"Those with the ambitions of being great alchemists need to be great fighters otherwise how will they get the most precious ingredients that are usually found in danger-prone areas?
Without an extremely heightened sense of danger, would an alchemist be bold enough to experiment with new recipes that have a likelihood of causing a cauldron explosion or other alchemy-related mishaps? To develop such a sense other than being skilled in alchemy, one also needs to build it through fights.
I believe alchemy or even closing deals, is each a battlefield of its own, and as such, it needs a warrior's heart to maneuver through each of them.
The Golden robin nest manor was created with such a goal in mind. We are both alchemists and merchants and to be able to do both safely and for a long time, we need to be good combatants, which is why we spend a lot of resources to send some of our prized members to the Battle palace and have them tempered there.
I already made a suggestion to the manor head to have you sent there with the next batch. Your performance has been exemplary over the past 20 years as the assistant head of the blue flame hall, make sure you make the most out of your opportunity.
And I don't think you're that bad compared to them. You're just 200 years and are already a sixth-stage palace realm just inches away from reaching the seventh stage. Such progress really puts old fogeys like us to shame," said Director Qian with some pride in his tone as his gaze fell on the purple-haired girl named, Miss Ning.
"Thank you, truly for the support. I'll try my very best to not let down both your and the manor's expectations of me, and thank you for the opportunity you've graced me with by giving me a quota at the battle palace, despite how costly and precious the opportunity is," said Miss Ning as she performed a deep bow of gratitude.
"Think nothing of it, we deal with merit and your merits warrant you that opportunity, that's all," Director Qian offhandedly replied.
"That being said, the Order definitely has no shortage of monsters. It seems it's about to be over," said Director Qian as a complicated gaze flashed in his eyes.
Miss Ning had already raised her head just in time to see the climax of the battle between Yang Qing and Gui Shiren. Even though her face was facing in the direction of the fight, her pupils stealthily darted around in different directions almost as if she was looking for something.
A look of relief flashed briefly on her face before she focused back on the fight that was almost close to its end.
….
The ocean of white flames that threatened to drown everything and everyone, receded as quickly as the eye could see, almost as if it was being sucked in by something, and indeed it was being sucked in by something. The white flames that extended their reach to a 2-kilometer radius got sucked in by the white raven. The flames seemed to be flowing into its eyes.
Finally, with the clearing of the white flames, one could see what or more specifically who it was perched on. It was a youth who had ocean blue robes seated in a lotus position. His hair was half black, half white and there was a circling symbol that was half green and half golden orange below him, which gave him an ethereal glow. Both of his eyes had irises that fluttered with a white flame.
"Thank you Gui Shiren. I'll be sending you on your way now," said the youth as he addressed the bull-like figure that had lost one of its arms, half of its black patterns were scorched along with its torso. A white flame was currently burning its horns and there was a deep slash on the left side of the face, that looked like they were made from the talons of some beast.
"I guess it's an achievement to have held out this long. Going out like this wouldn't be bad," said the bull-like figure. Its voice was dry and raspy like it had metal blades on its throat.
"I'm sorry master, senior sister," muttered the figure as it used its remaining hand to tighten its grip on its sword. It madly roared as all the red smoke and red lines formed on its body along with its black patterns seemed to be pouring themselves into his remaining hand down to its sword. The monster's frame seemed to be shrinking but the sword started glowing with a dangerous red hue as the air around it started vibrating almost as if it was crying from being in the vicinity of the sword.
Yang Qing had an almost remorseful look on his face as he stared at what Gui Shiren was doing.
All the white flames in the area had already been absorbed by the raven perched on his shoulder. It seemed to have shrunk to the size of a palm when the last of the flame was absorbed into its eyes.
"Nature's discontinuance," muttered Yang Qing as he brought his palms together almost as if he was clapping.
One inside of his palm had a black circle while the other had a white circle. As he was clapping, the white raven parched on his shoulders flew in between his palms. The moment the palms met each other, the raven turned into starlight dust as a shockwave was produced from Yang Qing's hands which traveled toward Gui Shiren that was already charging in his direction.
Gui Shiren only took four steps before he suddenly froze in place. He stayed stuck on that posture and position for half a minute before a change started showing on his body. A white crack appeared from one of his feet and spread throughout his body and turned into a million fissures like a crack that appears on dried clay. His body started disintegrating seconds later like burnt paper.
The booming clash the spectators expected to happen, didn't happen. All they were left to see was Gui Shiren silently disintegrate away in a few seconds, only leaving behind a dull-looking fang amulet that had numerous cracks on it, as the only proof that he was even there and they didn't just imagine the whole fight.
He didn't even get to swing his sword one last time. Most of the spectators found themselves taking gulps of fear at the scene. The silence that had filled the moment sang with extreme loudness to them, especially after the clash they witnessed.
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