Rate chapter 15
Chapter 15: The Alchemist's Shadow and the Flawed World
Cloud Rest Inn, Night
Knock...!
The sound was sharp, decisive, cutting through the heavy silence of the corridor.
Creak...
Xiao Yang opened the door a crack, peering out with a guarded intensity. When he saw the figure standing in the moonlight—hands clasped behind his back, silver hair shimmering like a waterfall of starlight—Xiao Yang's heart skipped a beat.
He threw the door wide open, forcing a bright, welcoming smile.
"Young Master Shen! Please, come in!"
Shen Xuan stepped over the threshold, his movements fluid and soundless, like a shadow merging with the dark. He swept his gaze over the modest courtyard. It was clean, simple, almost ascetic. A small pond occupied one corner, where spirit fish swam lazy circles beneath lotus leaves that glowed with a faint, rhythmic bioluminescence.
Xiao Yang gestured for Shen Xuan to sit at the stone table. He busied himself with the tea set, his hands moving with practiced, if slightly nervous, precision.
"Please, Young Master," Xiao Yang said, placing a steaming cup of Spirit-Jade Tea before his guest. "I do not know what brings you to my humble abode at this hour, but if there is anything this servant can do..."
Shen Xuan accepted the cup. He did not drink. He held it, feeling the warmth seep into his palm, his golden-purple eyes locking onto Xiao Yang's gaze with a weight that felt physical.
"Do you know alchemy?"
The question hung in the air, abrupt and piercing.
Xiao Yang blinked, taken aback. "Alchemy? Well... I know a little. I am merely a Third-Grade Alchemist, perhaps touching the Fourth on a good day. It is nothing worth mentioning in front of the Young Master. But my grandfather..."
"Xiao Ding," Shen Xuan interjected softly.
"Yes!" Xiao Yang nodded eagerly. "Grandpa is a Seventh-Tier Alchemist. His pill refinement is renowned in the Eastern Region. If Young Master needs high-grade pills, he would be honored to assist."
Shen Xuan placed the tea cup down. The sound was soft, yet it echoed like a gavel strike against the stone.
"I do not need him to help me refine pills."
Xiao Yang froze. The smile faltered, turning into a mask of confusion.
"I need him," Shen Xuan continued, his voice dropping a few degrees, "not to interfere."
A chill crawled down Xiao Yang's spine. Not to interfere? The implication was heavy, an invisible blade drawn across the throat of their hospitality. Shen Xuan was not asking for assistance; he was demanding isolation.
"Then..." Xiao Yang swallowed hard. "What does Young Master plan to do?"
Shen Xuan finally took a sip of the tea. "I intend to refine them myself."
Xiao Yang's pupils shrank. Himself? But the boy had no cultivation base to speak of. Alchemy required the precise control of chaotic fire and spiritual energy, forces that would incinerate a mortal from the inside out.
Before Xiao Yang could voice his confusion, Shen Xuan's gaze drifted to the pond, watching the fish trap themselves in the shadows of the lotus leaves.
"Where is your grandfather?" Shen Xuan asked. "I visited his room. It was empty."
"Grandpa left early this morning," Xiao Yang replied. "He had urgent matters at the City Lord's Mansion. He said he would return by nightfall."
"Good. When he returns, tell him I wish to speak with him."
"Of course."
Shen Xuan stood up. The fabric of his white robes rustled softly, the only sound in the silent courtyard. He walked toward the exit, his steps deliberate and heavy with intent.
As he passed Xiao Yang, he stopped. He didn't turn his head. He simply spoke to the air.
"There is something else."
Xiao Yang stiffened, instinctively sensing a predator's proximity.
"Do not harbor foolish thoughts," Shen Xuan said, his voice void of emotion, "such as killing me for my inheritance token."
The courtyard plunged into a deathly silence. The crickets stopped chirping. The wind died.
Xiao Yang's face drained of blood. His knees trembled. How did he know? The thought had crossed his mind—a fleeting, dark whisper of greed when he saw the spear.
"First," Shen Xuan continued, ticking off points with terrifying calm. "Even your grandfather, with all his Seventh-Tier tricks, cannot kill me."
"Second. Even if you somehow succeeded, I would simply reincarnate. My soul is not bound by the trivial laws of this plane."
"Third." The temperature dropped. "Even if you held the token in your hand, neither you, nor anyone in this city, nor even the Ancestors of the Chaos Dao Origin Realm, could access my clan's inheritance. It would be a stone in your hand."
Xiao Yang felt as if a hand were squeezing his heart. He couldn't breathe.
"And finally," Shen Xuan turned slightly, patting Xiao Yang's shoulder. The touch was light, but it felt like the weight of a dying star. "Even if you somehow subdued my soul... it would still be useless. You cannot extract secrets from the void."
He smiled. It was faint, terrifying, and utterly confident.
"However... if you follow me sincerely," Shen Xuan said, his tone shifting to one of absolute promise, "with your talent, I can at least guarantee that your path will not end below the Supreme Realm."
Shen Xuan walked away.
Xiao Yang stood frozen, sweat soaking his back. Supreme Realm? It was a dream no one in the Middle Plane dared to breathe aloud.
At the gate, Shen Xuan paused again.
"Oh... wait. One more thing."
Xiao Yang jumped. "Y-Yes, Young Master?"
"I need your Heavenly Registry Token," Shen Xuan said casually. "I need to purchase alchemy materials, and my own identity is... nonexistent."
"My... token?" Xiao Yang hesitated. Handing over one's token was akin to handing over one's life. But looking at the retreating back of the boy who spoke of reincarnation like it was a mundane trip, Xiao Yang made a choice.
He took out the green jade token and placed it on the table.
"Take it, Young Master."
Shen Xuan picked it up. "Thank you. I will return it soon."
And he vanished into the night.
Two Days Later
Heiyun City: Heavenly Trade Centre
The Trade Centre towered over the city like a colossal jade pillar connecting earth and sky. Layers of defensive formations shimmered across its surface, enforcing absolute order and suppressing any chaotic fluctuations that dared to challenge the peace.
Inside, the main hall was a hive of activity. Thousands of cultivators moved through the vast space. Merchants shouted prices for beast cores; mercenaries haggled over weapon repairs; guards in purple uniforms stood like statues at key intersections, their eyes scanning for trouble.
Shen Xuan stood in the center of the hall. He was an island of calm in a sea of noise.
He glanced at the architecture. Crude, he thought. Efficient, but soulless. It lacks the organic flow of the Old Era.
He walked toward the grand staircase leading upward. A guard in purple armor, face hidden by a bronze mask, stepped forward to block his path.
"Sir," the guard said, his voice amplified by his helmet. "From the second floor onward, access requires verification via Heavenly Registry Token."
Shen Xuan didn't speak. He produced Xiao Yang's green token.
The guard scanned it with a device on his wrist. A projection appeared: Xiao Yang. Third-Grade Alchemist.
The guard's posture straightened instantly. Alchemists were respected.
"Apologies, Alchemist Xiao. You may proceed. This token grants access up to the fifth floor."
Shen Xuan nodded and ascended the stairs.
The Second Floor: Hall of Alchemy
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The noise of the market faded, replaced by the soothing hum of preservation arrays and the rich, earthy scent of medicinal herbs.
This floor was dedicated to the auxiliary arts: Alchemy, Forging, and Formations.
Shen Xuan walked to the herb section. Herbs floated in transparent spirit-glass containers, suspended in preservation fluid. Mineral powders shimmered in jade bowls. Beast cores pulsed with faint light.
Everything was meticulously labeled: Origin, Age, Purity, Compatibility.
Shen Xuan scanned the shelves. His eyes narrowed.
Trash. Trash. Barely usable.
Most of the herbs were below Sixth Grade. There were no Eighth Grade herbs at all. In his era, these would be considered weeds.
A middle-aged vendor spotted him and hurried over, sensing a customer with deep pockets.
"Esteemed Guest! Are you looking for Fifth-Grade Flame Herbs? Our shop specializes in blood-nourishing materials, perfect for Foundation Refinement!"
Shen Xuan waved him off. "No need."
He moved deeper into the hall, stopping before a display case glowing with soft light.
He pointed. "Fifth-Grade Azure Grass. Azure Lotus. Yin Spirit Sand. And thirty stalks of Star-Dust Root."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. "Excellent choices, sir! That will be..."
Shen Xuan placed Xiao Yang's token and the blue card he had taken from Ji Yu on the counter. "Deduct it."
"Yes, Honored Guest. Total cost: 39,700 Heavenly Crystals."
The shopkeeper placed the token into a small formation plate. Runes lit up, linking to the central database of the Heavenly Registry Token network.
Shen Xuan watched closely. His eyes flashed purple-gold for a split second. He saw the stream of data leaving the token, travelling through the formation, and registering the purchase in the city's central core.
Every transaction recorded, he noted grimly. Every resource tracked. They are terrified of unregulated growth.
"Transaction complete."
Shen Xuan swept the herbs into his ring.
"Sir?" a voice asked from behind him.
Shen Xuan turned. A young man in alchemist robes was staring at his basket.
"Are you refining these yourself?" the man asked suspiciously. The combination of Yin Spirit Sand and Azure Grass was volatile; usually only used in forbidden or heterodox pills.
"No," Shen Xuan lied smoothly. "I am buying them for an Elder. I am merely an errand boy."
He walked away before the man could ask more.
Formation Hall
If the Alchemy Hall was fragrant, the Formation Hall was cold and precise.
Hundreds of formation plates floated in the air like suspended mirrors. Array flags stood in racks like silent soldiers. Elemental crystals were arranged in complex geometric patterns.
Shen Xuan stopped before a Third-Grade Defensive Plate. He examined the runes.
Neat, he admitted. The flow is smooth.
But then he looked closer.
Flawed.
There was a deliberate inefficiency in the energy loop. A backdoor. A weakness built into the design that allowed the formation to be collapsed from the outside using a specific frequency known only to the authorities.
He checked another plate. Same flaw.
He checked a high-grade offensive array. Same flaw.
Shen Xuan placed the plate back, his face expressionless.
It is not incompetence, he realized, a chill settling in his gut. It is design. Every formation sold here has a backdoor accessible via the Heavenly Registry Token protocols. They don't just track you; they ensure they can disarm you at will.
He looked around the bustling hall. Cultivators were buying these traps, thinking they were buying protection.
This world, Shen Xuan thought, walking toward the exit, is not a civilization. It is a farm.
And he was the only wolf who realized the fences were electrified.
He had planned to buy a defensive array for the ritual, but now he knew better. He would have to carve his own.
I cannot act recklessly, he told himself, stepping out into the blinding sunlight of the city. The eyes of the Heavenly Registry Token are everywhere.