A Song For The Ages

A few days had passed since Baiyu began her transformation. Nestled within the quiet sanctuary of Feiyin's personal quarters, the white snake lay coiled and asleep, her scales faintly glimmering beneath the protective warmth of the fire vein-regulated chamber.

Feiyin had watched her closely in the first few days, monitoring her pulse through his spiritual sense and reading the subtle frequencies of her internal resonance with his oscillation sense. Everything told him she was stable, and so he let her be, knowing that such tier evolution could take time, especially if her bloodline was more profound than he had anticipated.

During that period, he also continued his cultivation with fervor. The qi flow phase was all about bridging the inner body with the external world, by opening the body's accupoints, gateways that allowed essence and essence qi to flow in and out.

These accupoints were directly tied to the meridians he had opened, and the more meridians one possessed, the more accupoints could be activated. After conducting a thorough scan of his own body with both spiritual and oscillation sense, Feiyin discovered that he could open a staggering 361 accupoints, compared to the usual peak of 270.

With his three dantians and powerful qi nexuses generating an abundant reservoir of essence qi, he had already opened ten of them over the past few days, accelerating his cultivation pace.

Of course, such rapid advancement required periods of recovery. To support this, Feiyin used some of his own meticulously refined recovery pills.

Unlike most cultivators who had to be cautious about the accumulation of pill impurities, which could clog the body's natural circulation, Feiyin's pills were of 100% purity.

It made sustained progression not only feasible, but efficient.

Now, the room was quiet, save for the hum of low fire and the soft echo of alchemy tools. Feiyin sat cross-legged at his alchemical station, focusing entirely on his work. He had returned to practicing pill and artifact refining, pushing his abilities further.

The essence qi now flowed freely from his body, and with each session, he better understood how to layer his spiritual sense and essence into his creations.

Today, however, he had another goal. It was time.

He cleaned up the workbench, gathered his documents and the required samples, and left the room, glancing once more at Baiyu. Her breathing was calm, even, and steady.

"Rest well," he whispered, before heading toward the central administration building of the Saint Alchemy Branch.

The certification hall was lined with polished blackstone and etched with formations to keep ambient essence qi stable. At its heart stood Deacon Fan, a sharp-eyed middle-aged man with thinning hair and long fingers that tapped idly against his jade tablet. The moment Feiyin stepped in, their eyes met, and he immediately felt the man's interest.

Greedy, Feiyin thought, his oscillation sense picking up the disharmony in the deacon's heartbeat, a shallow fluctuation that indicated expectation. That kind of hunger never lied.

Smiling faintly, Feiyin took out his disciple token and subtly transferred five hundred contribution points through the built-in function.

A soft chime rang on Deacon Fan's tablet. The man's brows lifted, and a genial smile spread across his face.

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"Ah, Disciple Cai. I see you're here for certification? Well then, let's make this process smooth and efficient. I enjoy working with clever young men."

Feiyin bowed with a smile of his own. "I hope to meet expectations, Deacon Fan."

Under the man's supervision, Feiyin refined a tier 2 pill, a moderate recovery pill for early-stage cultivators, with steady hands and flawless execution. Then, using the second half of the exam, he forged a tier 2 shield crafted from cold-essence iron and titanium alloys.

Both passed inspection with flying colors. Deacon Fan nodded approvingly.

"Very well, you now qualify as an Essence Alchemist in both categories."

The man tapped a formation slate. Feiyin's token glowed, and a new cauldron and flame mark were etched into the back. His robes, too, updated automatically through the badge's qi link, shifting slightly to two broad silver bands on the sleeves, the mark of an official Essence Alchemist and second-class disciple.

Feiyin left the hall with his token in hand, the weight of it slightly heavier than before, but comfortably so.

He didn't go straight back to his room. There was one more thing to do today.

He took a detour up the eastern slope of the compound, where the more private disciples' residences were located. There, surrounded by a modest garden of crimson lilies and violet stones, stood the refined residence of Yan Xue.

As he drew closer, the voices grew clearer and sharper, their words cutting through the quiet like blades.

"Why do you keep refusing? Our faction leader personally extended an invitation. You think you're too good for the Skyhammer?"

Three disciples stood at Yan Xue's gate, their postures radiating arrogance. The one speaking was a tall, red-haired demon with curling black horns and an angular face twisted into a sneer. His voice was oily with disdain, but underneath it was a low growl of entitlement.

Yan Xue stood in the doorway with a cold calm, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Her red hair was pulled into a tight braid, swaying slightly in the breeze.

"I already gave my answer," she said, voice sharp as ice. "I won't repeat myself."

"Tsk," the demon spat. "You'd be wise to reconsider. Do you really think some no-name faction will protect you when things get rough?"

Before she could answer, another voice broke in, smooth and amused.

"As it stands," Feiyin said, striding up with a relaxed gait, "she's already part of my group. So unfortunately, she won't be able to join yours."

The three turned, startled. Yan Xue's eyes widened as she spotted him.

"Who joined your group?!"

Feiyin grinned, pulling out his disciple token and showing off his newly acquired silver-streaked robe. "Don't tell me you forgot our bet. You wouldn't be thinking of going back on your word, would you?"

Her gaze shifted to the token, where the cauldron and flame marks of an Essence Alchemist shimmered faintly. Her breath caught. "You, you actually did it."

The demon disciple narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, muscles taut. "Do you have any idea who you're interrupting? Our faction leader is about to become an inner disciple. You should know your place."

Feiyin's smile stayed pleasant. "And?"

The demon blinked. "And? You don't understand what that means? You're not even worth the trouble."

He turned his back on Feiyin and addressed Yan Xue with a forced gentleness. "Our leader sees something special in you. Don't make a decision you'll regret."

He cast one last glare at Feiyin before walking off. "As for you, I'll remember this. We'll see how far your arrogance takes you."

The others followed, stiff-backed and silent.

As their figures disappeared down the slope, Yan Xue turned to Feiyin, eyes still slightly wide. "You just made an enemy of one of the top three factions. Are you insane?"

Feiyin gave a light shrug, still smiling. "I'm aiming to be the top faction, so we were going to cross paths eventually, better now than later."

Yan Xue studied him, then exhaled with a breathless laugh. "You never change."

He extended a hand with exaggerated formality. "Well then, I'm here to officially collect on our bet. Care to follow your new faction leader?"

She rolled her eyes but placed her hand in his. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Lead the way, oh mighty leader."