A strange sound pulled Alex from the depths of sleep. It was a rhythmic, delicate crunch… crunch… crunch… like someone meticulously chewing on bits of glass. His eyes snapped open, his body instantly tensing. He was not in the wild anymore; he was in his cabin, behind a barred door. Nothing should be making that sound.
He sat up slowly, his gaze sweeping across the moonlit room. His eyes landed on the small wooden trunk at the foot of his cot, the one where he kept his growing collection of depleted, inert spirit stones. The lid was slightly ajar.
And there, perched on the edge of the trunk, was Lumen.
His small, falcon-like head was dipped inside. He would emerge with one of the dull, glassy crystals held delicately in his beak, tilt his head back, and swallow it. Then came the sound: a soft crunch as the crystal disintegrated somewhere inside the small bird.
"Hey!" Alex whisper-shouted, scrambling out of bed. "Lu, stop! What are you doing? You'll tear up your stomach!"
He rushed over, his heart pounding with a mix of confusion and parental panic. He gently scooped the bird up. Lumen let out a soft, questioning chirp and nudged his head affectionately against Alex's chin, completely unbothered. Alex looked into the trunk. Nearly half of his collection of over thirty inert crystals was gone.
He held Lu, checking for any signs of distress. The bird seemed perfectly fine, even a bit more energetic than usual. He felt a wave of contentment and a distinct impression of 'yummy' flow through their bond.
Alex paused. His panic began to recede, replaced by a dawning realization. 'Wait a minute…' He remembered what Elara had told him weeks ago: "Qi is the only thing that gives these stones their form. Without it, they should cease to exist."
His spirit stones didn't crumble because his cultivation technique was so pure it left the crystalline shell intact. But what was that shell made of? He had always assumed it was just inert rock.
'But what if it's not? What if it is just spiritual essence, just without any active Qi? Like empty fuel tanks.' To any normal person, they were useless. But to a creature like Lumen... maybe they were a delicacy, a source of energy.
He was just glad he finally had something to do with the strange crystals. While Lu hopped back to the trunk to finish his breakfast, a new routine settling into place, Alex sat on his cot. The morning was still young. It was time for his 'meal'.
He entered his Sea of Consciousness and began his daily cultivation, drawing the ambient Qi from the air around him. After a solid hour of meditation, he paused, a sense of slight disappointment washing over him. The progress was slow, a crawl. He pulled up the Book of Ascension to confirm his suspicions.
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[ CULTIVATION ]
Qi Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm - Stage 3 (4.1%)
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'Only 2% progress. Filling this dantian is going to take forever,' he thought with a sigh.
But just as he was about to withdraw his consciousness, he noticed something new. In the table of contents of the Book of Ascension, a page that had previously been blank was now glowing with a soft, golden light. Curious, he focused his will upon it. The book flipped open to a new, unfamiliar section. The page read:
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[ CONTRACTED BEASTS ]
Name: Lumen (Lu)
Species: Void Falcon (Divine Beast)
Current Rank: E-Rank (10.0%)
Affinities: Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Darkness
*************************
Alex's jaw dropped. Divine Beast? Void Falcon? He had never even heard of such a creature. The sect library's bestiaries had detailed hundreds of magical beasts, from common Glimmerwing Finches to legendary Storm Rocs. There had been no mention of a Void Falcon.
And five affinities? Including Darkness? The element was the stuff of fearful legends, the signature of heretical arts and demonic cultivators. A cold knot formed in his stomach as he thought of Lyra and the tainted core. But the energy he felt from Lu was the complete opposite; it was pure, warm, and full of life. It didn't make sense to him how the same energy could feel so different.
As his mind reeled, he noticed the number beside Lumen's rank flicker. It changed from 10.0% to 10.1%.
He was pulled from his thoughts by another soft crunch. He opened his eyes and looked at Lu, who had just swallowed another depleted spirit stone. He quickly looked back at the book in his mind. The number ticked up again: 10.2%.
The realization hit him. That was it. That was how Lumen cultivated, not by absorbing ambient Qi from the air like a human, but by directly consuming the pure essence in the spirit stones. His trash was Lumen's treasure.
A wide grin spread across Alex's face. His strange quirk was no longer just that, but the key to raising a Divine Beast. But raising a creature of myth couldn't be cheap. Just how much would it cost him?
Having this thought, the grin quickly faded from Alex's face. He checked his inventory, his mind shifting from that of a cultivator to an accountant, wanting to check how many spirit stones he had. His consciousness dove back into the Book of Ascension, the page turning from Lu's status to the sobering numbers reflecting his wealth.
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[ INVENTORY ]
Low-Grade Spirit Stones....x284
Mid-Grade Spirit Stones....x11
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It was a small fortune for an outer disciple, the result of two days of nonstop, dangerous work. It was enough to buy high-quality ingredients, to rent a cultivation chamber, and to live comfortably for a few months.
His gaze flickered back to the real world. Lu had just crunched down another depleted crystal, the beautiful, empty shell of a low-grade spirit stone that had cost him precious contribution points to acquire in the first place.
Alex did a quick, horrifying mental calculation. Lu had eaten roughly fifteen inert stones to gain about 2% progression in E-Rank. To reach the next rank, he would likely need to consume hundreds, maybe even thousands of these empty shells. His entire stock of spirit stones, his fortune, represented Lu's next few meals, at best.
The weight of it crashed down on him. It was a feeling he knew all too well from his old life. The brief, fleeting joy of a full wallet, immediately crushed by the looming dread of rent, tuition, and the endless, grinding need to earn more just to stay afloat. He had traded the expenses of his old life for the expenses of raising a divine beast.
He looked at Lumen, who had hopped off the trunk and was now preening his single, magnificent rainbow tail feather, completely oblivious to the financial crisis he was going to be causing.
Alex had a thought. A dangerous, expensive, but necessary thought. The depleted crystals were a by-product of his cultivation. They were leftovers, but what about the raw, unused spirit stone?
He delved back into his inventory and pulled a single low-grade spirit stone from his stash. He held it out on his open palm. "What about this one, Lu?"
Lumen stopped preening instantly. His intelligent black eyes locked onto the stone, not with the casual interest he'd shown the others, but with an intense, focused hunger. He hopped from the trunk to Alex's cot, and then to his knee, his movements silent and graceful. He looked from the glowing stone to Alex's face, a silent question in his gaze.
"Go ahead," Alex said softly.
With a speed that blurred the eye, Lu snatched the stone from his palm, tossed it into the air, and swallowed it whole. There was no soft crunch this time.
The effect was instantaneous and dramatic. Lumen's single, rainbow tail feather, which usually glowed with a soft, gentle rainbow light, erupted in a frenzied color show. The colors swirled and intensified, casting a vibrant, dancing light across the dim cabin. His heart hammering, Alex immediately dove back into his Sea of Consciousness, his eyes fixed on Lu's stats in the Book of Ascension.
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[ CONTRACTED BEASTS ]
Name: Lumen (Lu)
Species: Void Falcon (Divine Beast)
Current Rank: E-Rank (11.2%)
*************************
His jaw went slack. Not 0.1%. A full 1.0% increase. A single, full spirit stone was worth a hundred of the depleted ones. The pure Qi hadn't just been a better meal; it was an order of magnitude more effective.
The elation lasted for a single, thrilling heartbeat before the crushing weight of the math settled back in.
He had just discovered the single most expensive hobby in the entire sect.
Raising a Divine Beast wasn't just a matter of finding food; it was a constant, draining, and unbelievably costly affair. He looked back at his inventory: 283 low-grade spirit stones and 11 mid-grade ones. That wasn't a fortune. It was a meager starting fund.
He looked over at Lu, whose tail feather had dimmed back to its soft glow. The bird seemed to sense his turmoil and hopped onto his shoulder, nudging his cheek affectionately. A feeling of unwavering trust and contentment flowed through their bond.
The panic in Alex's chest was replaced by stubborn resolve. He had survived his old world by working tirelessly, by being smarter and more efficient than everyone else. This was no different. This wasn't a debt; it was a goal, a reason to push himself harder than ever before.
He let out a long, weary sigh, but a real, genuine smile returned to his face. His gaze drifted from Lumen to the gleaming cauldron and sacks of herbs that filled his small cabin.
He had a plan. He had the skills. And now, he had a very, very expensive bird to provide for.
'Alright, Lu,' he thought, gently stroking the bird's soft feathers. 'Looks like the grind is back on.'
He had a lot of pills to make if he wanted Lu to eat well and grow strong.
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Alex spent the better part of the morning making pills so he could sell them at the exchange hall. The quiet hum of the cauldron was a familiar and comforting sound he had grown to miss over the last two days. Lumen was perched on the back of a chair, sleeping soundly, the nearly emptied trunk of depleted spirit stones a testament to his hearty breakfast. The divine beast's expense was a real and motivating fire at Alex's back.
Alex's focus was absolute. He worked with a practiced efficiency born from both knowledge and necessity. The Qi Replenishing Pills and Recovery Pills were second nature now, each batch emerging from the cauldron a consistent, high-quality brown, their internal energy pure and stable. Forty-eight pills, two dozen of each, were neatly lined up on his table in a short time.
The real test, however, was the antidote. He pulled out the vial containing the neutralized venom from the Marshlurker. With his Immortal Eyes, he saw the faint, ghostly signature of the poison's murky Qi, a complex web of chaotic energy. His task wasn't to copy a recipe, but to reverse-engineer an antitoxin. He had to create a pill whose spiritual properties would actively dismantle that specific signature neutralizing the toxin.
He chose his ingredients with meticulous care: the purifying Frost Lily, the grounding Iron-root, and a hint of a rare Cleansing Vine he'd purchased some time ago. The process was grueling. His first attempt yielded a batch of useless, blackened charcoal. But on the second try, he found the balance. Fifteen perfectly spherical, pale-blue pills rested at the bottom of the cauldron, each radiating a cool, purifying aura.
With his inventory now full, he gave Lumen a final pat, a stern look that meant don't eat the furniture, and headed out.
The Exchange Hall was already bustling, but Alex bypassed the chaotic stalls of the outer disciples. He walked with a new confidence, his alchemist pin granting him access to a different venue: the Alchemist Guild's Public Counter, a place where the sect itself bought and sold resources. It was a quieter, more professional affair.
The alchemist behind the counter, a stern-faced woman, raised an eyebrow at the sheer quantity of pills he presented. Her expression shifted from skepticism to shock as she examined the first one.
"High-quality Qi pills," she stated, her voice flat with surprise. She tested a recovery pill. "Mid-grade efficacy. And this..." she analyzed one of the blue antidote pills, her eyes widening slightly. "A neurotoxin antidote. The craftsmanship is superb."
Given the sect's current preparations for a major expedition south, pills of this quality, especially targeted antidotes, were in desperately high demand. The final sum she offered him was staggering, far more than he had made from his public sale. Alex walked away with his storage ring heavy with a new fortune, his "bill" problem solved for the foreseeable future.
With his primary objective complete, Alex felt the pull of ambition. He wasn't just here to be an alchemist. He turned his steps toward the inner sect training grounds. It was time for another lesson. He was going to find Kai Jin.
"Alchemy is a fun way to earn money, but I'm itching to spar against Kai Jin again. Wait till he sees my new technique."
He arrived to find a small crowd gathered around one of the central platforms. His eyes immediately found Jay locked in a fierce but controlled spar with another disciple, whom Alex didn't recognize. He was surprised. This wasn't the Jay he had trained with. He was still on the defensive, his sabre shrouded in bronze-hued Qi, but his defense was no longer static. He moved with a new, fluid grace, raising small, curved shields of stone from the platform to deflect his opponent's probing attacks. He wasn't just blocking the stones flying his way; he was redirecting. He was losing, yes, but he was losing on his terms, forcing the more powerful opponent to take him seriously.
"Who's the guy with the topknot?" Alex asked a nearby disciple, nodding toward the lean, calm figure who wielded no weapon.
"You don't know Senior Brother Gao?" the disciple whispered back in awe. "They call him Gao the Unmovable. He's one of the top Earth cultivators in the Golden Core realm."
The spar ended when Gao, with a sigh, created a wave of earth that gently pushed Jay back. "Your progress is remarkable, Junior Brother," Gao said, a look of genuine approval on his face. "But your intent is still divided. You must learn to trust the sword as much as you trust the shield."
"I understand, Senior Brother," Jay said, bowing, his chest heaving.
Alex decided to make his presence known. "Looks like you've been busy."
Jay spun around, a wide, proud grin breaking across his face. "Alex! Good timing." He then gestured to Gao, a hint of reverence in his voice. "Senior Brother Gao, this is my friend, Alex."
Gao's calm, earthy eyes settled on Alex. His gaze was analytical, sweeping over Alex's plain robes and alchemist pin before settling on his face. There was a clear look of disinterest, the kind an expert gives to a novice not worth his time. "The alchemist," Gao said, his voice a low rumble, his assessment unimpressed.
Jay, sensing the dismissal of his friend, quickly added, "He's the one who sparred with Senior Brother Kai Jin."
Gao's polite mask finally cracked. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Alex with a new, genuine curiosity. "So, you are the one," he said. "The 'anomaly' who walked away from a direct hit from Senior Brother Kai Jin." He was silent for a long moment, his gaze unwavering. "The rumors of your resilience are... intriguing. But resilience is not the same as skill." He gestured to the open platform with a tilt of his head. "Show me."
It wasn't a question. It was a challenge. A direct, undisguised test from a Golden Core expert who was unimpressed by second-hand stories.
Alex felt a familiar thrill. He had come here looking for Kai Jin, for a wall to test himself against. This would do nicely.
"I acktually came looking for Senior Kai Jin, but I'd be honored, Senior Brother," Alex said, a sharp, confident grin spreading across his face. He stepped onto the platform, rolling his shoulders. 'Perfect,' he thought. 'A warm-up before the main event.'