that maybe I could get the first place if I was lucky enough to while overdoing my concoction. But with those three guys there, this chance is now gone up in smoke. There is no way that I can apply laws to my concoction, and I don't even know how to understand Laws to start with. Not to mention that I'm still at the Core Formation Realm. Is it even possible to perceive the Laws in this realm?'

Yilio then decided that there was no point in overthinking it and put this problem on the back of his mind.

'Anyway, first is impossible, but I will try the top 10 at the very least. If my cauldron doesn't explode, I might have a tiny chance at it.'

Yilio then met with Ramon, and the two went back to their hotel.

Krune and Ruik took almost an hour to reach the Formations Master Junior Competition site. But as expected, their own knowledge test wasn't over yet. Krune looked at the score being displayed and soon found Feifei in the 173rd position. Ruik also noticed that and couldn't help but comment through a Divine Sense.

"That's quite a low position for someone with a Destiny Major Core, no? She should be able to predict what the correct answer would be."

Krune heard that and shook his head.

"That won't happen since Feifei doesn't like to use her Divination Skills. According to Feifei, if she uses it all the time, nothing more will surprise her in the future. Feifei doesn't want to live a life where she knows everything. She told me that 'life's unpredictability is what makes it worth living.' So unless it's something vital like our safety or the like, she won't use it."

Krune then continued.

"Besides, Feifei has quite some pride herself. I believe that she thinks that it would be the same as admitting that she doesn't have real knowledge, and I couldn't agree more. It is one thing for her to use her Destiny Core to advance in the Silver Star Ranks since she isn't competing with anyone. But another altogether when she is against other geniuses. Getting a higher Formations Master Rank won't bother anyone, but it is different in a competition like this."

Krune then smiled and said.

"You might not know this, but Feifei rarely uses her Divination abilities when she is practicing. Now, she is in the 173rd position without relying on it, that in itself is already amazing considering her age and rank."

Ruik nodded but then asked.

"Wait, but aren't you in the second position between alchemists being only 12 years old?"

Krune felt a little embarrassed when he heard that question.

"Well, you know, there were 53 questions that I know that I answered correctly, but I have no idea why they are the right answers. So you should consider that score to be 53 points lower since I don't really understand them."

Ruik's mouth twitched, hearing that.

'Doesn't that mean that you would still be the 3rd place? Are you looking for a beating?'

Report chapter

Feifei's first day finished an hour later. In the end, she was able to push her way up to the 168th position. That is already an amazing accomplishment for someone of her age and level. After all, there are a lot of higher-level Formations Masters than her at the moment.

Different from Krune, her actual position didn't catch any significant attention. First, because no one could tell her real age since her appearance and identity had been changed. Second, because her cultivation can be considered quite high at the peak of the Core Formation Realm. Usually, someone around this level would be at least close or already in their thirties.

Of course, there were exceptions. One was obviously Biano, Julian, and the members of the same branch as her. The other was the Headquarters, who had access to the hidden details about her identity.

One of the examiners of the headquarters just so happens to be checking her information at the moment.

"Hum... So she is just 18 at the moment and was a Three Silver Stars Formations Master five months ago, is that correct?"

The subordinate in front of him nodded.

"Correctly. Unfortunately, we couldn't find out what Feier's background is, just that she probably came from another universe."

The examiner nodded.

"Well, there is nothing surprising about it, we get batches of new kids from everywhere all year round. A lot of them are prohibited from using their backgrounds during their training time in our Dalin Universe, it just seems like she is one more of those cases."

The examiner pondered a bit and then said.

"Let's pay some attention to this girl, depending on how she fares in the rest of the competition, we might extend an olive branch for her in the future. The Formations Master Organization is always open for big talents, after all."

The subordinate nodded and then left.

Krune's group then returned to their home after the end of the first day. As expected, Feifei couldn't help but laugh when she heard about Krune's day on his side.

"I say you are more like a magnet of attention. Except for the Golden Stars Level Alchemists, you basically crushed everyone else there. No wonder you are in the news at the moment. Fortunately, your real appearance and identity aren't being disclosed."

Krune sighed and said.

"That's not my fault, I was just answering the questions. Not to mention that all the information is available in the Alchemist's network. How could I expect that the other Silver Stars Alchemists couldn't answer as much as me, it's their lack of study, not mine."

Feifei showed a playful smiled and asked.

"Oh, does it mean that it was my lack of study that I got only the 168th position then?"

Krune immediately stiffed.

"Err... Your case is different, you had been here for Five Months only, the others probably passed their life in this place."

Even Tiane and Ruik couldn't help but laugh at that scene.

Feifei then gave Krune a kiss and said.

"I'm just joking. Anyway, If I had used my Destiny Core, I could have done a lot better. But you know me, I won't use it unless it is essential or won't bother anyone. I don't like to know about the future. Also, I'm already pleased with what I got in just five months. Besides, it's not like I wish to make a life out of formations, right?"

Krune and the other two nodded.

They kept at it for quite a while before returning to their own rooms.

The next day soon arrived, and the group parted ways again.

On the way to the Alchemist Competition site, Krune wondered if he should change his appearance once more but soon gave up the idea. He would be using the same working station anyway, so it was too obvious who he was.

Just as Ruik and Krune were about to arrive there, they were stopped by a girl.

"Wait a moment, please."

They could feel from her aura that she is also a demon beast, just like they are.

Krune then asked.

"Do you need anything from me?"

The girls shook her.

"Not you, him."

She pointed at Ruik.

Immediately, Ruik and Krune had the same idea.

Ruik came forward and asked.

"Are you perhaps from the Snake Clan?"

The girl showed a surprised expression but nodded nonetheless.

"So you know about us already, that makes things easier then. Would you mind to have a chat for a minute?"

Krune and Ruik looked at each other and nodded. The Alchemist Competition would only start an hour later, so Krune could hear what she had to say too.

The girl didn't expect Krune to tag along but didn't mind that much. Soon, they entered a private room in a nearby restaurant.

"My name is Katia Kaku, a member of the Snake Clan of our Riren Planet. I'm here to invite you to join our ranks, Ruik."

Ruik, on the other hand, didn't seem very interested.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any intention of being bound to some force. I'm pretty happy with my freedom, you know."

The girl nodded and then said.

"We don't have any intention of locking you away, you would still be free to roam anywhere you want as long as you at least tell the Clan where you are going. Of course, the Clan would need your strength now and then, so some of your time would be needed. But I can assure you that the time on those tasks won't be any longer than the ones that you get from the Mission Hall. In exchange, we are able to provide a lot more resources than what you are getting at the moment."

Ruik then commented.

"It does seem like a good deal, but is it really everything? I might as well tell you that I came from another universe, and I will have to return sooner or later."

The girl seemed to be already expecting those words.

"There are indeed a few more things that we will have you taking care of. As for the fact that you will have to return to your own Universe, we can deal with it. Our Snake Clan can apply for a permanent stay so that you will never need to go back. I believe you won't want to leave a place as good as this one, right?"

Instead of telling her about the fact that he wants to go back, he decided to ask something else.

"What are those things that you said that I will have to take care of?"

Katia then smiled and stood up. She went to the middle of the room and returned to her true form.

It turns out that Katia was from the same species as Ruik, a female Two-Headed Demon Snake. Krune and Ruik were a little surprised by that scene but waited to see what she had to say.

"The other task is obviously to increase the Snake Clan's talents, which means having children. We are a very open clan when it comes to this principle. Any snake with high talents can copulate with other snakes of the same level and talent as long as both parties agree with it. Still, Two-Headed Snakes aren't that common, so I was quite happy when I heard about you. So if you don't mind, I would also like to have talented children with you."

Ruik then glared at Krune and sent him a Divine Sense message.

"You had to say that they would want me for breeding. Look at it now, Katia is totally ready to have baby snakes with me. Do something, this grandfather has no intention of having a family any time soon."

Krune was taken aback. That was just a comment that he said in the passing back then. He didn't really expect that Ruik would be used for breeding snakes.

"You can't blame me, whether I had said it or not wouldn't change the fact that they want you to do this anyway."

Katia was quite beautiful in her human form, but Krune and Ruik didn't care about that. Still, it was a different story now for Ruik, as someone of the same species, he had to admit that Katia is a gorgeous female Two-Headed Snake. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn't the least bit enticed.

"Cough, cough. Even though you are really beautiful, I have no intention of starting a family, I'm sorry."

Katia then shook her head.

"Don't worry, you don't need to take care of the children since the Clan has a section specially made for it. We just need the seed of talented snakes, that's all. Not to mention that the Clan gives even more support to parents who can give birth to excellent talents. So you can basically put your seed in me and stop minding it completely after, the Clan will take care of your children for you."

Both Krune and Ruik were even more surprised now, they didn't expect that the Snake Clan was so... 'open' to these matters.

Ruik then shook his head.

"Err... I admit that it would be quite blissful to have the opportunity to do 'that' with you. Still, I don't intend to leave my children in the hands of someone else, so I'm sorry again."

Katia's eyes lit up when she heard that.

"That is great, then let's take care of them together!"

Krune looked at Ruik, who was digging his own grave and couldn't help but intervene.

"That isn't the problem here. It's just that Ruik already has his reasons to not be bound to your Clan. He has to go back to our Universe since he has responsibilities to take care of there."

Ruik immediately nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes! That's precisely it!"

Katia pondered a bit and then said.

"Well, depending on your accomplishments, you might get the help of the elders to deal with your issues in your home universe as well. The Snake Clan is a lot bigger than you think, after all."

Ruik shook his head.

"It has nothing to do with strength but a duty. This Sect Master here has a Sect to command once he is back, so I can't accept your offer."

Krune heard that and smiled a bit.

As for Katia, between the various reasons that she had thought, Ruik being a Sect Master definitely wasn't one of them.

She then returned to her human form and then put her clothes on again. They are all demon beasts here, so whether they were naked in front of each other meant nothing to anyone in this room to start with.

Katia seemed a little disappointed but said it anyway.

"I see, I will have to go back and talk to the higher-ups, I will be taking my leave now."

Krune and Ruik nodded.

Once Katia disappeared in the distance, Ruik asked Krune.

"Do you think they will come back?"

Krune shook his head.

"Who knows? If they do, just refuse it again."

He then started walking back to the Alchemist Competition site.

"Anyway, for now, there is no point in overthinking about this issue, so let's go back."

Report chapter

Once they got there, Ruik went somewhere else to watch while Krune moved back to his work station.

As expected, there were quite a few eyes on him once he appeared, much for his displeasure.

'Fortunately, I'm still at the Six Silver Stars level. From today onwards, I should fare quite average between the other alchemists, let alone the Golden Star ones that I found about yesterday.'

All the alchemists participating in the next phase arrived one after another. There were also those who failed but still went back to their workstations. They were here to see those who are participating in the next phase. Even though they are disqualified, they can still gain something from this competition.

Kaio entered his workstation and looked at Krune beside him. Even though he got first place on the last day, it didn't change the fact that he is a lot older and more experienced than Krune. So he still felt a little bitter that their scores were so close. Not to mention that he already found out that Krune, or better, Jolk, is a wisp. Especially the fact of him being only 12 years old.

'Oh, well. From now on, only skills matter. So I guess it's a goodbye to this wisp.'

Irken and Xaia also were looking at Krune's workstation from far away. Different from Kaio, the two of them had lower scores instead, so they were even more annoyed by that outcome. Especially Irken, who is also a demon beast.

The start time soon arrived, and Palo Yiag once again went up on the stage.

"Welcome back. I won't waste anyone's time here, so I will go directly into the rules of the second phase. The medicinal properties extraction and impurities elimination. The way that you chose to do it is up to all of you, whether you do it fast or slow, I won't care. All you need to know is that you will have once again 8 hours to give me the finished products."

"If you want to try several times, good. If you don't, that no problem either. As long as I get the medicinal bottle with the result of your best work, that is fine. I believe that there is no meaning in saying this, but I will anyway. From now on, talent is highly required, so it's time to put to the test how good you all are in comparison with the others."

Palo also added.

"Just remember that if you send more than one bottle with medicinal liquid for examination, each one of them will receive their own score. So all of them will appear in the ranking after the second phase is over. Of course, after the initial rating is calculated, we will then separate the medicinal liquid with the best score of each candidate to advance to the next phase. So don't worry about someone taking several positions inside the top 100. In the end, there will be 100 alchemists competing tomorrow in the final phase."

Palo then once again checked all the examiners and announced.

"The test starts now!"

Krune was feeling quite relaxed at the moment. That was because he knew that he probably wouldn't make it even into the top 100, so he felt no pressure what so ever. This is also good because he can put his best effort into it without being afraid of catching anyone's attention.

'Let's see, they gave us a list of herbs that can be used. All of them are more or less on the same level too. It is evident that they want to make it as fair as possible, which is a good thing.'

Krune scrolled through the list, and soon he found his target.

'Oh, they have the azure grass. Last time I used it was during the concoction of the Soul Healing Pill. Of course, this one is a lot older, and the quality is also a lot higher, definitely inside the Silver Stars level. Now that I remember it, I was still a 4 Bronze Stars alchemist at that time, it's quite nostalgic.'

Krune smiled when he thought about it.

'It's decided, the azure grass it is!'

Krune then selected the herb on the list, and just a few seconds later, it appeared on the small teleport formation beside it.

'Such a convenient way of transporting items.'

Krune took the grass and couldn't help but nod.

'Such a good grass, I believe I can do a great job with this one. Let's start.'

Krune then selected one of the cauldrons and immediately started to work.

'As expected of a Silver Level Grass, compared to the one that I used before, this one is a lot more resistant to the infusion of Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy. But that's okay, this is proof that it can hold a lot more energy as well. Let's start the extraction.'

Krune didn't know, but his extraction method was a little different from the others. While everyone else 'pulled' the medicinal properties out of the herbs, Krune used his Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy to 'push' it out. This is something that he came up with a long time ago during his time at Kaley City's Alchemist Guild.

There wasn't a real reason behind this, he just felt that it was easier to do this way. The only difference now is that he isn't using only Spiritual Energy, but Elemental Source Energy as well. His method was quite straight forward. Fill up all the 'veins' of the herb and push the medicinal liquid out. Thanks to that, he could 'feel' the insides of the herbs and make sure that only the parts that really mattered would come outside.

What Krune didn't know is that this method was only possible because of his Myriad Energies Technique. Or to be more precise, his Elemental Energy Meridians. His control of both energies far surpassed other of the same level, after all.

In the end, more than 80% of all impurities were left behind in the dregs instead of mixing together with the medicinal liquid. This is something that couldn't be felt with Divine Sense. In the eyes of the examiners, Krune was basically doing the same thing as the others since all they could see was the medicinal liquid coming out of his grass.

This could be said to be one of the greatest reasons as to why Krune can advance ranks so fast. A secret so well kept that even Krune, the user of this technique, didn't know about its value. Because his medicinal liquids were always so free of impurities, it significantly increased his concoction success rate. Of course, the Elemental Meridians helped a lot more than just the extraction. The synch of elements and energies control is another part where it is of great help. Simply put, Krune's Elemental Meridians are really a cheat through and through.

For Krune, this is something as a matter of course. As mentioned a second ago, this process of extraction can't be felt with Divine Sense. So Krune also never paid attention to the difference in the other alchemists' way of extraction either. Whether they 'pulled' or 'pushed' mattered little to him. Of course, there is also the fact that he had never commented this with anyone. Otherwise, he would have noticed it already.

Krune wanted to do his best, so he went through the process slowly. It wasn't before an hour that he finished extracting all the medicinal properties in the azure grass. If others could check the purity of his medicinal liquid at the moment, they would see that it is already around 80% 'clean.'

For the other alchemists in the competition, the best one was Xaia. Her medicinal properties were almost 65% 'clean' once she finished extracting it.

With this, Krune's impurities elimination started at least 15% ahead of anyone else in this place.

'This is good! The other higher-level alchemists probably had done way better than me, but it doesn't matter. This is definitely one of my best extractions ever, so let's start the impurities removal.'

The process of eliminating impurities is quite a personal choice. Some liked to use other herbs suited for it or minerals. Others liked to use their spiritual fire to simply burn it away. Of course, there were also those who did both at the same time. Not to mention that those weren't the only methods available.

Krune, of course, chose to one where his control over the elements and energies would help the most. So at least this time, he did one of the standard things, which was to simply burn the impurities. Well, the truth is that with his Elemental Meridians, Elemental Regulation technique from his Master, and the All-Encompassing Soul Technique, he was quite overpowered at this side too.

'Good! Even though the difference wasn't that big from what I usually do, it is still quite better.'

Krune then looked at the clock and noticed that he only used 2 hours to finish this first medicinal liquid.

'Oh, I still have a lot of time. Haha!'

Krune then went through the herbs list once more.

'Since I don't need to worry about getting a good position with my lower Silver Rank level, I might as well use this chance to practice with some of the rare herbs available. In the end, I will just send all of them together for checking. As long as I get into the top 200, I can say that my mission has been accomplished. Who knows? I might be lucky and get into the top 100 too. Haha! That would be great already. It wouldn't be a position that catches too much attention, but would allow me to participate in the last phase.'

Krune then spent the next six hours to prepare another three bottles of medicinal liquid for examination. Once the time was over, he sent all four for analysis.

'Well, I hope at least one of them gets into the top 100. In the end, the one I have the highest confidence is still the Azure Grass, though. I feel like I did a lot better with it than the other three.'

Back on the stage, there was a formation made specifically to check the percentage of 'cleanness' of the medicinal liquid in the bottles sent by the participants. The higher the number, the fewer impurities the medicinal liquid had. Everyone was watching it through the monitors and the internet. Still, the results would only be displayed once all the bottles were analyzed. So there was no other choice other than wait.

Around thirty minutes later, the final medicinal liquid was finally tested.

Palo Yiag then came forward and said.

"As mentioned before, the first score results would take all bottles without disregarding a single one. So this time, the same alchemist can and will probably appear more than once in the rank. Once this part is over, we will take the best score of each alchemist and make the real top 100 for tomorrow's last phase."

Palo looked behind him and said.

"Show the results."

On the gigantic monitor behind the analysis formation and all the other monitors on the site, the results started to appear one by one. First, it showed the 100th place and kept going up.

100th- Eight Silver Stars, Merk Averg: 64.79% (Rocky Tree Leaves)

99th- Eight Silver Stars, Havan Yisser: 64.82% (Pony Root)

98th- Nine Silver Sta...

The results kept appeared one by one until the 80th place.

Krune looked at that and sighed.

'Already in the 80th place and my name didn't appear. Well, maybe I still have a chance to get into the final phase once only the best scores of each alchemist are brought forward. After all, there had been three alchemists taking more than a single position already. Their lower scores will be eliminated later to give space to the top 100 anyway.'

43rd- Eight Silver Stars, Yilio: 72.63% (Purple Aqua Stalk)

Krune immediately noticed that.

'Oh, it's Yilio. That's quite a good position considering that a few Nine Silver Stars alchemists appeared already.'

The positions kept being played one by one, and soon, the 15th appeared. The problem is that it surprised all the alchemists watching it.

15th- One Golden Star, Irken: 82.37%

The reason why the commotion happened is that everyone had been paying attention to Irken, Xaia, and Kaio, the three Alchemists at the Golden Star Level. The audience and people or beasts in the site at the moment all knew how many medicinal liquid bottles were sent by those three.

Irken had sent 3 bottles for analysis while Xaia and Kaio sent 4 each. That means that those three could at most take 11 positions in the first ranking display. But for Irken to appear in the 15th position, it could mean only one thing. The rank will show one or more Silver Stars Alchemists in the middle of those Golden Stars ones.

The surprise didn't stop there, though.

14th- One Golden Star, Xaia Lian: 82.59% (Mink Mint)

13th- One Golden Star, Kaio Tirenia: 82.71% (Vulcan Lotus Leaves)

The higher the rank shown, the bigger the commotion became.

Xaia, Irken, and Kaio started to feel that something wasn't right. When the 7th position finally appeared, It showed Irken's last Medicinal Liquid Bottle.

7th- One Golden Star, Irken: 84.52% (Blood Flower)

Irken immediately shouted

"Impossible!"

Of course, it didn't stop there. The next two positions were also the last Medicinal Liquid Bottle from Xaia and Kaio.

6th- One Golden Star, Kaio Tirenia: 84.81%

5th- One Golden Star, Xaia Lian: 84.93%

Both of them had hideous expressions as well after seeing that.

As for Krune? He was just enjoying the fun.

'Oh, to think that someone beat all three Golden Star Alchemists. It seems like someone had been holding back until now. Well, I'm also curious to know who this guy is. Haha!'

Unfortunately, Krune's smiled didn't last long.

4th- Six Silver Stars, Jolk: 89.61% (Lightning Bamboo Leaves)

Krune mouth twitched a little seeing that.

'There must be another Jolk who is also a Six Silver Stars Alchemist and used the Lightning Bamboo Leaves as well. Yes, that is definitely it!'

3rd- Six Silver Stars, Jolk: 90.11% (Soul Rava)

Quite a few alchemists were already looking in his direction.

For some reason, Krune felt like it got hard to breathe. But he insisted on denying reality.

'Oh, it seems like that same Jolk also used a Soul Rava, such a coincidence.'

2nd- Six Silver Stars, Jolk: 90.67% (Fire Olive Seeds)

At this point, there wasn't a single living being that wasn't looking at him with their mouths open wide!

Krune's weak little heart was already in pain. Denying reality simply didn't work anymore for him.

"You must be fuc*ng kidding me!"

But the fatal blow came right after.

1st- Six Silver Stars, Jolk: 95.39% (Azure Grass)

Krune didn't say anything else...

That's because...

A certain wisp...

Passed out...

Or so he wished.

'Why is this happening to me?'

As for everyone else, they didn't know what to say anymore. This went totally out of anyone's expectation. It would be one thing if by lucky, a Nine Silver Stars Alchemist got one score above the Golden Star Alchemists. But Krune, or better, Jolk, got the entire top 4. Not to mention that his results utterly crushed the Kaio and the other two.

Kaio was already greeting his teeth after seeing that result.

"That's not possible! There must be a mistake here! How could I lose to a wisp, and one still at the Six Silver Stars? I demand the analysis be done one more!"

He wasn't the only one thinking that something wasn't right. But then again, it would be one thing for one of the results to be wrong. But could four results be incorrect at the same time? Especially that Azure Grass, what if it isn't wrong?

Palo Yiag was as impressed as everyone else. Before the results were shown, even he didn't know about it. The formation has always worked perfectly fine, so there had never been a need to check the results before it was announced.

"Cough, cough. Bring Jolk's medicinal liquid bottles here. Also, ask the Formations Master that is waiting to check the formation."

Palo looked at Jolk's workstation direction and narrowed his eyes. If it was anyone else, he would be delighted to see such a result. But he knew that Jolk is a wisp because of the commotion yesterday after the knowledge test. As unbelievable as this wisp's talent might be, it doesn't change the fact that he will die way too soon. It's not worthy of spending resources on him.

Krune's medicinal bottles were brought back, and the Formations Master rechecked the formation.

"There is nothing wrong with the formation, it is working as perfectly as it could be."

In fact, the only need for the formation was to get an accurate reading. The alchemists like Palo could still use their Divine Sense to check how pure the medicinal liquid is. It's just that they wouldn't be 100% precise as the formation is, but they definitely would be close to it. So when Palo opened the bottle with the Azure Grass and checked it himself, he couldn't help but sigh.

'There is no doubt, this is definitely a Diamond Stars Level rate of purity. The formation definitely wasn't wrong.'

Still, Palo put all the four Medicinal Liquid Bottles on the formation again for check. As expected, the results were the same.

Xaia and Irken also decided to protest against this result.

"There is no way this can be true!"

"He's right, how come a Silver Stars Alchemist reach the level of a Diamond Stars in purity?"

Palo looked at those three Golden Star Alchemists and then threw to each of them one of Jolk's Medicinal Liquid Bottles.

The trio immediately understood his meaning. They, too, could see how pure it is through their Divine Sense, although not as precise a someone of Palo's level. They opened a bottle each and checked it themselves.

"Unbelievable."

"This can't be possible, just how did he do it?"

"He must have cheated without the examiners noticing. Have him try again in front of everyone."

Krune was already feeling depressed with all the attention, but when he heard that, he got even gloomier. If there was something good, that was the fact that his appearance and identity are concealed.

'Sigh, whatever. I will just ask the examiners to let me leave through a backdoor later and change my face once more.'

In fact, Krune was feeling a little mad too. Everyone around him keeps saying that he must have cheated, and that's is really bothering him.

'Since that's the case, I might as well throw my skills direct on their faces.'

Krune looked at everyone and said.

"No problem, I can do it again in front of everyone. I will even let you select one of the herbs of the list so that you don't think I cheated in the selection of the herbs too."

Kaio's eyebrows narrowed, hearing that. He could at least feel the confidence behind those words.

Palo came down and stopped beside Krune's workstation.

"Very well, the three Golden Stars Alchemist, come over to see it too. If it turns out that he isn't cheating, I want you to give an apology. Is that okay with the three of you?"

Kaio, Irken, and Xaia nodded. They are all proud alchemists themselves. If Jolk proves that he can really do it, then neither of the three would mind recognizing their mistakes.

Those three looked through the herbs list and selected one for Krune to try.

Krune didn't mind and took the herb that they selected.

It was at this moment that he heard Light Spirit's voice.

"Someone just put a Divine Sense Mark on you. Judging by the level of it, the owner is at least at the Divine Path Level, probably in the Divine View."

Krune stopped for a second and then smiled. According to Ramon, If there is one thing that the Alchemist Organization paid attention to, it was to protect its members. Krune could totally use them to say 'hello' to whoever it was that left this Divine Sense Mark on him. But that can wait until he is finished with the Medicinal Extraction.

As mentioned before, the Headquarters already knows Krune's real identity and face. So they had no need to use a Divine Sense mark since they could come to him directly.

Krune started to work and followed the same process as always. The herb that was chosen to him was a Haka Flower Stalk, suitable for some types of anti-poison pills. He filled the stalk with his Spiritual and Elemental Source Energy and started to once more 'push' the medicinal properties out. This time, instead of paying attention to the stalk itself, Palo and some of the other alchemists decided to check the medicinal liquid coming out straight away.

This time, they could see that the medicinal liquid coming out of the stalk was already around 80% clean. They finally understood what was happening here. Jolk's most significant advantage was during the extraction. He was able to bring the medicinal properties out with a lot fewer impurities than any other alchemist present in this competition.

"Just how is he able to do that?"

Krune then explained while he worked on it.

"I'm not doing anything amazing. Instead of pulling the medicinal properties out, I push it instead. That's all."

The alchemists around understood what he meant. But there was a problem with that method, which was the fact that the herb would most likely be damaged instead. Usually, unless you reached at least the Void Breaking Realm, you wouldn't have enough control over the Spiritual and Elemental Source to achieve that. At most, some alchemist geniuses might be able to do it around the Soul Forging Realm. But doing such a thing in the Core Formation Realm is unheard of.

Kaio and the others wanted to refute his words, but they were seeing the process with their own eyes too.

As for Palo, he already believed what Jolk said. If not through such a process, there would be no way that he could achieve this level of purity in the very first part of the process. That made him feel even sadder since he knows that Jolk is a wisp.

Around an hour later, Krune Started to use Spiritual Fire to burn the rest of the impurities away. Once again, the alchemists around were surprised. Krune's level of control could only be matched by the Golden Star Alchemists. The problem is because he isn't in the Divine Soul Realm like them, but in the middle of the Core Formation instead.

"Such a frightening level of control, just how many Core Formation Realm alchemists can achieve this? This is crazy!"

The same way as before, Krune finished the process after two hours. The alchemists looking at it didn't even have to use the Analysis Formation to know that this Medicinal Liquid was at the same level as the previous ones. Except for that Azure Grass, of course. Anyone could tell that Krune, or better, Jolk, was a lot more familiar with that and could do much better if he used the grass.

Still, Palo knew that there were a lot of alchemists watching their competition through the internet. So he had to put it for analysis so that the result could be seen by them as well.

-Six Silver Stars, Jolk: 90.49% (Haka Flower Stalk)-

It was decided, Krune didn't cheat.

As hard as it was to believe, Kaio, Xaia, and Irken had to admit defeat. In the end, Krune's level is simply higher when it comes to impurities removal.

Kaio was the very first one to apologize. Since it is proved that Krune played by the rules, his pride as Alchemist wouldn't allow him to deny the reality anymore.

"I'm sorry."

Xaia and Irken came right after and did the same.

Krune just sighed and said.

"As long as no one says that I'm cheating on the exam anymore, I'm okay with it."

Kaio then asked something else.

"How come you are still at the Six Silver Stars level, then? With his degree of purity, you should be able to advance in the ranks pretty fast."

This time, it was Palo who answered in Krune's instead.

"That is a secret since the supervisor of his branch applied for secrecy."

Kaio didn't like that answer, but he knew how the headquarters worked. So he didn't force the issue.

"Anyway, the fact is that you are still a Six Silver Stars Alchemist, which means that you still have to refine your skills at the pill making. I will be looking forward to your results tomorrow in the final phase."

Palo then asked Jolk to follow him since it would be too hard to leave a place like this. Once they got into a private room, Krune decided to talk about the Divine Sense Mark.

"What?! Did someone dare to do it right under our noses? No, wait, how do you even know that there is a Divine Sense Mark on you?"

Krune Shrugged his shoulder and said.

"That is a secret that my elders passed to me back in my Universe. I can't tell you how it works, I'm sorry."

Palo felt like something was fishy about that explanation, but since it was a secret, he couldn't simply force it out. Not to mention that the issue at the moment was the Divine Sense Mark. He is already the early stages of the Divine Path Realm, but he can't feel it, which means that it is of a higher cultivation level than himself.

He took out his communicator and made a call.

"Connect me with the elder Lagan in the headquarters."

Report chapter

In the Alchemist Headquarters, Lagan Jianto was in the middle of concoction when suddenly, his communicator received a call.

'Hum? Didn't I tell them to not disturb me while I'm concocting?'

Lagan then connected the call while he kept making his pill.

"It better be important, what is it?"

Palo noticed the elder was busy and went directly to the main issue.

"Hum? Someone dared to put a Divine Sense Mark on our alchemists?"

Lagan then looked into Krune's information and frowned.

"Wait, why would someone waste their time following a wisp?"

Palo then explained.

"Well, it goes like this."

Poff!

Suddenly, the elder lost control of his concoction, and the pill-making failed. But he couldn't care less about that since what he heard was way more important.

"Come that again. Did you just say that Krune got over 95% purity while still at the Core Formation Realm? You are not kidding, are you?"

Palo immediately shook his head.

"I'm not. If the elder checks the alchemist network, the second phase video should be available for you to watch."

Lagan did as Palo mentioned and soon found the second-day competition video. He then played it so fast that a normal person wouldn't be able to make heads and tails. But with his cultivation, it was the same a turtle. When he finally arrived at the analysis part, he got surprised. After all, Krune didn't do just a single herb over 90%, but all four of them!

He then turned to Palo once more and said.

"Wait a moment, I will be there in a second."

Lagan then finished the call and made a cutting motion with his hand in mid-air. Right after, a spatial gate appeared right in front of him. The elder didn't waste any time and entered it. As for the pill concoction that he failed, he had already forgotten that.

Back in the Junior Alchemist Competition site. Krune noticed that Palo finished his call and was just about to ask when suddenly, a Spatial Gate appeared right in front of him. From inside, a man with white hair stepped out, and the gate closed right behind him.

"Hello there, Krune. I'm Lagan, one of the elders of the Alchemist Headquarters."

It turned out that Lagan was just in the Planet neighbor to the Riren Planet. With his Semi-Divinity Cultivation, it was an easy task to open a spatial gate directly into the room where Krune and Palo stayed. Of course, there was also the fact that he knew the location and had a free pass into this place. Otherwise, he would not be able to do it.

Krune immediately got up and greeted the elder.

"Hi, I'm Krune."

Lagan nodded and then spread his Divine Sense around Krune's body. It only took him a second to find the Divine Sense Mark on Krune's back.

"So there is really someone trying to break our secrecy rule, hehe."

Elder Lagan checked the aura around that Divine Mark and then spread his Divine Sense. At his realm, covering the entire planet wasn't anything hard to do. As long as his target isn't inside some formation that protects against it, Lagan would probably find him.

On the other corner of the city, there was a man drinking some wine in a restaurant. He was acting quite leisurely as if nothing could bother him. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and got up from his chair.

"Shit!"

Just as he was about to flee, elder Lagan's spiritual pressure came from above and locked him in place. As mentioned before by Light Spirit, the owner of the Divine Sense Mark was probably in the Divine View Realm, which is an entire realm below elder Lagan.

Knowing that it would be useless to fight back, the man just sighed and waited in place.

Right after, a spatial gate appeared beside him, alerting all the customers in the restaurant. After all, a spatial gate isn't something that low-level cultivators and demon beasts see every day. From inside, elder Lagan, Palo Yiag, and Krune stepped out. When Lagan saw who it was, his mouth twitched.

"So it is really you, Rico. I knew I had sensed that aura before somewhere."

Rico smiled bitterly and then said.

"There was no need for elder Lagan to show himself, right? What about we just pretend that nothing happened? I swear I won't try it again."

Pow!

Elder Lagan smacked Rico's head after hearing that.

"Do you think you can escape the punishment that easy? Just wait until I bring you to your father, I wonder if he will be as merciful as me."

Rico's face immediately went pale.

"E-Elder Lagan, there is no need for us to go that far, right? Father is a busy man, why should we bother him with such a small problem like this? We can resolve this here, and everyone will be happy."

Krune couldn't help but ask Palo beside him with a Divine Sense message.

"You guys know this person?"

Palo sighed and then answered.

"It isn't even a problem of knowing him. In fact, we know him way too well. He is Amark Guli's son, after all. As for who Amark is, he is none other than the head of our Solar System Alchemist Organization Headquarters."

Krune was taken aback by that. If he really had that identity, then why exactly would he need to put a Divine Sense mark on him? Couldn't he just use his connection with the headquarters to probe his identity? Of course, Krune understood that the situation wasn't that simple.

Palo knew that if Krune researched it later, he would definitely find out the truth since it isn't a secret. So he decided to tell Krune everything.

"You see, Rico Guli left our Solar System Alchemist Organization behind and joined another one. He is very talented, so it was quite a blow for his father when he found out. But the problems didn't stop there. For some reason, this idiot comes by every now and then to try to steal our Solar System talents. We lost quite a few geniuses because of him already."

Krune understood that the story had a lot more behind it. But since it wasn't his problem, he decided to not ask anymore. As long as they keep the secrecy part, he is okay with it.

Elder Lagan turned to Palo and Krune and then said.

"I will bring this failure away to be dealt with."

He then opened two spatial gates, one for him and Rico, and the other for Krune and Palo.

"You two go back and finish whatever you had to do."

Rico had a very gloomy expression. Until now, he didn't understand how they found his Divine Sense Mark. He had made a through and through research and knew that there wasn't a single elder above the Divine View Realm in the alchemist competition. In theory, no one should have found his mark.

Krune and Palo looked at each other and nodded. They entered the spatial gate that was opened for them, and soon, they appeared back into the private room back in the Junior Alchemist Competition site.

Palo then turned to Krune and said.

"Alright, now that it is over, let's go back to the main topic. You said before how you do your extraction of the herbs. How come you can control your energy so well at your cultivation realm?"

Krune shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Do you believe that until today, I didn't know that what I was doing was something amazing? When I first tried it, I felt like it was a lot easier to get more from the herb if I did it that way. It was that simple."

Palo looked deeply at Krune, but in the end, he didn't force the issue. Everyone had their secrets, after all.

"Anyway, just change your appearance so that I can send you out. Also, remember that you are going to be in the middle of the spotlight tomorrow in the final phase. Do you think you can repeat what you did today?"

Krune shook his head.

"Six Silver Stars is really my level at the moment, so there is no way I can bring a pill to the Golden Star Level. First of all, I probably will be placed at the very end since there is a lot of Seven Silver Stars and higher alchemists competing tomorrow too."

Palo didn't seem surprised since the information that they got from Ramon's branch really stated that Krune was at the Six Silver Stars level.

"Well, whatever. The fact that you can control spiritual and elemental source energy to this level is something to be very proud of. But I have bad news for you. As you probably know, the Junior Alchemist Competition happens so that we can find good talents to invest in. Unfortunately, although your talent is at the very top, your life span is way too small. Because of that, we won't be able to help you since it wouldn't have a good return."

Krune didn't mind that at all. He wasn't expecting anything from this competition to start with. The fact that it went out of control like this was totally out of his expectations to start with. Not to mention that he is confident in raising his Alchemist Rank with or without the Headquarters help. Lastly, it would mean that he won't be bound to them unnecessarily.

"Not a problem, I prefer it to be like that too. I'm taking my leave, then."

Palo nodded and helped Krune leave through another passage where he wouldn't be noticed. Krune also returned to his normal appearance, so other than his rainbow hair being catchy, no one else paid attention to him.

Once Krune returned to the hotel, he found out that Yilio and Ramon were waiting for him already. Yilio then gave him a strong pat on the back.

"Alright! I understand why you can do that well in the knowledge phase, but how the hell did you do that in the extraction part?"

Krune then told him the same thing as he told Palo.

"What?!"

Yilio's eyes lit up!

"Tell me more about that."

Ramon noticed Yilio's excitement and decided to intervene.

"Your energy control is far from enough to do that, so forget it."

Yilio then smiled and said.

"That's where you are wrong. Do you think that Krune is the only one with secrets? Anyway, Krune, if you don't want to talk about it or if it is some secret, you don't need to tell me."

Krune shook his head and said.

"It's not a secret, so I can tell how I do it."

Of course, Krune wouldn't include the Myriad Energies Technique in the explanation. But since Yilio seems to be confident, he had no issue in explaining everything else related to the alchemy part.

Report chapter

While Krune was explaining to Yilio how he did the medicinal extraction, two events were taking place.

First, Feifei's Formations Master Junior Competition's second phase had just finished. Different from Krune, Feifei didn't have any secret method to play in the second part, so she did pretty much what was expected from her. She finished in the 143rd in the Formations Master position. She was then eliminated since only the first 100 advanced to the final one.

Still, due to her age, actual level, and talent, the Formations Master Headquarter was considering taking her in.

When the second day was over, she was called to a private room by the Formations Master Leader Examiner this time around.

"Hi, Wulia Feier. I'm Hiu Dax, the elder responsible for this year's Formations Master Junior Competition."

Feifei, or better, Wulia Feier, bowed to the elder.

"Hello, elder. Is there a reason for you to call me here?"

Hiu Dax nodded.

"Our Formations Master Organization is always looking for talents to invest in. You were at the Three Silvers Stars when you arrived here around 5 months ago. But in this small period, you already advanced to the Six Stars level. Not to mention that in this Second Phase of the competition, you did better than even some Eight and Nine Silver Stars Formations Masters."

The elder extended his hand and said.

"I would like to invite you to join our Headquarters' Formation Masters group. There, you will receive a lot more attention, and your level will rise much faster and steadily. No to mention that we can offer you the resources for your cultivation as well."

Feifei was expecting something like that. The problem is that she just wanted to make some profit. Although she does like Formations, she had never thought about making it the main focus of her cultivation path.

"Thank you for the invitation, elder. Although I do like formations, I'm not interested in being bound to the Organization. Different from the other Formations Masters in this competition, I'm not planning to live for the occupation. This is just a way for me to make more spirit stones for my cultivation."

Hiu was taken aback by those words. Any other Formations Master in this competition would be jumping in happiness. But Feifei only wants to make some spirit stones, can it get more unfair to the others?

"Cough, cough. Are you sure about it? I mean, if your problem is cultivation resources, our organization can totally provide it. Of course, you will have duties to pay attention to, but it's not like you are going to be locked inside either. You don't need to be afraid of losing your freedom. Also, due to the Formations Organization Power, we can apply for a permanent stay in the Dalin Universe in case you need it."

Feifei shook her head.

"There is another thing that I can't change. I need to go back to my Universe sooner or later. Not because I don't have a choice, but because there are a few things that I must do there."

Hiu felt a little gloomier since he didn't expect that. Still, he couldn't give up that easily.

"Let's do like this then. You will join our Headquarters in name, but you will keep your full freedom. That way, you will have access to the contents in there and only won't receive cultivation resources. In case we need you in the future, you will have the choice to accept our request or not too."

Feifei pondered a bit and then nodded.

"Well, If I don't need to be bound to the Formations Master Organization, I don't mind joining it only in name. But I can't guarantee that I will be available when you need me for something. To be honest, at my level, I don't think there is much I could do for the Formations Master Headquarters anyway."

Hiu let out a sigh of relief and said.

"That is not a problem, there should be almost no place where we will need you too. The most important thing is to guarantee that we can keep our Solar System Talents under our banner."

Hiu then thought about something else.

"Oh, right. You said that your main reason to learn and improve in formations at the moment is to make Spirit Stones. Once you get access to the Headquarters network, you should be able to get better tasks that pay more. As I said, since you joined just in name, we can't offer you any extra resources, but we can still help you to get better jobs."

Feifei's eyes immediately lit up.

"That's great! Then I'm counting on you, elder, to make the necessary arrangements."

Hiu nodded and then sent Feifei, or better, Feier out. Feifei didn't catch any significant attention in this Formations Master Competition thanks to her ranking. Also, the fact that no one knew her age and name helped a lot too. Because of that, Feifei didn't have to be afraid of being followed or anything like that.

As for the second event, that is happening back in the Alchemist Organization. Inside an office room, there was a man with an awful expression on his face. At the same time, Rico Guli kneeled in front of him while Lagan kept him in place so that he didn't try to escape. Who else could that man be if not Rico Guli's father and the Solar System Alchemist Organization Head, Amark Guli?

"You left our solar system behind and joined another power, fine! It's not like it is an obligation that someone's son has to join his father's organization. You are free to select anything you want, just like anyone else. But then you come from the neighbor and start stealing our Solar System talents. Not only that, but you did it more than once. Can you tell me this time why 'YOU' would do that?"

Rico Guli avoided his father's eyes and said.

"It's not like you don't know, and I'm not going to say anything else. You can deal with me any way you feel right, but in the end, you will have to let me go."

Even though Rico put a strong front, he was really terrified at the moment. He knows how strict his father really is, and although what he said is true, he is sure that the punishment will not be anything light.

But unexpectedly, his father didn't seem angry this time. If anything, only disappointment could be seen on his face. They had caught Rico Guli doing those things in the past. And even after sending him through a hell of pain, he still came back time and time again to do the same thing. Not only that, but according to their information, he was also sent to other solar systems to try to take away their alchemist talents too.

Of course, he wasn't the only one, and neither was it something rare to happen. The competition for resources and talents is something that happens everywhere. But recently, the Yure Solar System, which is the Riren's Planet Solar System neighbor, had been acting extremely blatantly.

The Yure Solar System was quite big and had a few more planets than the Riren's one. They had been acting to gather resources and talents from the other Solar Systems on a grand scale. Everything indicated that the Yure Solar System was trying to raise its ranking in the Dalin Universe. If they are successful in that, they will get a lot more attention from the other Major Universes. They will then receive more resources, and the cultivation speed of its residents will rise as a whole.

To be able to do that, they need to provide the necessary environment in their home. The only way to achieve this objective without having to wait for their Solar System to slowly develop is to gather more and more talents. Those talents will then become the leading front that will carry the 'upgrade' in their Solar System.

But what Amark Ruli couldn't understand is why his own son is helping another Solar System to steal their own talents. It doesn't matter how many times he asked, Rico Guli had never given him an answer. In the past, before Rico joined the Yure Solar System, he was quite a passionate Alchemist of their Organization. He cared a lot for their home and participated in several competitions between solar systems to defend the Riren Planet's Solar System banner.

Amark Guli then shook his head and told Lagan.

"Just let him go, due to the rules that all alchemists must follow, we can't really kill or cripple him anyway. There is just no point anymore in trying to punish him."

Lagan was surprised by that.

"Are you sure about that? Even if we can't do what you said, we should still punish him anyway. Otherwise, he will come back even earlier."

Amark shook his head and didn't say anything else.

Lagan then sighed and released his Spiritual Pressure, which allowed Rico to get up once more. He looked at his father's disappointed face and felt bitter inside. Still, he greeted his teeth and got up. Just as he was about to leave, he left two words behind.

"I'm sorry."

After leaving the Alchemist Headquarters, Rico Guli took out his communicator and connected with the Alchemist Headquarters of the Yure Solar System.

"I've been caught again, so they are scouting me back now."

The man on the other side frowned and said.

"It's unfortunate, but there is nothing else to be done. Come back, and I will send you somewhere else. Wait for the dust to settle, and I will send you back once more another time."

He then put a serious face and asked.

"You better not have said anything, or you know what will happen with them."

Rico nodded.

"Don't worry, they are still in the dark. So far, everyone from the nearby Solar Systems thinks that we are trying to raise the rank in the Dalin Universe. But because of our recent actions, there are probably a few old guys who are getting suspicious."

The person on the other side didn't care.

"That's not something for you to care about. As long as you follow the agreement, everyone will be fine."

The call was then finished, and Rico couldn't help but sigh.

'Sorry, father. For the sake of our Solar System, I can't help but disappoint you. There will be a day that you will understand.'

Rico then arrived at a long-distance teleport formation. After paying the fee, he disappeared with a flash of silver light. Somewhere far away from that place, an elder of the Alchemist Organization noticed when Rico left with his Divine Sense.

"Well, he's gone now."

He then opened a spatial gate and entered it, no one knew that he had been there.

Back at Krune's Hotel, he had just finished helping Yilio and returned to his room. Arriving there, he found that Ruik was already sleeping in a corner in his true form in the living room. Krune didn't have any reason to wake him up, so he just ignored that and returned to his room to think about the last phase in the next day. Also, there was something that had been bothering him ever since the second phase started.

A few minutes later, Feifei and Tiane also returned. On their way back, Tiane had told Feifei what happened in the Alchemist Competition, which immediately made Feifei burst on laugh once more. She knows very well that Krune absolutely didn't want to do that, and that was the funny part.

She then entered the room where Krune was staying to check on him.

As for Tiane, she immediately noticed the 'dead weight' in the corner of the room, and her mouth twitched. Their hotel room is quite big, so there was a room available for each one of them other than the living room. But that snake just had to go back its real form and sleep in the living room.

'He's doing it on purpose to bother me, I'm sure that this is the case!'

Of course, this wasn't the case. Ruik just had the habit of sleeping anywhere he felt comfortable. He knew that he is in the living room, but he thought that it wouldn't bother anyone. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case.

Back inside Krune's room, Feifei noticed that he was deep in thought. So much that he didn't even notice when she entered. Feifei approached and gave him a hug from behind. Only then did Krune notice that she was back.

"What is it, still bothered with the fact that you got first place today?"

Krune sighed and answered.

"Well, not that much to be honest. I had my identity hidden, after all. Still, there was something that happened while I was going through the extraction process."

Feifei then asked.

"Did something go wrong?"

Krune shook his head.

"That's not it. In fact, it wasn't something happening in my working station, but the one beside me. You remember those Golden Star Alchemists that I told you about?"

Feifei nodded and waited for Krune to continue.

"Well, there is one of them just beside me, and his name is Kaio Tirenia."

"Is there something wrong with him, then?"

Krune shook his head once more.

"That's not it either, it's just that during the time that we were doing the Impurities Removal, I felt like something was different about him."

Feifei got puzzled.

"What you mean?"

Krune sighed and continued.

"I don't know... How can I say it? It was like the elements were acting more friendly to him. No, to be more precise, the Fire Element was. I couldn't really understand since I've never felt it before. So I have been thinking about it ever since. Oh, but it only happened during the time that he was burning the impurities of his Medicinal Liquid away. It didn't happen when he was extracting it."

Feifei pondered a bit and then said.

"Maybe it's his cultivation technique. Don't you have that Elements Regulation Technique from your Master? Maybe he has something like that which helps him manipulate the Fire Element."

Krune agreed with her.

"At first, I thought the same thing. But somehow, I felt like those differences were attracting me."

Krune thought about asking Light Spirit but gave up the idea in the end. If he needs to ask him for help every time he has a problem, he won't improve anymore.

Feifei then released Krune and sat in front of him to hear more about the problem. But it was at this moment that she noticed something.

"Hum...?"

Feifei then approached Krune's face and gave a deep look into his eyes, which puzzled Krune greatly. While looking at Krune's eyes, Feifei asked.

"Is it me, or did the positions of the colors of your rainbow irises change?"

Krune was taken aback by that question, he then used a simple water element skill to create a water mirror in front of him. Sure enough, the position of the colors of his rainbow irises changed. It wasn't easy to notice, though. Only someone as close to him as Feifei would probably notice that difference.

"What is happening here? Ever since my rainbow irises appeared, the colors had never changed."

Feifei nodded.

"It looks like they moved a little in a circular motion, but they are still now. It probably has something to do with that thing about the elements that you told me. This morning when I looked, I didn't see any difference. Of course, I might not have noticed too, but the timing is just too good for that to be the case."

Krune nodded and dispelled the water mirror.

"It seems like it does indeed has something to do with the fire element that Kaio was controlling. Oh, now that I think about it, it had something to do with the fire element, but it wasn't the fire element in its entirety either. It was more like a small part of the whole thing called 'Fire Element' instead."

Krune then put his hands on his head and started to shake it helplessly.

"Arrg! Do my words make any sense at all?!"

Feifei couldn't help but laugh.

"Nope, I can hardly understand what you are 'really' trying to say. Still, I think you will find the answer sooner or later."

Krune looked at Feifei.

"How do you know?"

Feifei gave him a kiss and said.

"I just know. It's not like weird things started to happen with you only now, right? But you always think about something. For now, just forget it and go back there tomorrow. You are still a Six Silver Stars Alchemist, remember? So there is no way you can beat those Golden Stars Alchemists. Why don't you take this chance to pay attention to Kaio instead of concocting something? In the worst case, you will still finish in the 100th position anyway."

Krune's eyes lit up after hearing that.

"Great! I will do exactly as you said."

It was then that he remembered something.

"Oh, right! Sorry, how was your day in the Formations Master Junior Competition? Did you advance to the last phase too?"

Feifei laughed once more and said.

"Only now you asked that? Such an insensitive wisp."

Krune felt a little embarrassed but waited for her to continued.

"Well, I obviously failed. As you know, I'm not relying on my Advanced Destiny Major Core, so I ended in the 143rd position. Anyway, I'm very happy with my ending ranking since I was able to do better than quite a few higher-level Formation Masters."

Feifei then explained how she was invited to join the Formations Master Headquarters and that she opted to enter only in name. Krune listened to everything and agreed with Feifei's decision. They don't know if they will need to leave or not, not to mention that Krune still wants to go take a look at that Wisps Planet. So the best thing was for all of them to not make any promises for the moment.

"Oh, right! Talking about invitations, the guys from the Snake Clan came to invite Ruik today as well."

Feifei was surprised by that.

"Really? What happened?"

'Tud!'

Just mas Krune was about to tell everything, they heard a sound coming from outside the room.

"Let me go, your idiot snake!"

Feifei and Krune looked at each other puzzled and decided to take a look in the living room. But when they arrived there, they were taken aback.

For some reason, Tiane was on the ground, and Ruik's snake body was wrapped around Tiane's. Because of that, she couldn't move a single muscle. As for how that happened, only those two know.

Feifei and Krune looked at that scene and immediately turned around to leave.

"Cough, cough. Don't bother with us, you two can continue."

Tiane heard that and felt like crying!

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