Tower of Heaven

When Atlas raised his head, his eyes fell upon a woman who could be described as nothing short of stunning.

She was one of the most beautiful people he had seen in both lives, and he couldn't tell if it was because of her appearance or the feeling of her qi.

It was a warm flame that encapsulated the mind and calmed the body. It made Atlas visualize himself camping in the snowy woods, surrounded by silence and natural beauty while embracing the warmth of the campfire.

He closed his eyes to embrace it for only a moment before something sharp stabbed at his head.

[Perfect Adaptability has activated.]

His eyes shot open. His gaze focused on that woman again.

The same aura surrounded her. She still had the same beauty.

Her hair was a bright red color and flowed down past her shoulders like the erupting lava of a volcano.

Her eyes also carried a similar color, but they were much sharper. Her pupils were not humanoid, but they also were not the same kind of reptilian pupils that Atlas had become used to. Their complexity and the fierceness of her gaze compiled into something that drew in one's soul.

She was wearing a dress that matched the color of her hair and was adorned with gold. It contrasted against her skin perfectly, annunciating her best features to its greatest capacity. Each and every curve entered Atlas' eyes as he slowly scanned his gaze over her.

[Perfect Adaptability has activated.]

Once again, Atlas' eyes shot open. His gaze narrowed and he rapidly backed away as far as he could inside of the small room.

'Twice in a matter of seconds.'

Twice in a matter of seconds, her aura had captivated him and forced [Perfect Adaptability] to activate. The woman never tried to attack or approach him. She stood still and observed his reactions, never intentionally making a move.

'I have never met someone so naturally dangerous. What did she do to cultivate such an aura?'

[You have withstood a status effect for a prolonged period. [Perfect Adaptability] has permanently nullified the [Enchantment] status effect.]

"Huu…"

The description of his Trait told him that he'd be immune to all "status effects." He thought this was something similar to poison immunity, but he was now finding that it was much greater.

'The enchantment of an immortal being was completely nullified after only being felt twice.'

It was an unbelievable trait, really, but now wasn't the time to praise it.

"Who are you?"

Atlas questioned the woman warily, but he could ascertain most of her identity at a glance.

After all, she was very obviously a True Phoenix.

"Hmm… Well, to be the first challenger after a century, perhaps you do have to be at this level."

The woman responded to his question by murmuring to herself. Her eyes were on him, but it was as if she viewed his existence no differently from a rodent on the side of the street.

"You do not need to know my name. You may call me "Elder" if you wish to address me. This time, I only came to see the one that old bastard sent, but I ended up seeing something interesting."

Her gaze moved down to the cauldron on the ground.

"You are quite arrogant. Do you truly think your reach is so far?"

It seemed she had seen through some of his strengths. Otherwise, there was no reason to question his interest in alchemy. He introduced himself as a flame practitioner, after all.

'No, either that, or she has been paying attention to my news.'

He had almost forgotten that he revealed himself. The world already knew that both the Dao of Wood and Dao of Earth fell under his control along with fire. Anyone who was concerned with him would know at least that much.

Still, Atlas shook his head.

"It is not arrogance. I also do not think my reach is so far, but that does not mean I cannot try."

"Yes. You can try and waste away your potential. In the end, you can give up after realizing that it was all a mistake."

Atlas' eyes sharpened.

"I do not know what you've experienced in life, but do not place those things on me. We are not the same."

It was perhaps the most arrogant thing he'd said in this life, but it came out so naturally that even he was mildly surprised afterward.

The woman's eyes widened in shock. She never expected him to be so bold.

It was already impressive when he resisted her charm. It was more impressive when she realized that he had found a way to completely block it. However, she had also been observing him while he did alchemy.

From what she saw in him, she knew he wouldn't be able to succeed. The scene she saw brought her to the same conclusions as Atlas.

He could make pills fine, but if he wanted to progress as an alchemist, he had to find a way to double the amount of time in the day.

Her words were harsh, and his words were harsher. Immediately, their impressions of each other were negative.

However, the woman straightened her back and acted like his words did not affect her.

"If you wish to ignore the advice of your seniors, then that is fine. I expect nothing more from a disciple of that bastard."

Her lips curled into a sneer subconsciously.

'Ah…'

In that moment, hearing how she referred to Alaric, Atlas felt like he'd understood the entire picture.

But, he also felt that if he mentioned his conjectures, she would find a way to kill him even though they were in a Neutral Zone.

Since he stayed silent, she was able to continue into her main point and the reason why she appeared in front of him.

She, of course, did not enter his accommodations solely to insult him.

"Atlas Vaun, I abhor you. I do not know who you are, but since you are associated with the Calamity Dragon, I abhor you. Unfortunately, I was the one chosen to bring you to the palace."

"Did they need to send an Immortal for that?"

Looking out the window for the first time, Atlas realized that the sun was in the process of rising. It had been almost a day since he first took out his cauldron.

"They did not. There is a separate reason why I am necessary."

Before Atlas could raise his brow questioningly, the scene changed. The room itself blurred around them and when Atlas could see again, they stood in front of a massive set of double doors.

"Did we teleport?"
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"No. I dragged you here. Your body is impressive if you didn't feel it."

Atlas shrugged and looked at the doors.

"This doesn't look like a palace entrance."

"That's because it's not."

The woman pressed her hand against the door. A flaming insignia manifested from her palm and mirrored itself on the door's ornate surface. With the sound of steam being released, the doors pushed open just slightly.

"Go inside."

She spoke with simple words, refusing to explain further.

"If you can walk through until the end, you will reach the palace."

He was supposed to just trust her after the way she had been acting thus far…?

Atlas could do nothing but sigh.

'Seriously, what a troublesome person.'