Back in the Alchemy Garden, Harry worked alone around the garden. This time, neither Nelson, Noah, nor any Alchemist for that matter, appeared to order him out. Everyone watched from a distance, too afraid of any kind of interaction.
That suited Harry just fine, as nobody was there to stop him getting more Earth Qi. He signed up for a job removing weeds, and took his time strolling around the Alchemy Garden, leisurely refining Earth Qi with his hands and arms, pulling out the occasional weed to maintain an illusion of getting some work done. He refrained from stripping down and rolling in the mud again, as there was no excuse this time and he didn't want to attract more attention. He just focused on getting more Earth Qi into his body.
He worked incredibly slowly, and the numbers of weeds he pulled out didn't even amount to a tenth of what other workers did. But nobody said anything or ordered him to work faster. They were just too scared, and let Harry do as he pleased.
Perhaps James was slacking off – but so what if he was? What were they going to do about it?
After a full day of half-working, half-cultivating, he finished three-quarters of Rebirthing Muscle. A few days later, he returned and finished it completely. Because the Alchemy Garden was so large, and there was so much Heavy Earth Essence around, it took only three cultivation sessions to complete the Third Minor Accomplishment.
He was more than satisfied with this progress.
When the Nameless Seed was full of Earth Qi, he felt the seed transform for a third time. The first time, it hardened in his body, and the second, it heated up, releasing warmth. This third time, it was like the seed sank a bit deeper into him, taking root inside his body, similar to how a seed rooted in the earth.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, especially considering recent revelations. But there was nothing he could do about it other than helplessly sigh. Truth be told, he was developing second thoughts about cultivating this technique, but he already come this far.
Besides, he got the feeling that once he started cultivating the Nameless Technique, he couldn't just stop cultivating it. It was too powerful and mysterious, to the point where it made him feel uneasy.
As left the garden, he took once last backwards glance, at the thousands of Ordinary Grade plants growing within. No doubt their growth would be affected when they lost all the Earth Qi.
'Hmph. Serves you Alchemists right,' he snorted before exiting the Alchemy Hall.
When it came time to harvest the plants weeks later, the Alchemists were puzzled over the significantly smaller yield. All across the garden, plants were noticeably smaller than usual. There were fewer fruits on the trees, fewer leaves and flowers on the bushes, even the Bubo Tuber plants weren't producing as much slime and pus as before. It was as if something sapped the nutrition right out of the garden.
They eventually chalked it up to something wrong with the Heavy Earth Essence. These plants resembled ordinary Magic Plants growing in the wild, not under the nurturing care of Alchemists and Herbologists. Further, the only plant that wasn't affected was the Gilly Weed that grew in the glass tanks. The Alchemists concluded that this batch of fertilizer had some defects, and something was mistakenly added or removed in the creation process.
Many people recalled James had rolled around half the garden, but no one connected the two events. After all, it was impossible for humans to refine Earth Qi. Claiming James sucked the Earth Qi out the fertilizer would be like claiming James could suck the light out the Sun.
Besides, by the time the plants were ready for harvest, James Evans was just a memory.
It was midnight, and all was still in the Swan Sea Sect.
All, except for a single residence. In the dead of the night, a group of Elders were gathered in a house, furtively planning. They were huddled over a single table, glaring darkly at a piece of paper in front of them. The room was poorly lit by a single lamp, which threw dark shadows across the room. Absolute secrecy was required, as if their group was discovered, their futures would be over without a doubt.
"The Sect Master announced she was entering cultivation seclusion. It doesn't seem to be a lie. She didn't even know about Maynard's fight, or respond to our Patriarch's demands. If we want to kill James, now is the best time," Elder Magnus boldly stated.
The Elders just looked at each other, glancing back and forth. Last time, their Patriarch only ordered them to make James' life difficult, because Maynard was to defeat James himself. That way, Maynard could regain his confidence and prove the strength of the Ivory Fist Clan.
Obviously, that plan failed, failed extremely miserably. Their new orders were on the piece of paper, and was just a single word.
Kill!
But such a task was easier said than done. Any one of them could effortlessly kill James. They were just hesitant because like all men, they were afraid of the punishment – death. They were Elders of the Swan Sea Sect, which meant they were among the strongest cultivators in the entire Swan Sea region. For them to trade their life for an Outer Disciple would be an incredibly meaningless way to die.
Under ordinary circumstances, an Outer Disciple had very little protection. If they really needed to kill an Outer Disciple, as long as they planned accordingly, it was possible to accomplish it, and perhaps even escape the following investigation. But James was different, because his reputation was just too great. It was possible that another Elder, or perhaps even the Sect Master, arranged for some protective formations.
For example, there were basic formations that detected intruders, and others that could set off a warning signal. These were common and widely-used formations around the whole empire, and very easy to set up. Perhaps an Elder was even watching over James, since he was such a valuable target. If there truly were protections around James, then they could be exposed.
And if James were killed, they would be the most obvious suspects. There was no doubt they would be questioned, necessitating the need for solid alibis.
Hence, their actions were delayed. They plotted and stalled for days, trying to come up with the best plan to avoid being caught. They had to request a couple of items from the Ivory Fist Clan, which only just arrived.
"I'll do it. Give me the Invisibility Cloak," Elder Magnus finally said. "And the boots with the silencer enchantment."
The Invisibility Cloak was an extremely rare low-quality Heaven Grade artifact, made of the hairs of a Silver Haired Demiguise. It was a powerful artifact that camouflaged the user underneath. As long as the user didn't move too quickly or make loud noises, even Core Formation Realm cultivators could walk right by and not notice.
The silencer enchantment was a formation that acted as both a silencer and another concealer. It would mask Elder Magnus' footsteps and other noises that might arise from traveling, while hiding him from most protective formations. A formation expert had carved a series of complicated runes into a pair of boots, and for the past few days, they were waiting for these two items to arrive.
Elder Magnus put the boots on, and draped the cloak over himself. Immediately, he vanished.
When his fellow Elders looked very closely, they could see a slight shimmer in the air. But that was only because they knew exactly where to look, and the room was lit, albeit poorly. But outside, in the dark of night, Elder Magnus would be undetectable.
Silently and slowly, Elder Magnus made his way across the sect, hiding in the shadows and stopping every few minutes to cover his tracks, and listen for people nearby. Yet, his path to the Outer Dorms was smooth. He didn't meet a single person, and arrived at the dorms without a hindrance.
Elder Magnus stood outside the first dorm, and slowly opened the front door. The silencer enchantment took care of the noise of the door creaking, and he stepped inside, stealthily creeping his way to the bedroom. On top of the mattress, the blight known as James Evans was soundly sleeping, without a care for his impending death.
He stood over the sleeping James, invisible and silent to the world. With a single motion, the prone boy before him would be killed, killed without even knowing how he was killed.
For a long while, he stood there without a sound, torn with indecision. He had no scruples over killing James, except for the chance of being caught. If the Sect Master, or one of the other Elders, caught him, his life would be over. Minutes passed, one after the other, and he slowly grew calmer.
Other than James and the rest of the sleeping Outer Disciples, he couldn't sense anyone nearby. No Elders or workers were around, and usually no one bothered to patrol the Outer Dorms.
A full hour passed, but he neither saw nor heard anybody else.
'Is there really no one protecting James?' he thought in surprise. If he were the Sect Master, he would definitely place some protections around the Outer Disciple. But he couldn't detect anything.
As an expert in the Core Formation Realm, he experienced plenty of dangerous situations and battles in his life. Every cultivator who lived long enough eventually developed a sixth sense for danger, an intuition of sorts. And right now, he felt nothing.
With a ruthless glare, he slipped his hand out of the cloak to murder James.
'Hmph, so what if you're strong? A genius who dies prematurely is nothing in the end.'
His fist descended to smash James to death.
But right before his hand contacted James, an irresistible power flooded the room, locking him stiffly in place. He tried to turn and flee in panic, but that power lifted him off the ground, his surroundings blurred, and when he was standing again, he was outside.
He was in a bleak and desolate location, at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Swan Sea. His back was to the water, and to his front was a small cottage. A short figure stood in front of the entrance – a child? Due to the darkness, he couldn't make any features out, only a vague outline. Other than that, there was nothing else around, as far as he could see.
"Who – who are you?" he backed up in fright, nearly slipping off the cliff edge in panic. "Where am I?"
He was obviously still by the Swan Sea, but this was an area he had never been to before. Odd, as he believed he knew every inch of the sect and shoreline.
And he was under the Invisibility Cloak, how could he be caught so easily?
But the next moment, he froze and choked on his words, because he smelled the scent of death.
An immense killing intent flooded the atmosphere, raising goosebumps on his skin and lifting the hairs on his body straight up. Thunderous clouds formed overhead, and beneath his feet, the Swan Sea stilled its movement.
He risked a glance down, and to his horror, discovered the sea was frozen.
His entire life, he had never felt such an acute sense of danger, such a sensation of imminent death. It was like a thousand swords were all pointed at his throat.
"I – I'm an Elder of the Swan Sea Sect! And I'm a member of the Ivory Fist Clan! If you kill me, y-you," he babbled, attempting to threaten the man. But his words fell short, because he was unable to finish his threat. What was he supposed to threaten this man with, this man who held power over the very weather?
"Now you remember you're an Elder of the Swan Sea Sect?" the figure finally spoke. His voice was dry and raspy, and it didn't sound quite like a human voice. It sent chills straight up Elder Magnus's spine.
"What kind of Elder would kill a disciple of his own sect?"
"I – I – I – "
"And the Ivory Fist Clan?" the figure laughed, not giving him a chance to explain his way out of this. It was a laughter of mockery and derision. As he laughed, the black clouds in the sky shook and rumbled in tune.
"What thing is that? Even if your Patriarch and his new Death Eater friends were here, I would butcher them like chickens."
"You – how do you know about that?" Elder Magnus was panic-stricken. That was a secret of their clan, an agreement his Patriarch had struck only days ago. He himself hadn't even been informed until today. It was impossible for an outsider to learn of it.
Another mocking chuckle was the only response he got.
Then the clouds parted slightly, allowing a ray of moonlight to briefly illuminate their surroundings. But that brief moment was all the Elder needed to collapse in terror.
"You – you're not human! How did you get into the sect? Who are – what are – "
"You can ponder those questions in your next life."
The Swan Sea was calm again.
After Earth Qi was Metal Qi. As the Nameless Technique said, Earth bears Metal. The fourth of the Five Minor Accomplishments was Forging Bone, and involved refining Metal Qi to strengthen the skeleton.
As for where to get Metal Qi, the only source of Metal Qi Harry knew of was within Qi Crystals. But he didn't have any Qi Crystals on him. Qi Crystals were used as currency in the empire, but within the Swan Sea Sect, the main currency was merit points.
Every once in a while, a special mission came in the Missions Hall offering Qi Crystals. But he checked, and there were currently no such missions. Even then, those missions only offered them by the tens or hundreds. With his terrifying consumption, he knew he would need thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. If stacked together, that would form a small mountain of Qi Crystals.
No matter how he pondered over this problem, Harry failed to think of a method to get any Qi Crystals, or Metal Qi, at all.
'Well, I'll just look around,' he finally decided. He never would have thought the Alchemy Garden contained all the Earth Qi he needed. He only went there on a whim, but ended up profiting immensely. Sometimes, things in life just worked out.
For the next few days, Harry wandered around the Swan Sea, in and out the various Halls and buildings, seeing if he could find any Metal Qi. Yet, his search yielded no fruit.
After his battle with Maynard, the sect was eerily calm. People were too scared to even make any sudden movements. Everyone was just waiting for something to happen, and the whole sect was in nervous anticipation. The tension was like a heated bowl of water, at the cusp of boiling over.
A week after the fight, two pieces of news spread through the sect.
The first was that one of the Elders disappeared. He may as well have vanished overnight, without a single word or notice to anybody. Nobody knew what happened to him.
Without any confirmation, the imagination was left free to run wild. Some people spread rumors he was spirited away by a ghost. Some insisted he was close to breaking through the next level, and went into seclusion without notifying anybody. Others, knowing he was also from the Ivory Fist Clan, speculated that his Patriarch killed him too in a fit of anger. Rumors had it that the Patriarch was indiscriminately venting his anger.
Only the Ivory Fist Clan Elders in on the murder plot knew what might happened – and they didn't know what to believe either. James was still walking around the sect, perfectly fine. One of them thought the Sect Master caught the Elder in the act, and killed him. But others pointed out the Sect Master was in cultivation seclusion, and no one else in the sect was capable of catching him under an Invisibility Cloak. Further, if he were really caught, he would be punished with lashings, as the Sect Master wasn't the type of person to break the rules of her own sect. They eventually concluded he got cold feet and fled the sect in the Invisibility Cloak. Either way, his disappearance put a halt in their plans to kill James.
The second was that Wayne Hopkins reached the Qi Absorption Realm and became an Inner Disciple. Though Maynard was technically first, he withdrew from the sect, and was no longer counted. Therefore, Wayne had the distinction of becoming the first Inner Disciple.
Despite being slower than Maynard, most people believed his cultivation talent was actually higher. That was because Maynard broke through the Qi Absorption Realm due to receiving resources from his clan. In contrast, Wayne only used the resources his earned while at the Swan Sea Sect. Furthermore, Wayne actually helped his clan members with their cultivation, unlike Maynard, who didn't care at all and only thought about his own strength.
Harry heard those discussions, but he didn't pay too much attention to them. After all, neither had anything to do with him. Instead, he walked around the sect, discreetly checking the various locations for Qi Crystals. Despite his hardest efforts, he found absolutely nothing.
'Hmm, isn't my bounty 50,000 Qi Crystals?' he mused. In his desperation, he even hatched a hare-brained plan that went something like this:
1. Convince the Sect Master to disguise herself and hand him over to the Ivory Fist Clan
2. Wait for the Sect Master to receive the 50,000 Qi Crystal reward
3. The Sect Master would grab him and flee the Ivory Fist Clan
4. Profit
But he felt that out all the stupid plans ever concocted by man, this plan was so stupid it was on its own level of stupidity. Not to mention if it would even work, he highly doubted the Sect Master would agree to participate in something like this. And other than the Sect Master, there was no one else who could stand up against the Ivory Fist Clan.
Dismissing the plan from mind, he finally reached the last place in the Sect he hadn't been to – the marketplace. It was an open area where disciples and workers alike set up shop to trade goods. It was one of the most promising locations, since anything could be sold here. But at the same time, it was also the least promising location, because he had nothing of value to barter.
The marketplace was set up as a loosely organized series of stalls, where people were selling their treasures. He saw weapons, armor, Magic Plants, even some pieces of paper with weird symbols inscribed on them, which were apparently known as runic formations, or just formations. They piqued Harry's curiosity, until he saw the price tag, and he lost all interest.
As he walked around, he suddenly realized the flaw in his plan. Everyone was selling items for Qi Crystals, or trading for items of equal value. Nobody was selling Qi Crystals.
'Of course, I should have realized,' Harry sighed. Unless he had something to sell, which he didn't, he wouldn't be earning Qi Crystals here.
'Is there really nothing I can sell though?' He did a quick check of his belongings, and concluded that indeed, there was nothing he could sell. Maybe those green Gilly Weed Essence Pills, which he didn't plan to use. But he told the Elders they were crushed into powder. If he pulled them out now, then he would be punished for lying to an Elder.
As he walked around, he passed by a pair of men manning a stall, with a sign proclaiming they were selling themselves for money. For a moment, Harry thought they were offering something obscene, until he realized they were offering themselves as sparring partners. They were essentially acting as human punching bags, allowing disciples to practice their cultivation techniques against them.
'Oh? I could do that, too,' he mused. But was there anything he could do that an Inner Disciple couldn't? The Inner Disciples were stronger, and could provide better pointers and guidance. They could even explain the mysteries of higher cultivation levels. More importantly, Harry felt people would be too scared to ask him for a spar.
'But still, that's an interesting idea. I don't have to sell a physical object. I could offer a service, that's also allowed here. Is there something I can do though?'
Nothing came to mind still – unless someone wanted him to piss somebody else off. He seemed to have a talent for that. He circled through the marketplace again, then sighed and decided to search elsewhere.
As he left, he saw a stall run by the Alchemy Hall. They were selling pills and Magic Plants at outrageous prices. When they saw James, they leapt in fright and hurriedly hid all their pills while closing their stall, thinking James was here to rob them. But they didn't need to bother, as the moment Harry laid eyes on their red robes, inspiration struck. It was like a flash of lightning in his brain, and a wide grin broke on his face.
'I got it, I got it! I'm a genius!' he exclaimed. Without any delay, he hurriedly headed back to his dorm to put his plan into action.
That afternoon, Harry was back at the marketplace, except this time, he opened up a stall of his own. Though it wasn't much of a stall, just him sitting on the ground, next to a hastily-constructed sign.
Fellow Outer Disciples,
Have you been bullied by an Alchemist? Suppressed by an Inner Disciple or teacher? Run into trouble and need a way to vent your anger? Want to get justice, but can't risk the punishment? Don't worry, I am here! If someone needs to be taught a lesson, come to me. I will slap anyone at the 1st level of the Qi Absorption Realm or lower for you.
Price: 100 Qi Crystals per slap.