Chapter 388: Stars (Patreon)

~~~

Liu Jin and Green Shadow stand in the center of the stage. News of the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire deciding to enter a contest spread like wildfire throughout the tower, making the audience grow considerably from what it was mere seconds ago. The name and rules of the competition are displayed in bold letters above them.

[Alchemy Contest]

[Competitors will be tasked with creating a pill with the materials they have on hand. The arbiter of the ceremony will judge the final result. The name of the pill will be revealed when the competition starts.]

The Scribe of the Heavenly Sword has already come down and stands ready to judge. Numbers are counting down under the rules to mark the start of the ceremony. Liu Jin supposes the countdown is also there to give anyone else time to join.

“You seem confident,” Green Shadow says, smirking at him. “It seems you have yet to learn the difference between us.”

“How did someone like you get the name Green?” Liu Jin asks. “As I understand it, you can only be assigned names that are not already taken. You are not strong enough for me to believe you are more than a few centuries old. If you were old enough to be born when Green was unclaimed, I doubt you’d be proud of your strength. Was Green given to you as a kindness? Perhaps an insult?”

“You dare!”

The countdown reaches zero. The competition starts. The name of the pill they are supposed to prepare is revealed.

Wind Ghost Pill.

Green Shadow’s face, which was twisted with anger a second ago, clears up. A smirk spreads across his lips once more. Those from the Other Side smile and laugh, while those from the same side of the Dead Plains as Liu Jin mutter amongst themselves. They have never heard of a Wind Ghost Pill.

Bai Wen and Feng Zhuo frown when they realize what is happening. From the beginning, this was never intended to be a fair match. How can it be an alchemy competition if one does not know what he is expected to make?

“I wish you the best of luck, Emperor Qing,” Green Shadow says mockingly as he takes out an extravagant furnace from inside a spatial pouch, as well as ingredients.

Naturally, he has everything he needs to make a Wing Ghost Pill. He probably knew what they were going to make before even coming here. Many in the audience, even those with alchemical knowledge, realize that they cannot recognize some of the ingredients Green Shadow is using. They must be things that can only be found on the Other Side of the Dead Plains.

Liu Jin watches Green Shadow working on his high-quality furnace for a moment before calmly sitting down on the stage and taking out a few materials from his spatial pouch.

Core of Winged Leopard.

Two-Hundred-Year-Old Firegrass.

Frozen Jade.

Tusk of a Green Boar, preserved perfectly right after its death.

“Look! Those aren’t even the right ingredients!”

“He is clearly desperate!”

“He hasn’t even taken out a furnace!”

The Frozen Jade is crushed into powder. The tusk is cut into pieces, smashed, and mixed with the jade. Liu Jin calmly works throughout the process in his mind and nods to himself. His Qi rises softly and begins melding with the ingredients.

“Direct resonance? At his age?!”

“He’s bluffing!”

Though the urge to smile smugly is high, Liu Jin does his best to ignore the comments. It is best that he puts all his focus on refining the ingredients. Working with Frozen Jade and Green Boar is relatively easy, but Firegrass requires a little more care. All fire-attuned ingredients are volatile by nature.

Liu Jin manages to cut it without incident, but as soon as his Qi begins refining the Firegrass, an explosion is inevitable. As a child, he may have lost control of the procedure, but he is now in the Heaven Realm. It is easy to smother it between his hands. Only a gentle breeze can be felt in the amphitheater.

Liu Jin smiles in satisfaction. His Qi starts working on refining the Core of the Winged Leopard. At the same time, the other materials float around him, swirling close to his hands as he calls them with his Qi, creating vapors of various colors that rise into the air in a display that amazes the audience. By comparison, the sight of Green Shadow kneeling by his furnace can only be called mundane.

After several minutes, Liu Jin brings his palms together, calling all the materials at once with the Winged Leopard Core at the center. The ensuing union creates a bright light that makes many in the audience turn away. When it fades, Liu Jin has five blue pills glinting with a metallic sheen before him.

By comparison, Green Shadow only retrieves one pill from his furnace. Moreover, the blue color of his pill cannot compare to the ones Liu Jin has created.

“A mere imitation,” Green Shadow says, pointing at him before turning to the Scribe. “Is there any point in testing his pills? We all saw that he did not even use the proper materials. They might look like mine, but there is no way those are genuine Wind Ghost Pills!”

Murmurs rise around the crowd as those present debate the merits of Green Shadow’s words.

The Scribe raises his hand.

Conversation ceases.

“Whether the pills are good or not is something I will decide,” the Scribe says. “Present them to me.”

Green Shadow frowns but does as the Scribe commands, summoning a tray to bring his pill to him. Liu Jin does the same.

The Scribe eats Green Shadow’s pill first. Immediately, a wall of wind appears around him. That is what the Wind Ghost Pill is supposed to do. It creates a defensive wind around the one who eats it, as if he were being protected by a ghost. The audience gasps as the Scribe walks over to a nearby seat and brings his finger against it, resulting in countless wooden shavings being produced before his finger even touches it.

Green Shadow smirks at Liu Jin.

“Adequate,” the Scribe says once the effects of the pill end, wiping the smirk from Green Shadow’s face. “Now, let us see what the young Emperor’s pill can do.”

He eats it, and the effect is immediate. Multiple people flinch back as a blurry shape twice the size of a normal human appears around the Scribe. The whistling of the wind fills the amphitheater. Rather than a defensive wall, what surrounds the Scribe seems like a true wind ghost. The Scribe walks over to another chair. Before he has even touched it, the wind ghost has reduced it to ribbons.

“It seems the winner is obvious,” the Scribe says. “Emperor Qing’s pill is superior!”

Cheers erupt for Liu Jin from Xiao Shuang, Feng Zhuo, and those who come from the same side of the Dead Plains. The Death Fashioning Scripture also cheers for Liu Jin, while the Temple of the Thousand Shadow frowns in silence.

“Impossible!” Green Shadow shouts. “He did not even use the right ingredients! How can his pill be superior to mine?”

“Is it really that surprising?” Liu Jin asks. “Your pill uses the core of a Phantom Tiger as its main ingredient. However, that Spirit Beast is almost unheard of on our side of the Dead Plains.”

“Exactly, so-”

“But why would you assume there is only one way to do something?” Liu Jin asks. “In the absence of a Phantom Tiger, a Winged Leopard is a suitable substitute.”

“The attribute of a Winged Leopard is not strong enough!” Green Shadow immediately argues. “It should not have created that reaction!”

“Not unless it was mixed with Firegrass. The fire attribute revitalized the core and imbued the wind with renewed strength,” Liu Jin says. “The Frozen Jade helped contain the reaction and further refined the final strength of the wind. I find this method produces better results. Even if we had used furnaces of equal quality, my pill would have remained superior.”

“Is that really true?” someone in the audience asks. “Could that method be better?”

“Well, we saw the result, did we not?”

“You are lying!” Green Shadow shouts, his face almost purple. “How can you possibly improve upon a four-thousand-year-old recipe?!”

“How could I not?” Liu Jin asks, shrugging his shoulders. “I do not see why you are so surprised. You must have known this would happen, or else why would the alchemy contest even exist?”

Green Shadow takes a step back.

“What?”

Oh.

“You did not realize,” Liu Jin says. His eyes flicker towards the Scribe for an instant. “You came to this stage knowing the pill you needed to prepare and tried to goad me into participating, thinking you were supposed to win. No, this contest exists for one reason only. You wanted to further test if I was who you thought I was. Someone wanted to try to cast doubt on my identity.”

Liu Jin turns to look at the Scribe, then at the people from the Temple of the Thousand Shadows, and finally at the Death Fashioning Scripture.

“I am Old Jiang’s student,” he says. “That is something I will never deny. Bring someone ten times more skilled in alchemy than him and choose a more obscure recipe. It will end the same.”

In the aftermath of Liu Jin’s words, only one man dares to laugh at the top of his lungs. His laugh echoes throughout the walls of the tower as a stunned Green Shadow is left looking at the floor, and the Scribe shakes his head.

“Wonderful,” Xun Huwen says, clapping his hands. “You have really grown up, Junior. I truly missed you, you know?”

Liu Jin glares at him.

“Why must you look at me with such hostility?” Xun Huwen wonders. “As your Senior, I am just here to remind you that we have a duty to perform. Don’t you know our turn is almost here? Why waste your time entertaining these people?”

~~~

After being scolded by Bai Wen for participating, Liu Jin and Xiao Shuang spend the remaining time away from the ground floor and the contests. When his name is called, Liu Jin is led to the top of the tower by the Scribe along with Xun Huwen and three others.

“This is the Chamber of Renewal,” the Scribe explains as he leads them inside a round chamber. The room is made entirely of polished white jade and has ten elevated surfaces, each with a podium in front of it.

“Simply put your hand on the podiums, and the tower will do the rest,” the Scribe explains. “Your blood and Qi will be drained, but do not be alarmed. You will barely notice it. Once the tower is done draining all of you, you will be free to leave this room, and the next group will be called. The door will remain locked until then.”

So even if someone has finished their task, they will not be able to leave the room until everyone else is done. That probably means the groups are made of people who they assume will take similar amounts of time.

As the Scribe closes the door and leaves the five of them alone, Xun Huwen smiles and walks over to one of the podiums, slapping his hand on it. Immediately, the white surface becomes illuminated as red blood and white energy can be seen traveling throughout it, from Xun Huwen’s palm into the body of the tower. Curiously, letters begin forming above Xun Huwen.

[Celestial Wisdom Star]

Frowning, Liu Jin takes the podium opposite to Xun Huwen. His blood and Qi start being drained as soon as he touches the polished surface, but it does not hurt. It barely feels like he is losing blood. Just like Xun Huwen, words appear above him.

[Celestial Killer Star]

Similar words also appear above the other three as they take their places. Not all are Celestial Stars. Some are Earthly Stars for reasons that escape Liu Jin.

“It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Xun Huwen asks him. “What do these names mean?”

“I would assume that they are titles related to our ancestors who helped seal off our continent from the rest of the world.”

“Most likely, yes,” Xun Huwen agrees, nodding his head. “But is that all there is to them? Perhaps blood links these titles to us in a way that goes beyond common sense.”

Liu Jin glares at him. He knows that Xun Huwen is trying to draw a reaction out of him. The best he could do is stay silent and ignore him for the next six hours.

“Are you claiming wisdom?” Liu Jin asks instead. “You? Of all people?”

“Why not?” Xun Huwen asks, shrugging his shoulders. “Wisdom varies from age to age. From a certain perspective, I must be the wisest of all men.”

“True wisdom is rooted in truth, and truth is not subjective,” Liu Jin counters. “The eyes of men do not change it.”

Xun Huwen chuckles.

“Are you truly saying that? What is Dao but subjective truth attempting to assert itself over the universe?”

“Are you really asking that? You whose Dao is nothing but Destruction, untainted by anything else?” Liu Jin asks him. “You are not Lord Feng Gui, who destroys to make way for something new. There is no interpretation to be made in your Dao. No argument to be had.”

Xun Hun grins and nods, happy with Liu Jin’s answer. He tries to clap, realizes he cannot with his hand stuck on the podium, and so slaps it thrice instead, before pointing at him.

“Exactly! That bastard Gui must debate endlessly with himself regarding what is worth destroying and what is worth bringing about. His Dao is hopelessly tied to his perception. However, my Dao is pure!” Xun Huwen says. “Wouldn’t you say that brings me closer to objective truth, thus closer to true wisdom?  

Liu Jin’s lips form a thin line. He does not want to admit that Xun Huwen might have technically made a point, and he cannot counter it without contradicting himself. Knowing this, Xun Huwen laughs harder.

“Do not silence your tongue just because you are losing,” Xun Huwen says. “It’s bad manners to leave me only with these unimportant people for company.”

One of the other three people in the room, who has been silent out of fear, cannot let that comment go unanswered. The unfortunately titled Earthly Dog Star turns toward Xun Huwen, his face red with anger.

“Hey, you-”

“Silence.”

Death.

It radiates from Xun Huwen’s aura and spreads throughout the room, making the others shiver in fear. Even though they all know that they cannot be hurt inside the tower, their souls still shrink back from the force of Xun Huwen’s pure intent—the certainty and promise that they will be Destroyed.

“That is enough,” Liu Jin says. His aura rises to block Xun Huwen’s intent, making the other three breathe a sigh of relief.

“Very well,” Xun Huwen says, smiling once more. “But you see my point, right?”

“I’d hate for the day when you and I see the same thing and agree,” Liu Jin says.

“Such harsh judgment,” Xun Huwen says melodramatically, putting a hand over his heart. “You look down on me and distrust me because of my Dao, but you stand under the Killer Star. Will you deny that it fits you?”

Liu Jin doesn’t reply.

“You can’t, can you? I like you for your inability to lie to yourself,” Xun Huwen says. “You have done so many interesting things since we last saw each other. I have kept track of you, you know?”

“How flattering.”

“Becoming an Emperor, winning the Crimson Cloud Tournament, starting a war, maneuvering the Death Fashioning Scripture and the Temple of the Thousand Shadows against each other,” Xun Huwen lists off. “So many people dead by your actions. As your senior, I cannot help but feel outdone. I wonder who will be the next to die.”

“I can think of one person,” Liu Jin says, looking directly at Xun Huwen.

~~~

The six hours go by painfully slowly. Arguing with Xun Huwen is a torturous experience, and unfortunately, Xun Huwen wants to do nothing but argue. Liu Jin is pretty sure he is sometimes taking positions just to get a rise out of him. The whole thing feels like a deliberate attempt to destroy his patience.

When it is all finally over, Liu Jin can only feel relief. He goes to Xiao Shuang, wanting to do nothing more than rest and wait until this whole ceremony is over. 

The next day, Green Shadow is found dead in his room.

~~~

Mini-Character List

Liu Jin: Our Protagonist. Needs a nap. Won’t get one. Such is life.  

Green Shadow: Disciple of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows. Dead. So dead. 

Scribe: Elder of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. Impartial judge. Partial motives.  

Xun Huwen: Disciple of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. Online troll in a different line.

Earthly Dog Star Guy: There are worse stars to be born under. Like the rat star.