Thinking about it, it was understandable that Kyle had been the one to act as the middleman for the summon.
The disciplinary committee managed those aspects of the Sect. It was strange that the role had fallen specifically on Kyle, but it was understandable nonetheless.
'I really wanted to sleep,' Liam cursed in his mind, already forcing himself up. From what he had learned, a call from an Elder wasn't something he could ignore.
The lesson also promised to have to do with the core of Liam's cultivation journey, so missing it wasn't an option.
Luckily, Liam knew his exhaustion would be short-lived. He would recover soon enough since his core would produce more Qi, so he glanced at his pouch with all his belongings before dragging his feet toward the entrance.
Apparently, it was impolite to walk armed around the Sect, so Liam had stopped wearing his knives. The same went for the container with the poison since the privacy of his cave was theoretically sacred. He felt a bit naked without weapons, but his hands were tied.
As the entrance opened, Liam performed the polite bow Lucy had taught him, waiting to see Kyle's figure before addressing him in the customary manner. "Senior Brother Kyle."
"Junior Brother," Kyle responded in tone, also bowing, only for surprise to invade his face when both straightened themselves.
Due to Liam's secluded training, that was Kyle's first time checking him properly after Lucy's beauty treatment, and the scene was quite stunning.
Liam wasn't only taller than Kyle. He was properly big, his now far straighter long hair conflicting with his intense, strong face. Liam's bloodshot eyes and dark eye bags also played a role, giving him a haunted, dangerous aura.
"Junior Brother is an inspiration for all his fellow disciples," Kyle couldn't help but praise. "Despite being a genius, he still works hard. This Senior is humbled."
The switch to third person initially confused Liam's muddled mind, but his brain eventually caught up. Still, he had no idea how to respond in tone and was too tired even to think of a way.
"I don't hold any grudge for what happened," Liam mentioned instead, using words Lucy had suggested. "Senior Brother was only looking out for the Sect."
Those words were true, at least the first part, but Liam didn't expect them to have such an evident effect. Kyle exhaled loudly, masking a deep sigh of relief, and Liam could almost see the boulder that was his anxiety vanish.
"Junior Brother is too kind," Kyle chirped happily, turning to lead the way up the path.
The interaction perfectly demonstrated the importance of status. Liam's talent ensured that he would surpass Kyle in hierarchy, so the latter had been worried about eventual payback.
'I really need to interact with people more,' Liam made a mental note. 'This customary social stuff is harder than cultivation.'
The Outer Hall was the huge wooden building on the first plateau, and Kyle escorted Liam directly there. The morning sky was cloudy, and activity in the Sect was low, the few disciples outside their caves casually roaming to take breaks from their training.
Needless to say, Liam earned every available look, even starting murmurs and knocks on other caves. Luckily, he got to the Outer Hall before any curious crowd could gather.
A bald man in his sixties donning a long grey beard waited for Liam atop the few steps connected to the hall. He had a gentle face, featuring a simple smile, which he pointed at Kyle to send him away.
"Disciple Liam greets Apothecary Elder," Liam announced while Kyle left the two alone, bowing in the customary manner.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," The Elder responded, his voice soft, seemingly as gentle as his face. "I admit I couldn't wait. Your arrival caused quite a stir throughout the Sect."
Before the talk with Lucy, Liam might have felt some innocent excitement at those polite words. However, he now knew they were for his spiritual roots, not him.
"Follow me inside," The Apothecary Elder soon ordered. "The Sect arranged a small lab for us."
That part was exciting, so Liam eagerly followed the Elder, entering the sides of the building that dug through the mountain, crossing a wooden corridor that eventually opened into a rocky chamber.
The place looked no different than Liam's cave, only bigger and featuring two metal cauldrons on the uneven floor. Liam also spotted neatly arranged small logs in a corner, as well as sacks of different sizes in the other.
'How deeply has the Sect dug inside the mountain?' Liam casually wondered before the Elder claimed his attention.
"As you might have heard," The Apothecary Elder announced, sitting cross-legged behind one cauldron. "I merely manage the Alchemical Hall's products. The Alchemy Elder is why the Sect's alchemy division is renowned."
Liam actually didn't know that. Lucy's brief introduction didn't include every Elder.
"But he is often and currently in seclusion," The Elder continued, smiling at Liam. "I'm no master, but I can show you the ropes."
Before Liam could wonder about what ropes had to do with anything, the Elder hit him with a question. "What do you know about alchemy?"
"Nothing," Liam admitted. "The Disciplinary Elder said that alchemists concoct medicinal pills and elixirs, but I don't know much about them, either."
The Elder nodded, addressing the very foundation of the topic. "Alchemy is the art of harnessing, rearranging, and enhancing the properties the Heavens' creations possess."
That explanation made Liam wish he had remained clueless, but luckily for him, the Elder wasn't done.
"Through alchemy," The Elder continued, "A leaf that soothes colds can become a potion capable of defeating the deadliest fevers."
The explanation had instantly become more interesting, and the Elder kept that trend going.
"In the cultivation world," The Elder explained, "Alchemy can overcome bottlenecks, restore ruined cores, accelerate Qi recovery, facilitate nutrients' absorption, expand foundations, and far more."
Liam was properly stunned now. Despite only understanding half of what the Elder had said, Liam realized the implications of being able to achieve such feats.
"Obviously," The Elder mentioned, "Alchemy can also do the opposite. It is an immensely vast and profound art, limited only by the alchemist's wisdom and skills."
Then, the Elder hit Liam with a more direct example of the field's relevance. "The Pale Moon Sect concocts the best Qi Recovery elixirs in the eastern side of the Outer Circles, among other things. Trading them with other Sects earns us great respect and privileged status few can match."
That topic was still new to Liam. He had just started learning how the Pale Moon Sect worked, but had no idea of how Sects as a whole interacted with each other.
That was simply due to inexperience. Liam had merely taken a step into the cultivation world. He had yet to learn and witness what that implied on a larger scale.
"I'll show you a basic concoction technique now," The Apothecary Elder announced. "Bring me a single log and those three big sacks."
Liam did as ordered, curious to learn more about that world. He delivered everything to the Elder before stopping in front of the cauldron, waiting for the magic to happen.
"First, you heat the cauldron," The Elder explained, placing the log at the cauldron's base, which instantly took fire at his simple touch. "Then, you add the ingredients in a specific order."
The Elder calmly drew an item from each sack, consisting of a brown stem, a shard with a metallic luster, and a flask with a transparent liquid. He threw the first two into the cauldron before slowly pouring the third inside.
"The ingredients possess the desired properties," The Elder stated, one hand still pouring the liquid while the other went to the fiery log, "But it's the flame that separates and removes them to refine the product."
Liam's animal instincts tingled as the Elder gently released some Qi, which mixed with the flame to intensify its heat and change its color. The fire gained yellow shades, causing a faint rumbling inside the cauldron.
"We call this the alchemical flame," The Elder revealed. "Through our Qi, we can control the fire and achieve the intended effects, even adding properties otherwise impossible."
The rumbling continued for a while, but the Elder never moved his hand away. Even when the flask was empty, he simply placed it down but remained in his position.
"Can you control your Qi, Disciple Liam?" The Elder eventually asked.
"Somehow," Liam nodded, his black eyes glued to the faint smoke coming out of the cauldron.
"Affect the alchemical flame then," The Apothecary Elder ordered, finally removing his hand and scooting away. "Try to be as gentle as possible."
Liam was genuinely curious at that point, so he reached the Elder's side, kneeling to the rocks and pointing his palm at the fire.
The flame had regained its red shades, but tried to burn Liam nonetheless. However, he willed some of the remaining Qi in his body to blow outward, wanting to see what that led to.
The fire flickered for a second, only for dark streaks to taint it. That color expanded until the flame became completely black, and the same went for the smoke the cauldron released, until a muffled thudding noise resounded.
An explosion seemed to have happened inside the cauldron, releasing something that flew as high as the rocky ceiling, splashing over it before releasing sizzling noises.