When Arthur stepped into the Alchemy Pavilion the next morning, every head seemed to turn. Conversations dulled, gazes sharpened. Disciples and elders alike glanced at him, some with curiosity, others with the quiet weight of judgment. Arthur did not return a single look. He simply walked in silence, his steps steady, until he reached his allotted concoction chamber.
Inside, Elder Yan was already waiting.
The elder said slowly, eyes narrowing, "You've stirred quite the trouble, boy."
Arthur inclined his head. "It was an error of judgment on my part, Elder Yan. I won't deny it."
For a moment, silence lingered. Then Elder Yan exhaled, his shoulders easing. "Hmph. Don't think the Alchemy Pavilion is so soft. We will retaliate. Those damned inscriptionists…" His lips curled into a sneer, his voice lowering into venom. "Sitting there scratching rocks and pretending it's art, they must have inhaled too much incense smoke to think we'd leave one of our own stranded. Trash."
Arthur blinked at the bluntness of the words but said nothing.
"They spend half their lives hunched over slabs of stone, squinting until their eyes go crooked, and the other half bragging about which crooked line glows brighter! Call it inscription, I call it doodling with an attitude. Their robes reek of burnt ink, their fingers are always blackened, and still they strut around as if the heavens themselves would crumble without their scribbles. At least an alchemist's furnace produces pills to heal and strengthen. What do their stones do? Light up? Shine like lanterns? Pah! If I wanted glowing rocks, I'd stuff fireflies in a jar! I don't understand why you went to them in the first place. You can ask me if you want something. I will send an errand boy to them if you require anything."
Elder Yan waved his hand dismissively without waiting for Arthur to reply. "Fret not. We won't give them an edge. Leave the politics to us. You, focus on your work. Today, I want you to attempt the Solar Ascendance Breakthrough Pills."
He produced a jade slip and handed it to Arthur.
Arthur accepted it with both hands. Elder Yan's tone softened, just slightly. "This is the best formula, along with notes, we have at present. But perhaps, with that peculiar talent of yours, you might work some improvement. If you can refine even a small upgrade, it would be worth more than what you earn now. I'll take my leave."
Elder Yan paused at the threshold as Arthur raised the slip to his brow and added, "Ease your mind, boy. Focus on the formula. Leave those stupid inscriptionists to us." Then he was gone.
Arthur frowned faintly. He still couldn't understand the hostility. Alchemists and inscriptionists, why were they set at each other's throats? Lian Hua, after all, had gotten along well enough with that Immortal Inscriptionist back in Purgatory. The memory flickered through his mind before he shook it away.
"Well then… let's see what this recipe holds."
For the next three shíchen, Arthur poured himself into refining the Solar Ascendance Breakthrough Pills. The process was arduous; the formula demanded the force of at least a half-step Amber Radiance realm alchemist to even heat the furnace properly. Sweat beaded on Arthur's brow as his flames sputtered and died. Not a single batch succeeded.
A faint breeze of failed refinement leaked through the chamber's vents. Moments later, Elder Yan entered, his expression already telling the outcome.
"No luck?"
Arthur shook his head. "No, Elder Yan. I couldn't find anything."
The old man sighed, rubbing his brow.
Arthur read the shift in his face. "What is it, Elder Yan? Did I do something wrong?"
Elder Yan hesitated, then spoke with gravity. "Things are looking bad for you, Qing Tian."
Arthur's brows knit. "Why?"
"It's your uncle. Duan Zi Xuan."
Arthur froze. Zi Xuan was the father of Ming Hao.
Elder Yan continued, "You know as well as I do that both your uncle and father are direct disciples of the current Sect Master. Your uncle has thrown his support behind the Inscription Pavilion and is already pushing this matter higher. Trouble is brewing."
Arthur's lips pressed into a thin line.
"If only you had managed something with this pill," Elder Yan sighed again.
Arthur frowned. "Why, Elder? Haven't I refined better pills before?"
"You have. But this is different." The old man's eyes sharpened. "If you could improve this formula, the Pavilion would have a weapon of its own. Something no one could contest."
Arthur leaned forward. "Why this pill specifically?"
Elder Yan explained, voice grave. "Because these pills are for Amber Radiance realm cultivators seeking to break into Solar Ascendance. And soon, the Starfall Abyss Mirage will open. Seven moons from now, when autumn's fall arrives. The minimum qualification to enter is the Solar Ascendance realm. Everyone will be desperate. A breakthrough pill—especially one brewing stronger than the current formula would be worth a fortune, and could also give us leverage against the Inscription Pavilion."
Arthur's mind stilled. This wasn't just about him being barred from the Inscription Pavilion. Now, his uncle was pulling strings, and the Alchemy Pavilion was being forced to the wall. A single upgraded pill recipe might shift the balance.
The pill was designed to aid cultivators attempting the forceful and dangerous leap from the Amber Radiance Realm to the Solar Ascendance Realm — a threshold feared and revered alike. Success with the breakthrough pill was about half, but failure often rendered the potential of the Spirit Root dangling. However, the Solar Ascendance Realm was also the absolute requirement for entering the Starfall Abyss Mirage, a place Arthur had pieced together from Tianyu's knowledge as a secret realm. In reality, he knew it was a spatial gate. He frequently heard about them in the Immortals' short stories.
An improved version of this pill, one that increases the chances of a safe and smooth breakthrough, would not only become priceless now, when it would be in greater demand in the market, but also grant the Alchemy Pavilion a significant advantage. With such a creation, they could stand before the Sect Master and argue fiercely on Arthur's behalf.
But Arthur remembered yesterday, the eyes, the whispers, the trouble he had stirred just by one careless remark. He couldn't afford another blaze of attention. Although he could not refine the upgraded pill, he could help them with the recipe. It was nothing for him.
He made a sighing remark. "I am sorry, Elder Yan. I couldn't help this time.
The old man's face softened. He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Don't dwell on it. It's just a small setback. We'll find another way." With that, he left.
Arthur sat in silence. The chamber still smelled faintly of the smoke from a failed pill. His eyes lowered to the jade slip on the table.
Since it has come to this, I need to take more proactive steps…