Chapter 46 - Request (2/2)

Shui ordered the buffalos to protect the spider's house as well as the queen bee, who ordered a group of her exploring bees to monitor the surrounding area. With Bao Bei resting, even if it was a completely useless measure, they couldn't help but put themselves in defensive mode and watch her during her sleep.

Meanwhile, Hei and the others had reached their destination. Except for Lian, the others were still shaken by the matter before, but it wasn't the time to let the emotions take over. Even though it was a bit strange not to have their mother with them, they had to concentrate on their homework.

Hei took Lian and his two sisters to one of the large buildings for the younger generation's training. Asking for directions to various passing inner members, he asked where the two classrooms designed for the study of alchemy and the study of formations were.

Fortunately, they were both in the same building, and Hei took Lian and Xing to their first. There, Lian was registered as a student. She was also provided with a notebook and a book about the symbols used for creating formations as well as other writing materials.

Since it wasn't something secret, the sect provided this information free of charge to those who enrolled in the course. The difficulty in creating formations didn't consist of learning the various symbols used but in knowing which ones to use and how to weave them together to get the desired result.

Once assured that they had everything they needed, Hei left them to follow their lesson and quickly ran to his classroom, arriving fortunately in time before the lesson began. There, he underwent the same procedure as Lian and was given a notebook and a book containing an encyclopedia on the ingredients commonly used for alchemy and their properties as well as writing materials.

Like how in formations' creation, knowing the ingredients used by heart didn't lead to the certainty of being able to create the desired pill or potion. The same, in turn, also applied to blacksmithing. The theory, therefore, only carried up to a certain point, and from there, it would go to the crafter's personal ability in knowing how to manage the various elements of the creation's process.

After completing the formalities, Hei came in with Ye, who was excitedly waving her tail, curious at what they would do. Even if she honestly would have preferred something more eventful, she trusted her mother's judgment and was looking forward to creating something.

The classroom used for the lesson was a large rather simple room - there were a series of wooden counters arranged horizontally, and in front of these, there was a large table, also of wood, in which there were several closed boxes. From the smell that came from these, Hei deduced there were plants inside. At a corner near the large table was placed a kind of brazier with dry wood placed over it.

The few present inner members began to whisper among themselves as he entered with a snake in his arms. They recognized him instantly and were surprised to see him there.

They had known that he had shown up during the morning alongside the sect leader but had subsequently disappeared suddenly. No one had seen him for the rest of the day, even though they had looked for him in every place available to the younger generation. Now instead, he was there with them to take the alchemy course for inner members.

This fact seemed curious to them because they had thought Hei would have preferred to focus exclusively on fighting rather than following a secondary activity simultaneously with cultivation. Although alchemy, formations, and blacksmithing were useful to improve control over one's spirit power, it wasn't something that everyone did immediately after entering the inner sect.

Their most urgent concern would be to increase their strength as much as possible, and only once they realized they couldn't be among the best, they would concentrate on secondary activities.

Obviously, it wasn't a rule applied to all inner members - the personal disciples of the sect's elders with their exceptional talent and the resources at their disposal could efficiently study secondary activities in addition to cultivating their spirit power.

In their eyes, Hei's action was as if he were saying that alone he was on the same level as the personal disciples supported by the elders and the factions behind them. Therefore he could very well study alchemy without having delays on his own cultivation.

It was something unheard of for someone who came from nowhere, and it appeared arrogant as an action. However, the demonstration of the previous day was still vivid in their eyes, and they couldn't do anything but be thrilled to see if he really had such a level of talent.

The commotion present in the classroom was soon appeased by the arrival of the teacher assigned for the lesson of the day. Since it was a general course on alchemy, each lesson was conducted by a different teacher among the various inner members who worked as alchemists for the sect, given their commitments and the little free time available. Of course, for their service, the various teachers would be rewarded with contribution points. It also applied to the other two classes.

Regarding alchemy lessons, these consisted of explaining the creation of a specific pill or potion for each lesson. It would start first with an introductory explanation of the ingredients and then proceed to a practical demonstration of how the procedure was carried out with a lot of explanations attached.

Of course, the pills and potions explained were the most common; if you wanted to learn the rarer ones, you had to meet specific requirements as well as pay an appropriate amount of contribution points.

However, the recently settled fuss reappeared again at the sight of the person who came as the lesson of the day's teacher. It was none other than the third elder of the sect. He was also the alchemy division's head, who was in charge of producing pills and potions on behalf of the sect.

According to rumors circulating in the inner sect, his skill in alchemy was even higher than the sect leader. He was said to be among the best even in the entire Rainbow Island, perhaps even number one.

But since it was difficult to formalize a competition to show who was the best alchemist of the entire island, this rumor couldn't be verified. Nevertheless, he was a talented individual in that field, not counting his cultivation that placed him at the peak of the level of strength reachable on Rainbow Island.

Those present couldn't help but get excited - even for inner members, it was difficult to meet one of the elders in person, and within them, a fire of trepidation and hope lit up. Although it was an absurd idea, they couldn't help wishing to show off and receive the third elder's attention.

They had already renounced to be among the best in terms of combat between those of the younger generation. So, the future that awaited them was just that of simple alchemists who had to create potions and pills on behalf of the sect as simple gears of a more complex system.

However, before them, the opportunity to rise from their position as mere gears had unexpectedly appeared. Perhaps, they could become one of the engines on which the sect was based.

The personal disciples of the third, fourth, and fifth elders were, in fact, chosen based on their ability in their secondary field rather than on their cultivation and fighting strength. For the sect leader and the remaining elders' disciples, on the contrary, strength was the decisive factor.

Therefore, becoming a personal disciple of the third elder would give them a certain status within the sect. And, even if they didn't reach his level of talent, able to place him among the best alchemists of the island, they would still have the opportunity to study rare recipes and improve their skills. That would bring them to a level that would be unreachable if they remained as mere gears.