Holy Sect – Second Round Begins
In the Holy Sect, everyone knew one thing very clearly.
An alchemist did not always need hot fire.
There were many ways to refine pills. Cold fire, wood fire, water essence, metal flames—these were all common paths. What mattered was control and understanding, not heat.
Inside the large ring area, one hundred cauldrons were placed neatly on the ground. They were arranged in a strange formation diagram. From above, it looked orderly and calm, but something about it felt heavy.
One hundred alchemists sat before the cauldrons. Each of them carried materials that matched their own path. No one spoke. Everyone knew that this round would decide everything.
Far away from the ring, spectators sat quietly and watched. This place was close to the Fifth Holy Mountain of the Holy Sect. The spiritual energy here was dense, making it perfect for alchemy.
Nearby, there was a tall building. On the second floor, venerable guests sat comfortably on chairs. These were elders from different sects. They watched the competition calmly, talking softly among themselves.
The Holy Master was also sitting there with them. His expression was peaceful, as if nothing unusual was about to happen.
Just as the second round was about to start, the Holy Master suddenly stood up.
He smiled faintly and said,
"I need to go somewhere for a moment. You all can enjoy the competition. The Great Elder will stay here with you."
The elders nodded without thinking much.
But at that same moment, the Holy Master secretly sent a voice transmission toward the arena.
"It is almost time. Start it."
After saying that, his body rose into the air. In just a few breaths, he flew toward the sky and stopped directly above the center of the arena.
Below, the pill competition officially began.
Because of the energy shield surrounding the arena, none of the participants noticed anything strange. They couldn't see the Holy Master at all. Their focus was only on their cauldrons.
Second round rules were simple and cruel.
Whoever refined their pill first would advance.
No one dared to waste even a single breath.
From the second floor, the elders watched silently. But soon, confusion appeared on their faces.
The elder of the Water Spirit Temple frowned and spoke first.
"Didn't the Holy Master say he had to leave? Then why is he standing above the arena?"
No one answered.
The other elders felt the same doubt. Something didn't feel right.
Suddenly—
The surrounding space shook.
From around the arena, thirty-five pillars rose from the ground. They appeared silently, as if they had always been there. Each pillar released a beam of light into the sky.
Some lights were blue.
Some were red.
Some were black, gold, green, or gray.
All the beams gathered at one point.
That point was exactly where the Holy Master was standing.
Shock filled the second floor.
"What is this?" someone shouted.
But the moment they tried to stand up, their bodies froze.
No one could move.
Even worse, they couldn't hear each other's voices anymore. Their mouths opened, but no sound came out. Panic spread instantly.
Some elders felt cold sweat appear on their backs.
Formation path elders were the first to understand.
"This… this is a formation," one of them thought in horror.
They tried to break it, to sense the formation lines, but it was useless. The formation was far beyond their understanding. It was too deep, too complete.
Slowly, their gazes turned toward one person.
The Great Elder of the Holy Sect.
Their eyes were filled with questions, anger, and fear. They wanted answers.
The Great Elder looked at them calmly.
Then he said slowly,
"There is no other way. This is for the future of the Holy Sect… and the human race."
Those words made everyone's face turn pale.
At that moment, they finally understood.
This pill competition…
It was never real.
It was a lie from the beginning.
They had all been used.
But even now, they still didn't know why the Holy Master was doing this—or what terrible thing was about to happen.
Above the arena, beams of light continued to gather.
Below, one hundred alchemists refined pills, unaware that their fate had already stepped onto a path of no return.
Nameless Mountain Peak
On the peak of a nameless mountain, a figure in a white robe sat quietly. Thick clouds surrounded the mountain, drifting slowly around him. The world below was completely hidden.
His eyes were closed. His posture was steady. He was deeply immersed in meditation.
He was none other than Luo Zheng.
Suddenly—
A massive wave of spiritual energy burst out from his body. The energy was cloudy and white, spreading outward like mist. The clouds around him were pushed away, forming a wide empty space around the peak.
The mountain trembled slightly.
After a long moment, the spiritual energy slowly settled down.
Luo Zheng opened his eyes.
A sharp light flashed through them.
"Finally… Initial Stage, First Layer."
He let out a slow breath. His heart felt calm, but there was excitement hidden deep inside.
In his mind, he thought,
"My cultivation speed is too fast. This must be because of the true inheritance left by that old master."
"In just a few days, I reached Initial Stage First Layer."
"At first, I thought I would need thirty or forty years to reach the same level as him. But now I understand the cultivation concept more clearly."
"If I have enough resources… reaching the Transcended Realm in four or five years is not impossible."
Luo Zheng closed his eyes again and guided the spiritual energy inside his body. The energy moved smoothly through his meridians and returned to his dantian.
At that moment, he felt something strange.
His body felt lighter than before.
He slowly stood up and clenched his fist. There was still power, but it felt different.
He frowned slightly and thought,
"Is this change because of the cloud-type spiritual energy?"
"I guess it is."
According to the inheritance, with this cultivation technique, he could fly freely once he reached the Separation and Reunion Stage. But everything had a price.
"This technique makes my body lighter," he thought,
"which means my physical defense is decreasing."
Luo Zheng stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter for now."
"This is a cultivation world. There are thousands of ways to protect the body."
"If I can comprehend that defensive technique inside the inheritance, I will gain another type of defense."
"With that ability, physical attacks won't even be able to touch me."
"For strength-path cultivators who depend only on body tempering and brute force…"
"They won't be able to do anything to me."
As he thought about it, Luo Zheng slowly realized more about the cultivation world.
Heaven was fair.
It never gave something without taking something away.
Every path had its own advantage.
Every advantage came with weakness.
Balance existed everywhere.
Luo Zheng lifted his head and looked around.
In every direction, there were only clouds. White clouds rolled endlessly, calm and quiet. The mountain peak felt isolated from the world.
But suddenly—
His gaze stopped.
From far away, a large group of black clouds was moving toward him.
They were thick, heavy, and carried a deep pressure.
Luo Zheng's expression changed slightly.
He murmured,
"It's time to go back."
According to the inheritance, he clearly remembered one rule.
He could not absorb black cloud energy until he reached the Qi Transformation Stage.
Black clouds contained much denser spiritual energy than white clouds. At his current realm, his body could not endure it.
"If someone at a lower stage tries to absorb it…"
He didn't need to finish the thought.
"Their body would explode."
Luo Zheng didn't hesitate anymore. He gathered the remaining white cloud energy around him, stepped forward, and his body became light like mist.
In the next moment, he moved away from the mountain peak, leaving behind only drifting clouds.
The nameless mountain returned to silence.
Soon, the black clouds covered the peak completely, as if no one had ever been there.