Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

Alex spent the night inside the alchemy room doing nothing but cultivating. He had taken a particularly large Alchemy task that would normally take about 10 hours for a normal cultivator.

However, he had finished it in just 3 hours and had spent the remainder of the time simply cultivating.

Alex walked out of the room a bit after noon and looked outside. It was just an hour before he got to meet his mother again.

'I can do one more pill,' Alex thought and walked out from the back of the guild to the front where the mission board lay.

As he was about to place his badge on the carved spots, he heard someone shouting behind him.

"Hey, you!"

Alex continued with his task, wondering why someone would dare be rowdy in the guild.

"Can you turn around, please?" the voice continued. "I'm talking to you, the one with the missing arm."

Alex stopped and finally turned around. When he did, he came face to face with someone he didn't expect to see here at all.

Fatty Tian Ye.

"Brother, are you an alchemist?" Tian Ye asked.

"Yes," Alex said, while at the same time a little surprised at the fact that the fatty was still in the city. He would've expected him to leave already after being rejected.

"Good, good. Can you check for me if someone has taken up my order yet?" he asked.

"Uhh… sure, what's your order?" Alex asked.

"Lord Clearance Pill. 40%," the fatty said.

"Hmm… let's see," Alex placed the badge on the carving and started looking.

"Ah, found it. It's not been taken yet," Alex said as he looked at the mission. This was a simple pill that wasn't different from the Disciple Ascendance pill, only this one worked for the Lord realm cultivators.

'Why would he need one? Isn't he a True King?' Alex wondered. Still, this was a pill for him to make and he needed to pass some time.

"Alright, I've taken up the order. You will get your pill soon," Alex said.

"What? No!" the fatty shouted.

Alex stopped. "Did you not want your pill to be made?" Alex asked with a confused look.

"Of course I do! But, not by you," the fatty said.

Alex felt a tinge of anger when he heard that. "Why? What's wrong with me?" he asked.

"You… you… you're a bronze. I'm afraid you will mess up my order," Fatty said.

"Then you shouldn't have put up an order a bronze could take," Alex asked. "Don't worry. If I mess it up, I will compensate for the loss. That's guild orders. You should know that."

"I… I'm not worried about losing money or ingredients. I'm worried about losing time," the fatty said. "There's someone who needs this pill desperately right now. She's been cultivating for 6 days already, and still hasn't broken through."

Alex paused in his steps. As the pieces fell together, Alex understood who the fatty was talking about.

'He's buying this pill for my mother?' he thought curiously. 'No way he's trying to marry my mother too right? He's nearly 15 years younger.'

"Don't worry, brother. I will make your pill. Besides, I can't give back a mission I've already taken," Alex said. After that, he left the outer hall and went to the back, leaving a nervous Tian Ye waiting outside.

Once Alex was in the alchemy room, he got the ingredients. He looked at the two sets of ingredients and wondered, 'Does my mother even need pills?'

Alex still didn't know what was responsible for his very weak, almost non-existent bottlenecks. Was it his body? Or was it his spiritual roots?

Or maybe was it his talents? If it was his talents, his mother certainly didn't require the pills.

But, if it was any of the other two, he would have to do his best with the pills.

So, Alex brought himself to the best shape he could and started making a pill for his mother.

Half an hour later, he walked out with a satisfied expression.

After handing one of the pills that came out at 44%, he walked out. The fatty immediately saw him come out and jumped to his feet.

"What happened? Did you do it?" he asked.

"Yes, you can go take the pill," Alex said as he walked away from the place. He only had half an hour to arrive at the gates of the Flowing Brush sect, and it would take him just a little under that.

So, he hurried his way out of the city and went up the mountain roads all the way to the sect.

"Oh, you've come in time," the guard from yesterday said.

"About the message…?" Alex asked.

"We'll call the sect master, right now," the guards said and sent a message.

Alex had waited a few minutes for the sect master to walk out when he heard a surprised "Oh, you!" come from behind him.

He turned around to see the fatty stand not far away from him. It seemed he had come back as well.

"Hey, brother," Alex said. "Hope you like your pill."

"Yes, yes, I do," the fatty said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my mother," Alex said with a smile.

"Your mother, huh? Is she an elder?" Fatty asked.

"No, she's—"

"Where is he?" a voice came from the gate catching everyone's attention.

"Sect master, here," the guard said and pointed towards Alex, who instantly stood up and readied himself.

The sect master walked out of the gates and saw Alex.

'Hmm… that's him?' the sect master Qin walked up to Alex.

"You are the one who's claiming to be my disciple's son?" the old man asked.

"Yes, sect master. I am he," Alex said with a bow.

"Huh? What? Son? Whose?" the Fatty was startled.

"What's your name?" the old man ignored Tian Ye and asked Alex.

"My name is Yu Ming," Alex said.

'Wrong name. That's not her son's name,' the old man thought with a bit of disappointment visible in his eyes. 'Sigh, but he looks close enough that I should be able to use him to dissuade the suitors.'

"Very well," the old man said. "Come, I will take you to your mother."

Alex's face brightened and he thanked the old man before walking forward.

"Wait, what's happening sect master Qin?" the fatty asked.

"Nephew Tian, can't you see? This young man says he's my disciple's son. I'm going to take him to meet her," the old man said.

"Sister Hei Lin has a son? And he's this old? No way. Why would you keep this information hidden?" the fatty asked.

"I did not hide anything. This is the first time I've seen her son too," the old man said as he turned towards Alex. "Let us hurry."

Alex felt an aura grab him and hoist him into the air before pulling him away.

He was moved fast, but not as fast as Shen Jing. So, he was perfectly fine.

He tried to look below, get a lay of the land. However, the excitement and nervousness were taking over him and he couldn't focus.

The Fatty was flying quite quickly as well, following the two of them.

At the same time, a spiritual sense touched Alex and a voice entered his mind.

"I know you're not my disciple's son, but I am in need of your help right now. Simply act like you're her son when you see her."

"Cry, call her mother, do what normal families would do. If you do that, I will grant any wish that may have brought you here."

Alex looked at the old man in surprise. 'He doesn't believe me?' Alex wondered.

Still, he nodded to give a yes to the old man. Finally, 2 minutes later they landed at the feet of a green mountain.

The moment Alex landed, he felt the aura of many True and saint realm experts appear in front of him.

Many seemingly high-ranking people were standing in front of him. Nearly everyone held a confused or annoyed look.

"Brother Qin, what is this? Your disciple has a son?" one of the old men and women asked.

"Why were we not let know about this beforehand?" the people started complaining. They had been staying here, hoping to rope in the old, but definitely talented Helen by using their family as leverage.

However, now that they learned that she had a son, marrying her into their family would only put a dark spot on their son's and nephew's images.

They couldn't stand that knowledge.

'Did the fatty let them know what was happening?' Alex wondered as he looked at the crowd.

"Brothers, sisters. Please calm down. I wasn't keeping this information from you at all. I too only came to learn about this right now."

"I haven't even checked this fact with my disciple yet. However, given how close this young man's features look like my disciples, I'm inclined to believe his story," the old man said.

"No, don't believe him," the fatty shouted. "He's an alchemist. He must be wearing an illusion formed by his pill."

The old man Qin's eyes hesitated for a moment. 'Dammit, is that true?' he wondered.

"We will find out after I ask my disciple," the old man said and walked to the house close to them and knocked on the door 3 times before entering.

The moment he was inside, he found Helen making a talisman under the lantern's light.

"Master?" she looked up surprised.

"Lin'er!" the old man said. "I need you to do something for me."