Half an hour passed.Dozens of participants advanced. The rest were eliminated.“Javon,” Branton whispered, “If it’s a fifth-tier pill… can you do it?”Silence fell.Alderon immediately shook his head. “Impossible. A fifth-tier pill requires the Celestial Realm. Without it, even attempting it is dangerous.”“True qi affects alchemy?” Javon frowned.Alderon gave a brief explanation. Alchemy demands fire, and fire demands power. Without a solid foundation, progress stagnates. Tier five requires the Celestial Realm. Tier six, something even higher.Javon rubbed his chin. “So… without power, the path is blocked?”He recalled his teacher. That man had never explained this. Stingy, and truly irresponsible.Alderon glanced toward the Edelweis family, his gaze hardening. “The third round is tonight.”His tone dropped another notch. “For now, we settle old business.”“What exactly is the conflict between the Aljair and Edelweis families?”Javon finally asked as they walked out of Sanctum Alche

“That thousand Aetherstone,” Victor continued, “once he leaves Aljair territory, it all comes back into my hands. Property of the Edelweis family is not something that can be taken so easily.”“But…” Curtois hesitated. “Even if we don’t give him anything, he can’t do anything to me, right?”Victor snorted. “You still don’t understand, brat?!”“The Aljair family is already declining. If that boy forces the conflict to escalate, Alderon will step in. Tell me, can you fight a peak Great Grand Master?”Curtois’s face stiffened. All his arguments died in his throat.Victor stepped forward and looked at the young man before him with a thin smile. “So?” he asked with false courtesy. “What’s your decision?”Javon lifted his gaze. His eyes were calm, but his tone carried mockery. “Do I owe you a thousand Aetherstone?”“Then let’s continue the duel. I won’t bully the Edelweis family. Curtois can even recover his energy first.”Victor’s face flushed red. “Young man,” his voice hardened, “don’t b

Queen nodded. “That’s right. A hundred years ago, this continent had a different name. After an Overhaul Stage expert appeared, it was renamed.”Javon fell silent for a moment.“Eighteen continents,” Queen continued. “In a hundred years, only two people reached that realm. Skymer is simply too poor in spiritual energy.”“What about other regions?”“The North belongs to ancient clans. The West is ruled by demonic creatures. The East…” Queen paused. “That place is dead land.”Javon’s heartbeat quickened.“A meteor fell a thousand years ago. An entire continent vanished. No survivors. No one knows whether it was a natural disaster or man-made.”“No one investigated?”“Many did. Even Overhaul Stage experts. None of them returned,” Queen said quietly. “Only one person supposedly came back alive. He went insane… then disappeared.”Javon let out a long breath. “Looks like… I still have a lot to learn.”Queen and Javon wandered through Sanctum Alchemica without any clear destination. Before t

“Why does Javon only have one set of ingredients?”“Maybe that’s his limit.”The elders of the Aljair family exchanged glances. Refining four tier-four pills at once was already a miracle.The incense continued to burn down. Less than ten minutes remained.“Looks like you’ve run out of tricks, Javon,” Vincent mocked.His fifth pill was nearly complete.“The Chester flame is too dominant!”“The fifth one is out!”Vincent raised another King Blood Pulse Pill, smiling in satisfaction. He turned toward Javon, who had only just finished refining the medicinal liquid. “You’re out of strength,” he said, shaking the pill slightly.Javon did not respond. He calmly began forming the core.Vincent glanced at the other contestants.Selene, three pills. Malvin, four. Roland and Charles, only two.Only one threat remained.“For the sixth, I won’t give him any chance!” Vincent forced the Heart of the Sea Flame beyond its limit.The incense ash fell.At the very last second, the sixth pill was comple

Magnus nodded. “A rank above ordinary elders. Twenty-eight seats. A salary of eight thousand Aetherstone per month.”He looked at Javon. “With your abilities, you are qualified. But not yet.”Then he turned toward the girl behind them. “Selena. Elder number one hundred ninety-four. Your room is next door.”Selena gave a bitter smile, saluted, then left.“Vincent Chester?” Alderon asked.“Waiting to regain consciousness.”They continued the tour.In the trading area, a young man ran over. “President, this is Elder Javon’s token.”Javon accepted it and slowly turned it over. The engravings were neat, and the weight felt just right. “Not bad,” he muttered.Lina, who had been following behind the whole time, let out a small laugh. “I really didn’t expect you to come this far.”Javon merely smiled faintly.He knew one thing for certain starting today, his position in this world had changed.“This is your salary for this month.”Magnus opened his storage ring. A cloth pouch appeared in his