Arthur sat cross-legged within his chamber, the vast Spirit-Blood Convergence Array spread wide beneath him. The formation's runes still glimmered faintly with the dried traces of Charred Earth Wyvern blood.
Liu Fen had returned not long ago and brought six blank Moonsteel Inscription Scrolls. Arthur arranged them with careful hands, setting them just outside the active field of the array.
Beside them rested his borrowed cauldron, the Azure Steel Serpent Cauldron. He loaned it from the Alchemy Pavilion. Its body was engraved with serpent patterns that shimmered whenever Qi pulsed through it. Alongside lay the ingredients for making the Whiteflare Bloom Breakthrough Pills.
A Five-Hundred-Year-Old Mountain Ginseng, sliced into nine thin, precise pieces.
The White Spirit Lotus, its petals washed in its own nectar, the famed Lotus Nectar Wine. Every part of it held value — the root, the flower, and the stem, but only the petal was used for the recipe. Only when Arthur was sure that he would proceed with the pill refining today did he separate the petals from the whole plant, so it was close to a freshly gathered White Spirit Lotus petal. It was a step that some alchemists ignored, costing them in the final product.
Finally, the Silvergrass Powdered Essence. It was crushed with a jade mortar once more until it gleamed faintly with raw, nourishing Qi.
There were only four ingredients, and yet, the Pill recipe was one of the hardest, if not the hardest, pills of the Whiteflare Bloom Grade.
He also kept his Incscription Etcher and other valuable items outside the array; he didn't want any interference or hindrance between his refinements.
After the preparation was completed, Arthur dismissed Zi Yan with firm instructions. "Today, I will be studying again. No matter what happens, do not interfere. If Father comes, say that I have gained an insight. I will naturally come when I finish."
A Whiteflare Bloom Grade pill was no easy task that would forgive disturbance, not for an Early Amber Radiance Alchemist. Today, it required a surgical approach.
Then he turned back to the array in his chambers.
With a steady breath, he placed one hundred Whiteflare Spirit Stones into their slots along the outer ring. A hum filled the chamber as the stones resonated with one another. Arthur sat at the center, closing his eyes briefly to settle his breathing. Then, with deliberate force, he pulled.
The array roared to life. Lines flared with crimson light, and a flood of Qi surged inward from the Vermillion Stones. Arthur's body shook; the runes bound the torrent and let it flow into him. But instead of drawing it in, Arthur diverted the energy.
With a single hand seal, the Azure Steel Serpent Cauldron levitated before him, steady under his will. The Convergence Array made this possible. Feats of large-scale telekinetic control usually belong only to cultivators of the Whiteflare Bloom Realm.
Arthur exhaled slowly, then infused Qi into the cauldron using the resonance technique. At once, a crimson-gold glow sparked to life within.
The first ingredient floated upward under his will: the nine slices of Mountain Ginseng. He guided each into the cauldron with his left hand while his right maintained precise control over the flame. The ginseng pieces quivered as the heat enveloped them.
Next came the White Spirit Lotus petals. They drifted down like withered leaves, their moisture drying instantly. One by one, the petals browned, curling into brittle fragments as their essence seeped into the brew.
Then Arthur brought forth the Silvergrass Powdered Essence. The faint powder shimmered dangerously, Qi rising as if to flee. Yet the cauldron's temperature locked it in place, binding its raw force to the mixture.
The three ingredients clashed violently, but Arthur's hands never wavered. His flames held them balanced, neither collapsing nor exploding.
Time stretched thin, three shichens passed before the chaos within the cauldron softened into harmony. A vague pill-shape began to take form, suspended in crimson light.
Arthur's expression hardened. This was the point of no return. He raised the temperature sharply, compressing the essence, solidifying its shape. The pill's surface smoothed under the pressure, glowing with a deep red hue.
But the final step was the actual trial.
Instead of allowing the pill to cool naturally, he performed the alchemists' most delicate technique — annealing. He released measured pulses of Qi, not to extinguish the heat but to guide its descent. Cooling by heating. If he faltered even once, the pill would crack, its medicinal essence would disperse into nothingness.
The night passed in this silent struggle. Arthur's body was drenched in sweat, yet his focus never wavered.
At last, the cauldron's glow dimmed. Arthur raised his hand, and floating before him was a pearly white pill, with a faint pattern of red wisps dancing across its surface.
A breakthrough pill for the Whiteflare Bloom Realm.
Arthur stared at it. He had forged the impossible with the aid of the Convergence Array. He put it away quickly in a Void Inscribed Jade Bottle. It would help him keep the pill essence from dispersing.
Instead of resting, he looked back at the spirit stones arrayed around him. Though weakened, they still pulsed with Qi.
"The most difficult task is done," Arthur murmured. "Now… it is time for inscription."
His gaze sharpened on the blank Moonsteel Scrolls. One trembled, then shot into the air with a faint hum, hovering before him. At the same time, the inscription etcher rose to his right hand, its tip still had the faint dried residue of Charred Earth Wyvern blood.
"The most difficult task is done," Arthur murmured. "Now… it is time for the inscriptions."
Arthur's thoughts ran like lightning. He had dozens of inscriptions, from defensive veils to sealing chains, from communication sigils to entrapment arrays. But in this moment, he could only choose one.
If I were to be in trouble, would diplomacy work? Hah… Tianyu devours soft words. Hesitation would mean death. If I am to carve, then I carve fangs.
His hand steadied, the etcher poised. With a flick, the first line scorched into the Moonsteel, glowing faintly as the Wyvern blood was consumed with each stroke. Jagged arcs interlocked with circles, forming the skeleton of an offensive script.
Attack it is.
Arthur's movements were precise yet swift, like a swordsman dancing upon the edge of battle. His strokes cut sharply into the scroll, runes weaving into one another, each channel opening to the following like rivers feeding a greater sea.
The inscription's intent took shape: a condensed lightning Qi that would gather ambient energy instantly and unleash it as a piercing strike. It had the potential to be a decisive blow, one with the power of an Early Whiteflare Bloom Realm Cultivator.
The air around him rippled with killing intent.
Arthur's jaw tightened.
The last stroke fell. A crimson glow surged across the scroll, settling into intricate, glowing lines. The Moonsteel shuddered once, then steadied. The inscription was complete.
Arthur lowered the etcher, sweat trickling down his temple. His gaze lingered on the fresh rune-work.
His first true attacking inscription was done.
He turned toward the spirit stones set within the array. Their glow had dimmed to a faint ember, nearly depleted. With what little remained, he knew he could craft nothing more.
Arthur drew a sharp breath and willed the formation to disperse the last reserves of Qi. The stones flared weakly, bleeding light into the air before their crimson hue guttered out. One after another, they dulled into lifeless fragments, nothing more than brittle shards of glass.
Exhaustion struck him all at once. His knees buckled, and he collapsed with a muted thud at the heart of the array. Which was now dark and silent.
Yet he did not stop. Closing his eyes, Arthur steadied his breathing, gathering the scattered Qi in the air. Every wisp, every thread of energy, he pulled it into himself, unwilling to waste even a fraction. But his body would gather Qi only what it naturally could.
The world outside for him faded into silence.
Only the fast rhythm of his heart and the whisper of Qi remained.