"Hm?" Wei Wuyin's arms hair perked, his senses invigorated by an outside intrusion. Just now, while he was discussing something with a pretty local woman, someone had tried to pry into his cultivation state. When it did, he felt Kratos tremble slightly, feeling as if something had sank into the sea of his Draconic Void Bloodline.
He cautiously inspected his surroundings. Unfortunately, his Celestial Eyes discovered no one nearby that could've secretly performed such an invisible, nigh undetectable inspection. This drew his suspicions as he considered possible culprits. There were only a few.
He instantly recalled and considered that old man, an outsider from beyond this World Realm and his own starfield. There wasn't much ill-intent within the inspection, and it hadn't prompted a response, so it was likely him. While Wei Wuyin was thinking this, the pretty young woman was growing increasingly shy as she blushed, glancing into Wei Wuyin's silver eyes from time to time.
"…Uhm, yes. Alchemists in the Holy City are protected." She answered, her breathing speeding up alongside her heartbeat. She was just a normal woman, how could she resist Wei Wuyin's casual charm and otherworldly looks? She was bewitched.
Wei Wuyin softly smiled with a nod. After a little more questions, he gave an excuse and left. The forlorn expression on the woman's face revealed her sadness.
Finding a bench, Wei Wuyin sat and pondered. There was a reason Wei Wuyin had decided not to reveal his status as a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, shaking the world through that. Unlike his starfield, this World Realm didn't have ancient alchemists with deified reputations, such as the King of Everlore or Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist. There was no Alchemist Association.
In actuality, they had no idea who either of these individuals were. As for the Alchemic Dao and the cultivators of it, they were treated severely, with prejudice. It would be kind to say those who decide to cultivate an Alchemic Spirit of Cultivation were workers for the public's needs, and more direct to say they were enslaved and kept as dispensers.
The inability to protect oneself, the inability to exceed the Qi Condensation Realm, and their incredible usage, has diluted their status to such a depressing state. They even captured cultivators and forcefully turned them into alchemists for their own purposes. From the young woman, he'd learned that there were refugees in True Desolate.
Due to the endless respect, innate and unspoken rules, if they escaped here, no one would force them to do anything; these Alchemists would be free. These individuals were often born, tested for their Alchemic Talent, and then sent to study the Alchemic Dao, forced to concoct pills for clans, sects, and cities.
There was no market for Alchemic Products. There was, however, a market for Alchemic Slaves, Proxies, and children with Alchemic Talent. They would be purchased, nurtured, and made to concoct pills for these clans, sects, and cities without any pay or rights. Furthermore, they were almost exclusively humans, as elves were often lacking in Alchemic Talent. This was discovered after millennia of forceful testing, a racial difference that even Wei Wuyin hadn't known about.
He wouldn't even consider this possibility with Qingye Yun and Qingye Ying as well as the Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist being of the elven race. The entire World Realm, even this so-called Holy City, had already had such instinctive prejudice towards the Alchemic Dao that there was nothing wrong with them being turned into slaves, and even the local young woman earlier didn't seem to mind the harshness of that reality.
Without a market for pills, people were forced to nurture their own slaves, their own alchemists, gather materials and have them concoct cultivation products for them. This was also one of the core reasons why the cultivation society was so robust and advanced despite its isolation of several millennia.
In his starfield, the existence of the King of Everlore and the Alchemist Association ensures no force, sect, clan, or even Evil Cultivators, would dare force someone into the Alchemic Dao, forcing them into cultivating an Alchemic Spirit. If discovered, they would be instantly slaughtered, vilified by the entire starfield.
Their deaths might not even mollify the rage of the inhabitants, leading to their ancestral lineage, past, present, and possible future to be eradicated. That was a form of zero-tolerance the starfield possessed. And in doing so, very few alchemists would willingly choose to cultivate an Alchemic Spirit, and over time the abilities of alchemists fell as a result.
But here, the vast majority of Alchemists had Alchemic Spirits or those alchemists that didn't have Alchemic Proxies who had Alchemic Energies of a higher level and purity that they could freely use without issue. The Alchemic Dao thrived, the experts kept their resources, and the world's cultivation society maintained itself.
It was brutal, but even Wei Wuyin couldn't help but feel that this was the standard direction cultivators who prey on the weak, seek strength, and had no qualms using such methods would resort to. He felt fortunate that all the elite experts at the Mystic Ascendant Realm, who forged their hegemonic forces, were born from the King of Everlore's labor.
A form of unbreakable respect was forged and led to their current society of alchemists.
"It's incredible how a few people can change an entire civilization's outlook, opinions, and traditions." Wei Wuyin remarked.
Suddenly, he felt a shiver down his spine as his Celestial Eyes glowed faintly. He turned, seeing the old man from earlier sitting beside him on the bench, calmly popping some dried dates-looking fruits into his mouth from a brown paper bag.
"I agree," the old man smilingly said, popping another fruit into his mouth. His aura was completely calm and concealed, and if Wei Wuyin wasn't certain, he would think this old man was just an ordinary person.
Wei Wuyin was silent for a moment, and unceremoniously reached his hand into the old man's bag, grabbing a handful of fruits, casually popping one into his mouth. He was shocked at how sweet it was, finding it quite delicious. It was definitely a high-tiered fruit not originating from this desolate land or this continent.
The old man was startled for a moment, then laughed, finding Wei Wuyin interesting. He offered some more, and Wei Wuyin didn't reject his kind intentions. The bag seemed to have an opening leading to a small, independent space, so the fruit was seemingly endless.
After a while, the old man said: "Alchemists are quite pitiable here." Clearly, he had heard Wei Wuyin's questions towards the young woman.
Wei Wuyin nodded, "Is it like that elsewhere?" The elsewhere meant wherever the old man was from or other locations he was aware of.
The old man sighed and shook his head, "In some places, sure. In most, not really. The Alchemic Dao breeds powerful individuals, even if they seem powerless on the surface. Especially when they reach the Mortal Sovereign-level, gaining the recognition of the Alchemic Dao. They are fearsome, terrifying even."
Wei Wuyin understood his point, but was also surprised. The old man was referring to the Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality, a gift granted to those who've successfully concocted Ninth-Grade Alchemical Products. He hadn't explored its abilities thoroughly yet, having no legacy to gain an inkling of a path from, but he knew it was like a sort of Intent of the Alchemic Dao.
Others might think the old man meant pellets, but pellets had limitations. They were like talismans, and the inherent dangers in concocting them were not small. And if an alchemist was too weak, they'd die before they could even use one.
"So this world is a little unappreciative of alchemists because it lacks a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist," Wei Wuyin extrapolated this from the old man's words. It seems the difference between here and his own starfield was the King of Everlore, the only Mortal Sovereign Alchemist. In truth, he was always under the impression that the King of Everlore was fragile and weak, needing others to protect him, but perhaps that wasn't the case.
He just knew far too little. Like a frog clawing at the bricks of the wall, he was trying his hardest to expand that horizon.
The old man glanced at Wei Wuyin, realizing his body was like a sea of endlessness, unable to obtain any information even from such close distance. This made him feel that Wei Wuyin's foundation and background was far greater than he originally assumed. As for Wei Wuyin's ignorance, this was clearly due to his youth.
"Well, I just came over to say good luck." The old man finally revealed his reason for approaching.
"For what?" Wei Wuyin asked, confused.
"Haha, in the competition. That little girl? Hmph, she's quite fierce. She's also very competitive, and while she might not be enough to be a Chosen of the True Element Sect, she isn't all that inferior." After that, the old man grinned, popping another fruit in his mouth, and stood up. He waved as he left, leaving behind these words: "Don't underestimate her. It'll be best if you can tame her."
Those last words left Wei Wuyin stunned for a moment. He softly laughed, realizing the old man was trying to play matchmaker. As for the young woman? He didn't fear any concern or anxiety over that. Eating the rest of the fruits, he faintly swept his gaze towards the sky. 'True Element Sect? Does the Divine King have a sect outside the starfield?'
While Wei Wuyin discovered a piece of interesting information, the old man frowned slightly. "To eat these Mystic All-Source Dates without even flinching…what a fierce body." The old man felt even more certain that Wei Wuyin was beyond ordinary, far, far from ordinary!
