Glancing sideways, she watched as a few men walked in with something covered under a piece of white cloth, which they set upon a table on the stage.“Indeed, this letter was created using a peculiar device that the sage had named a typewriter. And it can be used to rapidly write any form of letter like it was written by a master scribe,” she said, pulling up the cloth as she revealed the device.It was a peculiar looking thing, with many wooden square things set onto its surface and some metal pieces present, while paper was put at the top. Jinyue walked up to the device, putting the paper in as she pressed one of the squares.A loud click came out as the character present on it stamped itself onto the paper instantly, pristine in its make and ink, without a single flaw. Jinyue continued to press the keys and rather quickly the page began to fill out, and then the device clinged once more, as she shifted a level over and the paper moved up. Turning around, she spoke once more. “And on

I nodded, continuing onwards. “It is true,” I replied. “I wrote the five books in a moment of inspiration that lasted for nine days and nights, and had it not been for my vassals and people taking care of my well being I would’ve died from exhaustion.” The elders looked at me, some with open amusement, others with mild surprise. “If it is true as you say, then where are these texts? We aren’t willing to believe much before we can see them first,” the Huo elder asked. I bowed my head to the man. “They are put under seal to stop them from gathering too much power and escaping out into the world. Their spirits have not yet been tamed, and I’m afraid I cannot show them to all of you before we come to some sort of agreement here first.” The Huo elder snorted, clearly displeased. “But,” I added, as I raised my head. “What I can show you, are the results of some of the things those books can create.” “We have seen these things. Fascinating creations,” the Yue elder said. “Fascinat

I sat in my room, writing letters after letters, and going through a heap of documents. Somehow, even after the auction had ended, my work had only continued to grow. Even superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and a general lack of need to sleep and eat no longer felt enough. I felt like I needed two more arms at the very least. Had I still had my twin around, we’d likely be working together on this.Still, even though the work was never ending, the task was done. The auction had gone… better than I’d expected, was all I could say. I still didn’t have the final tally, lots of contracts and agreements and payment methods that had all been arriving over the last week, but the number was substantial. The five families had replied quickly too, and not a single one had held back from my offer. Huo and Yue had not so subtly tried to outbid the others, and the Zhao had used their authority to try and get more than one of the books for themselves, but the other families had protested as I’d an

The Alchemy Halls were not difficult to find. But they were certainly not easy to get to either. The halls themselves were present within the outer palace, which in itself was like a mini city of its own. I’d entertained the thought of just walking through the gates but the guards wouldn’t let me in so easily, so I leaned on the Lord’s authority a little, as the carriage moved past the gates, with only a brief stop to identify ourselves. I looked outside the window, watching all sorts of cultivators and high rank officers within the Jade Court, moving through the area, wearing varied uniforms denoting their ranks. I barely had any idea which of them signified what. This was a brand new world to me.As the carriage rolled through the streets of the inner palace, I began to see my destination. Or rather, smell it. The Alchemy Halls were not hard to find with them being the only place where you’d suddenly see a rapid rise in the amount of spirit herbs openly lining the area, and young al

***Things moved surprisingly quickly after I showed off my pills and answered some questions. They didn’t know how I looked, I’d just been a distant threat to the halls, a name to be erased or taken care of, an upstart who thought too highly of himself. But now I was here, physically and tangibly, right in the middle of their home, and they didn’t know what to do. It made sense, in some ways. Alchemists held power, but they were not the most powerful people around. They were the hounds that ran things for the true ring leaders. The Jade Court, and the five great families. And to beat the hound, I’d gone and buddied up with the masters.The room I sat in was rather well decorated, with a window showing the inner palace flower garden. A lake was present outside, blossoms dancing in the air. A cup of tea had been set by a servant in front of me. I looked at the tea, wondering if it was poison. It’d be amusing to fall for that, given how I’d survived an assassination. I picked up the cup